Chapter 30: Xie Heng's gift of medicine leads to jealousy again

The secret guard was holding a plain cloth bag, kneeling on one knee on the floor of the study, with his head buried very low, and even his breathing was very light - the air pressure in the study was so low that water could drip out. Xiao Jin stood in front of the table, staring at the cloth bag with a sinister look, and the murderous aura around him almost froze the air.

"Where was this intercepted from?" Xiao Jin's voice was as cold as ice. His fingers pinched a corner of the cloth bag, and his knuckles turned white.

"Your Highness," the secret guard's voice trembled, "It was seized from Miss Qingzhu in Madam Yun's courtyard. This cloth bag was sent by a small vendor, who said that Imperial Physician Xie asked him to pass it on. It contains... medicinal herbs for Madam Yun's health."

"Thank you, Doctor? Herbs for nourishing the body?" Xiao Jin sneered and slammed the cloth bag on the table. The herbs inside were scattered all over the floor - Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, donkey-hide gelatin, Eucommia ulmoides... Each one is a precious herb for stabilizing the fetus and replenishing qi, especially the Eucommia ulmoides, which is the key herb for stabilizing the fetus during pregnancy!

His pupils suddenly shrank, and Yun Zhi's abnormal behavior in the past few days flashed through his mind - dodging, claiming to be sick and not going out, unable to smell greasy food, nausea in the morning... and what Doctor Li said about "deficiency of both Qi and blood"!

How could these be symptoms of Qi and blood deficiency? They were clearly signs of pregnancy! And these herbs weren't for nourishing the body at all; they were for prenatal maintenance! They were the prenatal maintenance medicine Xie Heng had given Yun Zhi!

"Great, that's great!" Xiao Jin's voice was filled with gnashing anger. He kicked over the chair next to him, and it crashed against the wall with a loud bang. "I warned Xie Heng not to get close to Yun Zhi! I also warned Yun Zhi not to get involved with Xie Heng! They're so good, one dares to give, the other dares to take! And they're using the excuse of 'replenishing the body' to secretly engage in these shameful activities!"

He picked up the Eucommia ulmoides plant from the ground and squeezed it hard with his fingertips, until bits of the herb leaked out from between his fingers. The thought that Yun Zhi might be pregnant with Xie Heng's child and secretly taking the pregnancy-preserving medicine without his knowledge made the jealousy in his chest boil up, burning him to the point of losing all reason. That woman had not only betrayed him, but also dared to get pregnant with another man's child! And she had the audacity to treat him like a fool!

"Your Highness, do you want to... arrest Doctor Xie and interrogate him?" the secret guard asked cautiously.

"Catch him?" Xiao Jin sneered, murderous intent brimming from his eyes. "Catching him now would be a great advantage for him! I'm going to question that woman first. How did she manage to secretly have an affair with Xie Heng without my knowledge and end up with a bastard?"

He turned and walked out of the study, his dark robe sweeping across the herbs on the floor, stirring up a gust of wind. The secret guards hurried to follow him, but he stopped them, shouting, "No need to follow! I want to personally meet that shameless woman!"

…

In the side courtyard, Yun Zhi was sitting by the window, needle and thread in her hands, but she hadn't embroidered a single word - she always felt uneasy. Qingzhu had gone to get the medicinal herbs sent by Xie Heng, and had been gone for half an hour and had not returned yet.

"Miss, don't worry, Miss Qingzhu will be fine," the little maidservant standing by comforted her, "Maybe she was delayed by something on the way."

Yun Zhi nodded, but she still felt uneasy. She stood up and walked to the door. Just as she was about to open the curtain, she heard a loud "bang" from outside the courtyard - the sound of the courtyard door being kicked open!

Immediately afterwards, a familiar, murderous figure walked in quickly. It was Xiao Jin!

His face was as gloomy as the bottom of a pot, and the anger in his eyes almost swallowed her. He was still holding the plain cloth bag in his hand. Obviously, the medicinal herbs had been intercepted by him!

Yun Zhi's heart sank to the bottom in an instant, her hands and feet were cold, and she subconsciously took a step back, holding her hands tightly in front of her lower abdomen - she couldn't let him know, she absolutely couldn't let him know about the child!

"Miss!" The little maidservant turned pale with fright and hurriedly stood in front of Yun Zhi, but was pushed away by Xiao Jin and fell heavily to the ground.

Xiao Jin walked straight up to Yun Zhi and grabbed her wrist with such force that it nearly crushed her bones. He threw the cloth bag in front of her, spilling the pregnancy-preserving medicine on the floor. "Yun Zhi! Explain this to me! What is this?!"

Yun Zhi's wrist was pinched so hard it hurt, but she endured the pain, not daring to struggle. Her voice trembled slightly, "It's...it's some tonic herbs. A merchant sent it to me. I don't know who sent it..."

"You don't know who sent it?" Xiao Jin sneered, the mockery in his eyes almost drowning her, "Do you think I will believe it? This herb was sent by Xie Heng! He sent you the pregnancy-protecting medicine! How dare you say you don't know?!"

The words "abortion-maintaining medicine" resonated like thunder in Yun Zhi's ears. She suddenly looked up at Xiao Jin, her eyes filled with shock. How did he know this was a pregnancy-maintaining medicine? Did he already know she was pregnant?

"Your Highness, you are mistaken. This is not a pregnancy-maintaining medicine, it's just an ordinary tonic..." Yun Zhi wanted to argue, but her voice became smaller and smaller, and she lacked confidence.

"A normal tonic?" Xiao Jin bent down, picked up the Eucommia ulmoides from the ground, and held it in front of her, his eyes filled with sinister intent. "Do you think I'm blind? This is Eucommia ulmoides! It's a herb for maintaining pregnancy! How dare you say you don't know?! And you've been dodging and evading these past few days, claiming to be sick. Is it because you're pregnant with Xie Heng's bastard and afraid I'll find out?!"

"No! Your Highness, you are wrong! This child is not Doctor Xie's, it's..." Yun Zhi was so anxious that she almost cried. She wanted to tell the truth, wanted to tell Xiao Jin that this was his child, but when the words came to her lips, she swallowed them back - she didn't dare to say it, she was afraid that after Xiao Jin knew it, he would destroy the child with his own hands, just like he had given her the sterilization soup!

"What is it?" Xiao Jin demanded, his eyes blazing with rage. "It's your and Xie Heng's bastard, isn't it?! You shameless woman! I should have killed you back then to save you from cuckolding me!"

His words were like knives, piercing Yun Zhi's heart. She looked at the disgust and anger in Xiao Jin's eyes, and her despair grew deeper and deeper. She knew that no matter how she explained, Xiao Jin wouldn't believe her. He was convinced that she and Xie Heng were having an affair, and that the child was a bastard.

"Your Highness, you are truly mistaken. Doctor Xie and I are innocent. This child..."

"That's enough!" Xiao Jin interrupted her and pulled her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her waist tightly, so tightly that she could hardly breathe. "You still want to quibble? Today, I'll show you what happens when you betray me!"

He lowered his head and was about to kiss her, his eyes full of possessiveness and anger. Yun Zhi was so scared that she struggled desperately, pushing his chest with both hands, fearing that he would hurt the baby in her belly: "Prince, don't! Let me go! I beg you, don't hurt the baby!"

"Child?" Xiao Jin paused, a hint of doubt flashing across his eyes, then filled with anger. "How dare you mention a child? You're pregnant with Xie Heng's bastard, and you still have the nerve to mention a child in front of me?! I'm going to destroy this bastard today, and put an end to both you and Xie Heng's hopes!"

As he spoke, his hand was about to reach towards Yun Zhi's lower abdomen. Yun Zhi was so frightened that she tried her best to hide behind him, tears falling even harder: "Your Highness, please don't! This child is yours, really yours! You can't hurt him! I beg you, Your Highness!"

"Mine?" Xiao Jin sneered, his eyes filled with mockery. "You're pregnant with Xie Heng's bastard child, and you still dare to claim it's mine? Do you think I'm a fool? You drank the sterilizing soup, so how could you possibly be pregnant with my child? Do you think I'll believe your clumsy lie?!"

He didn't believe her at all, thinking she was just quibbling. He reached out again, about to touch Yun Zhi's lower abdomen. Yun Zhi was so anxious that she had no choice but to bite Xiao Jin's arm with all her strength!

"Ah!" Xiao Jin felt the pain and suddenly let go of her. He looked at the teeth marks on his arm, the rage in his eyes almost devouring her: "You dare to bite me?! It seems that you have really been bewitched by Xie Heng, and you even dared to resist me!"

He raised his hand, about to hit her. Yun Zhi closed her eyes in fear, but the slap never came. She opened her eyes and saw Xiao Jin's hand suspended in mid-air, his eyes filled with a complex expression—anger, possessiveness, and a subtle hesitation.

Xiao Jin saw the fear and despair in Yun Zhi's eyes, the way she tightly protected her lower abdomen, and a strange feeling inexplicably rose in his heart. He remembered the way Yun Zhi had shielded him from the arrow, the way he had impulsively jumped in to save her when she fell into the water, and the night he had stayed by her side while she had a high fever...

Could it be... he really made a mistake? Was this child really his?

But that bowl of sterilization soup... He had clearly had it confirmed that the medicine could prevent her from getting pregnant forever, so how could it be ineffective?

As soon as this thought came to his mind, he was forced to suppress it. He couldn't believe it, he couldn't believe that this woman was pregnant with his child, he couldn't believe that he cared about the woman who betrayed him!

"Do you think I'll let you go just because you act like this?" Xiao Jin lowered his hand, his eyes growing even more sinister. "I'm going to verify your identity today to see if you're truly pregnant, and if you're truly having an affair with Xie Heng!"

As he spoke, he picked up Yun Zhi and carried her sideways, then turned and walked towards the bed. Yun Zhi was so frightened that she struggled desperately, tears falling even harder: "Prince, please don't! I beg you, don't hurt the child! This child is really yours, you can't do this to him!"

"We'll know whether it's mine or not after we check it!" Xiao Jin didn't listen to her pleas at all. He threw her heavily on the bed and leaned over to press her down.

Yun Zhi looked at the fierceness in Xiao Jin's eyes, and the despair in her heart completely overwhelmed her. She knew that she could not hide anymore, and her child might not be saved.

She closed her eyes, tears falling silently onto the pillow. She silently said to the child in her belly, "My child, I'm sorry. I'm useless and couldn't protect you..."

Xiao Jin looked at her despair, and a pang of pain inexplicably rose in his heart, but he still hardened his heart. He raised his hand and was about to unbutton her clothes.

At this moment, a guard came from outside the courtyard and reported: "Your Highness, someone has come from the palace and said that the Queen wants you to come in immediately to discuss an important matter!"

Xiao Jin paused, his eyes filled with resentment. He looked at Yun Zhi lying on the bed, then glanced towards the outside of the courtyard. Finally, he gritted his teeth and got out of bed.

"You're lucky!" Xiao Jin straightened his robes, his eyes filled with sinister intent. "I'll deal with you when I come back! You'd better pray that this child isn't Xie Heng's, or else I'll make sure you, Xie Heng, and this bastard all die miserably!"

After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of the room quickly, leaving Yunzhi lying alone on the bed, trembling all over, tears falling uncontrollably.

Yun Zhi slowly sat up, reached out and gently stroked her belly, her voice choked with sobs: "Child, fortunately... fortunately you are okay... Mother will definitely protect you, she will..."

But she knew that this was only temporary. Xiao Jin would not give up and would definitely come back to find out the truth. By then, she and the child would still be in danger.

After Xiao Jin left the side courtyard, he didn't immediately enter the palace. He stood behind the pillars, looking towards the side courtyard, his eyes filled with complexity. He remembered Yun Zhi's eyes when she had said, "This child is yours," and the way she had desperately protected her belly, and his doubts grew deeper and deeper.

"How could the Juezi Decoction... become ineffective?" Xiao Jin muttered to himself, and suddenly a picture flashed through his mind - a month ago, Yun Zhi's cold worsened, and he had someone replace the cold medicine prescribed by the imperial physician with nourishing herbs... Could it be that those medicines neutralized the efficacy of the Juezi Decoction?

If this is true, then Yun Zhi might be pregnant with his child...

This thought made Xiao Jin's heart skip a beat. He was both shocked and filled with inexplicable anticipation. But when he thought of Yun Zhi and Xie Heng's involvement, he forced himself to suppress the thought. He couldn't believe it. That woman wasn't worthy of his trust!

"Someone come here!" Xiao Jin shouted to the guards.

"What are your orders, my Lord?"

"Keep a close eye on the side courtyard and don't let anyone get close, especially Xie Heng and Qing Zhu," Xiao Jin's voice turned colder. "Also, check to see if the tonic herbs I had Yun Zhi replace with a month ago can neutralize the effects of the Juezi Soup!"

"Yes!" the guard responded and turned around to make arrangements.

Xiao Jin looked towards the side courtyard, his inner conflict growing deeper and deeper. He didn't know what to believe, how to face Yun Zhi, and even less what to do if the child was truly his.

Yun Zhi, in the side courtyard, was unaware of Xiao Jin's concerns. She sat by the bed, clutching her belly tightly, with a single thought in her mind—no matter the cost, she would keep this child, her only hope.