Chapter 73 Taking the pulse; such frequent sexual activity
Lin Shutang didn't know how long he had been trapped in Jingyuan Residence, but he felt that every day was incredibly long and every night was filled with Shen Yun's presence.
Lin Shutang thought he was completely insane; what he had said that day was indeed not a joke.
If this continues, she'll get pregnant sooner or later.
Fortunately, Shen Jun has been very busy lately and is no longer with her every day as before, his lingering gaze following her intently.
Perhaps because she was chained again and the lives of the Lin family members were in her hands, she dared not play any tricks now.
Therefore, apart from Lin Shutang's request to leave the room, Shen Yun still went along with her in everything else.
When she had nothing to do and wanted to carve wooden objects, he would let her, and he moved all the tools from the wooden house over.
Lin Shutang is a restless person. After carving wood for a while, he found it boring and then wanted to learn flower arranging.
Shen Yun did not object to this.
Within just a few days, the house was filled with flowers cut by Lin Shutang.
Upon entering the house, one is greeted by the fragrance of various flowers, displayed on tables, cabinets, or adorning the windowsill.
As soon as Shen Yun entered the room, through the fluttering curtains and behind the branches and leaves, one could vaguely see Lin Shutang's scarlet skirt fluttering among the leaves.
She seems to be in a better mood than before. She no longer sits listlessly by the window every day, and when she sees him, she either curses him with resentment in her eyes or cries with red eyes hoping to win his heart.
His complexion also looked much better than during the spring hunt.
Feeling the intense gaze behind her, Lin Shutang turned around and, as expected, saw Shen Yun.
She glanced at him coldly, then turned back to continue her work. The scissors clicked, cutting off the excess branches. The crisp sound carried a hint of the ruthlessness of someone slaying an enemy.
"I heard from the servants that you didn't take your medicine today?" Shen Yun looked away from the broken branch lying on the ground and walked towards Lin Shutang.
Lin Shutang didn't turn her head, and her tone was unpleasant, "Why should I drink it?"
"I don't want to get pregnant with your child at all."
She spoke with disgust and decisiveness, clearly intending to make Shen Yun unhappy.
But Shen Jun didn't react at all, as if he hadn't heard her last sentence at all. Instead, he asked very considerately, "Is it too bitter?"
Lin Shutang was getting impatient and was about to curse him for not understanding human language when she realized that he had already walked up behind her and pulled her into his arms.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, his warm palm resting on her lower abdomen through her thin summer clothes. "If you don't want to drink, then don't."
He actually regressed?
Lin Shutang's prepared words caught in her throat. She stood there in surprise, momentarily confused about Shen Yun's meaning. He was clearly so considerate, yet she found it all very strange.
Shen Yun gently rubbed her flat stomach with his palm, as if to ease her stiff and frozen body. He rested his chin on her shoulder and chuckled softly, burying his face in her neck.
"Given how frequently Ah Tang and I have sex, it's perfectly fine not to take that medicine."
"You shameless!" Lin Shutang blushed with embarrassment upon hearing this. She struggled out of his arms, turned around, and slapped him.
Lin Shutang's slap was originally intended to be fierce, and he did not expect Shen Yun to dodge it. It was also a bit reckless and sharp. With this slap, half of Shen Yun's face was turned to the side in an instant.
A bright red blush, marked with five finger lines, quickly rose on her pale skin, making her stand out at a glance.
The maid standing outside was so frightened that she almost dropped the lacquer tray in her hand. Lin Shutang was also a little stunned, but when she looked at the handprint again, she felt extremely relieved.
She glanced coldly at his face and was about to leave when Shen Yun grabbed her wrist without saying a word.
"Drink your medicine." His tone was also somewhat unpleasant, low and commanding.
Lin Shutang was quite angry upon hearing this.
"I won't..."
"It's not a fertility aid," he explained before Lin Shutang could finish speaking. Meeting her somewhat puzzled gaze, he took a deep breath, turned his head away, and said with a hint of helplessness, "It's just to regulate your body and soothe your liver and relieve depression."
He turned around, beckoned a servant in, and while the medicine was still warm, pulled her to sit down and personally fed her the medicine.
Lin Shutang opened her mouth unconsciously, her long eyelashes fluttering as if she were thinking about something. After a long while, she quietly raised her eyes and glanced at Shen Yun.
His skin was pale and cold, and when he didn't speak, he often gave people the impression of being aloof, like distant mountains covered in snow.
At this moment, his eyelids were drooping, and half of his face was slightly red and swollen, which gave him a certain color, but also revealed a kind of sharpness, making people feel inexplicably scared.
Noticing his gaze, he seemed about to lift his eyelids, so Lin Shutang quickly lowered her eyes again and hurriedly drank the medicine.
Perhaps because he was in too much of a hurry, he even spat out the mouthful of medicine.
Her face turned deathly pale instantly, her delicate eyebrows furrowed tightly, and her eyes were filled with tears that were about to fall, making her look very distressed.
"I don't want to drink anymore." Lin Shutang waved her hand, but still couldn't help gagging. Her stomach kept churning with acid, and she felt waves of nausea.
However, because he had a poor appetite during the day, he didn't eat much and therefore didn't vomit anything.
Shen Yun's complexion was not very good, so he called a servant to fetch the imperial physician.
Upon hearing this, Lin Shutang immediately straightened up and called out to the man, "No... no need to go, I'm fine, I'll recover soon."
She was extremely nervous when she said this, to the point that her words were stammering, and she glanced at Shen Jun intentionally or unintentionally, looking somewhat guilty.
Shen Yun stared at her for a long time. Lin Shutang looked away uncomfortably and said in a barely audible voice, "...No need to go, I'm really fine."
"Fine, I'll drink it." Afraid that Shen Yun would disagree, she tried to snatch the medicine bowl from his hand.
Shen Yun moved her hand away, placed the bowl on the table, and gestured to a servant to summon him.
No matter how Lin Shutang tried to stop them, the servants seemed to have wings on their feet, and in an instant they turned around the screen and went out into the inner room.
"What did A-Tang hide from me?" Shen Yun lowered his eyes and stared at her, then reached out and wiped the medicine stains from the corner of her mouth with his fingertip.
Her voice was soft, and there was even a smile on her lips, but Lin Shutang suddenly felt a chill.
She knew Shen Yun's appearance all too well, so she turned her head away and said, "I just don't want to make a fuss."
Shen Yun didn't say anything more, as if she believed his explanation. The room fell silent as they waited for the physician to arrive.
Lin Shutang was restless the whole time, looking up at Shen Yun several times, but he hesitated to speak because of Shen Yun's cold and indifferent face.
Finally, after enduring the agonizing wait of an incense stick's time, the physician arrived.
After examining the patient's face and ears, the physician frowned deeply, occasionally clicking his tongue, which made everyone present tense.
He occasionally looked up at Chen Yun, noticed the blush on his face, and then looked away with trembling eyes.
Shen Yun said with a stern face, "Speak your mind."
Upon hearing this, the royal physician had no choice but to stand up, cup his hands, and say, "Your Highness, the lady's pulse is like pearls rolling on a plate; she must be pregnant."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Shutang abruptly knocked over the cup beside her. Her terrified expression met Shen Yun's scrutinizing gaze, and her heart skipped a beat.
She lowered her head in a panic, her fingertips gripping the dress on her knees tightly.
Shen Yun glanced at the physician and led the people out of the room.
When he returned, Lin Shutang was still in a daze.
Her face showed no joy at being pregnant and becoming a mother; instead, she bit her lower lip tightly, looking like she had encountered a major problem.
Shen Yun stood at the moon gate, his dark, jade-like eyes silently fixed on her, his expression unreadable.
After a long while, he finally stepped inside.
"When did A-Tang find out?" Shen Yun looked down at her, the same appropriate smile on his lips, but his dark eyes seemed to drag her in without any warmth.
Lin Shutang looked away and buried her head. She opened her mouth as if to say that she didn't know, but she knew that Shen Jun would not believe her. The words circled around her lips but no sound came out.
She lowered her head, her fingertips twisting the folds of her dress.
"If the royal physician is not summoned, what does Ah-Tang intend to do with the child?"
She refused to communicate properly and kept avoiding the conversation, so Shen Jun squatted down and looked up at her.
His fingertips gently touched her lower abdomen, as if he had remembered something, and he said knowingly, "You deliberately provoked me during sex so that you could abort the child, right?"
Having her thoughts guessed, Lin Shutang suddenly looked up, meeting Shen Yun's slightly sarcastic gaze.
She suddenly didn't want to pretend anymore, and her face returned to its indifferent expression. She said matter-of-factly, "Yes, what else can we do? Keep this bastard child?"
"Shutang," Shen Yun called her name in a low voice.
Lin Shutang remained unmoved. "You said you would let my senior brother go, when?"
"Are you negotiating with me?" Shen Yun looked at her, his eyes seeming to show a moment of frustration.
Lin Shutang slowly shook her head, her words sharp and clear, "This is the condition I agreed to stay by your side in exchange for it. Now, I want you to untie this chain. I want to leave the manor."
"Leave the manor?" He scoffed lightly, reached out and grabbed Lin Shutang's head, pressing it down. All the emotions on his face vanished, even the pretense of a smile that didn't reach his eyes was torn away.
The question directly points out Lin Shutang's thoughts: "Who do you want to see?"
Lin Shutang glared at him with her almond-shaped eyes.
He gently stroked her neck with his fingertips, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Ah Tang, I really dislike it when you lie to me."
His gaze swept quickly over her lower abdomen, then lingered on her face. His tone was slow and deliberate, as if giving her time to think, "So, you really haven't been hiding anything from me anymore?"
Lin Shutang's fingers, which were resting on his knees, suddenly clenched even tighter.
Shen Yun lowered his eyes and took in all her actions.
He clearly heard her reply, "Don't you know everything about me? What could I possibly hide from you?"
The darkness in Shen Yun's eyes deepened, and he chuckled softly, a hint of mockery flickering across his lips.
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Author's Note: I discovered that when I deleted the scene in Chapter 71, I accidentally removed a very important dialogue. It was about how the prince felt that if he had another child, he and A-Tang would return to their peaceful life of the past three years. That's why these chapters have this part of the story.
I feel like the sense of hatred has been completely removed [crying emoji]. If you feel the emotional flow is off, I'll see how to revise it in the paragraph comments. [melted emoji]
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