Imperial Physician Ji pondered for a moment, then said: “It’s difficult to say… Although the Madam’s pregnancy wasn’t stable from the beginning, it shouldn’t have deteriorated to this extent. It must be due to external forces. If she didn’t bump or knock into something, then she must have come into contact with something harmful to the fetus.”

Imperial Physician Ji became increasingly hesitant as he continued.

In a great family like the Chen household, there were certainly unspeakable secrets within. If the distinguished Third Madam Chen had accidentally come into contact with something harmful to the fetus, wouldn’t the people around her have warned her? This must have been done deliberately by someone, and he shouldn’t say too much.

After listening, Chen Yan’yun thought for a while and said: “Thank you for your trouble, Imperial Physician Ji. Please wait in the main hall for a moment. I’ll bring you everything my wife has eaten today, and you can see if there’s anything unusual.”

Imperial Physician Ji nodded, and a guard quickly led him to sit in the main hall.

Old Madam Chen arrived, and soon Madam Qin, Madam Wang, and Madam Ge all came too. Fearing they might disturb Gu Jin Chao’s rest, they each just went in to take a quick look, then sat waiting in the western side room.

Old Madam Chen called Third Master Chen over to question him.

Third Master Chen said: “Mother, don’t worry, Jin Chao’s child is fine.” He said nothing more.

He raised his head and swept his gaze over everyone sitting there. If someone here wanted to harm Gu Jin Chao, only Madam Qin would have such a possibility. The Second Branch was born of a concubine, and in the future, the matriarch of the Chen family would be Gu Jin Chao. Madam Qin might have acted preemptively because she was reluctant to let go of power.

Madam Qin had made many small moves behind his back, and he knew all about them. But considering that Second Master Chen was being transferred to Shaanxi to avoid him, he had not bothered with Madam Qin’s covert actions. She was just a woman, after all, and even if she secretly embezzled Chen’s family property, she wouldn’t dare to do anything truly harmful.

But with just one glance, he knew it couldn’t be Madam Qin.

Facing his gaze, Madam Qin revealed some confusion and vigilance. If she had truly been responsible, she would have remained perfectly composed.

However, Madam Qin felt herself grow cold all over when Third Master Chen’s gaze swept over her. But it was only for an instant, and Third Master Chen quickly looked away.

Third Master Chen called over Matron Sun and Jiang Yan, telling Matron Sun: “Collect everything the Madam has eaten today and give it to Jiang Yan.” He nodded to Jiang Yan, who immediately knew what to do. Jiang Yan bowed and left with Matron Sun to gather the items.

Third Master Chen first went to the eastern side room.

Jin Chao drank the medicinal soup that had been brought to her. The abdominal pain gradually subsided. Although she still couldn’t stand up, she had regained some energy.

She first looked at Cai Fu. Cai Fu nodded to her with tears in her eyes. Gu Jin Chao knew then that the child was safe. She sighed with relief, her hand instinctively resting on her abdomen. Although she couldn’t yet feel the little one’s movements, somehow this gesture made her feel more at ease.

She began to analyze what could have caused her sudden abdominal pain.

This wasn’t something that came out of nowhere.

The first person Gu Jin Chao thought of was Gu Lian. But she immediately dismissed this idea; Gu Lian had no reason to harm her. If she still wanted to leave the Chen household alive, she wouldn’t be foolish enough to act when they were alone together in a situation that couldn’t be clearly explained.

If it was someone from the Chen family, who would come back to harm her? Not to mention the three concubines; they couldn’t extend their reach to Mu Xi Hall. Not just now, but even in her previous life, those three women didn’t dare to target her even when they were at each other’s throats. Besides them, the only person in the Chen family who had a conflict of interest with her was Madam Qin. But this didn’t match Madam Qin’s style of doing things. Madam Qin wouldn’t go to such lengths against her. Not only was the risk too great, but it was also unnecessary.

…This was truly puzzling.

Just as she was unable to figure it out, Third Master Chen walked in.

He sat on the edge of the bed and took her into his arms. “…Does your stomach still hurt?”

Gu Jin Chao shook her head and suddenly grabbed his sleeve: “Third Master, you should collect everything I’ve eaten and examine it. I feel this abdominal pain is quite unusual…”

Chen Yan’yun sighed and kissed her forehead: “Don’t worry about it. I’m handling everything. You should get some good sleep first, and when you wake up, I’ll tell you what happened, alright?”

Gu Jin Chao smiled bitterly. Previously, she was used to doing everything herself, but now she had to rely on him for everything. She felt very uncomfortable with this.

She stubbornly shook her head: “I don’t want to sleep. I’ll wait for you.”

She asked Qing Pu to help arrange her pillows so she could sit up.

But Third Master Chen firmly held her down and said softly: “You must rest.” Her little face was still very pale, and her voice was very weak. Third Master Chen couldn’t bear to be too stern with her. Seeing her curled up in bed like that, his heart was filled not only with tenderness but also with great anger. Under his protection, in the Chen household, someone dared to harm Gu Jin Chao—this was truly intolerable to him.

“Third Master…” she placed her hand on his arm and said softly, “After all, I am the Third Madam of the Chen family. In the future, I will be managing a large household. Besides, I don’t want to rest now, but I am a bit hungry…”

Third Master Chen first checked her pulse, which was steady and strong. Only then did he take a step back: “Then I’ll have someone make you a bowl of porridge.”

After instructing Jin Chao’s maids to watch her carefully, Third Master Chen went to the main hall.

Imperial Physician Ji’s reputation as a skilled doctor was not without merit. He quickly identified something unusual.

Those three plates of pastries.

Someone immediately called Cai Fu over to question her. Cai Fu was very surprised: “These pastries… were brought over by the Third Madam Yao.”

Third Master Chen frowned upon hearing this.

A short while later, he had the items wrapped up and personally led people to the side room.

The side room was filled with many items: two purple sandalwood screens, several stacked red-lacquered copper-ringed cabinets, and a set of round tables and embroidered stools. These were all large pieces of furniture that had been stored there because they weren’t currently needed. The room wasn’t frequently cleaned, and a thin layer of dust rose when Madam Zhou and Gu Lian entered.

Gu Lian tightly clutched her mother’s sleeve, feeling the trepidation that comes after causing trouble. “Mother, what should we do now… if something happens to Gu Jin Chao, the Chen family certainly won’t let us off. How did she suddenly get stomach pains…” A sudden idea struck her. “Mother, do you think she might be pretending to have stomach pains to trick us, trying to scare us?”

Madam Zhou was also very confused. No matter how capable she was, she was still just a woman. If it had been someone else miscarrying, that would be one thing… but this person was the Third Madam Chen! She said coldly: “Pretending? Could you act so convincingly?” Seeing two guards at the door, she lowered her voice, “Someone will probably come to question us soon. Don’t say anything…”

Gu Lian nodded. As long as her mother was there, she would follow Madam Zhou’s instructions in everything.

But in reality, Madam Zhou wasn’t confident either. This was the Chen household, not the familiar Gu family. Who knew how Third Master Chen would treat them? This was terrible—if Gu Jin Chao lost her child and angered Third Master Chen, not only would they fail to save Gu De Yuan, but they might also jeopardize the Second Branch and Gu Lian…

Madam Zhou tightly clutched her embroidered handkerchief, staring blankly at the patterns on the screen.

A maid came in to deliver a pot of tea and set out three teacups.

Madam Zhou immediately became tense.

Sure enough, a moment later, the curtain was lifted, and Chen Yan’yun walked in.

He chose an embroidered stool to sit on. He placed the item in his hand on the table, then picked up a teacup and drank. He made no superfluous movements, yet it frightened Gu Lian enough to retreat several steps, standing behind Madam Zhou.

Madam Zhou’s mind was buzzing. Third Master Chen was setting up for a long conversation but saying nothing extra. Things must have gone badly…

She reluctantly sat down and saw that what Third Master Chen had placed on the table were the three plates of pastries that Gu Lian had brought back from the capital.

She forced a smile and asked: “What does Third Master mean by this? I’ve already said, Sister Chao’s sudden stomach pain has nothing to do with us. I ate these pastries too and had no problems. We didn’t poison them…”

Third Master Chen put down his teacup and said calmly: “I know, that’s why I’ve come to ask you.”

Madam Zhou frowned. What did Third Master Chen mean by that?

Jiang Yan, standing to the side, immediately said: “These items have been tampered with. Something has been mixed in. If a pregnant woman eats them, it could cause a miscarriage. If an ordinary woman eats them, it would harm her body, causing coldness in the womb and infertility.”

Madam Zhou’s face turned deathly pale: “This… how is this possible! These were all brought back from the capital by Sister Lian. We didn’t tamper with them.” She hurriedly walked to Third Master Chen’s side. “Third Master, you must think about this! This couldn’t have been done by us. If I wanted to do this, I wouldn’t be so stupid. Being caught red-handed in this kind of situation, there’s no way to explain it. Besides, I was asking Sister Chao for help—why would I harm her?”

Third Master Chen looked up at her: “Be quiet for now.”

Madam Zhou didn’t know a person’s gaze could be so terrifying. She felt as if someone was gripping her throat, unable to utter even half a word.

Third Master Chen then said to Gu Lian: “Come, sit down, and tell me how you came by these pastries?”

Third Master Chen knew in his heart that Madam Zhou had not been involved; she wouldn’t be so foolish. Since these items were brought back from the capital by Gu Lian, naturally, he had to question her.

Gu Lian swallowed and managed to say: “I… these pastries were just taken from my home, given to me by my mother-in-law.” After she finished speaking, her face changed color… Madam Yao gave her problematic pastries. Madam Yao wanted to harm her but accidentally harmed Gu Jin Chao instead.

That was impossible; someone must have tampered with them. She looked toward Madam Zhou, muttering: “Mother, I know now. It was Gu Lan who did it! She wanted to harm me, and Gu Jin Chao was just caught in the crossfire! Yes, it must be.”

Gu Lan? Wasn’t that Gu Jin Chao’s half-sister?

Third Master Chen continued to question her: “How do you know it was Gu Lan who did it?”

Gu Lian bit her lip: “I don’t know for certain! But in the Yao family, only she would act against me. She knows we caused her infertility, so she wants to harm me too. It must be her! Mother, let’s go back quickly. I must strangle that worthless creature!”

Madam Zhou wished she could rush over and cover her mouth.

Third Master Chen tapped his fingers on the table, thinking carefully. He had originally thought someone wanted to harm him but ended up targeting Gu Jin Chao instead. Gu Lian was from the Yao family. Ever since Wang Xuan Fan was appointed as the Prefect of Yangzhou, and the new Elder of the Cabinet had chosen the less experienced Fan Hui rather than Ji Qiu Ping, Yao Ping had become somewhat uncontrollable. But this reasoning was far-fetched—after all, Madam Yao couldn’t guarantee that the pastries she gave would be offered by Gu Lian to Gu Jin Chao. That’s why he wanted to question Gu Lian about what happened. Could it truly be a coincidence?

If it was an inner palace struggle that unintentionally affected Jin Chao, then the matter would be simple.

Third Master Chen was accustomed to considering multiple possibilities when thinking about matters, anticipating all situations and then slowly eliminating the impossible conjectures.

He stood up and walked out of the side room, gesturing for Jiang Yan to follow him.

Madam Zhou helped Gu Lian sit down, only to discover that Gu Lian was trembling all over. She quickly handed her a cup of tea to drink.

Jiang Yan soon entered, smiling: “Third Master requests that you both leave the Chen household now. I will escort you back to Daxing.”

He collected the pastries from the table and made a gesture of invitation.

Madam Zhou hesitated for a moment. The fact that Third Master Chen was allowing them to leave now was the greatest fortune; it proved that Gu Jin Chao’s child had been saved… But what about Gu De Yuan’s matter? Would the Chen family still help?

Jiang Yan seemed to see what she was thinking and continued: “Third Master said that if he were to intervene now, it would mean directly having Second Master Gu demoted and exiled. It would be better for you not to speak further. While Third Master is still being courteous, you should leave quickly.”

Only then did Madam Zhou bite her lip and follow Jiang Yan out of the Chen household.