Chapter 59 The Storm Is Brewing Xiao Ting chuckled lightly, then casually placed something on the table…
Normally, Lin Zhi's two personal maids would be guarding outside the door, but now there was no one there at all. Even if he was at home, Lin Zhi was really not taking security seriously enough, since there was still an outsider in the house!
Pei Lang's lips twitched slightly, but it wasn't a smile; it was more like the calm before a storm.
As soon as the door was gently pushed open, a moist fragrance wafted out – the scent of Lin Zhi's favorite hair oil.
The thought of seeing that pretty boy right after she took a bath made Pei Lang's eyes darken slightly, but he turned around and closed the door tightly.
"Is this Physician Xu? Please come straight over to the chaise lounge."
The soft female voice carried a hint of tired languor. In the past, Pei Lang would always be by Lin Zhi's side when she bathed, but now that her belly was growing bigger, she was probably getting more and more tired every day.
But her unguarded demeanor towards men only fueled Pei Lang's burning desire. With a dark expression, he lifted the beaded curtain and went inside, only to see Lin Zhi reclining on the chaise longue, wearing only a small undergarment and underpants.
Her slightly protruding belly caused her light-colored undergarment to rise and fall gently, but it didn't feel intimate at all; instead, it gave off a gentle maternal aura that permeated her entire body.
"Madam seems to trust men outside the marriage quite a bit."
Lin Zhi showed no reaction upon seeing that it was Pei Lang, continuing to flip through the book in her hands, seemingly unsurprised: "What, it's you?"
"My husband has been so busy lately, he hasn't even had time for dinner. Why did he suddenly think of me?"
Pei Lang laughed in exasperation, pulled over a round stool and sat down in front of her, casually tossing a thin shirt draped over her shoulders: "You still know I'm your husband? What kind of decorum is this, dressed like this to see a male doctor?"
But Lin Zhi slowly sat up straight, her clear and bright almond-shaped eyes blinking innocently, her long black hair draped over her bare shoulders, covering half of her upper body and lower abdomen.
Her exposed waist was still supple and slender, and if you didn't look closely, you couldn't tell that her lower abdomen was slightly protruding.
"My lord, you are unaware that wearing thick clothing can hinder the doctor's ability to locate the acupoints, and if he does not press them accurately, it could even be life-threatening."
"Besides, Doctor Xu has an eye ailment and can't see anything."
"I am already in poor health, and now that I am pregnant, I am in even greater discomfort. However, since my husband dislikes Physician Xu, then so be it; it will be fine if he doesn't perform the treatment..."
Lin Zhi delicately put on her thin shirt and deliberately got up to tell people to leave.
Pei Lang sat down in front of her with an air of authority, grabbing her wrist expressionlessly. He knew perfectly well that she was saying this on purpose for him to hear.
Xu Wen is blind, but he is not completely devoid of his five senses. How could he not mind?
But he just happens to fall for that, "Lie down, I'll give you a massage."
Lin Zhi stopped and tried to pull her hand back twice but failed. She deliberately sighed, feigning concern, "There's no need for you to wrong your husband. This is normal for pregnant women. I'm not the only one who's experiencing this. Husband, you're so busy with official duties, so please go and attend to your business..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lin Zhi was suddenly pulled into Pei Lang's arms, her cheeks being pinched: "You're just taking advantage of the fact that I can't touch you because you're pregnant, aren't you? You're deliberately provoking me, aren't you?"
Lin Zhi blinked her big, round eyes and shook her head pitifully: "How could that be? Cousin, you've really misunderstood me."
Pei Lang narrowed his eyes and, in the blink of an eye, stripped Lin Zhi of her clothes. Only when he saw that she was panicked and helpless did he feel somewhat satisfied.
“When I used to practice martial arts, I was even more accurate at finding acupuncture points than a doctor.”
"I do know that being completely naked makes it easier to pinpoint the location..."
Lin Zhi hadn't expected things to progress so quickly, but now it seemed Pei Lang was even more shameless than she had imagined!
The soft, tender skin he touched felt slightly cool, but Pei Lang kept staring intently at Lin Zhi's lower abdomen, making her unconsciously want to dodge, but he held her down.
"Does it hurt?"
Caught off guard by the question, Lin Zhi was somewhat bewildered: "What?"
Warm fingers trembled as they gently touched her slightly protruding belly: "It used to be so thin you could feel your ribs here, but now it's stretched like this. Does it hurt?"
Lin Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and she didn't know how to answer for a moment. After a long silence, she just chuckled and said, "What, my husband thinks it's ugly? This is the child you wanted to keep. It's too late to go back on your word now."
Pei Lang didn't say anything, but instead leaned in and gently kissed her lower abdomen: "Not ugly, very beautiful."
Lin Zhi suddenly turned her head away, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. These days, all her habits and beliefs had been constantly being shattered and reassembled.
She wasn't someone who liked change and excitement; she just wanted a stable life, even if it was monotonous and boring, because that made her feel at ease.
Pei Lang was the only uncertainty in her otherwise ordinary life.
Having survived several brushes with death, Lin Zhi felt that her aunt seemed to be drifting further and further away from her, and it was the child in her womb that was leading her further and further away.
She woke up countless times at night, seemingly dreaming of her aunt's resentment towards her, and also seemingly dreaming of her aunt praising her courage.
If a person lives their whole life for others, then they have probably lived in vain.
Lin Zhi sighed and slowly reached out to stroke Pei Lang's hair.
If living in a daze can numb the pain, then let's just keep getting by like this.
She didn't have much happiness to begin with, and she didn't want to cut it off herself.
She turned around and leaned against Pei Lang, propping her stomach up to find a comfortable position to lie down. Just as their breathing began to calm down, she suddenly spoke.
"Pei Lang, let's live well together from now on."
“We owed each other a lot in the past, and bringing it up again would be endless. Now that we have a child, I don’t want him to suffer the same fate as us.”
"Please promise me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Zhi listened to the soft breathing in the quiet night and felt her little finger being hooked.
"Okay, I promise you."
The next morning, Xu Wen was somewhat flattered when he was invited to dinner: "Lord Pei, there is no need for such formality. Yesterday, I was trying out acupuncture but I fell asleep and was of no help. I really cannot accept such a reward."
Pei Lang seemed like a different person today, treating Xu Wen with great warmth and courtesy: "Doctor Xu, there's no need for that. We are already very grateful that you massaged my wife to relieve her fatigue; it's what we should do."
"However, there is another matter I would like to trouble you with today. Is there any secret technique for this massage? I have no ulterior motive, I just want to learn it so that my wife can massage herself."
"If you don't mind, could you teach me?"
Xu Wen turned his head and smiled slightly after hearing his words: "Lord Pei is naturally a gentleman, and I trust him. It's just a pity that I may not have much free time these days."
"I'm sure you know something about this, sir. A few days ago, Consort Hui from the palace sent someone to invite me in, saying that she was pregnant and wanted me to come into the palace to serve her."
"However, my disciple Shiyue is also quite good. She has memorized a lot of things while learning techniques, and we can leave a copy for you, sir."
Pei Lang's expression changed abruptly upon hearing this: "Consort Hui is pregnant?"
Consort Hui had served the Emperor since he was the Crown Prince, but she had not conceived for several years. Pei Lang guessed that it was the Emperor's doing.
But now that Consort Hui is pregnant, could it be that His Majesty has changed his mind?
Lin Zhi didn't understand the intricacies of the situation, but upon hearing the name Consort Hui, she recalled some unpleasant memories and couldn't help but furrow her brow slightly.
The couple each had their own thoughts, but only Xu Wen, who had an eye ailment, was perceptive. After quickly finishing his meal, he took Shiyue and left the Pei residence.
"Master, why are you running? You already have an eye condition; what if you fall?"
Xu Wen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air: "Pei Lang is too clever. If we don't run now, we might not be able to escape."
"No matter how much money they offer, they won't come back. Do they think I'm some kind of celebrity doctor? This is exhausting!"
When Pei Lang entered the palace in the afternoon, Lin Zhi couldn't help but feel uneasy. She paced back and forth in the room several times, feeling uneasy: "Chun Tao, hurry, come with me to the embroidery workshop."
Chun Tao quickly helped Lin Zhi to the embroidery workshop. She watched as Lin Zhi's expression improved considerably after she sat down and picked up a needle.
"What's wrong, Madam? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
Lin Zhi frowned as she embroidered the tiger-head hat she hadn't finished last time, then shook her head: "I just felt uneasy, but coming here puts my mind at ease."
Chun Tao had been with Lin Zhi for a long time, and even though she was a former member of the Pei family, she couldn't help but favor Lin Zhi.
"Has Madam been able to let go of everything now?"
"I have served you, Madam, for many years. I hope you are well, but I hope you are happy even more."
Lin Zhi paused in her work, but didn't dare turn her head to look at her, focusing only on the embroidery needle in her hand: "Chun Tao, some things can't be achieved just by persisting."
“I don’t like to be harsh on myself, and now that I have a child, I don’t like to be harsh on him either.”
"How can one understand everything in life?"
These words seemed to be spoken to her, yet also to himself.
Lin Zhi lowered her eyes and stroked her belly: "Now that I have a child, Pei Lang will be even less likely to let me go. I am willing to give him a chance. Everyone makes mistakes."
Pei Lang, who was waiting at the palace gate, frowned and raised his hand to cover his chest. For some reason, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.
"Summon the Grand Secretary to the palace!"
Pei Lang tugged at the hem of his robe, ignoring the stinging pain in his heart, and stepped forward to face the Emperor.
"Didn't Minister Pei say he was staying at home with his wife? What important matter brings him to the palace?"
However, Pei Lang relayed Xu Wen's words to Xiao Ting verbatim, asking, "I wonder if His Majesty is aware of this matter?"
But when he saw Xiao Ting's ugly expression, he knew that Xiao Ting didn't know that all the imperial physicians had the same tongue; they would say whatever the emperor told them to say.
But now Consort Hui has actually found a doctor from outside the palace to enter the palace, and her intentions are self-evident.
Xiao Ting threw down the memorial in his hand and looked at Pei Lang scrutinizingly. "What does Minister Pei mean by this? Are you trying to sow discord between me and Consort Hui?"
"Or are you trying to use this as leverage to get something?"
Pei Lang lifted his robe and knelt down calmly: "Your Majesty, I only wish to make an exchange with you. I would use this information to exchange for an opportunity to join forces with Your Majesty."
"Now the He family is rising in power, while Marquis Lu's prowess is fading. They seem to be checking and balancing each other, but Your Majesty should not forget that once upon a time, both of them had very close relationships with the Princess."
"Now that Consort Hui is pregnant, the He family has gained its greatest support. His Majesty is in his prime, and I'm afraid he will become a thorn in someone's side."
Xiao Ting chuckled, then casually tossed the incense burner on the table away. It landed heavily and rolled to Pei Lang's side. "Pei Lang, how dare you!"
"You dare to curse me to my face? How many heads do you have to chop off?"
But Pei Lang remained upright, staring directly at the heavens.
"Your Majesty understands what I want to say and what I want, and I also understand Your Majesty."
Xiao Ting glanced at him coldly, but let out a soft snort: "Rise, and take a seat."
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Author's Note: Thank you everyone for subscribing to the [Upright Rabbit Head] column's pre-order for the ancient romance novel "The Restricted Wife-Slave Crematorium"! It features a delicate princess and a lovesick scholar. Please add it to your favorites if you like it!
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