After a morning of commotion, Wang Qingyao was hungry and had no interest in returning to the Grand Auspicious Temple to play.
Xiao Yun took her to the Apricot Blossom Tower for a meal. When they went to retrieve the carriage, they happened to see a group of soldiers escorting Liu Lao Liu and his companions out of the Grand Auspicious Temple.
Wang Qingyao exclaimed, "The police are fast."
Yuan Bao, having dealt with Xiao Shitong, soon rejoined them.
As soon as they alighted from the carriage at the Apricot Blossom Tower, someone greeted Xiao Yun, "Ah Yun, what a coincidence."
It was Fang Zheng, the grandson of Duke Zhongyong, Xiao Yun's cousin, who had eavesdropped with Xiao Yun last time. Seeing Xiao Yun and Wang Qingyao together, his gaze held a knowing glint. "Miss Wang is here too."
Wang Qingyao greeted him.
Beside him stood a beautiful woman, around twenty-two or twenty-three years old, dressed as a married woman, yet with a naive and childlike air.
Xiao Yun said, "Cousin-in-law."
Madam Fang smiled and pulled Wang Qingyao to her side. "You must be Miss Wang. I've heard so much about you. Are you here to eat too? Why don't we share a table?"
A beauty's invitation was hard to refuse.
Wang Qingyao affectionately linked arms with Madam Fang. "Of course, Sister."
The four entered a private room. Xiao Yun was very familiar with the Apricot Blossom Tower and knew all the best dishes. While he and Fang Zheng ordered, Wang Qingyao and Madam Fang stood by the window, chatting and admiring the scenery.
Madam Fang's given name was Zuo Yun. Despite being married, she was still as fond of excitement and gossip as a young girl.
"Hey, did you know? Today, someone won a thousand taels of silver at a gambling stall in the Grand Auspicious Temple. And it was a young lady! But later, the stall owner was arrested. I wonder what happened?"
Wang Qingyao instinctively exchanged a glance with Xiao Yun. Fang Zheng, being sharp, guessed immediately, "Could that person be Miss Wang?"
Wang Qingyao chuckled, "It was indeed I."
Zuo Yun became excited. "It was Miss Wang! How did you do it? That's amazing."
Wang Qingyao humbly replied, "Just good luck, good luck."
Zuo Yun pestered her for secrets. Wang Qingyao relied entirely on her clairvoyance; she had no secrets. She quickly recounted Liu Lao Liu's attempt to assassinate them. Zuo Yun stopped pressing for secrets and joined her in denouncing Liu Lao Liu.
Truly a simple girl.
The two hit it off immediately, and their conversation soon led to them calling each other "Yaoyao" and "Sister Yun."
"I went to the Grand Auspicious Temple today to pray for a child," Zuo Yun whispered. "My husband and I have been married for three years, and we haven't had any children."
Speaking of offspring, a shadow of worry crossed Zuo Yun's face.
Fortunately, her in-laws and husband treated her very well. Even though she had no children, no one had brought any unwanted women into the household, and no one had ever mentioned taking concubines.
However, the better they treated her, the more she felt she had let them down.
When Wang Qingyao heard her mention praying for a child, her eyes involuntarily fell on Zuo Yun's abdomen. Looking further inside, she saw an inverted pear shape, her uterus. Within it was a small figure, stretching its limbs, rolling, and yawning, quite adorable.
Upon closer inspection, the little figure pressed against the uterine wall and transformed into a blood clot.
"Yaoyao? Yaoyao?"
Wang Qingyao snapped back to attention, her gaze falling on Zuo Yun's face. A jolt of realization struck her.
"Sister Yun, you seem to be pregnant."
"Ah?" Not only Zuo Yun, but Fang Zheng and Xiao Yun were also stunned.
Fang Zheng stood up, his brow furrowed. "Miss Wang, you mustn't speak carelessly."
Wang Qingyao met his gaze firmly. "I am not speaking carelessly. If you don't believe me, you can find a doctor. However, it's still early, so you'll need a skilled doctor, not an ordinary one."
Her earnestness made Zuo Yun and Fang Zheng begin to doubt themselves.
Xiao Yun also stood up and exchanged a look with her. "Did you sense it?"
Wang Qingyao replied with her eyes, "Yes."
"You can sense this?"
"Everything can be sensed."
Fang Zheng couldn't bear to watch. "We're all watching, stop making faces at each other."
Xiao Yun had unwavering faith in Wang Qingyao's "sensing" abilities. Disregarding Fang Zheng's disdain, he said seriously, "Miss Wang has studied medicine. Cousin and Cousin-in-law should quickly find a doctor." He paused. "Actually, I'll have someone take my name card to the palace and invite Imperial Physician Lu."
Imperial Physician Lu was a seasoned imperial doctor, renowned for his expertise in gynecology and specifically for attending to pregnant consorts.
Wang Qingyao pressed her forehead. Her claim had gone from having studied medicine to being skilled in it, the lie growing larger.
Zuo Yun hesitated. "But this morning, Granny Yu just took my pulse, and she didn't detect anything."
Wang Qingyao asked, "May I ask who this Granny Yu is?"
Fang Zheng explained, "Granny Yu is an elder by my mother's side. She was a physician before and is skilled in gynecology, especially with childbirth. So, my mother placed her in our courtyard to help Yun'er regulate her body."
Wang Qingyao asked again, "May I ask another question, your birth mother?"
Xiao Yun interjected, "No, his stepmother."
Fang Zheng understood her implication. However, his stepmother had been married into the family for over ten years, always acting with propriety, managing the Duke's mansion's affairs diligently, and treating him as her own. She had even once saved his life at great risk.
He had never doubted her.
He exchanged a look with Zuo Yun. Zuo Yun seemed swayed. "Perhaps we should have Imperial Physician Lu examine her first?"
Imperial Physician Lu was invited directly to the Prince of Ding'an's mansion. Wang Qingyao and the other three hastily finished their lunch. Fang Zheng and Zuo Yun went to the Prince of Ding'an's mansion first, while Xiao Yun escorted Wang Qingyao back to her residence.
This was despite Wang Qingyao repeatedly stating that she could go home by herself.
"How can one invite a lady out and then let her go home alone?"
If he truly had gentlemanly manners, Wang Qingyao let him have his way.
In the carriage, Xiao Yun pondered for a long time before saying to Wang Qingyao, "Miss Wang, if you are unwilling, I can petition the Emperor and Empress Dowager to annul the engagement."
Wang Qingyao blinked in surprise. Had she done something to make Xiao Yun misunderstand her unwillingness?
"I am willing," she said.
"Don't think about your family. Think only of yourself."
"I am willing."
"I know you are not highly regarded in the Wang family and are often constrained in your actions. I..."
"Slap!" Wang Qingyao slammed her palm on the small table, glaring at Xiao Yun, and gritted her teeth, "Are you looking down on me?"
Xiao Yun looked at her, his eyes filled with both tenderness and sorrow. "How dare I look down on anyone? I am a man destined to die before twenty-five. I fear I would only ruin your youth."
This was the first time he had spoken to Wang Qingyao about the curse upon him.
"My great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all died at twenty-five. My great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother became widows at a young age, slowly aging from vibrant young women into old ladies, their eyes devoid of light..."
The atmosphere in the carriage became heavy and melancholic. Wang Qingyao looked at Xiao Yun and reached out to pat his shoulder.
Just as Xiao Yun expected her to say something sentimental, she spoke.