Chapter 28: Secret Verification, Joy and Fear

The night, like a thick, black cloth, enveloped the palace tightly. Yun Zhi sat on a small stool by the window, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corners of her clothes, her eyes fixed on the direction outside the courtyard gate. Her heart felt as if it was suspended in mid-air, and every slight movement made her heart beat faster.

Qingzhu had been out for two hours and still hadn't returned. Did Doctor Xie not receive the letter? Or had something happened on the way? Had Xiao Jin's men discovered them?

Countless thoughts swirled in her mind, making her restless. She stood up and walked to the bedside, reaching out to gently touch her belly. It was still flat, but she could feel a faint throbbing sensation. This was her child, her only hope in this cold palace. She must not lose him.

"Miss, don't worry. Miss Qingzhu is smart and will definitely come back safely." The little maidservant beside her saw her anxious and whispered comfortingly. This maidservant was specially left by Qingzhu. She was honest and tight-lipped. After knowing Yunzhi's secret, she was not afraid and took the initiative to help cover up.

Yun Zhi nodded, but she still felt uneasy. She walked to the door, lifted a corner of the curtain, and glanced out into the courtyard. Under the moonlight, the corridor was empty, with only the wind blowing the fallen leaves, making a rustling sound that was very much like her panicked heartbeat.

Just then, a familiar figure ran in quickly from outside the yard. It was Qingzhu!

"Miss! I'm back!" Qingzhu lowered his voice and walked quickly to Yunzhi's side. A trace of fatigue appeared on his face, but his excitement was hard to hide. "Thank you, Imperial Physician, for receiving the letter! He said he will come in from the corner gate on the west side of the palace at midnight tonight and secretly check your pulse!"

Yun Zhi's heart instantly dropped halfway, but then she thought of the other half again - midnight, corner gate, each word meant danger. Once discovered, not only would she and the child be in danger, but Xie Heng would also be implicated.

"It's too dangerous," Yun Zhi frowned, her voice hesitant. "How about... just forget it? I'll think of another way..."

"Miss, it doesn't count!" Qingzhu interrupted her, her tone firm. "Now only Doctor Xie can help you confirm it. If the prince becomes suspicious and sends a doctor to take your pulse, everything will be too late! Doctor Xie said that he will be careful and won't be discovered!"

Yun Zhi fell silent. Qingzhu was right; there was no turning back now. She took a deep breath, her eyes firm. "Alright, let's do as Doctor Xie says. Qingzhu, go get ready. Turn off the lights near the west corner gate, and find a dark cloak. I'll go with you at midnight."

"Miss, are you going in person?" Qingzhu was stunned for a moment. "It's too dangerous. How about I go and bring Doctor Xie in?"

"No," Yun Zhi shook her head. "There are too many people at the corner gate. Bringing Doctor Xie in alone will easily arouse suspicion. It would be safer for me to go and meet him."

Seeing her firm attitude, Qingzhu stopped objecting and turned around to prepare.

Yun Zhi returned to the room, sat on the edge of the bed, and stroked her belly again, whispering softly, "Child, wait a little longer. Once we have confirmation, mother will definitely protect you and won't let you get hurt."

Time passed slowly, and finally it was midnight. Yun Zhi put on the dark cloak prepared by Qing Zhu, put on a veiled hat, and followed Qing Zhu, taking advantage of the cover of night, quietly walking towards the western corner gate.

The corner gate was remote, usually guarded by only a few veteran soldiers. At this moment, the lights were out, leaving only moonlight illuminating a small area. Yunzhi and Qingzhu hid behind a nearby willow tree, waiting nervously.

Not long after, a green figure quickly climbed over the wall. It was Xie Heng! He was dressed in ordinary clothes, carrying a medicine box in his hands. His movements were light and graceful, and it was obvious that he had been prepared.

"Miss Yun!" Xie Heng quickly walked behind the willow tree. Seeing Yun Zhi, a trace of heartache flashed in his eyes. "I'm really sorry for letting you take risks so late at night."

"Thank you, Doctor, for your kind words," Yun Zhi said, lifting her veil. Her voice trembled slightly. "I am sorry to trouble you. Let's find a place quickly so you can take my pulse."

Xie Heng nodded and followed them to a nearby abandoned servant's room. Qingzhu stood guard at the door while Xie Heng took out a pulse pillow and placed it on the table. "Miss Yun, please extend your hand."

Yun Zhi took a deep breath, stretched out her trembling hand, and placed it on the pulse pillow. Xie Heng's fingers rested on her wrist, his eyes focused, and his brows gradually furrowed.

Time seemed to freeze. Yun Zhi's heart was beating rapidly. She stared at Xie Heng's face, afraid to hear bad news from him.

After a moment, Xie Heng withdrew his hand and looked at Yun Zhi with complicated eyes, his tone filled with disbelief: "Miss Yun, you...you are indeed pregnant, and it has been over a month."

"It's true...it's true..." Yun Zhi's tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, her voice choked with sobs, her hands tightly protecting her lower abdomen. The huge joy flooded her like a tide, "I have a child, I really have a child..."

"Miss, please don't get excited." Xie Heng quickly handed her a handkerchief, his tone filled with worry. "You're newly pregnant. Don't get too excited. It's not good for the baby. And... does the prince know? If he knew, I'm afraid he would..."

Speaking of Xiao Jin, Yun Zhi's joy was instantly replaced by fear, and her tears fell even harder. "He doesn't know, and I can't let him know! Doctor Xie, you know he personally gave me the sterilization soup, saying I wasn't worthy of bearing his offspring. If he knew I was pregnant, he would definitely destroy him! What should I do? How can I keep this child?"

Xie Heng looked at her desperate expression, and a wave of heartache welled up in his heart. He was silent for a moment, then said firmly, "Don't worry, young lady. I will help you! What you need to do now is to take good care of yourself and try to hide your pregnancy so that the prince won't get suspicious. I will find a way to get you some anti-abortion medicine to help you stabilize the pregnancy."

"Thank you so much, Imperial Physician," Yun Zhi burst into tears and bowed deeply to Xie Heng. "I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely repay you!"

"Miss, there's no need to be like this," Xie Heng quickly helped her up, his eyes full of pity. "The Grand Tutor was very kind to me back then, so it's only natural for me to help you. But you must remember to be careful, especially the princess and the concubines. If they knew you were pregnant, they would definitely take action against you."

Yun Zhi nodded, wiped away her tears, and forced herself to calm down: "I know, I will be careful. It's getting late, Doctor Xie, please leave quickly so that no one will find out."

Xie Heng also knew that it was not advisable to stay here for long. He took out a bottle of pregnancy-preserving medicine from the medicine box and handed it to Yun Zhi: "This is the pregnancy-preserving medicine I brought with me. You should take it once a day to stabilize the fetus. I will find a way to have someone send you the subsequent herbs. You must take care of yourself. If there is anything, let Qingzhu contact me through the same channels as before."

Yun Zhi took the medicine bottle and held it tightly in her hand, as if she were holding a life-saving straw: "I understand. Thank you, Doctor. Please be careful on your journey."

Xie Heng nodded, turned around and followed Qingzhu, quietly left the servant's room, and climbed out through the corner door.

Yun Zhi looked at the direction Xie Heng left, then looked down at the medicine bottle in her hand, and finally touched her lower abdomen. Her eyes became extremely determined - she must keep this child, even at any cost.

By the time she returned to her courtyard, it was almost dawn. Yun Zhi changed out of her cloak, hid the pregnancy-maintaining medicine in the secret compartment under her bed, and then lay down to rest. But she couldn't fall asleep. She kept thinking about Xie Heng's words, Xiao Jin's possible reaction, and Lin Wanru and Su Yurou's calculations.

She knew that from the moment she confirmed her pregnancy, she had to become stronger and more cautious. She could no longer be as weak as before and could no longer let others bully her easily, because now she had to protect not only herself but also the child in her belly.

Over the next few days, Yun Zhi began to deliberately avoid Xiao Jin. Whenever Xiao Jin came to see her, she would use the excuse of being sick and staying in bed. When they occasionally met in the yard, she would always lower her head and hurried past, trying not to meet his gaze.

Her abnormal behavior soon aroused Xiao Jin's suspicion.

That day, Xiao Jin finished his official duties and returned to Yun Zhi's courtyard. Qing Zhu hurriedly approached him, bowing and saying, "Your Highness, Miss Yun is still ill and bedridden. I'm afraid she can't see you."

"Sick?" Xiao Jin frowned, his tone tinged with displeasure. "She's been sick for several days. What did the imperial physician say?"

"The imperial physician said...that the young lady is worried too much, and her qi and blood are deficient. She needs to rest." Qingzhu lowered her head, her voice trembling slightly.

Xiao Jin didn't say anything else and walked straight into the room. Yun Zhi heard the footsteps and quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Xiao Jin walked to the bedside, looked at her closed eyes and pale face, and frowned even more tightly. He stretched out his hand, wanting to touch her forehead to see if she was still running a fever, but stopped when he was about to touch her forehead.

He always felt that there was something wrong with Yun Zhi's "illness." Although she had been weak before, she had never deliberately avoided him like this. Could it be... was she in contact with Xie Heng again? Was she feigning illness and not wanting to see him?

As soon as this thought came to Xiao Jin's mind, he felt a surge of irritation. He snorted coldly, turned around and walked out of the room, ordering the guards outside, "Go call Dr. Li from the palace and have him take Miss Yun's pulse and find out what's wrong with her! If he can't find anything, let him face the consequences!"

"Yes!" the guard responded and turned around and quickly went to find Doctor Li.

In the room, Yun Zhi's heart sank when she heard Xiao Jin's words - he was still suspicious and wanted to send Doctor Li to take her pulse!

She quickly sat up from the bed, walked to the bottom, and took out the bottle of pregnancy-preserving medicine, her eyes full of panic. What should she do? Doctor Li was Xiao Jin's man. If he took her pulse, he would definitely find out that she was pregnant!

Just when she was at a loss, Qingzhu hurried in, her face pale: "Miss, the prince has sent guards to find Doctor Li! What should we do? If Doctor Li comes, he will definitely find out that you are pregnant!"

Yun Zhi took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She looked at Qing Zhu, her eyes becoming firm. "Qing Zhu, go prepare this and give it to Doctor Li."

She pulled out a gold hairpin from her jewelry box—a priceless legacy left by her mother. She handed it to Qingzhu, saying urgently, "Go find Imperial Physician Li and give him this hairpin. Ask him to conceal my condition and say I'm just suffering from a deficiency of Qi and blood, with no other symptoms. If he's willing to help, I'll reward you handsomely later!"

Qingzhu took the golden hairpin and nodded heavily: "Don't worry, young lady, I will definitely take care of it!"

Watching Qingzhu's back as she quickly left, Yunzhi caressed her belly again and whispered, "Child, wait a little longer. Mother will definitely find a way to keep you safe."

She didn't know if Qingzhu could convince Doctor Li, nor did she know if Xiao Jin would believe what Doctor Li said. She only knew that she had to take a gamble. For the sake of the child in her belly, she had no choice.

Outside the courtyard, Xiao Jin stood under the pillars, looking at the light coming from the room, his irritation growing heavier. He didn't know why he cared so much about Yun Zhi's abnormality, and why he got so angry when he thought that she might be connected to Xie Heng.

He only knew that he had to find out what Yun Zhi was hiding. If she really had an affair with Xie Heng, he would never let her off easily!

At this moment, he didn't know that Yun Zhi was hiding a secret that was enough to shock him; he didn't know that this secret would soon trigger a bigger storm and involve everyone.