After getting married, she spent every night alone in her room; when she asked for a divorce, he kne

"What did you say?"

The old lady frowned, her face turning icy. "You're saying Yuan Sheng isn't pregnant?"

"Indeed," the physician said. "The Third Young Mistress's pulse is thin and weak, slow and labored, showing no signs of a smooth and unobstructed pregnancy."

The old lady gazed thoughtfully at the family physician for a long time before turning to Liu Yuansheng and asking, "Child, what happened?"

Liu Yuansheng stepped forward, grabbed the old lady's hand, pointed to her stomach, shook her head, and then gestured as if she were holding a knife to her neck.

The old lady looked intently, then suddenly realized, "You mean, that day, you lied about being pregnant to save me?"

Seeing that the old lady understood, Liu Yuansheng quickly nodded. The old lady fell silent for a moment, and Xie Qinghe quickly stepped in to smooth things over, "Grandmother, don't be angry. Yuansheng lied to save you! Otherwise, how could you have escaped from those ruthless bandits?"

"Pregnancy is ultimately a matter of fate. As long as the couple is doing well, why should Grandma worry about not being able to hold her great-grandson? Besides, Yuansheng hasn't been feeling well lately, so it's better to let her rest for a while and wait until she's fully recovered before trying to conceive."

The old lady listened silently to Xie Qinghe's words. Even though she tried her best to control her emotions, the disappointment on her face was still obvious. "Who said I was angry? If it's a misunderstanding, it's good to talk it out. Nothing is more important than Yuansheng's health."

The old lady forced a bitter smile to comfort Liu Yuansheng, "Good child, I understand your good intentions. The most important thing right now is to get you well. Don't worry about these messy things, I'll take care of them."

After speaking, she glanced at Xie Qinghe, who understood and gave Liu Yuansheng a reassuring look before pushing the old lady's wheelchair away from Chenxiang Courtyard.

Granny Tian was efficient and quickly investigated the matter of aconite.

The one who poisoned the soup was none other than Chef Xu, who had visited Chenxiang Courtyard early that morning. She said that she had been infatuated with Xiao Jinghan for many years and, out of jealousy that Liu Yuansheng was pregnant, she put aconite in her soup.

The poison Aconitum carmichaelii happened to be produced in Qingyi, and Chef Xu was from Qingyi.

The cook, Xu, was beaten with a board before confessing her crime, and then she died. The cooks and servants who knew her well also said that she had always been infatuated with the third young master, and they often teased her about it.

The real culprit has been eliminated, but the old lady is still not at peace. After dinner, she went to Liu Yuansheng's room again. This time, she brought along a palace maid and insisted on having Liu Yuansheng take a look at her.

"Yuansheng, don't be afraid. They are all experienced old women from the palace. They only need to give you some pointers to help you get pregnant soon."

"After I've seen them all, I'll take them to your sister-in-law's place, hoping that both of you will get pregnant this year!"

The old lady sat in her wheelchair, comforting Liu Yuansheng with a warm smile. Liu Yuansheng, however, was very nervous. She looked at the two old maids from the palace with a panicked expression, shaking her head and waving her hands vigorously to indicate that she did not need treatment.

"Your Highness, there is no need to be afraid. We have served in the palace for many years and are very familiar with the matters of fertility and procreation."

"Yes, the Crown Princess only needs to lie down obediently, and we can handle the rest."

Two old women held Liu Yuansheng down on either side, forcibly pressing her onto the bed. The bed curtains were drawn, creating a private space.

Ignoring Liu Yuansheng's resistance, an old nanny removed her clothes and forcibly spread her legs, saying, "Young Master's wife, relax. Some women have convoluted vaginal canal structures, making it difficult for them to conceive. We need to use some auxiliary methods."

As he spoke, he reached his hand inside, then paused, startled: "Huh?"

The old woman holding Liu Yuansheng asked, "What's wrong?"

The old woman kneeling before Liu Yuansheng changed her expression and dared not speak. Liu Yuansheng had struggled for a long time and was now exhausted. She lay stiffly on the bed, staring at the gauze curtain above her head with a humiliated expression.

The old nanny took off her sheepskin gloves, got out of bed, and approached the old lady with her head bowed. The old lady asked impatiently, "Nanny, how is it?"

The old woman looked troubled. "Madam, the Third Young Mistress is still a virgin."

"What did you say?" The old lady sat up. "She's still a virgin?"

Granny: "Yes!"

The old lady's eyes went blank, her body went limp, and she almost slipped off her wheelchair.

"Madam, be careful!"

Granny Tian hurriedly helped the old lady up. The old lady couldn't believe what Granny Tian said, grabbed her sleeve, and asked, "Are you sure you're not mistaken? Yuan Sheng is really still a virgin?"

"There's no mistake!" the nanny exclaimed anxiously. "The Third Young Mistress still has her teeth; she is undoubtedly a virgin!"

The old lady's vision went black, and she almost fainted.

"Madam! Madam! Quick, get the ginseng slices out and let Madam suck on them!"

The maidservant hurriedly brought over some ginseng slices and handed them to Granny Tian. Granny Tian took one slice and put it in the old lady's mouth. The old lady held the ginseng slice in her mouth for a while before letting out a long sigh. "What... what's going on? Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

The old lady became more and more heartbroken as she spoke, her head hanging down helplessly, looking utterly devastated.

Granny Tian silently patted the old lady's back to calm her down. She raised her head, glanced at the still tightly closed bed curtains, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Old Madam, there's something I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

"Is there anything I don't know?" The old lady looked up. "What is it? Tell me!"

Granny Tian pursed her lips and said, "Actually, the Third Young Master has been sleeping in the east wing room these past few days. There were some noises in the two rooms before, but I later discovered that it was actually Ying'er rocking the bed."

"A rocking bed?" The old lady's vision went black again, feeling like she couldn't breathe and was about to suffocate. She glared at Ying'er, who was standing at the foot of the bed, and said, "Come here!"

Ying'er shuddered and walked over awkwardly, "Madam."

The old lady's face was stern. "Tell me, who told you to rock the bed?"

"It was the Third Young Master." Ying'er decisively betrayed Xiao Jinghan. "It was the Third Young Master who made me do this. He shook it for an hour straight, and my arms are sore from shaking it."

Upon hearing this, the old lady trembled with anger, unable to even hold the ginseng slices in her mouth.

"Madam, please don't upset yourself. We can find out what happened when the Third Young Master returns!"

Granny Tian tried her best to comfort the old lady, who sighed deeply, "That wretched child is indeed ill!" She grabbed Granny Tian's hand tightly, "Zhu Jin, tell me, did that wretched child injure himself while practicing martial arts?"

Granny Tian: "This...this servant doesn't know either."

"Where is that wretched child? Where is he?" The old lady slapped her thigh anxiously. "Go and bring that wretched child back to me!"