When Lady Liu heard Li Guangshu speak this way, she became displeased and raised her voice: “What do you mean by listening to a little girl’s nonsense? Is Third Miss a little girl?”

“If she’s not a little girl, then what is she? I remember she hasn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony yet, has she?” Li Guangshu retorted.

Lady Liu, burning with anger, sobered up a bit.

Right, how could she forget? The third Miss was indeed still young.

But expecting Lady Liu to back down on matters concerning Qiao Zhao was impossible: “Master, don’t forget that Third Miss is Physician Li’s disciple!”

“So what if she’s Physician Li’s disciple? She’s an underage little girl. Even if she learned medicine in her mother’s womb, being proficient in one or two specialties would already be remarkable. How could she possibly compare to a divine physician? Moreover, she hasn’t even married yet—how could she understand obstetrics?” Li Guangshu understood Lady Liu’s situation better than anyone.

When Lady Liu gave birth to Li Chan years ago, she injured her body. At that time, the couple’s relationship was very harmonious, and he had consulted countless physicians for her, all of whom declared she would never conceive again in this lifetime. How could she mysteriously become pregnant now, based on what a little girl said?

The more Li Guangshu thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Lady Liu sneered: “If we follow Master’s reasoning, the imperial physicians who treat the palace ladies aren’t women either—how would they understand obstetrics?”

“You—” Li Guangshu’s face darkened as he wanted to refute, but after uttering just one word, he couldn’t continue.

Why did this woman’s reasoning make so much sense?

No, no, he couldn’t let her lead him astray.

“I won’t engage in this war of words with you. You should carefully calculate the timing of our intimacy. Even if there were a pregnancy, how could it possibly be detected now?”

Lady Liu was stunned.

Ever since her elder sister-in-law gave birth to a son, she had been taking medicine according to Third Miss’s instructions. The couple hadn’t been together at all. Later, when Third Miss said her body was almost recovered, their marital relationship had deteriorated to such a state that if Li Guangshu didn’t take the initiative, she naturally couldn’t bring herself to do so.

All things considered, they had only been intimate once.

In earlier years, Li Guangshu had treated her well and even consulted imperial physicians specializing in gynecology. Those physicians all said she would never conceive again. Even if Third Miss possessed miraculous medical skills, in her condition, with just that one time and such a short period—

No, Third Miss’s abilities couldn’t be explained by common logic!

The slight wavering deep in Lady Liu’s heart was quickly dispelled by reason, and her expression became resolute: “Regardless of what you say, if Third Miss says I’m pregnant, then it’s correct.”

“You You-you haven’t been bewitched by that girl, have you?” Li Guangshu increasingly felt there was something wrong with Lady Liu’s mind.

How could he have once fallen for such a foolish woman?

If it were Ice Lady—

Thinking of Ice Lady, Li Guangshu’s heart ached, and he found the woman before him increasingly detestable.

“Fine, if you believe that girl’s words, then so be it. I’ll invite a physician to examine you!” Li Guangshu coldly threw down these words and stormed off.

Li Guangshu held his anger and quickly summoned a physician from Deji Hall.

Although Lady Liu felt Li Guangshu was making unnecessary trouble, since the physician had already arrived, there was naturally no need to refuse. She readily extended her wrist for the physician to take her pulse.

The physician from Deji Hall was an elderly man nearing sixty. Stroking his snow-white beard, he pondered for a long time before saying in confusion: “Madam’s pulse is not that of pregnancy.”

Upon hearing this, Li Guangshu showed an expression of “I knew it,” while Lady Liu was stunned.

“Doctor, you must be mistaken,” Lady Liu instinctively refuted.

The old physician was greatly displeased: “I’ve been a physician my entire life. Though I’ve retired now, I haven’t forgotten my medical skills. How could I be wrong about this? When a woman is pregnant, her pulse is like pearls rolling on a jade plate, but Madam’s is just a regular pulse. How could there be any talk of pregnancy?”

Upon hearing this, Lady Liu was equally unhappy: “I’ve already consulted another physician. Since you say this, please return home.”

Physicians hated hearing such words the most. He jumped up angrily: “Which quack doctor dared to deceive Madam like this? Could Madam tell me which medical hall he’s from and what his name is? I want to spit in his face! Such people are truly the scum of the medical profession!”

Lady Liu couldn’t bear to hear others question Qiao Zhao, but she still retained some rationality and didn’t reveal Qiao Zhao’s identity. She called out loudly: “See the guest out!”

The old physician was so angry his beard bristled as he turned his fury on Li Guangshu: “In the future, when Master Li needs a physician, please seek others. Don’t darken the door of my Deji Hall again!”

Deji Hall was the old physician’s family business, with several family members serving as imperial physicians. Ordinary official families generally consulted physicians from Deji Hall. If they truly offended him, it would indeed be troublesome in the future.

Seeing the old physician so angry, Li Guangshu hurried to comfort him: “Doctor, don’t listen to my wife’s nonsense. She’s been longing for a child for years and has gone mad with desire, which is why she’s acting so inappropriately.”

The old physician’s anger subsided somewhat, but he still wouldn’t let it go: “I can understand Madam’s feelings, but that quack is too unethical. Master Li, tell me who that person is. I cannot stand by and watch such scum appear in our medical community and continue deceiving people!”

“Why does this old physician speak so harshly?” Lady Liu was furious.

Li Guangshu felt utterly humiliated and didn’t want the old physician to see any more of their family’s disgrace. He coaxed: “Why mention such an unethical wretch and upset everyone? I’ll give that person a good lesson later. Please return home, Doctor.”

“Third Sister isn’t unethical at all. Mother’s pregnancy is all thanks to Third Sister—”

Fourth Miss Li Yan and Sixth Miss Li Chan had come to accompany Lady Liu and happened to hear this at the door. Li Chan couldn’t help but defend Qiao Zhao, but Li Yan quickly covered Li Chan’s mouth, though it was too late.

Li Guangshu was somewhat confused by his youngest daughter’s words: Lady Liu’s pregnancy was all thanks to Third Miss? How did he not know about this? Whose child was this anyway?

Li Guangshu grumbled internally while looking at his youngest daughter’s expression of defending Qiao Zhao, and his head began to ache.

Both daughters had been led astray by Lady Liu, this ignorant woman!

The old physician looked suspicious: “Your household’s Third Miss examined Madam?”

Lady Liu glared at her youngest daughter.

She had long instructed both daughters not to casually mention Third Miss’s affairs to outsiders, but she hadn’t expected Chan’er to be so unable to keep quiet.

Li Chan knew she had displeased her mother and lowered her head, not daring to make a sound.

“Just a little girl’s playful joke. Doctor needn’t take a child’s words seriously,” Li Guangshu tried to smooth things over.

The old physician shook his head repeatedly: “Taking a child’s words seriously—this is the first time I’ve heard of such foolishness!”

The old physician left in a huff. Li Guangshu laughed bitterly in anger: “Now you’ve made us a laughingstock. Are you satisfied?”

Lady Liu remained defiant: “Who’s the laughingstock remains to be seen!”

“You’re hopeless!”

Lady Liu simply closed her eyes, letting Li Guangshu rage without responding.

She still had to maintain a good mood to give birth—she had no time to deal with such an idiot!

What no one expected was that within two days, the story of the Li family’s Third Miss deceiving her aunt about pregnancy, only to be exposed by an old imperial physician, quietly spread among families in the same social circle in the capital.