Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 189 Unexpectedly, a Pregnancy is Diagnosed

On the grain carts, red cloth banners stood tall, fluttering like flags.

Even before receiving the secret letter from the Prince of Jin, Tang Xian had already sent people to repair the official road from Guangyang Prefecture to Xuanhua Prefecture, and within seven days he had gathered enough grain and fodder to support the Northwest Army for two months.

This time, Tang Xian poured out more than twenty years of effort and mobilized the entire business, and it was also the first time that he had shown the Tang family's powerful strength in front of Prince Jin and court officials.

The motorcade, consisting of hundreds of people from Yongbao Silver Shop, Yongzheng Shop, Yongtai Money Exchange, Yongxing Restaurant, Yongxiu Cloth Shop, Yongchun Tea Shop, Yong'an Pharmacy, and more, was a magnificent sight.

Leading the convoy was Old Fan, the manager of Yongfeng Grain Shop, who had won first place in the council meeting at the beginning of the year.

Old Manager Fan, whose ancestral home is in the Northwest, is from Guangyang Prefecture and is over fifty years old. After receiving the secret letter from the head of the household, he raised several thousand dan of grain in just three days and insisted on personally following the caravan to the border.

At this moment, the old shopkeeper saw the young soldiers whose battle robes were stained with blood and whose faces were weathered. He remained silent, and as he turned away, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

Manager Sun of Yong'an Pharmacy spent his life among the sick and was a kind-hearted man. Behind him, more than ten carriages were loaded with medicinal herbs. Instinctively, he searched for wounded soldiers among the garrison troops, and the heartache in his eyes was deeply moving.

Manager Zhu of Yongxing Restaurant was the last to arrive. He was originally a very fat man, usually resembling a giant wine vat, but after marching for more than ten days, he had lost a lot of weight.

Wang Fu, who had served as a grain and fodder officer for over ten years, stared intently at the scene. Suddenly, his eyes twitched. He saw that behind Manager Zhu were more than ten strong young men dressed in short-sleeved shirts. Judging from their appearance, they seemed to be chefs from a restaurant. At the very end of the convoy was a flock of over a hundred sheep...

But the person attracting the most attention was a young woman dressed in red, none other than Manager Qi of Yongxiu Cloth Shop. Manager Qi was no less capable than any man; she was ordered to procure grain from Xingzhou and Xiangzhou, and also brought a large quantity of white cotton cloth...

......

This scene was truly shocking. Wang Fu clenched his fists, his tiger-like eyes filled with tears, and a warm feeling spread throughout his body.

Recalling the news of the water crisis brought by the Tang family businessmen a few days ago, which saved the soldiers from serious illness, Wang Fu couldn't help but feel great respect for Tang Xian and the Tang family businessmen.

Tens of thousands of soldiers of the Northwest Army had just gone through a bloody battle and barely managed to repel the enemy.

At this moment, their gazes toward the convoy were filled with fervor, excitement, emotion, and above all, deep respect.

Jiang Wei was deeply shaken, as if a thousand horses were galloping through his chest. It was unbelievable, yet everything before him seemed so real. However, having served in the military since childhood, he quickly regained his composure, leaving only a lingering bitterness.

He never expected that the Jiang family would one day have to bear such a heavy favor from the Tang family.

Even more so, tens of thousands of soldiers in the Northwest Army will feel grateful to the Tang family and the Tang family business from this day forward. The soldiers have been walking on the edge of life and death every day, so their feelings are so strong and sincere. This is also what the Chiang family least wants to see.

With the food and supplies crisis resolved, that evening, resounding battle songs echoed through the Northwest Army, their voices shaking the heavens.

Beijing.

Prince Jin was busy with state affairs for days. After receiving the urgent message from Prince Heng that he had raised an army, he immediately informed his mother and placed Prince Heng's mother under house arrest in the palace.

The Empress, who had been attending to Consort Hui closely these past few days, finally showed a hint of disgust towards the usually arrogant and domineering Consort Min, and ordered the palace servants around her to guard outside Consort Min's palace.

The concubines in the harem, those of the rank of concubine or above, took turns attending to the ailing Prince Jin at Ciming Palace. All of them looked worried. Several princesses were listless all day long, and they were very obsequious to Prince Jin.

Consort Hui had been in the palace for over twenty years. Only after Prince Jin gained power did she begin to live a peaceful life. At this time, she was more concerned about gains and losses than about worries.

The old emperor has been frequently in a daze lately, occasionally waking up with a start. In his dazed state, he sees the empress beside him and tries to reach out his hand, but he is too weak to do so. The empress's expression remains unchanged as she summons Physician He to her bedside to take his pulse.

Upon hearing Jingming's report, Prince Jin hurried to Ciming Palace, where he saw Physician He looking gloomy.

"Your Majesty is terrified. Your Majesty's pulse is rapid and weak, indicating a condition where wind-heat has blocked the flow of qi, preventing it from reaching the exterior. This has led to disharmony between the heart and spleen, causing fever, dizziness, and occasional fainting spells due to qi stagnation. Signs of qi and blood depletion are already evident..."

The Prince of Jin frowned and said in a deep voice, "Is there any way to cure him?"

Doctor He knelt down with a thud, saying, "Your humble servant... will do his utmost."

Prince Jin glanced at his father, the Emperor, lying on the dragon bed, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. The court was in turmoil, his father was gravely ill, the war in the northwest was far from over, and Prince Heng was stirring with ambition...

Inside the Prince of Jin's residence.

When news of the blocked official road and the robbery of grain reached the Prince's mansion, the Princess felt a strong sense of unease as she thought of her father and brothers on the frontier battlefield. Overwhelmed with emotion, she nearly fainted. Granny Gui hurriedly summoned the mansion's physician to take her pulse, but unexpectedly, he diagnosed her with a pregnancy pulse.

After the princess slowly woke up, she was overjoyed, but also worried about the safety of her father and brothers, and she was truly unable to eat or sleep.

When the news of the princess's pregnancy reached the palace, Prince Jin ordered Jingming to return to his residence and bring back the news that the Tang family had already raised provisions to comfort the princess.

Upon hearing this, the princess looked somewhat embarrassed. Whether it was because of her pregnancy or something else, she felt genuinely grateful for the Tang family's actions and became much gentler towards Consort Zhen.

Consort Zhen felt bitter inside. Ever since receiving the news that her father was going to the border, she had been restless. When she suddenly heard that the princess was pregnant, she felt a lump in her throat and all the words she wanted to say turned into a sigh.

"The head of the family and his wife are both very wise and resourceful, so they will certainly not be in danger. Consort, there is no need to worry," Aunt Mei and Mengzhu reassured her in turn.

Hua Yan then brought out a copy of the *Ling Shu Jing* (a medical book) and advised:

“Miss, please forgive my bluntness. You are only fifteen years old. Medical books have recorded that ‘a woman’s birth is due to an excess of qi and a deficiency of blood, because she loses blood frequently.’”

Getting pregnant too early can damage your blood and energy; we have a long life ahead of us.

With the head of the household, his wife, and young master protecting you, and the Prince showing you great favor, it's only a matter of time before you become pregnant.

Aunt Mei came to her senses and echoed her sentiments.

“Hua Yan is right. We have a long future ahead of us. When you were in the manor, the Zhen family physician often checked your pulse. Consort, you are in good health. You must not lose your composure at this time.”

Consort Zhen subconsciously touched her lower abdomen, nodded haphazardly, and the pent-up anger in her heart dissipated slightly.

While offering words of comfort, Hua Yan also harbored doubts about the family head's trip to the Northwest.

The head of the family went to Jinzhou after the New Year, but left Zheng Shan in Pingzhou, which is not far from Jinnan. Moreover, Madam Zhou has been guarding outside the Prince's Mansion and has not gone with him.

What puzzled Hua Yan was "Pingzhou".

As for the princess's pregnancy, although it's somewhat troublesome, as she said, there's plenty of time. Ten months of pregnancy, the fruit ripens and falls, and it's not until six or seven years old that one is truly established...