Chapter 31: Seizure and humiliation, the child in danger
The night wind made the window frames creak. In the flickering candlelight, Yun Zhi had just stood up by holding the head of the bed when she heard heavy footsteps coming from outside the yard - it was Xiao Jin returning from the palace.
Her heart instantly rose to her throat, and she instinctively shrank back, her hands tightly protecting her lower abdomen, her fingertips cold. The palace affairs didn't delay him for long, and he finally came back to settle the score with her.
"Bang!"
The door was violently kicked open from the outside. Xiao Jin, his dark robe stained with night dew, exuded an even more violent aura than before. He didn't even glance at the trembling little maidservant beside him. He walked straight towards Yun Zhi, his eyes brimming with rage, threatening to consume her.
"Why are you hiding?" Xiao Jin grabbed her wrist with such force that she gasped in pain. "Didn't you dare to bite me just now? Why are you scared now? Are you afraid that I'll find out about your dirty deeds with Xie Heng? Are you afraid that I'll punish the bastard in your belly?"
"No! Your Highness, you're mistaken!" Yun Zhi shook her head desperately, tears streaming down her cheeks. "This child is yours, truly yours! Please don't hurt him, please!"
"Yours?" Xiao Jin sneered, as if he had heard a huge joke. He dragged her to the bed, "I want to personally check whose child you're carrying! Let's see if Xie Heng has touched your shameless body before!"
"No! Xiao Jin, let me go!" Yun Zhi struggled desperately, leaving messy footprints on the ground with her feet. "I'm pregnant with your child, you can't do this to me! It will hurt him!"
To Xiao Jin, her pleas sounded like a cover-up. He threw her heavily onto the bed, causing the curtains to shake violently and the candlelight to tremble.
"It's just right to hurt him!" Xiao Jin leaned over and pressed down on her, one hand firmly pressing down on her shoulder, while the other hand was about to lift up her clothes, "This kind of bastard shouldn't even exist!"
"Don't touch my belly!" Yun Zhi twisted her body like crazy, her hands tightly protecting her lower abdomen, her nails even digging into the back of Xiao Jin's hands. "If you want to kill, kill me, don't hurt the child! He is innocent!"
The pain of nails digging into the flesh made Xiao Jin pause. He lowered his head to look at Yun Zhi - her face was covered with tear marks, her eyes were red, and the despair and pleading in her eyes were like needles, gently piercing his heart.
For a moment, he hesitated inexplicably. But when he thought of the pregnancy-maintaining drugs scattered on the ground, the possible involvement between her and Xie Heng, and the anger he felt at being kept in the dark, that hesitation was instantly swallowed up by anger.
"Innocent?" Xiao Jin sneered, shaking her hand away with the back of his hand. "When you and Xie Heng were having an affair, why didn't you think about innocence? When you were pregnant with this bastard, why didn't you think about innocence?!"
His words were like poisoned knives, slicing at Yun Zhi's heart. She stared at this familiar yet unfamiliar man, and the despair in her heart washed over her like a tide—he would never believe her, would always humiliate her with the most vicious words, and hurt her in the most cruel ways.
Xiao Jin's movements were rough and urgent, as if he was venting his inner rage and jealousy. Yun Zhi's struggles grew weaker and weaker. She could clearly feel the slight pain in her abdomen, and her tears fell even more fiercely. She pleaded in a sobbing voice, "Xiao Jin, please be gentle, don't hurt the child... I beg you..."
This humble plea finally slowed Xiao Jin's movements. He looked down at her pale face, the fear in her eyes, and felt a sharp, inexplicable pain in his heart. He could even feel her body trembling, not out of resistance, but out of fear—the fear of losing the unborn child.
"Do you care so much about this bastard?" Xiao Jin's voice was a little colder, but it lacked some of the previous hostility, and had some subtle complexity.
"He's not a bastard! He's your child!" Yun Zhi retorted with her last bit of strength, tears blurring her vision. "Xiao Jin, feel around, he's right here... Can you please wake up and stop being blinded by jealousy..."
She grabbed Xiao Jin's hand, wanting him to touch her belly, wanting him to feel the presence of the child. But Xiao Jin suddenly pulled his hand back, as if burned, and the anger in his eyes ignited again: "You still want to lie to me?! Do you think I will believe these nonsense of yours?!"
He didn't give her any chance to explain, and his movements became rough again. Yun Zhi could feel the pain in her abdomen becoming more and more obvious, and her consciousness began to blur. She knew that if this continued, she would definitely lose the child.
In desperation, she suddenly turned her head and bit Xiao Jin's neck!
"Ouch!" Xiao Jin felt pain and suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with incredible anger, "You dare to bite me?!"
"I won't let you hurt my child!" Yun Zhi opened her mouth, blood still stained at the corners, her eyes filled with determination. "Xiao Jin, if you dare to hurt him, I won't let you go even if it costs me my life!"
The pain in his neck and the determination in her eyes finally calmed Xiao Jin down. He looked at the bloodshot at the corner of her mouth, her hands clasped over her abdomen, the almost frantic desire to protect her, and his doubts grew. If this child was truly Xie Heng's, why would she fight so hard? Why did she look at him with such a protective gaze?
He remembered the report from the secret guards before - Yun Zhi couldn't eat greasy food these days and felt nauseous when she woke up in the morning. Although Doctor Li said that she was deficient in both Qi and blood when he took her pulse, he avoided his gaze... These symptoms were clearly signs of pregnancy.
And that bowl of foetus soup... He suddenly remembered that among the tonic medicines he had asked someone to replace for Yun Zhi a month ago, there was an herb called angelica. Angelica can invigorate blood circulation and regulate menstruation. If taken for a long time, it is indeed possible that it will neutralize the efficacy of the foetus soup.
Could it be... that this child is really his?
As soon as this thought came to mind, it instantly wrapped around his heart like a vine. He stopped moving completely, looking at Yun Zhi's pale face and trembling body. The anger in his heart gradually gave way to a complex emotion - shock, disbelief, and a hint of panic that he himself was not even aware of.
Seeing him stop, Yun Zhi thought he had finally softened. She cried even harder, her voice choking with sobs, "Xiao Jin, please... let our child go..."
"Our child?" Xiao Jin repeated these words in a low voice, his eyes looking at her belly with a complicated expression, the conflict in his heart becoming more and more intense. He wanted to believe her, but he didn't dare to believe it - he was afraid that this was another conspiracy of hers, afraid that he would be deceived by her again.
In the end, jealousy and anger prevailed. He stood up abruptly, straightened his disheveled robes, and the sinister look in his eyes returned: "Don't think I'll believe you just because you act like this. I'll find out if this child is mine. Until then, you'd better behave yourself and stop thinking about contacting Xie Heng. Otherwise, I'll make you and this bastard disappear together!"
After he finished speaking, he turned and walked out the door. When he reached the door, he stopped again without looking back. His voice was as cold as ice: "Stay in your room, don't go out, and don't see anyone. If I find out that you have done anything unusual, you will bear the consequences."
The door was slammed shut, and silence finally returned to the room.
Yun Zhi collapsed on the bed, gasping for air, tears still streaming. She reached out and gently stroked her belly, feeling the faint throbbing inside, her heart filled with fear - she had almost lost this child.
The pain in her abdomen continued, so she quickly took out the pregnancy-preserving medicine Xie Heng had given her from under the bed, poured out a pill, and swallowed it with the warm water on the table. The pill tasted slightly bitter, but it made her feel a little more at ease.
"Child, I'm sorry. I'm useless and have let you suffer." Yun Zhi murmured softly, her fingers gently stroking her lower abdomen. "But don't worry, I will definitely protect you. No matter what the cost, I will not let anyone hurt you."
She knew that even though Xiao Jin had temporarily stopped, he wouldn't give up. He would definitely investigate, find out who the child belonged to, and why the sterilization soup had failed. She had to be even more careful and cautious to save the child until he found out.
On the other side, Xiao Jin returned to the study, irritably pulled off the collar from his neck, and looking at the clear teeth marks on it, the conflict in his heart grew deeper and deeper.
He sat at his desk and picked up the report the secret guard had delivered. It stated that Yun Zhi hadn't seen anyone other than Qing Zhu in the past few days, nor had any contact with the outside world. Furthermore, the tonic he had replaced for Yun Zhi a month ago contained angelica root, which could indeed neutralize the effects of the Juezi Decoction. Long-term use would gradually weaken the decoction's effectiveness, even rendering it ineffective.
"Is it really my child?" Xiao Jin muttered to himself, his fingers tapping the table unconsciously. The complicated emotions in his heart made him irritable.
He remembered how Yun Zhi had desperately protected her lower abdomen, the determination and pleading in her eyes, and how hard she bit his neck... These images told him that Yun Zhi was not lying and that the child was really his.
But when he thought of the pregnancy-preserving medicine sent by Xie Heng, and the previous involvement between Yun Zhi and Xie Heng, he forced himself to suppress this idea - he couldn't trust her. That woman was too good at disguising herself, and was too good at deceiving him with tears and weakness.
"Someone come here!" Xiao Jin shouted outside the door.
The secret guard came in immediately: "What are your orders, my lord?"
"Go check," Xiao Jin's voice turned colder. "Check Xie Heng's recent movements and whether he and Yun Zhi have had any private contact. Also, check to see if the time Yun Zhi became pregnant coincides with the time she came into contact with Xie Heng!"
"Yes!" The secret guard responded and turned to leave.
Xiao Jin looked out the window at the night, his heart growing increasingly restless. He didn't know why he cared so much about this child's background. He didn't know why his heart would inexplicably beat faster when he thought that this child might be his.
He only knew that he had to find out the truth. If the child was truly his, what would he do with it? Would he keep it, or destroy it with his own hands, just like he did with the sterilization soup?
He didn't know the answer, nor did he dare to think about it.
Meanwhile, Yun Zhi, in the side courtyard, was unaware that Xiao Jin had already begun investigating the child's background. Lying in bed, she clutched her belly tightly, her eyes filled with determination. She knew the days ahead would be even more difficult. Xiao Jin's suspicions, Lin Wanru and Su Yurou's schemes, would hang like a knife over her and her child's heads.
But she would not give up. For this child, for her only hope in this cold palace, she would try her best to survive and protect him.
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