Chapter 157 Suspected Pregnancy

He had previously only said that he would send people to follow her in order to protect her safety, but now it seems that it was clearly his desire for control that was at play.

Ji Shu got up, slowly walked to the washstand, carefully washed her face, and took a cotton cloth to wipe the water off her face little by little.

"Now that the emperor has passed away, there will likely be conflicts in various places. That shop probably won't be open for long. In that case, it's better to get rid of it now."

Pei Yanzhi nodded knowingly, but didn't say anything.

The two had previously agreed on three rules, which stated that Qiu Yinong would belong entirely to her from now on.

"Perfect timing. After the shop opens, try to stay home as much as possible these days. Things are about to get chaotic outside."

"Even if someone is with you, I still won't feel at ease with you outside, understand?"

Ji Shu sat on the stool, watching Chunzhi serve the dishes. After hearing this, she asked in confusion, "Is Yanzhou in chaos too? When I went out today, everything seemed normal."

Pei Yanzhi's expression hardened slightly: "Most of the gentry in Yanzhou are two-faced. They haven't made a move this time because they're watching to see if I can win the battle."

“Once war breaks out, I will be attacked from both sides.”

Ji Shu looked up at him, surprised that he would suddenly bring up these things with her, as he would never talk about business at the dinner table in the past.

She quickly came to her senses and replied softly, "I understand. I'll be at the manor from now on."

Pei Yanzhi noticed that she didn't seem unhappy, and nodded in satisfaction.

Ji Shu pretended not to know and asked, "Why did I hear today that your sister-in-law was sent away? Did something happen?"

Pei Yanzhi narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and stared straight at her. Ji Shu met his gaze with clear and innocent eyes.

After a long pause, he said calmly, "She did something she shouldn't have done, so Mother punished her by sending her to stay at the estate outside for a while."

"Oh, I see!" Ji Shu lowered her eyes, counting the grains of rice in the bowl, knowing that he didn't want her to delve into it further.

She felt both angry and frustrated. She refused to believe that he hadn't discovered that she had also gone to Pei Xingjian's courtyard that day, and she had been waiting for him to come and ask her these past two days.

But not only did he not mention it at all, he also let her hear those words.

Seeing her gloomy expression, Pei Yanzhi seemed to sense something and said, "Her affairs have nothing to do with you. Haven't you always wanted to leave the manor and live elsewhere? I've already told my mother that after Xingjian gets married, we will move to Yongning Lane."

Ji Shu simply nodded faintly, stopped looking at him, and began to eat.

Soon, everything in this mansion had nothing to do with her anymore.

Seeing that she was eating with great relish, unlike usual, Pei Yanzhi casually asked, "Have you been having a good appetite lately?"

He asked the question seemingly casually, but Ji Shu's heart tightened. She remembered that she had been acting strangely these past few days, with a sudden increase in appetite and frequent drowsiness.

Even meat, which I didn't like to eat before, seems to be something I can eat quite a lot of these days.

My heart sank. I vaguely remembered that my period seemed to be more than a month late. What should I do if I was really pregnant?

Pei Yanzhi was just chatting casually when he noticed her hand holding the bowl pause, and her face turn slightly pale. He couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Ji Shu snapped out of her reverie and continued eating, but her mind was no longer on the food. "It's nothing, I just remembered that the account book I looked at today seemed a bit off."

"It seems I'll have to have Chunzhi bring it over tomorrow to check it again."

Pei Yanzhi chuckled helplessly: "Judging from your appearance just now, it seemed like something terrible had happened."

That would be a huge deal. If she really is pregnant, the child absolutely cannot be kept.

But then I thought maybe I was overthinking it. I always took contraceptive pills afterward, so it was impossible for me to suddenly get pregnant.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it.

But he had just promised himself that he wouldn't go out for the next few days, and he wanted to call the doctor to the mansion, but he was afraid that the doctor would find out.

She couldn't help but start having a headache again, and she immediately lost her appetite.

After putting down her bowl and chopsticks, Pei Yanzhi looked at her and said, "Did I just say you gained some weight, so you started dieting? You look just right now, and your complexion looks much better."

Ji Shu shook her head, "I'm a little tired from going out today and don't have much of an appetite. Please enjoy your meal, Your Highness."

After saying that, he got up on his own.

Seeing that she remained uninterested, just as he was about to say something, Wu Yang hurriedly stood at the door and said, "My lord, urgent report!"

Pei Yanzhi glanced at Ji Shu behind the screen, stood up, strode to the door, and said in a deep voice, "What is it?"

Wu Yang presented the secret letter, and Pei Yanzhi glanced at it quickly, his brows furrowing instantly.

In just a few days, Ding Wei not only took control of Hanzhong, but also, through some unknown means, imprisoned Empress Dowager Song and the infant crown prince.

This is an attempt to force the emperor to abdicate; their wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious.

Pei Yanzhi's aura suddenly turned icy, and even Wu Yang dared not raise his head at this moment. After a moment, he ordered in a deep voice: "Quickly invite the military advisor and all the generals to the study. I will follow shortly."

"Yes." Wu Yang quickly withdrew.

With the Mid-Autumn Festival just around the corner, I had originally hoped to spend the festival with her, but it seems unlikely that will be possible.

He strode to the screen and saw Ji Shu leaning against the couch reading a book. He sat down beside her, took her hand and said, "Ding Wei has imprisoned Empress Dowager Song. Now the war is about to break out. I am worried about you and Mother, so I asked Xingjian to stay and guard the mansion."

"If you need anything in the next few days, you can go directly to your mother."

Ji Shu suddenly looked up and saw that his brows were still full of tenderness. She knew that after this battle, he would surely ascend to that position. For some reason, she felt empty inside.

She raised her hand to gently stroke his cheek, pressed his head down slightly, closed her eyes, and kissed him.

Pei Yanzhi was stunned. This was the first time she had taken the initiative. Overwhelmed with joy, he grabbed her waist.

He pinned her down on the bed and kissed her fiercely like a hungry wolf, conquering and plundering her territory.

If the timing weren't so bad, he would really want to take off this damned robe right now.

Struggling to control his boiling blood, he let out a rough breath and pulled her away slightly.

Seeing that her eyes were glazed over, I knew she was also feeling unwell, so I pinched her cheek hard.

"Not now, I need to go to the study, they're all waiting for me."

After saying that, he stepped forward and kissed the corner of her lips, whispering, "Wait for me to come back."

After Pei Yanzhi left, Ji Shu paced restlessly for a while, then called Chunzhi in and said, "Tomorrow, go and invite a doctor in. Remember, just say that I didn't have a good appetite today."

Seeing the lady's anxious expression, Chunzhi, though unaware of what had happened, immediately agreed.

Even after giving the instructions, I was still feeling uneasy.

"Did you take birth control pills before...? Was there anything wrong with it?"

Chunzhi was a little confused. She didn't think anything was wrong. She had prepared the medicine according to the prescription and had personally decocted it according to the prescription. She hadn't asked anyone else to do it.