Mrs. Wei felt that Xu Yanchi's look was a bit off at this moment. She thought to herself that something was wrong. Surely the marquis wouldn't take his anger out on her, would he?
Mrs. Wei immediately made an excuse about needing to relieve herself and left.
At this moment, Xu Yanchi's mind was full of the days when he would be second only to the emperor and superior to all others. He didn't pay attention to her.
Shen Qing's belly was getting bigger. It was becoming more and more inconvenient for her to move around, and the effect of the toxin was becoming more and more obvious. There were many times when she felt utterly exhausted.
One night, when Shen Qing was sleeping, she suddenly felt a sharp, spasming pain in her thigh, which woke her up abruptly.
"What's wrong?"
Ji Junye had been watching her grow weaker day by day these days. He was so worried that he didn't dare to sleep soundly at night. As soon as Shen Qing made a sound, he woke up.
Shen Qing gasped in pain and said intermittently, "My leg... It's cramping..."
"Where?"
Ji Junye remembered that Qin Ye had said before that pregnant women might experience leg cramps in their late pregnancy. He found the place Shen Qing mentioned and gently massaged it for her.
After massaging for quite a while, Shen Qing finally felt like she had come back to life.
"Do you feel better?" Ji Junye picked up the handkerchief on the bedside table and wiped the fine sweat off her forehead.
Shen Qing nodded. "Much better."
But just after lying down for a short while, she struggled to get out of bed.
"Where are you going?" Ji Junye asked.
Shen Qing looked a bit embarrassed. "I need to go to the toilet. You go back to sleep first."
Ji Junye sat up. He was really worried about her going alone. "I'll go with you."
Shen Qing was extremely embarrassed and shook her head repeatedly. Having Ji Junye accompany her to the toilet was a bit beyond her comfort zone.
"Zhuxing is on night watch outside. I'll just call Zhuxing."
Ji Junye knew she was shy and was about to agree. But seeing her difficult movements, he frowned tightly, threw off the quilt, got out of bed, and picked her up.
"I'll carry you there."
Shen Qing originally wanted to refuse, but she was really in a hurry at this moment, so she had no choice but to let him carry her. She felt that she had never been so ashamed before.
Ji Junye didn't loosen his frown the whole way. He had only heard before that it was hard for women to bear children, but he didn't know it could be this hard. They couldn't even sleep peacefully.
After all, he was the one to blame. If it weren't for him getting her pregnant...
Shen Qing slept soundly in the second half of the night, but Ji Junye tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep at all. Early the next morning, he had someone call Qin Ye over.
"Can her symptoms be completely cured?"
After Qin Ye finished feeling Shen Qing's pulse, he spread his hands helplessly. "These are all normal phenomena. They can't be completely cured, only alleviated. Moreover, I'm not good at treating diseases and saving people, let alone obstetrics. I dare not prescribe medicine for her."
Ji Junye frowned so tightly that he could almost pinch a fly. "What about the poison in her body?"
"The toxin is invading her body. Hasn't she been looking more and more listless recently? Originally, it could be treated, but because of the baby..."
Qin Ye sighed and then continued, "We have to be careful with the baby, so we can't use strong medicine. The current prescription is already the most effective one."
Which meant they could only manage the situation like this for now.
"However, you can do something, like accompany her more and comfort her, so that her mood can stay better."
Qin Ye said that this was all he could say. Who would have thought that he, a poison doctor, would be grilled about the health of a pregnant woman and her fetus?
Doing two jobs but getting paid for only one.
What a hard life!
After Qin Ye left, Ji Junye had someone invite Meng Hanqing over. Although he didn't want to see him at all, there was no denying his medical skills.
When Meng Hanqing was feeling Shen Qing's pulse, Ji Junye sat beside Shen Qing, one hand firmly around her waist, clearly showing his claim.
Shen Qing thought it was really because of Meng Hanqing's good temper that he didn't just walk out on the spot.
"Madam's symptoms really can't be completely cured. However, I can use golden needles to stimulate acupoints to relieve Madam's pain. I'll come every day to perform the acupuncture."
"Isn't it too much trouble?"
"Then I'll have to trouble Dr. Meng."
Shen Qing and Ji Junye's voices rang out at the same time.
Meng Hanqing's lips curved slightly. "It's no trouble. The New Year is approaching. I won't be seeing patients in the clinic anymore. Moreover, the baby in Madam's belly is a bit weaker than a normal healthy baby. The acupuncture can ensure Madam has a safe delivery."
Shen Qing didn't say anything more. "Then I'll have to trouble Dr. Meng. I feel ashamed to say that I promised to help Dr. Meng find his younger sister, but there's still no news until now."
Meng Hanqing's eyes were covered with a white cloth, so it was hard to tell his expression. "It doesn't matter. I already know where she is."
Shen Qing's eyes lit up. "That's really great. Dr. Meng has been helping the sick and saving the dying. I'm sure God doesn't want the siblings to be separated."
That was indeed the case, Meng Hanqing thought to himself.
But he couldn't tell her yet that she was that younger sister.
Ji Junye felt extremely jealous and interrupted them. "I wonder if Dr. Meng has any intention of joining the Imperial Medical Academy. I'm willing to offer a generous salary."
The atmosphere was suddenly broken. Meng Hanqing's voice clearly showed a bit of aloofness. "I only want to be a wandering doctor, helping the sick and saving the dying. I don't like the rules and restrictions in the palace. What Your Majesty said is not what I want."
"I see. That's really a pity," Ji Junye sighed.
Meng Hanqing silently labeled Ji Junye as "not on the same level" again. Then he said to Shen Qing, "I'll perform the acupuncture on Madam first."
It was inconvenient to have outsiders present during the acupuncture, so Ji Junye had to wait outside. Fortunately, after just a quarter of an hour, Meng Hanqing called him in.
"Qingqing, how do you feel?"
Meeting his worried gaze, with an outsider still there, Shen Qing felt a bit embarrassed. "I feel fine. I feel much more relaxed."
Meng Hanqing was speechless. Was Ji Junye being so defensive against him because he was afraid he would run away with Shen Qing?
Meng Hanqing decided that he would go to find Shen Si for tea after he got back. After packing up his things, he took his leave. "I'll come again tomorrow."
Ji Junye had someone bring out the consultation fee, a thick stack of silver notes, more than enough.
Meng Hanqing took them all without hesitation.
Shen Qing originally wanted to tell Ji Junye to be more polite to Dr. Meng in the future. After all, he wasn't their family doctor. But then she thought that with his jealous nature, he would probably be jealous for days. So she decided not to mention it.
"Qingqing, how about I accompany you to the villa to await the birth of the baby?" After Meng Hanqing left, Ji Junye thought for a while and asked.
It was always inconvenient for either him or Meng Hanqing to come to the marquis's mansion. There were also many trivial matters bothering her. It would be different if they went to the villa. Everyone there was his person, and they wouldn't have to worry about being seen.
It sounded like a good idea, but after thinking for a moment, Shen Qing still shook her head. "The New Year is approaching. It's not very convenient to go to the villa now. Let's wait until after the New Year."
There were a lot of things to prepare before the New Year, and there were also New Year visits and gifts to give after the New Year. Although she didn't have to worry about the things in the marquis's mansion, for some close people, she would definitely have to give the New Year gifts herself.
Seeing that she had made up her mind, Ji Junye didn't force her. But he seemed to be getting more and more anxious day by day.
"Are you saying you suspect that Jiang Chan is pregnant?"
"Yes," Zhuxing said. "Miss asked me to keep an eye on Mingyue Pavilion before. Lady Jiang is very cautious. I could only start from her diet. As a result, I found that there was almost no food from Banyue Pavilion in her diet, and there was not a single bit of cold and blood-activating food that pregnant women should avoid. When I checked further, I found that Lady Jiang had asked a doctor to check her pulse for safety more than a dozen times in the past month."
It was probably true then.
Calculating the dates, it should have been before she came back?
Shen Qing sneered in her heart. Didn't Xu Yanchi claim to be deeply in love with her? On one hand, he was so "loving" that he wouldn't let her go, and on the other hand, he got Jiang Chan pregnant while she was missing. Was that right?