Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Lin Shuyun's head still swam, whether from just waking or the fogginess of pregnancy, she couldn't tell.

Her eyes, vacant, fixed on her reflection in the bronze mirror, her thoughts adrift, until Ming Yue's soft call reached her ears, "My Lady? My Lady?"

Lin Shuyun slowly returned to herself, turning to ask, "What is it?"

Ming Yue, her eyes filled with tender concern, massaged Lin Shuyun's shoulders, gently asking, "I've brought you a bowl of clear soup with small wontons and a bowl of spinach porridge. Would you like to have something to eat?"

Only then did Lin Shuyun fully regain her senses, realizing the sun was already high in the sky.

Ming Yue’s massage was wonderfully soothing; Lin Shuyun narrowed her eyes and hummed softly, "Then I'll have a little."

"By the way, did Zhang'er and Ying Ying sleep well last night?"

"Everything from the bedding to the quilts was arranged properly by His Lordship. The rooms are filled with things the children enjoy. Aside from the young miss waking once during the night, everything was as usual."

Lin Shuyun’s hair was dark and lustrous. As Ming Yue combed it, she spoke, but her fingers trembled when she mentioned Lu Yu.

She still remembered His Lordship's oppressive mood last night, the heavy scent of blood clinging to him.

Ming Yue trembled, her voice hoarse, "My Lady, why was His Lordship injured last night? Could it be... could it be he found out about you..."

Lin Shuyun nodded blankly, "I told him."

"Did he hit you?" Ming Yue covered her mouth, her eyes reddening, "Could it be he found out the child is Zhou Siang's..."

Lin Shuyun frowned, tilting her head slightly, "What are you talking about?"

Ming Yue sniffled, tears in her eyes, "That day at the temple, Zhou Siang took advantage of you..."

Only then did Lin Shuyun understand Ming Yue's anxiety these past few days. She took a deep breath and sighed, "It’s Lu Yu’s. That day, it was Lu Yu."

Ming Yue clutched her chest, the long-held tension finally releasing. Abandoning her usual decorum, she collapsed onto Lin Shuyun’s shoulder and began to weep.

"I thought... I thought My Lady..."

Lin Shuyun gently patted her shoulder, comforting her, "Don’t cry, don’t cry. You’re someone I brought from my family home. How can you be so easily frightened? You’ve scared yourself half to death."

Ming Yue pouted, "My Lady is the one who scared me, making me think you were pregnant after being taken advantage of by Zhou Siang... Last night, when His Lordship found out, he was so furious he wanted to hit you, and you fought back and injured him..."

Lin Shuyun shook her head, her mind replaying the image of Lu Yu lowering his eyes, gripping her hand, and guiding it to stab him.

She still remembered the profound, self-destructive despair and gloom in his bottomless, dark eyes, like a cold, dark pool.

This was nothing like Lu Yu’s usual noble, aloof, and restrained self. His emotions were laid bare before her.

As if...

As if she told him to die, he would forcefully plunge the dagger into his heart.

Lin Shuyun felt as if a heavy stone weighed on her heart. She stirred the wontons in her bowl and sighed, "Ming Yue, did you hear me crying uncontrollably outside the door last night?"

Ming Yue served the dishes, sighing softly, "Outside the door, I only heard you crying so pitifully, it tugged at my heartstrings."

Perhaps the intense emotions had passed, but Lin Shuyun recalled how she had brought up all his past wrongs with Lu Yu and felt that she had acted somewhat strangely.

Yet, upon careful reflection, she hadn’t said anything wrong to Lu Yu, so why did he look as if he were about to shatter?

Lin Shuyun propped her chin on her hand, gazed out the window at the sky, and sighed, "Next time, I should try to be calmer. Rehashing old arguments repeatedly will eventually make people dislike me."

If one day Lu Yu finally grew tired of her, he might find a gentle, beautiful outside woman to give him a quiet, warm home and bear him several children.

The more Lin Shuyun thought about it, the angrier she became, yet her hands never stopped moving.

Unconsciously, she had already eaten half the bowl of wontons.

She stared blankly at the spoon in her hand and sighed softly, "Perhaps it’s because I’m not traveling by carriage that my body is recovering."

Ming Yue smiled and replied, "Then would My Lady like to stroll around the city? I heard from a local woman that this place is very different from the capital, and you can even find some rare items here."

Lin Shuyun’s eyes lit up, but under Ming Yue’s hopeful gaze, she shook her head again: "This is a border town. It’s dangerous for just the few of us to bring the children along."

Ming Yue leaned in close to Lin Shuyun and said with a smile, "There’s a short apricot tree in the backyard of the general’s estate. His Lordship had the children go picking fruit this morning, and they’re having a wonderful time."

Only then did Lin Shuyun realize that from morning until now, the children hadn’t disturbed her sweet dreams. This unusual quietness was all thanks to Lu Yu’s arrangements.

In that case, her eyes gleaming, she whispered, "Shall we go then?"

Ming Yue nodded excitedly, "Let’s go, My Lady!"

---

Shuobei was a land of undulating hills and intersecting gullies, with the north-south ranges of An Mountain and Dong Mountain dividing the region.

Here, a narrow pass stretching over several miles, called Pingsheng Pass, served as an overland route from the northern grasslands to the heart of the Central Plains and was also a strategic military city.

During times of eased tensions, trade flourished. Merchants gathered, and people from all walks of life converged here, creating a scene of vibrant prosperity.

During periods of tension, trade would immediately cease, and soldiers would conduct security sweeps to ensure the absolute security of this strategic location.

Lin Shuyun walked along the street, her eyes constantly scanning her surroundings.

If the capital was like a place of extravagance, built on silk and satin, adorned with gold and jade, and filled with plots and schemes,

Pingsheng Pass was like a peaceful land surrounded by weapons and armor.

The faces of the people here were full of simplicity and kindness. On a single small street, she saw food from every region.

There were not only Jiangnan’s rice strip cakes and sticky rice balls but also northwestern hu-style flatbread and sour noodle soup.

Lin Shuyun, seeing the familiar tastes from her childhood, grabbed Ming Yue’s hand and hurried to the hu-style flatbread stall.

A hint of cooking oil suddenly wafted into her nostrils, tightening her throat. Covering her mouth, she hurried to the roadside, not knowing which corner she had stumbled into.

The urge to vomit surged up instantly. She crouched on the ground, retching, tears blurring her vision from the physical response.

Suddenly, a pair of soft hands firmly grasped her wrist.

Lin Shuyun’s heart tightened, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand back, but the hand held her steadily, three fingers pressing accurately on her wrist pulse.

Frowning, she looked up through tear-filled eyes.

She saw a young girl dressed in a deep blue floral skirt. The girl slowly looked up and said delightedly, "Congratulations, you... you’re pregnant."

Lin Shuyun grew nervous and asked guardedly, "Miss... who are you?"

"Don’t... don’t be afraid. I’m a doctor here," the girl said, her youthful appearance evident. She lifted her head, pointed to the sign above, and proudly introduced herself, "My name is An Ran. I’m an eighth-generation medical practitioner. You must believe in my healing arts."

Only then did Lin Shuyun realize she was crouching at the entrance of a medical practice. She quickly apologized, "I apologize for soiling the front of your shop."

An Ran shook her head and said with a smile, "This means we are meant to meet. Don’t come inside—the smell of medicine will only make you more uncomfortable. Wait here for me; I’ll grab something for you."

In just a moment, An Ran came out holding a scent pouch. She gently waved it in front of Lin Shuyun’s nose, and the difficult-to-control queasiness in her stomach instantly subsided.

A faint, pleasant scent soothed her heart as well.

"Feeling better now?" An Ran tilted her head and asked. Seeing the gratitude in Lin Shuyun’s eyes, she produced four or five more scent pouches from behind her and stuffed them into Lin Shuyun’s arms as if they were free.

"Take them, no need to hold back. If you want to thank me, how about treating me to a bowl of noodles?"

An Ran’s large, round eyes sparkled as she pointed to the liangfen stall next door.

Lin Shuyun nodded slightly, though she was a bit puzzled.

When they sat down at the liangfen stall, An Ran called out familiarly, "Auntie, two bowls of liangfen, and go light on the oil in this lady’s bowl."

"Alright, right away."

Lin Shuyun then noticed that the stall was run by a middle-aged couple—the woman had a scar on her face, and the man seemed to have lost a leg.

It was clear that An Ran had come to this stall specifically to give them her business.

"More than ten years ago, the Lord Marquis fought desperately to defend Pingsheng Pass. Back then, the women helped by tending boiling oil cauldrons. The scar on Auntie’s face is from splashing oil."

"At the time, everyone said the Lord Marquis had been defeated and killed in battle, but Pingsheng Pass was held. In that battle, the husband lost his leg like this."

An Ran looked directly at Lin Shuyun and said, "So don’t worry. Everyone here bears scars, but no one will treat the scar on your face as something strange."

The young girl’s comforting words felt like a wave of warmth flowing straight into Lin Shuyun’s heart.

A faint smile touched Lin Shuyun’s lips as she lifted her veil, revealing the red patches on her face to An Ran.

"This… doesn’t look like…"

An Ran frowned slightly and muttered.

Lin Shuyun quickly covered her mouth and said gently, "Everyone has their secrets. I hope you can keep this one for me."

An Ran’s eyes widened instantly, as if she had stumbled upon an intriguing mystery, and she exclaimed, delighted, "I knew it! My medical skills are excellent, second to none."

Watching the spirited and energetic An Ran, Lin Shuyun hesitated for a long time before finally asking with difficulty, "Can… can I ask you a question?"

An Ran, her mouth full of liangfen, nodded.

"If I wanted to end the pregnancy, would that be possible?"

An Ran choked instantly. Lin Shuyun quickly patted her back gently and asked, "Was I too sudden?"

"Cough… cough… cough…" An Ran wiped the oil from her lips and explained, "No, not at all. But may I ask why?"

The moment Lin Shuyun spoke, her voice was hoarse. "I… have some family matters. It’s not a good time for a child right now…"

"What about your husband? Isn’t he willing to raise the child? This is far too dangerous for you."

An Ran explained with firm conviction.

"Medicines for abortion are nothing more than toxic, stimulating, or herbs that promote blood flow. The dosage can be controlled, but everyone’s body reacts differently. The child in your womb is already over three months old—the pregnancy is stable…"

"If the toxicity is too mild, it might not succeed, leading to continuous bleeding. If it’s too strong, forcing it could cause heavy bleeding or damage other organs."

Seeing the deep thought in Lin Shuyun’s eyes, An Ran said firmly, "Madam, do you understand?"

"Death can come in an instant. You mustn't gamble with your health like this."