034 : The Secret Holder

It was said that pregnancy is the greatest event in a person's life. May it be filled with grief or happiness - it is a kind of celebration that makes most of the people united. Lin Mian Mian always believed that a baby is a blessing and a gift so there is no way that he will undergo an abortion for the sake of his safety.

Even though he is a bit apprehensive, isn't it normal for first-time parents to feel that?

"It is a common misconception in most of the gers that they will also take nine months to carry the children on their wombs. This is the reason for the ger's unusual mortality rate while pregnant," Chang Jian said.

"Most of the gers weren't given proper education about childbirth. Unlike women that have their cycles halt after getting impregnated, gers don't have that kind of body function. At most, the changes that a ger will face would be sudden tardiness and heightened sensitivity. For example, you would start smelling things strongly than usual or getting sleepy most of the time."

"Are you all ready feeling those symptoms?" Chang Jian asked.

Lin Mian Mian nodded. He started feeling the changes of his body a few weeks after the night of consummation. It seems that he somehow becomes a big shot billionaire in one night, however, it is in terms of getting pregnant instead of winning money.

At least, the baby is not made out of wedlock.

"But don't worry. As what I've seen, you are doing all right. The child on your womb is developing well. All you have to do is to follow the instructions that I will give to you. You must follow each instruction well or else I will not guarantee your safety and the life of the child."

Chang Jian gave Lin Mian Mian a very serious look. Lin Mian Mian gulped as he nodded his head again. The two of them, though did not belong on the same page, know the importance of the life inside the ger's body. It's not a simple matter to shrug off.

That child, for Chang Jian, will soon become a candidate for the crown. Seeing that there's a high percentage of the Changs following this firstborn, there's no doubt that Lin Mian Mian's child will become the next emperor. So Chang Jian must be very careful in handling this case or else he will be killed by the emperor...

On the other hand, Lin Mian Mian thought that this baby is that one wishes the original Lin Mian Mian wanted. May it be his conscience or the wish of the other, he wanted to keep this baby alive. Though he was anxious, the feeling of responsibility made him determined. It's not the fault of the child to be born like this...

"I have listed all the food that you are allowed to eat. Though, I know that cravings and such would suddenly pop out from your appetite, but take in mind that too much weight will also affect your child's growth inside your body. Too much might give you a hard time giving birth so eat moderately," Chang Jian suggested.

"Can my master still drink tea?" Lu Mao suddenly asked.

"Of course, he is allowed to do that. There are soothing teas that will help him with his nausea. If you allow me, I will send a few bags of highly recommended teas for pregnant masses. Okay, let me take a look at here-"

Chang Jian shifted his position to look for his collection of medicinal teas when Lu Mao suddenly showed a small bag of dried leaves. He looked at the child with a stern eye before accepting the teabag. He untied the small tie around its mouth then smelled the dried leaves. The tea leaves have no strong smell but Chang Jian whose nose was sensitive to medicines can tell what tea it was.

"This tea... what does this child want me to do with it?" Chang Jian asked.

"My master became sick after drinking this-, no, by just smelling this tea. Is this due to my master's sensitivity?" Lu Mao responded.

"It is possible. Even a tea coming from the palace can have some effect-"

Chang Jian stopped talking. Lu Mao gave him a surprised look while Lin Mian Mian is still in a daze before he was able to understand his words. Chang Jian made a strong loud cough to cover the slip of the tongue and continued his words.

"Ahem! I mean, isn't this tea specially made by one of the concubines from the palace? Once, when the Great Physician Chang Jian asked me to have someone on one discussion about medicine, he made me drink this tea. It has a soothing effect and warm to the stomach. Somehow, did you also got it from the palace?" Chang Jian quickly covered.

"Um... this is a gift from a noble. I am just worried that my master reacted too much by just from smelling it," Lu Mao didn't find anything wrong from Chang Jian's words so he continued. "I am just worried. I thought that it was..."

"You thought it was...?"

Lu Mao: "..."

Chang Jian waited for the youth to continue talking but Lu Mao only gave him a look. His large eyes that highlighted his still undeveloped appearance somehow showed a serious glint. Anyone looking at it will think that this child is not naive.

He is saying that there is something wrong with the tea, so please check it.

"It is getting late," Lu Mao suddenly announced. He made a deep meaningful bow to Chang Jian. "Thank you for giving us a consultation. My master and I are grateful. I hope we could compensate you in the future."

"There is no need," Chang Jian sighed. "You better get your master to have some rest now. It is bad for pregnant gers to stay too late at night. Don't forget the prescriptions I gave. Follow each step carefully."

Lu Mao nodded sincerely. The pair made a short farewell message to Chang Jian before they departed. Chang Jian watched the two people with a smiling face and a waving hand as they walk away until they made a turn in a corner. Only by seeing that they are gone did the warm and smiling face of Chang Jian disappear.

He stared at the area where the two people went. Suddenly, three people wearing black clothes appeared from the air and kneeled before Chang Jian. The physician did not seem to be surprised by their presence. An evil smirk formed on his lips as he thought of something dangerous.

"Emperor Yan will surely not let his favorite wife roam around the streets this late at night. At least, there should be some escorts following them around," Chang Jian muttered.

But he didn't find any.

Yan JinLong is very possessive. What belongs to him will always belong to him. Though, Lin Mian Mian is his most favorite, he did not restrict him from moving around. Still, he could not let the person to just run around the empire, right? And as what he was assuming, something is happening between the couple...

Question number one - why would Lin Mian Mian choose an external help to ask about his health? He could have just called the physicians or have someone in authority to check his status. Going out like this means that the ger is trying to hide his pregnancy. But why?

Why would a person who is considered as the empire's most important person want to hide his pregnancy? Is it possible that the child on his womb is not Yan JinLong's? Chang Jian shook his head. If anything else, that child must be Yan JinLong's. There's is no way for Lin Mian Mian to cover this up if it is not from the emperor.

Then the reason why he is hiding it is because of Yan JinLong?

Question number two - why is he hiding it? Chang Jian had seen the harem and found that whenever a concubine is pregnant, they will announce it to the world. It is like the moment they realized that they have the future leader on their womb, they will be injected with chicken blood and spread it out with a megaphone.

Well, they have the right anyway. It is only rightful for the kin of the Emperor to be recognized. Then why is it that Lin Mian Mian is doing it the other way?

As he had observed, Lin Mian Mian has no excitement in his eyes. There is this lingering fear but it is not the fear of giving birth but something else... the fear of being caught? The servant also has that kind of feeling too. They both have the vibe of wanting to run away...

Are they in danger?

Chang Jian's eyes narrowed when he thought of it. The favorite wife is in danger? That answer is highly possible. Lin Mian Mian, though owned a prominent title, is after all just a single person. He has nobody to protect him and the Emperor is away in the war. So perhaps the reason why he was hiding this secret is due to some danger...

That leads the physician to question the tea leaves the servant handed to him.

Question number three - what is with this tea? Does it contain poison? But Chang Jian did not smell anything. It is just a simple dried tea leaf. There's nothing else to it... unless aside from poison, there is a special ingredient inside it...

"Escort his highness to the palace. Make sure to protect them at all costs. Don't return unless they are safe and sound inside the palace," Chang Jian ordered the three kneeling people before him.

The men replied to their master and quickly departed. Chang Jian watched as his subordinates hid to the shadows to trail the two people behind. Seeing that things are getting under his control, he turned around and returned to his shabby cabin. He closed the door by pulling the old torn fabric down.

There are already people inside the house. These people are also wearing the same black outfit. Though, they were not kneeling before Chang Jian. Instead, they are holding some cases of bags as they packed the things of the physician. They carefully placed the medicine in proper positions to not waste it.

Chang Jian watched his people do the usual work and sat to the same old chair he sat earlier. He removed the mask that he was wearing as he takes in some fresh breathe. The old face of a man suddenly changed to a youth that has no blemishes on his face. Just looking at him will make people assume that the great Minister Chang Jie is here.

It's just that the temperament of the two people are different that made people recognize who is who.

Chang Jie, being the oldest, has a mature yet honest personality. He isn't shy showing his true colors. If he hated you, then he will announce the shit in front of your face. However, Chang Jian is different. He is the scheming white lotus type. He might be kind to most of the people but is different from those pretentious ones.

Lin Mian Mian is considered as a pretentious person, so Chang Jian will be monitoring him.

"You know, the funny part was, the two of them were able to escape the escorts the Emperor left to watch him. Isn't it fascinating?" Chang Jian rhetorically said. "That child that seems to know more than his age and the pretentious ger who seems to be clever than his looks..."

The physician made a charming laugh. "It seems that Emperor Yan indeed found his match."

Chang Jian stretched his arms up. He is thinking of some ways on how to use this information to his advantage. Surely, the emperor and his brother did not know about Lin Mian Mian's pregnancy.

Nobody knows about it except him.

What kind of benefits he should ask to tease the emperor? He should think of some ways on how to torment the emperor before giving out this secret. After all, Yan JinLong can't bully him like how he does on his older brother. Maybe he will use this as revenge for his older brother that was always getting bullied by the emperor.

"Okay, hurry up! I can't wait to see his expression after knowing the truth..." Chang Jian whistled as he led the group towards the borders.

Though, something made him think all the way.

"Did I say that he is carrying more than one baby?" Chang Jian pondered