Mingyue thought for a while. To explain better, she imitated a pregnant woman, standing with her legs slightly apart, her arms away from her belly, and then leaning back gently. "Because of their big bellies, they're bound to be a bit unsteady. They'll stand like this, with their legs apart, heels on the ground and toes slightly turned out, just like I'm doing!"
As she spoke, Mingyue motioned for Shen Li and Jiaoyue to watch her actions, demonstrating a few times how a truly pregnant woman would stand.
Jiaoyue watched curiously. Once she understood, she burst into laughter at Mingyue's somewhat silly - looking actions. Mingyue then tickled Jiaoyue a few times, and they stopped.
Regaining her composure, Mingyue continued, "When I was standing behind our young lady and bowing to Concubine Liu just now, although she also acted slowly and carefully, her standing posture was still normal, not like what I just showed."
"So, after our young lady's reminder just now, I just remembered. Now I also suspect that Concubine Liu might not be pregnant!"
After Mingyue finished speaking, she looked up at Shen Li, her face slightly raised, her eyes full of hope, looking like she was seeking praise.
Seeing this, Shen Li smiled faintly and, as Mingyue expected, praised her, "Mingyue is right!"
"Concubine Liu not only walked in the wrong way, but her body shape was also off! As far as I know, most pregnant women have a bigger appetite to nourish the baby in their bellies, so their body shapes will change. Most of them will gain weight to some extent."
"What do you think of Concubine Liu we saw today? Did she look like she had gained weight?"
Hearing this, Jiaoyue naturally shook her head. "Concubine Liu seemed to have no change except for her belly. Her face, arms, and legs were all the same."
Shen Li nodded with a satisfied look. "As a concubine, now that Concubine Liu is pregnant, with Shen Junming's current situation regarding heirs, he must value her extremely. She must be treated very well, at least not be starved. So, she must put the baby in her belly first and won't deliberately eat less to starve the baby. After a few months, she should have gained weight, not remain unchanged like this!"
After listening to Shen Li and Mingyue's explanations, Jiaoyue completely understood. But then she thought of another question and asked Shen Li, "Then why does Concubine Liu pretend to be pregnant? Even if she acts very convincingly now, everything will be exposed when it's time for the baby to be born, right?"
Mingyue then said, "Pretending to be pregnant might be for winning favor! As for what she plans to do later, I can't guess."
After Mingyue finished speaking, she looked at Shen Li, wanting to hear what she had to say. But seeing that Shen Li was also deep in thought, she didn't say anything to disturb her.
Shen Li was indeed thinking about Concubine Liu. Since Shen Junming brought Concubine Liu and Concubine Xiao into the Shen Mansion, Shen Li had always felt that they were not simple.
She had sent people from the Night Shade Division to investigate their identities, but they found no flaws. Just as Shen Junming had said before, they were singers bought from the south of the Yangtze River by his superior and given to him.
The information from the Night Shade Division also showed that the two Concubines Liu had indeed been trained in the Music Bureau in the south of the Yangtze River.
But even so, Shen Li still had doubts in her heart. She always felt that the two Concubines Liu were deliberately prepared and sent into the Shen Mansion because their appearance was too coincidental.
It was just after Shen Li had taken the house - managing power from Mrs. Shen and her reputation had started to decline, and Shen Junming had begun to rebel against Mrs. Shen's control. That's when the two Concubines Liu appeared.
But Shen Li couldn't figure out who would go to so much trouble to place people around Shen Junming. Shen Junming didn't hold an important official position. Over the years, he had smoothly advanced in the officialdom thanks to the prestige of Shen Li's father. Moreover, he didn't have much wealth.
It really didn't seem worth it for someone to place people around Shen Junming!
Unable to figure it out for the moment, Shen Li put it aside. If the two Concubines Liu really had some ulterior motives, she believed they would soon show their true colors.
When they returned to the Night Shade Division, a servant reported that Shen Yi had something important to discuss with Shen Li and asked her to go to him as soon as she came back.
Upon receiving the message, Shen Li didn't dare to delay and went to see Shen Yi.
Although it was still a red - sky evening outside, the study of Shen Yi was a bit dim. Shen Yi was sitting behind the desk, his back against the chair, eyes closed, motionless, as if he was asleep.
As soon as Shen Li pushed the door open, she saw Shen Yi in this state. Her heart skipped a beat. Shen Yi was very abnormal today. Shen Li had only seen Shen Yi in such a decadent state once.
Years ago, when their father took their mother out of the capital, Shen Yi locked himself in the study for a whole day and night. When he came out the next day when the sun was out, he was a different person. He was no longer the innocent and lively young man. It was as if he had grown up overnight and took over the Night Shade Division and supported the family.
At that time, Shen Li was only seven years old. With her parents suddenly leaving, Shen Yi was the only one she could rely on. But Shen Yi's sudden change really scared Shen Li at that time.
And now Shen Yi was like this again. Naturally, Shen Li was scared and uneasy. "Brother, what's wrong with you?" Shen Li didn't even notice that her voice was full of timidity. Since her rebirth, Shen Li had been a strong and independent person, seemingly never afraid of anything. This was the first time like this.
"Brother! Brother!"
Shen Li called Shen Yi again, but he still kept his eyes closed, as if he was in a deep sleep and couldn't hear the outside world.
"Brother, what happened?" This time Shen Li raised her voice, but Shen Yi still didn't move. Without hesitation, Shen Li quickly walked up to Shen Yi and waved her hand in front of his face.
Just as she waved her hand twice, she felt her wrist tighten. Shen Yi had tightly grabbed her wrist. "Brother?"
Hearing this, Shen Yi didn't move. He still held Shen Li's wrist and stared at her intently. There was a glimmer of surprise in his eyes at first, and then doubt began to appear.