The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

The atmosphere inside the Imperial Medical Academy was tense.

Shen Wangxi sat upright at the head of the table, his face ashen.

Below them knelt the detained Granny Yan, along with the trembling imperial physician and steward.

The matter is actually quite obvious.

Granny Yan's evasive eyes, her stammering confession, and the contraceptive medicine found on her body all pointed to an undeniable fact.

Shen Wangxi didn't even interrogate her much.

He looked at the glaring packet of herbs and felt as if his chest was blocked, making it hard for him to breathe.

He cherished her so much, visiting her every night, whispering lewd things in her ear, saying how amazing her body was, how much she could have each time, and how certain that she would soon be carrying his child.

He had even begun to imagine whether the child was a little prince or a little princess, whether she would be as delicate and well-behaved as her, or as noble and refined as he was.

But what about her?

On the surface, she was obedient and affectionate, softly calling him "Your Majesty" and enduring his love, but behind his back, she secretly had her personal maid bring her these cold medicines that were harmful to her health.

Does she really not want to have his child?

How much of her admiration, dependence, and affection for him was genuine?

Shen Wangxi was furious, but also distressed and heartbroken.

It hurts that the sincerity I gave seemed to have become a joke, and I feel even more sorry for her taking these medicines despite her health.

He stood up, and everyone in the Imperial Medical Academy knelt down and kowtowed, utterly silent.

"Prepare the carriage." His voice was not loud, but it carried the unspoken threat of an impending storm. "Qingyi Palace."

Shen Jingyan stood aside, watching her father's departing figure. Despite the great victory, she felt vaguely uneasy.

-

The doors of Qingyi Hall were suddenly pushed open.

Shen Qingruo was sitting by the window when she heard the sound. Her shoulders trembled, and the book in her hand slipped to the ground.

She raised her watery eyes and saw the tall figure standing against the light, his noble face displaying a fury she had never seen before.

"Your Majesty..." she began.

"Get out, all of you!" Shen Wangxi interrupted her sharply.

The palace servants were terrified and practically scrambled out of the palace. Wu Tian gently closed the palace door behind him.

The vast inner hall was now empty except for the two of them.

Shen Wangxi walked up to her in a few steps, reached out, and forcefully pinched her fair chin, forcing her to raise her head.

His voice was low and hoarse, suppressing a storm, "Tell me, why?"

Shen Qingruo felt a sharp pain from his grip, her eyes welling up with tears, filled with confusion and helplessness: "Your Majesty, what are you saying?"

"Still playing dumb?" Shen Wangxi stared at her, his anger rising even higher. "Haven't I treated you well? Haven't I loved you enough? You're so unwilling to have my child?"

Shen Qingruo paused for a moment, seemingly just realizing what she meant, her voice soft and uncertain: "Your Majesty means... a contraceptive soup?"

She actually admitted it like that?

Shen Wangxi felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart again, the pain causing his fingertips to tremble.

He released her chin, grabbed her shoulders with both hands, and gripped them so tightly that she frowned.

"Shen Qingruo." He almost gritted his teeth as he uttered her name, his usual aloofness crumbling, and a hint of embarrassment showing in his eyes.

"You're not even going to hide it, admitting it so openly? How much of your affection is genuine, and how much is fake?"

He stared intently at her, demanding an answer.

Shen Qingruo swayed as he tightened his grip, her pale face contorted with pain, her voice trembling with tears: "Your Majesty, you're hurting me..."

Shen Wangxi's breath hitched. Looking at her reddened eyes, he unconsciously loosened his grip a little.

Seeing him let go, Shen Qingruo lunged forward and buried her body in his arms, her slender arms encircling his waist.

"Of course it's all from the bottom of my heart..." She buried her face in his chest, her voice soft and sweet, "Every word of 'I like you' is true."

Shen Wangxi froze, taken aback by her sudden embrace.

"As for the contraceptive soup..." She tilted her pretty little face up, her eyes looking vulnerable, "it's because Aruo is scared, really scared."

"Scared?" Shen Wangxi frowned, puzzled.

"Yes, I'm very scared." She nodded vigorously, tears streaming down her face.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? When you were still my father, when you thought I was your daughter, in the desert, because I was born to a concubine and my mother was not favored by you, I could only live like a ghost in the shadow of my older brothers and sisters, feeling inferior and timid, only able to watch you from afar, envying and longing..."

Shen Wangxi was stunned.

"I'm afraid my child will be like me back then, ignored, neglected, or even treated as a pawn that can be discarded at any time, just like I was when I married into Daliang."

As she finished speaking, she broke down in tears, saying, "Your Majesty, you have no idea how much you favor the Empress and my sister."

"For the first fifteen years, you never really looked at me seriously, not even once."

"I'm so scared that my child is in the same situation as me..."

Shen Wangxi was speechless, feeling so uncomfortable that she could hardly breathe.

Every word she said was true.

It's true that he ignored her for fifteen years, and it's also true that he sent her to Daliang as a pawn to exchange for grain.

But he also wanted to say that things are different now.

He truly loved her, loved her terribly, and would never allow their child to suffer the slightest grievance.

Shen Wangxi raised his arm and embraced the beautiful woman in his arms, filled with regret, but he didn't know what to say or what to do with her.