Gu Jianli’s voice grew softer and softer, until it was almost inaudible by the end. She lowered her head, awkwardly pinching the hem of her clothing, feeling very embarrassed to mention that she hadn’t had her period for two months.
Ji Wujing was silent for a long, long time before he finally asked, “Have you consulted a doctor?”
“N-not yet…” Gu Jianli’s voice trembled slightly.
But why was she trembling with fear? She hadn’t done anything wrong. If Ji Wujing misunderstood and thought she was pregnant with someone else’s child, it would be a huge problem!
Summoning her courage, Gu Jianli raised her head, slightly lifting her small chin, and looked Ji Wujing directly in the eyes. She tried to control the trembling in her voice and said in a normal tone, “I think it’s still early, so I haven’t seen a doctor. If I still don’t have my period next month, then I’ll see one…”
She managed to maintain a normal tone at the beginning, but perhaps because she let her guard down, the last word “see” came out as a bit of a squeak.
Her expression, which she had tried so hard to keep steady, started to crumble. Gu Jianli bit her lip discreetly and awkwardly averted her gaze.
Ji Wujing stood there, unusually straight for someone who was always so lazy. He gave Gu Jianli a complicated look, then walked towards her step by step. He sat down on a chair, pulled her hand, and made her sit on his lap.
Ji Wujing asked, “Do you feel anything? Have you felt any fetal movement?”
Gu Jianli turned her head and looked at Ji Wujing in surprise, saying, “It’s only been two months, how could there be any movement?”
Ji Wujing nodded. Oh, so she knew that much.
Looking into Gu Jianli’s clear, captivating eyes, Ji Wujing suddenly got interested and asked, “Gu Jianli, do you want to have twins?”
“Twins?” Gu Jianli hadn’t thought about that. She hadn’t even considered whether the little one inside her was one or two, a girl or a boy.
Ji Wujing enticed her step by step, “Yes, twins. Two little ones that look exactly the same.”
Gu Jianli thought of Ji Xinglan and Ji Xinglou, and said doubtfully, “But Xinglan and Xinglou don’t look exactly the same. They don’t resemble each other at all.”
“Well… fraternal twins might not look alike, but if they are two girls or two boys, they would look exactly the same.”
“Oh…” Gu Jianli nodded, still puzzled. “But whether they’re twins or not isn’t up to us, is it?”
“Um—” Ji Wujing dragged out the sound, “We can try, there’s a twenty to thirty percent chance.”
Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing in amazement. She had never heard of such a thing.
Ji Wujing tucked a strand of loose hair behind Gu Jianli’s ear and said slowly, “If you supplement within the first three months of conception, there’s a chance of having twins.”
Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing skeptically, her expression clearly showing she didn’t quite believe it.
Ji Wujing let her scrutinize him, his face remaining expressionless as he continued, “Of course, as I said, the chance is only twenty to thirty percent.”
Gu Jianli was still half-convinced. She suddenly thought that Ji Xinglou and Ji Xinglan were twins, so maybe what Ji Wujing said was true?
Ji Wujing lifted one corner of his mouth and leaned in to kiss Gu Jianli’s lips. The now somewhat familiar moist and soft sensation came over her, causing Gu Jianli’s body to instinctively tense up for a moment. A hint of hesitation appeared in her confused eyes.
Ji Wujing gazed into her eyes at close range and nipped at her tongue.
“You’re lying!” Gu Jianli suddenly pushed Ji Wujing away forcefully, “You can’t get pregnant this way…”
Gu Jianli wiped the moisture from her lips with the back of her hand and quickly turned her face away, feeling embarrassed. Even though it wasn’t the first time he had kissed her, Gu Jianli inexplicably felt afraid. The feeling of her heart beating too fast, temporarily suspending her rationality, made her very uneasy.
Oh, so she knows that kissing won’t result in pregnancy.
Ji Wujing lowered his head and deftly untied his waistband.
Seeing his actions, Gu Jianli panicked. He wouldn’t really follow through with it, would he? So dirty…
“No, stop!” Gu Jianli quickly put her hands behind her back.
Oh, she thinks that doing this will lead to pregnancy.
Feigning regret, Ji Wujing asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to try for twins?”
Gu Jianli shook her head vigorously. She rubbed her hands against the fabric behind her. Just thinking about the night she got pregnant made her palms feel dirty.
“Alright then.” Ji Wujing patted her head. “Tie it up for me.”
Gu Jianli looked at him suspiciously for a moment, then hesitantly brought her hands forward and retied Ji Wujing’s waistband, carefully avoiding places she shouldn’t touch.
Ji Wujing gazed at Gu Jianli’s profile for a long time. No matter from what angle he looked at her, she was flawlessly beautiful, almost perfect.
“All done.” Gu Jianli withdrew her hands and quietly put them behind her back again, clasping them together. She had once overheard a maid saying that intercourse was not allowed during pregnancy. Thinking about it, having a year without worry and not having to fear being sullied by Ji Wujing wasn’t too bad.
When she got married, her situation was special, and no one had told her what consummation entailed. In this strictly regulated environment, she had no other way to understand. A few months ago, she had mustered the courage to ask her sister for a booklet to learn about it, but after reading only two pages, Ji Wujing had taken it away…
“Gu Jianli,” Ji Wujing called her.
“Hmm?” Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing, their eyes meeting.
After a moment, Ji Wujing wrapped an arm around Gu Jianli’s waist and leaned down, pressing his ear against her lower abdomen. Gu Jianli, feeling uncomfortable, wanted to move back, but her back was tightly pressed against Ji Wujing’s arm.
Ji Wujing said, “Don’t move.”
Gu Jianli indeed stopped moving and asked, puzzled, “But you shouldn’t be able to hear anything, right?”
Ji Wujing pretended to listen intently for a long time, as if he could hear the fetal movement, before straightening up. His gaze at Gu Jianli was a bit strange, which she couldn’t quite understand.
“Gu Jianli, childbirth is very painful,” he said.
Gu Jianli furrowed her brows, her beautiful features twisting in discomfort.
Ji Wujing gently slid his slightly bent index finger across Gu Jianli’s furrowed brow and said nonchalantly, “I’m a dying man. What’s the point of giving me a child?”
Gu Jianli stubbornly retorted, “How can you say it’s for you? It’s my child too.”
Ji Wujing lazily hummed in response, then pulled Gu Jianli’s hand into his, playing with her small, soft fingers with interest. He said, “But if I die, he won’t have a father and will be bullied.”
“I’ll protect him and not let anyone bully him,” Gu Jianli said earnestly.
Ji Wujing continued slowly, “But if you remarry, your next husband won’t allow you to bring the child. Even if he does, he will mistreat him.”
Gu Jianli hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head to look at her flat stomach and said, “If he’s not accepted, I’ll learn to do business and support him myself. I won’t remarry.”
Ji Wujing raised his eyelids and looked at Gu Jianli, gazing deeply into her serious eyes.
He chuckled softly and leaned back against the chair.
“What are you laughing at?” Gu Jianli asked.
Ji Wujing didn’t respond. He held Gu Jianli’s delicate fingers, bringing her hand to his lips. There was a faint fragrance on her hand, an indistinguishable scent that he found pleasing. Ji Wujing lightly kissed her hand, then languidly licked her hand back, finally giving a gentle but firm bite.
Gu Jianli quietly watched Ji Wujing, not pulling away. She wondered if he was feeling sad because he knew he wouldn’t live long.
Ji Wujing let go of her hand, putting on a mischievous smile. He tapped Gu Jianli’s forehead and said, “It might not even be true. We’ll have the doctor check you tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Gu Jianli nodded obediently, lowering her head and looking at her belly.
Ji Wujing rubbed his chin with his thumb, feeling a bit complicated. He stood up, picked Gu Jianli up horizontally, and carried her towards the bed, coaxing her like a child, “My little wife needs to take good care of herself to protect the baby.”
Gu Jianli lay on the bed obediently, nodding seriously, “Hmm!”
The next day, Ji Jingyi came over, bringing his apprentice Luo Muge.
“Doctor Ji, how is it?” Gu Jianli asked nervously.
“Well…”
“Ahem.” Ji Wujing coughed lightly, seemingly casually.
Ji Jingyi paused and then changed his response, “Madam is not pregnant for now, but she has a deficiency in her qi and blood.”
Gu Jianli was stunned for a moment, feeling a sense of emptiness. She couldn’t tell if she was relieved or feeling something else. She subconsciously looked back at Ji Wujing, who was lazily sitting in a chair, playing with a teacup on the table, seemingly unconcerned.
Gu Jianli withdrew her gaze. She thought to herself that Ji Wujing never liked children anyway.
“Muge, bring me paper and brush,” Ji Jingyi said.
“Yes.” Luo Muge handed the paper and brush to Ji Jingyi, who began to write a prescription to invigorate the qi and blood.
Luo Muge is not apprenticed under the same master as Ji Wujing and Chen He, despite being their martial sister. She was adopted by Ji Jingyi from a young age and focused on medicine. The reason she is considered a martial sister to Ji Wujing and Chen He is that her biological father is their master, who was the previous head of the Imperial Guards. However, due to the sensitive nature of eunuchs, it’s not convenient for others to know that he had a daughter before becoming a eunuch. So, very few people know about Luo Muge’s true background.
Luo Muge had been purchasing medicinal herbs in another city for the past few months and had only recently returned to the capital. She had heard about Ji Wujing marrying a wife, one of the Anjing Twin Phoenixes. However, she had not met Gu Jianli before and couldn’t help but scrutinize her now.
With just one glance, Luo Muge knew that the reputation of the Anjing Twin Phoenixes was well deserved. Indeed, there are women in this world who are stunningly beautiful and deserving of admiration.
Sensing Luo Muge’s gaze, Gu Jianli looked back and met her eyes, giving a gentle smile.
Luo Muge responded with a friendly smile, but she was inwardly surprised. She couldn’t help but feel that Gu Jianli seemed too delicate. She found it hard to imagine such a soft-spoken girl standing by her martial brothers’ side.
However, Luo Muge didn’t see Gu Jianli standing by Ji Wujing’s side. When Gu Jianli stood up, Ji Wujing also stood up and came over, reaching his arm under Gu Jianli’s knees and lifting her horizontally, walking towards the inner room.
Luo Muge stared at Ji Wujing in disbelief, wondering if she had mistaken something.
