Chapter 163 Whose child is this?

Yao Qingling glanced at the doctor, did not resist, and raised her arm to let the doctor take her pulse.

The doctor was very experienced and could tell at a glance that the woman was pregnant, but to make it more convincing, he still took her pulse by holding her wrist.

After a moment, he bowed to Madam Ma, the old lady, and the Marquis of Zhongyong and the others, and replied, "Miss is indeed pregnant."

Gasps of surprise filled the air; could it really be... a pregnancy?

Everyone knows Yao Qingling is outrageous, but no one expected her to go this far!

Being pregnant out of wedlock—what a shameful thing that is! Does she even know it?

Marquis Zhongyong was furious. Clutching his chest to catch his breath, he roared, "Disgraceful! Yao Qingling, you have disgraced our Yao family ancestors!"

"How could the Yao family produce such a disgusting piece of trash like you? I didn't say anything when you got divorced, and I even let you come back. But I never expected you to be so shameless, repeatedly trampling the Marquis's family's reputation on the ground!"

"You keep talking about your father's reputation, but if my second brother and sister-in-law knew this in the afterlife, they would be ashamed because of you!"

Marquis Zhongyong cursed him with all the insults he could think of, but his health had deteriorated recently, and he was panting heavily after cursing for a while.

Yao Qingling knew she would have to endure a lot, but when she heard her father and mother's names, she couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in her heart.

Regardless of whose child it is, she chose to give birth, and her failure to take good care of herself will indeed worry them.

But she also thought that her parents, if they were alive, would be watching over her.

They won't blame her; they'll just feel sorry for her having such relatives.

Her expression was cold and indifferent, neither humble nor arrogant, showing no remorse after being scolded, and she stared blankly ahead.

Aunt Zhao kept staring at Qingling's face.

I always found her interesting; she gave up being a pampered young mistress and insisted on getting a divorce to become a businesswoman.

Her pregnant belly has been exposed, yet she can still stand there so confidently and upright. Most people would have knelt down, weeping and kowtowing, begging for forgiveness.

Aunt Zhao now had the Marquis completely under her thumb, and she had a smug air about her. She guessed Madam Ma's intentions, but they were not what she expected.

Aunt Zhao stroked the Marquis Zhongyong's chest and served him tea, saying in a sweet voice, "My lord, please calm down. Miss Qingling is, after all, your niece. You don't need to be so upset."

Madam Ma gave her a cold glance, growing increasingly displeased with Aunt Zhao.

"Zhao, do you even have the right to speak here!" she scolded, gripping the armrest. "Get out! It's because of women like you, with your seductive and alluring manner, that this mansion has become such a chaotic place!"

Aunt Zhao glanced at her, rolled her eyes, and obediently retreated behind Marquis Zhongyong.

Ma's eldest son, Yao Qingxu, suddenly spoke up: "Qingling, whose child is this in your belly? We are the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, and you are a young lady of the Marquis's mansion. Even if you marry into the other family as a concubine, it is perfectly acceptable, and it would be a double blessing."

This can be considered turning a bad thing into a good thing.

The old lady said, "Xu'er's suggestion is also a good one. It's useless to just blame and scold people. The important thing now is to find a father for the child. Qingling was divorced, so it's already difficult for her to marry into a good family. Now she can actually get married."

Mrs. Ma was taken aback, not expecting her son to speak first, and that her mother-in-law also agreed.

That old fool.

"Qingxu, how can you talk nonsense? Qingling is pregnant and is being married off as a concubine. Our Marquis's reputation is still damaged. Who knows what they will say about our Marquis's family behind our backs."

The old lady glanced at her and said, "Then what are you going to do? Give her a bowl of abortion medicine, tell her to abort the child, and pretend nothing happened?"

The old lady's close friend from her youth died after being given an abortifacient.

Yao Qingling is, after all, the only son of the second son's family, and she still wants to keep this bloodline.

Furthermore, she is a Buddhist and cannot bear to see any killing.

Most importantly, after Yao Qingling went into business, he secretly gifted her century-old ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms, telling her to live a long and healthy life.

The old lady remembered this good thing about her.

Madam Ma opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Aunt Zhao jumped in to express her opinion: "I also think Young Master Qingxu's idea is good. If the child's biological father is a prince or something, and Qingling gives birth to a son in one fell swoop, she might win the prince's favor and become a concubine."

When the prince's concubine was mentioned, the Marquis of Zhongyong's eyes lit up. His emotions fluctuated greatly, and he started panting again, but an excited blush appeared on his face.

He thought to himself: A concubine? Yao Qingling is lucky; she'll either marry into a Duke's family or a Prince's family. That would elevate the Marquis's status even further. And if it's a powerful Prince, it would be even more incredible!

He took a sip of tea to steady his breathing, regaining his dignified demeanor as a marquis, and looked at Qingling seriously, asking, "Qingling, whose child is this?"

He especially hoped that the child was the Tang Emperor's, who was powerful in the court and trusted by the emperor, but this man had some eccentricities and a penchant for sleeping with court ladies, which was no secret.

Yao Qingling coldly watched as these people argued vehemently about her and her child's future.

I felt only sadness in my heart.

They never treated her as family.

She's just a tool to be used. When you think she's useless or even shameful, you can tell her to die.

She always knew this, so she never had any expectations. From the moment she decided to divorce, she went her own way every step of the way.

But perhaps it was because she was pregnant, and had someone connected to her by blood, that she felt a chill in her heart when she saw the cold-bloodedness of these people who shared the same bloodline.

Qingling looked at the doctor and asked, "Doctor, with your medical skills, can you tell how many months pregnant I am?"

Doctor: "Of course, that's possible."

"Then can you take my pulse again, and tell me how many months pregnant I am?"

The doctor carefully took Yao Qingling's pulse again, and then she reported back to Marquis Zhongyong, saying, "Miss Qingling is seven to eight months pregnant."

Then came the sounds of gasps rising and falling.

So, Yao Qingling was already pregnant before the divorce?

Mrs. Ma frowned. This fetus was already so big!

But since she had made up her mind to lock Yao Qingling up, she was determined to prove her crime of misconduct.

Madam Ma remembered something and said coldly, "Even if she was pregnant before the divorce, it doesn't mean the child is Master Zhan's."

“I remember it very clearly. After that night at Yongning Temple, you didn’t return to the new mansion. You stayed outside for several days. At that time, Master Zhan mistakenly thought you were dead and held a funeral. But you suddenly came back and made a scene.”

“Yes, I remember now, there was such a thing.” Ma Peizhen had remained silent, observing the situation, but now she had to give it a push. She pretended to be a reasonable person and said calmly, “I remember that the Grand Princess also summoned my aunt to the new residence to speak with her.”

Ma stared coldly at Yao Qingling: "Back then, Master Zhan suspected that you were having an affair with a man. You denied it outright and even asked a doctor to testify that you were recuperating at his pharmacy."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze becoming even more ruthless. "You've managed to outwit the Grand Princess and the entire Duke's Mansion, Yao Qingling, you're quite the expert!"

"Do you know what our entire Marquis's mansion will face if this gets to the ears of the Grand Princess?!"

Princess Deyang is no kind person; Yao Qingling is practically putting a green hat on Second Master Zhan's head!

The Grand Princess will retaliate severely against the Marquis's mansion. At that time, facing the Grand Princess and the Duke's thunderous wrath, the Marquis's mansion will have no ability to protect itself!

Mr. Ma deliberately exaggerated the situation to make it seem extremely serious.

For the sake of the entire Marquis's mansion, the old lady and the Marquis would never allow Yao Qingling to give birth to the child; she couldn't even step out of the courtyard.

The Marquis will keep the news under wraps, ensuring that not a single word leaks out. The Grand Princess will know nothing, and Yao Qingling's dowry and her shops will all return to her.

From then on, Yao Qingling was a caged bird, a useless person, and then she disappeared.

Whenever the old lady thought of Yao Qingling's shameful deeds, her occasional kindness towards her would never return.

Looking at Madam Ma's harsh words, Yao Qingling gently stroked her belly and sneered, "Aunt, is this how you accuse me? Are you still the kind and benevolent aunt who treats her niece so kindly in public?"

As she spoke, she glanced at everyone and said, "Is that how you all see me? What good does it do the Marquis's mansion to label me as a promiscuous woman?"