Her Pregnancy Shows

"I'm pregnant? The Physician didn't mistake my pulse?"

The Physician said confidently, "Your Princess Consort, please rest assured. I have examined countless pregnant women's pulses; I cannot be wrong."

He spoke with such conviction; he was clearly an experienced physician.

Lin Yunwan lowered her head and touched her stomach, which was still perfectly flat.

After seeing the physician off, the two maids entered very quietly, afraid of disturbing Lin Yunwan.

Cuiqin asked softly, "... Your Princess Consort, should we send someone to inform the Prince?"

Lin Yunwan said, "No rush."

This was her first pregnancy, and the feeling was strange; she wanted to tell Qi Lingheng, yet she didn't want to.

"Didn't the Physician say that the pregnancy only stabilizes after the first three months? Let's wait until it's stable before making any decisions."

Lin Yunwan specifically instructed them, "None of you should mention this matter for now."

The two maids took it to heart, and when Qi Lingheng returned, they didn't mention the happy news.

Qi Lingheng was too busy. He came back, visited Lin Yunwan, had a meal, and then left.

He also failed to notice that when he tried to be intimate, Lin Yunwan refused, saying, "Your Prince rarely returns; please rest for a while!"

He thought she was just worried about him being tired.

"I heard it's colder in the surrounding counties of Yulin than here, so don't think that just because the weather is getting warmer you can wear fewer clothes."

Lin Yunwan went to find him some thick cloaks and put them in the trunk.

Watching her busy at work, Qi Lingheng suddenly felt a strong liking for the Prince's Mansion and their home.

As Lin Yunwan packed his things, she kept giving him instructions.

She looked up and saw Qi Lingheng smiling at her.

"What are you laughing at, Your Prince?"

Lin Yunwan personally closed the trunk and ordered people to carry it out and place it on the carriage that Qi Lingheng was traveling with.

"I wasn't laughing at anything, I just felt... at peace with you in the Prince's mansion."

Qi Lingheng stood up and smiled.

Lin Yunwan tied a cloak around his neck and said with a faint smile, "It seems the matter of repairing the river embankment in Yulin is quite troublesome? Even Your Prince is thinking of home."

I've always missed home.

Qi Lingheng suddenly hugged her tightly, reluctant to leave.

What kind of incense is being burned?

Lin Yunwan said, "There's no incense used; it smells like Buddha's hand citron."

She pointed to the Buddha's hand citron displayed in the room. Because they were placed far away, the fragrance was sometimes near and sometimes far, so it wasn't immediately obvious that it was their scent.

Qi Lingheng finally let go.

He casually mentioned to her, "The river embankment and weirs are easy to repair; there's plenty of good materials and skilled workers. The difficulty lies in dealing with the officials inside."

The officials in the Imperial Court were deeply entrenched in their own networks, and the money spent on river channels and embankments was siphoned off at each level, leaving very little actually used for actual work.

Lin Yunwan understood all of this.

When the Prince first arrives in Jiangqian, it won't be so easy for him to get things done.

She nodded. "You may go."

"They're gone."

Qi Lingheng patted her shoulder, telling her not to see him off; it was still windy outside, and he didn't want her to catch a cold.

"Princess Consort?"

Cuiqin came in to change the tea and saw Lin Yunwan lost in thought, so she asked, "Are you worried about the Prince's official duties?"

Thinking of the child in her womb, Lin Yunwan paused and said, "Let's not cause trouble for the Prince."

She picked up the scissors, casually cut out a flower pattern for a child, and said, "Go get my embroidery hoop."

I want to make bibs and tiger-head shoes for my child with peace of mind.

Half a month later, Qi Lingheng returned, travel-worn, only to discover that Lin Yunwan was different from before.

He placed a piece of meat on her plate, but she didn't touch it much.

He didn't say anything immediately. After they finished eating, he pulled her into his arms and jokingly interrogated her, "What's wrong with you? You're not wearing perfume or makeup, and now you're even picky about what you eat."

Lin Yunwan didn't want to sit in his lap.

Qi Lingheng tightened his arms around her, preventing her from moving, and asked in a low voice, "... Do you know what I've seen and experienced in the past two weeks?"

"Your Princess Consort, behave yourself."

Lin Yunwan stopped struggling and asked with a smile, "Then what do you think is going on, Your Prince?"

Qi Lingheng shook his head. "How would I know?"

After the couple had been practicing Tai Chi for a while, Lin Yunwan suddenly said, "I'm pregnant."

Qi Lingheng was stunned for a moment before bursting with joy. "You have a child?"

"Um."

Lin Yunwan said with mixed feelings of joy and worry, "It's only been less than three months. I originally planned to wait until three months to tell you."

Judging from his sharp eyes, he won't wait three months.

Qi Lingheng released her hand and touched her lower abdomen, not daring to use too much force for fear of pressing on the baby.

No wonder...

He quickly remembered that the last time he came back, she wouldn't let him touch her.

Qi Lingheng hugged her again and whispered, "Yun Wan, you should have told me sooner."

"I want to know about these things as soon as possible in the future."

Lin Yunwan paused for a moment, then gave a soft "hmm".

I slept without any dreams.

We didn't call for water again that night.

"Your Prince, are you going out again?"

After having breakfast, the couple went for a walk in the Garden.

Qi Lingheng said there was no need to go for half a month anymore, Lin Yunwan then brought up Xiruo's marriage to him.

"I sent someone to inquire about him; he's a good person, just a bit rigid. But his character would make him a very good husband."

Upon hearing that he was the youngest son of Commander Wei, Qi Lingheng remarked, "He and Xiruo are a good match."

He took charge, saying, "Xiruo is not young anymore, so let's not delay and get things done for her as soon as possible."

Lin Yunwan nodded and gave the instructions, but in the end, she personally oversaw the process.

She didn't mistreat Xiruo; she provided her with a decent house and a generous dowry, and married Xiruo off in June.

The couple spent some time together at home, and Lin Yunwan's belly grew bigger day by day.

"Watch out, there's a threshold here."

Qi Lingheng couldn't resist hugging Lin Yunwan as they crossed the threshold.

Lin Yunwan pushed him away, smiling as she said, "I can still lift my legs."

With my belly sticking out, I sometimes really can't see the road ahead.

The two walked in the Flower Garden for a while, and then Cuiqin came over and said, "Your Princess Consort, Madam Dong has arrived."

After Dong Shuangshuang finished her postpartum confinement and recovered, she would occasionally bring her Little Miss over to talk to Lin Yunwan and keep her company.

Knowing that women tend to share intimate conversations, Qi Lingheng said, "I'll take you back; I also need to go out and meet a few people."

Lin Yunwan nodded and returned to her Courtyard. Qi Lingheng, to avoid suspicion, did not go to see Dong Shuangshuang and went directly to his study.

"Shuangshuang, now that you're out, who will take care of the boy?"

When she came last time, she mentioned that her mother-in-law still couldn't resist trying to take the child away.

Dong Shuangshuang said, "My mother-in-law took the boy back again, but we agreed that when he's at my home, he must be raised by me."

She said firmly, "I told my mother-in-law that the Princess Consort also likes our son very much, so she wouldn't dare to take him away and not send him back."

Lin Yunwan was very pleased.

She didn't mind Dong Shuangshuang using her influence, but she was afraid that Dong Shuangshuang was too weak and would always be manipulated by her mother-in-law.

How's your pharmacy doing?

Lin Yunwan got down to business.

The Lu family runs a pharmacy business, with several skilled managers who are adept at running their clinics.

Dong Shuangshuang said, "Your Princess Consort, I've instructed them to buy as many of the medicines as possible. We've basically bought all the ones available from the surrounding prefectures of Jiangqian."

Since becoming pregnant, she has started learning how to manage a household and handle business matters.

Now he has a lot of influence in the Lu family.

For the sake of her Old Madam Lu dared not disobey her daughter-in-law.

Dong Shuangshuang was very puzzled. "Your Princess Consort, those are all medicinal herbs for treating the plague, why do you want to collect them?"

Lin Yunwan thought for a moment before saying, "The counties surrounding Yulin suffer from floods every year... I'm afraid we might need it."

Dong Shuangshuang said, "Wasn't the river embankment repaired a long time ago? Nothing happened last year, so nothing should happen this year either!"

Lin Yunwan smiled faintly, "I hope so."

No sooner had they finished speaking than it rained heavily the next day, lasting for half a month, making everyone uneasy.

Just as the celestial signs indicate, this is likely to be a year of disaster.

Lin Yunwan sensed Qi Lingheng's irritability.

She brought him a bowl of calming soup.

Qi Lingheng picked up the glass and drank it down in sips, joking with her, "Why does everything you bring me always smell so good?"

Lin Yunwan put her hand on his shoulder and laughed, "It's only because you drink it when I'm the only one who brings it to you."

The food was sent from the Kitchen, but he never tasted it.

Qi Lingheng smiled slightly.

He rarely talked to her about his troubles, yet she understood everything.

Just as Lin Yunwan was about to comfort him, A Fu rushed in. "Your Prince..." He stopped talking when he saw Lin Yunwan, but his face was very anxious.

"Go to the Front Courtyard first."

Qi Lingheng instructed A Fu.

Lin Yunwan said, "No need, Your Prince, I'll go back by myself."

Qi Lingheng called Cuiqin over and said sternly, "Take good care of the Princess Consort."

"Yes."

Cuiqin helped Lin Yunwan leave, and she heard intermittent sounds coming from inside. "The river embankment... has breached..."