"Madam Li, after a night of consideration, is it time for me to have your answer?"
Jiang Xinqin looked up at the person opposite, who was wearing a veiled hat, and said faintly, "I don't know. Why must it be me?"
"Madam Li, you can understand it as heaven deeming it unfair to you, and sending me to help you."
Jiang Xinqin chuckled softly, "Help me? Or help yourself?"
"We each get what we need. You get Lord Li's complete love, and I get everything I desire. Isn't that fair?"
"If you succeed, you get everything. If you fail, I will be cast into an abyss from which there is no return. I'm not that foolish."
With that, Jiang Xinqin rose and left the teahouse.
Even if she was jealous of everything between Lord and the Empress, even if Lord's heart had always belonged to the Empress, so what?
Lord knew her identity and abided by his duties.
That was enough.
She just wanted her and Lord's child to be born safely. That was her only hope.
Upstairs in the teahouse, the person with the veiled hat did not leave. A man sat down opposite her. "As I said yesterday, Madam Li would not agree."
The veiled woman smiled, "The matter is not over yet. She will come to me."
Jiang Xinqin returned to the manor. Xiu'er greeted her, "Madam, where did you go? I was almost scared to death."
"I just went for a walk nearby. Don't worry."
Xiu'er breathed a sigh of relief. "Madam, please bring me with you next time. You are heavy with child, and it will be inconvenient to move around."
Jiang Xinqin smiled. "I will be careful from now on. Has Lord not returned yet?"
Xiu'er shook her head. "By the way, the young servant who was with Lord just now told me that Lord will not be dining at home tonight and asked Madam to eat early and not wait for him."
Jiang Xinqin paused, her expression indifferent. "I know. I'm tired, help me back to my room!"
Xiu'er stepped forward. "Madam, don't overthink it. Lord is delayed by matters in the palace. He'll be back soon."
Jiang Xinqin sighed inwardly. It was precisely because he was in the palace that she worried more. If it were anyone else, she would be confident of surpassing them, but she had no confidence against the Empress.
Imperial Study
Xue Zining looked at the piles of memorials that were half her height beside her and sighed. She had been reviewing them for three whole days, sleeping less than three hours each night, yet there were still so many.
She glanced at Li Chenxuan, and Lin Feng was also sorting and checking.
Since Lin Yanzhi's feigned death, Lin Feng had put all his energy into the court. In fact, many times she wanted to tell him that Lin Yanzhi was still alive.
But how could she say it? How could she say that Lin Yanzhi had faked his death, and that Wen Yuxi, the currently famous楼主 of Qian Jin Lou, was his son?
She couldn't bring herself to say it.
"Your Majesty..." Lin Feng noticed the Empress staring at him blankly and couldn't help but remind her.
Xue Zining withdrew her gaze. When she saw Li Chenxuan, she said, "Chenxuan, you should go back early. Madam Li is pregnant and needs your care."
Li Chenxuan replied, "There's no hurry."
Xue Yan suddenly rushed in from outside and whispered to Xue Zining, "Your Majesty..."
"Is there something?" Xue Zining asked.
Xue Yan nodded. "A servant from Lord Li's manor said Madam Li has a stomachache and hopes Lord Li will return to the manor quickly."
Li Chenxuan started, then stood up abruptly, bowing. "Your humble servant takes his leave!"
Xue Zining nodded. "Xue Yan, find an imperial physician and accompany Lord Li back to the manor."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Xue Yan left.
"Xiu'er, has... has Lord returned?" Lying on the bed, Jiang Xinqin, pale and bloodless, stared intently at the door.
Xiu'er stepped forward, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and whispered, "Madam, don't worry, I've already sent someone to fetch Lord."
Jiang Xinqin's heart sank. "Has the doctor arrived?"
Xiu'er replied, "Someone has been sent to fetch them. Madam, please don't worry."
Jiang Xinqin tightly gripped Xiu'er's hand. "Xiu'er, my stomach hurts so much."
Xiu'er lowered her head and lifted the quilt. Upon seeing the blood staining it crimson, she exclaimed in alarm, "How... how is there so much blood?"
Just then, Cao'er hurried in from outside, her face pale with anxiety. Xiu'er stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Where is the doctor? Why didn't he come with you? Madam is bleeding, and it's not good."
Cao'er was on the verge of tears. "Sister Xiu'er, I searched for doctors all over the city. They were either at home or on house calls. Not a single one was available."
Xiu'er's spirits plummeted. "How could it be such a coincidence?"
Cao'er shook her head, utterly distraught. "Sister Xiu'er, what should we do?"
"Go and search again. You must find a doctor, otherwise..."
Xiu'er looked back at her Madam on the bed, whose face was frighteningly pale, and said word by word, "Our good days are over."
Cao'er nodded. "I'll go search again."
Cao'er went out. Xiu'er stepped forward and held Jiang Xinqin's outstretched hand. "Madam, the doctor is on his way. Please hold on."
Suddenly, Xiu'er remembered something. "Madam, I'll order the kitchen to make ginseng soup for you. You must hold on."
Jiang Xinqin did not speak. Suddenly, she seemed to hear a sound. She turned and saw Lord's figure.
She reached out her hand and called, "Lord, you... you finally came."
"Jiang Xinqin, you summoned me back in such a hurry for this?"
She trembled all over. "Lord, my stomach hurts."
She saw him smile coldly. "Jiang Xinqin, do you think I would believe you?"
"Lord..."
"Jiang Xinqin, are you really so uneasy about me and the Empress?"
"It's not like that..." She shook her head. "My stomach really hurts..."
"Stop making excuses, Jiang Xinqin. I see through you..."
"Ah..."
Jiang Xinqin felt as though her blood was flowing backward. She trembled. "Li Chenxuan..."
Xiu'er, who was outside instructing the kitchen to boil ginseng soup, heard the cry from inside and hurried in. What she saw was her Madam falling from the bed onto the floor.
"Madam, Madam, what happened?" Xiu'er rushed forward to help her.
She felt something sticky beneath Madam. When she looked, she was so frightened that she sat down on the floor. Blood was everywhere.
Li Chenxuan walked in from outside. Seeing Jiang Xinqin covered in blood, his heart trembled. He stepped forward, hugged her, and walked towards the bed.
The imperial physician behind them quickly stepped forward. "Lord Li, please lay Madam down flat."
The imperial physician examined her pulse and his expression quickly turned grim. He stood up and bowed. "Lord Li, the child cannot be saved. I can only save Madam Li."
"Save the Madam," Li Chenxuan said without hesitation.
The imperial physician nodded and said to Xiu'er beside him, "Follow me."
Li Chenxuan stepped forward and grasped Jiang Xinqin's hand. "Xinqin, hold on..."
Jiang Xinqin opened her eyes and saw Li Chenxuan. Suddenly, she smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes. It was very cold, very cold.
This Jiang Xinqin made Li Chenxuan feel like a stranger. He couldn't help but softly call out, "Xinqin..."