Rong Qing had to go to the market early every morning to buy vegetables and rice.
Mother Zhao was stingy; even in this freezing weather, she wouldn't allow Rong Qing to take a carriage. Instead, Rong Qing had to walk for over half an hour through the snow to reach the market.
Rong Qing cursed the Zhao family under her breath as she struggled along.
She had never endured such hardship before; life in the Zhao family had truly brought her all the suffering of her entire life.
If not for her desire to use Zhao Huai'an to connect with the Sixth Prince, she wouldn't stay in the Zhao family!
By the time she reached the market, her feet were already numb.
Suddenly, her foot slipped, and she tumbled down a slope.
"Ah!"
When she regained consciousness, she found herself lying in an unfamiliar room. She smelled a faint scent of medicine and looked around.
This was... a medical clinic?
Just then, a girl of eleven or twelve entered from outside. Seeing that Rong Qing was awake, she joyfully shouted outwards, "Father, this elder sister is awake!"
Then she ran to Rong Qing's bedside and asked, "Sister, are you awake?"
Rong Qing frowned and asked, "How did I get here?"
"Someone found you unconscious in the snow and brought you here."
Looking at the sky outside, Rong Qing was startled.
Oh no! If she returned so late, she would undoubtedly be scolded again.
As she tried to throw off the blanket and get out of bed, a sharp pain shot through her right hand.
"Ah! It hurts so much!"
At that moment, an old man entered from outside, stopping her. "Miss, the tendons in your right hand are injured. You must not move it!"
Rong Qing asked, "When will it heal?"
The old man sighed. "Alas, this hand will be difficult to fully recover."
Rong Qing's face turned pale. She asked tremblingly, "Doctor, what does that mean?"
"It means even after the injury heals, you won't be able to lift heavy objects."
Rong Qing anxiously asked, "Doctor, will I still be able to write and paint in the future?"
The doctor regretfully shook his head.
Rong Qing slumped back onto the bed.
If she couldn't write or paint, how would she ensnare Zhao Huai'an? And if she entered the Sixth Prince's residence later, wouldn't she have fewer bargaining chips to attract him?
It was all that old hag Zhao's fault! She was the one who made her come to the market in the freezing cold! She was the one who wouldn't let her take a carriage!
"Miss, don't be too sad. Fortunately, it's just your hand that's injured; your pregnancy wasn't affected."
Rong Qing's eyes lit up, and she instantly looked up.
"Doctor, what did you say?!"
The doctor said seriously, "Miss, you are pregnant, but the month is still early, and it's not stable yet. Why were you walking alone in the snow? That's so dangerous. Your family..."
Rong Qing didn't hear a single word of what came next.
She touched her lower abdomen, her face beaming with wild joy.
This was wonderful! She was finally pregnant!
"Doctor, please prescribe some antai medicine for me, and also help me find a carriage."
...
Mother Zhao was already swearing loudly in the courtyard.
"That little hussy must have been shirking her duties. I sent her to buy some rice, and it's almost noon, yet there's still no sign of her!"
"Just wait until she gets back, I'll skin her alive!"
"Lazy bones, little hussy..."
Zhao Huai'an was rummaging through his room.
Strange. The paper Rong Qing had transcribed yesterday, which he'd pressed under this book, where had it gone?
His room was a mess from his search, but the paper was nowhere to be found.
Listening to Mother Zhao's curses from the courtyard only amplified his irritation.
He swept the book to the floor with a frustrated gesture. Forget it, he'd just have Rong Qing transcribe another copy when she returned.
He waited, and waited, until well past noon.
Mother Zhao could curse for an hour or two straight, without repeating herself.
When she saw Rong Qing alighting from a carriage, her curses became even more spirited.
"You cheap tart! You think you're a young lady of a thousand gold, daring to ride in a carriage! I think your skin is itching for a beating! Where's the rice and vegetables I told you to buy? Huh? You wasteful woman, just you wait until this old hag..."
The Zhao siblings stood under the eaves. Zhao Yuyan's eyes gleamed with schadenfreude, occasionally adding fuel to the fire with a remark or two, while Zhao Huai'an watched with cold indifference, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Rong Qing held the antai medicine in one hand and protected her abdomen with the other.
"You old hag, you wouldn't dare!"
"Hmph! You rebellious wretch! You go out once and your bones get hard! This old hag will beat you to death today!"
Seeing Mother Zhao grab a broom and prepare to strike, Rong Qing shouted at Zhao Huai'an, "Zhao Huai'an, I'm carrying the Sixth Prince's child!"
Zhao Huai'an froze, then quickly walked over and pulled Mother Zhao back.
Mother Zhao hadn't heard clearly, and continued to curse, "Good! You cheap tart, you dare to carry the wild seed of some wild man! Just you wait until this old hag..."
Zhao Huai'an pulled her, shouting, "Mother, it's the Sixth Prince!"
Mother Zhao was stunned. The Sixth Prince?
She looked at Rong Qing's belly. Was this the imperial lineage?
Rong Qing proudly lifted her head and chest, walking into the house.
Mother Zhao pulled her son and asked, "Is this true? When did this happen?"
Zhao Huai'an gritted his teeth, "A little over a month ago, the day of Marquis Wuyang's birthday."
Was there anyone more aggrieved than him? This hussy had cuckolded him, and he still had to provide her with good food and drink.
Zhao Yuyan quickly ran over, shrilly exclaiming, "I told you to take me then, but you refused! Otherwise, it would be me carrying the Sixth Prince's flesh and blood! With your own sister as the Sixth Prince's Consort, wouldn't you have been promoted and gotten rich? It's all your fault!"
Mother Zhao also felt it was a pity. "Yes, An'er, what a great opportunity that was, but it just... So, what can we get now?"
Zhao Huai'an said coldly, "We'll see after she gives birth to this child. If it really is the Sixth Prince's child, I can use this child to make the Sixth Prince feel guilty, and then we can get what we want."
Zhao Yuyan gritted her teeth. "Brother, next time you go to the Sixth Prince's Estate, take me with you. If the Sixth Prince can fancy that hussy, he can definitely fancy me too!"
Zhao Huai'an gave her a cold look and turned to go back to his room.
Zhao Yuyan complained discontentedly to Mother Zhao, "Mother, look at my brother!"
Zhao Huai'an returned to his room and saw Rong Qing sprawled on his bed, leisurely eating preserved fruits.
Seeing him enter, Rong Qing said, "My room is too small and the bed is too hard. I want this room!"
Seeing her smug expression, Zhao Huai'an said coldly, "Are you truly pregnant?"
"Is there any doubt? This is antai medicine. Have Zhao Yuyan brew it for me."
How could a person change so much? Where had the gentle and considerate Rong Qing gone?
Seeing Zhao Huai'an staring at her intensely, Rong Qing frowned. "What are you looking at? When I give birth to the Sixth Prince's child, won't you also benefit?"
Zhao Huai'an took a deep breath and said, "The paper you transcribed yesterday is gone. Write another copy."
Rong Qing's expression subtly shifted. She asked, "How could it be gone? Did you search properly?"
Her right hand was ruined; if that paper was also gone, how would she deal with the Minister Su's Residence?
"I've searched everywhere; it's not there. Just transcribe it again."
Rong Qing's face darkened. "My hand is injured; I can't hold a brush."
Zhao Huai'an then noticed her right hand wrapped in bandages.
"Then copy it when your hand heals."
Rong Qing's lips moved, but she ultimately didn't say that her hand wouldn't be able to copy even when it healed.
Forget it, she'd take things as they came.
That hussy Su Li really had good luck, letting her escape a calamity.
Once she became the Sixth Prince's Consort, she would find a way to deal with her!
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