Thank god the current emperor is a healthy man, I don't condone every little thing that is customary to his position, but... HELL... the fact that he had the presence of spirit never to be like his father is a blessing.
Some things clicked with the custom revealed in this chapter, the pedo fucker must have raped who knows how many young girls, and because of this dipshit custom, many of them had to waste away in this prison.
With Maomao's kidnapping, I had forgotten Gyokuyo was close to her expected date, but if she is risking having a premature one, Maomao's disappearance must have shocked her deeply.
I have no doubts about Ruo Men's abilities to care for her, but... pregnancy is already something so delicate even in our modern time, imagine then.