Unexpected
Ping An thought about it again and again, and felt that the reason why something was still wrong no matter what she did was because of her 'relationships'.
Qingya is her adoptive mother. Even though they are not related by blood, they have an unbreakable kinship, so she is never lonely when Qingya is around.
Choi Shin-ji was once her husband, and despite all the complicated things that had happened between them, he was still her husband, so she never felt lonely when he was around.
Although she has made many friends now, none of them are related to her. Today they are friends, but tomorrow they can be strangers, not to mention those actors with whom she has no connection. Of course, the loneliness in her heart will always be there, which is why she always thinks about people she shouldn't think about.
Why doesn't she just find someone she's connected with?
So Ping An decided to throw a bridal bouquet to choose a husband.
Now that she is wealthy, it would be easy for her to find a son-in-law from a poor background to live with her. With this financial connection, even if the other party doesn't like her, he will stay with her and won't leave her easily, so she naturally won't feel lonely.
Without further ado, Ping An hurriedly asked Ding Xiang to spread the news throughout Qingshui Town. Little did she know that Ding Xiang's back was soaked with sweat, and she could only send a message to the capital while trying to persuade Ping An.
“Madam, the wedding ceremony of throwing a bridal bouquet to choose a husband is a big event, and we must choose an auspicious day. However, I have looked around and there are no suitable days for marriage in the next six months.”
"No need for such trouble. Even the most auspicious day will turn into an unlucky one for someone like me. There's no better time than tomorrow."
Dingxiang choked up, but fearing that a firm refusal would alert Ping An, she could only ask the cook to add something to Ping An's food, making him feel weak all over when he woke up the next day.
She thought that would be enough to dispel Ping An's idea, but no, even though her hands and feet were a little weak, Ping An still insisted on throwing the embroidered ball to choose a husband, as if she was determined to marry herself off.
There was no other way, so Dingxiang had to comply with Ping An's wishes. But she secretly instructed the Qiao family to come over as soon as possible, and she also told them that no one should be allowed to receive Ping An's embroidered ball. No one from the Qiao family was allowed, and no one outside the Qiao family was allowed either!
Upon arriving at the teahouse, Ping An, supported by Ding Xiang, reached the railing. She glanced at the embroidered ball beside her, then looked down at the bustling crowd below, and for the first time clearly thought of Cui Shenzhi.
She's getting married again. I wonder when Cui Shenzhi will remarry. With his good reputation accumulated over the years and his current status, there must be plenty of good girls willing to marry him. I just wonder if he'll be unlucky enough to meet another 'Chen Meiwu'.
Ping An lowered her eyes, casually picked up the embroidered ball and threw it down, then went to sit down on the soft couch in the inner room without looking back.
"Lilac, if someone catches it, bring it to me; if not, I'll toss it again."
Dingxiang was surprised that Ping An insisted on getting a result, and she reluctantly agreed with a bitter expression.
Just as she was pondering whether to arrange for a eunuch or a monk to catch the embroidered ball, a servant led a handsome young man holding the embroidered ball to her and whispered a few words in her ear.
Dingxiang breathed a sigh of relief and curtsied to the person holding the embroidered ball, saying, "I will take you to see the madam now."
*****
After learning that Ping An was going to throw a bridal bouquet to choose a husband, Qiao Siyu took the papers that recorded Ping An's unusual behavior and went to Cui Lingxian's princess residence.
Cui Lingxian was a little puzzled when she learned that Qiao Siyu had arrived, since the two had no interaction other than the matter of Ping An, but she still politely welcomed her in.
"Miss Qiao, is there something you need from me?"
Qiao Siyu gave an awkward smile.
"I'm a little embarrassed to say this... I've come to ask the princess for help."
"Help?"
“Yes,” Qiao Siyu handed over the things beside her, “Please take a look, Princess.”
Cui Lingxian took it, her eyes growing brighter and brighter as she looked at it, her smile deepening. She quickly stood up and curtsied to Qiao Siyu.
"Thank you for informing me, Miss Qiao. I will go to the palace to find Shenzhi right away!"
"Princess, wait!" Qiao Siyu tugged at Cui Lingxian's sleeve and said, "Don't you realize something's wrong?"
"Of course I realized it. Ping An's actions were enough to prove that she had feelings for Shen Zhi. It's just that she was too young to understand, so she was oblivious and chose to leave."
“That’s not what I meant. What I meant was that these things didn’t happen overnight. You and His Majesty inquire about His Highness’s affairs in Qingshui Town every day, yet you’ve never heard of them. Don’t you find that strange?”
Cui Lingxian then realized something was wrong.
"You deliberately kept it from us?"
"yes."
"Why?"
Qiao Siyu released Cui Lingxian's sleeve, rubbed her hands awkwardly, and looked increasingly embarrassed.
"I dare not deceive the princess because I feel it is not enough."
"Not enough? What's not enough?"
“Your Highness doesn’t see her feelings for His Majesty clearly enough.” Qiao Siyu licked her lips and explained, “During the time I was by Your Highness’s side, I witnessed firsthand how much Your Highness cared about His Majesty, but Your Highness just couldn’t realize it. That’s why you’re having wild thoughts about faking your death to leave. If we don’t wait until Your Highness clearly understands her feelings for His Majesty before we try to bring her and His Majesty together, then even if she returns to His Majesty’s side, I’m afraid that faking her death will still happen.”
After listening, Cui Lingxian nodded in agreement.
"That makes sense, but there's no need to hide it from me and Shenzhi."
Qiao Siyu looked at Cui Lingxian, her eyes filled with helplessness.
"Princess, if I may be so bold, do you think His Majesty would be able to resist rushing to Qingshui Town to find His Highness immediately if he knew about these abnormalities in His Highness?"
Cui Lingxian remained silent.
"When you see His Majesty so troubled by His Highness's condition and preoccupied with state affairs all day, can you resist the urge to inform His Majesty of these unusual occurrences immediately?"
Cui Lingxian remained silent.
That's why I kept it a secret.
"So you're telling me now it's because Ping An has realized her feelings for Shen Zhi?"
“That’s why I sought Your Highness’s help,” Qiao Siyu said with a wry smile. “Your Highness not only failed to recognize her feelings for His Majesty, but also misunderstood them.”
"Thinking dirty thoughts? How could she possibly think dirty thoughts? Ping An's longing and care for Shen Zhi are so obvious, how much more could she possibly think dirty thoughts?"
Qiao Siyu hesitated for a moment, then steeled herself and said in a low but clear voice with her eyes closed, "Your Highness thinks that she is still thinking about the Emperor because she has no one to rely on, so she has decided to throw a bridal bouquet to choose a husband."
Cui Lingxian was stunned. After realizing what Qiao Siyu had said, she hurriedly said, "Then why are you wasting your time here?! Quickly send someone to stop Ping An! She will definitely regret it if she really does this!"
"Princess, rest assured, the Qiao family members are not fools and would not make such a mistake. However..." Qiao Siyu sighed, "Even at this point, His Highness still hasn't realized his feelings for the Emperor. It seems that it's impossible for His Highness to realize it on his own. This is where Your Highness's help comes in."
Hearing this, Cui Lingxian breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down in her chair.
"Just tell me what you want me to do."
"I would like to borrow Doctor Lu for a while."
*****
Ping An heard footsteps approaching, her eyelashes trembled, and she tried to sit up straight and look towards the door, only to unexpectedly see a familiar figure.
She curled her lips into a slight sneer, "Isn't this the renowned Physician Lu? What brings you here? Are you afraid I'll spend all my money and run back to the capital? You could have just come directly to me then, why bother me with my marriage proposal? Or... do you want me to share a husband with Cui Lingxian and Ehuang Nüying? I don't mind, but Physician Lu, aren't you afraid that Cui Lingxian won't live more than three days after I become your disciple?"
Lu Fengping snorted coldly, casually tossed the embroidered ball onto the tea table beside him, and glared at Ping An with displeasure.
"I have no interest in you, and I didn't even know it was you who was holding a marriage contest. Otherwise, I would have walked away long ago and wouldn't have given you a second glance. I only heard from people that the person holding the contest was a divorced woman, and I noticed something was wrong, which is why I stopped the embroidered ball."
"Something's not right?" Ping An chuckled. "You mean that even if a married woman is divorced, she can't remarry? I've been involved in court politics for a while now, how come I don't remember such a rule? Or is this a law promulgated by the new dynasty?"
“Of course there’s no problem with a divorced woman finding a husband and remarrying,” Lu Fengping paused, then frowned as he looked at Ping An’s lower abdomen. “It’s just that it’s a bit unusual for a pregnant woman to find a husband and remarry. I thought I had encountered a pitiful person with a lot of trouble, which is why I rushed over. Who knew it was you?”
Ping An was momentarily confused, then turned her head away dismissively.
"Nonsense! I didn't intend to stay with him, but I wouldn't stoop so far as to have a child with someone else. Besides, although I'm not exactly rolling in money, I'm still capable of raising a child. Even if I were pregnant, there's no need to make a big fuss about finding a husband to cover it up."
Ignoring Ping An's disgruntled gaze, Lu Fengping walked to her side, grabbed her hand, and began to take her pulse without her consent, quickly arriving at a conclusion.
"It's been almost three months."
"Three months is even less likely..."
Ping An froze.
—It had been almost three months since she left the palace, and the last thing she did before taking the fake death medicine was to spend a passionate night with Cui Shenzhi.
So Lu Fengping's meaning is...
Ping An's face flushed red and then turned pale, then flushed red again, and it took her a long time to find her voice.
"Impossible. I had my period after leaving the palace. How could I be pregnant?"
Lu Fengping raised an eyebrow, his tone very calm.
"That's not menstrual blood, that's spotting."
“Your excessive worry has made the pregnancy unstable, which is why you’ve been spotting. If you don’t do something soon, you won’t be able to keep the baby,” Lu Fengping released Ping An’s hand and took a few steps back to stand still. “But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You’re going to get married, and Shenzhi will get married sooner or later. You and him… it’s actually a good thing that this child that shouldn’t have been born is gone.”
After saying that, Lu Fengping turned and left without waiting for Ping An to speak, but Ping An did not try to stop him.
She simply sat quietly on the soft couch, her face pale and her eyes filled with panic.
Impossible, how could it be? How could it be such a coincidence... Impossible, Lu Fengping must be lying to her. Lu Fengping must be unhappy that she married before Cui Shenzhi, so he said these things to disturb her peace of mind.
Ping An grabbed Ding Xiang's hand in a panic and said, "Ding Xiang, go find a doctor, find the best doctor in Qingshui Town, go quickly!"
Dingxiang hurriedly ran out and soon brought back a kind-looking old doctor.
After taking Ping An's pulse for a while, the old doctor's expression became serious.
"Madam, your pregnancy doesn't seem to be going very well. May I ask if you've been experiencing any bleeding lately?"
Hearing the same diagnosis as Lu Fengping, Ping An was stunned and speechless.
Dingxiang quickly stepped forward and said, "Our lady visited Kui Shui half a month ago."
"That's spotting. Normally, a baby that's almost three months along shouldn't be experiencing this, but Madam's pregnancy... isn't looking too good. Here's what I'll do: I'll prescribe a medicine to help with the pregnancy, and you can come back for a check-up in five days to see what's going on."
Dingxiang paid the consultation fee, took the prescription from the old doctor, and was about to see him off and go get the medicine when Ping'an grabbed his sleeve.
The old doctor turned around and asked with some doubt, "Is there anything else, Madam?"
Ping An wanted to say that what she needed wasn't a pregnancy-stabilizing medicine, but an abortion-inducing medicine, because Lu Fengping was right, the child in her belly shouldn't exist, and it would be a good thing if it didn't survive. But she couldn't bring herself to say it, and could only hold onto the old doctor's sleeve in silence.
Perhaps having seen so many patients, the old doctor did not forcibly pull Ping An's hand away, but instead comforted her, saying, "Madam, there is no need to worry. Doctors are compassionate, and I will naturally do my best to help you keep the baby in your womb. But you must also relax, otherwise even a god could not save the baby in your womb."
Ping An didn't know what to do, so she let go of the old doctor's sleeve and nodded haphazardly.
After the old doctor left, Ping An, supported by Ding Xiang, stumbled back to his residence.
She curled up on the bed, her hand gently covering her lower abdomen, her mind a jumbled mess.
Logically speaking, she shouldn't have kept the child. Just as Lu Fengping said, the child shouldn't have existed; it was an unwanted existence.
Just like her.
But she was a little reluctant to part with it.
I can't explain why, but I just can't bear to part with it.
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