Xue Shen spoke casually, saying that killing a person was as easy as crushing an insignificant insect.
Even though Liu had indeed made a mistake, Shen Youying was still frightened by his nonchalant cruelty.
Even the cloak he was wearing no longer felt warm; instead, it gave him a strange feeling of being enveloped by an extremely dark shadow.
Shen Youying couldn't help but shiver. Her slender fingers, which were wrapped around her cloak, tightened unconsciously, and her knuckles turned bluish-white from the force.
She reminded herself that the person in front of her was the King of Qin, who might not be as tyrannical and terrifying as the rumors suggested. In fact, he was sometimes exceptionally gentle and patient with her, giving her the illusion that the rumors were untrue.
But an illusion is still an illusion.
Such a capricious, unpredictable person who treats human life as worthless deserves respect, but should never be taken lightly or developed inappropriate feelings of closeness.
Shen Youying sat upright, her cloak drawn around her, her long, thick eyelashes drooping slightly, and she remained silent.
.
The two waited outside for about half an hour. The old doctor's medical skills were excellent; he not only brought the child to term but also saved Liu's life.
When the medicine boy came to report, Shen Youying wanted to go in with him, but Xue Shen stopped her.
Xue Shen glanced at her pale, bloodless lips and said meaningfully, "It's bloody and filthy inside, Your Highness, please don't go in, lest you be frightened and have nightmares at night."
Since he said so, Shen Youying did not insist. After bowing, she took her leave and returned to Tingmei Pavilion.
Xue Shen went into the house alone and first went to see the dead infant wrapped in cloth.
The five- or six-month-old fetus had already taken shape, with a nose and eyes that were quite recognizable. Xue Shen glanced at it, picked up the stillborn fetus and placed it next to Liu Shi, saying regretfully, "It turned out to be a boy."
Liu's dull eyes darted around, glancing at the dead infant beside her. Her expression was a mixture of fear, panic, and pain. She only glanced at it once before turning her head away, continuing to stare blankly and numbly at the wall.
"Still unwilling to talk about it?"
Xue Shen wheeled himself to the table, where a servant brought over a basin for washing hands and served tea.
He first carefully washed his hands, then picked up the teapot to brew a cup of hot tea, and sipped it slowly.
The misty steam blurred his expression, making it impossible to see clearly.
Liu remained silent for a long time, but he was not in a hurry. While sipping his tea, he tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a "tap" sound, one after another, which not only struck Liu's ears but also touched her heart.
After a long silence, Lady Liu cried out in a mournful voice, "Your Highness, please kill me."
Xue Shen put down his teacup, chuckled, and suddenly said, "Prince Chen has betrothed a woman from the Yang family to his queen, and also has two concubines. His newlywed concubine is his cousin, a woman from the Zhou family. In addition, there are thirteen concubines on the register. Besides these, the number of mistresses and courtesans he keeps is unknown. Where do you think you rank in Prince Chen's heart?"
"My cousin is useless at everything else, but he's a master at seducing women." Xue Shen said sarcastically, "You think that just because Prince Chen is childless, getting pregnant will make him take you from me?"
Why do you think he had so many wives and concubines but no children?
Liu's numb face finally twitched, and her eyes turned to him.
"Let me guess, he must be telling you that he, like me, has had difficulty conceiving and has been childless all these years. Now that a woman has finally conceived his child, he will definitely take you away from me. Even if you can't be the principal wife, you can still be made a concubine because of your son and live happily ever after."
Xue Shen scoffed, "Naive."
"The reason he has been childless is that he is waiting for a woman from the Yang family to give birth to his eldest son. The three ministers are known as the 'Minister of Accounting,' and Yang Jingzhi, who is in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, is in charge of the household registration and taxes of the whole country. His position is equivalent to that of a deputy prime minister. In recent years, in order to help him, Empress Zhou has long had her eye on several noble ladies from powerful maternal families. That's why she ordered Prince Chen not to have any illegitimate children before he marries his principal wife."
Liu's pupils dilated slightly. Although she did not utter a word in rebuttal, her eyes were full of disbelief.
Or perhaps it's not that they don't believe, but that they refuse to believe.
Xue Shen then maneuvered his wheelchair to the edge of the bed, took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, uncorked it, and held it to her nose: "Does this smell familiar?"
"This is a secret medicine prepared by the imperial physicians in the palace, which can prevent pregnancy in women."
The rich aroma of medicine mingled with the scent of wine, spreading outwards. Liu's face was deathly pale, tears welling in her eyes. Heavy tears streamed down her cheeks like a burst dam, making her look disheveled and desperate.
She finally spoke her second sentence, her voice hoarse: "Why are you telling me all this?"
If she had to die, she would rather die immersed in a beautiful, illusory dream than face the bleak and cruel truth.
It hurts so much.
She came from a merchant family. Because of her beauty and some education, her father gave her to a young master from a noble family as a concubine for a big business deal. Later, the young master's wife came to her door and used a trick to sell her to a human trafficker, which is how she ended up in the Prince of Qin's mansion.
After entering the Prince of Qin's mansion, she realized that her so-called beauty was nothing more than that.
There were too many beauties in the Prince of Qin's mansion, not just concubines, but even the maids and servants were beautiful. She thought she was quite pretty, but in reality, she had barely even seen the Prince of Qin a few times, let alone gained his favor.
She lived in the remote Langhua Garden, and every day she looked at the sky outside this small courtyard, feeling more and more desperate and unbearable each day.
Until one day, at a banquet held at the Prince of Qin's residence, she accidentally bumped into the lost Prince Chen.
Prince Chen was of noble birth and incomparably handsome, yet this gentleman never looked down on her lowly status and filth, treating her with gentleness and tenderness, like a precious jewel.
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