Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Zhuang Dongqing took a deep breath and slowed down. After all, she was still carrying something inside her. She had already decided not to rely on the male lead; once her thoughts started to slip, it would be like swimming in a difficult ocean. Zhuang Dongqing decided to choose a backstroke position. First, she lay flat. After sipping some hot water to calm her nerves, she asked Liu Fu to get paper and pen.

In less than half an hour, the paper went from Zhuang Dongqing’s hands to Liu Fu’s, then from Liu Fu’s hands to Mama Liu’s, and finally landed in the lady’s fingers. Bi Shuyu looked at the words on the paper, her expression unchanged as she read aloud, “Roast duck, chicken stewed with mushrooms (the mushrooms must be fresh), chopped chili fish head, plus a vegetable soup, and no other vegetarian dishes.” Bi Shuyu glanced at Mama Liu. Mama Liu confirmed, “Yes, these are all dishes ordered by the second young master; he said he wanted to eat them tonight.”

“……” The paper was crumpled in the lady’s fingers. “What does he take the Zhuang family for? He…” Mama Liu quickly advised, “Madam, don’t get angry; you’re still unwell, and besides, this isn’t really a big deal.”

It really wasn’t. The harm wasn’t great, but the insult was extremely strong. What did he take her for… Mama Liu noticed Bi Shuyu’s expression was off and hurriedly said many comforting words, coaxing her repeatedly. Bi Shuyu took a deep breath. Don’t get angry with a fool. Don’t get angry with a fool. Don’t get angry with a fool. After repeating it three times in her mind, she gritted her teeth and said, “Make it for him!”

*

That night, Zhuang Dongqing devoured three bowls of rice. It was delicious. Burp.

*

At the Dali Temple, Liu Qi placed the exam papers on the desk. “Master, the candidates for these papers, along with the remaining officials, have been interrogated by the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate today.” He pulled out a list from his sleeve. “The ones circled in red and black are those that the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate have reviewed and unanimously deemed to have no issues. If the Dali Temple also approves today, they should be released again.”

Cen Yan took the list and glanced at it. “Who circled in red?”

“The Censorate.” Cen Yan’s gaze fell on a corner; Zhuang Xingchang’s name had a black circle but no red circle. Next to it, Zhuang Yue’s name had no circle at all. Liu Qi also noticed Cen Yan’s gaze and hesitated before speaking. After standing for a while, Cen Yan asked, “Is there something else?”

“There’s a small matter,” Liu Qi reported. “Lord Zhuang and his eldest son have been taken to the Ministry of Justice. The Zhuang family has two candidates this year, and when they were taken, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate insisted on bringing the second young master of the Zhuang family back for interrogation, but you denied it. Today, the left censor from the Censorate asked about this matter again and wanted a reason.”

Cen Yan replied calmly, “There are no hidden messages on Zhuang Dongqing’s exam paper.”

Liu Qi said, “The left censor believes this only proves that the second young master did not ‘collude’ with the examiners, but it does not prove he wasn’t leaked the questions. Moreover, both Lord Zhuang and the eldest young master received the questions, so the censor thinks they shouldn’t have overlooked the second young master…”

“Is that what it means, to indiscriminately detain someone for questioning?” Cen Yan’s tone was flat, but Liu Qi couldn’t decipher his thoughts and just kept his head bowed respectfully.

After a moment, a light scoff was heard. “With the time spent asking me, he could have figured it out himself.” He pulled out a stack of rice paper from under the desk and tossed it onto the table. “Take this to the left censor. If he bothers me again next time, just right, I’ll report him for dereliction of duty. His Majesty is already furious about the examination case; if he finds out that other princes are involved, I might have to visit his house in the middle of the night next time.”

Liu Qi opened it and was surprised to find it was the poems and essays he had previously collected while investigating Zhuang Dongqing. “What is this…?”

“Perhaps he really has lost his mind,” Cen Yan said, staring at those poems with an inscrutable expression. “Most of the answers in the examination are long excerpts from previous studies. If the questions were really leaked, wouldn’t he need to find a famous teacher to revise and polish them?”

It couldn’t possibly be exactly the same as before. Furrowing his brows, Cen Yan added, “Since you still need to see the left censor, before you give him anything, help me ask why Zhuang Xingchang, this minor official who was doing odd jobs during the spring examination, wasn’t circled.”

*

After ordering dishes for two days straight, six meals a day, Zhuang Dongqing finally felt alive again. Unfortunately, happy times are always short-lived. Before bed, Zhuang Dongqing rubbed her stuffed belly, thinking about her decision, hoping that these meals wouldn’t be her last supper, sending her on her way.

When she woke up, the sky was bright. Strangely, after deciding not to look for Li Yang, Zhuang Dongqing slept more soundly. Even though she didn’t know where the road ahead would lead, she was no longer anxious. After all… the outcome should come soon, whether it was death or life, it wouldn’t be a torment.

Thinking this way, Zhuang Dongqing felt a sense of relief, and once she dropped the burden of her thoughts, she felt much lighter. But, happy times are always short-lived. After having breakfast that day, she and Liu Fu changed their clothes, and before heading out, Zhuang Dongqing wanted to practice a couple of calligraphy sheets to calm her mind. After making two mistakes with the traditional characters, she decided to let loose, and the next row was filled with simplified characters, not changing them, not wanting to change them.

After copying two sheets, she burned them as usual. Turning around, she saw Liu Fu standing at the door with the bundle, already prepared. Zhuang Dongqing untied her sleeves, took a deep breath, and said, “Let’s go.”

In the morning, they strolled through the market, eating along the way. At noon, they chose a restaurant they had previously hesitated to enter, ordered a private room, and had a table full of dishes. After eating, Zhuang Dongqing found a tea house, ordered two cups of tea, and dozed off at the table.

When she woke up from her nap, the sunlight streaming through the window illuminated everything outside in a golden glow. People of all kinds came and went on the street, from cloth-clad vendors to wealthy young masters fanning themselves, and even chatty old scholars. Zhuang Dongqing suddenly realized that she seemed to have never taken the time to quietly observe this world.

Hmm, there was still some time. It would take a while to get to the Wangfu from here. After drinking two cups of tea to wake herself up, before leaving, Zhuang Dongqing confirmed with Liu Fu, “Did you bring everything that Mama Liu gave us?”

Liu Fu patted his chest, “Don’t worry, young master, I brought everything.”

Zhuang Dongqing asked, “What about the letter I wrote yesterday?”

“It’s here, in the bundle.”

“Do you remember the address?”

Liu Fu recited it back to Zhuang Dongqing; it was the contact address left by Li Yang. After he finished, Liu Fu proactively said, “The clothes you wanted packed, we each have two sets, and I’ve folded them neatly. The monthly money we saved is also in there, all inside.” He patted the bundle.

Zhuang Dongqing stood up and stretched, “Alright, let’s go.”

Liu Fu finished his tea before getting up, used to being frugal and not wasting a bit. The Zhuang residence was in the west of the city, and Zhuang Xingchang, a minor official, could live in that house thanks to the lady’s family. The Wangfu was different; the Duke of Dingxi was now prominent, and his residence was in the south of the city.

Once they entered the southern part of the city, the pedestrians’ clothing was much more luxurious. Zhuang Dongqing glanced at the stewardess who just brushed past her and then looked down at her own clothes; even the servants in the noble houses wore better fabric than what she had on.

After greeting the Duke of Dingxi from a distance and recognizing the entrance, Zhuang Dongqing walked to a nearby tea house. Going up to the second floor, she chose a spot where she could see the main gate of the Wangfu and ordered a cup of tea for Liu Fu.

Zhuang Dongqing said, “If I go in and don’t come out by sunset, you take that letter and go to that place.”

To find Li Yang.

Liu Fu asked, “Will Young Master Ji rescue you?”

He was clearly aware of the Duke of Dingxi’s bad reputation. Zhuang Dongqing choked a bit and simply said, “He’ll understand once he sees the letter; just listen to him.”

After thinking for a moment, she added, “Unless Young Master Ji personally asks you for something, aside from that letter, you keep everything else for yourself.”

“Got it, young master, I’ll handle it well!”

Looking at Liu Fu’s earnest expression, Zhuang Dongqing’s lips moved. She wanted to say something more, but in the long gaze, she finally said, “Then I can rest assured.”

“Okay, young master, you should hurry.”

“……Alright.”

Cutting off the excessive chatter, Zhuang Dongqing walked away quickly without looking back.

Once she was away from Liu Fu and standing on the street, Zhuang Dongqing allowed herself a moment of daze. During this time, she had eaten well, slept well, and had no more morning sickness. In fact, things were going quite smoothly.

Unfortunately, this kind of life couldn’t last forever. Steadying her mind, Zhuang Dongqing took another step forward.

To find Cen Yan.

Yes, that was the last thing she could think of, a method that wasn’t really a method. After all, the original body would eventually marry the Duke of Dingxi, and worrying about escaping the plot line was pointless; it was better to speed up to the end.

Of course, there might be two outcomes: Cen Yan listened to what she said and kept her. The second outcome would be that Cen Yan, without saying a word, killed her.

Both were quite good. The former would just mean continuing to endure life in ancient times in a different place. The latter, a quick death would also be a kind of relief.

Even if her family was confiscated, she would still have to stay in the Ministry of Justice for a few days; only when the time was up could she be dragged to the market for execution. Right now, being able to skip the severe torture and resolve it within a day made Zhuang Dongqing feel less afraid of death.

Of course, if it really came to that, Zhuang Dongqing just hoped the knife on her neck would be quick.

In such a large Wangfu, there surely wouldn’t be a shortage of good knives. If they could even ask about her method of death, to put her to sleep before killing her, that would be even better.

Very humane!

After a series of wild thoughts, she had already arrived at the Wangfu’s entrance. Zhuang Dongqing shook her head and went over her past life again.

If she didn’t come out, and Liu Fu went to find Li Yang, Li Yang would likely take her in after reading the letter; the contracts for selling her body and household registration were still there. Liu Fu had mentioned wanting to be a shopkeeper, but in business, merchant registration wasn’t really respected, so it was better to stick to farming; it was too hard. Zhuang Dongqing had chosen a worker’s registration for him, asking Li Yang to find a master for Liu Fu first to teach him a skill.

She had also thought about the follow-up. If Liu Fu could learn well, then she would have Li Yang help him change to a merchant registration. If he didn’t learn well, then she would find someone to teach him to be a shopkeeper; for Li Yang, that would be easy, and changing to a merchant registration later would be fine. All the money would be in Liu Fu’s hands, allowing him to not rely on Li Yang and have his own startup capital.

In this way, Liu Fu would be settled. Li Yang owed her a favor, and they would be even.

Confirming everything was correct, Zhuang Dongqing stepped forward to announce her name and request to see Cen Yan.

When Liu Qi heard the name Zhuang Dongqing, his mind went blank for a moment. After confirming it was indeed the second young master of the Zhuang family, he hurried to the door. At a glance, it was really her.

Liu Qi had mixed feelings, but it didn’t show on his face. After slightly verifying Zhuang Dongqing’s identity, he asked, “May I ask why the young master wishes to see our lord?”

Zhuang Dongqing scratched her left hand with her right, “…I’ll explain once I see the lord.”

Alright then.

Liu Qi led her in, and after passing the message, Cen Yan raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been so busy lately; today is my day off. You came today, so it seems you must have inquired beforehand.”

There was no anger in his words; instead, Liu Qi sensed a hint of amusement.

Liu Qi lowered his head, preferring not to hear it.

“Let him in.”

Zhuang Dongqing entered the study, feeling very awkward. She looked much the same as when Cen Yan came to the Zhuang residence to take someone.

Zhuang Dongqing greeted, “Zhuang Dongqing from the Zhuang residence, pays respects to the lord.”

Cen Yan replied, “So you recognize this king now?”

This was quite a narrow-minded remark. It referred to the day of the spring banquet when Zhuang Dongqing didn’t recognize him.

Zhuang Dongqing, “…”

Zhuang Dongqing lowered her head, “Your Highness, you jest.”

“That day, it was my fault for not recognizing you; please don’t take it to heart, Your Highness.”

Cen Yan smiled.

Zhuang Dongqing felt even more terrified.

The hairs on her body stood up because of that smile.

“I said my reputation isn’t good; the young master must have felt it deeply by now.”

“……”

Zhuang Dongqing didn’t know whether her reputation was good or bad, but her mind was genuinely turning white from nervousness.

Why did he have to tease her at such a time?!

Was it really necessary to be so malicious?!

She didn’t believe Cen Yan couldn’t see how nervous she was! Very!!!

Catching sight of her slightly trembling fingertips, Zhuang Dongqing discreetly withdrew her hand into her sleeve, trying to cover it up.

“Your, Your Highness is joking.”

Damn it, she stuttered.

How could she be so useless?!

Fortunately, Cen Yan’s next words stopped the laughter, and he said seriously, “If you have something to say, just say it. I need to go to the Dali Temple soon. After today, if the young master wants to see me again, it may not be anytime soon.”

Liu Qi was surprised but quickly realized this was a test for Zhuang Dongqing.

Zhuang Dongqing had initially wanted to be polite, but after being teased unexpectedly, she forgot all her rehearsed lines.

“Then, then I really said it.”

Just let it break!

Taking a deep breath, as if fearing Cen Yan would change his mind, Zhuang Dongqing gathered her courage and said, “I’m pregnant, with your child.”

After the words fell, the room fell silent for a long time.