Chapter 68: Chapter Sixty-Eight Is Wei San Pregnant?

Chapter 68: Sixty-Eight, Is Wei San Pregnant?

"Where is Wei San?"

Wei Zheng hadn't gone far from the courtyard when Wei Er appeared, immediately asking about Wei San's whereabouts.

Wei Er was covered in cold sweat, unsure how to say it.

"Speak!"

Wei Zheng was furious. Knowing he couldn't hide it, Wei Er steeled himself and said, "Wei San... isn't in the main hall. I've searched the entire residence but couldn't find him."

Wei Zheng's expression darkened. He really didn't want to suspect Wei San, but all the signs forced him to.

Most of the assassins and shadow guards had been left at the main hall. Wei San was no weak, powerless scholar—with his skills, it was impossible for the rebels to break through the protective ring of shadow guards and capture him. The only possibility was that Wei San had left on his own.

He couldn't help but think of Wei Yan's sudden death. Wei San was skilled at using poison needles to kill without a trace, and his disguise techniques and light-footedness were among the best of the assassins. With his familiarity of the palace, coming and going as he pleased would've been easy.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. "Find him for me. Tear this place apart if you have to, but bring him to me!"

"Yes!"

Wei Er didn't dare delay and hurried to obey.

After giving his instructions, Wei Zheng returned directly to the main hall. The bed in the bedroom was neatly made, and the food on the table had only been touched a few times, just as he'd left it. Clearly, Wei San had left the main hall right after he'd left.

Wei Zheng's expression grew even darker, his anger burning fiercely.

He told himself that Wei San might not have run away. Perhaps he just wanted to help, but since Wei Zheng hadn't agreed to let him take risks, he had acted on his own by disguising himself. Now that the crisis was over, he would surely return soon.

Wei Zheng waited patiently in the bedroom. He waited for a good half-hour, but there was no movement outside—no sign of anyone, not even a shadow.

He began to pace restlessly. When he caught sight of the partly open wardrobe in the changing room out of the corner of his eye, he stopped in his tracks, frowned, and quickly walked over.

Opening the wardrobe door, what greeted him was a neatly folded, wrinkle-free peach-red wedding gown.

Wasn't this the same gown Wei San had been wearing that day?

His bad feeling grew worse. He grabbed the wedding gown, and a palm-sized black box fell out with it.

The box containing the human skin mask, which he had hidden in the top compartment of the wardrobe.

He already knew...

Wei Zheng pursed his lips, his pupils constricted. As he bent down to pick up the box, his fingertips trembled uncontrollably.

He stuffed the box back into the wardrobe and rushed out of the main hall.

The palace was destined to be restless that night. Lanterns burned through the night as the imperial guards cleared the corpses and debris, while another group escorted the Crown Prince of Huainan and Wang Xi to the dungeons.

Assassins and shadow guards disguised as guards searched courtyard after courtyard, searching every corner of the entire palace. Even the servants and maids were gathered by Li Dan and inspected one by one, but still, there was no sign of him.

"Where is he? Have you found him?"

Wei Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, slightly tilting his head to look at the bright moon in the sky. His expression was calm, but the veins bulging on the backs of his hands betrayed his inner turmoil.

The row of assassins kneeling behind him didn't dare make a sound. Duan Lin and Li Dan exchanged a glance and shook their heads in unison. "We haven't found him."

Wei Zheng turned around abruptly, anger surging in his heart. But as he looked at his subordinates bowing their heads, too afraid to meet his eyes, he couldn't bring himself to vent his frustration.

After all, no one could have expected that the most loyal Wei San would defect on the very night of his wedding.

Wei Zheng hadn't expected it, and neither had anyone else.

Wei Zheng always prided himself on being strategic and calculating, but when it came to Wei San, he kept stumbling again and again. He should have been furious and disappointed by Wei San's betrayal, but now all he felt was a sense of helplessness.

He didn't understand. Wei San was always so stubborn and principled—even if Wei Zheng had threatened to take his life, he wouldn't have run away. So why, after learning the truth, had he fled without even confronting him?

Blaming his subordinates further was pointless. The priority now was to find him first; everything else could be dealt with later.

Wei Zheng's eyes were bloodshot. Clenching his jaw, he ordered word by word, "Keep searching for me. If you can't find him in the palace, search outside. No matter what, bring him back to me!"

"Remember, not a single hair on his head is to be harmed."

"If he refuses to come back, report to me. I'll go catch him myself!"

.

Because of the Fifth Prince's sudden coup, Ruan Xingji's plans were interrupted, forcing him to wait until daybreak to set off again.

The young imperial grandchild had just returned to the palace, and Zhong Tong followed along. As Ruan Xingji was packing his things, figuring out the quickest way to travel between Shunan and the capital, Wei Zheng barged in without warning, like a man possessed.

"Virtuous Prince, what is..."

Before he could finish, Wei Zheng grabbed him by the collar. "Where is Wei San?"

Ruan Xingji frowned in confusion. "Shouldn't he be in your bridal chamber? Why are you asking me where he is?"

The bewilderment and shock in Ruan Xingji's expression seemed genuine, and Wei Zheng's hope drained away.

"Wei San ran away secretly. Did he ever tell you where he might go?"

Unwilling to give up, he thought back to how Wei San had once lied to him into going to Yangzhou just to treat his illness. Since his illness wasn't cured yet, it didn't make sense for Wei San to leave without informing Ruan Xingji.

"How would I know where he is?"

Ruan Xingji was even more confused. His wife was missing, and yet he was coming to him to find her? How ridiculous.

Wait... ran away?

"Hold on, he's five months pregnant. Shouldn't he be resting properly? Why would he run away? This is absurd!"

Ruan Xingji shot to his feet, so upset he was practically sputtering. It was only after the words left his mouth that he realized he might have said something he shouldn't have.

"What did you just say?"

"Wei San is pregnant? Five months?"

It was too late for Ruan Xingji to take it back. Wei Zheng was clearly shocked.

.

As the dawn light pierced through the darkness, the blood on the bluestone-paved long street had long been washed away, but the air still carried a lingering, thick iron scent of blood, a testament to the extraordinary events of the previous night.

Usually, at this hour, the people would already be up and about. But today, an unprecedented silence fell, and every household kept their doors locked, no one daring to open their door or step out.

In the lonely, empty long street, an old woman with a hunched back leaned on a cane, inching forward along the wall.

She would walk a few steps, then stop, trembling as she clenched her fist and massaged her back, her cloudy eyes straining to recognize the path. After repeating this for a long time, she finally saw her destination at the corner of the street.

It was a mid-sized clinic, also with its doors tightly shut.

Out of breath, she went up and knocked on the door: "Old doctor... Old doctor, please open the door."

At first, there was no response. Later, perhaps unable to bear the disturbance any longer, the clinic door cracked open a sliver, and a man around sixty years old peeked out at her: "Madam, are you here to see the doctor?"

The old woman nodded with a smile: "Yes, my back hurts terribly. I hope you can take a look at it for me."

The old doctor scanned behind her and, finding nothing unusual, finally opened half the door and stepped aside to let her in.

The old woman hurriedly thanked him and walked slowly inside.

The old doctor closed the door behind her and, without even looking up, began to ask: "Madam, where exactly are you feeling unwell? First, tell me—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the old woman, who had seemed unsteady on her feet just moments before, suddenly straighten her back and say to him with clear-eyed resolve: "Old doctor, it’s been a while."

The voice was unmistakably that of a young man—cool, clear, and melodious—utterly mismatched with her appearance.

The old doctor found the voice extremely familiar. He hissed in thought, carefully recalling for a moment, then suddenly gasped sharply and pointed at him: "You... you are Young Master Sui Yun?"

Didn’t this young master just marry the Virtuous Prince yesterday? Why has he come to my door today disguised as an old woman?

Wei San gestured for silence: "I’ve come here secretly because I have a matter to ask of you. I hope you will not breathe a word of this."

The old doctor immediately covered his mouth, afraid to let out even a breath.

Having disguised himself and traveled all night, Wei San was utterly exhausted. He pulled out a chair and sat down, poured himself a cup of water, and tested it with a silver needle for poison. After also having the old doctor drink a cup to confirm it was safe, he finally dared to drink.

The old doctor didn’t think his caution was unreasonable—after all, it’s wise to be wary of others. He was extremely curious about why Wei San had come to him but dared not ask outright, afraid that prying into secrets he shouldn’t know might cost him his head.

He could only ask tentatively: "Young master, for what matter have you sought out this old man?"

Wei San said: "I need to stay here temporarily. I will leave on my own in two days. During this time, I hope you can keep my whereabouts secret."

The old doctor was immediately puzzled, but then he heard Wei San continue: "I will continue to come and go in this old woman’s disguise. If officers come to investigate, I hope you can cover for me."

At the mention of involving officers, the old doctor was on the verge of tears and repeatedly said it couldn’t be done.

"I can’t keep secrets—I fear I cannot shoulder such a heavy responsibility!"

A faint, cold smile touched Wei San’s lips as he slowly said: "Does the old doctor not want the remaining half of the antidote?"

The old doctor fell into deep thought. Of course, he wanted the antidote. For months, he had been unable to identify the source of the toxin in his body, and the more he didn’t understand the situation, the more terrified he became. Now that the antidote was right before him, how could he let it slip away?

The old doctor declared with feigned solemnity: "This small matter is one I cannot refuse. Young master, rest assured—this old man will certainly handle it flawlessly for you."

Wei San smiled with satisfaction but offered no further comment.

And so, Wei San temporarily had a place to stay. The old doctor cleared out a vacant back room that had been used for storing clutter and let him settle there.

Wei San had just lain down and not yet closed his eyes when he heard a series of rhythmic, marching footsteps outside, accompanied by noisy clamoring. Soon after, someone knocked on the clinic’s door.

"Capital Prefecture officials on duty—open the door at once for inspection!"