After the emperor read her mind, the salted fish concubine effortlessly won the title of empress.

Chapter 56 Giving Birth to Monkeys

Shen Shixi copied a poem by Yuan Zhen mourning his deceased wife for Li Yuanke, which gave him the idea to make paper.

Today, there are four types of paper: hard yellow paper, Xuan paper, hemp paper, and Yanteng paper. Hard yellow paper is mainly used for copying Buddhist scriptures. Xuan paper is the most widely used, but the current craftsmanship is not as refined as in later generations, and it is too thin. Hemp paper is from Sichuan and was used a lot in the imperial court. Yanteng paper is light, white, and delicate, but it needs to be made by "breaking ice" in winter, which is a seasonal limitation and is used by government offices.

She wanted to make a kind of paper for girls to use, printed with beautiful peach blossoms and the like, similar to Xue Tao paper, but more exquisite.

This must be because they're bored!

But what could she possibly do in this deep palace?

Shen Shixi had never made paper herself, but she used to enjoy watching short videos of these handicrafts, so she asked Chaoyu to request two skilled craftsmen from the Imperial Household Department to come and help her.

Papermaking is very polluting, but fortunately it's not done on a large scale, so Shen Shixi had people collect the waste and wastewater in buckets and dump them out, so it didn't matter.

Inside Yixiang Pavilion, Consort Song was frantic with worry. She anxiously asked, "Has that vile woman, Shen, not come out yet?"

Qianyun comforted her, "Don't worry, my lady. These past few days, Peach Blossom Village has hired people who are doing something, so Consort Zhao hasn't come out yet, but she'll come out eventually."

"No rush, no rush, how can I not rush? This child in my belly, who knows when it will..." Song Jieyu's tears rolled down her cheeks, "Since it can't be saved, I certainly won't let that bitch Shen get away with it!"

What did she do wrong this time?

She only offered Shen Shixi a few words of advice, and she meant well.

Shen Shixi caused her brother to be exiled and herself to be demoted. Why does the emperor favor her so much?

She's nothing but a vixen!

"My lady, there will always be an opportunity!"

"Physician Liao said the prescription my mother brought in wouldn't harm the unborn child, but my baby is getting weaker every day. Why is that?"

Qianyun said, "Your Majesty, please don't think about this. The imperial physician also said that your excessive worry is not good for the imperial fetus!"

"They've all made my life miserable, and I'll make sure they never have an easy time again!" said Song Jieyu. "Qianyun, tell me, who did tamper with my medicine?"

Qianyun shook her head. "Master, don't think about these things. We'll be more careful next time you get pregnant."

"Children in this palace are difficult to raise; the Empress is the mother of the nation, but she has no favor and no children. She comes from the Pei family, and the Emperor and Empress Dowager may not be willing to let her give birth to a prince; if the eldest prince has an accident, the Pei family and the Duke of Xin's mansion may not be able to escape responsibility; Consort Rong has been favored since her miscarriage, but she has not been able to get pregnant again."

And then there's Consort Qing. Now that the Second Prince is safe and sound, she's kept a tight grip on things, making her the biggest winner!

Hard work pays off. Shen Shixi produced the first batch of lotus-patterned stationery. The paper was a bit thick and very smooth. The lotus flowers on it were pink and the lotus leaves were light green. It was really beautiful to Bai Ping and Chao En.

The officials in charge of the workshop were also amazed; they had never seen such craftsmanship before.

Shen Shixi, however, was not very satisfied. "If it's too smooth, it won't absorb ink; also, the colors of the lotus flowers and leaves are not right, and they're too dark, which doesn't look good. They need to be improved!"

"What are you doing?"

Shen Shixi turned her head and saw Li Yuanke standing under the peach tree.

"Your Majesty~~~, you're finally back!"

She lunged at Li Yuanke.

The two officials in charge of the Imperial Workshops were stunned. Li Fude coughed, and they remembered to bow their heads and retreat with the servants.

Li Yuanke caught her and laughed, "You little rascal, did you miss me?"

Shen Shixi wrapped her arms around his neck, looking him up and down. "Your Majesty has grown even more handsome! Oh my, whose little brother is this? He's so good-looking, let me give him a kiss!"

She nibbled at Li Yuanke's face, getting her face covered in saliva. Li Yuanke laughed and picked her up to look at her.

"What made you decide to make paper?" He picked up a sheet to look at it. "This paper is quite well made!"

"I'll test it out first, and then make some special paper for Your Majesty. The process isn't quite mature yet, but once I've figured out a stable one, I'll write it down and give it to Your Majesty. Oh, by the way, I asked two people from the Imperial Workshop to help me. Your Majesty, please remember to reward them for me."

"I understand!"

Although he didn't come, the emperor was still fully aware of what was happening at Shen Shixi's place.

He was very worried about her, so he carried Shen Shixi into the inner hall.

The two squeezed onto the couch. Li Yuanke was burning with heat, and Shen Shixi, feeling hot, tried to move, but he wouldn't let her. "I heard you've invited a royal physician here. What's wrong?"

"He's comfortable everywhere, I'll ask him for advice on pregnancy maintenance!"

Li Yuanke was overjoyed, "You're pregnant?"

"I'm not pregnant!" Shen Shixi said. "Can't you ask if I'm not pregnant? I don't scheme against others, and I'm not afraid of others scheming against me!"

Li Yuanke rubbed her belly, "You bastard, are you making fun of me? If you're not pregnant, go get pregnant now!"

He picked up Shen Shixi and headed inside. Shen Shixi wrapped herself around his waist and cried out, "It's time to eat! I'm hungry! Let's eat first!"

Li Yuanke couldn't wait any longer.

Shen Shixi was still saying, "So, you came here just for this little thing?" She was also being very ruthless with her hands, which made Li Yuanke's whole body burn with desire.

Clothes were peeled off piece by piece. Bai Ping heard the noise and quickly came over to close the doors. Everyone retreated into the peach grove.

Inappropriate sounds were coming from inside.

The two couldn't wait to go to bed, so they stayed on the couch.

"Li Yuanke, my back!" Shen Shixi cried out in pain.

Li Yuanke held her waist with his hand, his grip firm, while his own hand pressed against the edge of the kang table. His eyes, dark and turbulent, demanded, "Did you miss me?"

Shen Shixi was speechless. She weakly kicked his waist with her toe, her eyes slightly open, reddening like peach blossoms, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "You're just bullying me!"

Li Yuanke leaned down and kissed away her tears. "Don't like me teasing you like this? Just say so, and I'll take good care of you!"

Shen Shixi gripped his wrist firmly and powerfully, her strength hidden within, just like the power in his waist and abdomen, channeling it into her body inch by inch, making her both expectant and nervous.

Waves of pleasure surged through my body, while my reason teetered on the brink of collapse.

"Li Yuanke, you're wicked, utterly wicked!"

"Give me a son!" Li Yuanke's heart was hardened. "I want your child!"

"No, I'm still young!"

Li Yuanke grinned mischievously, "It looks quite large to me! I like it!"

"Bastard! Ah~~~" Shen Shixi kicked him and cried out.

Li Yuanke also held his breath. After a while, the energy subsided and the two calmed down. The dark clouds in his eyes gradually dissipated, and the wind from outside the window blew in, lingering on the two people who were tightly embracing each other.

Li Yuanke picked her up and fed her until she was full. Only then was he satisfied. He brushed aside her sweaty hair and said, "If you can't have children, then wait a few years and I'll adopt one for you to raise."

Shen Shixi leaned weakly on his shoulder. "No, I won't raise her! Find me a female doctor, my periods are irregular, how am I going to get pregnant?"

[That bastard, what's wrong with his brain? He wants me to raise his own child with someone else's? How could he even think of that?! I'm so angry! He needs to be disciplined!]

Li Yuanke laughed, his chest heaving, "Alright, I'll pick out a good one for you and send it over later."

He lifted her chin and kissed her deeply. "Once Xi'er has recovered, she'll bear me a child!"

"I'll have your babies!" Shen Shixi rolled her eyes.

Li Yuanke burst into laughter, his interest piqued again.