The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Concubine Li asked softly, "I won't hide it from you, old doctor."

"I smelled musk several times during my pregnancy. It lasted about an hour every day. Is that a problem?"

The court doctor was a little surprised, but having heard so many secrets about the backyard, he quickly suppressed his surprise.

"I think Master Li's unstable pregnancy is also related to this matter."

The palace doctor said carefully, "Fortunately, Master Li is in good health, and the musk residue in his body is not heavy. If you don't distinguish carefully, it would be difficult to detect."

"I'll prescribe a prescription for Master Li. Take a few doses and then rest for a while."

After a pause, the court doctor added, "However, during this period, Master Li must not come into contact with musk or overwork, otherwise it will easily cause miscarriage."

"Thank you, old doctor!"

Concubine Li was full of gratitude, and Feishuang also gave the old doctor a heavy purse.

The court doctor took the purse and hesitated for a moment, "Master Li, I am afraid I will have to report the events of Qingzhu Court today to the prince and princess truthfully."

The court physician is a medical practitioner employed by the royal palace. He walks around in the backyard and is under the command of the princess. He is supposed to report every diagnosis to the princess.

It’s okay to hide some small things, but the big news that needs to be reported must still be reported.

Concubine Li supported Feishuang's hand and stood up. "It's just right. I also want to see the princess, so I'll go with the old doctor."

The palace physician bowed respectfully and said, "Master Li is still young, and it's freezing outside, so it's best to be careful."

Feixu had already taken a cloak and put it on Concubine Li, obviously coming prepared.

Concubine Li smiled and said, "I appreciate the old doctor's kindness."

"But I am grateful to the princess in my heart, so I have to go there in person."

The court doctor said nothing more.

The group of four arrived at the princess's Qingsong Courtyard.

The princess just sent someone to give gifts to the newly promoted 'Concubine Han'.

When she heard that Concubine Li had arrived, she was also surprised for a moment.

But, it was only for that moment.

Mother Li asked in confusion, "Master Li can't sit still anymore?"

"But what can we do if she comes to see the master? The prince said this himself."

Mother Li was afraid that Concubine Li would wake up and trouble the princess because of her unclear mind, so she immediately put on a serious look.

The princess glanced at her and said, "Let's listen to what she says first."

Soon, the court physician and Concubine Li came in together.

The court doctor first told the princess about Concubine Li's condition according to the rules.

Hearing that Concubine Li was also pregnant, the princess raised her eyebrows and said, "This... is really a coincidence."

She changed the subject and asked familiarly, "Is Concubine Li's pregnancy unstable?"

The palace doctor nodded, "Concubine Li must have smelled something harmful to the fetus, such as musk, during her pregnancy, which led to her unstable pregnancy."

"I have already prescribed medicine. Master Li will need to stay in bed and rest for a while."

This was the response that both parties reached on the road.

The court physician only needs to report the news to the princess truthfully, and the rest will be handled by Concubine Li.

The princess pretended to be surprised, "Musk?!"

"Not only pregnant women, but even ordinary women are forbidden to touch this thing. Do you know where this thing came from?"

Concubine Li bowed and said, "Princess, I suspect it was... Concubine Lu."

Feixu stood up and cried at the right time.

"My master wasn't familiar with Concubine Lu. But for some reason, she kept coming to our Qingzhu Courtyard every now and then."

"Even if no one pays attention to her, she can still talk to herself for an hour."

"Originally, the master was angry with her and kicked her out of the courtyard, but she came back the next day with something in her hand, claiming to be an apology but actually threatening me."

"She said that if my master didn't forgive her, she would come to our house every day. My master is very soft-hearted, so he had no choice but to reconcile with Concubine Lu."

"Princess, you only need to send someone to ask about these matters. I will never tell a single lie."

After Feishuang finished speaking, Feixu continued, "Since then, Concubine Lu has started coming to visit again."

"These past two days, every time she left, my master would vomit violently, so I asked the imperial physician to take his pulse..."

"That Concubine Lu must have somehow learned that my mistress was pregnant, and she has evil intentions and is here to harm my mistress."

The two girls were talking to each other, crying as they spoke, looking very aggrieved.

After hearing everything, the princess pondered for a moment and said, "I will send someone to investigate this matter and will also send someone to report to the prince first."

Concubine Li smiled palely, "Thank you, Princess, for upholding justice for this servant."

The princess's fair face looked at Concubine Li, revealing a bit of pity.

"What a pity."

"At the beginning, the prince said that whoever got pregnant first between you and Concubine Han would be promoted to concubine. Who could have known that it would be such a coincidence that just as Concubine Han reported her pregnancy, you also got pregnant."

"The prince's words are golden and cannot be changed..."

Concubine Li shook her head, showing great respect to the princess and speaking in an especially gentle manner.

"I heard that Sister Han has been pregnant for over a month, and my child is still premature. Even if I had discovered it earlier, Sister Han would have become a concubine."

Princess: "If you think this way...it's good for you. If you can relax, your life will be easier in the future."

She had gone through a lot of torment, but now she has completely let go of it and her life has become much smoother.

Therefore, he could especially understand Concubine Li's situation and was even more satisfied that she was not obsessed with this matter.

After the court doctor left, Concubine Li seemed to want to say something but stopped herself.

The princess knew that she had something private to say to herself. She pondered for a moment and raised her hand to signal the people around her to leave.

Only the princess, Mother Li and Concubine Li were left in the room.

Concubine Li suddenly knelt on the ground, "I beg Princess to save my life and my child!"

The princess frowned: "What do you mean?"

Concubine Li knew very well that she could not protect the child, and as early as when she came to Qingsong Courtyard, she had already made plans to seek refuge with the princess.

Concubine Li said bluntly: "Princess, the one who wants to harm me is not Concubine Lu, but Concubine Han!"

The princess gripped the armrests of her chair tightly and said dissatisfiedly, "Li, I just praised you for being generous, and now you say these things again."

"Do you know that without evidence, this is a false accusation?" The princess slapped the armrest and said with great force, "How dare you frame a pregnant concubine?!"

Concubine Li said with a look of grievance, "It is precisely because I have no evidence that I dare not sue Concubine Han. Instead, I beg the princess to save my life and the child."

Concubine Li gritted her teeth and suddenly dropped a shocking piece of news.

"Concubine Han is not pregnant!"

"What did you say?" The princess was surprised.

Concubine Li said, "I am already two months pregnant. I originally planned to tell the prince and princess after the third month."

"Who would have thought that Concubine Lu would visit Qingzhu Pavilion every day? By chance, she discovered that I was pregnant. She then conspired with Concubine Han to murder me. I had no choice but to defend myself."

Concubine Li told everything.

Of course, she did not give Han concubine a fake pregnancy drug.

She had only been in the mansion for a few months, and unlike Concubine Han who had connections like Concubine Ning, she did not have such powerful means.

She simply asked someone to pass the news of the fake pregnancy recipe to Concubine Han, and then deliberately blurred the time of her own pregnancy.

Concubine Han was quite ambitious. As soon as she heard the news, she immediately arranged for someone to find a prescription.

While arranging for Concubine Lu to kill Concubine Li's fetus, she took fake pregnancy drugs to pretend to be pregnant and quickly seized the position of concubine.

Concubine Han was so anxious about this matter that Concubine Li took the opportunity to see her ambition.

Concubine Li was frightened by this and became more and more convinced that her pregnancy was in jeopardy.

So he immediately turned his attention to the princess, wanting to seek her protection.

"I do not ask for the position of concubine, I only ask to protect the child in my belly. I have no choice but to ask the princess for help."

"If the princess does not mind me, I and my children are willing to serve you."

"I will never complain even a word."

Why did the princess protect Concubine Li?

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

If you want to seek protection from others, you have to pay a price.

When Concubine Li made this decision, she was already prepared to give the child to the princess to raise.

She first confessed everything, analyzed her true feelings, and then made the princess see the value of helping her.

Now, she is betting on people's hearts, and also on herself and her child...whether she can catch the princess's eye.

The princess looked at Concubine Li with complicated eyes, and after a while she said, "You are still pregnant, get up first."

Concubine Li looked up, revealing a face as tearful and fragile as glass, which made people feel distressed at the sight of it.

The princess sighed, "If Concubine Han is faking her pregnancy, it will be exposed within three months. You just need to be patient, and you will become a concubine sooner or later."

The implication is that there is no need to ask the princess for help.

"So what if I become a concubine?" Concubine Li smiled bitterly. "Concubine Fang and Concubine Xie were both favored by the prince, but weren't they also poisoned and murdered? I don't have a sister with great medical skills like Concubine Xie."

She had always been very lucid, and that had made her suffer all the more.

"The prince doesn't dote on me very much."

Concubine Li raised her hand and touched the baby in her belly. "Perhaps this is the only child I will have in my life."

"It's so fragile and so small. With just a little bit of trickery from those with malicious intentions, it might not be able to come into this world..."

"This slave cannot afford to gamble!"

As she spoke, Concubine Li was already in tears.

When the Li family was raided, Concubine Li already had memories.

The male members of the family were beheaded or exiled, and the female members of the family were taken into the imperial palace.

Over the years, Concubine Li found out that the men of the Li family died on the way to exile.

The female members of the family were also either dead or scattered.

She is alone now!

The baby in her belly is her only relative, and may also be the last relative in her life!

Therefore, she must protect it!