Chapter 66: Can't Hide It After All

  "What's going on?" Xú Hùi pushed open the door and saw Qīng Sāng lying pale-faced on the bed, with Chǔ Tài Yī administering an injection.

  Qing Sang weakly gave Cao Xiang a suggestive look.

  The grass quietly covered up the "door".

  Fu Xi moved his lips, wanting to ask more questions, but seeing the solemn faces of the people in the room, he felt it was not convenient to speak up, so he sat aside and waited for Chu Lianyu to diagnose Qing Sang.

  Seeing Qing Sang's weak appearance, Fu Xi was anxious to go forward and check, but seeing Chu Lianyu's serious expression, he stopped in his tracks.

  "Princess, the situation... isn't good." Chu Lianyu paused for a moment, thinking of what words to use so as not to upset Qing Sang.

  "Chu Taishan said directly." Qing Sang had mentally prepared himself and nodded for him to continue.

  Chu Lianyu continued, "I've already administered acupuncture to stop the bleeding, and the medicine I just gave the princess also has the effect of stabilizing the fetus. However, the princess is showing signs of miscarriage, and I'm afraid... it will be difficult to save the fetus."

  "What did you say?!" Xú Xī heard Chǔ Lián Yú say that the situation was not good, and he was already startled. He hastily went forward, but then heard words like "miscarriage" and "premature birth", and asked in confusion.

  Qing Sang hadn't let Cao Xiang ask Symbol Xi to leave, just didn't want to deceive him. So, at this moment, Symbol Xi asked and he truthfully said: "I... I already have..." Originally Qing Sang had made up his mind to tell him, but when it came time to say it out loud, it was still a bit hard to get the words out.

  Chu Lianyu knew that Qing Sang was in a difficult situation, so she continued the conversation: "Prince, the princess has been pregnant for almost two months now."

  Fu Xi's eyes widened in shock, staring at Chu Lianyu. The room fell silent for a while, making people's hearts palpitate. Cao Xiang felt his palms start to sweat and thought it was inconvenient for him to be present, so he excused himself to fetch water.

  "All right, all right! The prince has an heir." Fu Xi muttered to himself.

  Qingsang and Chu Lianyu saw that his complexion was not good, so they didn't dare to respond hastily.

  Fu Xi only felt a sense of discomfort in his heart, unable to express what he was feeling. He wanted to call out but couldn't, wanted to shout but couldn't. The Crown Prince had an heir now, he should be happy, shouldn't he? But why did he feel so miserable instead?

  Fu Xi's eyes revealed her suffering, and Chu Lianyu sensed something was amiss. After some thought, he said: "The princess is now extremely weak and frail, coupled with her young age, this pregnancy will be unstable. In my humble opinion, it would be best for the princess to make a decision soon and take medicine to abort the fetus."

  Chu Lianyu's words made both Qing Sang and Fu Xi pause in surprise.

  "No way. This is the only bloodline of His Highness, the Crown Prince." Fu Xi said subconsciously, but after speaking, he felt a hollow in his heart, unable to find a place to rely on.

  Qing Sang also refused, and bitterly begged Chu Lianyu to keep the child safe.

  "Your Highness, you are still young. If we were to use medicine to abort the child now, you would be able to recover after a period of recuperation. However, if you insist on keeping the child, it may affect your health. I dare not deceive you, Your Highness, but this child may not make it to full term. The longer we wait, the greater the harm to your body will be. If this affects your future, it may be difficult for you to bear children again."

  Chu Lianyu's words struck Qing Sang's heart like a thunderclap on a summer day. After arriving in Beijiang, Qing Sang often forgot that she was only sixteen years old, an age that was indeed young in her past life, and perhaps truly unable to withstand such turmoil.

  But she couldn't bring herself to say out loud that she didn't want this child.

  "Let nature take its course, Dr. Chu." Qing Sang pleaded sorrowfully.

  Chu Lianyu looked at Qing Sang's pale face and nodded helplessly.

  The current situation requires the 'medicine' to be increasingly scarce and precious, it seems that I have to go find La Zhen again. Chu Lianyu sighed in her heart and reluctantly went to find La Zhen.

  Fu Xi sat stupidly on the edge of the bed, not knowing what to say.

  Qing Sang sighed and smiled wryly, saying: "I guess I couldn't fool you after all."

  Fu Xi's face was as calm as water, without saying a word.

  Qingsang wanted to ask him if the child was Tong's, but thinking about it, it seemed that whose it was didn't matter, so he didn't say anything more.

  The two fell silent for a while, and then Xú Hūi suddenly got up and ran straight out the door, almost colliding with Cǎo Xiāng who was carrying tea water and about to enter.

  "Princess, the prince... " Cao Xiang placed the tea on the table and turned around to see Qing Sang staring blankly at the door. A pang of heartache struck her, and she quickly went forward to comfort: "Princess, do you want me to go find the prince for you?"

  "It's all right, Cao Xiang, I think I'll take a nap." Qing Sang felt extremely tired.

  Cao Xiang nodded and tucked her in, then quietly slipped out of the room. As soon as she turned around, she saw Chang An standing in the courtyard, beckoning to her.

  "What's wrong?" Cao Xiang asked.

  Chang An looked around cautiously, making sure no one was listening, before speaking in a low voice: "Isn't the princess asking me to calculate the accounts of the mansion? If I don't investigate, I won't know. But after investigating, I found out that we actually have no surplus at all."

  "What's going to happen?" Cao Xiang anxiously asked.

  "I don't know either. The princess is in poor health, and I really don't want to bother her with this matter. But if we pass today, even our normal expenses will become a problem." Chang An sighed.

  Cao Xiang thought for a moment, then took off the hairpins on her head, earrings and rings on her hands and handed them to Chang An, saying: "These ornaments may not be worth much money, but they can support you for two days. You go first, and when the princess is feeling better, report back to her."

  Chang An didn't want to take it, but there was no other way, so he had to act accordingly for now.

  "Wuuu... I'm sorry, sister, I'm sorry..." The image of Rongrong kneeling in front of him and crying flashed through Qing Sang's mind, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

  It was all just a dream. Qing Sang struggled to sit up, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his hand. He didn't know if his past self had already been cremated and buried, or whether Rong Rong, who had poisoned him, and the mastermind behind it all, Wang Xun, had been brought to justice.

  At this thought, Qing Sang felt a pang in her heart. Just as she was about to call out for someone, she heard extremely faint and soft sobbing sounds.

  "Who is it? Who's crying outside?" At this time, the weather had gradually darkened. Qing Sang didn't used to believe in ghosts and monsters, but since crossing over, she had become somewhat apprehensive of these things. The atmosphere was making her feel a little frightened.

  The crying suddenly stopped.

  Qing Sang felt even more frightened and worried that the fetus would not be preserved, so she didn't dare get out of bed. Summoning her courage, she trembled with fear and shouted: "Who is it?"

  The gate creaked open with a groan.

  Wearing a yellow robe with black borders, Mahi entered the house and knelt down to apologize to Qing Sang.

  Qing Sang let out a sigh of relief and ordered her to get up, asking: "Ma Xi, didn't you go to the Grand Empress Dowager's place to reunite with your husband and daughter? Have they left?"

  "They have already left Kord City."

  "So you were hiding outside the door and crying?" Qing Sang asked.

  "Ma Xi is guilty, please forgive her. Thinking of Lan Zhu hugging my leg and crying, refusing to leave, Ma Xi felt heartache, so she couldn't help it..." Ma Xi said.

  The mother and daughter are really pitiful. But I don't know why the Grand Consort didn't let them stay a few more days, and why Mazi's husband and daughter aren't in Kuer. Qing Sang asked: "Mazi, how did you end up outside the gate?"

  "It's Caixiang who is going to decoct medicine for the princess, and she's worried that when the princess wakes up, no one will be able to attend to her, so I'm standing guard outside the door." said Mahui.

  Qingsang looked at her and saw that she was lowering her head, unable to see the expression on her face clearly. He thought that she must be feeling wronged as well.

  As the younger sister of the Grand Empress, she was married off to Koro, though it's unknown when exactly that happened. But one thing is certain: she was separated from her husband and daughter. Now, with the Grand Empress' favor bestowed upon herself, her position in the estate would also decline after the grass fragrance incident. Qing Sang could imagine the bitterness and suffocation in her heart. This was politics, wasn't it? Due to differences in stance, Qing Sang wouldn't completely trust Ma Xi. But she couldn't be too distant either.

  "Sorry, Maxi." Qing Sang said.

  "Meixi hastened to reply: 'Meixi is not wronged, being able to serve the princess is Meixi's good fortune.'"

  Qing Sang closed his eyes, took a deep breath and said: "Maxi, I'm hungry. Go take a look in the kitchen to see if there's anything to eat?"

  After finishing speaking, she turned her head away and didn't say another word.

  When Ma Xi left, she secretly raised her eyes and took a look at Qing Sang. Seeing that she was lying on the 'bed' looking very weak, she felt a bit strange. What kind of illness did Princess Jia Ming have after all?

  After eating and drinking medicine, Qing Sang's spirit finally improved a bit. The sky was already dark, and Qing Sang asked Cao Xiang: "Has the son-in-law not returned to the mansion yet?"

  "The princess, not yet," Cao Xiang said, casting a worried glance at Qing Sang.

  Qing Sang didn't say anything.

  "The princess, the imperial consort has arrived." Ma Xi went into the house to pass on the message.

  How come you came twice in one day. Qing Sang felt annoyed in her heart, but had to pretend to be delighted and said to Ma Xi: "Quickly, quickly please."

  The Grand Empress Dowager Guliya rushed to the front of Qing Sang's bed as soon as she entered, followed by Chang'an with her head down. This made Qing Sang panic and ask: "Chang'an, what...what happened?"

  Chang An was so frightened that he knelt on the ground.

  The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "It's nothing, nothing. This afternoon, several guards caught someone privately selling jewelry and brought them before me. When I asked, it turned out to be from the Bao Luan Fu. At first, I thought this guy had stolen Bao Luan's jewelry to sell, but after asking, I found out that it was actually due to a problem with the household expenses. This is all because of my lack of consideration as the Empress Dowager."

  Before Qing Sang could speak, Guliya continued: "I've thought about it, the monthly salary of the people in your mansion will be paid by my palace, as for other expenses, I'll discuss with Wang Bingcheng. From tomorrow on, Dage will go to the Yan clan to train soldiers, and at that time, he will receive a salary equivalent to that of a second-grade general."

  Seeing Qing Sang's puzzled expression, Guliya explained some of the inner courtyard rules and regulations of the Northern Rong.

  The Northern Rong's consorts, except for the queen, would have their own independent palace if they had sons. The king of Rong would provide them with a monthly stipend equivalent to that of a second-grade general. After the princes came of age and married, they would move out of their mother's palace and establish their own households, but they were all self-sufficient. If they held official positions, they relied on their salaries; if not, they had to find their own way to make a living. The Northern Rong did not raise an able-bodied man for nothing.

  The empress dowager was worried that Qing Sang couldn't accept it, so she patted her arm, hoping she could understand.

  At this, Qing Sang didn't think there was anything wrong. Isn't it only natural for a grown man to support his family? There's nothing bad about doing so, at least he won't raise a bunch of spoiled brats. Originally, these past few days she hadn't received any allowance, Qing Sang thought Huo Ran was intentionally withholding her dowry and not giving her monthly allowance, trying to teach her a lesson. Now she realized that it was because she had grown accustomed to being a parasite in her previous life, so she forgot that people need to be self-sufficient.

  The Empress Dowager smiled and accepted it. The Empress Dowager was very happy and ordered someone to bring some food over before leaving.

  Chang An saw Da Fei leave and felt anxious in her heart. She wanted to explain but was stopped by Qing Sang.

  "Are those ornaments made of grass fragrance? No wonder I saw Grass Fragrance's hairpin and earrings without any decorations during dinner, it was strange indeed! Ah, you guys are really something." Qing Sang said.

  Chang An and Cao Xiang hastily said they didn't dare.

  Qing Sang's body was weak and she felt extremely tired after dealing with the Empress for a whole evening, not wanting to say anything else, letting Cao Xiang help her clean up and sleep.

  She had lain in bed all day, dozing off to sleep, and now at night she was sleeping lightly, when before she knew it, Qing Sang heard the door creak open.

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