Shocking! Five men are in love with the same woman!

Lingyan is going to the Fourth Prince's residence today to check on Zeng Qi's postpartum recovery.

The carriage arrived at the Prince Su's residence.

Because a formal invitation had been sent in advance, the Fourth Prince was already waiting outside the mansion.

Upon seeing her alight from the carriage and approach, the Fourth Prince respectfully and kindly invited her into his residence.

Stepping into Zeng Qi's bedroom, a faint scent of medicine and flowers mingled, creating a tranquil and warm atmosphere.

After greeting her, Lingyan carefully took her pulse to check her recovery.

After she finished examining her, the Fourth Prince asked anxiously, "Sister-in-law, is there anything wrong with Qi'er's health?"

Lingyan smiled and replied, "There is nothing wrong with it. Everything is recovering very well. I will be able to get out of bed and walk around in a few days. Just remember to wait three months before having sex again."

I heard her last words.

The fourth prince felt slightly awkward, coughed lightly, and replied, "I understand, I will be careful."

Zeng Qi lowered her head somewhat embarrassed.

Lingyan didn't react at all; as a doctor, these instructions were perfectly normal to her.

Seeing how well Zeng Qi had recovered, with a rosy complexion, radiant health, and a beaming smile, even her face looked rounder, it was clear that the Fourth Prince was truly taking good care of her.

Not bad.

At this moment, Zeng Qi looked at the Fourth Prince and said softly, "Your Highness, please go out first. My sixth sister-in-law and I have some private things to say between women."

Upon hearing this, the fourth prince nodded gently in agreement, saying, "Alright."

After saying goodbye to Lingyan, he took his leave.

When only the two of them were left in the room, Lingyan asked softly, "Fourth Sister-in-law, you want to ask me if you can still get pregnant in the future, right?"

Zeng Qi was not surprised that she could guess it.

She bit her lower lip lightly, her voice as soft as a whisper, full of struggle and expectation, "Yes, although the imperial physicians made that diagnosis, none of them are as skilled as Sixth Sister-in-law, so I want to hear Sixth Sister-in-law's diagnosis before I can... give up."

Lingyan sighed and replied, "Actually, you already believe it in your heart, but you still hold on to the last glimmer of hope and are unwilling to believe it. The imperial physicians are all very skilled, how could they be wrong in their diagnosis? So my answer is the same as theirs, Fourth Sister-in-law will never be able to conceive again in this life."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Qi's face instantly lost all color.

Like branches covered in frost in winter, pale and fragile.

Her expression was a mixture of despair and relief; her eyes were slightly red, and tears silently streamed down her face.

"Is that really the case? Actually, I knew it was almost certain all along, but I still held onto a sliver of hope. But now that's the reality, I should give up."

After saying that, she closed her eyes, her expression sorrowful.

I tried to bury this pain deep in my heart, but tears still slid down my cheeks, leaving silent scars.

When Zeng Qi opened her eyes again, she forced a bitter smile, suppressing her grief.

It was a form of self-deprecation, but also a compromise with reality: "It's alright, the prince still has two concubines by his side. It doesn't matter if I can't have children, there are other women who can."

Ling Yan felt a pang of sadness and indignation looking at Zeng Qi like this.

This indignation is not directed at Zeng Qi, but at the injustices imposed on women by the world.

She also understands Zeng Qi very well.

Let alone in ancient times when offspring were of paramount importance, even in modern times, if a woman doesn't have children or is unable to have children, people will gossip and criticize her, and she will have to endure strange looks from others.

But isn't it one's own choice whether or not to have children?

What's wrong with not wanting to have children?

Why must one have children?

Seeing Zeng Qi so distressed, she stepped forward and took Zeng Qi's cold hand in hers.

With a firm yet warm gaze, she said, "Since when has a woman's value been limited to giving birth? What a ridiculous idea! Does not having children mean you're not a complete woman? Is it really that important? Even if you've already had one, or even if you never have any children in your life, so what?"

Can't you even control your own uterus? Do you have to let others tell you what to do?

So what if I don't want to have children? What business is it of anyone else's?

Upon hearing this, Zeng Qi looked up and stared blankly at Ling Yan. The light in her eyes seemed to pierce through a thousand years of gloom and illuminate her heart.

These words were utterly shocking and unprecedented to Zeng Qi.

They were like a thunderclap in spring, shaking her soul and leaving her both surprised and shocked.

She stared at Ling Yan in disbelief, a surge of unprecedented emotion welling up inside her.

Why did she consider having children to be so insignificant as a woman?

Zeng Qi's thoughts were temporarily frozen by this impact.

She stood there stunned for a long time before she finally managed to find her voice.

Her words carried a hint of hesitation and confusion: "But... in this world, if a woman has no children to rely on, won't she eventually face the fate of falling out of favor? Children are our solid foundation in our husband's family."

Lingyan scoffed upon hearing this, "What ridiculous logic! If a man abandons his wife simply because she cannot have children, is such a man worth cherishing? True love should transcend the boundaries of procreation. If he truly loves you, whether you have children or not will not change his deep affection for you."

Zeng Qi felt a mix of emotions as she listened to these words.

She wanted to argue, but found herself unable to find a suitable reason.

Her words struck so deeply that she couldn't refute them.

It's just that no one has ever thought of it that way before.

Lingyan continued, "Of course, what I'm saying isn't appropriate here. Many women in this dynasty gave birth not just to win their husbands' favor, but to have someone to rely on in the future. They probably felt that their husbands' favor was unreliable, so they could only rely on their children to make a living."

Therefore, modern women can choose not to have children without much hesitation.

Women in ancient times could not do this, because they could not live without their husbands, and their families would regard them as a disgrace.

This truly left Lingyan feeling both sorrowful and powerless.

After hearing Ling Yan's words, Zeng Qi could only manage a wry smile.

She shook her head helplessly and said, "You're right, this is our current situation. What can these women do?"

However, despite the helplessness and sorrow in my heart.

Zeng Qi still tried her best to appear relaxed.

She let out a soft sigh of relief, forcing a smile: "Let's not talk about these painful things anymore. In short, I now have a child, so I can say that I've achieved my goal. I accept this result and don't regret what I did back then, because I would do the same thing again if I had to do it all over again, even if the price was the same."

Lingyan asked curiously, "So what exactly happened back then?"

Zeng Qi's health is so poor because she was injured when she was young. How exactly was she injured?

Zeng Qi's gaze became distant and profound as she slowly recalled that long-buried past.

“That was when I was ten years old. I went to a banquet with my mother. It was winter, the coldest time of the year. I was playing in the back garden with some friends when two of them accidentally fell into the water. There were no adults there at the time. We had run away. The two children who fell into the water were six and seven years old.”

“The other playmates went to call the adults, but I was afraid it would be too late, so I jumped into the water without hesitation to save them. Because I had been practicing martial arts with my father since I was a child, I was very healthy and strong. I successfully rescued the two people and brought them ashore. However, because I was young, I used too much force and became exhausted, and I didn’t have the strength to get ashore.”

"The two children I rescued were unconscious, and the adults hadn't arrived yet, so I had to use all my strength to climb up by myself. Just when I was about to give up and sink to the bottom of the water, I saw that the large group of people had finally arrived, and I was saved."

After recalling the incident, she calmly continued, "From that time on, my health took a sharp downturn. My internal energy was severely depleted, and with the invasion of cold pathogens, my body became extremely weak. I was often sick every few days, and my blood and qi were severely deficient. It was completely different from my previous strong and healthy body. It was at that time that I developed the root of my illness, which I could not recover from even after treatment."

It turned out to be the case.

She did this to save two lives.

However, judging from her expression, she certainly didn't regret what she did that day.

Even if the price was that she suffered from chronic illness and difficulty conceiving.

Lingyan couldn't help but exclaim: What a wonderful girl!

So he smiled and comforted her, saying, "Look, this is a case of good deeds being rewarded. The fact that Fourth Sister-in-law survived this ordeal and that both she and her child are safe shows that Heaven remembers your good deeds, and this is how it rewards you!"

Upon hearing this, Zeng Qi's eyes sparkled with joy.

She held Lingyan's hand tightly and replied, "You're right. I should be content with everything I have now and have no more regrets."