All morning, Mu Yunjin had been standing at a long table sorting medicinal herbs. Only when Qingmeng came to call them for lunch did Mu Yunjin realize her waist was sore and her entire body had stiffened.
“My lady, let’s go quickly!” Qiqi linked arms with Mu Yunjin, pulling her along as they walked out.
Mu Yunjin nodded, rubbing her waist as she walked. Having stood all morning, her legs were also sore, causing her to move very slowly with an oddly stiff gait.
Behind her, Chu Li watched her rigid body with amusement, the corner of his lips curving into an extremely faint smile.
Just as they reached the dining hall entrance, the wafting aroma of food caused Qiqi and Huang Yan to immediately run inside. Chu Li looked at Huang Yan with resignation in his eyes. Just as he was about to enter, he noticed a figure beside him darting away quickly.
He frowned slightly and turned to look.
…
Mu Yunjin felt certain she must have eaten something bad. The mere smell of food made her feel nauseated, and now she was crouched in a corner, violently retching.
After vomiting for a while, still crouched down, her head grew dizzy, and her feet went numb. She sat directly on the cold ground, supporting her head with her hands, trying to alleviate the dizziness.
…
…
Gradually, the dizziness did not subside; instead, her body began to tremble slightly. Suddenly, her head spun and her vision blurred. She collapsed backward and fainted.
In the instant she fainted, Chu Li flew over and supported her back, preventing her from falling directly to the ground. Looking at Mu Yunjin’s face, now as pale as paper, Chu Li frowned and bent down to carry her in his arms.
What was wrong with her?
Last night she seemed the same way, uncomfortable and vomiting for a long time.
Remembering her dejected expression when mentioning the Heavenly God Token earlier, Chu Li’s face darkened. Carrying her toward her chambers, he specifically called Qingmeng out when passing the dining hall.
…
Mu Yunjin began to regain consciousness just as Chu Li lay her flat on the bed. With a dazed look, she gazed at the azure blue figure beside the bed, then glanced at Qingmeng, who was taking her pulse.
Initially, when Qingmeng saw Mu Yunjin suddenly faint, she thought something serious had happened. While taking her pulse, her face remained tightly drawn. Gradually, however, Qingmeng’s furrowed brow relaxed, and slowly, her tightly pressed lips curled into a slight smile. By the end, she was laughing out loud.
Lying on the bed, Mu Yunjin watched this scene and felt a chill run down her spine. “Sister Qingmeng, your expression is giving me the creeps. I haven’t contracted some strange disease, have I?”
Could it be that the Heavenly God Token had damaged her heart meridian?
At this moment, Chu Li shared Mu Yunjin’s concern. Seeing Qingmeng’s unusual behavior, he also momentarily thought Mu Yunjin had some bizarre ailment.
Qingmeng, however, shook her head, unable to suppress the smile on her lips. “It’s not some strange disease, it’s…”
Before she could finish, there was a gentle knock at the door, followed by Huang Yan’s voice from outside, “Your Highness, Noble Consort Rong has suddenly arrived and is currently in the courtyard.”
At the mention of Noble Consort Rong, Mu Yunjin’s expression darkened. She glanced sideways at Chu Li and muttered, “Your mother is here.”
Chu Li gave her a cursory look. Seeing that she had awakened and that Qingmeng’s tone suggested no serious illness, he couldn’t be bothered with Mu Yunjin any further and turned to leave the room.
After Chu Li left, Mu Yunjin gave a low grunt, then turned to look at the still-smiling Qingmeng, slightly furrowing her brow. “Sister Qingmeng, what illness is it exactly? How can you be smiling so happily?”
“Your Ning Wang Mansion is about to welcome a little heir!” Qingmeng smiled at Mu Yunjin, patting her belly gently as she spoke.
Mu Yunjin froze in shock.
Ning Wang Mansion…
Welcoming a little heir…
Damn, she was pregnant!
She was pregnant!
She had gotten pregnant so quickly!
“Sister Qingmeng, you’re not deceiving me, are you?” Having regained some sense, Mu Yunjin looked at Qingmeng in a hushed voice, her tone trembling.
“Why would I deceive you? Your appetite hasn’t been very good these past two days, right?” Qingmeng recalled that Mu Yunjin’s complexion had been poor these last few days, and now, connecting it with the diagnosis of pregnancy, she knew it was likely due to morning sickness.
Mu Yunjin nodded, thinking back over the past few days. Indeed, her appetite had been poor; the smell of food made her want to vomit, and she felt dizzy upon waking in the morning—all typical early pregnancy symptoms.
But at this critical juncture, with Chu Li’s amnesia, and Noble Consort Rong and the Qin family’s occasional provocations, how could she be pregnant now?
“Well, rest up for now. Remember not to overexert yourself during early pregnancy, and try to avoid physical confrontations. When going out, bring more people for protection, understand?” Qingmeng instructed Mu Yunjin.
Mu Yunjin acknowledged with a sound, then reached out to grasp Qingmeng’s hand. She pressed her lips together and said, “Sister Qingmeng, about my pregnancy, please don’t tell anyone yet, including Chu Li.”
“Why? At this critical time, shouldn’t His Highness be more tender toward you if he knew?” Qingmeng didn’t understand Mu Yunjin’s intention.
“That’s precisely why. I fear if news of my pregnancy spreads now, those with covetous eyes will find ways to use me as leverage. They might use us, mother and child, to coerce Chu Li, and I worry he’ll bear an even greater burden.” Mu Yunjin explained softly.
Qingmeng nodded, naturally understanding the current precarious situation. Mu Yunjin possessed significant martial skills; when unencumbered, she could certainly resist external threats without issue.
But if she were pregnant, she would have many restrictions. It would be extremely easy for evildoers to harm her.
“But when you’re further along, the belly will naturally become impossible to conceal,” Qingmeng looked at Mu Yunjin with concern.
“We’ll deal with that when the time comes. Right now, just Noble Consort Rong is almost going crazy over the Heavenly God Token, not to mention the Qin family and that villain Qiuye who might emerge to provoke us at any moment.” Mu Yunjin sighed helplessly, realizing how tumultuous life had become.
“I understand.” Qingmeng exhaled softly. “Then you rest for now. I’ll prepare a calming medicinal brew for you and some light food. After you eat, get a good sleep.”
Mu Yunjin responded with a sound and smiled faintly.
…
After Qingmeng left, Mu Yunjin lay alone on the bed, unable to contain her current excitement and exhilaration.
She gently placed her hand on her flat abdomen, thinking of the small life already growing there. For the first time in her life, she experienced a particularly wondrous and magical feeling.
She was carrying Chu Li’s child…
Their child, hers and Chu Li’s.
…
After leaving Mu Yunjin’s room, Qingmeng passed through the front courtyard where she saw Noble Consort Rong and Chu Li facing each other, engaged in conversation. Next to Noble Consort Rong stood a young woman who was currently dabbing tears with a handkerchief.
At this moment, Qiqi, Hua Ying, and Huang Yan stood in a corner of the courtyard, watching the scene while listening to Huang Yan’s explanation: “That crying woman calls herself Yun Mu’er, impersonating your mistress, trying to convince His Highness that she’s his consort.”
“So shameless! Is she itching for trouble, daring to impersonate our mistress? Does she believe this cat won’t scratch her to death?” Upon hearing Huang Yan’s words, Qiqi was furious, already swiping an imaginary claw through the air.
Hua Ying also had a gloomy face, though she appeared more composed than Qiqi. “I don’t know what she’s blubbering about, but if she dares try to steal our mistress’s man, I’ll poison her and ruin her face. That vial of snake venom from Ghost Valley Cave hasn’t found a use yet.”
Seeing these two women, Huang Yan felt all his hair stand on end. Truly, a woman’s heart could be most venomous!
However, his little Hua Ying was so capable—the more he looked, the more he liked her!
As Qingmeng approached, she saw the three of them gathered together and, gesturing with her chin toward Chu Li, asked, “What are they discussing?”
“It seems Noble Consort Rong is making that ugly wretch apologize to His Highness. I vaguely heard something about the Heavenly God Token. Noble Consort Rong is playing the victim card now, talking about how difficult her life has been…”
Having said this, Huang Yan sighed and looked at Qingmeng. “Think about it—His Highness originally sought various methods to break the formation and rescue Noble Consort Rong precisely because he cherished their mother-son bond.”
“But what about Noble Consort Rong? Not only did she freely enjoy life as a Moon Consort in the Southern Court, but she kept trying to drive a wedge between His Highness and the Princess Consort. Now look what’s happened—she’s directly caused His Highness to lose his memory. I wonder how painful it will be for His Highness when he regains his memory and faces this mother who once caused him such distress.”
Hearing this, Qingmeng let out a sigh of lament. “The matters between mother and son—we outsiders shouldn’t comment. All of you, disperse now and quickly go organize the medicinal herbs!”
Upon hearing this, the three of them scattered in different directions.
…
After Qingmeng left, Mu Yunjin propped herself up. Having heard that Noble Consort Rong had arrived, she guessed the consort was probably inciting Chu Li to seize her Heavenly God Token again.
She needed to go out and see what they were discussing.
When she wrapped a cloak around herself and walked to the courtyard entrance, perhaps because her cloak’s color was too conspicuous, Noble Consort Rong, who was speaking with Chu Li, immediately looked in her direction. Yun Mu’er beside her also turned to look at Mu Yunjin at the same moment.
Mu Yunjin froze, having originally intended to eavesdrop…
But since she’d been discovered, she might as well face them straightforwardly. However, her body was somewhat weak at the moment, her steps slightly unsteady, which diminished her imposing presence.
Noble Consort Rong, watching Mu Yunjin approach, flashed a cold light in her eyes. She had just spent a long time tearfully appealing to Chu Li, who had finally forgiven her for the deception involving Yun Mu’er, merely instructing her not to repeat such behavior and to stop randomly finding women for him.
But throughout the conversation, Chu Li never mentioned preventing her from seizing the Heavenly God Token, suggesting he still desired it intensely.
Now that Mu Yunjin had arrived, looking so weak, and with Chu Li having lost his memory, if she were to suddenly attack and seize the Heavenly God Token, Chu Li certainly wouldn’t stop her.
The timing and circumstances were perfect—now was the moment to seize the Heavenly God Token!
Just as Noble Consort Rong secretly gathered her true energy, her right hand forming a hook shape behind her back, preparing to strike at Mu Yunjin’s heart, she heard a faint yet mocking voice—
“You can get out of bed and walk so soon? Are you a woman? Or is that area stuffed with two buns, and you’re a man disguised as a woman?”
Mu Yunjin was startled, immediately glaring at Chu Li and pointing at her chest, retorting, “Prince Ning, whether these are buns or meat—aren’t you quite clear about that?”