She walked out of the front hall, and Wang Hui followed.
The two walked out of the village, and it was then that Wang Hui spoke, "Big sister, are you alright!"
Zhao Jiaqi didn't say anything, still walking with her head down. The sweat on her palms showed that she had been scared too, but she still had to appear very calm.
"I'm sorry, big sister. My father is always like this when he does business with people. He was testing you today. I had no idea until I went there. Otherwise, I would have definitely told you."
Zhao Jiaqi then looked up and smiled at Wang Hui, shaking her head. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about where to meet the two prefects I invited."
"Will it be in Yun Country, or in the inner city, or in our little town?" Zhao Jiaqi smiled bitterly, "You also know that once they become prefects, they put on airs and are very proud. If it's in this small town, they'll think I'm neglecting them. Alas... it's difficult."
So, she was troubled by this.
She chuckled, "Big sister, didn't you say you have a high official behind you? These prefects are also afraid of people. They say that a higher rank can crush a lower one. As long as you let that person say a word, these people will obediently go wherever they are told. Who dares to complain? Even if they do, do they dare to say it?"
What she said was very true. "Let's do as you said. We'll set the banquet in the town. Come, let's go find a restaurant."
Now she was like a startled bird, needing to control every action and expression, for fear that Wang Hui was also a test from Wang Yuanzhi.
On their way to the restaurant, they encountered Fan Zehao, who was rushing back at full speed, his face full of panic. The special envoy was with him.
Seeing Zhao Jiaqi on the road, Fan Zehao almost instantly jumped off the carriage and ran over, hugging her tightly. "I'm back."
Zhao Jiaqi felt him trembling all over and hugged him back, gently comforting him, "I'm fine. The village chief just wanted to do big business with me, so he deliberately tested me. We've finished talking, and he let me go."
Fan Zehao understood what Zhao Jiaqi meant by "big business," but his emotions had gotten the better of him. "Test what? What's there to test? I'm doing business with him with real money, and I'm treating him with sincerity. Yet, he doesn't trust me? We're not doing any more big business. Let's go home..."
As he spoke, he tried to pull Zhao Jiaqi away. Wang Hui, seeing that Young Master Fan was genuinely anxious, quickly stepped forward to persuade him, "Young master, please be careful. Your wife is pregnant. You can't pull her with such force."
Fan Zehao froze on the spot, staring at her foolishly. His eyes widened. "What did you say? Who's pregnant?"
Had she said the wrong thing, or were his ears not working properly? He immediately reached for his ears, waiting for Wang Hui's reply.
Frightened by her eyes, the person took two steps back, hiding behind the special envoy, and secretly wondered if this person's eyes weren't usually that big, why were they so terrifying today?
Zhao Jiaqi smiled sweetly and placed his hands on her lower abdomen, saying with a smile, "You're going to be a father again. Aren't you happy?"
This time, he heard clearly. He was going to be a father. Joy surged through him. However, when he remembered what the doctor had said back then, his heart felt as if it had been cut by a knife.
"What father, what father? I'll go get some abortifacient. You drink it."
Almost at the same time, everyone present was stunned, including Zhao Jiaqi.
She couldn't even believe her ears and just stared at him foolishly, blankly. "What? You want me to abort!"
Fan Zehao then realized he had spoken too hastily and blurted it out. "You had a miscarriage last time, and the doctor said you weren't fit to be pregnant and get angry again. Moreover, when you gave birth to our son, you bled profusely, and your qi and blood were depleted."
"Do you know that abortion also causes bleeding? If something goes wrong, you could lose your life. Furthermore, the damage from abortion is even greater than that from childbirth."
Zhao Jiaqi took two steps back. "You scare me. This belly is our child, and you're willing to get rid of him."
Seeing his wife so sad, Fan Zehao's heart ached. "It's not like that. I really don't want you to be in danger, my wife..."
Zhao Jiaqi ignored him and turned to leave. She thought that telling him the news would make him happy, but unexpectedly, he wasn't happy at all and even wanted to kill their child.
She couldn't accept it, didn't want to accept it, and was unwilling to accept it.
Fan Zehao followed behind her, and they walked one after another without speaking. Wang Hui wanted to follow, but the special envoy grabbed her.
"They're discussing family matters. Why are you following to join the fun?"
This comment made Wang Hui feel a little wronged. "Why am I joining the fun? Didn't you see how sad Sister was? I wanted to go and comfort Sister."
The special envoy yelled at her, "No need."
Seeing how fierce he was and how capable he was, Wang Hui dared not speak rashly. Instead, she followed behind the special envoy, chasing after the people ahead into the town.
Fan Zehao grabbed the person walking in front and whispered an apology. "Don't be angry. I just don't want you to... Giving birth is too dangerous. I'm so afraid of losing you."
Zhao Jiaqi pulled her sleeve out of his hand and still ignored him, continuing to walk forward sadly.
The latter couldn't stand it anymore and directly picked her up in a princess carry, holding her in his arms. Despite her struggling a few times, he didn't let go. "I was really wrong. You can punish me however you want when we get back, but you can't ignore me."
Zhao Jiaqi saw that he was sincerely apologizing and decided not to argue with him. In fact, she knew he was scared, which was why she had never tried to have another child all these years.
But this child had come into their lives unexpectedly, not as planned. Was she supposed to find out she was pregnant and then have an abortion?
She really couldn't do that.
"Go back and kneel for an hour."
When his wife spoke, Fan Zehao smiled foolishly and replied, "Yes, I'll kneel when we get back. I'll even kneel on a washboard."
A washboard? That thing was in the prince's manor. How could it be here!
Fan Zehao carried her step by step. During this time, Zhao Jiaqi told him everything that had happened today, so he could be prepared.
"As for finding the prefect of Xiuzhou and making him willingly come here to attend the banquet, who should we find as a backer to help us act?"
Fan Zehao thought about all the old fogeys in the capital. It wasn't suitable to ask any of them. Moreover, the ministers in the capital had changed so much. Who knew which of these ministers was good and which was bad.
"How about this, let's write a letter to Huangfu Xi and have him arrange someone for us, someone with high prestige. We just need to invite them for a meal, and say nothing else. Wouldn't that be enough?"
Zhao Jiaqi thought about it and agreed. They were just looking at her power and influence, not who was behind her.
Fan Zehao shifted her weight in his arms and chuckled, "You deserve to be carrying my child. Your body has gotten heavier. I guess it's a little princess."
This was her husband speaking nicely. Knowing that she wanted a daughter, she smiled, reached out her hands, pinched his face, and playfully kneaded it back and forth.