Chapter 59 A Bitter Feeling "There's no reason why, this contraceptive medicine is absolutely necessary..."
"No need?" Shi Wan was slightly taken aback, her gaze somewhat uncertain. After a moment of silence, she said, "If you're trying to get something out of me again, I advise you to give up that idea as soon as possible."
Even though the two had just finished the most intimate thing in the world, Shi Wan looked at him with extremely cold eyes and repeated, "Pregnancy-preventing soup, give it to me."
Jiang Xu stared at her intently for a moment, then remained silent.
Silence spread, their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
In an instant, Jiang Xu's feigned gentleness gradually cooled and solidified into a thin layer of frost. "I said, this time it's not necessary."
After speaking, noticing her pale face, his tone softened slightly. "Don't mention this again." He gently took her white fingertips in his hand, his eyes fixed on Shi Wan. After a moment, his lips touched her smooth, cold fingers, and he changed the subject, asking, "Why are your hands so cold?"
The man's warm palm enveloped Shi Wan's hand, and a gentle warmth spread through her. Her expression softened slightly, but she remained silent. After a moment, she seemed to relent, "It's nothing."
What exactly is Jiang Xu's intention in doing this? Is it not enough to have used her a few times, that he also wants to target the child in her womb?
If a son born out of wedlock were born, he would almost certainly not have a good end. How could a man as greedy as him possibly disregard propriety and law?
Shi Wan vaguely realized that Jiang Xu's future could not possibly end here, could not end in the North. She calmed herself down for a moment, and finally softened her tone, "It's almost time for me to take my medicine every day."
If he wanted to squeeze every last drop of value out of her, a moment of tenderness and affection would be perfect, and besides... she wouldn't get pregnant with his child.
Absolutely impossible.
As he stepped forward, Jiang Xu softened considerably, even unconsciously smiling. "Yes, you need to take good care of yourself." Remembering what the army doctor had said last night, he simply stood up. "You rest first; the medicine will be delivered from the small kitchen in a little while."
Right now, giving her some space to calm down is the best option, but before leaving, Jiang Xu felt a pang of resentment and suddenly asked her, "This time, what do you think of me...?"
"How so?" Jiang Xu was asking for her opinion.
Shi Wan half-closed her eyes, her thick eyelashes obscuring most of her thoughts. She adjusted her breathing and said, "It seems that His Majesty has changed this time."
These are my honest thoughts; this person... has indeed become more eccentric and unpredictable.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xu stared at her for a few moments before leaving. Once he was gone, Shi Wan's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and the resentment and fear she had been desperately suppressing gradually flowed out. After a while, she quickly did her hair and makeup, picked up the dress that Jiang Xu had already laid out, and changed into it.
The men's clothing she wore yesterday had disappeared. Shi Wan sighed and headed towards the small kitchen alone. Fortunately, although the courtyard was secretly luxurious, it was not very large. She found the place in no time.
Smoke rose from the small kitchen, pine branches and charcoal licking the bottom of the earthenware pot, simmering a pool of emerald-green medicinal soup until it produced fine foam, bubbling and steaming. Shi Wan glanced at it, noticing the guards who were unusually nervous because of her arrival, and smiled, "I suppose this is the medicine I'll be drinking later?"
She drank the medicine many times, and the taste was almost memorized.
Upon hearing this, the young guard respectfully responded, and after a moment, asked, "Madam, has come here with some instructions?"
Madam... Shi Wan sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she still had that warm smile. "I don't recognize you. Don't be nervous. I'm here on the King's orders to ask for a bowl of contraceptive soup."
Seeing the guard's stunned expression, she hinted, "It's the same as before, except that His Majesty was in a hurry to go to his study to handle affairs this time and forgot to give the order." She then made up an excuse with a smile, "After all, once you drink the nourishing soup, you have to wait a while before doing anything else."
Unexpectedly, the guard, who looked young and wasn't wearing the uniform of Jiang Xu's personal guards, spoke with certainty, "Madam, the King has ordered... you no longer need to drink the contraceptive medicine."
"I'm afraid I can't help you, this..." Although he wasn't directly involved in the grand spectacle last night, he had heard about it from his colleagues, not to mention... His Majesty specifically gave instructions this morning.
"Your subordinate cannot obey."
Upon seeing this, Shi Wan seemed to be stunned for a moment, then scratched her head in confusion, said a few words, turned around, and slowly walked back.
On this side, Jiang Xu went straight to the study after leaving the bedroom. This courtyard was his temporary resting place. Although it was small, it had all the necessary parts, so he discussed all matters in the study.
The military doctor, surnamed Ma, was over seventy years old and had been practicing medicine for many years. He was not concerned about the separation of men and women. This morning, before Shi Wan was fully awake, he examined her under Jiang Xu's supervision.
Previously, Shi Wan's medical records, as well as the matters of obtaining and decocting medicine, were all handled by his apprentice. Now that the apprenticeship was over, Jiang Xu had him kidnapped.
"Lord Ma, how is my wife?" Jiang Xu bowed respectfully.
Doctor Ma returned the greeting. He had a close personal relationship with Jiang Xu and said frankly, "I see that Madam's face is pale and her pulse is weak. I suppose the pent-up emotions in her heart have not yet dissipated."
The heart must be healed by the heart. Jiang Xu understood this principle. He pondered for a moment and said, "My wife has been experiencing many emotional ups and downs lately and is very thoughtful. That is indeed the case."
"The lady's body was still chilled, and with the pent-up emotions in her heart, it was inevitable that she would be easily agitated. Fortunately, she had been taking care of herself for a long time before, and it had some effect. Her physical condition... has improved somewhat." Otherwise, after being exposed to the cold wind for so long last night, she certainly wouldn't have these symptoms.
“But…” He stood solemnly, “Your Majesty, please forgive my bluntness, but everyone has seven emotions and six desires. However, if one’s resentment lingers for a long time, it may be detrimental to the lifespan of the lady.”
“I’m afraid…” Doctor Zhang didn’t finish his sentence, but what he said made Jiang Xu pause, his mind blank for a few moments before he found his voice again, “This king…” His last few words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, “I understand.”
"Lord Ma, do you have a solution?"
"Of course, I will do my utmost. However, my wife is overly worried. If she gets angry too often, in the end, she will be no match for even a celestial being..."
Silence fell over the room for a moment. Jiang Xu stood there, speechless for a long time.
In truth, he knew what Shi Wan was thinking about every day, but... there was only one thing she wanted: to escape from his side, and he couldn't grant her that wish.
He swallowed the bitter taste in his throat. "Lord Ma, regarding the matter of offspring that I inquired about earlier, I wonder what has become of you...?"
Shi Wan was in poor health, and he had noticed this early on. He had been giving her nourishing tonics for almost a year, and later, after he became more aware of the situation, he refrained from touching her more than once or twice.
"I remember your disciple once said that sexual intercourse should not be too vigorous or frequent, and I... have always kept that in mind."
Doctor Ma sighed inwardly, then said earnestly, "With me here, as long as Madam keeps a good mood and doesn't get angry so often, and takes good care of herself, she should be fully recovered by this summer at the latest."
Jiang Xu was pondering the contraceptive soup that Shi Wan drank after their first time. The medicine was extremely cold in nature. Upon hearing this, he unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good then."
Shi Wan is so unruly and difficult to tame. If she had a child, everything would be different, right? With a child, she could stay by his side with peace of mind.
By this summer, which will be more than four months, he came to his senses and said seriously, "Then... please prescribe a medicine."
After seeing off Doctor Ma, Jiang Xu stood alone by the table, carefully writing down the details the doctor had just mentioned. Only after the ink dried did his mood gradually improve.
Just then, Jing Yan sent a message. Upon seeing this, he unconsciously sighed. This time, he couldn't fool his soldiers anymore, and he had to take matters into his own hands.
Coming to his senses, he said calmly, "Your Majesty, someone from the kitchen has come to report that the Lady... went to ask for contraceptive soup." He then reported everything that Shi Wan had done in the kitchen.
When Jiang Xu returned to his bedroom, the kitchen had already prepared a nourishing medicinal soup. Shi Wan was blowing on it casually, and wisps of white smoke rose from the thick, dark medicine, the rising mist obscuring most of her expression.
She leaned against the side of the bed, her expression extremely indifferent, seemingly unconcerned about taking the medicine. Even knowing that she had said those words as a temporary measure to change the subject, seeing Shi Wan's appearance still made Jiang Xu feel an uncontrollable surge of irritation.
He said coldly, "Why?"
The curtains were dim, and at midday, the dazzling sunlight streaming through the windowpanes filtered in, casting dappled, flowing shadows that drifted slowly through the room.
The room was mostly bright, but the place where Jiang Xu was standing was the only shadow in the room. The sunlight was like a blade, mercilessly cutting him out.
He could only stand alone in the endless darkness, listening to Shi Wan's low, curse-like answer, "There's no reason why, this medicine must be drunk."
"Really?" Jiang Xu was a little stunned. He took in Shi Wan's expression, his eyes dimmed, and he stopped talking.
From Shi Wan's perspective, she could only see most of the man's face hidden in the shadows. The part illuminated by the sunlight seemed to have an extremely calm expression, similar to his appearance in the snowstorm last night.
After an unknown amount of time, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly. "This medicine is cold in nature..." He seemed to want to persuade him, or perhaps he was stubbornly trying to say a few more words, but after a few words, he fell silent again.
"Jiang Xu".
Shi Wan's voice was soft, carrying a sharp sarcasm that he was familiar with, "Why bother?"
He knew she meant he was "pretentious," and thought, "Why bother?"
A pang of sadness gripped his heart, and for the first time in his life, he felt an urge to shed tears. But remembering what Doctor Ma had just said, after a long standoff, Jiang Xu reluctantly lowered his hand that had been blocking him. His voice was extremely hoarse, and if you listened closely, it sounded like the prelude to a trembling voice. "Give it to her."
The voice drifted to the door, "Go and brew a contraceptive decoction for her."
Only then did Shi Wan seem satisfied, a smile spreading from the corners of her lips, her tone like a loving whisper, filled with boundless tenderness, "Thank you."
The sweet whispers of children, bathed in the dim light of the night, could reach Jiang Xu's ears.
At this moment, a chill ran through his entire body.
-----------------------
The author says: "Whispers of children, the lamplight dimly illuminates the night." This is from "Prelude to Water Melody: Whispers of Children," written by Su Shi of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
