As soon as Shen Youying left, Shen Muyu couldn't wait to go out as well.
If Shen Youying hadn't brought over lotus pods and flowers that day, Shen Muyu would never have guessed that the person on the awning boat that day was actually her.
She didn't know if Shen Youying had recognized her, but to be on the safe side, she didn't go out on her own again, thinking she would wait until Shen Youying left. Who knew that Shen Youying would stay for more than half a month and only leave today.
Shen Muyu sat in the carriage, touched her flat stomach, and bit her lip somewhat helplessly.
The coachman drove the carriage into the city. Shen Muyu did not go to the clinic immediately. Instead, she found a teahouse, asked for a private room, changed into the maid's clothes that Dongqing had brought, and disguised herself before quietly leaving through the side door of the teahouse and entering the nearest clinic.
The doctor who examined Shen Muyu was an older man. Seeing that she was dressed in coarse cloth and her hair was styled in a woman's bun, he assumed she was a young woman from some family. After taking her pulse, he congratulated her, saying, "Your pulse is smooth and flowing, like pearls rolling on a jade plate. It is a slippery pulse. Congratulations, Madam."
As her vague suspicions were confirmed, Shen Muyu's throat tightened and her heart pounded. It took her a long time to finally utter, "How...how long has it been?"
The old doctor asked her in detail how long it had been since her period last came, and then estimated, "About two and a half months, less than three months."
Shen Muyu left the clinic like a lost soul and returned to the teahouse.
Dongqing looked at her with concern, her voice trembling slightly: "Miss... what should we do?"
In this dynasty, the social atmosphere is relatively open, and it is not uncommon for women to divorce and remarry. However, it is still a shameful matter for an unmarried woman to become pregnant. If this were to become public, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Let me think about it, let me think about it carefully."
Shen Muyu was also annoyed. She wasn't actually that stupid. Before, she had always strictly adhered to the rules of propriety between men and women when she interacted with Prince Chen, and there had been almost no intimate behavior that crossed the line. But that day, Prince Chen invited her to watch a play and go boating on the lake. On the painted boat, she drank a lot of plum wine, and somehow she became dizzy and ended up having sex with Prince Chen.
When she woke up afterwards, she felt remorseful and scared. Chen Wang comforted her for a long time and promised to propose marriage as soon as possible before she felt at ease.
During this time, Prince Chen treated her with kindness and consideration, sending her all sorts of expensive fabrics and jewelry. He also mentioned that the Emperor was in a bad mood and needed to lay low for a while. Once the Emperor's anger subsided after two or three months, he would immediately come to the Shen family to propose marriage.
Although Shen Muyu believed him, she still asked Prince Chen to prepare contraceptive soup for her whenever they had sex later.
But who knew that in that one moment of panic and failure to drink it in time, she actually got pregnant.
Actually, she had some suspicions when her period hadn't come yet, but Shen Youying had been staying at home, so she didn't dare to call a doctor rashly, and it was only now that she confirmed it.
"Miss, would you like to get some medicine?"
Seeing that she remained silent, Dongqing stammered out a message.
Shen Muyu glared at her: "That kind of potent medicine, what if it harms your body and affects your fertility! Besides, this is Prince Chen's offspring..." She unconsciously touched her lower abdomen, and quickly made a decision: "Go and invite Prince Chen, tell him to come here to see me—"
"No, not here. It's not secluded enough. Let's go to Fanlou instead."
Shen Muyu changed her mind and said, "It's still the same private room."
Upon hearing this, Dong Qing had no choice but to go to Prince Chen's residence to deliver the message. Shen Muyu sat in the private room for a while, and only went out after calming down, then called the coachman to go to Fanlou.
*
Upon hearing that Shen Youying had returned to the capital, Xie Qinglan immediately sent a maid to invite her to a banquet at Fanlou.
Shen Youying had been swaying all the way, and was too lazy to move.
But Xie Qinglan was clearly familiar with her temperament, and instructed the messenger to prepare a follow-up message: "Our young lady said that the princess still owes her a meal from the polo match, and she told the princess not to renege on her debt."
Shen Youying: "..."
She resignedly told Bai Luo to help her redo her makeup and clothes, and said to the maid, "I understand. Go tell your young lady that I will wait for her at Fanlou. Today, she can eat as much as she wants, as long as she is not afraid of gaining weight."
The maidservant suppressed a smile, curtsied, and hurried back to the Xie residence to deliver a message to her mistress.
After dressing up again, Shen Youying ordered someone to prepare a carriage to go to Fanlou.
Xie Qinglan arrived a moment earlier than her. Upon seeing her, she quickly came to greet her and said reproachfully, "You've been staying at your parents' home for almost half a month, and I didn't even see you on your birthday."
Shen Youying laughed and said, "You didn't prepare a birthday gift for me, so I don't care to see you."
Xie Qinglan snorted: "Since you've said that, even if I've prepared a birthday gift, I won't give it to you unless you make me happy today."
"Miss Xie, how do you want me to coax you?" Shen Youying couldn't help but laugh at her: "Would it be enough to order a whole table full of Fanlou's signature dishes for you?"
Xie Qinglan wanted to laugh but held it in, and pinched her waist: "I think you have a lot of bad intentions. You're so thin yourself, but you want to fatten me up..."
Shen Youying felt ticklish from being pinched, so she dodged her hand and chatted and laughed with her as she entered Fanlou.
Both were familiar faces at Fanlou. The manager greeted them politely and had a familiar maid lead them to a private room on the second floor.
Xie Qinglan had been feeling melancholic lately, but now she's come to terms with things and decided to treat herself to a delicious meal. She had already decided what to eat while she was still on the way.
The two entered the private room, and while waiting for the food to be served, Shen Youying tentatively asked her, "You seem to be in a good mood these days?"
With her personal maid standing guard outside and no outsiders in the private room, Xie Qinglan disregarded the usual rules and etiquette, resting her chin on her hand and shaking her head, her head full of jingling jewels: "I've thought about what you told me before, and I think it makes sense."
“I’m in the prime of my life, I can’t just hang myself on an impossible tree.” When she mentioned the King of Chu, a fleeting sadness crossed her brow, but it was quickly masked by a smile: “My mother later arranged several marriages for me. I’ve met with them, and one of them is not bad. I want to give it a try.”
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