Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The atmosphere fell into a deathly silence for a moment.

Ji Wanyuan thought she had misheard. She frowned and said, "Mother, what are you talking about?"

What child?

How could she possibly be pregnant?

Wait... that's not right...

Her gaze gradually lowered, and it suddenly dawned on her.

She thought of that day of madness, of the man with the handsome face filled with anger and indifference, lingering inside her for so long, even to the exaggerated point of ruining her favorite skirt.

Could it be?

Ji Wanyuan choked on her own saliva, her face growing even paler with fright, her hands clutching the soft quilt even tighter.

She was terrified by the prospect of this child, and now one thing was confirmed—she *was* pregnant.

Was the fall of the Ji family and her death from childbirth hemorrhage really that far away?

Heavens!

"Mother... mother, mother, mother..." she stammered in terror, calling out "mother" several times in a row.

"This child cannot be kept. I must get rid of it. Please quickly prepare an abortion concoction for your daughter. I want to abort it now!"

Ending it now once and for all was better than dying during childbirth later.

As long as there was no child, there wouldn't be so many troubles later.

As she spoke and thought, her face looked even worse than if she were crying. "Have the imperial physician use the best prescription, gather the finest herbs for an abortifacient brew. I'm afraid... afraid it will hurt."

Ji Wanyuan desperately clung to Mrs. Ji's wrist, looking as if she were about to burst into tears, utterly panicked, her forehead covered in a film of cold sweat, her lips trembling.

"No... it cannot be kept."

Mrs. Ji, who had just learned of her pregnancy, was first shocked, then furious.

After temporarily securing Imperial Physician Fu's silence, she immediately came to "interrogate" her daughter who had secretly caused such a scandalous "life."

But almost immediately,

Ji Wanyuan's initial expression was one of confusion. Observing her reaction, Mrs. Ji initially thought her daughter might have been taken advantage of.

After all, although her daughter was willful and domineering, her looks and figure were exceptional. What if some scoundrel had truly bullied her? What should they do then?

But upon second thought, it seemed impossible. Her status was noble, protected by her father and brothers. Who in the entire capital would dare provoke her?

Yet later, seeing her flustered and seemingly having a sudden realization, it was clear she knew exactly how her pregnancy had happened and who the man responsible was.

Mrs. Ji narrowed her eyes, about to press for answers, when unexpectedly, Ji Wanyuan grabbed her hand and said in a trembling voice that she didn't want the child.

"You..." At this moment, even though Mrs. Ji was angry, her anger was tempered by heartache.

She let out a long sigh, took a handkerchief from beside her to wipe the cold sweat from Ji Wanyuan's face, and held her cold, trembling hands.

"Yuan'er, calm down first and tell Mother what exactly happened."

Ji Wanyuan bit her lip, unwilling to speak. She just wanted Mrs. Ji to fetch the abortifacient medicine for her to take and get rid of it.

Mrs. Ji patiently coaxed her for a while, but finally had to adopt a stern tone to scold her for being unreasonable! She said this child's origins were unclear; even if they were to abort it, they first had to understand what had actually happened.

Who exactly dared to disgrace her precious daughter, bully her right at the very gates of the Prime Minister's residence? She vowed to make the other party pay the price.

Hearing the words "pay the price," Ji Wanyuan felt no sense of relief from having someone back her up, only terror.

It wasn't the other party who had disgraced her; it was she who had drugged him with an aphrodisiac meant for animals, disgracing *him*, which led to this "life."

Back then, she had been scared out of her wits. After returning, she kept thinking about whether those bizarre scenes straight out of a storybook were real, actually forgetting to drink the contraceptive soup. A month had passed, and she was already with child.

How could she be so stupid?! For the first time, Ji Wanyuan inwardly loathed her own foolishness.

The scene of her dying from postpartum hemorrhage had been replaying incessantly in her mind, practically day and night. How could she still not have thought to drink the contraceptive soup?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but clench her hand into a fist and hit her own head.

Seeing her seemingly on the verge of madness, Mrs. Ji quickly pulled her hand away, her tone softening again.

Before she could say anything to comfort her, Ji Wanyuan urged her to quickly go and have the imperial physician prescribe the medicine, saying that if this child wasn't aborted, she would definitely die, and die in a particularly ugly way. Even the entire Ji family would be in trouble, and no one would be able to escape.

With that, tears streamed down her face as she wailed, looking up and crying out loud.

Mrs. Ji held her, trying to soothe her, saying it would be alright, that her father was the Prime Minister and would definitely protect her. The Ji family was currently in high favor; who would dare move against the Ji family or her? And making her die in a particularly ugly way? Just thinking about it, it couldn't possibly happen.

She told her not to cry, wiping her tears, attempting to calm her down and get her to quickly reveal who the child's father, that man, was.

"Mother, your daughter c-can't say." She was crying too violently, hiccupping between sobs, out of breath. "P-please, just listen to your daughter, go quickly..."

Seeing that communication was truly impossible, Mrs. Ji also grew angry. She poked Ji Wanyuan's head, exasperated. "Go where?!"

"Do you know what the imperial physician said?!"

"If you abort this child, you will never be able to conceive or become a mother again in your entire life!"

Ji Wanyuan was stunned once more. "...What?"

So... was that a good thing or a bad thing? Probably a good thing? She wondered.

But her mother delivered the final verdict. "Therefore, this child must be kept."

Ji Wanyuan, "..."

That night, in the study of the Wen residence, the lamps were brightly lit.

A rolled-up letter was brought close to the candle flame and immediately caught fire. The rising flames illuminated the man's exceptionally handsome yet cold and aloof face.

He watched coldly as the letter burned to ashes, then unhurriedly took a handkerchief to wipe his slender, jade-like fingers, saying nothing.

The study door was pushed open, and Wen's father walked in.

"Have you found any clues?"

The man remained silent, his eyes lowered to look at the defense map and scrolls on the desk.

"Still no leads or flaws at all?" Wen's father's brows furrowed.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but over the past month, his outstanding son had become more and more withdrawn, even giving off a chillingly gloomy aura. He couldn't figure out what had happened.

According to the investigations by the people he sent out, all of this began over a month ago, after his son met with the Chancellor's daughter, Ji Wanyuan.

That day, he was out almost the whole night. When he returned in the early morning, although everything seemed normal, a faint redness showed behind his ears.

A servant who saw him by chance said his eyes were dark and terrifying. Though his white robe was neat and tidy, his steps were faster than usual, and his expression was grim.

Ever since that day, not only had he spoken less, but he also occasionally seemed spaced out.

The work His Majesty gave him was still being done, and progress hadn't been delayed. Yet, despite this, there was nothing new to show for it.

After a long while, Wen Qiyan, who had been sitting upright, seemed to snap back to attention. He said just one word, "No."

Upon hearing this long-awaited reply, his father glanced at him again.

Seeing that he remained silent, his father took the initiative to say, "You've been under a lot of strain lately investigating the mining affairs in Youzhou. Since there are no leads, perhaps we should try a different angle."

"The Ji family has been firmly rooted in the court for many years. Chancellor Ji holds a high position and has numerous advisors. Moreover, he has always been meticulous and difficult to deal with. If there really are mines in Youzhou, they must be deeply hidden. It's normal not to find anything right away."

His father continued to console him, "If it were easy to investigate, the Ji family likely wouldn't have troubled His Majesty for so many years, becoming a thorn in His Majesty's side."

"It's getting late. You should rest early."

Wen Qiyan responded with a faint "Mm," flipping through the book. "You too, Father."

Even though the conversation had ended, Wen Qiyan didn't move.

As his father reached the door, he remembered something and turned back to inform Wen Qiyan.

"Recently, Chancellor Ji had been petitioning His Majesty repeatedly to allow the head of the Imperial Hospital to examine his daughter. His Majesty granted permission, and today Imperial Physician Fu has already gone."

Wen Qiyan didn't react.

His father added, "I heard many imperial physicians have been sent earlier, but she still hasn't been cured. I wonder what illness his daughter actually has."

After finishing his words, the handsome man seated at the desk remained unmoved.

His father withdrew his gaze and left directly.

A good while after he left, the man reading the book turned the page slightly slower than usual.

Yet his expression remained unchanged, without a ripple.

"..."

The next day, in the Chancellor's residence, Mrs. Ji still hadn't managed to get any answers from Ji Wanyuan.

She could only inform Chancellor Ji about the matter.

Upon hearing this, Chancellor Ji was equally shocked and furious.

He immediately ordered a maid to bring Ji Wanyuan over, but Mrs. Ji hurriedly stopped him. "Don't you know how weak Yuan'er's health has been lately? And you want to summon her here just to scold her?"

"Imperial Physician Fu said the medicine she took recently disrupted her pulse, and the pregnancy is unstable. If she doesn't rest properly, she might lose it."

Mrs. Ji gave a meaningful look to her adopted son, Ji Lingyue, signaling him to help mediate.

In the past, no matter how serious the trouble Ji Wanyuan caused, even if Chancellor Ji was furious and reprimanded her, Ji Lingyue would step in to mediate before Mrs. Ji even spoke.

Today, for some unknown reason, he surprisingly remained silent.

He seemed lost in thought, only speaking up after she reminded him.

Mrs. Ji didn't dwell too much on Ji Lingyue's distraction, assuming he was simply stunned by the news of Ji Wanyuan's pregnancy and hadn't fully processed it.

Indeed, once she gave him the look, he stepped in to help mediate.

With the gentle persuasion of his adopted son, Chancellor Ji reluctantly calmed down. "It's all because you spoiled her in the past!"

Scolding aside, he still cared deeply for his daughter.

He set aside his affairs and personally went to Ji Wanyuan's courtyard to visit her.

When her personal maid, Feicui, informed her that her father had arrived, Ji Wanyuan was startled and quickly tried to get up.

Mrs. Ji, who had walked faster, saw her moving and immediately pressed her back down. "Have you forgotten Imperial Physician Fu's instructions? He told you to rest properly and avoid any sudden movements or agitation."

"Fa... Father... Daughter pays her respects to Father."

Ji Wanyuan caught sight of her father following closely behind. His stern and severe expression made her tremble all over. Clutching the quilt and shrinking her head, she mumbled her greeting, looking like a frightened quail.

Mrs. Ji glanced at Chancellor Ji.

Only then did Chancellor Ji stop scrutinizing her and took a seat.

"Your mother says you're pregnant," Chancellor Ji's tone was not pleasant.

Ji Wanyuan let out a faint "Ah" and "Mm," her voice as soft as a mosquito's, nodding in confirmation.

Just as she was wondering how her father would interrogate her and how she should respond, she heard a thunderbolt of a question:

"Is the child's father Wen Qiyan?"