On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

The group filed out of the main room and followed Zhang Ma to the adjacent side room.

When they arrived in the courtyard, the short, stout former imperial physician suddenly tugged at the sleeve of the tall, thin man.

The two walked a beat slower, putting some distance between themselves and the people in front of them.

The short, stout imperial physician lowered his voice, his lips barely moving: "Did you see it?"

The tall, thin man nodded, his face pale.

"That's not..."

"Shh!" The tall, thin man glared at him fiercely. "Do you want to die?"

The short, stout imperial physician immediately shut his mouth, but his hands were still trembling.

They were all imperial physicians who had served Nangong Xiong for most of their lives.

They knew almost every concubine in the harem.

The moment he entered the main room, he recognized the heavily pregnant woman standing by the bed.

That was clearly Consort Hui, who was already dead!

What's worse, her belly was so big, it looked like she was about to give birth.

Wasn't she dead? Her coffin has already been sent back to Fuzhou!

The short, stout imperial physician's mind was buzzing, and his heart was pounding like a drum. He stole a glance at the main house behind him, then pulled his gaze back.

The tall, thin man pulled him quickly toward the side room, only letting go when they reached the door.

"Don't say anything! Don't say anything! You didn't see anything!"

"I...I know." The short, stout imperial physician wiped the sweat from his brow. "But...this is a huge deal! The Regent...he's hiding the Imperial Concubine here? If word gets out—"

"It won't get out. Look closely, there are hidden sentries all around this courtyard, and everyone who enters or leaves has to register. Since the prince dared to let us see it, it means he's not afraid of us finding out. Besides, if he wants to shut us up, he has plenty of ways to do so."

"He won't kill us to keep us quiet, will he?"

"No, what if the Prince's mansion has more children after we kill them? If you ask me, as long as we keep this a secret, we might be able to move into the Prince's mansion, become a retainer, and rise to prominence!"

The tall, thin man was clearly more politically astute than the short, stout imperial physician, and he knew this was a good opportunity to curry favor with Lin Yi.

The short, stout imperial physician remained silent, nodded quietly, and entered the side room.

At this moment, several large communal beds had been laid out in the side room. The young apprentices were tidying up their medicine chests in one corner, while the midwives sat on the other side talking in hushed tones.

The short, stout imperial physician walked to the innermost bed and sat down, cold sweat still pouring out.

This regent is incredibly audacious! He hid the "dead" imperial concubine in his palace, and she was even pregnant with his child!

If this gets out, the sky will fall.

Inside the room, a dozen people were crammed onto a large communal bed. An hour passed, and no one spoke.

Li Jingtang sat by the window, placed his medicine box at his feet, and first said to the people in the room, "The Prince has instructed that no one is allowed to leave this courtyard for the next few days. Zhang Ma will arrange all food, drink, and supplies. Just let me know if there are any missing medicinal herbs, and I will go and tell them."

The folk doctors exchanged glances and nodded obediently.

A younger doctor whispered, "Dr. Li, who exactly is that young lady? Her entourage is a bit too much..."

Li Jingtang glanced at him, his voice harsh: "What do you care who she is? The prince ordered you to deliver the baby, so you did. Why ask so many questions?"

The young doctor shrank back as he was being scolded.

In the corner, the short, stout imperial physician pretended to be asleep with his eyelids drooping, while the tall, thin man next to him sat cross-legged.

Both of them were in turmoil, but they both forced themselves to keep a straight face and didn't show anything unusual.

After a while, Zhang Ma brought in hot tea and poured a bowl for everyone.

"Gentlemen, you've all had a long day. Please make do with yourselves for the next few days. Although Beiyuan is a bit out of the way, there's plenty of charcoal and hot water available at all times."

Li Jingtang politely replied, "Thank you, Aunt Zhang."

"You're too kind, sir." Zhang Ma put down the teapot, walked to the door, then turned back and said, "Yes, there's one more thing. The Prince said that nothing in this courtyard can be told to others. Whoever tells will bear the consequences. Do you all understand?"

"Hehehe...I understand, I understand..."

"Your Highness, please rest assured, we will not say anything."

Everyone present chuckled awkwardly, knowing it was a threat but not daring to retort.

Aunt Zhang nodded and smiled repeatedly before turning and leaving.

Once the door closed, the room remained quiet for a while.

Finally, the young doctor couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "What exactly does this mean? And what consequences? What consequences?"

An older traditional Chinese medicine doctor standing nearby tugged at him: "Shut up! They're paying you to deliver babies, so just do it. Asking so many questions is just asking for trouble!"

The young doctor opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing more.

The short, stout imperial physician woke up at this moment, pondered for a long time, but still felt uneasy.

It wasn't that they were afraid Lin Yi would silence them.

If they really wanted to silence him, they wouldn't have let him in; he was afraid he might accidentally let something slip one day.

Having served as a royal physician for half his life, he was all too aware of the weight of palace secrets.

When Consort Hui died, rumors circulated in the Imperial Hospital, but they were quickly suppressed.

He had already left the palace by then, and only heard a few words from his colleagues.

There are various explanations, such as overwork leading to illness or deficiency of both qi and blood, but they all point to the same conclusion: the person died.

But she's alive and well now, and she's got such a big belly.

What kind of situation is this?

……

After the doctors left, Consort Hui sat on the bed in a daze in the main room.

Hongcui was tidying up the table nearby, wiping it as she said, "Miss, two of those doctors looked at you rather strangely."

"I know."

"Aren't you afraid they'll recognize you?"

"They probably already recognize me." Consort Hui lowered her head and touched her belly. "Those two are imperial physicians from the palace. They used to treat the emperor. I've been in the harem for so many years, there's no way they wouldn't recognize me."

Hongcui paused in her actions: "What should we do? What if they tell everyone when they get back..."

"No, since the Prince dared to let them see, he's not afraid they'll tell anyone. This courtyard is full of the Prince's men; they can't escape even if they wanted to. Besides, working for the Prince is like being on a pirate ship; their lives are in his hands. Who would be stupid enough to betray them?"

Hongcui thought about it and agreed.

Consort Hui suddenly smiled: "Tell me, don't I seem smarter now?"

"The girl has always been smart."

"Forget it, I was so stupid back then, I didn't even realize that Zhao Shuyu had drugged me. If it weren't for the prince's kindness, I would be a skeleton by now, and I wouldn't even be able to save my child."

After wiping the table, Hongcui knelt down by the bed and helped Consort Hui pull the blanket up.

"Don't think about those things, young lady. Just focus on recovering. The Prince cares for you so much and has arranged everything perfectly for you. What else could you possibly worry about?"

Consort Hui did not respond, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.

Indeed, there's nothing to worry about now.

……

During the night, the doctors gradually went to rest.

Hongcui stood guard at the entrance of the main room, prepared a basin of hot water for Consort Hui to soak her feet, and even personally rubbed her toes with great care.

After washing and drying her feet with a handkerchief, she was about to go to bed when she suddenly heard footsteps outside.

It wasn't Lin Yi's brisk stride; it was a slow, leisurely walk, the sound of each step landing on the brick floor.

Hongcui was also curious about who it was, so she peeked out and came back to say, "Miss, there's still a doctor standing under the eaves."

"Who?"

"I don't know him. He was an old man, around sixty years old, with a slightly hunched back, carrying a medicine box."

Consort Hui was puzzled, thinking to herself, "Didn't all the doctors go to the side rooms? Why is there still one left?"

"Let him in."

Hongcui pushed the door open, and the old imperial physician was standing at the door. Consort Hui did not recognize him at first.

The old doctor didn't say anything, just stood there with his head down, as if waiting for something.

Consort Hui stared at him for a long time, then suddenly her whole body trembled.

"You...you are..."

The old doctor raised his head, revealing a face full of wrinkles. His eyes were slightly cloudy, but they exuded a gentle warmth.

Consort Hui's hands began to tremble.

"Imperial Physician Song?"

The old man finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "This old minister greets Your Highness the Imperial Concubine."