Previous
Fiction Page
Next
Font Size:
Chapter 29
Miaoyun carefully led Doctor Jin into Xiyan Palace The moment she saw his face, she was shocked. She never expected Doctor Jin to be Li Jing! Su Jingyao sat on the couch, lazily leaning on a soft pillow. Her autumn-water-like eyes gazed at Miaoyun with a calm but distant look.
Miaoyun noticed her mistress’s gaze and quickly dismissed all the other servants. Li Jing stepped forward and respectfully greeted her.
“This humble servant greets Side Consort.”
As soon as he finished speaking—
Smack!
A sharp slap broke the silence of the palace. Su Jingyao’s eyes were filled with ice-cold anger. She raised her hand and slapped him hard. Her movement was quick and full of fury. Li Jing did not dodge. He remained kneeling, completely still, as if he had expected her to be this angry.
He looked like a statue, unmoving.
“If Mistress is angry, this humble servant can hit himself instead. No need to hurt your delicate hands.”
His voice was deep and calm, as if he were saying something completely ordinary. His face showed no pain or grievance. He noticed her hand had turned a little red and felt a pang of pain in his heart. Her skin was soft and delicate—slapping him must have hurt her more. Su Jingyao ignored him.Did he not realize how much danger he had put her in by entering the palace?
If Jun Zechen discovered their connection, it would be a disaster for her.
“I heard Mistress was pregnant. The harem is a dangerous place. I came to help you.”
Li Jing looked at her with unwavering determination. His eyes were filled with deep devotion, as if he could see straight into her soul.
“Help me? You were already helping me by making money and preparing medicine outside the palace!”
“Now that you’re inside, if anyone finds out about us, you will be the death of me!”
Su Jingyao’s voice was low and cold, squeezing out each word like ice shards. Her gaze was sharp and unyielding, sending chills down his spine.
“Mistress, my identity has been perfectly forged. I will not cause you trouble.”
Li Jing’s voice was steady. He lifted his head and met her gaze, his eyes filled with unshakable confidence. Su Jingyao stared at him coldly.
“If you are exposed, I will kill you myself.”
She was not a kind person. Saving him back then was an accident. If he wanted to stay by her side, he had to accept her ruthlessness.
“No need for Mistress to dirty your hands. If I bring you trouble, I will end my own life.”
Li Jing’s tone was resolute, his eyes filled with determination. Su Jingyao was furious because he had entered the palace without telling her, leaving her completely unprepared. If not for the familiar taste of the special herbs he used in her medicine, she would not have realized that he was the one who made the juice.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have known that the new doctor in the palace was actually him. Su Jingyao calmed her anger. Now that he was already in the palace, there was no turning back. Li Jing had excellent medical skills. Having a doctor she could fully trust in the palace would indeed save her a lot of trouble.
But Jun Zechen was the crown prince, powerful and ruthless. If he started to suspect something and investigated Li Jing, it might not be possible to hide everything completely. She had to act well and make sure Jun Zechen never doubted her. Su Jingyao narrowed her eyes, deep in thought, her expression growing more serious.
“Come here and check my pulse. See if you can tell whether it’s a prince or a princess.”
She placed her hand on the table, her fingers tapping lightly. Li Jing stepped forward, knelt beside her, and gently placed his fingers on her wrist to check her pulse.
“Master, you are lucky. This child is a prince.”
“Because of the yearly care you’ve taken for your body, it was easy for you to conceive. After you give birth, I will prepare medicine for you to help you recover and prevent future pregnancies.”
Li Jing’s voice was calm and gentle. He focused on feeling her pulse, his eyes filled with care. Hearing this, Su Jingyao lifted her chin slightly, her cold expression finally softening into a satisfied smile. She then spoke casually, as if it was just a passing thought.
“If you get a chance, look at the crown princess’s medical records. Find out why she can’t get pregnant.”
“Master, I already checked her records after arriving at the royal hospital.”
“The crown princess seems to have a body type that makes it very difficult to conceive. Although she has no obvious health issues, her menstrual cycle is highly irregular. It seems to be a natural condition.”
Li Jing lifted his head slightly, watching Su Jingyao as he reported what he knew. Su Jingyao lowered her eyes, deep in thought. She looked puzzled. Could it be that in the original novel, the female lead was just destined to be infertile? After all, the main conflict in her love story with the male lead was that she couldn’t have children.
How pitiful.
“I see,” Su Jingyao nodded.
Then she instructed,
“Whenever the crown prince visits the palace, you should avoid being seen by him.”
She spoke in a serious tone. Li Jing was about the same age as Jun Zechen and had a refined, noble appearance.
If Jun Zechen saw a young doctor frequently visiting her palace, he might grow suspicious.
Men like Jun Zechen were extremely possessive.
Yesterday, she had only casually mentioned needing another doctor, and Jun Zechen had agreed without even meeting Li Jing.
If he had seen Li Jing first, he might have found a way to send him away instead.
So, it was best if Li Jing never met the crown prince.
Li Jing understood her concerns and nodded. “Yes, Master.”
“Don’t call me ‘Master’ in the palace,” Su Jingyao reminded him.
When she had saved him in the past, it had been purely by chance.
Because of his past experiences, Li Jing had always felt inferior. At first, he called her ‘Miss,’ but after working for her and managing her business affairs, he started calling her ‘Master.’
Su Jingyao never cared about titles, so she never corrected him. But in the palace, it was different.
Li Jing’s eyes flickered slightly, and he softly replied, “Yes, Side Consort.”
In his heart, calling her ‘Master’ meant something deeper.
It was because he had feelings for her.
But he knew his status was too low to ever be with her.
To him, calling her ‘Master’ meant that he belonged to her.
“You may leave,” Su Jingyao waved her hand, dismissing him.
Li Jing slowly backed away.
Once he left, her four maids—Miaoyun, Miaoxia, Miaoyue, and Miaoxue—entered one by one.
Miaoxia noticed the redness on Su Jingyao’s hand and quickly walked to the dressing table to fetch a jar of ointment.
She carefully opened the jar, dipped her fingers in, and gently applied the ointment to Su Jingyao’s hand.
Standing beside her, Miaoyue asked softly, “Master, since Doctor Jin is here, should we do something to prevent other women in the Eastern Palace from getting pregnant?”
Su Jingyao leaned lazily against the couch, letting Miaoxia apply the ointment to her hand.
She replied casually, “No need. If they get pregnant, it’s their luck.”
Her tone was indifferent and unconcerned.
After all, Jun Zechen would one day become emperor, and his children would not be limited to just hers.
She had no intention of giving birth to many children herself, so there was no need to interfere now.
Even if other women bore his children, it wouldn’t matter.
If any of them threatened her son’s position, she would simply get rid of them.
A cold glint flashed across Su Jingyao’s face, but she quickly returned to her usual calm expression.
“What’s the situation with the crown princess now that she’s no longer under house arrest?”
Miaoxia finished applying the ointment, and Su Jingyao withdrew her hand, absentmindedly playing with a piece of jade.
The jade was a recent gift from Jun Zechen, exceptionally smooth and of the highest quality. She liked holding it in her hands.
“The crown princess has been much quieter since her release. The crown prince still treats her the same. If he isn’t at our palace, he’s at Qi Luan Palace.”
Miaoxia watched Su Jingyao’s expression carefully as she spoke.
“But I heard…”
Miaoyun smirked, clearly enjoying the gossip. She lifted her chin slightly, her tone carrying a hint of pride.
“Even when His Highness visits the other new concubines, he never stays the night. He always returns to Yude Hall to sleep.”
Miaoyun had been worried that since her mistress was pregnant and unable to serve His Highness, he might be attracted to other women.
But now, it seemed their mistress still held an important place in His Highness’s heart.
After all, the Prince had never left her bed so quickly before.
Su Jingyao raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with amusement and mockery.
Could it be that Jun Zechen still thought touching other women was somehow dirtying himself?
Did he really believe that he was the victim when he had to sleep with someone else?
If that was true, Su Jingyao almost wanted to laugh out loud.
She was truly curious—what had the Emperor said to Jun Zechen to make him change his strong dislike for noblewomen?
From the moment Jun Zechen thought he loved Ling Yue, he refused to touch any other woman.
Su Jingyao could see his inner struggle clearly.
Jun Zechen didn’t like sleeping with women he didn’t love. If he did, he felt unclean.
That was probably why he had been so furious when he thought the Empress drugged him that night.
So, Su Jingyao had been carefully planning their interactions, making sure any change in their relationship was his doing.
In this situation, she was the only innocent one.
Previous
Fiction Page
Next