Chapter 22

◎I might be pregnant◎

Between sobriety and intoxication, Jiang He seemed to have finally found a way to vent.

Xue Lingyu clearly disliked being treated like this. When he woke up the next day, his throat was so dry that he couldn't utter a complete sentence, and there wasn't a single patch of undamaged skin on his body.

If it weren't for the fact that they weren't in the Jiang residence, but in the small courtyard, Xue Lingyu would have even felt that she had been... taken advantage of by someone.

Last night, Jiang He showed absolutely no consideration for his feelings.

Xue Lingyu could still feel Jiang He's lingering warmth on his body, and Jiang He's warm breath seemed to linger around his ear. He bit his lip, and tears involuntarily rolled down his cheeks.

He didn't feel any joy at all; on the contrary, his legs ached terribly when he woke up in the morning, and he felt completely powerless.

The clothes he wore yesterday were no longer wearable. Xue Lingyu sniffed himself and could smell a distinct plum wine scent. He fell asleep late at night, losing his sense of smell and all five senses. Heaven knows what Jiang He did after that.

In short, he now feels that no matter how much he washes, he can't erase Jiang He's mark and scent, as if he has completely become her property.

Jiang He broke the rule that she could not stay overnight in the concubine's room. Her alcohol tolerance was actually not bad, let alone just plum wine, but for some reason last night, she couldn't control herself and kept drinking without stopping.

Upon waking up and seeing Xue Lingyu's resentful and tearful eyes, Jiang He felt a pang of regret.

She wanted to reach out and hug Xue Lingyu, but hesitated halfway through her movement and eventually withdrew her hand.

"Don't worry, I won't come tonight. You're injured, so I'll have Yuange bring you some medicine. You should get some rest."

The room was filled with an ambiguous atmosphere. Whenever she saw Xue Lingyu, the marks on his body were clearly visible. These were all left by her. Thinking of those tender moments, she couldn't help but have some reaction again.

After Jiang He finished speaking, she was about to get up and leave, but Xue Lingyu stopped her.

Dr. Ji said he was in a fertile period these past few days, but if it only happened once, the chances weren't high. He didn't want to wait another month, as things could get complicated and he would have to suffer more.

It would be better to get it done in the next few days, so we must keep Jiang He.

Xue Lingyu tried her best to appear even more pitiful, looking innocently at Jiang He and saying, "Are you really not coming tonight? Is there something I did wrong that made you dislike me?"

He had inadvertently witnessed that the young men from the Qingxiu Brothel acted in this manner, yet they all garnered the pity of women and subsequently achieved their desires.

“I didn’t mean to dislike you,” Jiang He explained, her gaze falling on his half-open shoulder as she thoughtfully added, “You just need to get some rest.”

Xue Lingyu shook her head, indicating that she did not need it.

What he learned before entering the Jiang family was not just for show; coupled with his good looks and figure, he was naturally able to seduce Jiang He.

Seeing the soft hand cling to her, and not knowing where he had the strength to do this, Jiang He finally relented and said, "I still have things to take care of at the business. I'll come and have dinner with you tonight."

After saying that, she fled in panic.

Jiang He always felt that Xue Lingyu's attitude towards sex had changed drastically, and he even seemed to be actively inviting her. However, she was not the kind of playboy who had been with many women. She had only ever been with Xue Lingyu.

If he demands too much, I don't know if she can handle it, or maybe she should try some tonics.

Not long after Jiang He left, Yang Le came in with her men to clean up the mess.

Although the commotion last night was not loud, the servants in the courtyard were quite surprised, especially Jiang He, who always appeared serious. They never expected her to be so fond of her concubine in private, and wondered what she had done all night.

This warm blanket is no longer usable, and the clothes should be thrown away as well, so we can replace them all with new ones. I don't know how long these will last.

Having received Jiang He's promise, Xue Lingyu finally relaxed. Seeing that it wouldn't be a short time for Yang Le and the others to clean up, she went to take a bath first.

Just as he finished washing, Liushui Xiaozhu sent someone to deliver medicine for his injuries.

His wound was in a very hidden place. He didn't feel anything after it bled, but it started hurting again after the medicine was applied, and he couldn't help but gasp.

There were also some medicines for bruises and sprains. The red marks on Xue Lingyu's body were caused by pinching or bumping into things, and Yang Le would apply these medicines for him.

When Yang Le saw his back, she was so frightened that she dared not breathe.

No one knows exactly what happened, but Miss Xue certainly doesn't dote on Young Master Xue as much as outsiders think. Otherwise, why would she be so ruthless? There's not a single good spot on Young Master Xue.

What Yang Le didn't know was that these were all superficial signs; Jiang He was ultimately unwilling to really go all out and do something drastic inside.

The medicine Jiang He gave her was excellent. Apart from the pain in the bleeding area, Xue Lingyu felt that the rest of her body was normal.

He was so tired that he went back to bed and slept for a while after the medicine was applied.

Yuange waited at the entrance of the courtyard for most of the night last night, and only went back after seeing the courtyard lights go out. This also means that Jiang He broke the rules of the inner courtyard and actually stayed overnight at the concubine's place.

As soon as Jiang He returned, she instructed her to deliver the medicine to the small courtyard. When she returned, she saw Jiang He sitting at her desk, seemingly lost in thought. She couldn't help but ask, "Miss, why did you stay at Young Master Xue's place last night?"

Such a matter could be considered a big deal or a small one. If the husband were alive, he would certainly teach this overstepping concubine a lesson. However, Jiang He did not marry a husband, so Xue Lingyu was the only one in the backyard.

"I just drank too much." Jiang He rubbed her temples. Actually, she didn't intend to stay overnight when she went there last night.

Everything that happened afterward seemed to unfold as if it were perfectly logical.

"Should we keep your overnight stay at Young Master Xue's place a secret? My lord sent word early this morning that the Fifth Prince has added your name to the list for the selection banquet. I didn't dare tell Ruiming, who is by my lord's side, that you weren't there."

Ruiming also said he would report this matter to Jiang He in person, so Yuange had to make up an excuse to keep him out. However, the main courtyard should receive word of this sooner or later.

Jiang He nodded: "I know about the Fifth Prince's matter, but even if I try to hide the fact that I stayed overnight, it won't be a secret, so there's no need to waste my time."

Yuange said anxiously, "What if the reputation of Miss favoring concubines gets out, and no respectable young master is willing to marry you? Wouldn't that be a loss?"

Jiang He jokingly tapped Yuan Ge's head: "You can't even stand a concubine? Wouldn't a husband like that be a jealous pot? Am I marrying a husband or a jealous pot?"

If you want to marry her, you must first accept Xue Lingyu's existence. If a man can't even tolerate a concubine, then there's no point in marrying him.

Yuange smiled and said, "Miss is right." But then she had a new worry, "What do you plan to do about the Fifth Prince's matter, Miss?"

She had long known that the Fifth Prince was no pushover. His previous feint had made everyone think he had no interest in her and looked down on the Jiang family. Now, he had specifically singled her out, drawing everyone's attention to her.

There are quite a few people who want to curry favor with the royal family, and Jiang Heke is about to become a thorn in the side of some.

Jiang Wanyi almost fell outside the Imperial Study. After returning home, she felt unwell and couldn't eat anything. She would vomit as soon as she ate and didn't rest until midnight.

He was the apple of His Majesty's eye, and the servants below immediately became flustered, fearing that something might happen to him.

Jiang Wanyi initially thought it was just an upset stomach and that she would be fine after resting, but the servant took it upon himself to summon the imperial physician, and even the emperor heard the commotion and rushed over.

He felt it was making a mountain out of a molehill, but as soon as the emperor arrived, he reprimanded all the servants around him and then ordered the imperial physician to take his pulse.

It was past midnight, and the emperor had just finished dealing with state affairs and was about to go to sleep when he heard from his servant that Jiang Wanyi might be unwell. Despite this, he still came to visit her without hesitation.

Jiang Wanyi's health was poor, and after so many years of recuperation, it had finally started to improve. Even the slightest illness could damage her health, so Emperor Wei was naturally very anxious.

Since the emperor had arrived, Jiang Wanyi had no choice but to obediently listen to the imperial physician and extend her hand to have her pulse taken.

Having not seen the Emperor during the day, the Fifth Prince had already added Jiang He's name to the list. Jiang Wanyi still hadn't forgotten about this matter. Now that the Emperor was before him, he seized the opportunity to advise, "Your Majesty, my younger sister is unruly and was previously a notorious playboy in the capital. The Fifth Prince must have been bewitched by her appearance. Moreover, my younger sister has taken a concubine. The Fifth Prince is of noble birth and I'm afraid he wouldn't want to share a wife with someone else."

Just as the imperial physician finished taking her pulse, Jiang Wanyi didn't see the sudden change in his expression, as if he had encountered something unbelievable.

He continued, "Your Majesty, you need to reconsider the matter of He'er and the Fifth Prince..."

The imperial physician stepped back and whispered something in the emperor's ear, and the emperor's expression immediately changed.

His heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that his illness has worsened again?

But he has been taking good care of his health during this time.

At this moment, the Emperor held his hand tightly, and seeing his puzzled expression, he tidied a strand of hair behind his ear, smiled, and whispered:

"You always worry so much about your sister; you'll have to focus more on our children from now on."

Jiang Wanyi was stunned. Was he not sick from eating something bad, but pregnant?

The imperial physician announced loudly, "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Concubine Jiang is two months pregnant, and the fetus is healthy."

The Emperor hugged him and comforted him, saying, "I know what you're talking about. Xiao Wu is just being silly. Don't I know what kind of temper he has? You don't need to worry. Just leave it all to me."

She stroked Jiang Wanyi's belly and instructed her, "Take good care of yourself and the baby."

Emperor Wei has only one son, and the harem has been childless for many years. If Jiang Wanyi can give birth to a daughter, given Emperor Wei's favor towards her, this child has a high chance of being made the Crown Princess.

Jiang Wanyi's child suddenly became the top priority.

"What? The noble lady in the palace is pregnant?"

The next day, Jiang's father received a message from Jiang Wanyi, relayed by her trusted confidant.

Jiang Wanyi's health had been poor since childhood. He had worried about his son countless times, but no matter how good the doctors outside were, they couldn't save his life. Although the palace was dangerous, the doctors in the Imperial Hospital were all top-notch. It was much easier for the royal family to save someone's life than outside.

At that time, the Jiang family was going through a low point, and since Jiang Wanyi volunteered to enter the palace, he, as her father, had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Fortunately, His Majesty dotes on this son, who is now pregnant.

Whether she gives birth to a prince or a princess, Jiang Wanyi will have someone to rely on in the palace, and when Emperor Wei passes away, she will not end up like Consort Xue.

If Consort Xue had his own biological child, given his favor and privilege, the throne would surely belong to his own daughter.

A child that doesn't come from your own belly is always separated by a layer of skin.

“This child is my biggest worry. His health has never been good. Childbirth is a life-threatening ordeal for men, so we have to be very careful during the pregnancy. If only I were by his side,” Mr. Jiang said worriedly.

Ruiming said, "This is a great blessing for the eldest son. He will be safe and sound. Moreover, according to the rules of the palace, when the eldest son is about to give birth, the lord can enter the palace to accompany and visit him."

"That's good, that's good. Now only He'er is left without any children."

Ruiming reported truthfully: "My lord, Miss stayed at Young Master Xue's place the night before last, and she did the same last night..."

This was clearly against the rules, and Jiang's father, who was in the midst of his joy, slowly suppressed his smile upon hearing it.

"It seems that He'er really doesn't care about her reputation at all. If Xue Lingyu's status were still the same as before, he would be willing. It wouldn't be unreasonable for him to be He'er's husband and the future head of the Jiang family."

"But now he is just a concubine of slave status. He is not even worthy of a commoner, let alone a merchant."

Ruiming sighed and said, "It's all a matter of individual fate. My lord, there's no need to worry too much. Miss is a person with her own opinions."

Father Jiang sighed and said, "I will no longer interfere in her marriage. Yi'er is pregnant again, so she can only make her own marriage decisions."

After finishing his sentence, Father Jiang prepared to take a nap. Ruiming hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "..."

“My lord, Yang Tao has been lingering at the gate of the mansion for the past few days, saying that he wants to see you. His lover has arranged a new marriage for him after he was kicked out of the mansion. He is now pregnant and has nowhere to go. He said he begs my lord to have pity on him.”

Although this matter might anger the lord, and Ruiming also felt that Yangtao was useless, they had been in the main courtyard for so many years, and there was still some affection between them.

Upon hearing this, Father Jiang became furious. "That good-for-nothing! He has the luxury and wealth to do with some guard. Has his lover's identity been found out?"

Ruiming bowed and said, "We found out. Miss kicked them out first."

Hearing that it was Jiang He who made the move, Jiang's father fell silent.

That incident did offend Jiang He, and her handling of it was correct.

The Jiang family could no longer tolerate the existence of someone like Yang Tao. Father Jiang pretended not to hear it, and Ruiming wisely didn't mention it again.

He took out some of his savings, intending to give it to Yang Tao as a way of repaying the kindness shown to him in the past, but Yang Tao did not come today.

Ruiming was a little puzzled. Didn't Yangtao say that she had nowhere else to turn and begged him to give her a definite answer today?

Ruiming assumed that he knew the path to the Jiang family was blocked and had given up.

What happened after that was irrelevant.

For three consecutive days, Jiang He spent her nights in the small courtyard.

During the day, Xue Lingyu hid in the courtyard and didn't come out, but at night, candles were lit one after another in his room, so he couldn't sleep.

Following Dr. Ji's advice, he put on a very enthusiastic performance. It is said that one should not take a woman's words under the bed seriously, but Jiang He did not say a single word to him.

It's unclear whether Jiang He was satisfied with his performance.

In the midst of their tender moments, Xue Lingyu naturally snuggled into Jiang He's arms. The two seemed like a couple who had been together for a long time. Whether he blinked or hooked his leg, Jiang He understood what he meant.

The two had a great understanding.

However, it is only limited to this aspect.

After each encounter, Jiang He would see Xue Lingyu swallowing tonics and ignoring her completely.

She even jokingly asked on a whim, "Is the tonic more important than me?"

Xue Lingyu nodded seriously.

Jiang He smiled.

She even had the illusion that Xue Lingyu had fallen in love with her.

The red jade and agate hairpin that she returned intact was worn by Xue Lingyu every night.

The reflection of the two figures in the red jade mirrored their silhouettes. As Jiang He listened to Xue Lingyu's murmurs, she worked even harder.

Xue Lingyu counted the days, and after those few days when he was most fertile, he seemed to lose interest in that area and stopped inviting Jiang He out.

Jiang He was busy with business those few days, so the two of them temporarily cooled off.

The Fifth Prince's selection of a wife banquet was approaching. Originally, he had named Jiang Wanyi to handle the arrangements, but Jiang Wanyi was pregnant. This was a matter of great importance concerning the national dignity, so the Emperor naturally refused and chose another sensible and virtuous concubine to handle it.

Those who participate in the wife selection banquet must send their portraits to the palace in advance for the fifth prince to view.

"Your Highness, the eldest daughter of the Li family, the Right Envoy of Longxi, and the youngest daughter of the Duke of Wangdong are both outstanding individuals from noble families. Which one do you favor?"

The servant slowly unfurled the portraits of the two young ladies. The young lady from the Li family on the left was spirited and elegant, while the young lady from the Wangdong family on the right was refined and polite. Both were beautiful and of noble birth, worthy of being princes.

Neither of the two families had anything to do with the court's infighting, so there would be no worries about marrying into either of them. His Majesty also had this in mind, and allowed the Fifth Prince to choose between the two.

However, the Fifth Prince insisted on holding a wife-selection banquet, saying that he wanted to personally assess the character of the suitors.

In terms of character, there are probably not many people in the capital who would dare to marry him, but the emperor agreed, so that he could see the reality for himself.

The Fifth Prince was not interested in the portraits of these two people, so he waved his hand and told the servant to bring out the next batch.

The servant had no choice but to obey and pick a new one from the pile of portraits.

One of the portraits was made of extremely expensive paper and was decorated in a very luxurious manner, which immediately attracted the attention of the Fifth Prince. He specifically asked the servant to open the portrait.

The woman in the portrait is dressed in gorgeous clothes, with a bold and unrestrained expression. She wears a jade pendant at her waist that looks like it's worth a fortune, holds a white jade folding fan in her hand, and smiles gently.

The items she used were all flamboyant and extravagant, and she herself was also unruly.

This is clearly Jiang He from three years ago.

People from the palace went to the Jiang family to ask for a portrait, and Jiang He gave them this one.

She is completely different from who she is now.

The Fifth Prince beckoned the servant closer. The portrait was exceptionally well-painted, capturing Jiang He's arrogant and dissolute nature from three years ago with remarkable accuracy.

He laughed and said, "That's really interesting."

He suddenly had a question.

Why would Jiang He, a woman of such high social standing, fall in love with Xue Lingyu, a man of impeccable character and integrity?

Where did Jiang He go three years before she left the capital?

“Miss, you clearly said you don’t like this Fifth Prince, so why is he still bothering you? This wife selection banquet originally had nothing to do with you. Even if he chose you, you wouldn’t marry him.”

As Yuange packed Jiang He's things for the banquet, she muttered something.

That fifth prince is obviously a troublemaker, and who knows what kind of bad intentions he's hiding, and he's still bothering her young lady like this.

Yuange pursed her lips and said, "If only Xue were here, Miss, when are you going to call him back?"

“I remember Xue’s personality, but he gets along well with you,” Jiang He joked. She thought for a moment, “It will probably be another half month. I haven’t finished the things I asked him to do yet.”

"Oh? There's still so much time. Then let's have a few highly skilled guards accompany you to this banquet."

Jiang He dismissed it, "I'm just going to a banquet. It's right under the capital. Is it really possible that someone would assassinate me?"

"Just in case, if I didn't have urgent business to attend to, I would go with you."

With a noblewoman in the palace pregnant, the Jiang family has truly become different.

"Go sit for a while and I'll be right back. Hurry back, I don't want to spend the night in the palace." Although my brother is in the palace, it is still within the Fifth Prince's sphere of influence. If he wants to use some underhanded methods like the Zuo family, it will be difficult to guard against.

Her brother had already told her beforehand that even if the Fifth Prince himself was willing, His Majesty would not agree to him marrying into the Jiang family.

Yuange looked towards the door and suddenly said, "Young Master Xue, what brings you here?"

Yuange glanced outside and saw that it was the time for the servants to change shifts, which was why she had been careless and let Xue Lingyu enter without announcing her arrival.

After those few days of tenderness, Xue Lingyu never invited her to eat with him again. He stayed quietly in the courtyard. When Jiang He occasionally had free time and wanted to visit him, she could not find him. He always said that he was asleep.

Xue Lingyu stood at the door, paused, and turned her gaze to Jiang He.

If he hadn't come here, he wouldn't have known that Jiang He was going to attend the Fifth Prince's wife selection banquet, and from what he heard, the Fifth Prince even favored her and intended to marry her into the Jiang family.

But he didn't like the Fifth Prince...

The Fifth Prince definitely doesn't like him either. If he really gets in, the first thing he'll do is kill him.

Jiang He gestured for Xue Lingyu to come in and asked, "What is it that makes you come all this way in person? Why didn't you send Yang Le to inform me to come over?"

“Yang Le was summoned by the lord, but it’s only a few steps away, so I came by myself.”

Seeing that his expression was off and his eyes were darting around, as if he were afraid of something, Jiang He took his hand and asked again in a soft voice, "What do you want to see me about?"

Xue Lingyu gave a bleak smile and withdrew her hand. "I would like to ask Doctor Ji to come to my residence to examine my pulse."

He touched his flat stomach.

It's been about half a month since that incident, and today he had no appetite for the food, and even felt nauseous.

Jiang He touched his forehead and asked, "Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Xue Lingyu shook her head and took a few steps back.

His forehead was cold, but his face was deathly pale.

Xue Lingyu bit her lip and said, "I might be pregnant."

A note from the author:

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-01-05 22:07:18 and 2022-01-06 21:42:39!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 1 bottle from RT-Mart's 10-year fish butcher;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!

◎Latest Comments:

[I'm really curious, in a matriarchal society, are the male and female body structures still the same? Or does the woman have a smaller penis and is on top of the man?]

[Please update!]

[Eyes sparkling. I'll water you more, and please grow strong, little sapling.]

[Hilarious! The male lead is so effeminate and doesn't appreciate what's good for him. I want to see what happens next!]

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[Unlocked.]

Is it true?!

Is there? Is there?

Is there? Is there?

【come on】

[I haven't written enough, cough cough cough]

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