Chapter 148

Chapter 148: Unable to Conceive "Mama Chen, stop right there!" Song Shulan barked. Chen De's wife didn't dare stop, let alone turn her head back. When she ran back into the room, You Shuyi was hurriedly pulling out the needles. "County Mistress, don't move. If you move, the needles will get stuck in your flesh and won't come out." You Shuyi was anxious, but County Princess Rongjia was even more so. "Why would the Marquis come here?" County Princess Rongjia never imagined that Song Shulan would find this place. If Song Shulan saw her like this, how could she explain it? County Princess Rongjia urged You Shuyi to hurry, and ordered Chen De's wife to go block him, but it was too late. Song Shulan pushed open the door and walked in, only to see County Princess Rongjia wearing a red mandarin-duck dudou, with needles stuck in her back. For a moment, Song Shulan was stunned. She had expected to see a scene of a man and woman in intimate embrace, but instead it was Mrs. Luo pulling needles out of County Princess Rongjia? "This... what is this?" Song Shulan was momentarily dumbfounded. Qingshan, who had followed right behind, had just lifted his foot when he immediately turned and ran back out, blocking the others. He only hated that he had run too fast, and hoped the Marquis hadn't noticed him, or else his eyes would be done for. Everyone in the room was frozen. County Princess Rongjia's whole body was tense, her mind completely blank, unable to think of any excuse. Chen De's wife looked at the County Mistress, then at the Marquis, and couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation either. You Shuyi was the most composed. "If none of you will speak, then I will. Marquis Song, the County Mistress asked me to regulate her health. I was just performing acupuncture." Seeing You Shuyi here, Song Shulan was extremely surprised. "You... aren't you the friend of the Cui sisters?" Logically speaking, Lady Cui didn't like County Princess Rongjia, and as Lady Cui's close confidante, You Shuyi shouldn't be regulating County Princess Rongjia's health. For a moment, Song Shulan's mind was in a whirl, completely unable to make sense of the situation before him. "Yes, I am friends with Lingrong. But the County Mistress sought me out to regulate her health. I am a female physician, and healing the sick and saving lives is my duty. Besides, Lingrong doesn't know about this, so Marquis Song must not speak a word of it." You Shuyi finished pulling out all the needles. "The acupuncture wasn't completed just now, so it's not suitable to experience great joy or great sorrow at the moment. County Mistress, speak calmly. I'll go pour you a bowl of brown sugar water." She took the initiative to leave, and when she reached the small kitchen, her maidservant Cuizhi came over. "Why isn't the Madam staying inside?" "Whether I stay or not, Marquis Song's suspicions are already aroused. This gives County Princess Rongjia a chance to perform. I'll go back in a moment." You Shuyi first drank a cup of tea to moisten her throat. "The Madam is truly clever. After receiving the message from Marchioness Song, knowing that Marquis Song might send people to investigate secretly, you had Feng-ge'er come by several times at night to make Marquis Song misunderstand." Cuizhi watched the fire on the stove. "If I may say so, the County Mistress is truly hard to get along with. She orders you around like a servant. The people who serve at her side are truly pitiful." Not to mention the servants like them—every time County Princess Rongjia came, she was not only bossy and overbearing, but if she was in a bad mood, smashing teacups was a common occurrence, and every time Cuizhi and the others had to clean up the mess. "You've all worked hard." You Shuyi said. "At least we've earned some money. Once this matter is settled, I'll buy new jewelry for all of you." "You're so good to us. This servant will serve you for a lifetime!" Cuizhi said happily. You Shuyi chuckled. She waited for the water to boil before carrying it over. Meanwhile in the room, County Princess Rongjia explained urgently, "Master Song, I truly only came to see Mrs. Luo to regulate my health." "Then what about the scholar living here?" Song Shulan's brows were tightly furrowed. He wasn't so easy to fool. "And if it's only to regulate your health, why not arrange for Mrs. Luo to come to the house? Why secretly run all the way here?" Everywhere were points of suspicion, everywhere was inexplicable. Chen De's wife hurriedly explained, "We didn't arrange for Mrs. Luo to come to the Marquis's residence because Mrs. Luo was afraid the Madam would find out." "There's no place for you to speak here!" Song Shulan was already furious, and hearing Chen De's wife interject made him even angrier. He kicked out at her. "When the masters are speaking, when is it your turn to interrupt? I think it's people like you—this messy lot—who are corrupting the County Mistress!" Chen De's wife knelt on the ground, her thighs sore and swollen, tears about to spill over. "It's just as Chen De's wife said. I saw that Madame Jiang was pregnant and felt anxious in my heart, so I wrote to Mrs. Luo. The Marquis and Old Madame have always wanted me to bear a child, and I want the same." County Princess Rongjia said. "Fine. Since you wanted to hide this from Lady Cui, why hide it from me as well?" Song Shulan still remembered that when he had previously asked County Princess Rongjia where she was going when she went out, she had said she was going to manage the shop's affairs. If she had told him directly, he would certainly have understood. After all, if Cui Lingrong knew, You Shuyi would definitely not help with the treatment. And Madame Jiang's body had been regulated by You Shuyi. After County Princess Rongjia saw that, it was only natural she would be tempted. This logic held up. But County Princess Rongjia had lied to Song Shulan, which made him doubt whether this logic was true or false after all. "I... I..." County Princess Rongjia stammered out a few "I's" before finally saying, "I was afraid you might overthink things. You know how much face I care about—if word got out that I sought help from Sister Cui's close friend to conceive a child, where would my dignity go?" Even after this explanation, Song Shulan remained unconvinced. He felt something was off. "Then... what about that scholar?" "What scholar?" County Princess Rongjia was genuinely confused. "There's no scholar here!" Song Shulan couldn't very well admit that he had known she was coming here and had sent people to investigate. He could only say that he had spotted someone who looked like a scholar, but the man had run off. County Princess Rongjia felt truly wronged now. She had never been unfaithful—where did this scholar come from? Chen De's Wife also explained, "Marquis, no scholar has ever appeared in this courtyard." Just then, You Shuyi entered carrying a bowl of brown sugar ginger tea. "The scholar you're talking about—that's my son, isn't it? The boy came to Bianjing on his own, and I was worried, so I had him come by a few days ago to check on me. Marquis Song, surely you don't suspect County Princess Rongjia of carrying on with a man?" His thoughts laid bare, Song Shulan turned away in embarrassment. County Princess Rongjia said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense! I've been staying here all this time—who could I possibly be having an affair with? And where is your son? Call him here at once to clear my name!" "That's easy enough. Cuizhi, go fetch Feng-ge'er and bring him here so Marquis Song can see for himself," You Shuyi said, then urged County Princess Rongjia to drink her brown sugar ginger tea quickly. "County Mistress, you were born with a weak constitution. I've worked hard to regulate your menses and ease the pain. If you don't drink this, you truly won't be able to bear..." "I'll drink it!" County Princess Rongjia cut her off loudly. You Shuyi gave an "oh" and deliberately glanced at Song Shulan before withdrawing from the room. Inside, County Princess Rongjia finished the brown sugar ginger tea, then walked up to Song Shulan and said coquettishly, "Master Song, my heart belongs only to you. How could I ever be involved with someone else? Won't you believe me?" Song Shulan looked at her with a mixture of doubt and belief, told her to get dressed first, and then withdrew himself. County Princess Rongjia felt as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over her. You Shuyi had nearly let something slip just now, and her hairs stood on end with fright. She shot Chen De's Wife a meaningful glance, signaling her to keep an eye on You Shuyi and make sure she didn't say anything she shouldn't. Meanwhile, Song Shulan had already found You Shuyi. "What was it you were about to say before you were interrupted?" He still felt something was strange. If it were merely routine treatment, County Princess Rongjia would have had no reason to hide it from him. You Shuyi said, "I thought Marquis Song didn't care, since you're so devoted to County Princess Rongjia. But since you've asked, I might as well tell you directly, so you won't come bothering me again in the future." "Very well, speak." Song Shulan's heart rose to his throat, dreading what he might hear. After all, in his heart, he still had feelings for County Princess Rongjia.