hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving with their friends and family! I definitely enjoyed this much needed holiday break which gave me the time to translate a few chapters . This chapter is brought to ya’ll by the amazing Song~~

  Hua Zhu Yu lowered her gaze as she contemplated in silence . Those years on the battlefield, she had been injured countless times but they were all minor, skin wounds so Tai had never taken her pulse before . But now she was in a predicament . Other than Tai, there was no one else she could trust . Thus so she slowly lifted her sleeve, revealing her fair skin beneath the candlelight .

  Tai’s eyes instantly darkened and he lowered his gaze . He proceeded to place his fingers on her wrist as he concentrated on taking her pulse . Across the thin layer of silk sleeve, she could feel the warmth of his touch . With just a touch of a finger, physicians could a.s.sess one’s health (t/n if only that was true lol) . The field of medicine was truly marveling yet frightening as well .

  Moments later, an alarmed look seized Tai’s face but it quickly settled . His brows then slightly furrowed as his face carried a heavy expression . Finally, he withdrew his hand and leaned back against his seat .

  Hua Zhu Yu didn’t expect such a calm response from Tai . To come face-to-face with a pregnant male all of a sudden, she would’ve staggered in shock .

  “It seems my suspicion wasn’t wrong, General …… . really is a woman,” Tai said with difficulty after a long silence .

  Startled, she asked, “You suspected I was a woman? Since when?” Those years on the battlefield she always wore a mask, concealing her appearance . Though she knew that Tai was a very perceptive person, even Dan Hong did not suspect anything so how come he did?

  “It was when I had bandaged your wounds that time on the battlefield . I thought I was mistaken . How could there be such a valiant woman . ” Tai said as he looked at her .

  Hua Zhu Yu somewhat blushed in embarra.s.sment and awkwardly smiled, thinking that that Tai must’ve been infected by An Xiao Er’s poisonous tongue .

  “But General, why are you pregnant?” Tai asked with his brows knitted .

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  Why?

  Hua Zhu Yu’s mind drifted off as that figure in white appeared in her thoughts . His gentle, refined smile pierced into the depths of her heart .

  “Tai, can the baby be kept?” Hua Zhu Yu asked .

  “You’ve been poisoned but the trace of poison is very small which makes it difficult to detect . The one who did this probably wants the baby to slowly die . If you continue to come into contact with the poison, the baby will not be able to live longer than a month,” Tai said gravely .

  Upon hearing this, she felt as though her heart was suspended above a cliff, ready to take a dive at any moment .

  “Can the baby still be saved?” she asked in a hurry .

  “Fortunately the poison was detected early . I will prescribe you a medication . Once you come into contact with the poison, take this medication and it will eliminate the toxins . In my possession, I have a crystal mined from the north that can detect over hundreds of poison . It’s even more effective than silver needles . Next time you take anything, use this crystal to check for poison . If the crystal changes color to black, that means there’s poison,” he said as he pulled out a transparent, jade-like crystal from his pocket and placed it on the table .

  With hands slightly shaking, Hua Zhu Yu received the crystal . In her palm, the crystal exuded a white, pearl-like radiance . Since it was mined from the north, the crystal was very cold to the touch, as cold as her present heart . In the end, who wanted to harm her child? Her medicine was personally prepared by Dan Hong . Could it be Dan Hong? No, even if everyone else around her wanted to harm her, she would never believe that it was Dang Hong . But other than Tai, only Dan Hong knows that she’s a woman . Who would give a male a feticidal poison? Hua Zhu Yu closed her eyes in anguish . She clutched the crystal tightly in her hand . In the future, she and the baby had to rely on this crystal .

  Yong Zheng Palace

  Sitting in her seat, Hua Zhu Yu watched as Dan Hong was busy around the stove . The medicine pot was boiling, filling the whole room with it’s scent . Dan Hong picked up the pot and poured the contents into a bowl carefully . After waiting for it to cool, she slowly brought it over .

  Hua Zhu Yu received the bowl of medicine with a smile . “Dan Hong can you pick a plum blossom for me . I noticed that the white blossoms in your courtyard are very beautiful . ”


  Smiling, Dan Hong replied, “Alright, then I shall pick the most beautiful one . ” With that said she slowly stepped outside .

  After Dan Hong finally left, Hua Zhu Yu gently placed the bowl on the table and took the crystal out from her belt pocket . She looked down at the medicine in front of her . Dan Hong had personally brewed this for her . She didn’t believe that there was poison but her arms were slightly trembling, just like her heart as she carefully placed the crystal in the bowl of medicine .

  Her gaze was fixed on the crystal . After a while, she removed it from the bowl . It was still as white as a pearl .

  Hua Zhu Yu felt ashamed to have doubted Dan Hong but at the same time she also felt a sense of relief and joy .

  At this time, Dan Hong entered the room holding a flower branch that had eight blossoms blooming brilliantly . Within her hand, the flowers drew attention to her beauty, making her appear all the more stunning . It was so cold outside yet Dan Hong was only wearing a thin white dress .

  “Why haven’t you taken your medicine?” she chided .

  Hua Zhu Yu had soon stashed the crystal away . With a smile, she lifted the bowl and downed the medicine . The usually bitter medicine did not taste all that bad today .

  “Drink slowly!” Dan Hong urged . After Hua Zhu Yu finished the medicine, Dan Hong handed her the flowers and said, “ So obedient! I’ll reward you with this flower!”


  Hua Zhu Yu couldn’t help but smile and took the flowers before saying, “It’s not early anymore, I should go . ”


  Hua Zhu Yu returned to her room . She took out the Blood Lotus which she had gotten from the royal pharmacy . This Blood Lotus was extremely valuable . If it was not picked correctly, it would wither quickly . Thus she had soaked it in a gla.s.s of water after she had taken it from the royal pharmacy . She took the Blood Lotus out of the water and plucked off a petal and soaked it in hot water for a while . Then she took out the crystal and tested it . After less than an incense stick of time, it began to turn dark .

  Upon witnessing the color change, her heart grew cold with despair .

  After taking the Blood Lotus from the royal pharmacy, she had kept it hidden in her room all this time . That meant that someone had tampered with the Blood Lotus at the royal pharmacy .

  She had asked Huangfu Wu Shuang for this herb . She had said it was to cure Dan Hong’s illness but there was poison in this herb that could harm the fetus . That meant that Huangfu Wu Shuang was aware the medicine Dan Hong used was for nurturing the fetus . But he pretended to be oblivious and even gave away the Blood Lotus so generously . Yet he did not know that the person using this medicine was actually her . He must’ve thought Dan Hong was pregnant with Huangfu Wu Shang’s child! He didn’t want this child to be born so he poisoned the Blood Lotus .

  Since the day she followed him, they have faced much wind and rain together . But she has always wholeheartedly a.s.sisted him . He could be tyrannical, naive, callous, even mischievous and naughty . But in her eyes, he remained a child that wasn’t sensible . Even when she became aware of his scheming heart, she still couldn’t hate him . But now there was a hatred for him growing in her heart .

  translations at peachblossomgrove . com

  Ji Feng Li was already dead . Now he even wants to take away this child!

  Hua Zhu Yu fell back on the chair . The angelic smile of that juvenile flashed before her eyes . That smile was deceptive, creating an illusion of innocence .

  The flickering candlelight in the room made Hua Zhu Yu felt dizzy . She silently looked out the window, unaware of when daylight would come .

  Like flowing water, the days pa.s.sed by quickly . It was already the 15th of January . After the 15th, New Year’s was officially over .

  Hua Zhu Yu had not received any news of Jin Se nor her father’s whereabouts .

  Hua Zhu Yu was already 3 months pregnant . She feared that she would start to show soon . Fortunately, the weather was still cold so she could dress in thick cloaks to hide her belly from people’s notice .

  She began to feel apprehensive . A part of her wanted to leave right away, while another wanted to remain in order to continue investigating . For that reason, she knew she couldn’t act rashly . So she had mentioned to Huangfu Wu Shuang several times that Dan Hong’s health wasn’t good, hoping that he would let her take Dan Hong out of the palace for a few days to nurse her health . But there were 2 major events coming up, the concubine conferment ceremony and the annual tribute .

  Since his ascension, Huangfu Wu Shuang’s harem has been empty . Now he wants to have a ceremony to give Wen Wan a t.i.tle . She truly was the person in his heart . He doesn’t care even though she had been taken to Northern Kingdom . He even wants to hold a grand ceremony for her .

  The other big event was the annual tribute of the va.s.sal states .

  Within Southern Kingdom, there were several smaller states which pay tribute to Southern Kingdom each year after New Years . Naturally, this year was no exception,

  not to mention this year there was a new Emperor . Even Western Liang and Eastern Yan, who had always had a good relationship with Southern Kingdom, sent envoys as well . There was news that Northern Kingdom had also sent envoys to attend the tribute but this hasn’t been verified .

  It seems this was the busiest month of the year .

  As a result, Huangfu Wu Shuang did not agree to let Hua Zhu Yu leave . He wanted her to remain in the palace to help him with these big events . Only once that’s been done was he willing to let her take Dan Hong out of the palace to recuperate .

  She calculated the days and determined that she still had time . The tribute and concubine conferment ceremony would last till February at the longest . But she wasn’t able to remain for the Refined Female Concubine Selection because by that time it would be March and she’d be 5 months pregnant . With the weather warming up, she would not be able to hide behind her winter clothes so she had to leave by then . Thus she agreed to Huangfu Wu Shuang’s proposal and began to prepare for the envoys’ arrivals .

  Publishedat 1st of December 2019 11:02:33 AMPlease help us improve Trinity Audio