Chapter 26

The physician carefully cleaned Su Jingyao’s wounds, gently applying medicine. Even the more serious injury on her ankle was bandaged with great care.

Meanwhile, Miaoyun and Miaoxia quietly helped her remove her outer garments, leaving only her inner robe.

At that moment, Jun Zechen walked in with steady steps. He bent down and gently picked Su Jingyao up from the couch.

He carried her into the sleeping chamber and carefully placed her on the bed.

Then, he sat beside her, his gaze fixed on her with warmth and concern.

He hadn’t expected his first child to come so unexpectedly.

About fifteen minutes later, an imperial physician brought in a bowl of pregnancy-stabilizing medicine.

Jun Zechen personally took the bowl, sat beside Su Jingyao, and supported her back with one hand while holding the bowl with the other, preparing to feed her.

As the bitter taste of the medicine reached her, Su Jingyao slowly regained consciousness.

She opened her eyes to find herself leaning against Jun Zechen’s warm embrace. He was holding a bowl of medicine, patiently trying to feed her.

“Mmm… no, it’s too bitter…”

She frowned slightly, her voice weak and resistant.

“Be good, Yaoyao. You are carrying the royal heir now. This is a pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. You must drink it since you overexerted yourself today. I’ve also prepared your favorite honey flower tea. Drink the medicine first, and then you can have the tea to wash away the bitterness.”

Hearing his words, Su Jingyao stared at Jun Zechen blankly for a moment before fully processing what he had said.

“I… I’m pregnant?”

Her voice was filled with shock and disbelief.

“Yes, you are. The imperial physician personally confirmed it. There is no mistake.”

Jun Zechen’s deep voice was filled with gentleness, and at that moment, his gaze seemed full of love.

He once again brought the medicine close to her lips. Though Su Jingyao hated the bitter taste, she frowned, squeezed her eyes shut, pinched her nose, and forced herself to drink it.

As soon as she finished, she immediately complained, “So bitter! I want flower tea.”

Miaoyun quickly handed over the tea.

Su Jingyao carefully took the cup with her small hands and sipped it slowly, looking just like a little squirrel. She looked so adorable that it made people’s hearts melt.

After drinking, she gently placed her hand on her stomach. Her eyes sparkled with joy, like stars suddenly lighting up the night sky.

Still finding it hard to believe, she softly asked again, “Your Highness, am I really pregnant?”

Jun Zechen placed his hand gently over hers and nodded firmly, confirming her words.

Then, his expression grew serious, his voice deep and stern.

“Why did you risk your safety to save the Crown Princess today? Do you realize that the stones weren’t even smoothed out? If you had fallen in the wrong direction, the consequences could have been disastrous.”

Su Jingyao’s face filled with regret. She bit her lip, her eyes full of guilt.

“I… I didn’t know I was pregnant. If I had known, I wouldn’t have…”

“You care about the Crown Princess that much? You would rather hurt yourself to save her?”

Jun Zechen’s voice carried a hint of jealousy and confusion.

He knew that after the Flower Festival, Lingyue had distanced herself from Su Jingyao. Since then, this little woman had focused entirely on him.

Yet, when Lingyue was in danger, she had rushed forward without hesitation.

“Your Highness, when I first arrived at the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess was very kind to me. I had no close family or friends here, so I always saw her as my own sister. If she had fallen, her face would have been ruined. I couldn’t just stand by and watch.”

Su Jingyao’s voice was sincere.

Hearing her words, Jun Zechen felt a wave of emotions.

The only reason she had treated Lingyue like family was because of his past cruelty and coldness toward her.

Back at the Su family, she had been loved and cherished. But after entering the Eastern Palace, her own husband had treated her with nothing but coldness and hostility.

Only Lingyue had been kind enough to talk to Su Jingyao, and they would occasionally sit together, drinking tea and chatting.

That was why Su Jingyao valued her relationship with Lingyue so much.

After speaking, her long eyelashes slowly lowered, hiding the emotions in her eyes.

“And…”

Her voice carried hesitation, as if there were many words stuck in her throat that she wasn’t sure whether to say.

Jun Zechen raised an eyebrow and asked, “And what?”

Su Jingyao gently wrapped her arms around his waist, her soft voice flowing like a gentle stream.

She whispered, “Sister is the one dearest to Your Highness’s heart. If she were injured, you would be sad. I don’t want to see you worried.”

Jun Zechen’s hands suddenly clenched into fists, his voice deep and firm, tinged with an emotion that was hard to detect.

“Do you think I wouldn’t worry if you were the one hurt?”

Su Jingyao bit her lip lightly, a hint of grievance flashing across her face.

“No… I know that lately, Your Highness has been treating me well. Your heart is with Sister, and I am already satisfied with even a small portion of it.”

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

“It’s better for me to be hurt than for Sister to be hurt. That way, Your Highness won’t feel so much pain…”

Jun Zechen stared straight ahead, his dark eyes deep and unreadable.

So, she had always believed that compared to Lingyue, she only held a small place in his heart, while Lingyue was the one he truly cherished.

That was why she had risked herself to save Lingyue.

Jun Zechen had never thought about it before—who did he care about more, Lingyue or Su Jingyao?

He had known Lingyue for three years and been married to her for two. In contrast, he had only known Su Jingyao for about two months.

Yet the more he interacted with Su Jingyao, the more she made him feel things he had never felt before.

Her kindness and innocence made his heart move.

Her unexpected teasing words made his heartbeat quicken.

Her sorrowful tears made him ache.

Their intense physical connection drove him mad.

And now, seeing her humble and self-sacrificing attitude, his heart broke.

She had no idea how much Jun Zechen liked her at this moment.

But even he wasn’t sure if his feelings would change with time and circumstances.

After his conversation with the Emperor last time, he could no longer make any promises about love.

Because he was the Crown Prince of Jun Kingdom, the future Emperor.

Lingyue… she was his first wife. That would never change.

Jun Zechen pulled Su Jingyao tightly into his embrace, his arms wrapping around her as if he wanted to merge her into his body. His voice was urgent.

“From now on, don’t risk yourself to save others, understand?”

Su Jingyao hugged him back with all her strength, her face filled with happiness.

“Mm, I understand. Now that I am carrying Your Highness’s child, I will protect myself and our baby.”

“Do you feel any discomfort now?”

Su Jingyao buried her face in his chest and murmured, “Only my ankle hurts… and my legs too.”

“Do I have a lot of scratches on my legs? I haven’t looked yet, but they must be ugly now.”

Jun Zechen knew how much she cared about her appearance and how she always took good care of herself.

Earlier, when the physician applied medicine to her wounds, he had been handling other matters and hadn’t seen her injuries.

“The physician treated your wounds. Let me take a look.”

Saying this, Jun Zechen reached out, intending to lift the blanket and check her legs.

“No!”

Su Jingyao quickly stopped him, her eyes filled with shyness and embarrassment. Jun Zechen looked at her in confusion.

Pouting, she insisted, “Your Highness can’t look. My legs must be ugly right now. I don’t want you to see them.”

Jun Zechen sighed helplessly and pinched her cheek affectionately.

“Yaoyao, you’re beautiful all over. Even if there are a few scratches, it doesn’t change anything. Be good, let me see.”

Su Jingyao hesitated, but before she could refuse again, Jun Zechen gently but firmly lifted her leg onto his lap.

With careful movements, he rolled up the loose fabric of her inner pants.

First, he saw her swollen ankle, which was now wrapped tightly in bandages, though the puffiness was still obvious.

Then, his gaze traveled up to her smooth, jade-like legs, now covered in scratches and small wounds. The physician had already applied medicine, and the cuts had stopped bleeding.

Despite the injuries, her legs still looked beautiful.

Instead of feeling disturbed, Jun Zechen felt even more heartache for her.

Seeing his reaction, Su Jingyao tried to pull her leg away, her face blushing like the evening sky.

“Your Highness, don’t look anymore…”

Her voice was soft, carrying a trace of embarrassment.

“For the next few days, focus on resting. I will have a physician assigned specifically to take care of your pregnancy.”

Jun Zechen’s deep, gentle voice felt like it could melt a person’s heart.

Su Jingyao nodded obediently. Jun Zechen continued to give her instructions, and she listened with a sweet smile, her watery eyes filled with happiness.

After Jun Zechen left, Miaoyun stood by the bed and reported everything that had happened while Su Jingyao was unconscious.

Su Jingyao gently played with her hair, her gaze turning cold and indifferent, making people around her feel uneasy.

But Miaoyun had long been accustomed to seeing this different side of her mistress. Instead of fear, she felt fortunate to serve such a clever and strong-willed master.

Su Jingyao was quite satisfied with the fact that Lingyue had been placed under house arrest. It seemed that Jun Zechen’s patience for Lingyue was wearing thin.

As the female lead, Lingyue had a similar level of intelligence throughout the early years of Jun Zechen’s reign. Only after being repeatedly mistreated by other women would she finally start to grow smarter.

Smarter is better—if she doesn’t get smarter, sooner or later, An Jinyan will destroy her.

When Su Jingyao stopped preventing pregnancy, she expected to get pregnant quickly. She had spent a lot of money taking care of her body since childhood, and it wasn’t wasted. Her body was in top condition for pregnancy. If she were like Ling Yue and unable to conceive, what would be the point of entering the palace? To be a disposable pawn?

Plus, Nanny Li had some medical knowledge and could accurately tell if she was pregnant just by checking her pulse.

This child came a little earlier than expected, but after thinking about the timeline in the book, she decided it was actually a good thing. It was best to give birth before Jun Zechen became emperor.

According to the book, Jun Zechen would hold his first selection of new concubines three months after becoming emperor. In Jun Country, there was no rule about mourning for the late emperor before taking new concubines.

Before the new women arrived, she had to make sure Jun Zechen was completely attached to her—both his heart and his body.

One important reason she wanted the Crown Princess and An Liangdi to fight was for the sake of her child.

She would never allow anyone to harm her baby.

Ling Yue had already held a grudge against her because of the Flower Festival. She wasn’t sure how much Ling Yue had “leveled up” mentally yet, though for now, she still seemed pretty foolish.

Su Jingyao had no sympathy for Ling Yue. She had no patience for weak, self-pitying women.

She didn’t hate purity, she hated stupidity.

Today, she had saved the female lead. Now, both the female lead and the female supporting character owed her a favor.

At least, her “innocent and kind” persona was firmly established.

Those two would continue fighting each other, so they wouldn’t bother targeting her.

After all, who dared to harm her child? The Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince all valued this baby greatly.

But she wouldn’t let her guard down. A calculating glint flashed in Su Jingyao’s eyes.