Chapter 69: Chapter Sixty-Nine Willing to Have a Child but Not Wanting This Master Anymore…

Chapter 69: Wei San is willing to have the child but no longer wants him, his master...

"Aiyo, officer, you can't go in there!"

"The person inside is my eighty-year-old sick mother, not anyone else."

The old physician's voice, anxious and placating, echoed from outside. Wei San instinctively tensed every muscle, his hand hidden under the covers gripping the hilt of his sleeve sword. Only after hearing the old physician's words did he remember he was still disguised as an eighty-year-old woman.

"Whether you're harboring a criminal or not, we'll know once we search inside."

"You're putting up such a fight to stop us, could it be you've got something to hide? Watch it, or I'll drag you back to the jail for a proper interrogation!"

The officer pushed the old physician aside without hesitation, shoved open the tightly shut door, and gave a signal: "Search! Search carefully, don't miss a single crack in the floor!"

Wei San had already relaxed his body and lay back down. Seeing the officers rush in, he raised a hand to his forehead and let out a labored groan: "Cheng Wa'er, why is it so noisy outside?"

His eyes were tightly shut, his face exuding the frail pallor of extreme old age, and his clear, cold voice had transformed into a slightly sharp, hoarse elderly female voice.

The old physician stepped forward to support his shoulder, bowing his head, voice thick with guilt and unease, to explain in a low voice. Wei San nodded as if it all made sense now, repeatedly saying that as commoners, they ought to cooperate with the officers' work, even comforting the old physician not to be nervous.

No one would suspect that the critically ill old woman before them was actually a young man in his early twenties in disguise, and even fewer would think this touching mother-and-son scene was an act.

The officer looked them over carefully but found nothing amiss, so he continued supervising his subordinates as they searched the room.

The soldiers turned the place inside out, but naturally found nothing. The officer then marched proudly out of the room with his soldiers to search the next house.

The old physician bowed and scraped as he saw the officers off, watching them walk away into the next household before hurriedly closing the door and bolting it tightly.

When he returned to the room, Wei San was frowning, lost in thought. Seeing him enter, Wei San suddenly looked up and instructed thoughtfully: "It's not convenient for me to show myself now. I need you to do me a favor, old physician."

Though the old physician was advanced in years and had seen much, he was still quite intimidated by Wei San, especially since his life was in Wei San's hands. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he trembled and asked: "What does Young Master Sui Yun want this old man to do?"

He only hoped it wouldn't be anything too difficult.

Wei San said: "Nothing much. You just need to take a walk outside the taverns and tea houses, then come back and tell me everything you see and hear."

The old physician let out a sigh of relief. If it was just scouting for information, that was simple. He could easily accomplish it discreetly while out on a call without arousing suspicion.

The old physician was happy to agree. That afternoon, when someone came to request a house call, he immediately left with his medicine box and didn't return until nightfall.

Having been out for half a day, he was starving, but he didn't bother getting himself something to eat first. Instead, he went straight to Wei San and truthfully reported everything he'd seen and heard.

After listening, Wei San's heart sank. He nodded slightly to show he understood, feigning ignorance of the old man's hopeful look—a silent plea for the rest of the antidote. He simply advised him to rest well and sent him away.

Only a dim oil lamp remained in the room. Wei San stood by the window, gazing absently at the bright moon in the night sky.

The Prince of Qi had been killed after rebelling, his accomplices the Crown Prince of Huainan and Wang Xi were imprisoned, scheduled for execution in the autumn, and the rebels were almost entirely wiped out, though some remained at large. Now the entire capital was under tight security, with officers everywhere searching for remnants of the rebel army. It wouldn't be easy for him to leave the city freely anymore.

Wei San had originally intended to quietly contact Zhong Tong, have him pass a message to Ruan Xingji for him, and then slip away secretly. But now Zhong Tong had entered the palace to tend to the critically ill young imperial grandson, and Ruan Xingji had gone to Shu Nan seeking antidotes. Aside from the layers of blockades by officers in the capital, given his master's unforgiving nature, there were likely many assassins and secret guards outside tasked with capturing him and bringing him back.

The Virtuous Prince's estate was once his only safe haven, but now he had abandoned it with his own hands. He didn't know if his master would be furious upon learning of his desertion.

There was no going back to the Virtuous Prince's estate, and leaving the capital didn't guarantee he wouldn't be captured and brought back.

The world was vast, yet it seemed there was no place for him to settle, not even knowing where to flee.

Wei San's heart was filled with mixed emotions, but mostly an inexpressible sorrow that made his chest feel tight, leaving him short of breath.

The child in his womb seemed to sense his low spirits, giving a gentle kick against his belly as if silently comforting him.

The sorrow in his heart vanished in an instant. Wei San raised a hand to cover his already rounded belly, his fingers curling slightly as the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.

It had been five months. In a few more months, this child would be born...

He felt a faint sense of anticipation. Would it be a boy or a girl? Would it look more like him or more like his master?

Wei San didn't stay at the old physician's place for long, leaving that very night. The next day, when the old physician knocked and got no response, he mustered the courage to push the door open and found a banknote worth fifty taels of silver and a note on the table. The note briefly confessed that the poisoning was fake and told him not to worry about his life anymore.

Holding the silver note and the letter, the old physician felt complex emotions, particularly exasperated with himself for being fooled so easily.

He couldn't help but recall Wei San's pregnancy. Though Wei San was disguised, his protruding belly was becoming difficult to hide. As a physician, he had seen right away that Wei San hadn't aborted the child.

Pregnant and alone, drifting outside, seemingly on the run—it must have been extremely hard.

He couldn't help but sigh, filled with emotion, thinking that the Virtuous Prince who had forcibly taken him and gotten him pregnant was truly inhuman.

The Virtuous Prince, who should have been confined to his estate, came looking for him a few days later, just as the old physician was cursing him as inhuman.

"Where is that old woman who came to you for treatment the other day? Where is he?"

The once handsome Virtuous Prince with sharp brows and bright eyes now had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, unshaven as if he hadn't slept for days.

His tone was cold as ice, his voice low and slightly hoarse, as if clearly struggling to hold back something.

Behind him stood a row of over a dozen black-clad, masked assassins, all glaring at the old physician with murderous intent. The old physician, who had never seen such a scene, immediately trembled and knelt down, omitting his knowledge of Wei San's identity as he recounted what happened, finally pleading: "He disappeared that very night without leaving a single word. This old man truly doesn't know where that old woman went."

Wei Zheng didn't believe his one-sided account, but what he said matched the intelligence his subordinates had gathered. Even if Wei Zheng suspected, he didn't say much.

He snorted coldly: "Old physician, I hear your medical skills are quite good. My health has been poor; I hope you can make a house call to the estate to treat me for a period. You may return once I've recovered."

As he spoke, Wei Jiu behind him uncoiled a rope, staring viciously at the old physician as he approached step by step.

The old physician's face changed dramatically. Would his old bones survive entering the prince's estate and coming out alive? Driven by the will to live, he abandoned his sliver of conscience.

"Don't, don't! This old man will tell you everything he knows!"

He recounted everything from beginning to end, weeping pitifully to avoid being taken to the estate.

The more Wei Zheng heard, the darker his expression became. So Wei San had known about the pregnancy very early on but kept it completely hidden from him. No wonder he hadn't allowed much touching later. His visits to Ruan Xingji weren't to protect the pregnancy but to abort their child!

Wei Zheng couldn't help but recall the bowl of medicine Wei San was holding when he rushed to Yangzhou to catch him in the act. If he hadn't arrived in time, their child would likely have been gone!

What? Was it beneath Wei San to bear a child for him, that he resisted so much? And who gave him the right to decide whether to keep the child without discussing it with him? Who gave him the right to want the child but not want him, his master!

He wondered how long Wei San had been planning to escape from him. For the sake of an unborn brat, his loyal little assassin had abandoned him, his master, and run away!

Wei Zheng was so angry he was grinding his teeth, his temples throbbing, his heart burning with rage. Only one thought remained in his mind: he must capture Wei San and punish him thoroughly, making him understand that no matter what happened, he could never leave his master's side!

"Keep searching for me! He definitely hasn't gone far!"

Wei Zheng refused to believe that Wei San, with nowhere to go, could have gone far. He must be hiding somewhere not too distant from the capital.

Wei San had better pray he didn't catch him. If he did, he would shackle him and lock him in a cage, see where he could run then.

The Wei San whom Wei Zheng was willing to dig three feet into the ground to find was currently living a life of quiet contentment in a small village.

"Qiu Niang, it's not convenient for you to live here while pregnant. How could your husband bear to let you come to the capital alone?"

By the stream, three or five village women gathered to wash clothes, chatting and inevitably sympathizing with the young woman beside them who, despite her pregnancy, had to wash clothes alone.

The woman called Qiu Niang had delicate, elegant features and a gentle charm that even coarse linen clothing couldn’t hide. Slender yet with a noticeably rounded belly, she seemed so fragile that a gust of wind might topple her. Her delicate, willow-swaying-in-the-wind demeanor made it easy to overlook her unusually tall stature, even taller than most men.

Qiu Niang paused her work with a sorrowful expression, her eyelids half-lowered as she choked back a sob. "My husband passed away two months ago due to illness. As a woman with no one to turn to, I thought of seeking refuge with my aunt in the capital. But my aunt's family looked down on me for being pregnant and unable to work, saying I’d just be deadweight with a child to care for. They drove me away. I truly had no other choice, so…"

Before she could finish, she was overcome with emotion, tears silently streaming down her cheeks. The village women were heartbroken, comforting her while cursing her heartless aunt. It took quite a bit of coaxing to finally stop her tears.

Afterward, the women had her sit to the side and divided her laundry among themselves to wash. They then gathered around and escorted her back home.

Qiu Niang brought out some flatbreads to thank them. The women tried to decline, but seeing her on the verge of tears again if they refused, they reluctantly accepted.

After seeing off the kind-hearted women, Qiu Niang closed the door, and all traces of fragility instantly vanished from her face.

Extremely cautious, he didn’t drop his disguise until he was inside his room with the doors and windows securely closed.

Wei San slumped into a chair, letting out a slow sigh. He found those village women quite a handful—to deceive them, he’d even pinched his own thigh until it hurt.

As if sensing his discomfort, the little one in his belly stirred gently. He couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smile, patting his belly softly. "Behave."

His voice carried a tenderness and patience he had never known before.

He calculated that in about four months, the child would be full-term and ready to be born. He needed to prepare clothes and essentials in advance and find a way to contact Ruan Xingji, as he would need his help once the baby arrived.

Shu Nan was far from the capital, but with the imperial guards personally escorting him, Ruan Xingji would return in at most two months. Wei San wasn’t worried at all about Ruan Xingji not making it back in time—he knew Ruan Xingji was actually capable of curing the young imperial grandson’s poison. The trip to Shu Nan was just a delay tactic for their master.

The poisoner wanted the young imperial grandson dead. With his life hanging by a thread and a significant chance of recovery, those who wished for his death would eventually slip up. That would be the moment for their master to close the net and for Ruan Xingji to return. All Wei San needed to do was wait quietly in this small village, a necessary stop on the way to the capital.

Wei San had planned everything perfectly. Hiding in a village with simple, honest folk offered a peaceful respite. But he had underestimated Wei Zheng’s determination to find him.