Dethroned the Crown Princess? Then she became your mother

"Master, I... I'll go and take a look." Chunmei volunteered to go and investigate.

Zhang Tianai shook her head and listened again. In the midst of the wind and rain, there seemed to be footsteps getting heavier and heavier approaching. Could it be that an outsider really broke in?

In such bad weather, they...

Chunmei and Zhang Tianai exchanged glances: "I'd better go take a look."

She persisted again and finally took a step forward.

Zhang Tianai had no choice but to tell her to be careful and not to take it lightly. Chunmei slowly walked to the window and looked out. At first, she saw no one, so she searched carefully, looking left and right.

Suddenly, a figure came into view, holding a lantern and walking slowly towards me.

"That's Doctor Li!"

Chunmei quickly recognized that it was Doctor Li who had returned in a straw raincoat, and his arrival was accompanied by a slight sound.

She quickly reported to Zhang Tianai.

Zhang Tianai felt relieved when he heard this.

What she feared most was not that Dr. Li had not returned, but that a stranger would come looking for her.

Doctor Li's safe return made her feel a little relieved. She was just worried that Doctor Li might have met with an accident because of her. Now that she was in this situation, she could no longer burden others.

Her body was extremely weak. Any movement could endanger her life, but if she didn't move, she was afraid of being discovered.

If Doctor Li didn't come back, she really didn't know what to do. Soon, Doctor Li seemed to have heard the noise inside the house. He walked over and stood outside the door. He asked with concern, "Are you still not resting, Madam, Miss Chunmei? The wind and rain are really strong this night, and the weather is cold."

His tone was full of caution.

Zhang Tianai signaled Chunmei to respond on her behalf, saying that it was windy and rainy and the weather was extremely cold, so Dr. Li needed to take better care of his health.

Chunmei walked to the door as she was told and conveyed Zhang Tianai's words to Doctor Li.

"I encountered some problems along the way, but they're nothing serious, don't worry about it. I didn't get wet much, and the wind was strong, but I could still bear it."

Doctor Li said that if there was anything important, we could talk about it tomorrow.

Zhang Tianai agreed softly. It was late at night and quiet, so it was definitely not the time to discuss matters.

Chunmei returned to the house after Doctor Li left.

"Master, Doctor Li is back. How wonderful!" She lowered her voice and added, "Master, you can't move right now. If Doctor Li doesn't come back, how are we supposed to leave here?"

Zhang Tianai nodded slightly, seeing Chunmei's worry and anxiety.

Doctor Li returned safely and was not in any other trouble. This was undoubtedly good news, which meant they could stay here for a few more days. So they lay down to rest again.

When she woke up, Zhang Tianai asked Chunmei to open the window slightly. She saw that the rain outside had stopped and the sky was much brighter, but the wind was still howling. This was the weather in October, windy and cold.

She told Chunmei to wear more clothes, and Doctor Li prepared many thick clothes for them.

Afterwards, she asked Chunmei to ask for Doctor Li, but she had to confirm first whether Doctor Li was available.

Chunmei also wanted to go: "Master, after you have breakfast and take the medicine, Doctor Li will come."

It’s better to help the master take the medicine first, and it won’t be too late to go after everything is arranged.

However, when Zhang Tianai was having breakfast, she vomited again and dry heaved repeatedly, with tears and acid water flowing out together. Most of the food she had eaten was vomited out, with only a small amount left.

She lay there weakly for a long time before her complexion improved slightly.

"lady."

Chunmei invited Doctor Li over, and the two of them went into the house together.

Zhang Tianai looked at Doctor Li and Chunmei, motioned Chunmei to come closer, and invited Doctor Li to sit down. Doctor Li sat down carefully and talked about the increasingly cold weather, especially after the rain last night, when the temperature dropped sharply. He urged them to take care of themselves.

He suggested: "If the door is drafty, you might as well hang a door curtain."

"Not yet."

Zhang Tianai thanked him softly, then asked Dr. Li what had happened yesterday and why he had returned so late. What did he mean by "something happened"?

Upon hearing this, Chunmei walked back to Zhang Tianai and also paid attention to Doctor Li's answer.

Doctor Li spoke slowly, "After leaving the village yesterday, I returned to town, but didn't show up. I simply asked around among acquaintances. I learned that someone had been looking for Madam after we left, and many people were inquiring about your whereabouts. Now that no one in town is looking, I sent someone to inquire further afield. They found the person Madam sent, and they've already returned to town. It seems the letter has been delivered."

Zhang Tianai heard this and thought to herself, this was exactly what she had expected. Since the messenger had returned safe and sound, it meant they were out of danger for the time being. Had Eunuch An already presented the letter to the Emperor?

But maybe some people want to use this as an opportunity to find out the truth?

Chunmei was also in deep thought.

"lady."

"Doctor Li."

Then, Zhang Tianai's eyes fell on Doctor Li, and without paying attention to Chunmei, she asked, "What does that man look like?"

She wanted to ask Doctor Li for some information, but then she thought that even if Doctor Li saw it from afar, it would be difficult for him to know the real situation.

It's futile to ask again.

She looked out the window, wondering if someone was following her. If so, there would be no way they were silent. If no one was following, it meant that Doctor Li's whereabouts had gone unnoticed.

Chunmei also thought of this.

"Doctor Li."

Doctor Li was puzzled. He said, "I was afraid someone might be following me, so I just took a quick look from a distance and left without being noticed. The messenger didn't seem unusual. Do you want me to go back and see him, or perhaps talk to him?"

Zhang Tianai didn't know whether to feel relieved or worried.

She thanked Dr. Li.

Chunmei called out again: "Madam."

"Let's wait a few days and see." Zhang Tianai decided to wait until the emperor took action before making any plans. If the emperor knew about this, he would definitely deal with it. She looked at Doctor Li, her mind full of thoughts.

Chunmei wanted to say something but stopped herself.

Doctor Li began to take Zhang Tianai's pulse.

Zhang Tianai glanced at Chunmei, and both of them stopped talking and waited quietly.

After a moment, Doctor Li let go of his pulse-taking hand and turned to talk about other things: "I also bought some things." He asked people to buy many items, some of which had been placed in the yard.

"There's some left……"

"Madam, you've had severe morning sickness, so I've personally picked out some appetizers. I hope you'll enjoy them and eat a bit. Also, please open the windows more often to ventilate the room, as you can't walk and it's too cold outside."

Doctor Li looked at the doors and windows gently and felt that they could be opened wider, but the weather was too cold.

He withdrew his gaze, spoke softly, and then slowly leaned over to pick out a few packages of sour dates and sour fruits carefully wrapped in paper bags from the medicine box, and introduced the origins of these fruits to them.

He placed them gently on the wooden table next to him. Although the wooden table was plain, it seemed more lively because of the sudden color.

These were all purchased by him specially for them.

Chunmei's eyes fell on the paper bags and she nodded slightly, her gratitude overflowing with words: "Thank you, I'm so grateful to Dr. Li."

Zhang Tianai also expressed her gratitude, with a hint of sincerity in her voice.

Doctor Li humbly waved his hand and said, "You're welcome. Madam has instructed me not to speak too much."

His eyes moved between the two of them, as if looking for some resonance.

Zhang Tianai hesitated to speak: "Doctor Li, if it weren't for you, we..."

Chunmei nodded silently in agreement.

Doctor Li interrupted them again: "There's really no need to say more. If you continue..."

He turned and left, not wanting to disturb them any further. He was already thinking about preparing some appetizing and nourishing dishes for them at lunch to suit the cold weather. He hoped that they would suit his wife's taste so that she would eat more.

His attentiveness and thoughtfulness warm people's hearts.

Chunmei offered to help, and Dr. Li smiled and nodded in agreement.

Zhang Tianai ordered Chunmei to see Doctor Li out. Chunmei gladly accepted the order and escorted Doctor Li all the way to the door, saying goodbye to him politely.

After Chunmei returned, Zhang Tianai thought to himself, perhaps he would need to look for the messenger again in a few days? After all, the emperor might not come in person.

She heard Chunmei's footsteps approaching from afar and called softly, "Chunmei."

Chunmei was full of emotion: "Master, Doctor Li is such a good man. He not only bought a lot of things for us, but also thought of making door curtains for us. He also bought these sour fruits to whet your appetite, and then he will prepare nutritious food." Her eyes fell on the bags of sour fruits on the table, her heart full of gratitude.

Three packages of sour fruits lay quietly on the table, emitting an attractive luster. Although it was not known what kind of fruits they were pickled from, they looked clean and tempting.

Chunmei asked tentatively, "Master, would you like some?"

Zhang Tianai nodded slightly in agreement, and was curious about what kind of nourishing meal Doctor Li would prepare.

"I have learned some of the nourishing meals prepared by Doctor Li from Madam Li. I will take a look later." Chunmei said as she prepared to go and help.

Zhang Tianai nodded again in agreement.

Chunmei picked up a bag of sour fruits. The packaging was small and exquisite. When she opened it, she saw the pickled dried fruits inside were attractive in color. She carefully took out a few and handed them to her master.

"What kind of fruit is this?" Zhang Tianai asked curiously.

"Like a plum and an apricot?" Chunmei was not sure either.

Zhang Tianai took a bite, savoring it carefully. It tasted like plums? It was quite good, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour, refreshing and thirst-quenching. It was similar to what she'd tasted in the garden, though slightly inferior. She hadn't tasted anything like this since she'd been captured. In those days, even survival was a luxury, so how could she dare hope for anything like this?

Now that she had escaped and tasted this familiar flavor again, she couldn't help but feel much better.

Her thoughts drifted away, thinking of the garden, her grandmother, Matron Li, and the things that might have happened after she disappeared. Perhaps they would think she was dead and burned to ashes; or perhaps they were still searching for her everywhere.

If Aunt Li and Grandmother knew she was still alive, wouldn't they be overjoyed? What about everyone else? How many people would be talking about her disappearance? And how many would be happy about it?

Or, has the news spread to every corner? If she returns, what awaits her? A miracle of resurrection?

Only now did she have the leisure to think carefully about these questions.

"How is it, master? Is it delicious?" Chunmei asked with concern. She was worried that the sour fruits bought by Doctor Li would not suit the master's taste.

Zhang Tianai came back to her senses and said with a smile: "Of course it's not as good as what the emperor sent, but it's great to have these. They are really delicious. I think my appetite has improved a lot."

Chunmei was delighted when she heard this and quickly opened another bag of sour fruits.

Is it sour plums this time? Or sour apricots?

Zhang Tianai tasted one of each, and the sweet and sour taste made her happy.

"Master, do you want to try it again?" Chunmei asked.

Zhang Tianai smiled and nodded, motioning Chunmei to try it too.

Chunmei shook her head, thinking that these were all for the master, who didn't use much and Doctor Li might not be able to buy them.

Seeing this, Zhang Tianai wanted to feed her herself, but gave up because of physical discomfort and let her eat by herself again.

"No, master." Chunmei still refused.

"How do you know if it tastes good if you don't try it?" Zhang Tianai advised.

Chunmei finally gave in and tasted one carefully. It was so sour that she frowned: "Master, it's so sour!"

Zhang Tianai couldn't help laughing when she saw her exaggerated expression.

Chunmei also started laughing, and the atmosphere became relaxed and cheerful.

Zhang Tianai changed the topic and talked about what happened in the garden after they were captured.

"Master, you are not dead, nor have you been burned to ashes!" Chunmei said in a firm tone.

She continued, "No matter what those people think, if Madam Li knew you were still well, she would definitely be very happy. That's great! The Emperor would be the same way!"

Zhang Tianai felt a warm feeling in her heart when she heard Chunmei's words. She knew that Chunmei was comforting her, but she also knew that what Chunmei said was the truth.

"Chunmei..." Zhang Tianai called softly, his heart full of gratitude.

"How about I go to the enclosure?" Chunmei suddenly suggested.