Chapter 13 Pregnancy "He admitted that he missed her a little."
Behind the small kitchen, the maidservant, having received orders, took the medicine from the prescription and prepared a contraceptive decoction for Ruan Yang.
A palm-leaf fan blew the breeze, the stove fire blazed brightly, and the dark, bitter medicinal liquid quickly boiled in the clay pot, filling the entire backyard with a delightful aroma of herbs.
Just as the maid bent down to turn down the heat, a sharp female voice came from the doorway.
What medicine are you brewing?
The maid turned around and saw that it was Miss Ji. She was startled and quickly got up and knelt down. Granny Lanrong told her that it was best not to tell outsiders about the mistress's private affairs.
The maid was a little nervous and couldn't think of a reply for a moment.
Seeing that she hesitated for a long time without speaking, Ji Changhuan stared hatefully at the medicine in the bowl: "Your wife's medicine to prevent miscarriage?"
"Ah? No, it's, it's..."
The maid was about to deny it when Ji Changhuan immediately interrupted her.
She smiled and said, "It's windy here, and I'm a little cold. Go to my room and ask Rui'er to bring me a cloak to Liuguang Pavilion."
"this……"
It's almost the start of summer, how could it be cold?
The maid glanced at the bowl of medicine, feeling somewhat uneasy. Miss Ji's boudoir was quite far from here, and with the trip to Liuguang Pavilion, the round trip would take at least half an hour. Although the medicine needed to simmer for a while longer to ensure it wouldn't get cold before her return, there was no one here to watch over it…
Ji Changhuan snorted, "You suspect I would poison your wife's unborn child? I think you're delirious, you've gone mad!"
The maid had no choice but to sob and apologize, "No, I wouldn't dare, I'll go and do it right away."
Ji Changhuan stared at the maid's trembling back, then picked up the dark medicine on the table. She recalled the smug look on Ruan Yang's face when she held her wrist and touched her stomach last night, and she wanted to tear her face apart right away!
Pregnancy preservation, pregnancy preservation, let me help you preserve...
She turned and left the courtyard, took a shortcut to the doctor to get a prescription, then returned and mixed the abortion ingredients into it, ruining the original efficacy of the medicine.
...
The army set off from Danzhou and marched all the way into Shu. It was April when they set off, and they arrived at the neighboring county just in time for the end of May.
Ning Xian led a small group of men to burn some of the Shu army's supplies without anyone noticing, disrupting morale, and then took a shortcut to temporarily shake off Lu Wenjin's men.
The group rode quickly to a village.
“Your Highness, I have arranged for someone to cover our retreat, so there is no immediate danger. However, it has been raining heavily for the past few days, and lightning has broken tree branches and blocked the road. It will take several days to get there by detour. Your injuries are quite serious, so I think we should find a family to stay with here.”
Ning Xian stopped his horse. The blood on his shoulder had almost soaked through his black robe on his chest. With the slightest twist, beads of blood kept rolling down.
He said, "Okay."
Currently, apart from the fertile land of Bashu, all the other prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of the military governors have surrendered, making it much easier for them to operate in the surrounding areas.
Ji Zhonglin accidentally fell and injured his head. He is still lying on the bed, so confused that he can't even speak clearly. The heavy responsibility of conquering Bashu this time has fallen entirely on Ning Xian and his deputy general Wang Zhong.
The Duke of Dingguo originally planned to take this opportunity to kill him as well, and then announce to the world that Crown Prince Ning Xian had unfortunately died in battle, so that he could lead his troops into the capital and seize the throne of Daye.
Ji Zhonglin was the one who poisoned him.
He spared Ji Zhonglin's life out of consideration for their brotherly bond since childhood.
Wang Chong went to the village to find someone, and returned shortly afterward. The group chose to stay at the innermost part of the village.
This family consists of only a mother and daughter. Although they are poor, their yard is very clean and tidy.
"Your sudden arrival at my humble abode has caught my daughter and me off guard. I hope you will make the best of it for a few days."
The woman accepted the money and went back into the house to bring her daughter out: "Xiao Lian, why don't you quickly greet the gentlemen?"
"Hello, sirs..."
The girl was not very old, only about fifteen or sixteen years old, but she was very beautiful. She looked around at the crowd and immediately spotted Ning Xian, who stood out the most among them.
Having grown up in the countryside, she had never seen anyone so elegant and beautiful. The moment their eyes met, her face flushed red.
Wang Chong was stunned for a moment, then suddenly felt extremely regretful. He had just randomly chosen a family, but how come the daughter of this family looked three parts like Ruan Yang?
He glanced at Ning Xian subconsciously and found that Ning Xian had turned his head away and was not paying any attention to the girl in front of him. He said, "No need for formalities. Please ask your best doctor to come here."
The doctor helped Ning Xian remove the arrow, applied medicine, and then left. Sweat soaked the undergarment he had just changed into. Due to excessive blood loss, Ning Xian's lips were somewhat pale. The candlelight flickered, and in a daze, he caught a glimpse of a pale blue figure beside him, lingering by the coffee table.
She was petite and clumsy, and after working for a long time, she spilled the medicine.
He gazed intently and called out softly, "Ruan Yang?"
The girl was somewhat flustered when she heard the stern-faced man speak: "Are you calling me?"
Ning Xian snapped out of her daze and, after realizing that the person in front of her wasn't Ruan Yang, changed the subject, asking, "What's your name?"
"My daughter's name is Jinlian."
"Jinlian?"
Ning Xian answered half-heartedly, casually saying with her eyes closed, "It's a good name, but I want to be alone for a while. Can you leave?"
Jinlian was taken aback, then realized that it was really inappropriate for a man and a woman to be alone in a room. She bit her lip and said, "Alright, if you need anything, please just call me."
The door closed, shutting out the moonlight spilling onto the floor. He lay down, and just like the previous few nights, he silently hummed the little lullaby that Ruan Yang had always used to lull him to sleep before bed.
He belatedly realized that he had been away from that woman for a long time.
As darkness fell, Jinlian busied herself in the kitchen for a long time, finally preparing dinner for everyone.
After finishing his meal, Wang Zhong walked to Ning Xian's side and said, "Your Highness, this is a partial deployment map of the front lines in Bashu. According to my understanding, Lu Wenjin doesn't have many cavalry. Perhaps we can quickly defeat him and outflank him."
The evening breeze kept blowing Ning Xian's hair. Seeing that he didn't speak, Wang Zhong continued, "Ruan Xishan is old and has been bedridden since receiving the bad news of his daughter a few days ago. If we can completely eliminate Lu Wenjin this time, taking over Bashu will be a piece of cake."
Ning Xian scoffed: "Taking something out of a bag? Lu Wenjin is cunning. He dares to start a war with only 50,000 elite troops under his command. Who knows if he's up to something behind the scenes?"
"Wang Zhong, the fate of tens of thousands of people is in our hands. We cannot be careless."
Wang Chong sighed and asked, "Does Your Highness have a plan in mind?"
Ning Xian pondered for a while, then beckoned to Wang Chong, signaling him to come closer: "Come here."
After listening, Wang Chong leaned closer and said, "You mean to first send out a small force to find out the enemy's strength, feign defeat, and then return to encircle them and launch a surprise attack?"
Ning Xian nodded.
"But what about Miss Ruan? If the news gets out and you don't come home, she'll worry about you..."
Ning Xian rubbed his forehead and said, "Why are you siding with outsiders? Do you care about her more than I do?"
"No, I wouldn't dare."
Wang Chong was speechless. In the past few months, he had witnessed Ning Xian's attitude towards Ruan Yang change dramatically. He had originally thought that Ning Xian had fallen for that cute little girl.
Ning Xian leaned against the couch. Tonight, the bright moon hung in the sky and the stars twinkled. As he gazed at the round moon, a bittersweet feeling welled up in his heart.
Would Ruan Yang care about his life or death?
Definitely.
He broke the firewood in his hand, lazily threw it into the campfire, and sighed, "Alright, I'll explain it to her when I get back. For now, she'll just have to put up with it."
"Oh, right, send someone to tell Ruan Xi to be more alert over there."
Wang Chongdao replied, "Yes, Your Highness."
...
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it's the height of summer. The red camellias in the temple are in full bloom, hiding the temple among the lush greenery.
Ever since Lan Rong learned that Ji Changhuan had visited before, she had become wary, fearing that she might reveal truths that Ruan Yang was unaware of. To be on the safe side, she used the excuse of praying for Ning Xian to bid farewell to the Ji family, and several maids led Ruan Yang to stay at a temple on a nearby mountain.
“Madam, this meditation room is clean and tidy. Please stay here. I am usually next door. Just remember to call me if you need anything.”
Ruan Yang clasped her hands together and knelt before the Buddha statue overlooking all living beings to pray for Ning Xian. Hearing Lan Rong speak, she slowly opened her eyes: "Well, you can go and rest first. By the way, the weather has been hot lately, and it's inevitable that people don't have a good appetite. Please have Granny make some appetizers."
Lan Rong nodded, not finding it strange at all, since Ruan Yang had always loved eating things that were sour they made your teeth ache.
Ever since Lan Rong told her that Ning Xian had joined the army behind her back, Ruan Yang hadn't slept well for half a month. Especially after having a nightmare the day before yesterday, in which she dreamt that Ning Xian died on the battlefield, she has been eating vegetarian food and burning incense every day, getting up early to pray for Ning Xian.
I was afraid something might happen to him.
Even though she's been so sleepy these days, even falling asleep on the prayer cushion while chanting scriptures, she doesn't get tired of it.
Today, Ruan Yang still couldn't hold on any longer and unknowingly fell asleep on the cold floor until sunset.
Lan Rong, seeing that no one had returned, went to call Ruan Yang for dinner. But when she opened the door, she saw a lonely, somewhat thin figure lying on his side in front of the Buddha statue.
"Madam?" She patted Ruan Yang on the shoulder.
Ruan Yang trembled slightly, and groggily opened her eyes: "Lan Rong..."
Lan Rong gently touched the girl's forehead, relieved to see no fever or other symptoms. She had been uneasy ever since learning that Ruan Yang's contraceptive soup had been tampered with and rendered ineffective, and hadn't dared tell Ruan Yang that the medicine she drank that day was useless.
She thought, "It can't be such a coincidence that it only happened once between the two of them, can it?"
If she happens to be pregnant, she should make plans for His Highness as soon as possible.
If Your Highness wishes to stay, that would be fine; if not...
Lan Rong looked at Ruan Yang's flat stomach and tentatively asked, "How has your menstrual cycle been these past two months, young lady?"
Ruan Yang recalled carefully: "Oh, it's been a month or so since I had any reaction. But my menstrual flow has always been like this. Plus, I took a contraceptive decoction recently, so it's normal for my menstrual flow to be irregular."
Upon hearing this, Lan Rong immediately sent someone to summon a nearby monk who was skilled in medicine.
The monk held prayer beads in his hand and took Ruan Yang's pulse. However, he felt that the pulse under his fingertips was like rolling beads, with a slippery pulse.
Just as the monk was about to speak, Lan Rong noticed the monk's unusual expression and suddenly smiled, "Old sir, may I have a word with you in private?"
Corridor.
The monk continued, "Judging from her pulse, this lady is likely pregnant, but the pregnancy is still very early, and given my limited medical skills, some inaccuracies are possible."
Lan Rong still heard the words she least wanted to hear.
A pang of pity, like that for a biological daughter, welled up in her heart. Regardless of Ning Xian's wishes, it was always the women who would suffer.
The former harms the body, while the latter means giving away the child one has carried for ten months, suffering the pain of separation from one's own flesh and blood.
If she knew what she was doing, that would be one thing, but Ruan Yang knew nothing at all. She didn't know that she was living in a fabricated lie, that the man she longed for day and night was the enemy who would wipe out her clan, and that she could only ever be Ning Xian's mistress, not even qualified to be a concubine or a secondary wife.
"Thank you, Master. I understand."
Lan Rong glanced at the still dazed girl in the room and said to the girl beside him, "Send a message by carrier pigeon to tell His Highness the good news."
"yes."
Ruan Yang had already overheard Lan Rong's conversation with the monk, and her heart clenched. This feeling was indescribable; perhaps it was distress, or perhaps it was the joy of becoming a mother and having a child with the man she loved.
But in the end, all of this turned into indescribable tears. Ruan Yang remembered what Ning Xian had said to her when he left, and her heart sank. She touched her lower abdomen and realized that while they were having a fight, a little life had already begun to sprout inside her.
The mountain temple was very quiet at night. When the cuckoo cried, the carrier pigeon delivered the letter from far away in Sichuan to Lan Rong.
The last time Lan Rong contacted Ning Xian was two months ago. This time, the long period of silence caused even Lan Rong, who had seen many storms, to tremble when he received the letter.
She opened the envelope, her expression suddenly darkening, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper, and she even read the handwriting on the letter several times over.
How... is this possible? How could His Highness the Crown Prince...?
After delivering the letter, Cui Nong returned and saw Lan Rong's pale face. She asked curiously, "Hey? Granny, what's wrong? Why are your lips so white? Are you feeling unwell?"
"What did Your Highness write in the letter? Is it... that something bad has happened?"
A note from the author:
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The next chapter will be the synopsis section. The domineering dog is about to have a fight with his daughter! The mother is slightly excited and can't wait for the dramatic scenes! [Sprinkling flowers]
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