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Xiao Jinyan noticed Shen Chuwei’s body sink slightly, her eyebrows furrowed, her body was that fragile?

He exerted some strength and lifted her up.

Lady Chang watched Xiao Jinyan’s hand wrapping around Shen Chuwei, clenching the small handkerchief in her hand tightly; Shen Chuwei was clearly pretending, just to evoke Your Highness’s pity.

Xiao Jinyan: "..." Do you think everyone is as good at pretending as you?

The Guanyin for praying for offspring was not far from the Great Buddha Hall, just turn left after exiting the door, and a few steps would get you there.

Because the Empress came to pray and seek blessings, the Temple’s abbot cooperated with the Guard to clear the area in advance.

Shen Chuwei followed the Empress and walked in leisurely, raising her head to look at the Guanyin above, who was kind and benevolent, with golden boys and jade girls on her left and right, and the incense burning fervently in front indicated that many people were praying for children.

After the Empress and the others, including Xiao Jinyan, had all successively knelt on the meditation cushions, she had no choice but to follow suit and kneel down; her legs, just recovered, felt as if they had gained consciousness all of a sudden, and started aching and getting uncomfortable the moment she knelt down.

The Empress was muttering under her breath, and even though Shen Chuwei couldn’t hear clearly, she guessed that the Empress was praying for a child.

Xiao Jinyan had been married for more than half a year, surrounded by beautiful women, yet without a single child; the Empress, as the mother-in-law, must have been eager for a grandchild.

Since ancient times, the hearts of parents all over the world are the same.

In the past, she thought she was the only one in the East Palace who had not served the bed.

Now?

She didn’t even know who had truly served the bed~

Fortunately, the Empress didn’t pray for long. Shen Chuwei secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and decided that next time there was praying and offerings to be made, she would find an excuse not to come!

After the Empress finished offering incense, she turned to look at Shen Chuwei and Lady Chang, "Lady Chang, Lady Shen, you two also offer incense sticks."

"Yes, aunt," Lady Chang picked up her skirt ready to stand up, but as she got up, her foot weakened and she fell towards Xiao Jinyu.

Xiao Jinyan, out of the corner of his eye, saw a bluish-green figure tumble over, and he casually stepped aside without a word.

"Ah!!" Lady Chang cried out in alarm, falling flat on her face.

"Lanlan." The Empress hurried over, "Quick, help Lanlan up."

Qing Ying was closest to Lady Chang, and she stepped forward to help her up.

The Empress looked Lady Chang up and down; the winter clothing was thick, obscuring any view of injury, "Lanlan, are you alright?"

Xiao Jinyan, as if he had just noticed, stepped forward to ask, "How did you suddenly fall?"

Lady Chang had taken a heavy fall, and the pain brought tears to her eyes, "This concubine’s foot suddenly cramped, and I didn’t stand firm, hurting my leg."

She had wanted to imitate Shen Chuwei, whose legs were numb, taking the opportunity to fall into Xiao Jinyan’s arms, but she didn’t expect to fall so miserably.

The Empress looked at Lady Chang, who was almost crying from pain, and felt very sorry for her. She ordered, "Qing Ying, send Lanlan back to her room to rest, and let the Imperial Doctor examine her."

"As you command." Qing Ying called another Palace Maid, and the two worked together to take Lady Chang back to her chamber.

Only when Lady Chang had disappeared at the doorway did she retract her gaze and look towards Shen Chuwei, who was exceptionally cold today. She wore a pink fox fur, looking charming and adorable.

If she were to bear a daughter, surely the child would not lack beauty.

"Lady Shen, you come offer incense to Guanyin for praying for offspring, in hopes of having a child soon."

Shen Chuwei looked up at Xiao Jinyan, Your Highness, do I really need to offer incense to Guanyin for praying for offspring? I don’t need to...

Xiao Jinyan thought her legs were numb again and sought help; he stepped forward, grabbed her hand and asked, "What’s wrong, are your legs numb again?"

Shen Chuwei had forgotten; she and Xiao Jinyan had no tacit understanding and naturally could not read the meaning in her eyes.

In front of the Empress, it was not appropriate for her to clarify.

Shen Chuwei went along with it and nodded her head, "They are a bit numb."

Xiao Jinyan only felt that Shen Chuwei was frail, and her legs would go numb after kneeing for a while, so when they returned to the palace, he would have to properly nourish her.

"Then let’s wait until her legs aren’t numb anymore before offering incense to Guanyin, the goddess of childbirth," he said.

Shen Chuwei: "..." Your Highness, are you serious?

Seeing that Shen Chuwei’s legs had gone numb, the Empress did not urge her on, "Seeking children does not depend on one moment, and Guanyin, the goddess of fertility, is kind and merciful, she won’t blame you."

Shen Chuwei: "..." The key point is, she doesn’t need to seek children at all~

In fact, Shen Chuwei’s legs were not numb at all, and after a while, under the guidance of a little monk, she offered incense to Guanyin, the goddess of childbirth.

She discovered that the little monk who handed her the incense was the same one who brought her the hot water.

She smiled at the little monk before taking the incense and walking over.

The little monk was taken aback for a moment, then lowered his eyes and stepped aside.

After offering incense, the Empress had the Crown Prince and Lady Shen make another kowtow to the Goddess of Childbirth, wishing for Guanyin to bestow them plenty, regardless of gender, although twins, a boy and girl, would be best.

Quickly reigning in her desires, the Empress told herself not to be too greedy, for if Guanyin were to be displeased, all her long kneeling and reciting of scriptures would mean nothing, and she might not receive anything at all.

And to think that someone had just mentioned Guanyin was kind and merciful...

By the time they finished paying respects to Guanyin, it had already turned dark.

The evening meal was still monastic fare, plain and bland. Looking at it, the Empress barely had the desire to lift her chopsticks; suddenly, she longed for the instant noodles Shen Chuwei had prepared for her.

Qing Ying knew the Empress well, and picking up the chopsticks, she handed them over with soothing words, "Your Majesty, while here at Baima Temple, we can only eat monastic meals. If you don’t eat, you’ll be hungry."

With a heavy sigh, the Empress took the chopsticks from Qing Ying but hesitated to begin.

They still had to stay in Baima Temple for two more days, which meant six more monastic meals. The thought was utterly disheartening.

If only she had known, she would have asked Shen Chuwei for several packs of instant noodles at that time.

In the neighboring chamber, Shen Chuwei looked at the watery meal, not feeling any need to eat, even though her stomach was growling with hunger.

Xiao Jinyan leisurely ate a few bites of the vegetarian meal and noticed Shen Chuwei not moving her chopsticks, so he asked, "What’s wrong?"

Shen Chuwei looked up at Xiao Jinyan with a small face, "Your concubine wants to eat braised pork."

Xiao Jinyan looked into her eyes brimming with hope and tapped her forehead with his hand, "This is a temple, a place for vegetarianism and Buddhist recitation, how could you eat meat here?"

Shen Chuwei’s shoulders slumped, "Your concubine was just thinking about it."

She truly wanted to eat braised pork, braised fish, braised spare ribs...

Suddenly, she could understand why girls liked overbearing CEOs. Because with an overbearing CEO, the moment you say you want to eat something, it’s arranged immediately!

Xiao Jinyan picked up a piece of celtuce and put it into Shen Chuwei’s bowl, "When we return to the palace, you’ll have whatever you want to eat."

Shen Chuwei stared at the celtuce in her bowl, which was so tasteless it didn’t even glisten with oil.

"Your concubine understands." After saying that, she picked up the piece of celtuce and took a bite, confirming that it was indeed bland and unappealing.

Xiao Jinyan watched her for a while, then lowered his head and continued with his meal.

After dinner, Shen Chuwei found an excuse to slip out of the chamber.

Carrying a lantern, she walked along the cobblestone path towards the back gate.

She had strolled around during the day and knew that the back gate connected to the woods down the Back Mountain.

The guards at the gate, seeing Shen Chuwei, naturally didn’t stop her.

After walking for quite a distance to the back gate, Shen Chuwei lifted the latch, pulling open the old wooden door which creaked loudly.

With two red lanterns hanging above, the view opened to a forest of trees.