Wei Shao was startled.

Realizing the situation, he asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Seeing her motionless on his lap, he carefully lifted her and turned her face towards him.

Xiao Qiao leaned softly in the crook of his arm, closing her eyes briefly.

“What’s the matter with you?” Wei Shao asked again, his palm touching her cheek.

It felt cool.

“I’ll call for a physician!”

He gently placed Xiao Qiao on the pillow and stood up, about to leave, but Xiao Qiao grabbed his sleeve from behind.

“I’m fine,” Xiao Qiao shook her head, “I just smelled the alcohol on you earlier, and it made me feel a bit sick, so I vomited a little.”

Wei Shao was taken aback. He sniffed his sleeve and hurriedly said, “Damn! I’ll go take a bath and change my clothes…”

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Qiao felt another wave of nausea. She crawled to the edge of the bed and vomited again.

This time it was severe. Everything she had eaten that evening, not yet fully digested, came out, landing on Wei Shao’s black boots.

Wei Shao’s face changed color. While rubbing her back, he stretched his neck and called for Chun Niang.

His voice was so loud that it summoned almost all the maidservants in Sheyang Residence.

Chun Niang was startled and hurriedly pushed the door open. She saw Xiao Qiao lying weakly on the edge of the bed, with a pool of vomit on the floor and the lord’s boots. The lord was beside her, flustered.

“Quickly, call for a physician!” Wei Shao shouted, then lowered his head to anxiously inquire about her condition.

Chun Niang had heard the lord calling her name from inside the room, his voice almost earth-shattering. Thinking something terrible had happened, she had been greatly alarmed.

As she ran over, she almost tripped on the steps.

Entering and seeing that Xiao Qiao was vomiting, she was somewhat surprised. She quickly turned to send someone to fetch a physician, then hurried to the bedside.

Xiao Qiao had finally finished vomiting. Chun Niang helped her sit up against the pillow and rinse her mouth.

Chun Niang wiped her lips with a handkerchief.

Having emptied her stomach, Xiao Qiao finally felt more comfortable. But she was still weak, leaning there with her eyes closed.

A maidservant came in to clean up the vomit on the floor.

Wei Shao, not bothering to change his boots, paced back and forth several times. Seeing that Xiao Qiao had finally stopped vomiting, his anxious heart eased a little.

Looking at her again, her lips pale and her appearance weak, he turned to Chun Niang, his eyes showing anger: “How have all of you been serving her? What unclean food did you give her to eat tonight!”

Xiao Qiao opened her eyes: “I’m fine. Don’t be so angry.”

Wei Shao paused, holding back his temper. But his face still looked displeased.

Chun Niang had been panicked at first. After Xiao Qiao finished vomiting, she asked a few questions in a low voice, and learning that her stomach wasn’t hurting, she felt slightly relieved.

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and her heart began to race.

She was Xiao Qiao’s maid. She knew clearly when Xiao Qiao’s monthly periods occurred.

This month was delayed by a few days, and it hasn’t come today.

There had been several instances of delays before. Sometimes four or five days, sometimes up to half a month.

At first, she had thought it might be pregnancy, but each time it had been false hope.

The Lady had been married for two years now, not a short time, but there had been no good news.

Chun Niang had gradually stopped holding out much hope.

So when this month was delayed by a few days, she hadn’t thought much about pregnancy.

Unexpectedly, tonight she suddenly vomited like this.

Chun Niang’s eyes showed an unusual joy, but the words that came to her lips were swallowed back.

Fearing that she might be wrong and give the lord false hope, she worried he would be disappointed.

So she forcefully held back the words that had almost escaped and turned to Wei Shao, saying, “My lord, don’t be alarmed. The Lady should be fine.”

Seeing the lord approach the bed, she quickly stood up, making room for him.

She was also anxious and went out to wait for the physician to arrive.

Wei Shao sat on the edge of the bed, helping Xiao Qiao lie down.

“What do you want to eat?”

Xiao Qiao’s stomach was empty from vomiting, but she had no desire to eat anything. She shook her head.

Her complexion, compared to earlier, had slowly started to return.

But her small face was still pale without a hint of color, her eyes half-closed, her eyelashes half-covering them, like a delicate flower battered by wind and rain.

Wei Shao’s heart ached for her, wanting nothing more than to hold her in his arms and comfort her.

“Then you sleep first. The physician will be here soon.”

After saying this, he lay down fully clothed beside her, his hand reaching under the blanket, enveloping Xiao Qiao’s slightly cool, delicate hand in his warm palm, gently massaging it.

The room fell quiet.

Xiao Qiao’s forehead lightly rested against his chin, her eyes closed.

Just about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Wei Shao was growing impatient. Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps could be heard from outside. The physician had arrived in haste.

Chun Niang went to meet him. As they walked, she quietly described the Lady’s recent discomfort.

Hearing about the delayed period and the recent vomiting, and that she hadn’t eaten anything unclean in the evening, the physician immediately thought of a possibility.

Following Chun Niang hurriedly into the room, he saw a tall, imposing young man quickly emerge from behind a floor-length folding screen painted with green bodies and red-scaled dragon and phoenix patterns. The man wore a magnificent black robe embroidered with gold cloud and spirit beast patterns. Recognizing him as the master of Xin Palace, Marquis of Yan Wei Shao, he quickly paid his respects.

Wei Shao, looking displeased, said, “Why are you only here now? My wife was just vomiting and feeling unwell. Quickly, examine her!” With that, he turned and entered the inner chamber.

The physician complied and followed the Marquis into the inner room. A wave of warm, enchanting fragrance hit his nostrils. He saw a small woman, looking no more than fifteen or sixteen, sitting on a bed with brocade quilts and cloud-patterned pillows. Her skin was as white as snow, her figure delicate and pitiable. Not daring to look closely, he approached the bedside and sat on a low stool brought by a maidservant. He gently placed two fingers on the pulse of the jade-like wrist extending from under the colorful brocade blanket, closing his eyes to concentrate.

Wei Shao stood nearby, watching intently.

After just a moment, the physician opened his eyes and smiled, “The pulse is smooth and flowing like beads rolling on a plate, this is the pulse of pregnancy. The old woman just now also mentioned that the Lady’s monthly period is delayed, which matches the pulse. This should undoubtedly be a pregnancy pulse.”

Wei Shao stared intently.

After a moment, he slowly turned his face towards Xiao Qiao.

Xiao Qiao, hearing this, was also stunned for a moment. A feeling of bewilderment arose in her heart.

She met the two gazes Wei Shao cast upon her.

A brief silence ensued.

Chun Niang was overjoyed and exclaimed, “My lord! Did you hear? The Lady is with the child! How happy the Old Madam will be when she hears this!”

Wei Shao suddenly turned to the physician: “You haven’t misdiagnosed?”

The physician stood up and said, “Rest assured, my lord. I’ve been taking pulses for over twenty years. If I could misdiagnose this, you may as well smash my sign. However, when I took the Lady’s pulse just now, I felt her qi and blood were deficient. Observing that the Lady is quite young, and this is her first pregnancy, I’ll prescribe to help nourish her condition.”

Wei Shao nodded, “Write it quickly!”

Chun Niang, with a face full of smiles, hurriedly led the physician out to write the prescription.

Only the two of them were left in the inner chamber.

Xiao Qiao finally emerged from her initial bewilderment and realized one thing.

She was pregnant.

At this moment, her heart suddenly began to race.

A strange feeling welled up, seeming to be joy, but not entirely just joy.

She slowly raised her eyes.

Wei Shao was still standing by the bed, his eyes fixed directly on her.

She moved slightly.

Just as she shifted her shoulder, Wei Shao suddenly pounced on her, his arms tightly embracing her.

Without a word, he just held her tightly, not letting go.

Xiao Qiao’s face was pressed against his chest.

Closing her eyes, she felt the rapid, strong beating of his heart.

She seemed to hear the sound of blood rushing through his entire body.

“Husband, have you gone silly? Why aren’t you speaking?”

She finally opened her eyes and looked up, speaking softly.

Wei Shao’s hand slowly moved to her lower abdomen, gently caressing it.

“Man Man, is it here, here?”

Xiao Qiao nodded.

Wei Shao’s eyebrows twitched. He stared at her belly for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter.

Xiao Qiao felt his chest trembling slightly.

“Man Man! You’re going to bear a child for me! I, Wei Shao, am going to have a child today!”

His expression was one of wild joy and immense pride.

Kisses rained down haphazardly on her forehead, cheeks, and lips.

After kissing her for a while, he seemed to suddenly remember something and abruptly stopped.

“I forgot! You vomited earlier because you smelled my scent!”

He quickly released her, carefully laying her back on the pillow. He also got off the bed. He turned around in front of the bed, as if still unable to suppress the wild joy in his heart, and suddenly walked out quickly.

Xiao Qiao didn’t know what he said, but she heard a clamor of congratulations and thanks from the maidservants outside.

Xiao Qiao lay on the pillow, eyes closed, raising her hand to rest on her still very flat lower abdomen that he had just touched.

A new life, created by her and this man Wei Shao together, had unknowingly begun to grow inside her body.

How wondrous.

The bewilderment and that indescribable strange feeling she had when first hearing the news suddenly disappeared.

In the depths of her heart, a clearer feeling of joy slowly filled her.