May this scumbag husband, who favored his concubine over his wife, rest in peace.

The old lady smiled broadly, her face crinkling with wrinkles, and hurriedly offered to lead the people over herself: "Yuan Shu, I'll take Doctor Zheng with me. You've worked hard getting up so early, go back now!"

"Thank you for your consideration, Mother-in-law."

The old lady waved her hand and led Doctor Zheng out.

Wen Yuanshu lagged a few steps behind, but was stopped by a maid as soon as she stepped out the door.

"Please, please save me, Madam..." The maid looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. She had a pretty face and a slender figure, and even her winter clothes seemed thinner than others.

At this moment, her eyes were filled with tears, and she looked pitiful.

Chunhua stepped forward: "Who are you?"

"I...I'm a maidservant at Songshou Courtyard," the maidservant stammered, "because my elder sister at home is ill, but we don't have any money, so...so I thought..."

Before the maid could finish speaking, she pressed her forehead to the ground again.

"Keep your head up."

The maid trembled slightly, tentatively raising her head, but dared not look directly at Wen Yuanshu, her gaze only falling on the hem of her clothes.

“She’s so beautiful and well-behaved; it’s a real waste for her to be a lowly maid,” Wen Yuanshu shook her head regretfully. “Chunhua, go back and get twenty taels of silver to give to this young lady.”

"Yes."

The master and servant left directly, but the maid remained kneeling on the ground, not getting up for a long time.

On her way back to the warm pavilion in the main courtyard, Wen Yuanshu hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw a tall figure dressed in black brocade standing in the hall.

Even in this winter, the person was not dressed in heavy clothes.

Wen Yuanshu paused subconsciously: "Why are you here?"

"Can't I come?" The man turned around, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Wen Yuanshu raised her hand, and Chunhua closed the door behind her.

"The Marquis's residence is so big, how did you find your way here?"

Lu Chengyuan scoffed, "What's so great about the Marquis's mansion? You can just pick any place in the capital and sneak in. It will take me no more than a quarter of an hour to find you."

"That's impressive," Wen Yuanshu said casually. "What are you doing here?"

When it came to serious matters, Lu Chengyuan also became serious: "If I said you were stupid, you really would be stupid. When did you fall for someone's scheme?"

Being given a drug that would prevent you from having children is no small matter.

He had thought about coming over during the night, but he figured Wen Yuanshu should still be asleep, so he endured it until now.

Wen Yuanshu was taken aback: "How did you know?"

She even kept this matter a secret from the General of the Cavalry's residence.

"Are you investigating me?"

Lu Chengyuan gritted his teeth in exasperation: "Wen Yuanshu, have you used all your cleverness on me? Why don't you try to be clever with other people!"

Wen Yuanshu avoided his gaze and said, "My affairs are none of your business."

"They treat you like this, and you still want to put up with it?" Lu Chengyuan stepped forward, his tall figure almost engulfing Wen Yuanshu. "You divorce him, and I'll ransack this manor to vent your anger!"

Wen Yuanshu pursed her lips: "I have my own plans, and you are not allowed to interfere."

What's the point of revenge if you have to rely on someone else?

Lu Chengyuan sneered, but stopped pressing the matter and stepped back, saying, "You'd better have one."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I found a... traveling doctor to help you recover. He'll arrive in half a month, and I'll come back then to take you to see him."

"A quack doctor?" Wen Yuanshu looked up at him blankly. "How much do you hate me?"

This person wants her dead; he's not even hiding his intentions?

Lu Chengyuan gritted his teeth in anger: "I hate you? I—"

Lu Chengyuan stammered as soon as he started to say the second half of the sentence, and the tips of his ears turned suspiciously red.

Wen Yuanshu felt even more puzzled.

"Alright," Lu Chengyuan coughed awkwardly, "I'm leaving."

-

Meanwhile, the doctor from Xinglin Hall personally confirmed that Xie Qianjiao's pulse was indeed the pulse one would expect during pregnancy.

The old lady and Pei Zeyu were overjoyed.

"Then I'll have to trouble you a lot in the future!" the old lady said earnestly.

Doctor Zheng stroked his beard: "This is a doctor's duty, Madam, you needn't stand on ceremony."

Xie Qianjiao nestled in Pei Zeyu's arms, her face full of girlish shyness and longing, and her hand unconsciously pressed against her lower abdomen, making Pei Zeyu's heart flutter.