Ruoyin had never chosen to be certain about unknowns. This was because the higher her hopes, the larger her disappointment would be, and the only person who would be embarrassed in the end was herself.
Thus, she said indifferently, “That’s not really possible. I don’t feel unwell in any way.”
“My good Fujin, you have been sleeping excessively and have not much of an appetite recently. Those are exactly the signs of pregnancy. Also, leg cramps are another symptom of a pregnant woman.”
“It might be because of the hot weather.” Ruoyin still didn’t believe that she could be pregnant.
The real Fujin had never gotten pregnant once in the five years she was married to him, so it was not possible that she could be after serving Lord Fourth for only three months.
During that period, she had even used contraceptives and also had not served Lord Fourth for about half a month. How could she be pregnant?
If this was true, did it mean that she had a high fertility rate, or that Lord Fourth had strong swimmers?
Just as she was building castles in the air, Lord Fourth’s magnetic voice rang out beside her ear. “Eat more and don’t think too much. I’ll get Chief Physician Feng to come over to have a look at you.”
Lord Fourth was a stable and grounded man who would not exercise judgment in something he had no expertise in, and he was clearly uncertain.
However, he gazed at Ruoyin with gentler eyes, and his tone was overly tender when he spoke to her.
“Mm,” Ruoyin replied, nodding, before continuing to drink her porridge.
After Ruoyin and Lord Fourth had finished their morning meal, Su Peicheng brought Chief Physician Feng over.
Upon entering the residence, Su Peicheng noticed that Lord Fourth was gazing at Ruoyin differently.
Internally, he thought to himself that he had only left for a while; what had happened?
After entering the residence, Chief Physician Feng knelt. “Paying my respects to Lord Fourth and the Fujin.”
“Check the Fujin. She has been experiencing leg cramps.” Lord Fourth could not be bothered with the pleasantries with Chief Physician Feng and gave his order directly.
“Understood,” said Chief Physician Feng after recovering from his slight shock. He sat down beside Ruoyin, pulled out a cushion to rest her hand on, and began to take her pulse.
Chief Physician Feng looked serious from the start of his examination until the end as he felt her pulse. His first reaction was one of shock, and it was so intense that he wrinkled his forehead.
His sharp eyes then calmed, and he took Ruoyin’s pulse once more, as though he was unsure of the result.
After that, he smiled, cupped his hands together, and announced, “Congratulations, Lord Fourth and Fujin. The Fujin is expecting, and has been for more than a month.”
When she heard this, Ruoyin’s eyes widened so much they looked like they were about to pop.
She also understood from his words that the pregnancy happened during the period when Lord Fourth had confiscated her contraceptive soup.
This seemed like fate. If Lord Fourth had not confiscated her contraceptive, didn’t that mean that the child in her belly wouldn’t have existed?
In contrast to Ruoyin’s random thoughts, Lord Fourth’s eyes lit up and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. In a calm voice, he asked, “Is there anything she needs to take care of? What is up with her leg cramps, then?”
“Leg cramps are a common phenomenon of pregnancy. There is still no special cure for it today, but there is nothing wrong with the Fujin’s body as far as I have checked. However, I will prescribe an antiabortifacient[1] for stability,” said a smiling Chief Physician Feng.
Lord Fourth nodded slightly and announced rather imposingly, “Su Peicheng, give Chief Physician Feng a gift. Also, reward all the subordinates caring for the Fujin!”
Su Peicheng smiled as he replied in the affirmative. He knew Lord Fourth to be a person who meted out rewards and punishments clearly, and he brought the relevant people to obtain their rewards.
At this moment, Lord Fourth was handling everything in an orderly manner. On the other hand, Ruoyin, the star of the show, was still looking dazed.
Everything had come so fast that she could not have guessed that this was going to happen. It had been only a few short months and she was already pregnant!
She leaned back on the rose chair as though pondering a question.
Lord Fourth noticed her dazed look and walked over to sit down beside her. Holding her hand gently, he smiled and said, “This is good news. Why are you looking so dazed?”
Upon being asked such a question by Lord Fourth, Ruoyin replied bashfully, “I’m finally carrying Lord Fourth’s child after five years, so why isn’t my Lord letting me immerse in my dazedness~”
At the same time, she thought to herself, Since I’m pregnant, then so be it. I’ll just go with the flow and not fight against things pointlessly.
She did not wish for anything but for the child to be healthy~
Lord Fourth paused and leaned her against his shoulder. In a gentle voice, he said, “Take care of your body well, and give birth to a little one for me.”
“Lord Fourth, do you want a boy or do you want a girl?” Ruoyin asked softly.
Lord Fourth’s gaze shifted as he spoke. “Either is good with me. The child will still be my own blood and flesh.”
Perhaps because she thought the same, Ruoyin smiled upon hearing this.
She was actually even biased to having a girl. If that happened, would it mean that history would not repeat itself on her child?
If her child was a boy, her future would be lived out in apprehension every day.
After all, her life seemed to be melding with the events in history.
However, no matter what happened, she could only accept everything with cheer.
The last time she attempted to change history by drinking contraceptive soup, Lord Fourth had found out, and it had hurt their relationship.
Thus, she could only be more open-minded and accept things that came her way now.
At the same time, Ruoyin was aware of the importance of a boy for Lord Fourth, especially a boy of the first wife.
In this dynasty, only a boy could inherit the Emperor’s throne.
Regardless of whether Lord Fourth meant what he said, his willingness to express such a sentiment showed that he did at least have such a thought.
After all, Lord Fourth’s rank meant that he could say whatever he wanted to without caring about what others thought, even if he was in front of his Fujin.
This was because no matter how large Ruoyin’s family was, it was still way below Lord Fourth’s rank and would forever remain so.
To put things practically, she was merely a subordinate of a slightly higher rank.
Just then, Ruoyin snuggled up against Lord Fourth and laughed lightly. “My Lord is so good. I was thinking the same as you.”
In a short while, the news of Ruoyin’s pregnancy spread throughout the entire manor.
Upon catching wind of this, Consort Li was so angry that she punished all her subordinates.
She glared at the floor full of kneeling subordinates and spat fiercely.
It was unclear whether it was meant for the subordinates or for someone else.
“Mistress, please calm down~” said Chun Mei from her kneeling position, her head bowed low.
“How can I not be angry when the Fujin is expecting?! Tell me, how can I not be fuming?!” Consort Li had never imagined that her hypocritical wishes that Ruoyin would give birth to a son would cause her to be pregnant.
Was her mouth that magical? If so, why did she herself not give birth to a son?
When she had been pregnant with her daughter, she had prayed incessantly that she could give birth to a son!
In the end, she had given birth to a girl instead.
Thus, she really hoped that her mouth was not magical; it would be better if the Fujin gave birth to a girl.
No! It would actually be better if she could not give birth at all!
Chun Mei noticed the malicious and savage look on Consort Li’s face. She drummed up her courage and spoke up. “It is easy for Mistress to calm down. Mistress can put in more effort to give birth to another child for Lord Fourth.”
Upon her hearing this, the corner of her lips turned up in a smile. “Your tongue is really glib. You’re right. So what if the Fujin is pregnant? Can’t I get pregnant too? I want to compete and see whose womb is actually better!”
“Thank you, Mistress, for the compliment. Your subordinate is only speaking the truth.” Chun Mei bowed her head low.
“Alright, go grab a reward for yourself,” Consort Li said as she waved a hand. Her mood was now suddenly and greatly improved.
On the one hand, since the Fujin was pregnant, she could not serve Lord Fourth. On the other hand, Consort Song was not of a good family, and she did not possess good looks and presence. Didn’t that mean that Lord Fourth was all hers?
[1] A substance that prevents miscarriage.