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

Inside a quiet ward at Gaoyang Pharmacy, filled with the refreshing scent of herbs.

Huangfu Ling grabbed Shanhu's sleeve and lifted it high.

Jiu'er bent down and smelled it three or four times.

"How is it? Sister Jiu'er, can you...can you smell it? What kind of medicine is it?"

Jiu'er's brows were furrowed, and her expression was unusually solemn. She leaned closer and took a few more deep sniffs.

“Tsk…this prescription…a mixture of several medicinal scents.” Jiu’er pondered. “However, two of the scents are the strongest, and I can be pretty sure of them—Eucommia ulmoides and Scutellaria baicalensis.” She raised her head, her gaze sharp as she looked at Huangfu Ling, confirming again, “Are you sure this medicine…is really left over from the bowl of medicine that Douya drank?”

Before Huangfu Ling could answer, Shanhu, who had been brought to testify, nodded vigorously and said in her unique, childlike, innocent tone, "It's for sure! It was Sister Douya who drank it! Shanhu saw it with her own eyes! Sister Douya is so amazing! She drank such a big bowl of something so dark and bitter without even frowning! She's much braver than Shanhu!"

Upon hearing this, Jiu'er's face showed even greater confusion. She muttered to herself, "How strange... Old Huangling is cold in nature, mainly used to clear damp heat and purge liver fire; while Du Zhong is warm in nature, mainly used to tonify the liver and kidneys and strengthen muscles and bones. One is cold and the other is warm, their medicinal properties are quite antagonistic..." Suddenly, she thought of something and leaned closer to the clothes to smell them carefully, "Wait... I think... I can also faintly smell a trace of Dipsacus asper and Atractylodes macrocephala... Although it's very faint, it should be right..."

She suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief and a shocked realization. Looking at Huangfu Ling, whose face was growing paler, she said, slowly and deliberately, "Eucommia and Dipsacus tinctoria nourish the liver and kidneys, strengthen the lower back and knees, and stabilize the pregnancy; Atractylodes macrocephala invigorates the spleen and replenishes qi, and stabilizes the pregnancy; Scutellaria baicalensis clears heat and stabilizes the pregnancy, used for fetal restlessness due to blood heat… Second sister, if I'm not mistaken, this… this is a prescription specifically for stabilizing the pregnancy! And it's specifically for pregnancies that are long-term, with symptoms like fetal restlessness, lower back and knee weakness and swelling!"

"Pregnancy-preserving medicine?!" Huangfu Ling was struck as if by lightning. Her body swayed violently, and her vision blurred. She grabbed the medicine cabinet next to her to steady herself, her voice broken and faltering, "Douya...she...she's pregnant?!"

Coral stood to the side, her big, innocent eyes wide open, nodding vigorously as if confirming an obvious fact: "I already told Pretty Sister that Bean Sprout Sister's belly has gotten bigger and is all bulging!"

“Pregnant…” Huangfu Ling repeated these three words, each one like a poisoned needle piercing her heart. In an instant, all the unusual things Douya had done recently flashed through her mind—hiding, claiming illness, loose clothing, Zhang Liu’s cover-up… All the clues at this moment connected into a cold iron chain, crushing her last hope to pieces.

"Who...who could this be?!" she almost shouted hoarsely. Although the answer was already obvious in her mind, she still didn't want to believe it, or rather, she didn't dare to believe it.

Looking at her self-deceiving appearance, Jiu'er felt both heartache and anger, and couldn't help but raise her voice: "Even now, don't you understand?! Zhang Liu and the others went to such lengths to protect and conceal her, even sneaking out to the clinic to brew medicine! In the residence of the magistrate of Gaoyang County, besides your good husband Zhang Jingwei, which other man could get close to Douya, and which man could make Zhang Liu go to such lengths to cover it up?!"

A single, scalding tear finally slipped uncontrollably from Huangfu Ling's eye, landing on the cold ground and spreading into a small, dark, damp patch. All her strength and pretense crumbled at that moment.

"I...I have to go find her...I need to ask her myself! I need to get to the bottom of this!"

"Ask? What good will it do you to ask?!" Jiu'er grabbed her, her tone sharp and realistic. "Arrest her and drown her in a pig cage? Or force her to abort the child?"

Huangfu Ling roared, "Then what am I supposed to do?! Pretend I know nothing?! Smile and congratulate them?! Wait for my husband to come with his new lover and child to tell me, his legal wife, that they are the real family?!"

Jiu'er tried to comfort her: "When he comes back, I will get justice for you."

Huangfu Ling completely broke down. She abruptly shook off Jiu'er's hand, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want justice! I just don't understand! Why did they keep this from me?! Why?! Since I can't have children, they could have come to me to discuss it. I'm not some jealous woman who can't tolerate anyone! Douya... Douya even refused my suggestion to continue the Zhang family line multiple times! How could they... how could they keep this from me while doing this?! They treated me like a fool, keeping me in the dark!!"

Extreme anger, the pain of being betrayed by her loved ones, and the deep despair of her inability to have children—several intense emotions surged and collided in her chest like magma, suddenly rushing to her throat!

"puff--!"

A mouthful of bright red blood gushed out of her mouth without warning, like specks of red plum blossoms, splattering onto her elegant dress and front, a shocking sight!

Immediately afterwards, everything went black, all sounds and light quickly receded from her, and her body slumped backward.

"Pretty sister! Pretty sister, what's wrong with you?!" Coral screamed in fright, shaking Huangfu Ling's arm helplessly.

"Ling'er!!" Jiu'er's expression changed drastically. She rushed forward and caught Ling'er's limp body, her hands feeling its icy coldness. "Quick! Help! Get her to the ward inside! Quick!"

The clinic was immediately thrown into a flurry of activity.

……

After an unknown amount of time, amidst the strong smell of medicine and the warmth of the bedding, Huangfu Ling struggled to open her heavy eyelids. Her vision was initially blurry, then gradually cleared. What came into view was her father Huangfu Changshui's weathered face, now etched with worry and anger.

"Father..." she called out weakly, her voice barely audible.

"Ling'er, you're awake! How are you feeling? Don't be afraid, it's alright, it's alright..." Huangfu Changshui held his daughter's cold hand tightly. This general, who could face thousands of troops on the battlefield without changing his expression, now had a barely perceptible sob and suppressed anger in his voice. "Don't worry, Father is here. I will never let you suffer such injustice in vain! Father will definitely go to them, ask them for an explanation, and demand an explanation!"

Looking at her father, Huangfu Ling felt all her grievances and pain well up again, turning into silent tears that slid down her pale cheeks, soaking her pillow. "Daughter...daughter is useless...I've worried Father..."

Seeing his daughter like this, Huangfu Changshui felt as if his heart was being torn apart. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his surging anger, and said in a deep voice, "Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about! It's the Zhang family that has wronged you, it's that bastard who has wronged you!" He paused, his tone becoming resolute, with the decisiveness unique to soldiers, "I've already sent men to surround the magistrate's residence! Without my order, not even a fly can get out! Today, we must get to the bottom of this, and I must give you an explanation!"