Chapter 264: Happy and Pregnant

Chapter 264

The weather had been sultry for about a week, and finally, it poured down rain, bringing a refreshing relief.

Now that they were no longer in the palace, the concubines found it easier to move around privately. They would often visit each other's chambers or have conversations, without attracting too much attention.

During these days, Rongyue would frequently come to Song Zhao's chamber to keep her company.

During this southern expedition, Xiao Jingheng only brought Rongyue among the newly entered concubines from last year.

Song Zhao found it strange in her heart. After all, one would expect Xiao Jingheng to be somewhat cold towards Rongyue after the "borrowing flowers to present the Buddha" incident.

But Song Zhao had secretly checked the palace records and noticed that Rongyue hadn't been spared from being turned over even once. However, it didn't affect her favor with Xiao Jingheng.

Perhaps it was Rongyue's detachment from Xiao Jingheng in private that further piqued his interest.

After all, for men, what they can't have is always the most precious.

Today, when Song Zhao saw Rongyue, she was wearing a dark blue embroidered silk dress, with a cloud brocade jacket draped over it, making her attire a bit too heavy.

It had been raining since this morning, and although the rain had stopped now, the weather was still somewhat humid. There was no need to wear so many clothes for warmth.

"Sister, please have a seat."

Song Zhao held Rongyue's hand and sat opposite her.

She noticed that Rongyue's hand was very cold, as if she had held a block of ice in the scorching summer.

She remembered that Xiao Fuzi had once said that every time Rongyue served the emperor in bed, she would take cold contraceptive medicine to avoid getting pregnant.

Now Rongyue's hands and feet were ice-cold, and she clearly had symptoms of aversion to cold, indicating that she had taken too much of that medicine and harmed her body.

Song Zhao had always pretended not to know about this matter, and she couldn't bring it up now. She could only express her concern:

"It's already April, sister. You're wearing so much, but your hands are still very cold. Have you seen a physician? Don't tell me you have caught a cold. It would be troublesome if it develops into a chronic condition."

Rongyue nodded with a dazed expression, "I stopped using it three months ago."

After a moment of silence, Xiao Fuzi continued, "Please forgive my blunt words, but my lord... this pregnancy came right after you stopped using contraception. It is truly not the right time for the imperial heir to be conceived. Your pulse indicates weakness, and it is likely that the fetus has already been harmed. I believe it would be best to have the attending imperial physician diagnose you as soon as possible. Perhaps..."

"Not possible," Song Zhao interrupted Xiao Fuzi in a low voice. "If you can detect that my sister used contraception, how could the imperial physician not detect it? If this matter were to be revealed now, it would only implicate my sister. I trust your medical skills, so first help my sister with her recovery. At the very least, remove the cold symptoms from her body and then report this matter."

Rongyue, who had a worried expression on her face, felt some relief upon hearing Xiao Fuzi's remark about the ill-timed pregnancy.

After a long silence, she followed Song Zhao's lead and said, "Song Zhao, you are attentive to details. Indeed, this matter cannot be made known to others at the moment."

In the midst of their conversation, she suddenly changed the subject, "Last time we tested Consort Hui, she even dared to harm Cheng Yu. Her mind is truly treacherous. Song Zhao, you are currently highly favored, so you must be more cautious around her."

Song Zhao nodded in agreement, "Sister, you're right. We must be vigilant in everything and not give her any opportunity to find fault. Now that my sister is pregnant, we must be even more careful. In the next few days, my sister should reduce her activities. I will secretly send the medicine for nourishing the fetus and removing the cold symptoms to your chambers. Take good care of yourself, sister. With me by your side, I will ensure that nothing harms you or the heir in your womb."

After Rongyue bid farewell and left, Xiao Fuzi looked at Song Zhao with a mysterious expression and said,

"Your Highness, Tong Zhu'er might be lying."

Song Zhao furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

Xiao Fuzi explained, "Based on Tong Zhu'er's pulse just now, it seems that she has recently exhibited symptoms of taking Jiuyin Powder. Contrary to what she claimed, she hasn't stopped taking the medicine for three months."

Song Zhao fell silent for a moment, then immediately dismissed Xiao Fuzi's speculation.

"Since she has already admitted it to me, why would she need to go in circles and tell me this lie? Are you certain there was no misdiagnosis?"

Xiao Fuzi firmly replied, "If I weren't confident, I wouldn't dare to speak directly to Your Highness. However, this time Tong Zhu'er took a very light dosage, unlike the previous times when she took a strong dose. Perhaps... she never intended to keep this child and planned to handle it quietly?"

Song Zhao shook her head repeatedly, finding this matter increasingly illogical.

"If she didn't intend to keep it, it means she knew she was pregnant. If she knew she was pregnant early on, why would she agree to let you diagnose her pulse? It doesn't make sense."

[Four updates today.]