As Yu Ming had predicted, Bai Wei couldn't sit still after learning that Liu Mei was pregnant.
The concubine becoming pregnant before the mistress is a challenge to the mistress's authority. It will also draw criticism from outsiders, who will say that the Duke's mansion is bullying them, and that their son-in-law has already neglected his wife by favoring his concubine after Zhao Shouzhen resigned from his official post a few months ago.
This kind of thing is unbearable to hear if it gets out.
Liu Mei was invited into Bai Wei's room that very night and given a bowl of abortion medicine.
When Li Huai'an arrived after hearing the news, Liu Mei was lying on the ground writhing in pain.
"Mother! Liu Mei is carrying my son's child! How could you be so heartless?!" he angrily accused. "Did Zhao Yun tell on you?!"
“An’er, regardless of whether your legal wife is Zhao Yun or not, the child in Liu Mei’s womb cannot be kept. You must understand that she is just a concubine. You can play around with her when you are lonely, but you can’t take it seriously. The mistress of the house is not pregnant yet, but the concubine is pregnant. If this gets out, where will our Duke’s mansion’s reputation be?”
Bai Wei earnestly advised him.
Li Huai'an turned a deaf ear.
He stormed off.
Lotus Garden.
After Yu Ming helped Zhao Yun'an to sleep, she quietly stepped out of the outer room.
Suddenly, a strong smell of alcohol wafted over, and a strong arm abruptly pulled her into a tight embrace from behind.
Yu Ming was both shocked and frightened, and was about to call for help when her mouth was covered.
"Don't move, it's me." A drunken voice rang in her ears.
Yu Ming's heart tightened suddenly; she recognized the voice as that of Prince Li Huai'an.
Her heart raced, and she quickly covered her lips to avoid letting out a scream.
Li Huai'an's large hand reached over her shoulder, restlessly slipping inside her clothes and wantonly kneading her delicate skin.
Yu Ming felt both ashamed and angry, yet she dared not resist in any way.
As Zhao Yun's dowry maid, she had long been prepared to become her son-in-law's concubine.
Thinking of her young mistress's difficult situation in the Duke's mansion, she was even willing to use herself as a tool to help her mistress secure the Duke's favor.
However, Li Huai'an was not satisfied with Yu Ming's tacit approval.
He roughly ripped off her outer garment and began making love on the Yang Guifei couch in the outer room.
Yu Ming endured her physical discomfort with all her might, remaining silent throughout.
Zhao Yun, who had just fallen asleep on the inside, also heard the commotion outside, but she dared not come out to stop it, nor could she.
Li Huai'an is using the insult to Yu Ming to humiliate her.
"You bastard Li Huai'an!" Zhao Yun clutched the blanket tightly, silently shedding tears.
Li Huai'an finally vented his anger and lay down on Yang Fei's couch with a satisfied expression.
Despite the aches and discomfort in her body, Yu Ming tearfully picked up the clothes that Li Huai'an had thrown on the ground and put them on one by one.
Then he went to the inner room, moved a stool, and sat by Zhao Yun's bedside, sobbing softly.
"Yu Ming, I'm sorry," Zhao Yun's voice came softly. "I've made you suffer because you're with me."
She sat up, hugged Zhao Yun's head, and the two of them silently shed tears.
Knowing that Li Huai'an was still lying outside, Zhao Yun had no choice but to have him carried to her bed.
By the moonlight, she sized up Li Huai'an. In terms of appearance, he was considered one of the best among the sons of officials in Lingyang. In terms of position, he had his father-in-law, the Duke, protecting him, so his future career path would not be difficult.
Before Zhao Shouzhen resigned from his official post, Zhao Yun was very unwilling to marry him.
But now that her father has resigned from his official post, the only one who can bring her honor and happiness is the man beside her.
She needed to think of a way to keep Li Huai'an's heart.
The first step is to keep him in the main house.
She glanced at Yu Ming outside and made a painful decision in her heart.
"Zhizhi, I'm sorry..." Li Huai'an suddenly murmured in his sleep.
Zhao Yun felt a pang of pain in her heart and sneered, "As expected, things that cannot be obtained are always worth longing for."
She suddenly remembered that she had never seen her younger sister Zhao Zhi since the wedding of Prince Rui and Princess Chaoyang.
Her parents said she had run away from home, but she vaguely learned from Li Huai'an that Zhao Zhi had been imprisoned by the Emperor for fear that she would affect the relationship between Prince Rui, Shen Hanshan, and Princess Chaoyang.
People are always unconsciously envious of those who are doing better than themselves, while feeling sorry for those who are not doing as well. Often, these strange psychological phenomena have nothing to do with blood relations.
Prince Rui's Mansion.
Cui Shenghe entered Lingyang City just before the city gates closed.
He secretly sneaked into Prince Rui's residence and went to see Zhao Zhi.
"Brother, I knew you would arrive at this time!" Zhao Zhi was overjoyed to see Cui Shenghe.
Lanru and Fenghong kept watch outside.
Zhao Zhi instructed them to be on the lookout for the Emperor's spies.
There were many people and suspicious eyes in the Prince's mansion, and they didn't know which one was the Emperor's spy. Although they had already used the incident of the burglary at their house to get rid of a few suspicious people a few days ago, they still couldn't let their guard down.
"Brother came back this time because he wanted to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with Zhizhi." Cui Shenghe looked tenderly at Zhao Zhi's pregnant belly and asked with concern, "Being a mother must be very hard, right?"
Zhao Zhi nodded, "Although it's hard work, I'm happy."
"Do you know that you and the Princess are the same person?" Cui Shenghe asked again.
Zhao Zhi shook her head. "I plan to tell him when he gets back."
"That's good, so as not to distract him." Cui Shenghe nodded slightly, then glanced at Zhao Zhi's abdomen, his heart filled with anticipation and emotion.
"Brother, besides spending the Mid-Autumn Festival with me, is there anything else you want to do when you come back this time?" Zhao Zhi asked softly, knowing that Cui Shenghe wouldn't come back for no reason.
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