Bai Ze ignored her scolding and quickly found an imperial physician to examine her.
Chiyou was forcibly given a lot of medicinal soup. When Liu Rongruo learned of this, she immediately assigned her maids to guard her day and night.
She could feel that this maid, Fuling, knew martial arts.
And, she might be an assassin, with no small amount of skill.
Her anger made her dizzy. Looking at her own belly, she forced herself to calm down.
The news of Chiyou's pregnancy spread instantly throughout the Liu mansion. The chatter was incessant, with everyone saying something different.
Upon hearing the news, the old madam brought her entire family to the main courtyard to see. Liu Rongruo turned them all away.
But the old madam was overjoyed. Since she couldn't see the person, she summoned the imperial physician again and asked detailed questions. Learning that she had been frightened, she immediately sent many tonics and prayed to the gods, begging for the safety of mother and child.
The entire Liu mansion was bustling with activity, even delaying the important matter of marriage.
Madam Liu feared the Qin family would be displeased and wanted to move the wedding forward.
After all, it was inappropriate for him to have a concubine's son before marrying his main wife.
However, the old madam did not care about these matters. Whoever could give birth to the eldest son first would be a great contributor to their Liu family.
Liu Rongruo was no longer young, and for so many years, he had refused to marry and have children. They had sent countless women of good character, but there were no reports of pregnancy. She had once thought that the legitimate eldest grandson had some hidden ailment.
Now, it was finally good. It was as if auspicious smoke had risen from their ancestral graves, fulfilling her old lady's wish to hold her great-grandchild.
The more the old madam thought about it, the more excited she became. She immediately decided to take Madam Liu to the temple to pray.
While some rejoiced, others worried. The concubines in the back courtyard heard the news and felt as if the sky had fallen. They had entered the mansion before that woman, yet they couldn't even meet the Prime Minister. This woman had only been in the mansion for a short time and had already become pregnant.
Some were jealous and immediately spread the news to the Qin mansion.
When Qin Yunshang learned that Chiyou was pregnant, her face contorted with anger. With a roar, she grabbed the red-glazed phoenix-tailed vase from the table and smashed it into pieces.
The maids standing on either side trembled in fear, all kneeling respectfully on the ground with their heads bowed.
"A saintess from a defeated nation dares to compete with me? Senior Brother has been blinded by beauty."
Madam Qin entered just as she heard the sound of ceramic vases shattering in the room. She quickly pushed open the door.
"Yunshang, what are you doing?"
"Mother--"
Seeing her own mother, Qin Yunshang was filled with grievances and immediately rushed to her.
Madam Qin also heard the news. She hugged her sympathetically and listened to her angry accusations before pulling her to sit down.
"Listen to your mother. That is merely a concubine's son, he will not amount to much. You and Prime Minister Liu have a master-disciple relationship, and our Qin family and the Liu family are old acquaintances. As long as you behave yourself and do not harbor any wicked thoughts, Prime Minister Liu will not treat you unfairly."
Qin Yunshang found these words somewhat amusing.
She knew very well that her Senior Brother did not like her at all. It was simply that he had reached the age to marry and had agreed to the engagement to comply with his family's arrangements. Due to his master's influence, he was still gentle towards her.
But she knew that her Senior Brother was a fundamentally cold-hearted person. Just look at the concubines in his mansion; he had never touched them. He merely kept them to appease the old madam, a pity that those women would have their lives buried in the desolate graves of the back courtyard.
"Furthermore, our Daliang strictly distinguishes between legitimate and concubine-born children. If you marry in and give birth to a legitimate son early, no one will dare to neglect you. You truly have no need to create a rift with Prime Minister Liu over a woman from another country."
Qin Yunshang could not listen to these words at this moment. She understood her Senior Brother's nature. If he truly developed feelings, he would not care about so much.
"Did you hear?"
Qin Yunshang nodded in silence, contemplating other thoughts in her mind.
Madam Qin, knowing her daughter's little thoughts, took her hand and said directly.
"Yunshang, you are the legitimate daughter of a noble family. From childhood, you have studied household management. Those petty jealous behaviors are not presentable. Taking charge of the household and giving birth to a legitimate son to secure the position of matriarch is what you should do."
Qin Yunshang lowered her head, her expression unreadable.
Madam Qin held her hand tightly and taught her, "Mother tells you, the sudden death of the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace was no accident. The King of Dingbei is ambitious and a rebellious minister. Once he usurps the throne, the noble families will be the first to suffer."
"In today's world, the powerful clan aristocrats are prevalent. The King of Dingbei, finding an excuse, has been suppressing the noble families with all his might. The prominent families of Hedong Commandery and the Li clan of Longxi have all been annihilated."
"Now, in Shangjing, only the Tantai clan's prestige remains. Our Qin family's ancestors originated from the Qin clan of Fanyang. They are also suppressed in the current court. Your cousin, who holds the position of Minister of Justice, was forcibly reassigned. Marrying Prime Minister Liu is a contribution to the family; it is your responsibility and your duty as a noble lady of high status."
Qin Yunshang had been instilled with these ideas since childhood. Later, she went to study at a master's school, and her demeanor gradually became more assertive.
Now, hearing this, she felt a sense of daze.
An unavoidable arranged marriage, an inescapable fetter of fate.
She perhaps should be grateful that her family had chosen someone she loved, but she was so unwilling.
She had a premonition that that woman would become her obstacle.
Madam Qin looked at her a few times, saw through her thoughts, and her face turned cold. She stood up.
"Yunshang, mother reminds you, the interests of the noble families come first. It was for your own good that I worked hard to arrange this marriage with the Liu family. If you have wicked thoughts and cannot marry into the Liu mansion, the clan will select a suitable noble family for you to marry."
"A few days ago, people from the Xiao clan of Lanling came to the mansion, intending to form an alliance. It was Xiao Lin from a collateral branch of the Xiao family. The King of Dingbei originated from the collateral branch of the Xiao family. Out of respect for the main family, you yourself should think carefully."
With that, she turned to leave. But hearing her daughter's sobbing behind her, she couldn't help but soften her heart and turn back.
"You met three years ago. Can you possibly fancy such a spineless person who lives by clinging to their family's reputation?"
Qin Yunshang lowered her head and did not speak.
How could she possibly fancy him? She was the legitimate daughter of the Qin family. How could she marry the legitimate son of a collateral branch? There were hundreds of collateral branch members like Xiao Lin in the Xiao clan.
If she were to marry, she would have to marry a noble son of the main branch family.
Madam Qin walked closer and said earnestly.
"Yunshang, those who serve with their beauty, their beauty fades and their love wanes. When love wanes, affection is severed. For us women, the most important things are the family's support and having legitimate children by our side. She, a saintess from an enemy country, once she loses favor, will find it extremely difficult to survive in Daliang."
"Do not do anything foolish and ruin your own marriage. Did you hear me?"
Qin Yunshang hugged her mother's arm and nodded with her eyebrows lowered.
Madam Qin, seeing this, patted her back comfortingly.
The autumn sunlight shone through the window, and the cicadas outside chirped incessantly.
Chiyou lay on the soft couch, had broken off a flower, and listlessly drank a bowl of lotus seed soup. The lotus seeds were sweet and soft, boiled with milky white broth. A spoonful entered her mouth, sweet and delicious.
However, after becoming pregnant, she had severe reactions and would easily gag.
After only a few bites, she began to vomit.
When Liu Rongruo walked in, he saw her gagging with a water basin.
Chiyou heard the rustling sound but did not react, merely continuing to vomit.
"My Lord."
Fuling saw the person entering and bowed.
"You may go."