Chapter 257 The Child Is Gone

Jiang Zhi was stunned for a moment, but quickly burst out laughing.

"Lord Lu, is your willpower so weak? Don't forget my current physical condition; I can't do anything right now."

His tone carried a sense of smugness.

Lu Yuan curled his lips, suddenly leaned forward, pulled her head back, and pressed his lips heavily against hers without saying a word.

His breath was mercilessly passed through her lips and teeth, and Jiang Zhi blushed as her mouth was blocked. She couldn't help but push him away.

But Lu Yuan gripped her even tighter, forcefully intertwining his fingers with hers, rendering her completely immobile.

His familiar scent was everywhere, and Jiang Zhi quickly went limp, leaning weakly against him, making the temperature in the room seem to rise.

However, considering Jiang Zhi's current state, Lu Yuan mercifully let her go after making sure she was covered in his scent.

His stiff nose brushed against hers, slowly pecking kisses at her face, calming his breathing.

"Can't do anything?" His gaze was deep and unfathomable, as if he wanted to devour her on the spot. "There are many things you can do. Do you want to try?"

His words were pointed, making Jiang Zhi's scalp tingle.

She no longer dared to be stubborn and readily shook her head, "No, no, I was wrong, Lord Lu."

He couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "At worst, I'll never touch you again."

Lu Yuan's hearing was so sharp that he almost laughed out of anger. "If you don't touch me, who do you want to touch?"

Jiang Zhi snorted, "I won't touch anyone."

Lu Yuan sighed helplessly, then, as if remembering something, solemnly said to her, "I won't delve into what happened in the past, but in the future, could you keep your distance from other men for my sake?"

On the surface, Jiang Zhi appears to be just a gentle young lady from a noble family, but in reality, she dislikes being restrained, and those worldly rules and regulations seem to have never been able to control her.

Ever since realizing his feelings for Jiang Zhi, he has been constantly anxious and insecure, never truly at peace for a single day, unlike his usual self who was always confident and in control.

He needed her to give him a guarantee, even if it was just verbal, to put his mind at ease for the time being.

Jiang Zhi turned her gaze away from him and said, "Okay."

But Lu Yuan turned him back to face him, saying, "You promise."

“I promise, Lord Lu,” Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but kiss him on the cheek, “If such a thing happens again in the future, Lord Lu, please imprison me in the Imperial Prison as punishment, and I will absolutely not dare to say a word.”

Although it was said in a joking tone, Lu Yuan was satisfied.

The tingling sensation on his face where she had kissed him brought him a sense of peace, all the anxiety he had been feeling for days.

"I really wish I could be ruthless and lock you up." He pinched her nice-smooth cheek, which only earned him a furious glare from her.

Lu Yuan was in a great mood. He condescended to wash her thoroughly, change her clothes, and serve her comfortably before leaving satisfied.

＊

As darkness fell, Dark Moon, who had gone out with Lin Qiyun, returned.

They also brought something back.

"I secretly followed Miss Lin back to the Lin residence and hid outside her room, listening to her instruct her trusted maid to clean up the mess. I kept watch until dark, and sure enough, I saw the maid tiptoe out of the room, carrying something in her arms."

An Yue showed Jiang Zhi what she had brought back, “This is it. The maid took it out of the Lin residence and threw it into the river next to it. I thought it must be something important, so I fished it out.”

Seeing that she was soaking wet, Jiang Zhi immediately told Ru Ying to make her a bowl of ginger soup and to hurry downstairs to wash up and change her clothes.

It's freezing cold outside, I hope you don't catch a cold.

Then she unwrapped the thing that was covered by the black cloth.

They discovered it was actually a soft sword with a blunted blade.

Jiang Zhi's eyes lit up immediately.

The altar collapsed, and the point of breakage was directly beneath where he was standing.

According to the information obtained by Lu Yuan's men, the beam there had been cut with swords.

The severed beam was brought back as evidence; it had some tiny metal shavings on it.

Originally, everyone suspected that Xiao Yunheng had secretly sent someone to do the dirty work, because the Crown Prince was seriously injured, and he was the one with the most motive.

Therefore, everyone's attention was focused on the Di people and Xiao Yunheng's forces.

No one expected that this was actually done by Lin Qiyun, the daughter of the provincial governor.

Jiang Zhi suspected Shang Lin Qiyun because of the scar she saw on Lin Qiyun's hand when she attended the fireside banquet that day.

In her past life at the Earl of Loyalty's mansion, she suffered countless injuries, both large and small, and was extremely sensitive to these scars.

A glance at Lin Qiyun's wound healing process confirmed that the timing of her visit to the altar to find Xie Qi matched up.

Lin Qiyun had served as a saintess for several years and was very familiar with the procedures of the Frost Festival.

That's why he was able to calculate so accurately where she would end up and deliver the fatal blow.

In addition, given Lin Qiyun's special status and her long-standing affection for Xie Qi, it was understandable that she would go to the altar to find Xie Qi before the Frost Festival. No one suspected that a weak woman like her would tamper with the altar.

Originally, Jiang Zhi only wanted to provoke Lin Qiyun with a few words, hoping to make her panic and reveal her true colors, so that An Yue could try her luck with her.

I never expected to have such a gain.

Jiang Zhizai carefully examined the sword.

Now I finally understand why Lin Qiyun hid it in her boudoir and then threw it into the river to avoid being seen.

Because the Lin family's emblem was engraved on this sword.

After tampering with the altar, she dared not throw it away and had to take it home.

Today, I was so frightened by my own actions that I realized I was in deep trouble, so I frantically tried to destroy the evidence.

With this evidence in hand, Lin Qiyun could no longer deny it.

The next day, she handed the soft sword and the black cloth wrapped around it to Lu Yuan.

Ever since she vomited in front of Lu Yuan, Jiang Zhi felt much better, and the nausea and vomiting that had been lingering in her chest disappeared.

Even when Lu Yuan brought in the medicine to help with pregnancy, she drank it all without leaving a drop.

This made Lu Yuan even happier than if he had obtained evidence against Lin Qiyun.

“The pregnancy should be stable now,” he said with an unconscious smile. “Let the imperial physician come and check your pulse again. If everything is fine, you can stop taking this incredibly bitter pregnancy-stabilizing medicine.”

Jiang Zhi really didn't want to take any more medicine, so she obediently asked the imperial physician to come over.

Unexpectedly, the more the imperial physician took his pulse, the more his brows furrowed.

Lu Yuan asked nervously, "But is there something wrong with her health?"

Jiang Zhi's complexion was noticeably rosier today.

The imperial physician, who was used to seeing life and death, showed an expression of disbelief, clearly shocked.

"Miss Ji's slippery pulse has actually... disappeared."

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Lu Yuan's voice was low and icy, and his face immediately turned extremely ugly.

The imperial physician wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "I also find it extremely strange. Before, it was clearly stated that Miss Ji was more than three months pregnant, and her physical symptoms all matched. How could this be..."