Physician Hong was also completely surprised. He knew this, Mr. Xiao was no ordinary person and knew he had close ties to Great Yan, even guessing that Xiao Rongyan was a spy sent by Yan to Wei…

But he never imagined he was Murong Yu’s younger brother—that… ruthlessly cunning Ninth Prince of Great Yan.

The lamplight flickered gently in the side hall. Dong Shi sat beside Bai Qingyan, looking at Murong Yan, who was sincerely requesting her blessing, and asked with full fury: “How do you want me to grant this blessing? Have A’Bao… bring Great Zhou to marry you? Or… will you leave Yan to be with my A’Bao?”

Murong Yan remained silent for a long while. Instead, Dong Shi spoke first: “You say you’ll marry no one but A’Bao, yet… Great Yan’s young ruler has ascended the throne, and you are Great Yan’s regent. Could you abandon Yan to be with my A’Bao, leaving your nephew uncared for?”

“A’Bao is now Great Zhou’s Female Emperor with grand ambitions to strengthen Great Zhou and enrich its people. She could never abandon the Great Zhou. Tell me… with your two identities and the current situation between Great Zhou and Yan, how can you be together?” Dong Shi’s heart ached with suffocating pain.

If his elder brother were still alive, Murong Yan would surely choose to stay by Bai Qingyan’s side for her sake and the child in her womb.

But A’Li was still young. He had to support A’Li’s advance until Yan unified the realm, completing his mother’s and brother’s dying wishes.

Yet now he also couldn’t abandon Bai Qingyan, who was pregnant.

“Yan…” Murong Yan’s throat rolled. His feelings for Bai Qingyan were real, his vow to marry only her in this lifetime was real, and his desire to stay with her forever was real. But with their current identities… their current situation, how could he manage both?

The Bai Qingyan he admired was no ordinary woman. Her resolve matched any man’s; she had her ideals and ambitions…

A’Li was young, and Yan could not do without him!

But A’Bao was pregnant. As a husband and father, how could he not be by A’Bao and their child’s side?!

Let alone that A’Bao’s health had always been weak…

“A’Bao has always been frail. Her current condition hasn’t fully recovered, and with her daily toil, she’s unsuited for pregnancy, yet you two…” Dong Shi pressed her lips together, not wanting to speak useless words of complaint after the fact. What mattered most now was how to resolve this problem. “Everyone outside is saying you and A’Bao are betrothed. A’Bao didn’t deny it at the state banquet either. In that case… You can marry A’Bao under the identity of Xiao Rongyan, then return to your Yan afterward. Whether this child in A’Bao’s womb can be born or not, it has nothing to do with you, Murong Yan—it’s our Bai family’s child!”

The Great Zhou’s Female Emperor had just been established, and the palace regulations hadn’t been set yet. In this situation, the palace system could follow Western Liang’s example, where the imperial consort generally didn’t appear publicly except for major ceremonies.

“However, since your Xiao Rongyan identity has become Great Zhou’s imperial consort, you can no longer use that identity to travel around deceiving people. Xiao Rongyan must completely disappear from this world!” Dong Shi’s anger hadn’t subsided, so naturally her words weren’t pleasant. “This way, it serves both purposes.”

With the imperial consort position settled, court ministers wouldn’t keep trying to send portraits of young talents to A’Bao, forcing her to choose a consort. This would make it much easier for A’Bao to deal with these overly enthusiastic ministers… like Dong Shi’s brother Dong Qingping.

But Xiao Rongyan’s concern wasn’t about identity or the child’s parentage. He cared more about Bai Qingyan’s physical condition. He had already said he sought a wife, not a son. He feared Bai Qingyan’s body couldn’t withstand it.

Physician Hong clenched his fists tightly. Thinking of Bai Qingyan’s pulse made his heart flutter anxiously. In his view, this child came at the wrong time and shouldn’t be kept. As the pregnancy progressed, it would consume more and more of Bai Qingyan’s strength. For a woman with robust health, this would naturally be fine, but with Bai Qingyan’s condition…

Dong Shi’s eyes brimmed with tears. As she glared at Xiao Rongyan through gritted teeth, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Bai Qingyan seemed to stir and might be waking up. She quickly wiped away her tears with her handkerchief, turned to look at Bai Qingyan, and tucked the blanket corners around her. Seeing her daughter’s eyelashes flutter as if she might wake, Dong Shi suppressed her tears, curved her lips into a gentle smile, and stroked Bai Qingyan’s face and head with loving tenderness.

Bai Qingyan slowly opened her eyes. Her blurred vision gradually cleared. She first saw the flickering candlelight in the glass cover on the tall table, then heard her mother softly calling her name, and finally saw her mother’s reddened eyes as she gently caressed her cheek.

Hearing that Bai Qingyan had awakened, Xiao Rongyan wanted to approach, but seeing Dong Shi’s expression, he breathed a sigh of relief yet remained kneeling without moving.

She raised her hand… gently placing her palm over her mother’s hand, nuzzling her childlike face against her mother’s palm, and called softly: “Mother…”

“Yes! Mother is here!” Dong Shi responded quietly, suppressing the sob in her voice. “You scared Mother and your aunts to death! I told you to rest properly, but you wouldn’t listen. Can you handle all those countless state affairs by yourself?!”

Fearing to worry Dong Shi, Bai Qingyan downplayed the situation, not telling her about the discomfort before losing consciousness, only saying: “I worried, Mother. After sleeping, I feel much better. Please don’t worry, Mother.”

Physician Hong also came forward, sitting on the same footstool as before to take Bai Qingyan’s pulse, his brow furrowed tightly.

From the corner of her eye, Bai Qingyan saw Xiao Rongyan kneeling to one side. While puzzled, she also understood that her mother might already know of Xiao Rongyan’s identity as Great Yan’s Ninth Prince.

Originally, Bai Qingyan had wanted to find an opportunity to tell her mother about this, but with Great Zhou newly established and everything needing attention, with state affairs and court politics tangled like threads, Bai Qingyan was stretched thin and never found the time to speak with her mother.

“The pulse is temporarily stable…” Physician Hong looked up at Bai Qingyan, swallowed the rest of his words, and stood up to walk aside, seemingly unwilling to say more.

“Don’t be angry, Physician Hong. I’ll pay attention to rest from now on.” Bai Qingyan propped herself up, and Dong Shi quickly placed a pillow behind her back.

She glanced at Xiao Rongyan, understanding that her mother probably already knew, and grasped Dong Shi’s hand, asking: “Mother, why are you making A’Yan kneel?”

“A’Bao, are you feeling better?” Xiao Rongyan asked in a low voice, but restrained by Dong Shi, he didn’t dare approach and remained properly kneeling.

Hearing Bai Qingyan call Murong Yan “A’Yan,” Dong Shi was so angry she almost couldn’t restrain herself. Controlling her emotions, she asked: “Do you know you’re pregnant?”

Bai Qingyan looked bewildered.

Physician Hong cleared his throat and said, “Indeed, you are pregnant. Though still early, this pregnancy pulse… I wouldn’t mistake it.”

Bai Qingyan had never thought she could have children in this lifetime. When she was injured, even Physician Hong had said being able to save her life was already extremely fortunate, and her fate with offspring would likely be shallow.