Liu Xijiao stared in disbelief at the man’s retreating figure, unable to process what had just happened.
“Only care for one person?” He was the Crown Prince, soon to be the emperor. Had he gone mad to say such a thing?
When her eyes met Juye’s mocking expression, she suddenly flared up in anger. “What are you looking at? What else can this woman do besides pretending?”
Juye smiled faintly. “Even if our princess is pretending, the Crown Prince still favors her and is willing to believe her.”
Liu Xijiao’s face turned green with rage, nearly choking on her anger.
……
Di Ronghua patted her chest a few times, feeling much better now.
The man’s steps were steady, and she looked up at his tense jaw, her eyes flickering. “Your claim to the throne is already questionable. At a time like this, you still humiliate the chancellor in front of me. Aren’t you afraid he’ll conspire with the other officials to undermine you behind your back?”
The man glanced at her. “Are you worried about me?”
Di Ronghua pressed her lips together, and his expression suddenly turned stern. “If not, then shut up. Don’t shake your head.”
Di Ronghua, “……”
She couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.
Xiao Hanjin carried her back to the Longyin Palace and placed her on the bed. His handsome face was tense with worry as he solemnly checked her pulse.
Di Ronghua said indifferently, “It’s probably nothing serious.”
The man’s hand paused, and he instinctively looked up at her.
Di Ronghua narrowed her eyes. “What? Am I really sick?”
Xiao Hanjin’s gaze flickered. “It’s just a stomachache and some indigestion.” He paused. “You’ll be fine after some rest.”
“Oh…”
She suddenly said, “Xiao Hanjin, if I went out right now and found any imperial physician, would his diagnosis be the same as yours?”
The man’s expression changed abruptly, his displeasure evident. “Di Ronghua, are you doubting me even when I’m checking your pulse?”
Di Ronghua scoffed. “You’re not exactly a good person. Can’t I have reasonable suspicions?”
Xiao Hanjin, “……”
She slowly straightened up and got off the bed. “Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll go find an imperial physician myself.”
“Ronghua.”
The man suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind. When she looked down, she could even see the veins bulging on his knuckles.
“You’re pregnant.”
Di Ronghua’s pupils contracted, and her body froze. “…What did you say?”
The man’s body pressed tightly against hers, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tension and hoarseness. “You’re pregnant.”
Her body trembled, and she abruptly knocked his hand away, turning to look at him in disbelief. “Xiao Hanjin.” She had only thought his expression was off earlier, assuming she had some incurable illness. But now… he was telling her she was pregnant?
Di Ronghua laughed in anger. “Do you think saying this will make me change my mind?”
The man’s eyes darkened. “I didn’t think that.”
“Then do you take me for a fool, trying to deceive me with such a stupid lie?”
“Ronghua.” The man’s deep eyes locked onto hers, his words deliberate. “I’m not lying to you.”
“Then how could I possibly be pregnant?” she shouted in fury. “A month ago, you had Mu Qingshuang personally bring me contraceptive medicine. Have you forgotten?”
Xiao Hanjin’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he let out a sudden laugh, though his voice carried a faint self-mockery. “Even if I hadn’t asked her to bring it to you, wouldn’t you have taken it anyway?”
Di Ronghua’s breath hitched, and she almost instantly understood what he meant, staring at him in disbelief.
Even if he hadn’t given it to her, she would have taken it. And if he had given it to her, she might have even checked its authenticity before drinking it.
But he had asked Mu Qingshuang to deliver it—after that incident, with a subtle hint of humiliation. She wouldn’t have thought to question whether the contraceptive medicine was real or fake.
And he had counted on that, deliberately sending Mu Qingshuang to give her… fake medicine.
Di Ronghua’s lips moved, and the man’s low, hoarse voice spoke again. “We’re going to have a child, Princess… Though you probably don’t want to hear me say this, I’m truly happy.”
