ng Qianqian asked Madam Wang about her daily habits, mainly to find out if she or Imperial Censor Wang had been drinking alcohol or taking any dicine.
Madam Wang replied, "I did take so dicine. It was when Rou’er had her engagent canceled last ti. I was so upset I fell ill, and the doctor prescribed so tonics for . Later, when you ca to see , I had already recovered and stopped taking them. As for alcohol, not a single drop. Wang Daniu doesn’t drink either."
By now, ng Qianqian had grown accustod to hearing the na Wang Daniu and no longer reacted strongly.
She asked Madam Wang for the prescription from that ti: "It’s for replenishing qi and blood. Taking it wouldn’t have caused any issues."
Madam Wang breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good to know."
ng Qianqian: "Do you have any other discomforts?"
Madam Wang replied, "Other than feeling sleepier than usual, no. My monthly cycle has stopped coming, so I thought it was nopause. I asked a doctor for sothing to regulate my body."
It’s said that for won, the seventh cycle of seven years marks nopause, around the age of forty-nine.
Though Madam Wang was far from that age, early nopause wasn’t uncommon.
No wonder Madam Wang had suspected that instead of considering the possibility of pregnancy.
After her initial surprise, Madam Wang beca a little anxious. "Oh dear, I wasn’t prepared at all. Could it be..."
ng Qianqian understood her concern, held her hand, and said, "Madam, your pulse is strong, and your body is healthy. There’s no need to worry."
When ng Qianqian stepped out of the house, three young ladies imdiately surrounded her.
Zhou Nanyan asked, "Sister ng, is Aunt Wang expecting?"
ng Qianqian smiled at the three and said, "You’re all going to be big sisters."
Wang Rou blushed and gave a shy smile, her previous tension dissipating.
Lin Xiaoru nodded without smiling, though everyone could sense her happiness.
The most excited was Zhou Nanyan, who exclaid with exuberance, "Finally, I’m not going to be the youngest anymore!"
Among the younger generation of the four families, she was the youngest and always had to call everyone brother or sister.
When Imperial Censor Wang returned from court and learned that, after sixteen years, he was going to be a father again, he was overjoyed to the point of silliness.
ng Qianqian returned to the Governor Mansion and shared the happy news with Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan snorted coldly.
ng Qianqian: "You’re not happy?"
Lu Yuan: "Why would I care about soone else becoming a father?"
Bao Shu stumbled over and gave him a punch.
Lu Yuan: "..."
Nanny Li, who was also in the room, couldn’t help but muse, "Miss, you and Master Lu have been sharing a bed for so ti now. Why hasn’t there been any news?"
Both ng Qianqian and Lu Yuan turned their faces away in embarrassnt.
Nanny Li scooped Bao Shu into her arms, wiping her sweat with a handkerchief. "How about giving Miss Bao Shu a little brother or sister too? Bao Shu, would you like a little brother or sister?"
Bao Shu: "Chicken."
Nanny Li: "..."
The joyous news about Madam Wang left Nanny Li feeling a little envious.
She decided to forgive the absurdity of Master Lu’s actions on the wedding night and encourage him to spend more nights in the young lady’s room.
That evening, the dinner table featured a special dish: deer at soup for kidney nourishnt and vitality.
Under the sharp eye of the matriarch, Lu Yuan drank every last drop.
At his age, with a vigorous constitution, the inevitable happened—he ended up with a nosebleed that soaked the bed linens.
When Nanny Wan ca in early the next morning to tidy up, she was stunned upon seeing the blood-streaked bedding.
"Master Lu, have your hemorrhoids flared up?"
Lu Yuan: That’s nosebleed... nosebleed!
Confined at ho to recover, Lu Yuan had no choice but to drink several large pots of cooling tea prepared by the small kitchen under ng Qianqian’s orders.
That afternoon, he sat in the study, trying not to get worked up as his little one tore up his calligraphy practice sheets, while sullenly sipping on the cooling tea.
Suddenly, Steward Cen ca to report, "Your Majesty is here."
Lu Yuan said flatly, "What does he want this ti? Didn’t he cry enough last ti?"
Steward Cen coughed awkwardly and said, "Uh... should I invite His Majesty to the flower hall?"
Before he could finish, Zong Zhengxi appeared at the study door with a woeful expression on his face.
"Never mind. No need to invite him." Steward Cen tactfully retreated.
Lu Yuan glanced at Zong Zhengxi and resud drinking his tea.
Zong Zhengxi, seeing that Lu Yuan was ignoring him, found himself a chair and sat down.
Before he even spoke, he began crying.
Lu Yuan frowned. "You’re the Emperor! Crying like this isn’t proper decorum. Don’t forget, you’ll be fifteen next month!"
Zong Zhengxi protested pitifully, "Father is... not doing well—"
Lu Yuan froze for a mont, then calmly asked, "What happened?"
Zong Zhengxi sobbed out his words, gasping for air. "I didn’t cry outside. I only ca here to cry..."
Lu Yuan sternly said, "Speak of the main issue!"
Wiping his tears, Zong Zhengxi choked out, "Father has been unconscious for three days, his breathing is getting weaker, and the Imperial Physicians say... he might not make it through the night..."
Lu Yuan said coldly, "Why are you coming to ? Go to the Pri Minister."
Zong Zhengxi whimpered, "I wanted to go... but sohow I ended up here..."
Lu Yuan left the study.
ng Qianqian stood under the corridor with a pot of cooling tea.
She had overheard the conversation just now.
Seeing Zong Zhengxi so distraught, she concluded that the Supre Emperor might indeed be gravely ill.
The lack of public news wasn’t surprising. Matters concerning the state’s stability were handled with utmost caution to avoid unnecessary alarm and chaos among the people.
"Are you going to take a look?"
ng Qianqian asked.
Lu Yuan’s gaze darkened. "I’ll send soone to confirm first."
He summoned Yu Zichuan and gave a few instructions. Yu Zichuan quickly left.
About an hour later, Yu Zichuan returned with a letter.
Lu Yuan handed it directly to ng Qianqian. "It’s for you."
"?"
Sitting down on a stone bench in the courtyard, ng Qianqian opened the letter.
It detailed the Supre Emperor’s recent symptoms, pulse readings, the diagnoses by the Imperial Physicians, and their prescribed treatnts.
It was essentially a ticulously prepared dical report.
After carefully reading it, ng Qianqian turned to Lu Yuan and said, "’Fever with thirst but no aversion to cold indicates a warm disease.’ The floating and rapid pulse also matches. The prescription from the Imperial Hospital is appropriate. There’s no reason for the condition to worsen."
Lu Yuan pondered. "Poisoned?"
No stranger to sches and plots, his guess was sharp and bold.
ng Qianqian said, "Poisoning is indeed possible, especially if no tampering was done with the decoctions."
Lu Yuan asked, "If the decoctions were tampered with, can you tell?"
ng Qianqian nodded. "Yes."
Lu Yuan stood up. "We’ll enter the palace and take a look. Regardless of what happens, I’ll protect you."
He went back to the study and said to Zong Zhengxi, whose eyes were swollen from crying, "Stop crying. We’re going to the palace."
"Oh." Zong Zhengxi obediently followed.
On the way, ng Qianqian asked him about the Supre Emperor, mainly focusing on his health and habits.
Under Lu Yuan’s authoritative presence, Zong Zhengxi answered everything in detail.
By then, ng Qianqian had almost completely ruled out the possibility of tampering with the decoctions.
Could it really be poisoning?
At the gates of the Imperial Palace, the guards were visibly stunned to see Lu Yuan.
But whether it was due to the Emperor’s presence or Lu Yuan’s lingering prestige, not one of them dared to stop him.
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