Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Pregnant

Lu Chen also noticed something was wrong. He held Zhe Rou in his arms and helped her sit firmly on the bamboo couch, while he was about to get up and go out to call for help.

"I'm fine." Zhe Rou grabbed his wrist and shook her head. "It's just that I'm still drunk from yesterday, and I just smelled the blood on you, so my stomach feels a little uncomfortable."

Seeing her pale face, Lu Chen felt something was wrong, "Really?"

Zhe Rou responded softly.

As they were talking, they heard hurried footsteps outside the door. A figure hurried past the corridor and stopped outside the study door. He said in a deep voice, "Sir, the person we sent out has a reply letter. Please take a look."

It was Nan Heng's voice.

Zhe Rou was worried, so she took advantage of this opportunity to cover it up and walked out of the house.

After watching her walk away, Lu Chen called Nan Heng in, took the wax ball from his hand, crushed it hard, unfolded the secret letter, and quickly scanned it from top to bottom.

The letter was short, with only a few words written in code:

On April 27, the river bandits fled and the grain transport in Lianghuai was unimpeded.

Lu Chen's eyes froze for a moment.

In recent years, water bandits on the grain transport route have become increasingly rampant. Countless grains have been robbed on the grain ships heading north. The previous Lianghuai Transport Commissioner was even killed by the water bandits.

He always suspected that Xu Chong had something to do with this matter.

Ever since Wang Zhonggan took office as the Lianghuai Transport Commissioner, the salt and iron transportation in Lianghuai has become the money bag of Xu Chong and Li Zhen. The profits are so huge that he can't help but think about it.

If the guess is true, as long as we find some clues and investigate further, we will be able to seriously injure Xu Chongyuan.

But he was restricted everywhere in the capital. Even though Xu Chong had let down his guard against him and allowed him to take the opportunity to find out about Wang Zhonggan's background, he could only guess that he had some connection with the river bandits in the Shanyang area of ​​Hangou. There was no actual evidence to prove that the two had colluded.

But now it seems that there are indeed clues.

——The pirates fled.

In the past two years, the imperial court has sent troops to suppress bandits more than ten times, but the river bandits in the Huaihe River and Yangtze River areas have become more and more rampant, and there has never been such a reaction.

The only explanation is that the identity of the main general who went to suppress the bandits was unusual.

Not an ordinary general, but Xie Yunzhou.

The government doted on this nephew of his to the extreme. Since they had dispatched Xie Yunzhou to do the job, the ceremony must have been extraordinary. I'm afraid they were planning to accomplish their goal in one go, so the pirates had made plans early to avoid their attack.

However, the fact that Xie Yunzhou was ordered to leave the capital to suppress the bandits was a very confidential matter in the capital. Not many people knew about it except him. The only ones who had connections with the grain transport were Xu Chong and Li Zhen. Those water bandits were just country bandits who were thousands of miles away, but they were able to react quickly and take action. They must have received accurate intelligence.

Lu Chen grasped the letter into his palm, his Adam's apple rolled slightly, and his knuckles turned white from the exertion.

He had a vague intuition that this was a great opportunity to attack Xu Chong, and he needed to plan carefully from the beginning.

**

Zhe Rou stepped out of the study and looked up at the sky.

It wasn't too late, and the most famous clinic on the street was still open.

Although she knew medical skills and secretly felt the patient's pulse, she also remembered many clues, but she couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was because she was too excited that she became nervous. She always felt uneasy and wanted to see a doctor for a closer look.

Zhe Rou pursed her lips and called Xiao Chan, "Come out with me."

Xiaochan nodded in agreement and asked, "Where are you going, my lady? Do you want Pingchuan to prepare a car?"

Zhe Rou responded, "Let's go to the clinic on Xiaohuohang Street and see the doctor."

Xiaochan was stunned when she heard this, and her expression became nervous: "Madam, are you feeling unwell? Is it serious? Should I tell my husband?"

Zhe Rou shook her head and smiled, "It's okay, I just went to ask some questions."

Xiaochan felt relieved and helped Zherou get on the carriage. Soon they arrived at the small goods street. After the carriage stopped, she sent Pingchuan to wait outside and Zherou took Xiaochan into the clinic.

It was getting dark and there were not many people in the clinic. Zhe Rou did not have to wait long and soon sat down in front of the doctor.

Taking her wrist pulse, the doctor examined her intently, then carefully inquired about her symptoms and menstrual cycle. After a moment, he looked up and said with a smile, "Judging from your pulse, it's smooth and flowing, like beads rolling on a plate. Add to that your delayed menstruation, fatigue, and retching, and you're undoubtedly pregnant. Congratulations, ma'am."

Zhe Rou still didn't dare to believe it and felt dazed.

Seeing her like this, the doctor twirled his beard and smiled, saying confidently, "Madam, don't worry. You're pregnant. Calculating the date, it's been almost a month. It's just a little while, so you'll need to take some medication to help maintain your pregnancy."

Xiaochan was also stunned. It took her a while to react and believe it. She turned to look at Zherou and cheered incoherently: "My wife—this, this is a great joy!"

Zhe Rou was a little dazed, as if immersed in a dream.

In the evening of early summer, the night breeze was as warm as butter, passing through the mullioned window and gently caressing her cheek, reminding her that she was not dreaming.

Xiaochan was already jumping for joy, too excited to know what to do. She wanted to shake Zherou's arm, but she didn't dare to touch her. She could only keep calling her, "Madam, Madam."

After a long while, Zhe Rou finally came back to her senses. She slowly raised her hand and gently pressed her still very flat belly. The corners of her lips rose involuntarily, and her eyes were slightly sour and hot.

She was not wrong, she really was pregnant.

It's her and Lu Chen's child.

It was the child she had been waiting for for so long and who was connected to her by blood.

I can’t describe the feeling in my heart. I am happy, sad, and vaguely afraid.

This child, it came quietly, and she, as a mother, had never noticed it. The fetus was the most unstable in the first three months. After going to Jinming Lake that day, she was emotionally unstable and had a crazy time with Lu Chen in the carriage...

The more Zhe Rou thought about it, the more frightened she became. She asked the doctor to prescribe some pregnancy-maintaining medicine, and she slowly calmed down.

Picking up the two medicine bags and about to go out, Xiaochan suddenly thought of something and looked at Zherou hesitantly: "Madam, should we go back and tell my husband?"

Zhe Rou was silent for a while after hearing this.

It's not that she didn't hesitate.

But when I thought of the baby in my belly, the anger in my heart suddenly dissipated, swirling and softening into one piece, and my whole heart became warm, as if filled with something, making me feel indescribably happy and satisfied.

After a long time, Zhe Rou finally made up her mind, "No rush, don't tell him yet."

She needed some time to relax, and besides, Lu Chen's birthday was in a few days. It wouldn't be too late to be with him when the fetus was more stable.

When I came out of the clinic, the night was hazy and the streets were decorated with lights and were bustling with noise.

The carriage slowly passed through the tile market. Zhe Rou looked through the window and saw a small stall selling Mohelo on the roadside. She had an idea and stopped the carriage and got off to take a look.

There were many styles of Mohelo on the stall, with delicate gold painting. Among them, one looked like a two-year-old baby. It was particularly adorable, white and chubby, with a naive look, and a pair of eyes like black grapes. Zhe Rou fell in love with it at first sight and liked it very much.

This little doll fits perfectly next to the two clay figurines she brought back from Taozhou.

Like a family of three.

After paying the money and returning to the car, Zhe Rou touched the fat baby's round face painted with gold and colors, and thought for a long time. Finally, she made up her mind. The next day, she asked Xiao Chan to pack her luggage, and the two of them moved out of the backyard of the medicine shop and moved back to the mansion to live.