Taohua wondered if Shen Zaiye would tear her to pieces if he discovered her deception. Thinking of his eyes made her feel guilty, but as long as it made him more cautious, it was good.
The carriage stopped in Yong’an Town. They rested at an inn, and Qing Tai brought back a doctor who looked like an immortal sage. He was likely a renowned physician from a large pharmacy, though it was unclear why he was in this small town. He willingly followed Qing Tai to examine Taohua.
“I happened to be making house calls here. Meeting Madam is fate,” the doctor said after carefully taking her pulse. He gave her a bottle of medicine, “These are fetus-protecting pills. If Madam must travel, take one daily.”
Taohua was startled. She took the medicine and looked at the doctor, “Protect the fetus?”
“Naturally,” the doctor smiled. “Madam’s pregnancy pulse is different from ordinary women, possibly due to overexertion. After some rest, other doctors should be able to determine the month of pregnancy.”
Blinking, Taohua asked incredulously, “You mean there’s a child in my womb?”
The doctor hesitated, suddenly unsure. He checked her pulse again and said uncertainly, “Madam’s pulse is unlike any I’ve seen in decades of practice, so I can’t be certain. But since there are signs of pregnancy, it’s best to be cautious.”
Taohua smiled lightly, studying him before withdrawing her hand, “Thank you, doctor.”
“Take care, Madam,” the doctor rose to leave, giving Qing Tai some advice on nurturing the fetus. Qing Tai was surprised by his kindness.
Back in the room, Taohua leaned against the headboard, opening the bottle to smell it. The fragrance was unlike any common medicine.
“He’s probably following someone’s orders,” Taohua smiled, asking Qing Tai, “Did you mention my pregnancy when you invited him?”
“No,” Qing Tai shook her head, suddenly realizing, “Indeed, how did he know about your pregnancy signs when I didn’t mention it?”
Yang Wanqing and Li Jin were startled. Li Jin frowned, “What’s going on?”
“It’s obvious,” Taohua smiled lightly. “He must be Shen Zaiye’s man to diagnose my uncertain pulse as a pregnancy pulse. With the poison in my body, my pulse has always been erratic. It’s not surprising for a less skilled doctor to mistake it for a pregnancy pulse.”
Yang Wanqing was surprised, “He’s not only not pursuing us but sending people to deliver medicine?”
Could Prime Minister Shen truly be deeply in love with Taohua?
“This is good for us,” Taohua said, lowering her eyes. “If he’s not chasing or arresting us, and even sending doctors along the way, we can safely return to Zhao.”
“But don’t you feel guilty?” Yang Wanqing frowned. “He’s being so good to you.”
Taohua paused, looking at her with complex emotions. Li Jin angrily tugged at Yang Wanqing’s sleeve. She then realized and said softly, “But this can’t be helped. You should rest well and continue the journey tomorrow.”
“Mm,” Taohua nodded and lay down to sleep.
However, perhaps due to unfamiliarity with the bed, she hadn’t slept well throughout the journey. It always took her a long time to fall asleep, and she often woke up in the middle of the night.
This was impossible in the past; she used to sleep through anything. Somehow, she had grown accustomed to sleeping while holding Shen Zaiye’s waist, and now she couldn’t sleep well alone.
Habits are truly terrifying things.
As the sky darkened outside, Taohua tossed and turned, suddenly feeling someone in the room.
Opening her eyes, she saw Li Jin sitting at the table, looking at her with a complex gaze.
“…” Pressing her chest, Taohua said irritably, “Are you trying to scare me to death?”
Li Jin sighed, “I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to talk to you.”
“What is there to talk about between us?” Taohua pouted. “Don’t disturb my rest.”
“Aren’t you also unable to sleep?” Li Jin said. “Thinking about Shen Zaiye?”
Jiang Taohua: “…”
It was strange to hear these words from his mouth.
Sitting up, Taohua frowned at him, “What do you want to say?”
Li Jin lowered his eyes, his thin face full of bitterness, “I’ve been looking for opportunities to make amends all along this journey. Even if we can’t return to the past, we could at least be friends. But no matter what I do, you seem indifferent.”
Make amends? Taohua thought about it. Indeed, Li Jin had been taking extra care of her throughout the journey, giving her an extra fish when grilling, and letting her sleep alone in the carriage while others slept outside. However, if this level of care was meant to move her, then there were far too many things in the world that could move her.
“Between us, it’s best if we never meet again in the future,” Taohua said. “There’s no need to resolve our past grievances, and you don’t need to make amends to me. Prime Minister Li already has a new life ahead, why drag me into it again?”
“But…” Li Jin was extremely dejected. He looked up at her and said, “I’m not satisfied.”
The corner of her mouth twitched. Taohua suddenly felt this person was behaving disgustingly. What was there to be unsatisfied about? Was he unsatisfied that she was doing better than him? Then he could continue being unsatisfied.
“I originally thought I was the one who loved you the most,” Li Jin said. “You married Shen Zaiye, but he doesn’t truly care for you. You’ll regret it sooner or later.”
Narrowing her eyes, Taohua sneered, “So you can’t wait for me to regret it bitterly, end up in a miserable situation, then pitifully beg for your mercy? Then you can save me from disaster with your all-encompassing compassion to alleviate your guilt?”
“Li Jin, how can you be so shameless?”
His heart seized. Li Jin hurriedly said, “That was my thinking before. I don’t think that way now. I just want you to live well.”
“Oh.” Rolling her eyes, Taohua nodded, “Thank you.”
“But…” Li Jin frowned. “Don’t you find Shen Zaiye strange?”
“In what way?”
“I thought he truly didn’t care about you,” Li Jin said. “Last time when I told him about the poison in your body, hoping he’d find a solution, he was completely indifferent…”
Taohua was furious, “So it was you who told him about that!”
She had wondered how her master would tell Shen Zaiye, but it turned out to be this person!
“Aren’t you angry?” Li Jin asked, puzzled. “You’re not angry at his indifference towards you, but at me for leaking the information?”
“How he treats me is none of your business!” Taking a deep breath, Taohua said, “The poison in my body isn’t his concern anyway. He’s not foolish enough to oppose Zhao for my sake.”
Looking at her deeply, Li Jin shook his head, “Aren’t you just deceiving yourself? His refusal to save you clearly shows he doesn’t value your life. What man wouldn’t want to protect the woman he loves? He was completely unmoved, but now, knowing you’re pregnant, he immediately changed his attitude, sending doctors and medicine, and not pursuing us anymore. Taohua, don’t you feel you’re being used by him?”
“…” She thought he was sick in the head.
Li Jin was a typical man without prospects. He chose to abandon her first, but once she was doing well, he felt unsettled. Under the guise of making amends, he was trying to sabotage her, wanting to see her fall from grace so he could rescue her, satisfying his petty sense of achievement.
Such a person was both pathetic.
“I like him, and he’s not indifferent to me,” Taohua paused for a long time before saying, “I understand him, and he understands me. This understanding is not something outsiders can meddle in. I know how much of his feelings for me are true and how much is false. You should just rest.”
“You…” Li Jin frowned. “If you truly believe he likes you, you’ll surely be heartbroken in the future.”
“We’ll deal with the future when it comes,” Taohua pulled up the blanket and lay down again, saying indifferently, “It’s not important right now.”
Not important? Li Jin gritted his teeth, stood up, and left, closing the door behind him.
How could someone who didn’t even care about her life be any good?
After he left, Taohua found it even harder to sleep. The next day, she continued the journey with dark circles under her eyes. Feeling uncomfortable in her stomach, she took one of the pills the doctor had given her. It was good medicine anyway, so why not take it? After taking it, she felt much better, giving her extra energy to think about other matters.
Did Shen Zaiye truly not care about her life and death? If so, her fake pregnancy must not be revealed, or she would no longer be a threat to him.
“Master,” Qing Tai had gathered some news on the roadside and returned to the carriage, saying, “The Prime Minister has come after us.”
“What?” Her eyes brightened as Taohua lifted the curtain to ask, “Really?”
“Yes, I heard he’s already reached the second fortress, and the surrounding cities seem to be recruiting soldiers.”
Taohua clicked her tongue, thinking it was a surprise that she could lure him out of the capital. With Shen Zaiye away from the capital, Mu Wuxia’s side would surely cause trouble!
What a great opportunity! Excitedly patting Qing Tai’s shoulder, Taohua asked, “How long until we arrive?”
“We’ll cross the border soon,” Qing Tai said. “At this speed, we can reach the capital of Zhao in five days.”
“Good!” Taohua nodded, sitting back in the carriage contentedly. Looking at the two beside her, she said, “You’ve followed me all this way, so you must know what a ruthless character Shen Zaiye is. When we return to Zhao, please persuade the Empress and the First Princess to listen to me. Otherwise, Zhao will surely be destroyed by their hands!”
“This…” Yang Wanqing frowned. “It might be difficult.”
“With the nation in peril, what’s there to be difficult about?” Taohua said. “Just ask them, do they want Zhao to become someone else’s territory, or will they choose to listen to me!”
Looking at her, Li Jin said, “They might prefer Zhao to become a vassal state of Da Wei rather than bow to you.”
(End of Chapter)