"Miss Chu, congratulations!" Shen Lixue smiled slightly and stepped forward.
"I must thank the princess. If it weren't for the princess bringing the divine physician, how could I have recovered..."
Aunt Bai's gaze darkened: "Imperial Physician Chen, could you also take my pulse?"
Chapter 131: Provoking Commander Lei, Beating Up the Scumbag
Instantly, Chu Youran, Shen Lixue, and Granny Li all turned their attention to Aunt Bai.
"I have been married for more than half a year and have not had any children, so... so..." Aunt Bai lowered her head, two blushes rising on her cheeks, which looked particularly beautiful in the warm sunlight.
Shen Lixue and Chu Youran are both unmarried young ladies. Shen Lixue herself had only recently married, and the matter of having children had always been a difficult topic to discuss. However, seeing that Chu Youran's chronic illness had been cured, she was anxious and blurted out her wish.
Chu Youran looked at Physician Chen with hopeful eyes. She really hoped that Physician Chen would also examine Aunt Bai, but he was invited by Shen Lixue. She was already lucky that he had examined her, and she had no reason to ask him to examine Aunt Bai as well.
Looking at Physician Chen, who was stroking his beard with an expressionless face, Bai Ruyi felt a little regretful and secretly blamed herself for being too rash. Physician Chen had come to examine Chu Youran, and she had interfered, which was like usurping the host's role. What if he got angry and refused to treat Chu Youran? How could she face Chu Youran again?
"Imperial Physician Chen... I was just speaking casually... If you're tired, then forget it..."
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened: "Imperial Physician Chen, could you possibly make an exception?"
"Your Highness is too kind!" Physician Chen chuckled, picked up his medical bag, and walked up to Bai Ruyi. "Saving lives is a doctor's duty. Please lend a hand, Madam!"
Bai Ruyi was taken aback, then overjoyed: "Thank you, Physician Chen! Thank you, Princess!"
She suppressed her pounding heart, quickly stretched out her arm, and looked at Shen Lixue with gratitude. Thanks to the princess, she was able to get treatment. The princess was a great benefactor to her and You Ran!
Physician Chen placed two fingers on Aunt Bai's pulse and carefully took it.
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. Rumor had it that Physician Chen had a strange temper, but now he seemed quite amiable.
Feeling the light pulse beneath his fingers, Physician Chen raised an eyebrow at Consort Bai: "Madam's pulse is steady, she has no ailments, her complexion is rosy, and her body is perfectly healthy. She is fully capable of bearing children!"
"Thank you, Physician Chen!" Bai Ruyi said, her eyes somewhat dim. If Physician Chen had said that she was unwell and needed treatment, she would have had some hope. But he said that she was perfectly normal and had no health problems. How could she not conceive?
Chu Youran was physically weak and urgently needed rest and recuperation. Shen Lixue and Bai Ruyi bid farewell and left.
As she stepped out of the courtyard, the smile on Bai Ruyi's beautiful face gradually disappeared, replaced by a preoccupied expression. She forced a smile, and a barely audible sigh drifted away on the wind: "Thank you for earlier, Princess."
"Why does Madam Bai sigh?" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow at Bai Ruyi.
"I have long known that I am unlucky and have no destiny to bear children." Bai Ruyi sighed again, her eyes dim.
“Madam Bai is very young and has only been married for half a year. There’s no need to rush or be discouraged. She will definitely have children!” Shen Lixue thought of the Duke of Wen’s mansion. Apart from Ruan Chuqing, none of the other concubines or mistresses had given birth to a son or daughter. The problem probably wasn’t with these concubines or mistresses.
"Thank you for your kind words, Princess!" Bai Ruyi smiled, but her eyes were still dim. She was very young, but her husband was not young anymore. His daughter was about the same age as her, so it would be difficult for her to conceive.
"The princess must return to the Prince of Zhan's mansion!"
"Yes!" Shen Lixue nodded with a smile, a dark glint flashing in her beautiful eyes.
"Then I won't disturb the princess any longer, farewell!" Looking at the carriage of the Prince of Zhan's mansion that was just a stone's throw away, Aunt Bai politely curtsied, took the hand of her maid, walked to the corner, and got into the carriage of the Duke of Wen's mansion.
Shen Lixue lifted the carriage curtain, and on the soft blanket lay Dongfang Heng, dressed in white, his eyelids slightly closed, his long eyelashes curled upwards. In his sleep, he lacked his usual sharpness and coldness, and gained a sense of tranquility and wisdom. His usually cold facial features were also softened, as beautiful as a poem or a painting, making it impossible to look away once you saw him.
Silently boarding the carriage, Shen Lixue carefully checked Dongfang Heng's forehead. His temperature was normal, and he didn't have a fever. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, took out a thin blanket from a hidden compartment, and gently covered Dongfang Heng with it.
Outside the car it was a sweltering summer day, but inside there were four small ice buckets, keeping the temperature low. Dongfang Heng was highly skilled in martial arts, but his heart meridian was damaged, and he was seriously ill. Even if he wouldn't catch a cold, he still had to be on the safe side.
Dongfang Heng's long eyelashes trembled, his eyes under his eyelids darted around, and then returned to a state of calm.
"Princess, shall we return to the Prince's residence?" came the coachman's respectful voice from outside the carriage.
Shen Lixue's cool gaze pierced through the half-open carriage curtain as she watched the carriage from the Duke of Wen's mansion quickly disappear into the distance. A faint smile played on her lips: "Let's go to the prison first!"
The prison was dark and damp, with a musty smell. Shen Yingxue, Madam Lei, and Madam Lei were all dressed in prison clothes and locked in their cells. Their hair was disheveled, their faces were haggard, and their eyes were blank and lifeless, without any focus. In just a few hours, they looked as if they had aged ten years.
Shen Yingxue sat on the thin layer of dry straw, covered her mouth, and frowned tightly. The prison was really dirty and smelly. What was this smell? It was so awful.
Two jailers watched Shen Lixue from afar for a while, then couldn't resist coming over, opening the cell door to her cell, and leering at her beautiful face and slender figure. They rubbed their hands together eagerly, their faces full of lewd smiles: "I didn't expect there to be such a good piece of trash in this prison, even prettier than the top courtesan of the brothel."
"What are you going to do?" Shen Yingxue was startled and took a step back, looking at the two jailers warily.
The jailer had a pointed, monkey-like face, full of wrinkles, and tiny, beady eyes that disappeared with a squint, radiating a lecherous light. He was utterly disgusting.
"Hehe, little sister, you're not married yet, are you?" The jailer chuckled lewdly, approaching step by step. "You're going to be executed tomorrow, and you're still a little girl. How pitiful. I'll take pity on you and let you taste a man's flavor before you die, so you'll know what it means to be in ecstasy!"
The prison guards, who were stationed in the prison year-round and paid little, could not go to brothels to enjoy themselves. Some of them, with filthy minds and lewd behavior, set their sights on the female prisoners. If they saw someone who was pretty, they would take turns raping her.
This is a prison, and they are in charge. The female prisoners cannot leave and cannot announce their evil deeds, so they are even more unscrupulous. When Shen Yingxue first entered the prison, they were already lusting after her. As soon as their superiors left, they couldn't wait to come over and try to kiss her.
"If you come any closer, I'll call for help!" Shen Yingxue looked at the prison guard's disgusting face, backing away step by step, her eyes anxious, her heart pounding, desperately trying to think of a way to escape.
"This is the prison, and we two brothers are on duty. You can scream your lungs out, but no one will listen to you!" A jailer said smugly, his lecherous gaze fixed on her as if he could see through her, as if he had stripped her naked and was admiring her most beautiful body. The more he looked, the more satisfied he became, and drool dripped from the corner of his mouth: "This chick is really pretty, she must taste delicious."
Who is Shen Yingxue? She is the most beautiful woman in Qingyan, and a woman who has been admired by many young men from prestigious families. If they slept with her, they would have a lot of face to boast about.
Ugly freak, scumbag! How dare a toad try to eat swan meat! Doesn't he even look at himself in the mirror and see how smug he is?
As the jailers drew closer, Shen Yingxue was frantic with worry. She cursed them a hundred times in her heart. They were two strong young men, and she was just a weak woman. She couldn't possibly beat them. How could she escape?
Her anxious gaze passed over the jailer and inadvertently fell on the cell door. The door was opened but only symbolically closed; it was not locked. Her gaze darkened slightly.
"Sister Xue, just give in to us brothers, and we'll treat you well!" The jailer pounced on Shen Yingxue like a wolf pouncing on its prey.
"Help! Someone help me!" Shen Yingxue cried out in feigned fear, quickly dodging the guard who missed and fell to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, she rushed towards the cell door, her mind filled with only one thought: she didn't want to stay here and be violated by them. Once she was out of the prison, she would be safe.
Shen Yingxue grabbed the cell door with her slender hand, about to open it, when suddenly her ankle was grabbed tightly and pulled backward with force. She lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground. A furious roar rang out behind her: "You bitch, where do you think you're going!"