The Exiled Life of the Noble Girl

Chapter 158

The three were unaware that from the moment they entered, they had been watched, stripped naked, and sent directly to Li Yi's hands.

The steward approached the study door and saw Li Yi still practicing calligraphy. Unsure whether to disturb him, Li Yi glanced at him, and the steward immediately bent forward.

"My lord, I have investigated the matter you instructed earlier."

Li Yi made an acknowledging sound, his brush unceasing. The steward continued, "There are three scholars residing in the compound, all from Anhuai County in Chengzhou, here to take the imperial examinations."

"One is Young Master Tang Jue, the only son of County Magistrate Tang Shan of Anhuai County. His scholarship is somewhat weak, scoring only 103rd in last year's autumn examinations."

"The most scholarly of the three is Liu Yizhu from Qingshi Town in Anhuai County, ranking first. Then there is Zhong Liangyu from Shuangan Town, ranking sixty-fourth."

Li Yi put down his brush and leaned back in his chair, smiling as he asked, "Where do you suppose Mingwei is now?"

The steward did not hesitate, "Qingshi Town. Of the three, only Liu Yizhu is already married."

"Married?"

"Yes." The steward carefully observed Li Yi's expression and, seeing no significant change, hesitated, "My lord, do you recall what Ah Xiu said? Perhaps the young lady truly has a child now."

"How so?"

"I've heard that Liu Yizhu has a son, and a few days ago, Ah Xiu bought a rattle and a pair of tiger-head baby shoes on the street."

Li Yi frowned, his expression somewhat cold. Could there have been an issue with Imperial Physician Liu?

He tapped the desk lightly, "Go and re-investigate Imperial Physician Liu, the one who examined Mingwei, and all those who attended to her at the Wangfu before. I need to know where the problem lies."

Seeing his lord's anger, the steward hurriedly acknowledged and left.

"Wait!"

"What are your further instructions, my lord?"

"Send a few trustworthy people to Chengzhou. There's no need to disturb her, just observe what she's doing. For now, keep this from Lord Lang Yue."

"Understood."

Li Yi watched the steward leave, then leaned back with closed eyes. Was it Murong Yu or someone else?

Meanwhile, Li Mingwei, helping Wang Chunhua pull radishes in the fields, was unaware of the wave of people already dispatched by her grandfather to find her.

Seeing sweat on Mingwei's brow, Wang Chunhua hurried to wipe it with a handkerchief, "Rest a while if you're tired."

"I'm not tired."

She had only pulled a few radishes. Last year, she hadn't succeeded in pulling any, so this year, she was determined to pull more to make up for it.

Unable to persuade her, Wang Chunhua directly pulled Mingwei to sit on the ridge, "The radishes won't run away. It's still early, so take a break."

Mingwei sat abruptly, looking at Wang Chunhua with slight grievance, "Sister, you pulled too hard."

"Did you get hurt?"

"No, just that one pull."

Wang Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief and sat beside her, her forehead also beaded with sweat. Mingwei wiped her face clean with a handkerchief and noticed her pale complexion and bloodless lips, causing concern.

"Sister, are you very tired?"

"A little." Wang Chunhua smiled and nodded. She felt Mingwei must be even more tired than her, so she had forcibly pulled her to rest.

"Aside from being tired, do you feel unwell anywhere else?"

"Elsewhere?" Wang Chunhua looked at her in puzzlement. It was just pulling radishes - what else could be wrong? She carefully assessed herself, "I feel fine, just a bit of discomfort in my stomach."

"Your stomach?" Mingwei placed her hand on Wang Chunhua's abdomen, her face etched with more worry. She quickly gathered the pulled radishes into a basket, then said, "If you're unwell, let's go back first."

But Wang Chunhua didn't want to this time, grabbing Mingwei's arm, "We've only pulled this little, and you want to go back now?"

"We've only pulled this little, but you're already tired and have a stomach ache. Don't you think there's a problem, Sister?"

A problem?

It did seem like there might be a problem. Given her physical condition, she shouldn't be this tired.

Wang Chunhua placed her hand on her stomach, her face brightening. Could she be pregnant again? Grabbing Mingwei's hand, she hurried home, carefully protecting her abdomen, not daring to bump or jostle it.

After putting the radishes away, the two went to the pharmacy. Slightly embarrassed, Wang Chunhua extended her hand to the doctor. She already had a daughter, so what if she had another?

"Where is the discomfort?"

Mingwei urgently said, "After just a little work, she's already tired and has a stomachache. Could she be pregnant?"

The doctor nodded in understanding, carefully feeling Wang Chunhua's pulse. Shaking his head, he said, "It's not a 'slippery pulse.' It seems more like an upset stomach. What have you eaten these past two days?"

Wang Chunhua felt a tinge of disappointment but nevertheless recounted her ordinary meals of rice and vegetables. The doctor found nothing unusual and, since her stomachache wasn't severe, advised her to rest at home.

Mingwei had her lie down and boiled some hot water, bringing it to the bedside for her to drink and warm her stomach.

"Alas..."

"Does it hurt a lot?"

Wang Chunhua shook her head.

"Then why the sigh, Sister?"

"I thought I might be pregnant again." Wang Chunhua stroked her belly, disappointed. Now that Little Yan was grown, she could manage another child.

"So Sister still wants another child."

Mingwei didn't even want one child, let alone Wang Chunhua wanting a second with one son and one daughter already.

"Never mind." Wang Chunhua shook her head, "It's not easy supporting Little Mei's education. Another child would be too much. I'll stop at this."

When Liu Yizhu left earlier, who knows how much money her sister-in-law had given him? The Capital City was so far away, taking half a year for just one trip. If Little Mei were to follow that path in the future, she didn't know if their family could afford it.

She calculated the days, "Brother-in-law should have reached the Capital City by now, right?"

"If there were no delays, he should have arrived two or three days ago. Lord Tang will inform me if they send a letter back."

But letters wouldn't arrive so quickly, taking at least ten days or more. She didn't know if he had adjusted to life in the Capital City yet.

Seeing the concern on Mingwei's face, Wang Chunhua took her hand, "Don't worry. Lord Tang is an official after all. No one would dare rob them on the road. He's definitely fine."

Mingwei smiled. That wasn't what she was worried about. In their group of over ten grown men, only a woman bandit leader would dare to rob them and take them as 'mountain husbands,' hahaha.

"Why are you laughing now?"

"Nothing." Mingwei waved her hand dismissively. She had just read too many fiction novels. When Liu Yizhu left earlier, Lady Tang feared she would be overly saddened, so she had gifted several novels to amuse her.

Mingwei had already read them all by candlelight in the past few days. She patted Wang Chunhua's hand, "Sister, you rest well. I'll read to you later."

"Alright!"