The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Wei Shao was taken aback.

Once it registered, he asked, "What is wrong? Where do you feel unwell?"

Seeing her lying across his thighs without moving a muscle, he carefully lifted her up and turned her over to face him.

Xiao Qiao leaned softly against the crook of his arm, closing her eyes slightly.

"What is wrong with you?"

Wei Shao asked again, his palm brushing against her cheek.

It felt somewhat chilly.

"I will go summon the physician!"

He placed Xiao Qiao gently onto the pillow and rose, lifting his foot to head outside, but his sleeve was grabbed from behind by Xiao Qiao.

"I am fine," Xiao Qiao shook her head. "It was just that I caught a whiff of the wine scent on you just now. It likely disagreed with me, so I dry-heaved a little."

Wei Shao froze. He pulled up his own sleeve to sniff it, then hurriedly said, "Confound it! I will go bathe and change clothes right away..."

Before his words could even finish landing, another wave of churning rolled through Xiao Qiao's stomach. She scrambled up, leaned over the edge of the bed, and vomited once more.

This time, she vomited severely. Everything she had eaten during the evening that had not yet finished digesting was retched out, splashing directly onto the surface of Wei Shao's black leather boots.

Wei Shao's expression shifted instantly. While rubbing her back with one hand, he strained his neck and shouted outside for Chun Niang.

His voice was extremely loud, nearly summoning every single servant woman in the entire Sheyang Residence.

Chun Niang was greatly alarmed. She hurriedly pushed the door open and entered, only to see Xiao Qiao leaning limply over the edge of the bed, with a pool of vomit covering the floor as well as the surface of the Master's boots. The Master was at her side, thrown into a complete frenzy.

"Hurry and summon the physician!" Wei Shao bellowed, then lowered his head to ask questions in deep anxiety.

Chun Niang had heard the Master shouting for her in the room just now, his voice nearly shaking the heavens and earth, making her assume something catastrophic had occurred, which left her utterly pale with fright.

When she was running over, she had even nearly tripped over the steps.

Entering to see that it was Xiao Qiao vomiting, she felt a trace of surprise. She hurriedly turned her head to command someone to fetch the physician, while she herself rushed to the bedside.

Xiao Qiao had finally finished vomiting. Supported by Chun Niang, she leaned back to rest against the pillow and rinsed her mouth.

Chun Niang used a handkerchief to wipe her lips.

With the contents of her stomach emptied out, Xiao Qiao finally felt comfortable. It was just that her body was still somewhat weak, and she rested there with her eyes closed.

The servant women entered to clean up the vomit on the floor.

Without even changing his boots, Wei Shao paced back and forth a few times nearby. Seeing that Xiao Qiao had finally stopped vomiting, the heart that had been suspended in his throat eased slightly.

Taking another glance, he saw that her lips had lost their color and she looked completely limp. He turned toward Chun Niang, his eyes revealing a flare of anger once more: "How have so many of you been serving her! What unclean thing did you give her to eat this evening!"

Xiao Qiao opened her eyes: "I am fine. Do not be so fierce."

Wei Shao paused, forcing himself to endure it. Yet his expression remained incredibly unsightly.

Chun Niang had also been panicked at first. Once Xiao Qiao finished vomiting, she asked a few questions in a low voice. Learning that her abdomen did not hurt at all, she finally let out a faint sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a thought struck her, and her heart began to thump wildly.

She was Xiao Qiao's personal maidservant. She was naturally fully aware of each of Xiao Qiao's monthly cycles.

This month's cycle had been delayed by a few days again, and it had still not arrived today.

Because there had been several delays in the past—ranging from as short as four to five days to as long as half a month.

Initially, she would always assume it was a pregnancy, but every single time it had resulted in empty joy.

The Mistress had been married for two years now, which was not a short time, yet there had been a lingering lack of joyful news.

Gradually, Chun Niang had stopped harboring grand expectations.

Therefore, even though it had been delayed by a few days again this month, she had not thought much about signs of pregnancy.

She never expected that tonight, she would suddenly vomit to such an extent.

An unusual look of delight emerged in Chun Niang's eyes. The words had already reached the tip of her tongue, yet she forced herself to swallow them back down.

She was deeply afraid that she might have misjudged, causing the Master to experience empty joy, fearing it would leave him disappointed.

Thus, forcibly suppressing the words that had already rushed to her lips, she turned to Wei Shao and said, "Master, pray do not panic. The Mistress ought to be perfectly fine."

Seeing the Master approaching the bedside, she hurriedly rose to vacate the position.

Her heart was also filled with anxiety, so she went outside to wait for the physician's arrival.

Wei Shao sat on the edge of the bed, helping Xiao Qiao lie down.

"What do you wish to eat?"

Though Xiao Qiao's stomach was empty from vomiting, she did not harbor the slightest desire to eat anything. She shook her head.

Compared to just now, though the color on her face was slowly returning slightly.

Her small face, however, remained pale without a trace of blood, her eyes slightly closed and her lashes half-shrouding them, resembling a delicate flower that had suffered through wind and rain.

Wei Shao's heart ached to death; he wished for nothing more than to cradle her in his arms to cherish her properly.

"Then you should sleep first. The physician will arrive very shortly."

Having spoken, he lay down on his side outside her quilt with his clothes still on to keep her company. Reaching his hand beneath the quilt, he enveloped one of Xiao Qiao's slightly chilly, soft hands within his own warm palm, rubbing it slowly.

Peace and quiet descended upon the room.

Xiao Qiao's forehead rested lightly against his chin as she closed her eyes.

Merely the time it took to drink a cup of tea passed.

Wei Shao was growing impatient from waiting. Suddenly, a flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from outside. The physician had arrived in a rush.

Chun Niang went out to receive him. While walking in, she described the Mistress's state of indisposition just now in a low voice.

Hearing that the monthly cycle was delayed, and adding that she had just vomited despite not consuming any unclean food in the evening, the physician's very first thought turned toward that possibility.

Following Chun Niang inside in a hurry, he saw a tall, powerful, and martial young man quickly stepping out from behind a floor-standing curved screen painted with green backgrounds, vermilion scales, and paired dragon-and-phoenix patterns. The man was dressed in a magnificent robe of dark fabric embroidered with gold threads forming cloud and spiritual beast patterns. Knowing this was the Lord of the Xindu Palace, the Marquis of Yan, Wei Shao, the physician hurriedly paid his respects to him.

Wei Shao bore a look of displeasure on his face: "Why have you only arrived just now? My wife was vomiting and indisposed just moments ago. Go examine her at once!" Having spoken, he turned to enter the inner chamber.

The physician murmured compliance, following the Marquis of Yan as he turned into the inner chamber. A wave of mesmerizing, warm fragrance assailed his senses. Upon a bed adorned with brocade furs and cloud-patterned pillows, a young lady who looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old was reclining. Her skin was fairer than snow, and her posture was so delicate that it would move anyone to pity. How could he dare to look closely? He lowered his gaze as he approached the bedside, seating himself upon a low stool brought over by a servant woman. He lightly placed two fingers upon the pulse of that jade-like wrist extending from beneath the multicolored brocade quilt, closing his eyes to calm his mind and concentrate his Qi.

Wei Shao stood to the side, staring intently.

After a mere moment, the physician opened his eyes and said with a smile, "Like pearls rolling smoothly across a plate, round and fluid—this is a pulse characteristic of pregnancy. Just now, that elderly maidservant also mentioned that the Mistress's monthly cycle has been delayed, which perfectly matches the pulse. This is undoubtedly an auspicious pulse of joy."

Wei Shao fixed his gaze.

After a moment, his face slowly turned toward Xiao Qiao.

Hearing this, Xiao Qiao was also momentarily dazed. A sense of bewilderment emerged within her heart.

She met the two gazes Wei Shao cast her way.

A brief silence ensued.

Chun Niang was overjoyed, calling out: "Master! Did you hear that? The Mistress is with joy! If the Old Madame learns of this, how incredibly delighted she will be!"

Wei Shao abruptly turned toward the physician: "You did not diagnose it incorrectly?"

The physician rose and said, "The Marquis may rest assured. I have been feeling pulses for over twenty years. If I could diagnose even this incorrectly, the Marquis may smash my shop sign to pieces. It is just that when I felt the Mistress's pulse just now, I noted an insufficiency of Qi and blood. Observing the Mistress's age, she is also somewhat young, and this being her first pregnancy, I shall prescribe a formula to provide a bit of regulation and nourishment."

Wei Shao nodded: "Write it down quickly!"

Her face brimming with smiles, Chun Niang hurriedly led the physician out to write the prescription.

Only the two of them remained within the inner chamber.

Xiao Qiao finally and clearly realized one thing amidst her initial bewilderment.

She was pregnant.

At this moment, her heart suddenly began to beat erratically.

An unusual emotion surged forth, one that seemed to be joy, yet was not entirely and merely joy alone.

Slowly, she raised her eyes.

Wei Shao was still standing before the bed, his two eyes staring directly at her.

She shifted her body slightly.

The moment her shoulders gave a slight movement, Wei Shao suddenly lunged toward her, his arms wrapping tightly around her.

He did not utter a single word, merely holding her tightly like this without letting go.

Xiao Qiao's face was pressed against his chest.

Closing her eyes, she felt the rapid and powerful thumping of his heart.

She also seemed to hear the sound of the blood surging throughout his entire body.

"Husband, have you turned foolish? Why do you not speak?"

She finally opened her eyes, tilting her face up to speak softly.

One of Wei Shao's hands slowly reached down toward her lower abdomen, caressing it with extreme gentleness.

"Manman, is it here? Here?"

Xiao Qiao nodded.

Wei Shao's brow gave a twitch. He stared at her belly for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Xiao Qiao felt his chest vibrating slightly.

"Manman! You are truly going to bear a child for me! I, Wei Shao, am also to have a child today!"

His countenance was filled with absolute ecstasy, and he was matchlessly proud.

Kisses fell wildly like raindrops upon her forehead, her cheeks, and her lips.

After kissing her for a spell, as though he had suddenly remembered something, he came to an abrupt halt.

"I actually forgot! Just now, it was precisely because you caught a whiff of my scent that you vomited!"

He hurriedly released her, carefully placing her back to lie upon the pillow. He also stepped off the bed. Spinning around in front of the bed, as though he was still completely unable to suppress the absolute ecstasy within his heart, he suddenly strode outside with quick steps.

Knowing not what he said, Xiao Qiao heard a cacophony of voices rising from outside as the servant women competed to offer congratulations and express their gratitude.

Lying upon the pillow, Xiao Qiao closed her eyes and raised her hand, placing it upon her lower abdomen—which had just been touched by him and was currently still completely flat.

A new, tiny life—brought into existence together because of her and this man, Wei Shao—had unknowingly begun to gestate within her body.

How incredibly wondrous.

The bewilderment she felt when she first learned the news, along with that unusual feeling she herself could not explain, suddenly vanished entirely.

Within the depths of her heart, it was finally and completely filled, layer by layer, by a far clearer sense of joy.