I am invincible, that's why I lie down. You're using your entire clan to rebel?

Chapter 248 Xu Fenghua is pregnant! She's carrying Qin Mu's child!!

"Your Majesty! What's wrong?!"

Xu Fenghua waved her hand, her face as pale as paper.

"It's nothing..." Her voice was hoarse and weak. "I guess I've been worrying too much lately and caught a bit of a chill... It's nothing..."

As she spoke, she gagged a few more times.

Wang Jimin frowned deeply.

Catching a cold?

impossible.

He was an imperial physician; he knew all too well.

The Empress's symptoms are definitely not as simple as just catching a cold.

"Your Majesty," his voice trembled slightly, "let me take your pulse."

Xu Fenghua raised her head and looked at him.

A hint of confusion flashed in those amber eyes.

then,

She was stunned.

A thought flashed through my mind like lightning.

The thought was so terrifying that she instinctively wanted to deny it.

But once that thought appears, it can never be shaken off.

Her face turned deathly pale instantly.

His lips trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.

"No……"

She murmured, her voice as soft as a dream.

"impossible……"

"This is impossible..."

Looking at her like this, Wang Jimin's ominous premonition grew stronger.

He said no more and took out a silver thread from the medicine box.

"Your Majesty," he said, "let me take your pulse."

Xu Fenghua looked at him.

Looking at the silver thread in his hand, and at his solemn expression.

The terrible thought in my mind became clearer and clearer.

Her body began to tremble.

The trembling started in the fingers, spread to the arms, to the shoulders, and to the whole body.

But she eventually nodded.

Wang Jimin gently placed the silver thread on Xu Fenghua's wrist.

The other end is wrapped around one's fingertips.

He closed his eyes.

Concentrate and calm your mind.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly at that moment.

The hall was deathly silent.

The only sounds were the faint flickering of the candlelight and the occasional rustling of the night breeze through the courtyard.

Xu Fenghua stared intently at Wang Jimin's face.

Watching his brows go from relaxed to furrowed, and then from furrowed to relaxed again.

Watching his expression shift from solemn to complex, and from complex to incredulous.

Finally, Wang Jimin opened his eyes.

Those cloudy old eyes were now filled with an extremely complex light.

He looked at Xu Fenghua.

He opened his mouth.

But he couldn't utter a single word.

When Xu Fenghua saw him like this, her head spun as if struck by lightning.

Blank.

But deep down, a sliver of hope still lingered.

That stroke of luck made her speak.

The voice trembled so much it was almost inaudible:

"Wha...what's wrong?"

Wang Jimin looked at her, at her pale, terrified face.

An indescribable sorrow welled up in my heart.

He knew what this news meant to the Empress.

This means that all her forbearance, all her sacrifices, and all her waiting will be completely overturned.

This means she will face an even more difficult choice.

He took a deep breath.

He opened his mouth slowly.

His voice was hoarse, yet every word was clear:

"Your Majesty,"

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:

"You're...pregnant?"

The moment the words fell!

Xu Fenghua was completely stunned.

She sat there, motionless.

His eyes were wide open, his pupils filled with disbelief and shock.

His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

But it felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his throat, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Only in those amber eyes was the shock, the bewilderment, and the fear churning wildly.

She's pregnant.

She's pregnant.

She's pregnant.

These three words, like three thunderclaps, exploded in her mind one after another.

It blew her away, made her dizzy, shattered her liver and gallbladder, and caused her whole world to collapse.

She slowly raised her hand.

It landed on my lower abdomen.

There, everything remains as flat as ever.

I can't feel anything.

But she knew that Wang Jimin wouldn't lie to her.

Inside her belly,

A life is being conceived at this moment.

One of her and Qin Mu's children.

Xu Fenghua's tears finally welled up and spilled out.

Those tears were neither tears of sadness nor tears of joy, but rather an extremely complex emotion that she herself could not explain.

She recalled those humiliating nights.

She recalled every mark Qin Mu had left on her.

She recalled those scenes she desperately wanted to forget, but could never forget.

At that time, she thought that if she just endured it, it would pass.

I thought that as long as I could get through this, as long as I could wait until that day, everything would be over.

But she never imagined that...

Such traces will be left.

Such marks can never be erased.

Xu Fenghua's hands were tightly covering her lower abdomen.

His body was trembling violently.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her pale cheeks, dripping onto her moon-white dress and spreading out dark stains.

She opened her mouth.

What do you want to say?

I want to curse, I want to cry, I want to vent.

But she couldn't say anything.

She just sat there, clutching her lower abdomen, letting the tears flow uncontrollably.

Wang Jimin stood aside, watching her like this.

The bitterness in my heart grew stronger and stronger.

He knew that at this moment, any words would be inadequate.

All I could do was stand there quietly, keeping her company.

Let her slowly process this news that could overturn everything.

Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.

Only the faint sound of the flickering candlelight and Xu Fenghua's suppressed, broken sobs could be heard.

Outside the window, the moonlight remained cold and clear.

A night breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying a few withered leaves that swirled and drifted down.

A few beats of the night watchman's drum came from afar.

It's the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

It's almost bright.

But for Xu Fenghua, this night...

We have just fallen into the deepest darkness.

The hall was deathly silent.

The candlelight flickered in the copper lamp, casting Xu Fenghua's shadow on the wall, sometimes long, sometimes short.

Wang Jimin stood there, looking at the woman in front of him who had just wiped away her tears and whose face had quickly regained its composure. A complex emotion, hard to describe, welled up in his heart.

That dignified face was still as pale as paper, with tear stains still clinging to her cheeks, but her amber eyes had regained their usual calm.

It was even calmer than usual.

It was as calm as a deep pool of frozen water, with no bottom in sight and no ripples in sight.

Wang Jimin opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But before he could speak, Xu Fenghua spoke first.

"Physician Wang."

Her voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally clear, carrying an undeniable calm:

"You can go now."

She paused, her gaze falling on Wang Jimin's face, and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"And by the way, go and prepare some abortion pills for me."

The moment the words left his mouth, Wang Jimin's pupils suddenly contracted.

He stared blankly at Xu Fenghua, at that calm, almost indifferent face.

Abortion pills.

These three words were like a boulder, making him catch his breath!

He certainly knew what it meant to prepare abortion pills for the concubines in the palace without authorization.

That is utterly rebellious.

That is the crime of deceiving the emperor.

That would be a catastrophe that would result in the extermination of nine generations of one's family.

Wang Jimin, having spent so many years in the Imperial Hospital, knew better than anyone what taking this step meant.

not to mention,

He practiced medicine for 23 years and saved countless lives.

Every life is precious in his eyes.

Even if it's just a newly formed embryo that hasn't yet developed a heartbeat.

That is life too.

It was a life he, as a doctor, should have protected.

But now, he had to do it himself...

Wang Jimin's fingers slowly tightened inside his sleeve.

He closed his eyes.

Take a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, there was a complex calm in those cloudy old eyes.

He knew he had no right to make decisions for the Empress.

I also know that the Empress must have been in even more pain than I was when she made this decision.

She is the one who has to bear everything.

"Yes."

Wang Jimin spoke, his voice hoarse yet clear:

"Understood."

He bowed deeply, then turned and walked toward the palace gate.

The footsteps faded into the night.

Inside the hall, only Xu Fenghua remained.

The candlelight flickered, casting her shadow long, long on the wall.

She sat there, motionless.

Her hands remained on her lower abdomen.

My palms pressed against that thin layer of fabric, feeling the warmth beneath.

There, everything remains as flat as ever.

I can't feel anything.

But she knew there was something there.

There is a tiny, newly formed life.

One of her and Qin Mu's children.

Xu Fenghua's tears welled up again.

The tears flowed silently, sliding down her pale cheeks and dripping onto her moon-white dress, spreading out dark stains.

But she didn't wipe it.

She simply let the tears flow.

Let those complex emotions surge within me.

She recalled the momentary blankness in her mind when Wang Jimin announced the results.

What comes after that blank space?

It is fear.

A fear that runs deep in your bones.

This child is Qin Mu's.

It was the man she hated to the core.

It was the man who forced himself on her, humiliated her, and made her wish she were dead.

This child should not exist.

It absolutely cannot exist.

But after that fear, there was another emotion she couldn't quite describe.

The emotion was light and faint, yet it was real.

She didn't know what it was either.

Perhaps it's a woman's instinctive attachment to her own flesh and blood.

Perhaps it was a soft spot deep within her heart that she herself was unwilling to acknowledge.

Xu Fenghua closed her eyes.

She recalled the days she spent at Tingyu Villa in Jiangnan many years ago.

At that time, she had not yet entered the palace, had not yet become Qin Mu's concubine, and had not yet experienced all of this.

At that time, she was just a newlywed in the Zhao family, busy managing the business, dealing with those cunning merchants, and trying to gain a foothold in the business world.

At that time, she thought countless times about what it would be like if she had her own child one day.

She would teach him to read and write, to ride horses and shoot arrows, and to survive in this treacherous world.

She will give him the best of everything and make him the happiest child in the world.

She will...

Those images flashed through her mind one by one.

So clear, so real, so beautiful.

But all those beautiful things belong to another child.

It belongs to the child she can give birth to openly and honestly, without having to hide or face any danger.

Not this.

This is a bastard.

It was the illegitimate child she had with the man she hated to the core.

This child, from the moment of his existence, was destined not to be blessed.

She recalled the day Qin Mu forcibly took her as a concubine, using the excuse that she had not had children for many years.

She never imagined that she would have a child with Qin Mu in such a short time.

Xu Fenghua opened her eyes.

Tears continued to flow from those amber eyes.

Her hand moved away from her lower abdomen.

It was placed on his face.

The cool palms pressed against the burning cheeks brought a brief moment of clarity.

She asked herself:

Xu Fenghua, are you really going to abort this child?

The answer is yes.

This child cannot be kept.

If you leave it in your stomach, it's like a time bomb.

It could explode at any moment, and could bring her to her doom at any moment.

If Qin Mu found out, how would he treat her?

She dared not think.

The consequences would be terrifying.

Besides, even if Qin Mu didn't know, what could she do?

Should we give birth to this child?

and then?

Let him grow up in this deep palace and become a second Qin Mu?

Or should he become a second her, growing up amidst scheming and conspiracies, never finding peace in his life?

She can't.

She couldn't let her children live like that again.

No.

Absolutely not.

Xu Fenghua removed her hand from her face.

It was then placed back on the lower abdomen.

A hint of determination flashed in those amber eyes.

That unwavering resolve, like a bolt of lightning, pierced through the churning darkness.

But then another emotion surged up.

Anyway,

That was her child.

It is the life that is connected to her by blood and is growing inside her.

Even if it's only been a month, even if it hasn't fully formed yet, it's still her child.

It was her child, Xu Fenghua's child.

Xu Fenghua's tears welled up again.

She looked down at her lower abdomen, as if she could see the tiny thing inside through the thin fabric.

What is that tiny being doing right now?

Are you sleeping?

Or are they still trying to grow up?

Does he know that his mother is plotting to kill him?

Xu Fenghua closed her eyes.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto the back of her hand, warm and damp.

Her hand gently caressed her lower abdomen.

The movement was very light and slow, as if caressing the most precious treasure in the world.

It was as if they were saying their final goodbye.

Inside the hall, there was a deathly silence.

The only sounds were the faint flickering of the candlelight and her suppressed, broken breathing.

Outside the window, the moonlight remained cold and clear.

A night breeze swept through the courtyard, carrying a few withered leaves that swirled and drifted down.

A few beats of the night watchman's drum came from afar.

The third quarter of the Yin hour.

It's almost bright.

But Xu Fenghua remained seated there.

Not moving at all.

Place both hands on your lower abdomen.

Tears flowed silently.

She was struggling.

Struggling in pain.

Struggling between reason and emotion.

Struggling between what I should and what I can't bear to part with.

again and again.

I don't know how much time passed.

The night outside the window gradually faded.

A faint glimmer of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon.

Xu Fenghua remained seated there.

Not moving at all.

But those eyes were fixed on the rising sun outside the window.

Gazing at the golden light, it gradually dispelled the darkness.

The tears in her eyes had dried.

She opened her mouth.

The voice was hoarse and so soft it was almost inaudible.

"A tragic fate..."

She murmured those two words as if they were squeezed out from the deepest part of her heart.

"It's all a tragic fate..."

Xu Fenghua took a deep breath.

The breath she inhaled, carrying the coolness of the morning, made her feel more awake.

She lowered her head and looked at her lower abdomen again.

The morning light shone on her, casting a half-light, half-shadow on her pale face.

Her hand gently caressed her flat stomach.

"child……"

She spoke softly, her voice hoarse yet gentle.

That gentleness carried a deep sense of guilt and heartache.

"sorry……"

"Mother..."

She paused, and tears welled up again:

"Your mother cannot keep you here."

"You...don't blame your mother."

The moment she finished speaking, she closed her eyes.

Tears welled up in her eyes again.

.......

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away at the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion.

At this moment, the Zhenyue Hall was brightly lit.