CHAPTER 574: CHAPTER 574: PREGNANCY PULSE

Agarwood Pavilion, backyard.

Inside the bamboo house, Su Jin was sound asleep on the small couch.

Xingxing sat nearby, engrossed in reading a tattered book.

The book was her own writing, documenting the classic quotes of Marquis Dongxiang, Mrs. Tang, Mr. Su, and Young Master Su.

Whenever she heard something reasonable, Xingxing would silently recite it several times in her heart.

Because Mrs. Tang had said that a good memory is not as good as taking notes, afraid of forgetting, Xingxing wrote them down to frequently review, so she could speak with the style of Marquis Dongxiang.

In the midst of her focused reading, Bi Zhu climbed the steps.

Rushing fast, her footsteps were somewhat loud.

Xingxing looked up and saw Bi Zhu enter.

Seeing Su Jin asleep, Bi Zhu’s body stiffened and she dared not speak.

Xingxing looked at her, "What’s the matter?"

Bi Zhu nodded quickly, "The maid Caiju from Qingqiu Garden came, saying Princess Nanzhang summoned Lady Chi to Peony Garden."

"They’ve been there for an hour and haven’t returned; she and Lu Qiao went to Peony Garden, but the maid wouldn’t let them in."

Not being allowed in, Caiju naturally didn’t dare to forcefully enter.

Worried that something might have happened to Lady Chi, she hurried to find Su Jin.

Xingxing hastily shook Su Jin awake, "Miss, wake up quickly."

Watching Xingxing shake faster and faster, Bi Zhu was filled with apprehension.

How could a maid shake the master like this, especially when it wasn’t a life-or-death situation?

Even though the Heir’s wife and Lady Chi had a good relationship, Lady Chi was, after all, just a concubine.

How could one wake a deeply sleeping Heir’s wife for the sake of a concubine?

If she encountered a bad-tempered master, she could end up being beaten to death.

Su Jin was truly having a good sleep, and being shaken awake by Xingxing made her genuinely annoyed.

But the moment Xingxing mentioned that Lady Chi had been at Peony Garden for an hour, Su Jin’s irritation vanished, replaced by curiosity.

Lady Chi was usually well-behaved, and Princess Nanzhang had no connection to her. Summoning her for an hour was clearly strange.

Could Princess Nanzhang have really talked with Lady Chi for an entire hour?

Su Jin quickly got out of bed, saying, "Let’s go have a look."

She hurried out of the bamboo house.

But when she reached the bottom of the steps, she stopped again.

Xingxing looked at her.

They had just been in such a rush, why would she stop now?

Just as she was about to speak, Su Jin had already turned back.

She took a box of newly prepared fragrant ointment before leaving.

Even though Lady Chi had been summoned by Princess Nanzhang, it didn’t necessarily mean she was being mistreated inside the house.

What if she wasn’t being mistreated?

She had been reprimanded by Princess Nanzhang more than once already.

If she went there recklessly, she would definitely be scolded again.

While she was concerned about Lady Chi’s safety, she didn’t want to incur Princess Nanzhang’s wrath.

Upon reaching the front yard, she saw the anxious Caiju and Lu Qiao.

The two maids were truly worried, so anxious that they had forgotten to hide in the shade, sweating profusely under the sun.

Su Jin asked them, "What happened today?"

"Nothing happened at all," Caiju quickly replied.

Thinking she wouldn’t get more information, Su Jin stopped questioning.

Leaving Qingqiu Garden, Su Jin didn’t allow Caiju and Lu Qiao to follow.

Although everyone knew she was going to Peony Garden to save Lady Chi, it was better to keep it subtle.

Seeing Su Jin approaching Peony Garden, the maid who had come out quickly turned back inside.

Inner chambers.

Princess Nanzhang was lounging on the Imperial Concubine’s Couch, while a maid peeled lychees for her.

Not far away, beside the qin platform, Lady Chi was kneeling, pale and trembling.

On the qin platform behind her, an ancient zither had a broken string.

Xique lay fainted on the other side of the qin platform, unconscious.

A maid walked in and said, "Commandery Princess, the Heir’s wife is here."

Princess Nanzhang’s face darkened.

She had never seen someone stand up for a concubine like this.

Soon, Su Jin’s voice echoed from inside the room, "I’ve brought some new fragrant ointment for my mother."

How truly filial.

Princess Nanzhang glanced at Mrs. Zhao.

Mrs. Zhao came out, and looking at Su Jin said, "The Commandery Princess is tired and just went to sleep. Please hand the fragrant ointment to me."

Looking at Mrs. Zhao’s outstretched hand.

Su Jin smiled.

She intended to visit under the pretense of delivering the fragrant ointment.

Yet here she was, about to hand over the ointment without seeing anyone; wasn’t this a joke?

But she couldn’t possibly refuse.

Su Jin handed over the fragrant ointment.

Mrs. Zhao was a bit taken aback, not expecting the Heir’s wife to be so agreeable, but after all, this was Peony Garden, the Commandery Princess’s inner chamber, so the Heir’s wife dared not act presumptuously.

The last time, Lady Chi was made to kneel under the sun, and having learned a lesson, the Heir’s wife had no means this time either.

Mrs. Zhao accepted the ointment, thanked on behalf of Princess Nanzhang, and turned back inside.

As she climbed the steps, her hand suddenly trembled, causing the blue and white porcelain box of fragrant ointment to slip from her grasp.

A loud crash ensued.

The porcelain box fell to the ground.

Its contents scattered everywhere.

Xingxing, hands on her hips with anger, exclaimed, "How could you drop it?!"

Mrs. Zhao turned pale with fright.

Really.

She had been holding it steadily, but her hand suddenly trembled, and then it fell.

It must have been the Heir’s wife who tampered with the fragrant ointment.

Yet she dared not accuse recklessly, or it would seem as though she was incompetent and trying to shift the blame.

"Such a pity for this fine box of fragrant ointment," Su Jin lamented.

She truly felt regret.

She had expended considerable effort to concoct it, intending to give it to her mother, Mrs. Tang.

Su Jin looked at Mrs. Zhao, "Mrs. Zhao is a long-standing member of the household, you must know what punishment fits for breaking the master’s belongings."

Mrs. Zhao felt a cold shiver down her spine and said, "Please calm your anger, Heir’s wife. I dared not break what you intended for the Commandery Princess; the porcelain box suddenly became scalding."

Upon hearing this, the maids and old women of Peony Garden began to suspect that Su Jin had tampered with the porcelain box.

After all, Su Jin knew medical skills.

She had once waved her hand and made a swarm of wasps faint all at once.

Tampering with a porcelain box would be the least of it.

Su Jin smiled, "Are you suspecting me?"

"I dare not," Mrs. Zhao quickly replied.

"Dare not?"

"Then tell me, why did the porcelain box suddenly become hot?!" Su Jin’s voice turned cold.

"Since mother hasn’t woken up, I’ll wait here in Peony Garden for her. Nobody is to touch the fragrant ointment until a doctor examines it for poison!"

Su Jin glared at the inner room.

She spoke loudly, yet no reaction came from inside, it seemed something really had happened.

Xique, who was loyal, would surely call out for help knowing she was outside.

It seemed they could only wait for the Prince to arrive.

Su Jin turned and walked toward the main hall.

Once Su Jin had spoken, not a single maid dared touch the fragrant ointment.

The aroma was so sweet that one could tell it was a good product just from smelling it.

The doctor arrived quickly.

Su Jin had just entered the main hall, and the maid had just served the tea when the doctor arrived.

Originally, he was rushing to come for Princess Nanzhang’s pulse diagnosis, but he ended up inspecting the fragrant ointment first without having seen her.

After inspecting it inside and out, he said, "There’s nothing wrong with the fragrant ointment."

"And the porcelain bottle?" Mrs. Zhao’s voice trembled.

"Nothing with the porcelain bottle either," the doctor said.

Mrs. Zhao’s face turned three shades whiter, on the verge of collapse.

The doctor entered the room, paying respects to Princess Nanzhang.

Princess Nanzhang glanced at Lady Chi, "Take her pulse."

Lady Chi suddenly lifted her head.

The doctor approached her.

Lady Chi refused to extend her hand.

Unfortunately, she had been kneeling for too long; with maids holding her down, she couldn’t move.

The doctor, bewildered, had never encountered such resistance to pulse diagnosis before, could there be some hidden ailment?

Once he felt her pulse, he understood the issue.

"It’s a pregnancy pulse," the doctor stated truthfully.

Even with mental preparation, Princess Nanzhang’s face instantly turned icy.