Chapter 141 Pei Yuan Discovers Pregnancy-Preserving Medicine

That's right, Hongxiu is brewing medicine to prevent miscarriage.

Actually, she hadn't decided whether or not to have the child, but a few days ago, she unexpectedly experienced abdominal pain while rescuing a little beggar in Liuer Hutong, and she panicked a lot at the time.

At that moment, she was actually terrified that her child was really gone.

Later, when Aunt Qiao heard about this from Hongxiu, she secretly went to the street to get some medicine to prevent miscarriage and insisted that Hongxiu brew it for her to drink.

When Aunt Qiao came to deliver the medicine to help with the pregnancy, she was very distressed. "Although I don't want you to give birth to this child, miscarriage is also harmful to your health."

Let's keep it for now and see how things go.

Taking it one step at a time is Chen Chu's current plan.

She is always decisive in her actions, but when it comes to the child, whether to keep it or have an abortion, she has always found it difficult to make up her mind.

Therefore, when Hongxiu said she wanted to brew the medicine, she did not stop her.

But now that Pei Yuan has suggested visiting her courtyard, she feels a little more uneasy.

It would be disastrous if Pei Yuan discovered the pregnancy-preserving medicine.

She smiled and said, "My courtyard is small and far away, and a bit messy. I really dare not offend Your Highness's eyes."

"Since we're inviting Your Highness to dinner, why don't we go to Tonghe Restaurant? I'll order some good dishes to thank you."

Swish.

Pei Yuan opened his jade-bone fan and waved it casually. "It's too hot. I'm too lazy to move."

Since Lord Shen is so sincere, let Tonghe Restaurant send some food to your courtyard.

Last time, Old Man He mentioned that you not only have plum trees in your yard, but also an apricot tree. This prince will just go and see how the apricots are doing.

Shen Chu quickly replied, "The apricots are only just turning yellow and are not ripe yet. If Your Highness wishes to eat them, we can invite you to come and taste them another day when they are ripe. How about that?"

"Chen Chu, you seem very reluctant to let me, the prince, go to your courtyard. What's wrong? Is there some unspeakable secret hidden in your courtyard?"

"Hehe, Your Highness is joking. What secrets could I possibly have?"

"Since there isn't one, then lead the way."

Chen Chu had no choice but to bite the bullet and lead Pei Yuan toward Xizhao Courtyard, while secretly praying that Hongxiu had finished brewing the medicine.

Just as I was about to reach the courtyard gate, a strong smell of medicine hit me.

While eating snacks, Hongxiu was brewing medicine under the eaves, with herbs that had not yet been added to the pot next to her.

Seeing her come in, Hongxiu chewed on some pastries and mumbled, "Young master, you're back. The medicine will be ready soon."

Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow and subconsciously turned to look at Chen Chu. "What medicine are you brewing? Are you injured?"

Shen Chu quickly shook his head, "No, it's just some tonic medicine. Your Highness, would you like to sit in my study for a while?"

"Medicine to nourish your body?" Pei Yuan looked him up and down and nodded in agreement. "With your small frame, you really need to take some supplements."

Shen Chu's lips twitched, not daring to argue at this moment, "Your Highness, please."

Pei Yuan put away his fan and was about to turn and leave when his gaze inadvertently fell on the medicinal herbs beside Hongxiu, and he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He picked up the herbs and examined them carefully. “Angelica sinensis, white peony root, atractylodes macrocephala, chuanxiong rhizome, scutellaria baicalensis... No, this isn’t a tonic.”

He suddenly looked up at Chen Chu, his eyes shining with an astonishing light, "This is a pregnancy-preserving medicine!"

If she hadn't been on edge the whole time, Chen Chu would have jumped up in shock.

How does this guy know the ingredients of pregnancy-preserving drugs?

She deliberately struck first, looking at Pei Yuan with an extremely shocked expression, "How does Your Highness know about pregnancy-preserving medicine? Could it be that Your Highness has drunk this stuff before?"

"Nonsense, why would a man like me take any pregnancy-preserving medicine?"

Pei Yuan first rebuked him, then looked down at the medicinal herbs in his palm, his expression somewhat complicated and difficult to discern.

"Eight years ago, my mother drank it. At that time, my mother was newly pregnant. The imperial physician said that she was weak and at risk of miscarriage at any time."

To ensure the baby's survival, the mother drank a pregnancy-stabilizing medicine every day. However, the palace was a place of unpredictable people, and the mother feared that the medicine might be tampered with, so she secretly sent someone out of the palace to catch them.

I was a mischievous child back then, and I followed the palace servants to get medicine a few times. To protect my mother, I even learned how to identify the ingredients in pregnancy-preserving medicines; I recognized every single herb in them.

He paused, then sighed softly, "It's just a pity that Mother couldn't save my brother in the end."

When my mother was six months pregnant, she unexpectedly gave birth prematurely. My younger brother was born lifeless, and my mother suffered a severe hemorrhage and could not be saved.

After saying that, Pei Yuan slowly put the medicinal herbs back into the oil paper package and clapped his hands expressionlessly.

The midday sun shone down from behind him, and although he was standing in the sunlight, he was surrounded by an indescribable desolation and indifference.

Despite the scorching and blinding sunlight, she could feel the coldness emanating from Pei Yuan.

Shen Chu had never seen Pei Yuan like this before.

She had seen the unrestrained Pei Yuan, the cold and resolute Pei Yuan, and the mischievous and teasing Pei Yuan, but she had never seen such a sad and desolate Pei Yuan, which made her feel a little depressed.

Consort Yu was born into the Lu family of the Duke of Zhenguo. The Duke of Zhenguo and the Marquis of Ning'an were old friends. The Duke of Zhenguo had guarded Liangzhou for generations. Lu Zhan, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, was her childhood sweetheart.

When she was a child, she often went to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to play with Lu Zhan. Consort Yu was Lu Zhan's aunt, and she had met her before. In her memory, she was a free-spirited and heroic woman.

Later, Liangzhou City was massacred, and the Duke of Zhenguo and his entire family died in battle. It is likely that Consort Yu lost her family to rely on and did not have an easy time in the deep palace.

If they weren't terrified, why would they let Pei Yuan, who was not even ten years old, run outside the palace with the palace servants to get medicine to prevent miscarriage?

She said softly, "I am sorry to have reminded Your Highness of such painful memories."

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

She looked up, rubbing her sore shoulder, and complained, "Why did Your Highness hit me again?"

Pei Yuan closed his fan. "What's with that expression? Are you sympathizing with this prince?"

Shen Chu blinked, then hesitated, "Can't I sympathize?"

Pei Yuan sneered, "I only took two years to get rid of the person who caused my mother's death back then."

"I have personally avenged my brother and mother, so this prince needs no sympathy."

Two years? Pei Yuan was only ten years old then, wasn't he?

Chen Chu rubbed her shoulders, feeling a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.

A ten-year-old child struggles to survive in the deep palace, neglected by his father and bullied by his brothers, while also enduring hardship to avenge his mother.

Pei Yuan's childhood was just as difficult as hers.

Just as she was lost in thought, Pei Yuan's suspicious voice suddenly rang in her ears, "Chen Chu, who exactly is this pregnancy-preserving medicine for? It couldn't be...."

Pei Yuan paused, his burning gaze suddenly shooting towards her abdomen. "Chen Chu, are you taking medicine to prevent miscarriage?"

At that moment, all sorts of random guesses from Jinbao surfaced in his mind.

Could Shen Chu really be a woman?

Shen Chu trembled under his burning gaze, and an exaggerated smile appeared on her face.

"Your Highness, what are you joking about? I'm a man too, how can I drink medicine to prevent miscarriage? We men don't get pregnant and give birth."

"Who is that pregnancy-preserving medicine for? Don't tell me it's just for fun?"