Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

As the carriage stopped at the back gate of the county government office, Zhang Jingwei carefully helped Huangfu Ling down. The atmosphere between the two of them had eased considerably due to the brief joy of their outing. However, this tranquility didn't last for a moment before it was broken by a loud cry from the front yard.

The two exchanged glances, each seeing confusion in the other's eyes. They hurried through the moon-shaped gate and saw the courtyard in chaos.

Uncle Zhang Liu was trying to persuade her earnestly, "Miss Wei, what are you doing? The Young Madam specifically instructed us not to neglect you. Furthermore, you're pregnant with the Zhang family's child, so you have to be careful about everything!"

Ningxiang, however, had a tearful look on her face, determined to leave. She carried a small bundle in her hand, her voice choked but clear: "Sixth Master, I appreciate your kindness. But Zhang Lang has refused to see me for days, avoiding me like the plague... I... I'd better leave. Why stay here and cause others to dislike me and add to my troubles..."

Zhang Liu said anxiously, "What about the child in your belly? If you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about the young master in your belly! This is the bloodline of the Zhang family!"

Ningxiang felt as if she was stung when she heard this, and said resolutely: "Child? Since he is not tolerated by his father, what's the point of keeping him? I might as well... I might as well abort him completely!" As she said this, she was actually about to crash into the corridor pillar beside her!

"No! Absolutely not!" Zhang Liu and Liang Dahai, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, were terrified and quickly grabbed her tightly from both sides. "This is the bloodline of our Zhang family! I will never allow you to do this!"

"Then let me die!" Ningxiang struggled, her cries becoming even more shrill.

The courtyard was in chaos, and the servants gathered around, bewildered. On the rooftop, Wang Ergou, who had been ordered to monitor the situation, watched in amazement, scratching his head and unable to figure out what was going on.

He whispered to Ding Xu, who was like a shadow beside him, "Did you buy fake medicine? Why is there no movement at all? She doesn't look like she's in trouble."

Ding Xu analyzed calmly: "That's impossible. Think about it, if she is really pregnant, why would she want to leave now?"

Wang Ergou was stunned. "Could it be... a miscarriage? She doesn't want anyone to know? But I've been watching this rooftop day and night, and I've never seen a doctor called, nor have I seen anything unusual."

Ding Xu sneered: "Eighty percent of the time, something has changed, and he's trying to find an excuse to slip away, or maybe he's trying to hide it by playing a trick."

Wang Ergou stamped his feet anxiously (even though he was on the roof): "Oh, my young master, why haven't you come back yet! You really love to watch this kind of lively scene!"

At this moment, Sun Yaolang came in hurriedly, carrying her medicine box on her back. She was here to try out a new prescription for Huangfu Ling. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she was shocked by the chaotic scene.

"This...what's going on? Where's the opera? Where's Ling'er?" Sun Yaolang looked stunned.

Douya, who was watching the show with great interest, curled her lips and replied, "Sun Yaolang, my wife and master are out for an outing. I guess they won't be back for a while."

Sun Yaolang pointed at Ningxiang, who was being held back by Zhang Liu and Liang Dahai. "Then why is this courtesan here? And in such a state?"

Douya then lowered her voice and quickly and concisely told Sun Yaolang about Ningxiang's claim of pregnancy, her move into the mansion, and the current farce.

After hearing this, Sun Yaolang frowned and uttered only two words: "Ridiculous!"

Without a word, she strode forward and pulled away Zhang Liu, who was still trying to dissuade her. "Brother Liu! You've lived to such an old age and experienced so much. Can't you tell with your old eyes whether she's pregnant or not?"

Zhang Liu was stunned by the question: "What do you mean, Yaolang?"

Sun Yaolang pointed at Ningxiang's still flat belly and said in a low but resounding voice, "If she's really pregnant, it's almost four months already, and her belly is still this shape? What did your wife look like when she was pregnant? Have you forgotten?"

Zhang Liujing suddenly came to his senses after hearing this. He looked at Ningxiang and said hesitantly, "That... is indeed the case... it seems... there is no change."

Ningxiang's face paled slightly, but she immediately covered her face and cried, her voice soft and weak, "I... I'm frail to begin with, with a small frame, and I don't eat much... Maybe this child is also frail and growing slower... How can Yaolang make such a conclusion?"

"Nonsense!" Sun Yaolang had a hot temper and could not stand such pretentious talk. He grabbed Ningxiang's wrist with such force that she could not break free. "Didn't you keep saying you were pregnant? Come, let me take your pulse!"

Ningxiang calmed down, even with a hint of provocation: "Medicine man, please do as you please. You might as well take a look and see if this is a genuine pregnancy pulse!"

Sun Yaolang placed three fingers on her wrist pulse and examined it intently for a moment, his brow furrowing ever tighter. Suddenly, a gleam of light flashed in her eyes, and she sneered, "The pulse is as smooth as a pearl, indeed a sign of joy... But why is there a cold and stagnant 'yin pulse' hidden beneath this joy pulse? I think you know best!"

Ningxiang's face turned three shades paler in an instant, and she forced herself to remain calm: "You...you're talking nonsense!"

At this moment, Zhang Jingwei and Huangfu Ling finally passed through the corridor and returned to the courtyard. Zhang Jingwei saw the scene and immediately stepped forward: "What's going on? What are you all doing here?"

When Ningxiang saw Zhang Jingwei, it was like she had found a life-saving straw. She instantly broke free from Sun Yaolang and threw herself into Zhang Jingwei's arms, sobbing uncontrollably: "Zhang Lang... Zhang Lang and the others all bullied me..."

Sun Yaolang didn't give any face at all and said loudly, "Master Zhang's return is just in time! Since the parties involved are here, today I will take Miss Ningxiang's pulse in front of everyone to see if she is really pregnant!"

When Zhang Jingwei heard this, he immediately pushed Ningxiang away from his arms and grasped the key words: "Fake pregnancy?"

Ningxiang was about to cry and grabbed his sleeve: "It's true... Zhang Lang, you have to believe me..."

Sun Yaolang sneered, "It's truly a false pregnancy! You've been taking medication to suppress your menstruation for a long time, causing abnormal pulse patterns and signs of internal yin and cold. But in my decades of medical practice, I've never seen someone like you take such potent medication and yet your Qi and blood seem fine! Unless... you have a different constitution than the average person, a body of yin and yang?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Ningxiang retorted sharply, like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

Zhang Jingwei was already about 70% convinced and asked anxiously, "Yao Lang, how can we verify it for sure?"

Sun Yaolang's method was simple and brutal: "It's very simple! Lift her upside down, head down, feet up! The blood and energy will surge instantly, and the truth will be revealed immediately!"

Zhang Jingwei just wanted to prove his innocence at this moment, without hesitation: "Dayong! Work!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Wei!" Jia Dayong stepped forward in response. He was a simple-minded man who only followed orders without any mercy. After a while, he hugged Ningxiang around the waist and easily lifted her upside down!

"Ah! You...you let me go!" Ningxiang was panicked, screaming and struggling, her hair all messy.

Sun Yaolang reached out again and placed his hand on her wrist, which was swollen from being hung upside down. After a moment, he sneered and announced to everyone in a decisive tone, "The surging blood and energy reveal her pulse! As expected! She's not pregnant at all! The so-called pregnancy pulse is just a false illusion created by the drugs!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingwei felt a huge stone fall from his heart. He couldn't help but burst into laughter. He turned to Huangfu Ling immediately and wanted to swear to the sky: "Hahaha! Ling'er, look! I told you! I am innocent! I said long ago that nothing happened that night!" His face was filled with excitement of having his injustice cleared.

Huangfu Ling stood aside, watching this farce with mixed emotions. Ningxiang's fake pregnancy had proven her husband's innocence, and she should have been happy. But when she thought of her own infertility, the weight of loss and sadness weighed heavily on her, leaving her at a loss for a moment.

At this time, Sun Yaolang ordered someone to bring a large piece of ice and place it on the ground. "Take off your shoes and socks and stand on it," Sun Yaolang ordered.

Ningxiang was put down, her face pale and her whole body trembling. She looked at Zhang Jingwei pleadingly: "Zhang Lang... Jia Jia has always had a cold constitution since childhood, and can't stand this kind of cold..."

Zhang Jingwei was extremely determined at this moment. He wanted to completely expose this scam: "If you want to prove that you are really 'pregnant', then stand up!"

Ningxiang knew that the situation was hopeless. Under the gazes of everyone, she could only tremble as she took off her shoes and socks and stepped barefoot on the cold ice.

However, just a few seconds later, she groaned in pain, curled up and rolled off the ice, her hands pressing tightly against her abdomen. Her face instantly turned pale as paper, and cold sweat streamed down! A glaring red quickly spread beneath her skirt!

The maid Shanhu screamed, rushed over and hugged her tightly, and burst into tears out of fear.

Sun Yaolang watched expressionlessly, his tone so calm it bordered on cruelty. "You've been taking medication for a long time, and blood stasis has long formed in your body. The chill of this ice cube will just push the blood down. Although this is just a test, it also happened to save your life. Rest well, and after this period, with proper conditioning, you'll be back to normal."

Ningxiang huddled on the ground, nearly collapsed from the intense abdominal pain. Her pale face was covered in cold sweat, her hair clinging to her forehead, and she looked utterly miserable. She weakly stretched out her hand and shouted in Zhang Jingwei's direction, her voice hoarse and terrifying, "Zhang Lang... Zhang Lang... help me... it hurts..."

Zhang Jingwei looked at the bloodstains on the ground and Ningxiang's pained expression. A complex expression flashed across his eyes, but more of it was a sense of relief and determination. He said coldly, "Qian Ming, go get two yamen runners, bring a sedan chair, and take her back to her matchmaker."

Ningxiang felt as if she had fallen into an icy cave when she heard this. She cried out with all her strength, "Zhang Lang! You can't be so cruel! You can't abandon me!"

The old housekeeper Zhang Liu felt a little reluctant and advised, "Young Master, Miss Wei was already unwell, and now she has suffered this...why...why not let her recuperate in the mansion for a few days, and leave when she is better? After all..."

Huangfu Ling looked at Ningxiang's miserable state and finally softened her heart. She gently tugged at Zhang Jingwei's sleeve and whispered, "Husband...what Sixth Uncle said makes sense."

Zhang Jingwei looked at his wife, then glanced at the disheveled Ningxiang on the ground, and sighed: "Forget it. Then let's do as my wife wishes and let her recover from her illness before leaving." After saying that, he seemed unwilling to look at this chaotic scene any longer. He turned around, took Huangfu Ling's arm, and walked straight to the backyard.

In the courtyard, only the servants were left staring at each other in bewilderment, while Ningxiang groaned in pain on the ground, and Shanhu lay bewildered. The storm seemed to have come to a temporary end in such a way that no one expected.