"A'luan, what's wrong?"
Ye Luan frowned, as if recalling something. Her pupils widened in alarm, and she quickly took her own pulse.
Lan Murou watched her complexion darken and exclaimed in shock, "You're pregnant?"
"Go get a doctor."
She seemed to disbelieve it, leaning against the couch, her expression dazed.
The doctor arrived quickly and confirmed after checking her pulse that she was more than a month pregnant.
More than a month?
She remembered the incident at Juhua Lou. After that, Xiao Chizhan had forcibly taken her to a boat to watch them fight. She had been so sleepy that she fell asleep and forgot to take her medicine.
Could it have been that time?
Her heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions. This was truly terrible timing.
"A'luan, what are we going to do? You're pregnant, how will you leave now?"
Ye Luan's expression deepened. So what if she was pregnant? She could raise the child alone. Even with a child, she still wanted to leave Xiao Chizhan.
What troubled her was that this was Xiao Chizhan's child.
Furthermore, although it was almost the New Year, she would only be eighteen after the New Year. It was too early.
She couldn't accept having a child so young.
She glanced at her stomach, a swirl of emotions churning within her. She couldn't quite pinpoint what she was feeling, only that it was overwhelming and unpleasant.
Lan Murou, seeing her tightly furrowed brow, took a deep breath. "Actually, you're already past your second cycle of nine years, you're old enough to be a mother."
Ye Luan shook her head, remaining silent, a heavy feeling in her chest.
"Have you thought about how the Prince will react if he finds out?"
"I can't guess the actions of a madman," Ye Luan said sarcastically. She continued, "He probably wants to be a father."
The doctor, who was putting away his medical kit, instructed, "Miss, you have a slight dull pain in your lower abdomen, and the fetal pulse is unstable. I will write a prescription for a few doses of medicine to stabilize the pregnancy. You must take it on time."
Ye Luan collected her thoughts and managed a weak smile. "Thank you, Doctor."
After the doctor left, she dismissed all the maids and wet nurses serving them. She reclined on the soft couch, lost in thought, her willow-like eyebrows tightly furrowed.
Lan Murou did not disturb her, sitting quietly beside her.
"By the way, do you still have the travel permit you hid with you?"
Hearing her question, Lan Murou quickly nodded. "Yes, I do. Have you decided what to do?"
Ye Luan straightened up. "Are they going to the palace tomorrow?"
"I heard Tantai Ye say they are going to play polo."
"Are you going?"
Lan Murou shook her head. "I'll stay here with you."
Relief washed over Ye Luan at her words. She leaned closer and whispered in Lan Murou's ear.
"Can... can this be done?"
"If the price is high enough, there's always a way."
Lan Murou said, "I'll try to find it." She paused. "A'luan, what do you plan to do about this child?"
Ye Luan's expression flickered. She lowered her gaze to her flat abdomen, her eyes holding an unreadable depth.
"If you want to leave, it will be inconvenient with a child."
Therefore, she needed to act quickly and could not delay any further.
"Xiao Chizhan's seed—"
But it was also her child.
Would she have to kill it herself?
----
Xiao Chizhan and Tantai Ye were discussing matters in the Hall of Governance when someone suddenly reported that a doctor had arrived and diagnosed Ye Luan with over a month of pregnancy.
Xiao Chizhan was stunned on the spot.
"You... what did you say?"
The doctor was brought in by Xue Ren and knelt on the ground, respectfully stating, "Congratulations, Your Highness. Miss Ye is with child."
With child?
"She's pregnant?"
"Yes."
Silence fell within the room.
Tantai Ye lazily took a sip of wine. "What's with that expression? With a child, she won't run away. Isn't that what you wanted?"
"I'm still so young. If I have a child and suffer from excessive bleeding, I could die."
The maiden's complaint echoed in his ears. Xiao Chizhan couldn't help but stand up and pace the hall.
His expression was grim, showing no sign of the joy of becoming a father.
"Stop pacing, you're making me dizzy."
Xiao Chizhan ignored him and fixed his sharp gaze on the doctor on the ground, his voice chilling. "Is her body capable of bearing a child?"
"Miss Ye's body is rather weak, and her fetal pulse is unstable. She needs proper conditioning."
"Unstable fetal pulse, are you implying she might not survive?"
The doctor was taken aback by his question. Giving birth is a perilous journey for any woman, and he couldn't say for sure at this point.
The man above him stared at him ominously, and the doctor's back began to sweat.
He quickly said, "Your Highness, this humble subject has already prescribed stabilizing medicine. After a few more doses and further examination, a conclusion cannot be made yet."
Xiao Chizhan frowned, kicked a stool on the ground, and suddenly asked, "Can women suffer from excessive bleeding after childbirth?"
"If the mother is frightened or injured, it is very possible for postpartum hemorrhage to occur."
Upon hearing the doctor's words, Xiao Chizhan's expression darkened further.
He paid no further attention to the people in the hall, directly grabbed a white cloak from the rack, lifted the beaded curtain, and strode out.
Returning to their chambers, he found Ye Luan reclining on the couch, her small, palm-sized face revealing no discernible expression.
"Your Highness is back. A'luan, I'll be going now."
Ye Luan said, "The road is slippery, be careful on your way."
"Alright."
Lan Murou got up and left.
Ye Luan held a book, ignoring the man who approached her.
"Why aren't you talking to me?"
The familiar male scent instantly enveloped her.
Ye Luan moved her book aside and asked him indifferently, "Are you going to lock me up here again?"
Xiao Chizhan leaned down to kiss her, his eyes calm. "The weather is getting colder outside. It's better for you to stay indoors than go out and catch a cold, isn't it?"
Such hypocrisy!
"Then I don't even have the right to go out?"
Ye Luan's voice softened, and she playfully glared at him.
But Xiao Chizhan avoided her question, his gaze sinking onto her stomach. His handsome, clean hands slowly reached out to touch it.
"It's really there?"
"Yes, the doctor examined me. It's been over a month."
After speaking, Ye Luan carefully studied his expression and said, "I'm pregnant, now you should believe me, right? Don't keep me confined."
"Do you want it?"
What did he mean by that?
Ye Luan couldn't help but step a few paces away from him. What was this lunatic thinking?
Seeing her flinch, Xiao Chizhan's face fell. He directly pulled her into his arms and had her sit on his lap.
"Why are you dodging?"
"It's your fault. Yesterday, you scared me."
She looked at him with a wronged expression, and Xiao Chizhan's heart trembled.
"You're scared?! You're always fearless."
Ye Luan pouted inwardly but feigned a pout outwardly. "Can you restrain yourself in the future? You'll scare the child."
He remained silent, stroking her pale little face. His expression was serene, and his pair of dark red eyes studied her intently, as if pondering something.
Ye Luan felt a chill run down her spine at his unusually serious gaze.
"What are you thinking about?"
Xiao Chizhan didn't answer. He called out to the outside, "Xue Ren, go find Qi Linzhou and tell him to bring people from the Imperial Hospital."
"Yes."
"Have the imperial physicians examine your body to see how you are."
Ye Luan nodded, but a sense of unease settled in her heart. He didn't seem happy at all; rather, it was as if he were burdened by many matters.