Chapter 20: Feigning Pregnancy to Win Favor?

Doctor Wen knocked his head against the floor repeatedly until blood streamed down his forehead, yet Li Tinghan did not call for him to stop.

Seeing that Li Tinghan was still intent on shielding that wretch despite such a grave matter, Lu Yuanshuang decided to drop the facade. "This harlot is unchaste; she was already pregnant before entering the manor! Someone, drag her out and beat her to death with clubs!"

"Who dares!" Shen Tubai rose to her feet, her voice ringing out clearly. "I never engaged in any lewd behavior before entering this manor, and no one knows that better than the Prince himself."

"The Prince has not yet spoken, and yet Consort Lu wishes to believe the one-sided words of this quack and demand blood?"

"Cough—" Li Tinghan nearly lost his composure. He glared at Shen Tubai, who returned his gaze with a look of aggrieved innocence.

To Lu Yuanshuang, this looked like nothing more than flirtation. She ignored them and barked, "Are my words being ignored? Drag this harlot out at once!"

"My Lord." Shen Tubai knew Li Tinghan did not trust her words, so she decisively ducked behind him before the guards outside could barge in.

Lu Yuanshuang was livid. "A woman of lowly status is unworthy of entering the Prince’s manor to begin with. Now that she has committed such a scandal, does the Prince intend to let her taint the royal bloodline and force me to call this strumpet sister?"

Li Tinghan’s expression darkened. He warned, "Consort Lu, you come from the Lu clan of Fanyang. How is this barrage of vulgarity any different from that of a street shrew?"

Lu Yuanshuang’s face turned pale in an instant, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Shen Tubai seized the opportunity. "My Lord, your concubine dares to swear to the heavens that I have never committed the lewd acts Consort Lu describes. I do not know why Doctor Wen would frame me so, but fortunately, there is more than one doctor present today. Why not hear what the doctor you brought has to say?"

At this, Doctor Wen trembled even more violently. Driven by some desperate thought, he crawled forward on his knees and knocked his head harder against the floor. "My Lord, I have taken pulses countless times in my life. If you do not believe me, you may ask those who serve the young lady closely if she has shown signs of morning sickness these past few days."

Chunchan, startled by the attention, instinctively nodded, corroborating the doctor's claim.

Shen Tubai’s heart sank; the sense of crisis was even heavier than when Consort Lu had first entered the room.

Doctor Wen let out a breath and, making a desperate final gamble, said, "Morning sickness in women appears at the earliest in two months, and at the latest in three. I know that by stumbling upon such private inner-chamber secrets, I may not survive, but I must say: I did not misdiagnose the pulse."

Before anyone could react, Doctor Wen lunged headlong toward the wall.

No one expected such a decisive act. By the time they realized what was happening, Doctor Wen had already collapsed to the floor. Chunchan had fallen with him.

Just moments before, seeing Doctor Wen rushing toward her, Chunchan had instinctively pushed at his shoulder. However, as a young maid, she could not withstand the force of an adult man, so he still struck the wall. Yet, by turning his head to avoid Chunchan, he had inadvertently softened the blow, and he simply fainted without dying.

Chunchan’s back slammed hard against the wall, and she couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

Shen Tubai rushed forward to help her up. "Chunchan, are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Shen Tubai held Chunchan tightly in her arms, weeping with tears streaming down her face. As Chunchan struggled to sit up, she whispered a single word into her ear: "Faint."

Chunchan complied and went limp. The two delicate figures huddled together, appearing utterly pathetic to any onlooker.

Shen Tubai looked up, her expression a mix of helplessness and resentment. Though she said nothing, every feature was etched with grievance.

Lu Yuanshuang was so stunned by the sudden turn of events that she forgot to speak.

Although Li Tinghan had initially believed Lu Yuanshuang was orchestrating a scheme, Doctor Wen’s attempt to prove his claims with his own life was so shocking that it stirred doubts within him. He recalled Shen Tubai’s resistance to seeing a physician and felt a seed of suspicion take root.

Shen Tubai saw the emotion in his eyes clearly, and her heart turned cold. Yet, a moment later, she thought it might be for the best. Once he spoke his doubts aloud, she would reveal the fabric; only then would his remorse run deep enough.

But before he could speak, the doctor who had remained silent finally stepped forward. "My Lord, judging by the pulse, Lady Shen is indeed more than three months pregnant..."

Shen Tubai looked at him in disbelief, and Li Tinghan’s face darkened inch by inch.

Shen Tubai quickly stood up. She knew well that while Li Tinghan might suspect Consort Lu, he would never suspect—or would refuse to suspect—Cui Xiwen. The way he looked at her was different from how he looked at anyone else.

Shen Tubai could not let him cement this conclusion, or she would never be able to clear her name.

Just as she prepared to fetch the fabric from the cupboard, Lu Yuanshuang finally regained her senses and grabbed her wrist. She looked at Li Tinghan with a hint of provocation. "The Prince did not believe the man I brought, but both doctors have said the same thing; surely you believe them now? If you still do not, I can summon every physician in Chang'an and have them examine exactly what sort of thing you are shielding!"

Lu Yuanshuang shoved her, and Shen Tubai nearly fell. She felt a flicker of confusion; Lu Yuanshuang’s reaction now seemed more like a confrontation with Li Tinghan than a genuine attempt to destroy her.

Seeing Li Tinghan remain silent with pursed lips, Lu Yuanshuang felt a surge of triumph. "Something that intends to confuse the royal bloodline should be dragged out and beaten to death. Not only has this person sent by the Cui family committed such a scandal, but this should also be brought before the Empress Dowager..."

"Lu Yuanshuang!" Li Tinghan snapped, his face cold as frost.

The doctor stepped forward and knelt between them, calm and composed. "My humble self has not finished speaking. Although Lady Shen’s pulse suggests three months, it is merely an illusion."

"What do you mean? Are you saying she is faking a pregnancy to vie for favor?" As Li Tinghan frowned, he could not help but feel a sense of relief. Compared to the idea that someone sent by the Cui family had been promiscuous before entering the manor, this result was far easier to accept.

Shen Tubai refused to bear this accusation. She spoke up at the right moment. "The doctors here today were not invited by me. I live in the back quarters of the Prince’s manor, and my every move is watched. I have neither seen a physician nor taken any medicine; how could I manipulate my pulse to fake a pregnancy for favor?"

Li Tinghan looked at her deeply, but he was not convinced by this explanation. He thought of the pills she had brought back from the Cui residence and the letters exchanged between her and Wen Niang. He even looked at the physician with a deeper, more suspicious gaze. He and Wen Niang were childhood sweethearts, and he knew Wen Niang to be generous and broad-minded; naturally, he believed she would not plot against his household. But the Cui family...

The physician, oblivious to these thoughts, recited his prepared lines in one breath. "Lady Shen has been pregnant for less than half a month. The pulse only seems like three months because the mother is weak, and the fetus has 'feigned strength' to survive in the womb and avoid being aborted."