Chapter 269

Gu Ying rarely lost her composure and urged, "Yin Lan, remember, don't let anyone find out. You must investigate carefully."

Yin Lan also realized the gravity of the situation. "Mistress, don't worry. I understand."

After Yin Lan left, Gu Ying steadied her mind and turned back to Ning Si's courtyard.

That evening, the Ning family servants invited the highly renowned physician Zhuge Doctor over to the Ning manor.

At that time, Zhou Yan had just sent Old Master Ning back to the Ning manor.

After leaving the Ning manor, he encountered a maid leading a doctor-looking man into the back door of the manor.

He recognized that doctor with the tranquil gaze - it was Zhuge Doctor. When the plague had started, Zhuge Doctor began working for the government office and ordinary people couldn't hire him.

Only a prominent family like the Nings in Yueyang City could afford to invite him.

But who was ill?

Could it be Young Lady Ning?

Thinking of this, the man's eyes darkened slightly.

But mindful of propriety between men and women, after pausing briefly at the Ning manor's back gate, the man left.

...

At that moment, in Ning Si's Biyun Courtyard at the Ning manor.

Zhuge Doctor was already respectfully waiting outside the thick curtains, to take the pulse of the Princess Consort.

Before he entered, Gu Ying had deliberately revealed her face so he knew the person he was treating today was not Young Lady Ning, but the Princess Consort.

Gu Ying and Ning Si then sat side by side behind the curtains.

They exchanged a glance and Ning Si stretched out her fair wrist. Seeing this, the maid quickly covered "Gu Ying's" wrist with a handkerchief.

Behind the curtains, Gu Ying calmly spoke, "Doctor Zhuge, thank you for coming."

Zhuge Doctor replied, "Princess Consort is too kind."

He then placed his hand on her pulse.

Ning Si was nervous, her heart thumping quickly.

Beside her, Gu Ying held her hand, giving her a slight smile to indicate not to worry. The room was quiet for a long time before Zhuge Doctor smiled and said, "Congratulations, Princess Consort. What joyous news - the pulse indicates you are one month pregnant."

Ning Si's eyes widened in shock, her body stiffened, and she sharply pulled her hand back. Her heart plunged rapidly.

Gu Ying was also greatly shocked but could only pretend to be delighted as she said, "Doctor, are you certain you didn't misdiagnose?"

Stroking his beard, Zhuge Doctor laughed, "I have practiced medicine for many years and would never misread a pulse. Although the child is still early, I can assure you it is a pulse of pregnancy without doubt."

Gu Ying pressed her red lips together and calmly said, "Cai Xiu, give some silver to Doctor Zhuge and show him out."

Cai Xiu acknowledged and led him away.

Ning Si could no longer endure it. She sat limply on the embroidery stool, weak and terrified, on the verge of collapse. "Ying, what on earth is going on?"

Gu Ying held her in her arms, her elegant brows knitted together. She gently patted Ning Si's back to comfort her, "Don't cry first, Si."

Ning Si's face was pale and cold. Thinking of this child of unknown origin in her belly and Prince Duan whom she loved wholeheartedly...she was overwhelmed with sorrow and couldn't help but weep copiously.

"Ying...I've let Prince Duan down. I no longer have the face to see him..."

Gu Ying looked at Ning Si's red swollen eyes sympathetically. She was also very puzzled. "But how did this child come about?"

A chaste woman couldn't possibly conceive on her own.

Experiencing this, Ning Si felt heartbroken and breathless. As her heart chilled rapidly, her small white face said, "Now I...can only apologize with death."

Gu Ying remained relatively calm and quickly stopped her, "Don't be like this, Si. Think carefully - has anyone touched you?"

Ning Si sobbed and shook her head. But her tear-filled eyes were resolute, "No one. I absolutely have not done anything so disgraceful to tarnish my family's reputation."

Gu Ying felt complicated. Of course she didn't want Ning Si to die, but this inexplicable pregnancy had dealt her quite a blow.

After crying for a while, Ning Si directly fainted in her arms.

"Oh no, this is too disastrous, too bizarre."

Gu Ying supported her onto the bed. She couldn't publicize this matter so she could only sit at Ning Si's bedside, racking her brain for a solution.

...

The night deepened.

Inside the government office's discussion hall, the meeting led by the Crown Prince regarding the plague had just ended.

Under Prince Shu's leadership previously, disaster relief efforts had stalled.

Now that the Crown Prince had safely returned, in just an afternoon, he had forcefully finalized the handling of both disaster relief and the plague using his authority.

In the entire government office, all officials except Prince Shu did not dare disobey the Crown Prince.

Zhou Yan calmly escorted the officials out with an tranquil expression.

As he watched the Crown Prince's entourage disappear into the dark night, his admiration and esteem for the Crown Prince's capabilities grew deeper. The heir of Zhenguo Duke manor, Crown Prince Zhao Changdu, was indeed a formidable general defending Dong Li.

With the Crown Prince present, Zhou Yan no longer had the patience to contend with the useless Prince Shu.

Saving the common people's lives was most urgent.

Zhou Yan's eyes were cold. He turned back into the government office since he and Prince Shu both lived there for convenience in handling government affairs.

Recalling what he had seen that evening, he felt strangely anxious.

He sent an attendant to invite Doctor Zhuge over to ask about Young Lady Ning's condition.

The attendant he dispatched quickly returned.

After listening to Zhou Yan's inquiry, Zhuge Doctor didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he replied, "Sir Zhou is mistaken. The one who is ill is not Young Lady Ning but the Crown Princess residing at the Ning manor."

"The Crown Princess?"

Zhou Yan recalled she was the second young lady of the Dongping Earl Manor who had married the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo manor. But he didn't know why the Crown Princess was also in Yueyang.

Zhuge Doctor chuckled, "That's right. And the Crown Princess doesn't have an illness, but a pregnancy - she's one month along, still early days."

As these words fell--

In the corridor outside Zhou Yan's room, the passing figure dressed in cyan abruptly halted his steps.

In the pitch dark night,

The corners of Jiang Yin's mouth twitched downwards, then up into a cruel and ruthless smirk.

He hadn't forgotten that night at the separate courtyard, Gu Ying had also been pregnant with Zhao Changdu's child.

Later, he had personally killed the fetus in her belly with his own hands.

As he watched the blood flowing out from between her legs, he felt a sense of vengeance.

What? She dared to conceive Zhao Changdu's child again?

Did she want to repeat the same mistake this lifetime?

Jiang Yin shook his head and murmured to himself, "Ah Ying, why haven't you learned your lesson?"

...

Inside Biyun Courtyard,

Ning Si slept very uneasily, continuously mumbling deliriously. Gu Ying couldn't let the Ning servants know so she could only attend to her personally.

Only after Yin Lan finally returned from Qingjiang Manor and settled Huaian's living arrangements did she come to Biyun Courtyard to report back.

Gu Ying covered Ning Si with her quilt and walked over to the low couch beneath the south window. "Yin Lan, how is the Crown Prince?"

With a faint smile, Yin Lan replied, "The Crown Prince is well."

Gu Ying felt slightly relieved and asked again, "What about Jiang Yin?"