Chapter 27: Is the sterilization soup ineffective?
The autumn morning light filtered through the window lattice, casting a shadow on the diamond-shaped mirror on the dressing table, revealing Yunzhi's pale profile. She sat before the mirror while Qingzhu combed her wet hair. Ever since that day in the water, she had felt weak, often cold at night, and even her hair was falling out more than usual.
"Miss, you need to take good care of your hair," Qingzhu said as she combed it, and couldn't help but sigh. "You haven't recovered since you fell into the water. Do you want to ask the imperial physician to come and see you again?"
Yun Zhi shook her head, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the mirror: "No, it's just a cold, I'll be fine after taking some rest."
It wasn't that she didn't want to see a doctor, but she was just feeling a lingering sense of unease. This unease, like a tiny thorn, had been pricking her since the third day after she fell into the water, and it wasn't until Qingzhu's casual mention of it this morning that she completely panicked.
"By the way, young lady," Qingzhu put down the comb and turned to pour hot water, saying casually, "A few days ago, I told the kitchen to save some brown sugar for you. Your period should be coming soon, right? A bowl of brown sugar ginger tea can warm you up."
The word "menstrual period" was like thunder, instantly exploding in Yunzhi's ears. She suddenly looked up at herself in the mirror, her face instantly turning pale - yes, her period was almost half a month late!
She had completely forgotten about it before, because she had fallen into the water and caught a cold. But now that she thought about it, besides feeling weak and cold, she had also been feeling nauseous every morning these past few days and couldn't stand the smell of greasy things. Even just now, when she was combing her hair, she smelled the osmanthus oil in Qingzhu's hair and couldn't help but want to retch.
These symptoms...are very similar to what her mother experienced when she was pregnant with her.
An absurd and terrifying thought suddenly popped into her mind - could she be... pregnant?
"Miss? What's wrong with you? Why are you so pale?" Qingzhu came back with hot water and was shocked to see her appearance. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Yun Zhi suddenly grabbed Qing Zhu's hand, her fingers cold, her voice trembling: "Qing Zhu, you said...you said my period is half a month late, and I always feel nauseous. Could it be..."
She hadn't finished her words, but Qingzhu reacted instantly, dropping the copper basin in her hand to the ground with a clang, spilling hot water all over the floor. "Miss! You... you're saying you might be... pregnant?"
Qingzhu's voice was trembling. She had been with Yunzhi for so long, and she knew the most about the bowl of sterilization soup on their wedding night—the prince had personally poured it into her mouth, saying it would prevent the girl from ever getting pregnant. How could she possibly have a child?
But the girl's symptoms really look like she is pregnant.
Yun Zhi looked at Qing Zhu's panic, and her panic grew even worse. She let go of Qing Zhu's hand, slowly stood up with the help of the dressing table, staggered to the bed, and gently stroked her lower abdomen.
Here... is there really a little life?
But that bowl of sterilizing soup... Xiao Jin had clearly said that the medicine would prevent her from ever having children. He pinched her chin with his own hands as he poured the medicine into her mouth. Every word he said was like a knife, stabbing her heart.
How could it fail? How could I get pregnant?
She stumbled over to the bookshelf and pulled out an old medical book—one she'd brought from the Imperial Tutor's residence. It contained a list of gynecological conditions. With trembling hands, she flipped open the pages, her eyes quickly scanning the "Pregnancy" section: "Menstrual period stopped, nausea and vomiting, a preference for acidic foods, fatigue and weakness..."
Each one of them is exactly the same as her current symptoms.
Yun Zhi's hands clenched tightly around the medical book, her knuckles turning white. Tears welled up in her eyes. It wasn't an illness; it was pregnancy. She was truly pregnant, with Xiao Jin's child.
Great joy and deeper fear, like two torrents, instantly overwhelmed her.
What made her happy was that she had a child, a little life that was connected to her by blood. This was her only thought and hope in this cold palace.
But the terrifying thing was, what would happen if Xiao Jin found out? How could the man who had fed her the sterilization soup and treated her like a slave slave tolerate her carrying his child? Would he... would he destroy this child with his own hands, just like he had done with the sterilization soup?
"No... I can't let him know. I absolutely can't let him know!" Yun Zhi muttered to herself, her hands tightly protecting her lower abdomen, as if she wanted to hide this secret in her bones. "I want to protect this child. I must protect him..."
Qingzhu also recovered and walked quickly to her side, lowering his voice very low: "Miss, please don't panic! This matter has not been confirmed yet. Maybe it's just a cold that affected your menstrual period! We need to find a reliable person to confirm it first. We can't panic like this!"
Yun Zhi nodded, tears still falling, but she forced herself to calm down. Qing Zhu was right. It was still too early to tell. Even if it was, she couldn't let anyone know, especially Xiao Jin.
But who could she ask for confirmation? The palace's doctors were all Xiao Jin's people. If she asked for one, it would be like telling Xiao Jin about the matter. Doctors outside the palace... She couldn't even leave the palace right now.
Unless...Xie Heng.
As soon as this thought came to her mind, Yun Zhi shook her head violently - no, Xie Heng had already been warned by Xiao Jin because of her. If he was involved again, Xiao Jin would definitely not let him go.
But apart from Xie Heng, she really couldn't think of anyone else she could trust.
Just when she was in a dilemma, a picture suddenly flashed through her mind - about a month ago, she was bedridden due to a cold, and Xiao Jin came to see her once and personally fed her a bowl of medicine.
The taste of that bowl of medicine was completely different from the medicine usually prescribed by the imperial physician. While the usual medicine was bitter and pungent, that bowl of medicine had a faint sweetness to it, and after drinking it, her body did feel much warmer. At the time, she had thought it was just Xiao Jin's occasional "kindness," but now she wondered if there was something wrong with that bowl of medicine.
Could it be Xiao Jin...he secretly changed the medicine?
This thought made Yun Zhi shudder. She recalled Xiao Jin's recent anomalies—staying by her side on a rainy night to reduce her fever, shielding her from the noblewoman's taunts, jumping into the lake to save her, the embrace in the carriage... Could these anomalies be related to the bowl of medicine?
Did he regret giving her the sterilization soup long ago? Did he want her to have a child all along?
But she quickly suppressed the thought. No way, Xiao Jin hated her, her father, and the Imperial Tutor's House so much, how could he possibly regret it? He must have other motives, perhaps wanting her to have a child to consolidate his position, or perhaps wanting the child to be used as leverage to control her.
No matter which one it was, she couldn't gamble. She had to rely on herself to protect this child.
"Qingzhu," Yun Zhi took a deep breath, her eyes becoming firm, "please do me a favor."
"Miss, I'm willing to do anything as long as I can help you!" Qingzhu nodded quickly.
"Find a way to get this letter to Doctor Xie," Yun Zhi pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve, quickly wrote a few lines, folded it, and handed it to Qing Zhu. "Tell him to find a way to bring me a bottle of 'abortion-preserving medicine.' No need to ask too many questions; he'll understand once he sees the letter. Also, this matter must be kept secret. No one, especially the prince, can know about it."
Qingzhu took the letter, carefully hid it in his sleeve, and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, young lady, I will definitely take care of it!"
Watching Qingzhu's back as she hurried away, Yunzhi sat back down on the bed and gently placed her hands on her belly. It was still flat, but she could already feel a faint pulse of life.
"My child," she whispered softly, tears streaming down her face, "You must be safe. Mother will protect you. Even if it costs her her life, I will protect you..."
What she didn't know was that in the study, Xiao Jin was looking at the report sent by the secret guard, his brows furrowed. The report said that Yun Zhi had recently lost her appetite, felt nauseous in the mornings, and her period was half a month late.
"My period is delayed for half a month? And I still feel nauseous?" Xiao Jin pinched the report, his fingertips turned slightly white, and he felt a sense of strangeness inexplicably in his heart - these symptoms were very similar to being pregnant.
But she drank the sterilizing soup, how could she get pregnant?
Unless... that bowl of sterilization soup doesn't work.
He remembered that a month ago, he had indeed had Yun Zhi's medicine changed. Her cold had worsened, and the medicine the imperial physician had prescribed was too cold. Worried about harming her body, he had it replaced with a milder tonic. He hadn't expected that the medicine might actually neutralize the effects of the Juezi Decoction.
If she really was pregnant...
This thought made Xiao Jin's heart skip a beat. He felt a bit flustered, yet also filled with inexplicable anticipation. He had never thought that he and Yun Zhi would have a child. But when he thought of that child, and the image of Yun Zhi carrying the child, his heart softened.
"Someone," Xiao Jin called out to the door, and the secret guards immediately came in. "Go, call the palace's imperial physician and tell him... tell him that Yun Zhi hasn't recovered from her cold, and ask him to come and take another look."
He couldn't ask directly, so he could only ask the imperial physician to confirm whether she was really pregnant under the pretext of treating a cold.
The guard responded and turned to leave. Xiao Jin sat at his desk, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the tabletop. He felt a complex mix of emotions—he hoped she was actually pregnant, but he was also afraid it was just a false alarm. He was even more worried that if she was, Lin Wanru and Su Yurou would be even more ruthless towards her.
Meanwhile, Yun Zhi, still unaware of Xiao Jin's suspicions, eagerly awaited Xie Heng's reply. Sitting by the window, she watched the fallen leaves in the courtyard, praying over and over in her heart—praying that Xie Heng would receive the letter, praying that the imperial physician wouldn't come, and praying that her child would be safe.
But she didn't know that a bigger crisis was quietly brewing. Xiao Jin's suspicion, Lin Wanru's calculations, Su Yurou's conspiracy, and the child in her belly would soon intertwine into a huge web, trapping her tightly and making it impossible for her to escape.
At this moment, she was still immersed in the joy and fear of having a child, completely unaware that the secret she had carefully guarded would soon be ruthlessly revealed, and she and her child would face unprecedented danger.
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