Listening to her daughter's heartfelt words, the pregnant Lady Hou went on a killing spree.

The moment the words left his mouth, everyone present was shocked.

Pregnant? How is that possible?

Fang Rouke is still an unmarried young woman, so how could she possibly be pregnant?

All that could be heard was Fang Rou's screams.

"You're talking nonsense! Someone, get him out of here!"

Several maids held Fang Rou down, while Madam Fang's expression was stern.

"Dr. Li, are you telling the truth?"

"I have been treating patients for over thirty years. I may not be able to speak for other things, but I can certainly diagnose a pregnancy pulse. If Madam Fang does not believe me, she can find someone else to examine her."

Many of the families present had consulted Dr. Li at their homes and were familiar with his medical skills; it was impossible for him to misdiagnose a pregnancy pulse.

So Fang Rou really is pregnant.

Mrs. Fang's serious face turned to shock.

"How is this possible? Whose child are you carrying? And who is that adulterer?"

Some of the more astute among them had already realized that Madam Fang probably already knew Fang Rou was pregnant and that's why she pulled this stunt today.

There's no need to involve the Fang family in their affairs; making a big fuss about it doesn't seem to benefit Mrs. Fang much.

"Mother, I'm really not pregnant."

How could she dare admit she was pregnant? Admitting it would mean revealing who her lover was, and would she dare to say it?

Amidst the chaos, Princess Changping spoke.

"Go and take Miss Fang's pulse."

It was only then that everyone remembered that Yuhe, a maidservant of Princess Changping, had served as a physician in the palace for several years. While it's hard to say about other things, she could certainly take a pulse.

Yuhe tried to struggle, but was held down firmly by several maids and servants.

He placed his hand on his wrist for a few breaths before withdrawing it.

"Your Highness, Miss Fang is indeed pregnant, and has been pregnant for more than two months."

Mrs. Fang looked at Fang Rou with a face full of disappointment.

"If you like someone, you can just say so. How could you do something like this, secretly getting pregnant and disgracing the Fang family?"

How can your father and brothers face others when they go out doing this!

These words were undeniably harsh, and Fang Rou began to feel afraid.

She wasn't afraid of being pregnant, but she couldn't make it public. Telling her father in private would only earn her a scolding.

But now that things have come to public, she has no idea what awaits her next.

"If you tell me who your lover is now, I can plead with your father for leniency. But if you insist on not telling, then I can't help you, and you'll be dealt with according to the Fang family rules."

Fang Rou was well aware of the Fang family rules; it was not uncommon for unmarried women of the Fang family to have affairs with men outside the family and conceive illegitimate children.

The final result was that the illegitimate child in her womb was aborted, her hair was cut off, and she was sent to a nunnery outside the city to become a nun, spending her life with only the sound of a lamp and the ancient Buddha.

No, she didn't want to live that kind of life.

"Mother, please don't ask anymore."

Fang Rou was quick-witted, and she acted as if she had been humiliated.

She is now pregnant and has been caught red-handed. It seems she can no longer marry into the Liu family and become the matriarch; she can only become a concubine.

Fang Qian and her daughter ruined her path to becoming the matriarch, so how could she let them get away with it?

"If you tell me who your lover is, I can forgive you and plead with your father. If you don't tell me, even I can't protect you."

[Mother, this Fang Rou is dishonest. It seems she wants to frame Fang Qian and her daughter. Since she's pregnant, the only people she can implicate are probably the Zhao family.]

As soon as An'an finished speaking, Fang Rou spoke up.

"More than two months ago, my cousin Zhao You came to my house and met me in the garden. He pulled me behind the rockery and forced himself on me. I had no way to get out of it."

After the incident, I didn't dare tell anyone, but I never expected to be pregnant.

Madam Zhao was furious.

"You're talking nonsense! My son is the most honest man in the world, how could he do such a beastly thing to you?"

Madam Fang narrowed her eyes. She never expected that Fang Rou would still refuse to implicate Liu Xun at this point, and would actually drag her own nephew into the mess.

"Madam Zhao, I'm telling the truth. If I've uttered even a single lie, may my unborn child suffer a terrible death!"

Ugh, I feel like throwing up. She probably knew she couldn't keep the baby, so she thought it wouldn't matter if she swore an oath about the child.

Their intentions are truly wicked; they don't even spare their own unborn child.

Mrs. Fang quickly pulled her irritable sister-in-law aside and looked at Fang Rou.

"I wasn't feeling well more than two months ago, and You'er did come to visit me at the mansion."

However, it took him less than half an hour from entering the mansion to leaving. The time it took him to get from the mansion gate to my courtyard was countable, and all the servants who passed by along the way can testify to that.

Since you say he forced himself on you in the garden, then tell me exactly when.

Fang Rou held a handkerchief and cried.

"How could I remember something that happened more than two months ago so clearly?"

The ladies nearby immediately understood: she had dragged someone into this mess to protect the adulterer in her womb, and had somehow managed to get involved with the Zhao family. This showed that she hated Madam Fang, her legal mother.

"Madam Fang, I don't think your illegitimate daughter ever speaks the truth. Just follow the family rules and stop arguing with her."

Madam Zhao also realized what was happening and spat at Fang Rou.

"Pah! You little slut, how dare you try to frame my son? Don't you even know what kind of person you are? How could my son possibly be interested in you!"

"Someone, brew a bowl of safflower for the second young lady to drink. Hold her down on the ground and beat her right here. After she's had twenty strokes, cut off her hair and send her to the nunnery outside the city."

Fang Rou dared to implicate her own nephew, which made Madam Fang furious. Since she wouldn't say who the adulterer was, she wouldn't say. She would deal with them one by one, starting with this little bitch.

"No, I want to wait for Father to come back. You can't punish me privately."

"What Miss Fang said is really funny. In which family's inner quarters are the concubines and illegitimate daughters not ruled by the head mistress? What, is the Fang family different from other families?"

Upon receiving the order, several maids and servants immediately pinned Fang Rou to the ground.

A middle-aged woman dressed in a peach-pink outfit ran in crying and threw herself on Fang Rou, protecting her tightly.

"Madam, you can't treat the Second Miss like this. Even if she has done something wrong, it is up to Master to deal with her. You have no right to make decisions on your own."

The person who came was none other than Fang Rou's biological mother, Aunt Wang.

Mrs. Fang narrowed her eyes slightly.

Fang Rou's success in marrying Liu Xun was largely due to the advice and planning behind the scenes by Aunt Wang.

"Then I'll show you today whether I have that right! Guards, pull Aunt Wang away!"

The two old women stepped forward and pulled Aunt Fang away tightly. No matter how much Aunt Fang jumped around, she couldn't break free and was pulled to the side.

As the board was about to fall, Aunt Wang was terrified.

Pregnancy is extremely dangerous for a woman. If this board falls and injures her, she may be unable to conceive again, and her child's life will be ruined!

"I'll say it!"

Just as the board was about to fall, Aunt Wang shouted, but the board still landed squarely on Fang Rou's waist.

"what!"

"If you had told me earlier, your daughter wouldn't have had to take this beating."

Fearing her daughter would be beaten again, Aunt Wang disregarded everything else.

"It's...it's Liu Xun."