A slender, pale hand gripped Imperial Physician Yang’s wrist, and before he could scream, another hand covered his mouth, dragging him into an inconspicuous residence in a small alley.

Imperial Physician Yang was pressed against the door panel. When his mouth was freed, he asked in panic: “Who are you?”

Seeing the person’s appearance clearly, Imperial Physician Yang was stunned, his tone becoming strange: “Young Master Chi?”

Chi Can narrowed his eyes, his voice ice-cold: “What’s wrong with my mother?”

“The Eldest Princess—” Imperial Physician Yang was stumped by the question.

Was it appropriate to tell her son about the Eldest Princess Changrong’s pregnancy? Especially when the identity of the child’s father was unclear.

“Speak!” Chi Can looked fierce.

These past few days, his mother’s side had been extremely strange, and Imperial Physician Yang’s ghostly appearance made him unable to help but suspect.

Could it be that Mother had contracted some incurable disease?

Thinking of this possibility, Chi Can felt a pain in his heart.

Over the years, regardless of what barriers existed between mother and son, she was ultimately his mother – the one who had fed him her blood on Lingtai Mountain to keep him alive.

“Young Master Chi, this—” Imperial Physician Yang hesitated.

Speaking would certainly lead to no good end, but not speaking seemed to lead to the same result. To speak or not to speak – this was truly a heartbreaking question.

Chi Can drew out a dagger gleaming with cold light, his exquisitely beautiful face shrouded in frost: “The physician really won’t speak?”

Imperial Physician Yang frowned: “Young Master Chi, this humble official came to examine the Eldest Princess on the Empress Dowager’s orders. If I don’t return, the Empress Dowager will surely send people to search.”

He didn’t believe this little brat would dare kill him!

Chi Can chuckled: “Don’t worry, I won’t kill anyone.”

As his words fell, the dagger in his hand made a beautiful spin, shooting like a meteor toward Imperial Physician Yang’s lower body.

Imperial Physician Yang’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Chi Can: “…”

After an unknown amount of time, Imperial Physician Yang finally awakened. The first thing he saw was Chi Can’s half-smiling expression, and his hand instinctively moved downward.

Still there!

Imperial Physician Yang breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Though he was getting on in years, a man’s dignity couldn’t be lost.

Light laughter came: “Stop feeling around. Just because it’s still there now doesn’t mean it will be later.”

Imperial Physician Yang: “…” This little bastard is threatening me!

Chi Can wiped the dagger with a snow-white handkerchief, smiling: “Imperial Physician Yang watched me grow up and knows my temperament. If I cause trouble, at worst, I’ll give up this official robe. What can grandmother and uncle do to me?”

Imperial Physician Yang raised his hand to wipe away sweat.

“I’ll ask one last time – what’s wrong with my mother?”

Watching the gleaming dagger approach, Imperial Physician Yang closed his eyes and shouted: “The Eldest Princess is pregnant!”

The dagger fell, stabbing right into Chi Can’s foot, blood instantly seeping through his boot.

“Young Master Chi, your foot is injured and needs bandaging—”

Chi Can reached out to grab Imperial Physician Yang, his expression emotionless: “Physician, repeat what you just said.”

Imperial Physician Yang looked at the young man who still retained some boyish unruliness but now appeared so cold, secretly sighed, and said: “The Eldest Princess is with child. This humble official came today to terminate the Eldest Princess’s pregnancy…”

“Then why did you leave so early?” Chi Can felt his head was about to explode, but strangely his heart was unusually calm, as if he couldn’t feel it beating.

“The Eldest Princess, she—” Imperial Physician Yang looked at Chi Can with eyes almost filled with sympathy, lowering his eyelids: “The Eldest Princess damaged her body in earlier years. This pregnancy is precarious and cannot be terminated casually, or her life would be in danger.”

Chi Can’s body swayed slightly, a cold laugh escaping his lips: “So you’re saying my mother will give birth to this child?”

Imperial Physician Yang naturally couldn’t answer this question. He lowered his head and bowed: “This humble official must return to the palace to report to the Empress Dowager.”

Whether to risk the Eldest Princess’s life by forcibly terminating the pregnancy or to give birth to this child was naturally not something a mere imperial physician could comment on.

“Please leave, Imperial Physician Yang.” Chi Can said coldly.

“Young Master Chi, your foot—”

“I said, please leave, Imperial Physician Yang. Are you reluctant to go?” Chi Can bent down to pull out the dagger embedded in his boot and gripped it in his hand, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

Imperial Physician Yang’s scalp tingled as he quickly left.

The courtyard was instantly empty. Chi Can slowly crouched down.

“Young Master—” Taosheng carefully approached.

Chi Can glanced at him lightly and looked away.

Taosheng nearly cried.

It was over, over. The young master wasn’t even cursing – he must be utterly heartbroken.

“Young Master, are you alright?”

Chi Can took off his boot. The snow-white silk sock was already soaked through with blood.

“Young Master, you’re bleeding so much! We need to bandage it quickly. Oh my, this must hurt so much!”

Chi Can glanced at Taosheng and smiled: “It doesn’t hurt.”

The Eldest Princess Changrong’s residence looked no different from usual. The colorful silk decorating the plants and trees still showed New Year festivity, but the sharp-eyed servants had been very cautious these past two days, not even daring to make noise when walking.

The Eldest Princess Changrong had maintained the same motionless position for a full incense stick’s worth of time.

Female official Dongyu stood beside her, not daring to speak rashly, but her heart was in complete turmoil.

The Eldest Princess was pregnant and couldn’t easily terminate it – what should be done? Could she give birth to this child?

“Dongyu.”

Dongyu’s heart jumped as she quickly said, “This servant is here.”

The Eldest Princess Changrong touched her belly: “What do you think – is this child a boy or a girl?”

“This servant… cannot guess…”

“Your Highness, the young master has come.” A maidservant came to report.

The Eldest Princess Changrong’s eyebrows moved slightly.

Chi Can walked through layers of curtains to stand before the Eldest Princess Changrong.

The Eldest Princess Changrong glanced at Dongyu, who curtsied slightly and withdrew.

Outside, the winter sun was bright, with white snow covering blue tiles and vermilion eaves, but inside it seemed somewhat dim due to the window curtains and gauze drapes.

Mother and son looked at each other.

After a long moment, Chi Can spoke: “Your son should congratulate his mother.”

The Eldest Princess Changrong’s eyes suddenly contracted: “You know?”

“What does Mother plan to do?”

“What to do?” The Eldest Princess Changrong raised her eyebrows, looking at the features that increasingly resembled her deceased prince consort, and smiled coldly: “Didn’t you just congratulate me? Naturally, I’ll give birth to it.”

Since Chi Can knew she was pregnant, he should also know the danger of terminating it. Was this preferring she die rather than embarrass him, not wanting to see this child born?

Thinking of this, the Eldest Princess Changrong’s smile grew colder, and her gaze toward Chi Can held a hint of provocation.

Chi Can was extremely sensitive and felt his heart struck heavily by a hammer, hot blood rushing up.

He bit his tongue tip and smiled slightly at the Eldest Princess Changrong: “It’s good that mother has made a decision. Your son takes his leave.”

Watching Chi Can’s departing figure, the Eldest Princess Changrong called out: “Stop!”

Chi Can halted and turned around: “Does mother have other instructions?”

The Eldest Princess Changrong actually couldn’t say why she had called her son back, just looking at him coldly.

“Since mother has nothing else, I’ll leave.”

Chi Can left the Eldest Princess Changrong’s quarters, returned to his room, and spat out a mouthful of blood.