Tong Wanyan and Yinreng conceived so quickly, it was astonishing how fast they acted.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, a dish of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was served. Tong Wanyan ate it happily, without experiencing any nausea or vomiting from the fishy smell that might have been a sign of her pregnancy.
At the time, the Empress Dowager was secretly disappointed, but dared not mention it for fear of putting pressure on her.
As a result, after everyone returned to Yuqing Palace, they hugged Yinreng and vomited violently.
Tong Wanyan was not a strong drinker and got drunk after just a sip, so Yinreng didn't let her touch the fruit wine at the banquet.
The vomiting was so severe that it couldn't have been from drinking.
The imperial physician on night duty happened to be Physician Chang. When he saw the people from Yuqing Palace coming to invite someone, he hurriedly carried his medicine box over.
If either of the two masters in the Eastern Palace were to have an accident, it would be a major event.
Imperial Physician Chang was Yinreng's personal physician, and he had both Yinreng's and Tong Wanyan's medical records. He had examined the two masters just a month ago, and both were in excellent health. How could they have run into trouble on such a joyous occasion?
There was a considerable distance between the Imperial Hospital and Yuqing Palace, and before the imperial physician arrived, Yinreng could only pace anxiously in circles.
"My darling, are you pregnant?" Having been a father once before, Yinreng easily associated nausea and vomiting with pregnancy.
Tong Wanyan took a sip of water and rinsed her mouth clean.
"My period hasn't even lasted half a month, how could I be pregnant? I guess it's because it's getting cold and I ate something raw, cold, and greasy, which made me nauseous and throw up," Tong Wanyan said with certainty.
The old woman, who had some medical knowledge, stepped forward to take Tong Wanyan's pulse. She couldn't detect a rolling pulse and agreed with Tong Wanyan's words.
Besides, what pregnant woman vomits after eating fish? They all react to the smell of fish, not have such a slow reaction time.
When Physician Chang arrived at Yuqing Palace, he was once again dragged so fast that he was almost flying to Tong Wanyan's side.
At this point, rules and etiquette are completely unimportant.
When Yinreng saw him arrive, he stepped aside without saying a word and stared intently as he took Tong Wanyan's pulse.
Traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis always involves careful and meticulous examination, including observation, listening, questioning, and palpation.
Especially for potential lesions, one must carefully listen to the pulse.
Yinreng waited patiently for Physician Chang's reply. His expression remained unchanged, but his hands were clenched tightly under his sleeves.
"The concubine should be pregnant. Her pulse is still faint, so I estimate it's a little over a month," Physician Chang said confidently after a long pause.
Everyone knows that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor are hoping for another child for Yuqing Palace, so his trip here is a bonus.
Thinking of the generous rewards bestowed upon the emperor upon the birth of his son, Imperial Physician Chang couldn't help but grin.
Unexpectedly, Yinreng's brows were furrowed, showing no sign of happiness.
"What do you mean 'should'? When Consort Consort was pregnant last time, she didn't have these symptoms. Could it be that this pregnancy is affecting the mother's health? You should examine her again carefully. Before you came, I had a skilled physician take Consort Consort's pulse, and she couldn't detect any signs of pregnancy," Yinreng said anxiously.
"By the way, I had someone tell you about the dishes Consort ate at the banquet today. Was there anything amiss?" Yinreng tried his best to explain all the possible influencing factors to avoid misdiagnosis by Imperial Physician Chang.
Physician Chang quickly wrote out the prescription, his pen moving swiftly, but the characters he wrote looked like scribbles, incomprehensible to others.
His specialties are pediatrics and gynecology. He might ponder other pulse patterns more carefully, but he can immediately tell the pulse of a pregnant woman, no matter how strange or unusual.
Before being assigned to Yinreng, Imperial Physician Chang was extremely popular among the concubines in the harem, thanks to his family's reputation as a renowned gynecologist.
Imperial Physician Chang said confidently, "The concubine is in good health and has no discomfort. She did not eat any cold or raw food at the banquet, so it will not affect the fetus. As for the symptoms of pregnancy that the Crown Prince mentioned, they vary from person to person and can only be gradually regulated through diet. You have been a father before, so why are you still so nervous?"
Physician Chang is really bold, daring to make fun of the Crown Prince to his face.
But considering that he had given acupuncture to Yinreng and had even seen the Imperial Physician Chang, who had made Yinreng cry when he was a child, it's not surprising.
Chunque then slipped a wooden box to Physician Chang, offering her thanks in person.
Under Yinreng's watchful gaze, Physician Chang calmly opened the wooden box, glanced at it, and then closed it again.
Judging from the look in his eyes that seemed to have found a treasure, Yinreng knew that Chunque had brought out something good.
That is indeed the case.
The wooden box contained nothing but a fine old ginseng root.
For Physician Chang, who was obsessed with medicine, giving him a good medicine was far better than giving him gold ingots. Of course, if he were given gold ingots, he wouldn't mind having too many.
Doctor Chang calmly stuffed the wooden box into his medicine chest, making sure it was at the very bottom and well hidden.
Yinreng found those little schemes distasteful.
"Imperial Physician Chang, Consort Tong recently started her period. Will that have any impact?" Chunque asked on behalf of Tong Wanyan.
That was her real purpose in bringing out the ginseng; she just wanted Physician Chang to do his best.
Imperial Physician Chang blew on the still-wet ink of the prescription and said, "This kind of situation is rare, but it does happen. If the Crown Prince had been more restrained in the past few months, it would have been fine."
The words were so blunt that Tong Wanyan understood.
Chun Que was taken aback, then blushed and retreated.
She tugged at Su Jixiang's sleeve, telling him to take Physician Chang away too, so he wouldn't be in the way.
They had to go and brew medicine for their mistress to calm her morning sickness.
Only Tong Wanyan and Yinreng remained in the room, creating an awkward atmosphere.
Tong Wanyan, supporting her flat stomach, calmly lay down on the chaise lounge, acting like a lord.
Yinreng stood to the side like a submissive wife, his eyes full of pleading.
"So this backache and sore waist are all from what you've been doing, Master," Tong Wanyan teased Yinreng playfully.
With a light flick of her almond-shaped eyes, she captivated half of Yinreng's soul.
Feeling guilty, Yinreng quickly moved a small stool and began massaging her legs.
"I didn't know you could get pregnant so quickly. I was thinking of trying a few more times so you would get pregnant sooner. Who knew I was so amazing, getting pregnant on the first try?" Yinreng felt guilty but also a little smug.
Men's pride, how superficial!
"Last time you were pregnant with Tana and Hongzhao, it was also on our wedding night. This time, I just saved myself the trouble of using those contraceptives, and you're pregnant too. You're truly my darling!" Yinreng pinched her smooth, soft legs, unable to suppress his excitement.
Tong Wanyan gave him a light kick, and he smiled indulgently: "My darling, please make sure you don't stretch your belly. If you want to kick me, I'll come closer and let you kick me."
"This child is bound to be a troublesome little thing, unlike his well-behaved older brothers and sisters. When he is born, I will teach him properly." Yinreng belatedly began to show the reaction of a foolish father.
He's a father again, that's wonderful!
Tong Wanyan touched her chest, recalling the churning in her stomach that had just occurred to her; it was truly unpleasant.
She said, "Sir, I'm craving sour fish soup. No noodles, rice, please."
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