"Please tell the Master I apologize," Qi Zhenzhen called out to Qi Xuanxuan.
Qi Xuanxuan looked puzzled.
"I was a bit heated just now and said some unpleasant things," Qi Zhenzhen said sheepishly, unsure what had come over her.
Qi Xuanxuan nodded. "The Master is magnanimous; he surely won't take it to heart."
With that, she walked away cheerfully, carrying her small bamboo basket.
Not long after, Qi Xuanxuan returned with a strange expression.
"Second Sister, do you feel unwell in any way?" Qi Xuanxuan examined Qi Zhenzhen from head to toe, asking with confusion.
Unwell?
She didn't feel unwell at all.
"Master Yuan Jue said he wants you to ask the temple's monk physician to check your pulse."
She could eat, sleep, practice martial arts, and her mood was decent. Why would she need her pulse checked?
However, Yuan Jue wouldn't likely tease her. Could it be that he had seen through her hidden ailment?
Qi Zhenzhen's mind raced with possibilities. Ancient medical conditions weren't as advanced. What if she had an incurable disease? She couldn't panic. With Luo Wanqing around, there shouldn't be any problem, right? But Luo Wanqing wasn't in the capital now. Sending a letter and waiting for her arrival would take a long time.
Could she hold on until she arrived?
Seeing Qi Zhenzhen's pale face, Qi Xuanxuan instinctively assumed she was ill. Otherwise, why would the Master ask her to remind her sister to call for the monk physician?
"Second Sister, you should rest. I'll go fetch the monk physician," she said, lifting her skirt and hurrying out.
Soon, Qi Xuanxuan returned with the monk physician.
"Is Madam Gu feeling unwell?" the monk physician asked.
"My Second Sister's face is a bit pale. Master Yuan Jue said to ask you to come and take a look," Qi Xuanxuan said quickly.
The monk physician's expression turned serious. If the Master said so, Madam Gu must indeed be unwell.
The monk physician held his breath, placing his fingers on Qi Zhenzhen's wrist. He pressed once, frowning, then pressed again, frowning deeper.
This made Qi Zhenzhen and Qi Xuanxuan hold their breath. It was over. Was the illness very serious? Was there still hope? Could she last until Luo Wanqing arrived in the capital? Could she be this unlucky? To die so young? Or did Heaven feel that Yun Shi and Yi Ge'er could protect themselves, and she was no longer needed?
That couldn't be right. Didn't Yuan Jue just say she had a karmic connection with A Nian? Could their connection only be marriage?
Many thoughts flashed through Qi Zhenzhen's mind, finally coalescing into one sentence: "Heaven, are you playing with me?"
"Madam Gu, please offer your other hand," the monk physician said.
Qi Zhenzhen mechanically extended her other hand. "Master, am I beyond saving?"
The monk physician did not answer. He continued to take her pulse with great concentration. After a long while, he withdrew his hand and then spoke with a solemn expression, "Madam Gu, for the next two months, you must take good care of your health. You cannot lift heavy objects, you cannot practice martial arts, and it is best if you rest in bed."
It had become so serious that she needed to rest in bed.
Qi Zhenzhen's heart sank to the bottom. It was so serious that she needed to rest in bed.
Perhaps even Luo Wanqing couldn't save her now.
She wondered if she could see A Nian one last time before she died. If she could, she would definitely reveal her origins to him completely.
The monk physician continued to say a lot more, but Qi Zhenzhen didn't hear any of it.
"Finally, congratulations, Madam Gu, you are with child," the monk physician said with his palms pressed together, very solemnly.
Qi Zhenzhen, lost in her sorrow, didn't react at all. She was even wondering if the monk physician's mind had become addled from being a monk for too long. She was about to die, and he was congratulating her?
Qi Xuanxuan heard it clearly. Her Second Sister was going to have a baby? That was wonderful! This was truly great news! Grandmother Yun Shi and Father would surely be overjoyed. She should quickly send someone back to the manor to deliver the news. It wasn't convenient to stay in the temple while pregnant, was it? Should she discuss with her brother-in-law's mother and pack up to return quickly?