Free Web NovelChapter 51: Chapter 51: Childbearing Pill, a Direct Hit
Ji Qingwu knew what was really going on.
The date for her follow-up appointment hadn’t arrived yet. This was just an excuse to help her out of a jam.
Li Chengxun didn’t know about Princess Qingyun falling into the water last night. Clearly, the news had been suppressed and hadn’t spread outside the palace yet.
For anyone outside the palace to know she had spent the night in Zhaoyang Hall, they must have an informant within its walls.
’But spying on the Emperor’s movements is a capital offense. Who would dare do such a thing?’
The answer was obvious.
Ji Qingwu blinked, not pointing it out. She smiled and said, "I’m afraid I’m not very perceptive."
Princess Hua Chang’s cool gaze fell upon her face. While not a peerless beauty, her eyes shone like lustrous pearls and glowed like fine jade.
’Even I want to take a second look. No wonder the Emperor has broken the rules for her time and again.’
’When has the daughter of an official ever been allowed to stay overnight in Zhaoyang Hall?’
’If those old fossils in the Imperial Censorate found out, they’d surely give Emperor Wu Su a righteous earful for days on end.’
Princess Hua Chang’s gaze lingered on Ji Qingwu’s fair neck.
She seemed to be searching for some sort of mark before her eyes slid down to the slender waist that could be spanned by a single hand.
As they walked, she saw nothing amiss with Ji Qingwu’s posture.
’That’s not right...’
Seeing the Eldest Princess’s delicate brows furrow, Ji Qingwu asked, "Are you not feeling well, Your Highness?"
But Princess Hua Chang simply asked her the same question, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Ji Qingwu shook her head, puzzled. "No. You arrived just in time, so I haven’t been punished yet."
A strange glint appeared in the princess’s eyes, but it vanished just as quickly.
Although the follow-up appointment was a sham, they had to see the act through. So, Ji Qingwu followed Princess Hua Chang to the Princess Mansion.
This time, Ji Qingwu was allowed into the main residence, and she didn’t run into Wei Chi Lianping along the way. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
The walls of the room were entirely covered in white brocade dotted with golden flowers.
Bed curtains, embroidered with gold and silver threads depicting a scene of a peony banquet at night, enclosed an exquisitely carved, jade-inlaid canopy bed. With its brocade quilts and embroidered covers, the room was the very picture of elegance.
But jarringly out of place with the room’s decor was a vividly striped tiger pelt draped over a long bench, creating a stark visual contrast.
It was, without a doubt, the Prince Consort’s brawny contribution to the decor.
’And yet, the Eldest Princess was willing to keep it in her room...’
"Have a seat."
Princess Hua Chang leaned back leisurely on a chaise lounge. She had woken up too early and was feeling a bit drowsy.
"I called you here for another reason."
Slightly surprised, Ji Qingwu waited for her to continue.
The other maids in the room had withdrawn, leaving only the personal attendant from their last meeting.
In a tone as casual as if she were asking about the weather, Princess Hua Chang said lightly, "I wanted to ask if you know of any methods to become pregnant quickly."
Ji Qingwu was quite surprised. The last time she saw the Eldest Princess, she hadn’t seemed concerned about having children and was content to let nature take its course.
’What could have changed her mind so drastically in just a few days?’
"The Prince Consort is departing for the Northern Border Army in a little over half a month," Princess Hua Chang said quietly.
Wei Chi Lianping had been training soldiers at the grounds on the outskirts of the city for the past few days. His military duties were heavy, leaving him no time to bother her.
And his date of return was unknown.
Ji Qingwu nodded in understanding. "There are ways. In a few days, you will be in your most fertile period, Princess. Both you and the Prince Consort are healthy. If you spend these next few days together, you should be able to conceive successfully."
She added a reminder, "However, it’s common for women to have trouble conceiving due to excessive stress. Good physical health and a relaxed state of mind—both are essential."
Princess Hua Chang shook her head gently. "Besides that, is there a more surefire method?"
’More surefire? A guaranteed success on the first try?’
Ji Qingwu lowered her gaze, thinking. It wasn’t that such a method didn’t exist.
Once, the eldest son of a wealthy merchant was gravely ill and on the verge of death. To ensure his family line would continue, his family had come to her to purchase a childbearing pill.
But this childbearing pill had side effects; it would cause a dying person’s body to deteriorate rapidly.
Ji Qingwu spoke frankly. "Eldest Princess, there is such a method. We could use a childbearing pill, but it would be detrimental to the Prince Consort’s health."
’Then again,’ she thought, ’considering Wei Chi Lianping’s brawny, bear-like physique, he’d probably recover after just a few days of rest.’
But Princess Hua Chang said without a moment’s hesitation, "The childbearing pill is out of the question."
On the battlefield, blades have no eyes. The slightest impairment could be fatal. A medicine that potent would surely leave behind too many hidden risks.
Her gaze shifted. "I heard your late husband also served in the army. How did you conceive your daughter?"
Ji Qingwu quickly explained, as if to prove her innocence, "I didn’t use a childbearing pill! I really didn’t."
"It was... it was a natural conception..."
Watching her touch her ear one moment and scratch her neck the next, Princess Hua Chang knew she was lying, but didn’t call her out on it.
’I was trying to tell her not to hold back any secrets, not accuse her of giving a childbearing pill to her late husband.’
Princess Hua Chang sighed softly. "Is my marital fate with him truly so shallow?"
Her brow furrowed slightly, and a faint sigh escaped her lips. Her voice was like an autumn breeze, laced with helplessness and sorrow.
Ji Qingwu couldn’t bear to see the ethereal Eldest Princess looking so melancholic.
She wracked her brain, then said, "I have one more idea."
But it was difficult to broach the subject.
Before she could even speak, Ji Qingwu’s face flushed beet red. She then stammered as she leaned close to the Eldest Princess’s ear.
After listening, Princess Hua Chang’s expression remained unchanged.
After a moment, she finally said, "I understand. You may leave." After Ji Qingwu had gone, the hand that was gripping the brocade of the chaise lounge clenched tightly.
Leaving the Princess Mansion, Ji Qingwu patted her chest. ’I hope that method works,’ she prayed.
On the way back to the Ji Mansion, the streets were bustling with people, and food vendors of all kinds lined the way.
She passed a small stall where clean ceramic bowls were stacked. Fragrant steam billowed from a stove.
Ji Qingwu took a sniff: the aroma of wheat, savory butter, peppercorns, and fermented black beans.
Layers of braised meat were folded into a dough, which was then kneaded into a flatbread. A bit of chili and fermented black beans were added between the layers, enriched with savory shortening, then baked to perfection in the stove.
Ji Qingwu had been busy all morning, and her stomach was empty.
The little stall was popular, so she shared a table with a young couple and ordered the house specialty flatbread with a bowl of soup.
After eating half of it, a pleasant warmth spread through her stomach.
She glanced up and saw the young couple across from her, affectionately pushing the other half of their flatbread toward each other, each insisting the other eat it.
Suddenly, the flatbread in Ji Qingwu’s mouth seemed to lose all its flavor.
She had been lucky the Eldest Princess arrived in time to save her from being forced to kneel in punishment. But somehow, her heart ached more now than if she had actually been punished.
She had finally managed to stand her ground for once, only to realize she had completely misjudged him.
She had no desire to curry favor with the rich and powerful, but what could she do when others were all too willing to bow and scrape before authority?
Ji Qingwu held her bowl, lost in her melancholic thoughts.
The stall’s owner, a woman with a mature charm, brought over a small saucer.
"Here, miss, try some of this."
The saucer held some purplish-red strips of something she didn’t recognize. The young couple across from her pouted. "Yu Niang, how come you didn’t give us any?"
The couple were regulars. Yu Niang shot them a sidelong glance and said, "You two are already sweet enough on each other to be dripping honey. You don’t need a little side dish to whet your appetites."
"Ma’am, clear a table over here!" another group of five or six men called out as they arrived.
Yu Niang pulled a rag from her apron and called out, "Coming!"
Ji Qingwu picked up a strip and took a small bite. It had a sweet and sour plum flavor, but the texture was crisp and refreshing, like winter melon or something similar.
The group of men sat down at a table not far from her.
But their boisterous conversation made Ji Qingwu’s chopsticks freeze in mid-air.
