Chapter 2. She was pregnant.
For a moment, the atmosphere was deathly silent.
Ji Wanyuan thought she had misheard. She frowned and said, "Mother, what nonsense are you talking about?"
What child?
How could she possibly be pregnant?
Wait... no...
Her gaze gradually descended, and she suddenly realized something.
Thinking back to that day, in his madness, the handsome man with anger and indifference on his face lingered on her for a long time, even going so far as to soil her beloved skirt.
Really?
Ji Wanyuan choked on her own saliva, her face turning even paler with fright, and she gripped the soft bedding even tighter.
She feared the arrival of this child, and then another thing came true—she became pregnant.
When the Ji family collapses and falls into ruin, is it far off that she will die from postpartum hemorrhage?
Oh my god!
"Mother, Mother, Mother..." She was so frightened that her lips trembled, and she called out "Mother" several times.
"I can't keep this child, I want to abort it. Please prepare some abortion soup for my daughter quickly, so we can abort it right now!"
It's better to end it all now than to kill her during childbirth.
If it weren't for this child, none of the subsequent problems would have occurred.
As she spoke, her face was even more pale than if she were crying. "You asked the imperial physician to use the best prescription and get the finest abortifacient to make a soup, but I'm afraid... afraid of the pain."
Ji Wanyuan clung tightly to Madam Ji's wrist, looking like she was about to cry from fright. She was completely at a loss, her forehead was covered in fine sweat, and her lips were trembling.
"No... I can't have it."
Upon learning that she was pregnant, Madam Ji was shocked and then furious.
After temporarily settling Physician Fu to keep quiet, she immediately came over to "interrogate" her daughter, who had secretly caused a "murder."
But only one sentence was spoken.
Ji Wanyuan's expression was initially one of confusion, and Madam Ji, observing her reaction, thought she had been bullied.
After all, although her daughter is arrogant and domineering, she is also very beautiful and has a great figure. What if some lecherous man bullies her?
On second thought, she realized it was impossible. She was of noble status and had her father and brothers protecting her. Who in the entire capital would dare to offend her?
But then she seemed to suddenly realize something, which clearly showed that she knew what was going on with her pregnancy and who the man who had gotten her pregnant was.
Madam Ji narrowed her eyes, about to press for an answer, when Ji Wanyuan grabbed her hand and said in a trembling voice that she didn't want the child.
"You..." At this moment, even though Madam Ji was angry, she was also heartbroken.
She sighed deeply, took a handkerchief from the side and wiped the cold sweat from Ji Wanyuan's face, holding her icy, trembling hand.
"Yuan'er, calm down and tell your mother what happened."
Ji Wanyuan bit her lip, unwilling to speak. She wanted Madam Ji to fetch abortifacients so she could take them and abort the pregnancy.
After patiently coaxing her for a while, Madam Ji had no choice but to put on airs and scold her for being ridiculous! She said that the child's origins were unknown, and even if it was to be aborted, they had to find out exactly what had happened.
Who on earth dared to insult her own daughter, bully her at the very gates of the Prime Minister's residence, and even threaten to make her pay the price?
Upon hearing the words "pay the price," Ji Wanyuan felt no sense of confidence or satisfaction from having someone back her up; instead, she felt only fear.
It wasn't that the other party insulted her; it was clearly that she had given them a viper drug, a drug that could harm animals, and then humiliated them, which led to the death.
She was terrified at the time, and after returning home, she kept thinking about whether those strange stories were real. She even forgot to drink the contraceptive soup, and a month later, she actually got pregnant.
How could she be so stupid?! For the first time, Ji Wanyuan felt a deep disgust for her own ignorance.
The image of her postpartum hemorrhage kept flashing through her mind, day and night, yet she still couldn't think of drinking the contraceptive soup.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but clench her fist and pound her head.
Seeing that she was probably crazy, Madam Ji quickly pulled her back, her tone softening.
Before she could say anything to comfort her, Ji Wanyuan urged her to quickly call the imperial physician for a prescription, saying that if she didn't miscarry, she would definitely die, and die a horrible death, and the entire Ji family would be in trouble, with no one able to escape.
After saying this, tears streamed down her face, and she sobbed loudly, tilting her head back.
Madam Ji hugged her and comforted her, saying it was alright, her father was the Prime Minister and would definitely protect her. Now that the Ji family had gained prestige, who would dare to touch the Ji family or her? Let alone make her die a horrible death, it was simply impossible.
Tell her to stop crying, wipe away her tears, try to calm her down, and urge her to quickly reveal the child's father, that man.
"Mother, I... I can't tell!" She cried so hard, gasping for breath and hiccuping. "You... you have to listen to me, go quickly..."
Seeing that she was completely unresponsive, Madam Ji grew increasingly angry, poking her head and saying with exasperation, "Where are you going!"
"Do you even know what the imperial physician said?!"
"If you don't want this child and abort it, you will never be able to get pregnant and become a mother again for the rest of your life!"
Ji Wanyuan was stunned again, "...Huh?"
So... is it a good thing or a bad thing? It's a good thing, right? She wondered.
But her mother made the final decision: "So this child must stay."
Ji Wanyuan, “…”
That night, the study in the Wen family mansion was brightly lit.
The rolled-up letter caught fire as soon as it was brought near the candlelight, the flames illuminating the man's handsome yet aloof face.
He watched coldly as the letter was burned to ashes, then slowly wiped his long, jade-like fingertips with a handkerchief without saying a word.
The study door was pushed open, and Mr. Wen walked in.
"Have you found any clues?"
The man remained silent, his eyes lowered as he looked at the defense map and the scrolls on the table.
"Still not a single clue or flaw?" Mr. Wen frowned.
Whether it was his imagination or not, his outstanding son had become increasingly taciturn over the past month, even giving off a chilling and gloomy feeling. He wondered what had happened.
According to the people he sent out to investigate, all of this happened more than a month ago, after he met with Ji Wanyuan, the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister.
He barely returned home that day. When he came back in the morning, although everything seemed normal, there was a faint redness behind his ears.
The servant who saw him return home said that his eyes were gloomy and frightening, and although his moon-white clothes were neat and tidy, he walked faster than usual and his face did not look good.
From that day on, he became quiet and occasionally lost in thought.
We have been working on the tasks entrusted to us by His Majesty without delaying the process, but even so, we have not gained any additional benefits.
After a long while, Wen Qiyan, who was sitting upright, seemed to come back to his senses and said, "No."
Upon hearing this long-awaited reply, Wen's father glanced at him again.
Seeing that he stopped talking, she took the initiative to say, "You've been on edge these past few days investigating the mining in Youzhou. Since there are no leads, let's think of another way."
"The Ji family has been entrenched in the court for many years. Prime Minister Ji holds a high position and has many advisors. Moreover, he always does things meticulously and is very difficult to deal with. If there really is a mining industry in Youzhou, it must be well hidden. It is normal that it cannot be found for a while."
Father Wen continued to comfort him, "If it were really easy to investigate, the Ji family wouldn't have troubled the monarch for so many years and become a major concern for His Majesty."
"It's getting late, you should get some rest."
Wen Qiyan gave a faint "hmm" and flipped through the book, "Father too."
He had already finished speaking, but Wen Qiyan still didn't move.
As Wen's father walked to the door, he seemed to remember something and turned back to tell Wen Qiyan.
"Some time ago, Prime Minister Ji repeatedly petitioned His Majesty to allow the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to treat his daughter. His Majesty granted his request, and today Physician Fu has already left."
Wen Qiyan didn't seem to react much.
Wen's father continued, "I heard that many imperial physicians went to the hospital some time ago, but they still couldn't cure her. I don't know what illness his daughter has."
After he finished speaking, the handsome man sitting at his desk remained unmoved.
Mr. Wen withdrew his gaze and left.
A while after he left, the man looking at the book turned the current page a little slower than usual.
But he remained unfazed, showing no emotion.
"..."
The next day, inside the Prime Minister's residence, Madam Ji still couldn't get anything out of Ji Wanyuan.
The only thing I could do was tell Prime Minister Ji about this.
Upon learning of this, Prime Minister Ji was equally shocked and furious.
He immediately ordered the maid to bring Ji Wanyuan to him, but Madam Ji quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't you know that Yuan'er's health has been weak lately? Why did you have someone bring her here to be scolded by you?"
"Physician Fu said that the medicine she took some time ago disrupted her pulse, making the pregnancy unstable. If she doesn't rest properly, I'm afraid she might not be able to keep it."
Madam Ji gave a look to her adopted son, Ji Lingyue, asking him to help mediate.
In the past, no matter how much trouble Ji Wanyuan caused, or how angry Prime Minister Ji was in reprimanding her, Ji Lingyue would have already spoken up to mediate before Madam Ji could even open her mouth.
I don't know what's wrong with me today, but I haven't said a word for the first time in ages.
He seemed lost in thought, and only spoke after she reminded him.
Madam Ji didn't dwell on Ji Lingyue's absent-mindedness, only assuming that the news of Ji Wanyuan's pregnancy was truly shocking and he hadn't recovered yet.
Sure enough, with a glance, he helped mediate and reconcile the two sides.
Under the soothing words of his gentle adopted son, Prime Minister Ji managed to calm down. "It's all because you spoiled her in the past!"
Despite the scolding, it all stemmed from heartache for his daughter.
He put aside his work and went to visit Ji Wanyuan in her courtyard.
Upon hearing from her personal maid, Emerald, that her father had arrived, Ji Wanyuan was startled and quickly stood up.
Madam Ji walked quickly, and when she saw her move, she hurriedly pressed her down. "Have you forgotten Physician Fu's instructions? He told you to rest well and not to make a fuss."
"Father, Father... Your daughter greets you."
Ji Wanyuan immediately spotted her father following closely behind. His face was stern and imposing, which made her tremble. She clutched the blankets, shrank her head, and stammered a greeting, looking like a quail.
Madam Ji glanced at Prime Minister Ji.
Prime Minister Ji did not continue his examination, but instead sat down.
"Your mother said you're pregnant." Prime Minister Ji's tone was not pleasant.
Ji Wanyuan hummed in response, her voice barely audible, and nodded again.
Just as she was wondering how her father would interrogate her and how she would respond, she heard a sentence that struck like a bolt from the blue.
Is the child's father Wen Qiyan?
A note from the author:
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Here they are! [rainbow fart]
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