Chapter 188 “Yan Yan, We Are Going to Have a Child…”

Chapter 188 "Yan Yan... we're going to have a child."

After what felt like forever, Jiang Congyan finally stopped vomiting. A Fei hurriedly brought over a bowl of clean water, and Jiang Congyan rinsed her mouth with it, feeling a little better—but still too weak to sit up without Tuo Baxiao’s support.

Tuo Baxiao carried her back inside and laid her on the bed. Her cheeks and lips were still ghostly pale, her long lashes drooping weakly, half-covering her eyes. She looked utterly drained, pitifully frail.

Since that severe illness in Liangzhou, he had rarely seen her this sick. His chest ached unbearably, wishing he could take her pain instead.

He helped her sit up against the headboard and brought her a cup of warm water to drink. Jiang Congyan took a few sips before gently pushing his hand away. Tuo Baxiao set the water aside and sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to let her lean against his chest. His large hand enveloped her slender fingers, massaging them slowly.

"Feeling better?"

Jiang Congyan nodded. Though the intense nausea had subsided, her chest still felt tight, and she didn’t want to speak.

Silence settled over the room.

Tuo Baxiao was frantic, desperate for answers, but seeing her so fragile, he suppressed his questions and let her rest.

Pain, anger, and guilt churned inside him. She had mentioned feeling unwell last night—he should have insisted on calling Zhang Fu to examine her then.

For someone like her to admit discomfort, she must have been in great pain. Yet he had overlooked it. Damn him for it.

He silently vowed never to make such a mistake again.

In less time than it took to finish a cup of tea, Tuo Baxiao grew impatient. "Has someone gone to fetch him? Why isn’t he back yet?" he pressed A Fei repeatedly.

There hadn’t been nearly enough time, but A Fei knew better than to argue with him in this mood.

The thought hadn’t yet crossed his mind, but Jiang Congyan had an inkling—though she didn’t dare voice it, afraid to get his hopes up for nothing.

After about fifteen minutes, Zhang Fu finally arrived.

A Fei ushered him inside while quietly recounting what had happened.

"...I also sent someone to check with the kitchen. The fish were caught fresh this morning, and the rice was of the finest quality. They’d never dare serve the lady anything spoiled."

Zhang Fu sensed her guilt and reassured her, "There are many causes for vomiting—it isn’t necessarily due to unclean food."

As they spoke, they quickly entered the inner chamber.

"Check her now," Tuo Baxiao urged the moment he saw Zhang Fu.

Jiang Congyan opened her eyes. Zhang Fu wasted no time. Sitting on the stool A Fei had brought, he placed two fingers lightly on Jiang Congyan’s outstretched wrist. He closed his eyes, focusing on her pulse.

Tuo Baxiao didn’t blink, his gaze locked on Zhang Fu.

Moments later, Zhang Fu opened his eyes, his gaze brightening. "The pulse flows smooth and steady, like beads gliding on a tray—it’s the pulse of pregnancy."

Pregnant?

Tuo Baxiao went completely still.

After a beat, he turned stiffly to the woman in his arms, his face a mix of shock and disbelief.

From what he understood of Chinese, "pregnancy" means pregnancy, right?

Jiang Congyan was stunned upon hearing this.

"Judging by the pulse, she should be about two months pregnant." She should have realized it by now.

But Zhang Fu could only mutter this last part in his mind.

Two months—that lined up exactly with their time apart. It must have happened during that time on the ship.

Jiang Congyan turned her gaze toward him, meeting the man's eyes, as if they were both thinking the same thing.

The word "pregnancy" echoed relentlessly in Tuo Baxiao's mind, sending shockwaves through him, nearly drowning his thoughts.

"You're not mistaken?" He abruptly turned to Zhang Fu.

"No mistake," Zhang Fu said firmly.

If it had been just over a month, the pulse might still be unstable and harder to discern, but two months? There was no way he could misdiagnose it.

Tuo Baxiao was flooded with wild joy. "Yan Yan, we're going to have a child!"

Jiang Congyan’s heart hammered in her chest.

Though she’d had an inkling, hearing the news still left her stunned, barely able to believe it.

After all, there had been no signs for three years, so she had assumed she wouldn’t conceive anytime soon. Especially since she had still had her monthly cycle the previous month—though it was very light, just a faint trace of red. At the time, she thought it might be due to travel fatigue or adjusting to a new environment. With Tuo Baxiao away recently, she hadn’t paid much attention to the slight delay this month.

Jiang Congyan smiled at him, her hand instinctively resting on her belly—still flat, no different from usual, yet now nurturing a new life.

She had once been afraid of having children, but in this moment, she was overjoyed by the little one’s arrival.

Tuo Baxiao held her tightly against his chest, and Jiang Congyan could almost feel the rush of his blood and the powerful beat of his heart, revealing just how shaken he was.

"Yan Yan, we're going to have a child," Tuo Baxiao repeated.

"Mm."

Tuo Baxiao didn’t know how to express the overwhelming excitement he felt. Words failed him—all he knew was that they were having a child, their own flesh and blood.

So unexpected, yet so miraculous.

Jiang Congyan’s gaze softened.

Zhang Fu allowed the couple their moment of joyful daze before speaking again once their emotions had settled. "The pregnancy is definite, but her pulse is a bit faint and sluggish. The pregnancy isn’t as strong as it should be."

His words hit them like a bucket of ice water. Their faces fell instantly, both turning to stare at him.

"What do you mean, the pregnancy isn’t strong?" Tuo Baxiao’s voice shook badly, but his eyes were fiercely intense.

"Are you saying there’s something wrong with the pregnancy?" he pressed.

Jiang Congyan’s heart twisted in fear.

She went deathly pale, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead.

A whirlwind of fears raced through her mind—the medicine she had taken to prevent pregnancy, her already delicate health. Had it hurt the baby...?

Seeing their panic, Zhang Fu quickly backtracked. "No, no—I didn’t mean it like that. The lady is perfectly fine."

Tuo Baxiao continued to stare intently at him.

"Her current health is fine for pregnancy."

"What about the child?" Jiang Congyan asked.

"The baby’s fine too." He gave them both some peace of mind first.

"Then what did you mean by your earlier remark?" Tuo Baxiao pressed.

"What I meant was, she traveled nonstop for a month from Nanyang. Even normally, that’d be exhausting, let alone while pregnant and in the early stages. No wonder she’s feeling a little weak, but with proper rest and nourishment, she’ll recover soon," Zhang Fu explained.

"Then figure out how to get her well, fast."

Zhang Fu nodded hastily. "I’ll give her two rounds of gentle tonics to take over the next few days, then reassess and adjust as needed. But all meds have some side effects, so it’s best to minimize their use if we can."

Tuo Baxiao repeatedly confirmed with Zhang Fu that both Jiang Congyan and the baby were fine, only relaxing slightly after receiving his assurances.

Zhang Fu went over precautions for the early stages of pregnancy—avoiding exhaustion, being mindful of certain foods and spices—and wrote down several medicinal diet recipes. A Fei jotted each one down carefully.

After more than an hour, they finally wrapped things up.

Before leaving, Zhang Fu glanced at Tuo Baxiao, hesitating as if wanting to say more.

"What else?" Tuo Baxiao’s voice tensed.

It wasn’t anything major, but it was somewhat awkward to bring up in front of the lady. Zhang Fu awkwardly pulled him aside.

The two stepped into a side room, leaving Jiang Congyan sitting alone on the bed, her mind racing with worry.

What could be so important that it had to be kept from her? Was there still a problem? Despite Zhang Fu’s earlier reassurances, her rationality seemed to vanish entirely.

Fortunately, Tuo Baxiao returned after just a short while.

"What did he say to you?" Jiang Congyan asked urgently.

Tuo Baxiao coughed awkwardly. "He said we should hold off on... you know."

Jiang Congyan’s face flushed slightly.

Though Zhang Fu couldn’t eavesdrop outside their bedroom to confirm what they did every night, the couple had previously used contraception for a time. After the initial supply of fish-bladder sheaths ran out, she had been too embarrassed to instruct the maids and asked Tuo Baxiao to request more from Zhang Fu himself.

Since Zhang Fu personally prepared these items, he knew exactly how many had been used. Aware that Tuo Baxiao was hardly the ascetic type—and with no other women around—he had likely issued the warning out of concern that the man might struggle to restrain himself.

The thought made Jiang Congyan shudder. She grabbed his shirt and whispered, "Thank goodness we didn’t last night..."

"Yes, thank goodness." Tuo Baxiao shared her relief, pulling her tightly into his arms and enveloping her hand in his.

Given her fragile condition, their reunion after separation could have been disastrous had he not known about the pregnancy—his unrestrained passion might’ve hurt her without realizing.

He also thought back to their journey. At the time, Jiang Congyan had been unaware of her pregnancy, and the bumpy roads had tossed her around, bouncing her up and down. If she’d been frailer, he didn’t even want to think whether the child would have survived. Thankfully, the little one was resilient—or perhaps it was simply fate’s will.

They sat in quiet again as they held each other close, letting the excitement settle for their soon-to-be parents.

"You think it’s a boy or a girl?" Jiang Congyan asked.

"Don’t matter. Whether a boy or a girl, they’ll be precious to us." As long as it’s ours, it’ll be his greatest joy.

Tuo Baxiao's hand hovered over her abdomen, wanting to touch it but withdrawing just before contact.

Jiang Congyan noticed his excessive caution and chuckled, grabbing his palm and pressing it against her belly.

Tuo Baxiao felt for a moment. "Feels about the same as before."

Jiang Congyan laughed. "She’s still too tiny for you to notice. You’ll probably have to wait four or five months before you can sense her."

After chatting for a while, Tuo Baxiao suddenly remembered how violently she had vomited earlier. "You just threw up everything you ate. You can’t go hungry—try eating something else."

Jiang Congyan had little appetite, but he was right. She needed to nourish herself now.

The scent of anything fishy turned her stomach, so A Fei had the kitchen whip up a fresh batch of vegetable porridge and brought over some tangerines.

The citrusy scent of the tangerines was refreshing. Just holding them under her nose and breathing in the aroma lifted her mood.

After finishing her meal and downing a bowl of medicine, Jiang Congyan gradually grew drowsy.

Tuo Baxiao eased her down onto the bed, then perched on the bedside, draping a thin blanket over her. "Sleep."

Jiang Congyan closed her eyes.

She hadn’t been asleep long when A Long arrived and saw A Fei in the outer chamber. "Is the king inside?"

A Fei pressed a finger to her lips, signaling him to keep quiet and not disturb the lady. A Long slapped a hand over his mouth.

But Tuo Baxiao had already heard. After a brief pause, he rose carefully and waved A Long outside into the courtyard.

"The generals are still waiting in the command tent. Are you still heading there, my king?" A Long asked cautiously.

Tuo Baxiao had originally planned to strike first. He had only meant to return briefly to have a meal with Jiang Congyan before attending to other matters, but now...

"Tell them to stand down against the Liang army for now. Have Zhou Hong block their crossing."

"Yes."

The king had originally planned to strike first. A Long didn’t know what had happened in such a short time to make him abandon that plan, but since the king had given the order, he would follow it.

After issuing a few quick commands, Tuo Baxiao dismissed the matter and returned to Jiang Congyan’s side.

He stayed awake—too restless to sleep—and simply watched her, when suddenly, the memory of their first meeting surfaced.

Back then, he had only thought this Han woman was clever and bold, remaining composed even when caught between enemies. She fit exactly the kind of wife he’d imagined, but he never expected their bond to deepen so profoundly, nor that her every move would dictate his every joy and sorrow.

He thought, *Thank fate I found her.* Now they even had a child, a complete family.

...

Pregnancy was already draining, and Jiang Congyan had traveled for a full month on top of that. She truly needed rest. This nap lasted for a solid two hours, and when she woke, the afternoon was already waning.

As soon as she blinked awake, his striking face filled her vision, his gaze fixed intently on her.

"You’ve been here the whole time?"

"Mhm."

A warm flutter spread through Jiang Congyan’s chest, but she still said, "You ought to go handle them. I have people here to take care of me."

Tuo Baxiao shook his head. "Just a quick word. It’s all taken care of."

"You hungry? Anything you’re craving? I’ll get it made for you," he asked again.

Jiang Congyan was actually kinda hungry. "I'd like some rice cakes, with extra sugar," she said.

Tuo Baxiao had them made right away.

Once the initial thrill of the pregnancy settled, Jiang Congyan asked Tuo Baxiao about the ongoing battles on his side.

Tuo Baxiao didn’t want her to worry about such matters, but she insisted, so he had no choice but to tell her.

"...We fought once, and now we’re stuck in another standoff. Xie Shao’s Southern Liang troops aren’t pushovers." At this point, he suddenly remembered something and quickly added, "This place is too close to the battlefield—it’s not safe. Once you’ve recovered a bit, I’ll send you back."

Normally, his pride would never let him admit Southern Liang could best him, but now, even the slightest risk was one he dared not take.

Jiang Congyan rarely saw him like this and quickly grasped his hand, looking at him earnestly. "The war’s heating up, and this baby’s timing might seem off. But from another perspective, it’s also the perfect time."