It's Better to be the Empress Dowager

Chapter 74

Tang Shishi initially made up her mind not to give Zhao Chengjun a good face, but Zhao Chengjun did not pursue accountability or cross-examination, instead, he said “sorry” to her as soon as he started to talk. Tang Shishi was a little surprised, and she could not even put a cold face, “Wangye as a high-ranking official is very busy with lofty ambition. How can I afford Wangye to apologize?”

Zhao Chengjun sighed slightly and said, “No matter what, I let you down. On the Dragon Boat Festival… that day was really rushed. You were still asleep, and I couldn’t wait for you to wake up. So, I can only ask Liu Ji to look after you. Later, I also blocked the news to protect you too. I didn’t expect you to be pregnant.”

This kind of thing was Zhao Chengjun’s fault anyway. It was not a nobleman’s doing to take advantage of other’s difficulties. When Tang Shishi woke up, Zhao Chengjun was gone. From her point of view, it was indeed very similar to abandonment and irresponsibilities.

Tang Shishi could not help but smile softly, “Now that Wangye is back, it’s natural for you to explain everything as you please. Wangye doesn’t want people to know about our relationship, nor doesn’t want other people to know about my existence. I understand all of it and Wangye doesn’t have to explain it deliberately. By the way, I want to make it clear that I drank every single drop of the child-avoiding soup. As for why I got pregnant, Wangye should go ask Liu Gonggong.”

“Child avoiding soup?” Zhao Chengjun couldn’t help frowning, “What child-avoiding soup?”

Tang Shishi groaned and said coldly, “Wangye, there is no need to feign ignorance? You don’t want to expose what happened that day and I also don’t want to. But unfortunately, I was pregnant which damaged Wangye’s reputation, your big plan is stranded and also caused a gap between Wangye and your beloved wife.”

Zhao Chengjun was silent for a long time, and asked slowly, “Do you think the medicine you drank that day was the child-avoiding soup?”

Tang Shishi scoffed, “Don’t tell me it isn’t?”

Zhao Chengjun remained speechless for a long time. Before he went on the expedition, he specifically asked Liu Ji to give her a decoction of cold repelling because he felt sorry for Tang Shishi. Unexpectedly, she always thought it was child-avoiding soup.

Even more frightening was that she drank it without objection. It was extremely terrifying to think about it. Zhao Chengjun refused to think deeply and forced himself to stop it, “It’s not child-avoiding soup, rather a decoction of cold repelling. I have never thought about child-avoiding soup. I don’t like raising children, but by no means to go as far as to do irresponsible things like escaping from the battle. Now that both of you are here, then it’s Heaven’s will. Heaven destined that I would have a wife and a child.”

Zhao Chengjun was very protective of his child in his speech. Just now he directly said to keep the unborn child at all costs. Tang Shishi’s mood was more or less stabilized. She caressed her belly with her fingers and suddenly felt gloomy.

This child was Zhao Chengjun’s own flesh and blood, of course, he would let the child stay. No matter how a man disliked troublesome, no one would refuse when he really has a child. Tang Shishi did not worry that Zhao Chengjun would treat the child badly. He was not young anymore, and he would treat the child kindly even if it was a concubine’s bloodline.

After a long time, Tang Shishi asked, “I naturally believe that Wangye is a responsible person. Whether this child is a son or daughter, it is his good fortune to be reincarnated into Wangye’s mansion. What about me? How is Wangye going to appease Wangfei? What should I do after giving birth to the child?”

Zhao Chengjun sighed helplessly. He had just hinted that, obviously, Tang Shishi did not understand it at all.

She did not even notice it at all.

Zhao Chengjun gently covered Tang Shishi’s hand, his palm was larger than Tang Shishi’s. At this moment, he completely covered her fingers and placed them warmly and firmly on her belly, “Of course, you have to nurse back to health properly and raise this child to an adult.”

Tang Shishi showed a mocking look, and said, “Wangfei is not a generous person. I am afraid she won’t be able to tolerate me. Wangye has also seen Wangfei today. Both Miss Xi and Madam Xi are extremely hostile towards this child. She is like this even before he is born. After he is born, she will definitely harm him if I raise him by my side.”

“As a mother, you cannot be lazy and shirking off the task of raising children to others.” Zhao Chengjun said in a flat tone, and said unhurriedly, “You are the Wangfei. If not raise by your side, then on whose side?”

Tang Shishi’s lips moved. She wanted to say something at first, but after she suddenly realized what Zhao Chengjun meant, she was completely stumped for words. Zhao Chengjun enjoyed her embarrassment for a while, a smile gradually emerged on his lips, and said leisurely, “Now you feel relieved?”

He knew her hesitation, struggle and fear, as well as her ambition, selfishness and vanity. He understood all her love and hatred, despicable and courageous, sadness and pity, but still could not help loving her.

What attracted him at the beginning was the woman who refused to admit defeat or accept her fate and dared to be the first to stand up and said, “I have the best knowledge”. What moved him was the woman who dared to ask him “are you not reconciled” facing the ice-cold rain and endless dangers on a rainy night in the paddock.

He fully understood this woman, and yet he could not help being attracted to her. Men always looked for women with virtues such as gentleness and benevolence, kindness and generosity. Some of these virtues were true, but most of them were men’s wishful thinking. When Zhao Chengjun was determined to get married, right from the beginning, was the most authentic and ugliest Tang Shishi with all the beautiful disguised being stripped off.

He accepted everything about her, willingly became her captive, and offering her favorite fine clothing, jewelry, wealth, and power, as long as she stayed with him.

Tang Shishi was stunned for a long time. She dared to be sure that she was not dreaming until she pinched herself quietly. Zhao Chengjun actually wanted to marry her? How could this be… How could he marry a woman who was not smart, not noble, and whose family background was not helpful to him at all, and even dragged him down?

Thinking about this, Tang Shishi blurted out, “Aren’t you going to marry Xi Yunchu? Why did you change to me?”

“It’s not a replacement.” Zhao Chengjun’s voice was neither fast nor slow. He helped her arranged her loose hair around her ears, “It has always been you from beginning to end.”

“But when you were in mountain villa in Nanshan, you clearly told Xi Yunchu that you wanted to get married…” Tang Shishi muttered, and her voice stopped abruptly when she met Zhao Chengjun’s eyes. Zhao Chengjun moved her fingers up and flicked her forehead conveniently, “She was there at the time, weren’t you there too? The words were so obvious, but you can’t even discern it.”

After Zhao Chengjun finished speaking, he was angry unknowingly. He, once again, hated iron for not becoming steel and pointed at between her eyebrows, “You really haven’t used your brain before.”

Tang Shishi covered her forehead, tilted her head, and still looked flabbergasted, “It’s obvious you said it yourself that you don’t want to get married and also don’t want children. Who knows you will suddenly change your mind? Oh, that’s right. You seem to have changed your mind again before you went on the expedition… “

Zhao Chengjun was inevitably embarrassed. Facts have proven that he could not speak too early, otherwise, he would be slapped in the face like now. Zhao Chengjun gave a low cough and said, “When I said those things, I don’t have a wife and children which naturally is different from now.”

Tang Shishi blinked. Although she was slow to react and not very logical, she was not without her brain. Zhao Chengjun’s words were completely nonsenses. According to him, everyone did not have to be responsible for the vow of the past, because as time goes by, everyone was different from the past.

Zhao Chengjun also knew that his statement was unconvincing. He immediately changed the subject and said, “In short, it’s a fact that you are pregnant, so getting married and establishing as Wangfei is naturally the only way. Are you willing?”

Tang Shishi gradually recovered from the shock as it was easy to do once the person has ambitions. Tang Shishi grasped Zhao Chengjun’s bottom line, immediately entered the role of Wangfei, and pretended, “There is no such good thing in the world. You took advantage of me while I was delirious. When all is done, you patted your own clothes and left afterward. As for me, I got pregnant, have morning sickness, was frightened, endured gossips, and almost got killed by others. Now that you’re back, you expect me to marry you obediently with just one word?”

“Therefore, you have to marry me even more.” Zhao Chengjun looked at her deeply, and said softly, “You can take revenge by marrying me. From now on, you can live in my mansion, squander my money, bossing people around, showing off your power, and even beat and scold my child if you’re upset. In addition, you are afraid that there will be no chance for this kind of revenge.”

Tang Shishi wanted to hold back, but she still could not hold back and chuckled, “You’re actually a logic robber. In this way, it will be wrong for me not to marry you?”

“Of course.” Zhao Chengjun also smiled, took her hand, looked deeply into Tang Shishi’s eyes, and asked, “Are you willing?”

Tang Shishi’s face turned red slightly. She nodded her head very subtly and quickly while holding on to the shelf.

The light in Zhao Chengjun’s eyes was like the bursting stars with scattered lights spreading out, gently and firmly, as it was bound to win. Zhao Chengjun raised his hands slightly, as if he wanted to hug her, but he was worried that there was a child in her belly and the baby was still unstable, so he put his hands down again.

In the end, Zhao Chengjun restrained himself and pulled up the quilt for Tang Shishi, “You have been overwhelmed in these months, and the baby seems unstable. You’d better rest well. I will arrange the conferment of the title. Don’t worry about the imperial court, everything has me. It’s just that you’re weak, everything in the wedding is simple, and the formalities such as the official wedding dress and the six ceremonies can be saved. Do you understand?”

Tang Shishi nodded, “I understand.” She said that she understood. In fact, she had some regrets. Which woman did not dream of their own wedding and wedding clothes? Unfortunately, her wedding was bound to end poorly.

However, Tang Shishi turned to think of the title Jing Wangfei and instantly tossed all her regrets aside. Any details were not important as compared with the extravagances represented by Jing Wangfei. Even if the wedding ceremony was not held, it was not a big deal.

Tang Shishi thought of Empress Dowager Yao for a fleeting moment, but she quickly put these worries aside. Zhao Chengjun said that he would handle a series of trivial things such as conferment and marriage, and Tang Shishi just needed to wait for the final result. The resentments between Empress Dowager Yao, the imperial clan’s mansion, the imperial court, and Jing Wang were all supported by him.

This kind of feeling that everything was arranged by others, and never needed to spend time vying for things, was really wonderful.

Zhao Chengjun really did not want to make a big deal out of it. If he could, he just wanted to get the edict and be done. For one thing, Zhao Chengjun did not like noisy occasions. For another, Tang Shishi’s physical condition was not allowed to toss around. It was better to simplify everything and more importantly was to let her nurture her baby at ease. But Zhao Chengjun knew that some women attached great importance to the wedding. He was afraid that Tang Shishi would mind, so he deliberately told Tang Shishi in advance. Seeing that there was no displeasure on Tang Shishi’s face, Zhao Chengjun was a little relieved and had a general outline in his heart.

Zhao Chengjun hurried back from Suzhou. There were many things to arrange outside and now, there was also the wedding. Zhao Chengjun said a few words to more or less appease Tang Shishi and had to deal with the matters outside. He stood up from the bed, stopped Tang Shishi’s action to get up, and said, “You nurture the baby properly. You don’t have to do any rules such as saluting and greeting in the future. I’ll leave first and will see you later in the evening.”

Tang Shishi was really worried about the recurrent miscarriage. She no longer insisted and leaned against the soft pillow as she watched Zhao Chengjun leave, “Respectfully send Wangye. Wangye takes care.”

Zhao Chengjun told her to recuperate well, and then walked out in large strides. When he was about to leave the door, he suddenly stopped and looked at the flowerpot.

Tang Shishi did not know why, so she looked at the corner. When she saw the yellow potted strawflowers, Tang Shishi’s fingertips shook, and suddenly remembered something.