“Ah? Young Master, are you feeling unwell? I…”

“No.” Zhuang Dongqing grabbed Liu Fu, who was about to go find someone, and took a deep breath. “Don’t look for the doctor in the manor. You… you help me secretly inquire about a famous doctor in the capital.” Zhuang Dongqing stared hard at Liu Fu and said seriously, “But this matter must not be revealed to anyone else.”

“Okay, okay, Young Master.” Under that gaze, Liu Fu stammered, “I understand.” After saying that, Zhuang Dongqing realized he had overreacted. He let out a breath, his body going soft. Fortunately, Liu Fu was quick-witted and helped him steady himself.

“Young Master, what… what happened to you?” Liu Fu stuttered. Seeing Zhuang Dongqing’s unusual expression, he spoke very softly. Zhuang Dongqing exhaled and instinctively shook his head. His mind was actually in a mess, with too many thoughts swirling around, lacking a clear focus. After forcing himself to calm down, Zhuang Dongqing said weakly, “Let’s eat first.”

“… Can we still eat?”

“Just sit down.”

“Oh, okay.” Once seated, Zhuang Dongqing let Liu Fu eat first. He drank a couple of sips of water to suppress the uncomfortable feeling, sniffed each dish, and found everything was fine except for the chicken soup and chicken meat, which he couldn’t touch. After throwing up twice, his stomach was hurt, and he could only manage half a bowl before he couldn’t eat anymore.

He still had to study in the evening, but with so much on his mind, he couldn’t focus. After zoning out several times, feeling that he really couldn’t continue cramming, Zhuang Dongqing put down his pen. He calculated that he had already learned about seventy to eighty percent of the characters. The main essays and poetry that the original owner had memorized were enough to deal with the upcoming imperial examination; after all, the results didn’t really matter. The two candidates from the Zhuang family probably wouldn’t wait for the results anyway.

He poured himself a cup of water and sat in the courtyard for a while. The weather was no longer as chilly as when he first arrived, but his mind was still a chaotic mess, completely unable to settle down, completely… not knowing what to do…

That night, Zhuang Dongqing couldn’t sleep soundly, tossing and turning. Just when he finally felt sleepy, he closed his eyes and saw the Zhuang family engulfed in flames, soldiers with long knives streaming in. The lady, the eldest young master, the third young master, the fourth young lady, and him—one by one, they had knives pressed against their necks, forced to kneel and unable to move, each one being shackled…

He struggled slightly, and the scene changed again. The sound of a wooden block striking echoed, and a high-ranking person shouted in a sharp voice, as if performing in a play, “How dare you slander the King of Dingxi! Someone, arrest him!” Looking down, he saw his belly had swollen like a balloon. He looked up to discern, but met a pair of light-colored, smiling eyes, as if everything was under control…

Zhuang Dongqing woke up. Sweat dripped down his forehead. Liu Fu was calling him from the side. Seeing he was awake, he quickly twisted a cloth to give him. Zhuang Dongqing wiped his face and drank a cup of water, finally pulling himself out of the nightmare and calming down.

Liu Fu was worried he might fall back into a daze, so he brought the quilt from the outer room and insisted on sleeping at his feet to keep watch over him. It was said that he had always slept like this before, but Zhuang Dongqing wasn’t used to it. After coming here, he had Liu Fu go to the outer room, but now Liu Fu was determined to stay with him, and Zhuang Dongqing didn’t have the energy to chase him away.

Lying down again, he just couldn’t fall asleep. After tossing and turning a few times, Zhuang Dongqing called out, “Liu Fu…”

“I’m here, Young Master.” Liu Fu hadn’t fallen asleep either. After a moment of silence, Zhuang Dongqing made up his mind and asked, “Have you heard about my aunt?”

Liu Fu thought for a moment, “I’ve heard the old folks in the house mention her a few times. They all say she’s extremely beautiful, what a pity.” Zhuang Dongqing wasn’t asking about that, “Did they ever mention where my aunt came from?”

“Where she came from?”

“Yeah, was she bought by my father, or was she chosen from the maidservants? Where is her hometown?”

“Young Master, are you missing your aunt?” Liu Fu scratched his head and recalled seriously, “She should have been bought from outside. As for whether she was ever a maidservant, I’m not very clear. Oh right, I heard the mamas in the main courtyard chatting that she ended up in the capital because of the war…”

“She’s not even Han, she’s from the Ren ethnic group, oh right!” Liu Fu said curiously, “I heard that in the Ren ethnic group, men can also give birth. I don’t know if it’s true.”

“…” Zhuang Dongqing’s voice was hoarse, “The mamas in the main courtyard said that?”

“Yes, they said that before the capital was in chaos, many noblemen who preferred men would seek to marry a Ren man to ensure their offspring, but after the war, they were rarely seen.”

“That’s all I know. Young Master, do you want to ask anything else?”

Nothing more. What he wanted to ask, Liu Fu had already said. Zhuang Dongqing closed his eyes and changed the subject, “If one day you leave the Zhuang family, what would you like to do?”

“Young Master, that’s a strange question…”

Zhuang Dongqing: “Just answer.” His tone was a bit serious, and Liu Fu stammered, “Oh, okay.”

“If I leave the Zhuang family, I guess I would go back to the village, but my parents might not welcome me much.”

“Don’t you want to do anything else?”

“Can I want to be a shopkeeper?” When he mentioned this, Liu Fu’s tone became lively, “If I could be a shopkeeper like the lady’s, managing a shop, or helping a noble manage a store, that would be a good livelihood.”

Zhuang Dongqing thought for a moment, “You’d have to start as an apprentice for that.”

“Yeah, and I need some capital, so it’s just a thought.” Zhuang Dongqing thought this idea was quite good. He didn’t elaborate with Liu Fu, just said, “I understand.”

“Go to sleep.”

After that day, the smell of meat still made him a bit nauseous, but it didn’t last long; after two or three days, he was fine. However, Zhuang Dongqing didn’t dare to feel victorious, convincing himself it was just a stomach issue. Liu Fu was trained by the original owner and was very efficient. In just two or three days, he had found several famous doctors and listed them for Zhuang Dongqing.

Zhuang Laoye had to go to work every day, and with the imperial examination approaching, the lady focused all her energy on preparing the eldest young master for the exam, so it was relatively easy for Zhuang Dongqing to go out. At first, he didn’t dare to let anyone take his pulse, pretending to be a student reading miscellaneous books, showing interest in this area. He asked several questions mixed together and would take some appetizing herbal medicines to soak, claiming he had a poor appetite.

Starting with ordinary doctors, he saw a few, and what they said about the Ren men was almost the same as what Liu Fu had said. They heard that they could get pregnant, but he had never seen it and didn’t know how to handle it. But doctors knew each other, and one of them was mentioned twice and happened to be on Liu Fu’s list of famous doctors.

One day, Zhuang Dongqing wore a veil and went out alone to find that famous doctor. When he reached out his hand, he was tense. The doctor took his pulse with his left hand, then switched to his right hand, and after a moment, switched back to his left hand again. Zhuang Dongqing felt numb all over.

The doctor said, “Only a month has passed?”

“Ah?” The doctor asked, “Is it only a month since you were together?” Zhuang Dongqing’s ears turned red, and he answered softly. The doctor switched to his right hand again, this time quickly letting go and shaking his head, which made Zhuang Dongqing’s heart race. He didn’t beat around the bush, “I can’t tell. The pulse of a Ren man is hard to judge, and your time is too short. It looks a bit like it, but I can’t be completely sure.”

“Then… is there really no way now?”

“Not necessarily.” The doctor, who had a good reputation and a kind heart, stroked his beard and said to Zhuang Dongqing, “All the men of this ethnic group who can give birth have a common feature. After conception, a red line will appear below the navel, which is said to be where the doctor will cut during delivery, making it easier to take out the fetus.”

Oh right, if he got pregnant, he wouldn’t be able to give birth naturally. “Since you’re in doubt, just wait and see. If it appears, then it’s almost certain.”

Zhuang Dongqing: “Okay, okay.” The doctor looked at him again and asked another question that caught him off guard, “If you really are, do you want it?”

Ah?!…

When Zhuang Dongqing walked out of the clinic, he was drenched in cold sweat, holding a packet of medicine that was said to help with miscarriage. The doctor actually didn’t recommend it, but for some reason, he still took it. He couldn’t quite describe his feelings, just felt extremely dry and thirsty. He chose a secluded corner to take off the veil, dealt with it, and just wanted to hurry back to the manor.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. He didn’t encounter any familiar faces along the way, and just as he was about to enter the door, Zhuang Dongqing was called out. His mind was in a mess, and he was just a few steps away from the side door, wanting to pretend he didn’t hear and go back to the Zhuang manor first. But as soon as he took a step, the voice behind him grew much louder. After two steps, Zhuang Dongqing was pulled by the sleeve of his clothes. Now he couldn’t pretend to be deaf anymore.

Resigned, he turned around and saw the person clearly. Zhuang Dongqing was surprised. “Brother Dongqing, it’s good to see you again.” The male lead, the Sixth Prince Li Yang, said, slightly out of breath. It was obvious he had run a few steps to catch up after seeing him not respond.

Zhuang Dongqing, feeling guilty, touched his nose, but Li Yang didn’t blame him for being deaf. Instead, he asked with concern, “You haven’t come for two days after the spring banquet, saying you were sick. Now… are you feeling much better?” His expression was sincere, not fake at all. Even though he still felt uncomfortable inside, under such care, Zhuang Dongqing found it hard to keep a straight face.

“Six…” He had just said one word, but fearing there might be ears on the wall, Zhuang Dongqing changed his words, “Sixth Young Master, long time no see.”

“I was just thinking about something and didn’t hear you. I’m sorry.”

“My health… is okay.”

“What about you…?” They met at the Zhuang family’s door, still at the side door, and Zhuang Dongqing didn’t think it was a coincidence. Sure enough, when he spoke, Li Yang smiled shyly but didn’t shy away, directly saying, “After that day, I wanted to find you, but I couldn’t catch you. Now the spring examination is approaching… Coincidentally, a few days ago, San De saw you going to see the doctor, so…”

He paused for a moment, suddenly bowing deeply, “Brother Dongqing, I was wrong about what happened before. I apologize to you and hope you can forgive me.”

“If Brother Dongqing is willing to hear my explanation, that would be great.”

“If Brother Dongqing is unwilling, then I’ve already apologized, and I have no regrets.” Zhuang Dongqing: “…” After Li Yang finished speaking, he remained in front of him, still in a bowing position. His attitude was very firm. This was really…

After a few thoughts and much inner turmoil, Zhuang Dongqing slowly extended his hand and helped Li Yang up. He forced a smile, “Sixth Young Master, you shouldn’t do this. That day, I was a bit impatient too. Don’t take it to heart. The matter of forgiveness is too heavy.”

Hearing that there was still room for reconciliation, Li Yang revealed a bright smile. Zhuang Dongqing smiled back, but inside, he felt a mix of emotions. Now that the conversation had reached this point, Li Yang wouldn’t leave anytime soon. The side door wasn’t a good place to chat, so Zhuang Dongqing led him to another location. By the time they returned to the Zhuang manor, the sky was already dimming slightly.

“Brother Dongqing, have you been seeing doctors lately? Do you need my help?”

“That day, it was really thanks to you, Brother Dongqing. If it weren’t for you… If you ever have any difficulties in the future, just let me know. I will never refuse if I can help.”

Recalling Li Yang’s promises, Zhuang Dongqing felt powerless. Although he had predicted this moment when he helped the male lead up, but… Now that he had received this guarantee, he didn’t feel much happier because of it. The Zhuang family was indeed a dead end. But turning to the male lead was also another kind of fire pit. His head ached. Between the choice of suffering death or living in torment, Zhuang Dongqing couldn’t decide at all.

Returning to the courtyard, he hid the packet of medicine that was also troubling him, and after being dazed for a while, Zhuang Dongqing pushed everything out of his mind and went to eat with Liu Fu. Eating, eating, everything else can wait, but eating is the most important thing.

After experiencing these two shocks, Zhuang Dongqing mustered the courage to find Zhuang Laoye and the lady separately. He wanted to persuade Zhuang Laoye to resign from his duties related to the spring examination, but as soon as he brought it up, he was scolded mercilessly. The lady listened to his beginning but remained calm and indifferent, only reminding him to prepare well for the exam and not to focus on ingratiating himself with the powerful, then had her trusted mama escort him out.

Although he had known this would be the outcome, at least Zhuang Dongqing had tried. A few days later, the examination hall opened, and the spring examination began.