Reunion
After a night of agonizing, Ping An finally decided to keep the baby in her womb.
The next morning, she instructed Dingxiang to summon all the doctors in Qingshui Town. She offered to pay whatever the doctor asked, but she had only one request: to save the child in her womb. However, every doctor said they would "try their best," and none of them dared to "guarantee" anything.
She lowered her eyes and thought of Lu Fengping.
With Lu Fengping's medical skills, he could definitely save the child in her womb if he wanted to.
She immediately sent Dingxiang to look for him, only to learn that Lu Fengping had left Qingshui Town yesterday, heading towards the capital.
This caused Ping An some distress.
Lu Fengping's attitude clearly indicated that he was unwilling to help her, but apart from Lu Fengping, she didn't know anyone else in the world whose medical skills were good enough to help her save her child.
But she currently has no capital to trade with Lu Fengping, nor the ability to threaten him. There is only animosity between them, not friendship. How can she get Lu Fengping to help her?
The only way is through people Lu Fengping cares about.
— Cui Shenzhi, Cui Lingxian.
Ping An lowered her head and pursed her lips, unable to tell whether she felt happy or bittersweet.
"Lilac," she whispered, "bring me paper and pen. I want to write a letter and send it to the capital."
*****
Ping An chose to write to Cui Lingxian, after all, she and Cui Lingxian shared the same sinful father, and they were half of the same blood. Moreover, Shen Meiwu had harmed Fu Yunjin, but she had let Shen Meiwu go, so in a way, Cui Lingxian owed her.
That's what she said, but after putting pen to paper, Ping An discovered that she had written down Cui Shenzhi's name.
She remained silent for a long time, crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it behind her, but her mind was still a bit foggy. After writing down Cui Lingxian's name, she hesitated to move.
How can she persuade Cui Lingxian to ask Lu Fengping for help?
Yes, Cui Lingxian owes her, but who knows if Cui Lingxian acknowledges it? It's foolish to place your hopes on the pity or conscience of others.
Ping An thought and thought, but couldn't come up with a solution, so he decided to go back to the capital.
As for whether there were any ulterior motives involved, she herself couldn't say for sure.
*****
Upon learning that Ping An had embarked on his journey back to Beijing as Qiao Siyu had predicted, Cui Lingxian was overjoyed.
Then, on the very day she returned safely to the capital, she summoned Cui Shenzhi to her princess's residence, saying that she felt uneasy about marrying Lu Fengping and wanted to talk to Cui Shenzhi.
Choi Shin-ji, of course, would not refuse.
As the siblings were chatting, a servant came to report.
The servant bowed and explained in detail as requested by Cui Lingxian: "Your Highness, there is a lady from Qingshui Town outside. She says she is an old friend of yours and wishes to meet you to ask for your help."
Qingshui Town, Madam, an old friend.
When the three words were put together, Cui Shenzhi could think of nothing but Ping An's name.
I need your help…
Where are the guards he sent? Where are the Qiao family members? Weren't they supposed to take good care of Ping An? How could they let Ping An encounter a problem he couldn't solve and have to travel all the way back to the capital to ask for help? What's going on with them!
Choi Shin-ji was somewhat angry, but more than that, he felt sorry for her.
He stood up abruptly and strode out, but turned back as soon as he stepped out the door.
“Ling Xian,” Cui Shenzhi said with a hint of sadness, “Ping An came to see you, and probably… doesn’t really want to see me, so I won’t bother her.”
“But Shenzhi, you really want to see her. How about this, you can hide behind the screen. This way you won’t disturb Ping’an, but you can still see her. It’s a win-win situation.”
Choi Shin-ji nodded.
*****
Ping An walked through the grand mansion that Cui Shenzhi had prepared for Cui Lingxian, a mansion even larger than the Prince's mansion, but she had no interest in observing how exquisite and magnificent the decorations were. Her mind was full of analyzing the current situation.
The fact that Cui Lingxian was willing to see her upon hearing "an old friend from Qingshui Town" shows that Cui Lingxian knew she was still alive.
—No matter when you find out, you still know.
However, she didn't tell Cui Shenzhi that she was still alive, which would have caused Cui Shenzhi trouble for her. Therefore, Cui Lingxian felt somewhat guilty towards her.
That makes things easier. As long as she doesn't specify the month of her pregnancy and only says that it's not very stable, Cui Lingxian will most likely help her ask Lu Fengping for help, but she won't tell Cui Shenzhi.
Thinking of this, Ping An breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more relaxed, and only then did she have the mind to look around the Princess's residence.
Looking at these carved beams and painted rafters that she had once longed for, briefly obtained, and then had to give up, she couldn't help but feel a little dazed, so much so that she accidentally fell to the ground, causing Dingxiang to let out a cry of surprise.
Hearing the commotion, Cui Lingxian quickly came out and saw Ping An sitting there with a pale face. Ding Xiang was trying to help her up, but she wouldn't move.
Cui Lingxian hurriedly went to Ping An's side and asked anxiously, "Ping An, where did you fall? Does it hurt a lot? Wait a moment, I'll go and call the imperial physician right away."
Upon hearing the words "Imperial Physician," Ping An quickly snapped out of her worry about the child.
She didn't bother to test Cui Lingxian's attitude; she just grabbed Cui Lingxian's sleeve and pleaded in a panic, "Don't want the imperial physician, want Lu Fengping."
Cui Lingxian nodded and immediately sent someone to find Lu Fengping.
As for Ping An, she carefully stood up with the help of Cui Lingxian and Ding Xiang. After sitting down in the inner room, she still looked anxious and uneasy, which made Cui Shenzhi behind the screen feel very distressed.
Cui Lingxian looked at Ping An's hand tightly covering her lower abdomen, and after Ping An mentioned Lu Fengping just now, she realized that Ping An should not have fallen anywhere, but was worried about the child with Cui Shenzhi in her belly.
She glanced at Cui Shenzhi behind the screen, a smile slowly appearing in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it, worried that Ping An and Cui Shenzhi would notice.
She pursed her lips, her tone slightly suggestive: "Ping An, what's wrong with you? Tell me, okay?"
Ping An's mind was in complete chaos, and he couldn't think straight.
Seeing this, Cui Lingxian took a few steps forward and positioned herself with her back against the screen, then gave Dingxiang a look.
When Lu Fengping arrived in Qingshui Town, Qiao Siyu asked him to deliver a letter to Dingxiang. Dingxiang already knew that the person who directed the Qiao family to take care of Ping'an was Cui Shenzhi.
Dingxiang understood, and said loudly, seemingly unintentionally, "Madam, are you feeling unwell? The doctor said that although you are three months pregnant, the pregnancy is not going well. Why do you insist on coming to the capital?"
Cui Shenzhi, behind the screen, froze.
Three months... Ping An is three months pregnant, so she's already found her happiness, right? Why didn't the news from Qingshui Town mention this? Did Qiao Siyu deliberately keep it a secret? Actually, there was no need to hide it from him. He foresaw this day when he sent Ping An away, but he just didn't expect her to be pregnant only three months after leaving...
Cui Shenzhi suddenly looked up, not caring what Ping An would think if she saw him. He staggered out from behind the screen and, almost kneeling before Ping An, asked cautiously with a hint of pleading, "Ping An, you're mine, aren't you?"
*****
Ping An didn't want Cui Shenzhi to know about the child, and she never expected to see Cui Shenzhi. So when she saw Cui Shenzhi appear, her already anxious heart became even more flustered. But Dingxiang had already revealed the baby's month of gestation. If she said that the child had nothing to do with Cui Shenzhi, what would Cui Shenzhi and Cui Lingxian think?
She had been away from the palace for three months and was three months pregnant, but the child wasn't Cui Shenzhi's. Either she had an affair while she was still with Cui Shenzhi, or she couldn't wait to have physical intimacy with someone else as soon as she left the palace. In either case, Cui Lingxian and Cui Shenzhi would never let Lu Fengping help her. So what was the point of her making this special trip? Was she trying to expose her faked death and incur Cui Shenzhi's displeasure and revenge?
She lowered her eyes somewhat helplessly, and after a long silence, nodded almost imperceptibly.
Overjoyed, Cui Shenzhi remembered that Ping An had just fallen, but before he could say anything, he hurriedly picked Ping An up and rushed towards the palace, only to be stopped by Cui Lingxian.
"Ling Xian, what are you doing?"
Cui Lingxian touched her nose, wondering how to explain, when Lu Fengping arrived.
“Shenzhi, Lingxian is trying to tell you not to act recklessly.” Lu Fengping gave Cui Lingxian a look without saying a word: “Ping’an’s pregnancy was not very good to begin with. If you carry her all the way to the Imperial Hospital, even if I have the ability to bring the dead back to life, I will not be able to save this child.”
Upon hearing this, Cui Shenzhi froze on the spot, at a loss for what to do. He felt that letting go of Ping An was not an option, nor was keeping Ping An. Ping An, meanwhile, unconsciously gripped Cui Shenzhi's clothes tightly.
The two people's reactions gave Lu Fengping the illusion that he was the villain who was persecuting a loving young couple and causing them to separate.
He quickly shook the strange thought out of his head, cleared his throat and said, "Put her down slowly, let me see what the situation is first."
Cui Shenzhi followed Lu Fengping's instructions and carefully placed Ping An on a chair. He squatted down beside her, held Ping An's hand, and comforted her with a trembling voice, "Ping An, don't be afraid. You know Fengping's medical skills. With him here, you and the child will be fine. You will be alright, you will definitely be alright."
These words were meant for Ping An, but Cui Lingxian and Lu Fengping felt as if Cui Shenzhi was speaking to them.
Seeing how anxious he was about Ping An and the baby in her belly, Cui Lingxian and Lu Fengping exchanged a glance, a hint of guilt flashing in their eyes, because Ping An…
She was not pregnant.
This was just a play they put on according to Qiao Siyu's instructions.
The purpose, of course, was to get Ping An to return to the capital on her own initiative. After all, it was obvious that Ping An liked Cui Shenzhi, and she would naturally want to keep the child she was carrying. After hearing the doctors in Qingshui Town say that the child might not survive, Ping An had only one choice: to return to the capital and find Lu Fengping, the world-renowned divine physician.
If Cui Shenzhi were to 'accidentally' learn of this news, the two people who still have feelings for each other would naturally rekindle their romance.
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