My Wife is a Frustrating Genius!!! - Chapter 70

Cheng Yi grew anxious as she noticed the grim expression on Physician Zhao’s face. She feared there might be something seriously wrong with her health, that she might not live long enough to stay by her parents’ side or accompany Lu Jiahe.

Standing nearby, Lu Jiahe also furrowed her brows upon seeing this. However, with the Empress present, she dared not speak up to inquire.

“Physician Zhao, what is that expression on your face? What exactly is wrong with the princess?” Cheng’s mother, seated by the bed, looked urgently at the physician who was checking her daughter’s pulse.

Upon hearing this, Physician Zhao glanced at the Empress, then cast a complicated look at the Tanhua Lang who was soon to become the Princess Consort.

“Your Majesty, the Princess. Her Highness.”

Unaware of the relationship between Cheng Yi and Lu Jiahe, Physician Zhao found it inappropriate to mention the princess’s pregnancy in front of the future consort. He rose and knelt on the floor with a sorrowful expression, pleading with the Empress to have Lu Jiahe removed from the bedchamber.

Seeing this, the Empress felt a sudden sense of foreboding. She was aware of the relationship between her daughter and Lu Jiahe, but if her daughter were to face additional health complications at this time, all her previous plans would come to nothing.

Cheng’s mother found an excuse to dismiss Lu Jiahe, along with all the palace maids and eunuchs from the chamber, then urged Physician Zhao to reveal her daughter’s condition without delay.

“Your Majesty, the princess is with child.”

It was as if Physician Zhao had encountered the greatest crisis of his career. Fearing that the scandal of the princess’s premarital pregnancy might implicate him, he knelt on the floor, bracing himself for reprimand.

After kneeling with his head bowed for a while without hearing a word from the Empress, he cautiously lifted his eyes to observe her expression. To his surprise, he saw joy on her face.

Upon hearing Physician Zhao’s words, Cheng’s mother was overjoyed. Although premarital pregnancy was frowned upon, she could sense the genuine affection between Lu Jiahe and her daughter. She had initially thought it would take three to five years after their marriage to hold a grandchild in her arms. Never had she imagined that the child would arrive even before the wedding.

“This is wonderful news! Physician Zhao, why do you look as if you’ve eaten something foul?” Cheng’s mother, who had been beaming with happiness moments before, immediately adopted a stern tone upon seeing Physician Zhao’s contorted expression.

“Your Majesty, the princess has not yet married. If word of her pregnancy were to spread, where would the royal family’s dignity be?” Physician Zhao frowned, his face filled with distress.

“Tch!” Cheng’s mother rolled her eyes at the stubborn old man kneeling before her. “Do you know how far along the princess is?”

Though delighted at the prospect of soon holding a grandchild, she needed to confirm whether the child was indeed Lu Jiahe’s, for the sake of her daughter’s future married life.

“Your Majesty, she is a little over a month along,” Physician Zhao replied, uncertain of the Empress’s intentions but deciding to disclose his diagnosis without reservation.

“A little over a month.” Cheng’s mother closed her eyes to calculate the timing, then turned to her daughter, who was frozen in shock, and asked, “Are you certain it’s his?”

“Who?” Cheng Yi, utterly bewildered, couldn’t comprehend her mother’s words at all.

“Who else? The person waiting at the door, of course.”

Cheng Yi didn’t know how to respond to her mother. She and Lu Jiahe had only been intimate a few times, how could she possibly be pregnant? And they were both women.

At this thought, Cheng Yi’s jaw dropped in shock.

“Lu Jiahe!” Ignoring her mother’s question, Cheng Yi gripped the bedsheet and shouted furiously toward the door.

Lu Jiahe, who had been waiting outside, immediately kicked the door open despite others’ attempts to stop her and rushed in upon hearing her wife’s call.

“What’s wrong, my dear? What happened?” Lu Jiahe hurried to her wife’s bedside, looking at her with concern.

Cheng Yi stared at the face that brought her both joy and anger, then grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it at the other. “It’s all your fault!”

Lu Jiahe caught the pillow, completely unaware of what had transpired in the room during her absence. She cautiously observed the expressions of those present, hoping to glean some clue.

Cheng’s mother quickly understood the situation. Sitting by the bed, she reached out to stop Cheng Yi from getting up to confront Lu Jiahe and gently advised, “It’s him, right? If you two didn’t take proper precautions, you can’t blame him alone for this.”

Cheng Yi looked at her mother, frantic and anxious. How could she explain? What could she say? She couldn’t reveal that Lu Jiahe was a woman!

“Mother. Your Majesty, what does this mean?” Lu Jiahe was completely baffled by the empress’s words and had no idea why Cheng Yi was suddenly so hostile. She pinned all her hopes on Cheng’s mother, hoping she would provide an answer.

Amused by Lu Jiahe’s clueless expression, Cheng’s mother chuckled. “Silly child, you’re going to be a father.”

“What?” Lu Jiahe’s eyes widened, her mouth agape, staring at Cheng’s mother in disbelief.

Seeing her stunned reaction, Cheng’s mother repeated her words. “I said, Yi’er is with child. You’re going to be a father, and she will be the mother of your child.”

Lu Jiahe stared at Cheng’s mother, then glanced at Cheng Yi and her stomach.

“Going to be a father?”

She straightened up, trembling, and walked unsteadily to the tea table to pour herself a cup of tea. Just as she took a sip, there was a loud clatter. She fainted and collapsed to the floor.

Everyone in the room rushed to Lu Jiahe’s side and carried her to the bed.

Cheng Yi bit her lower lip, gazing at the person lying unconscious on the bed, her heart filled with indescribable emotions.

How could she be pregnant? Wasn’t it necessary to take medicine for that?

The medicine.

Cheng Yi recalled that night when she and Lu Jiahe were separately taken to bathe and soak in medicinal herbs.

“Oh heavens.” Cheng Yi facepalmed, deeply regretting how quickly she had let her guard down with the Lu family back then.

Unable to contain her joy at the prospect of soon holding a grandchild, Cheng’s mother immediately instructed Xue Wanning to hurry to the imperial study and deliver the good news to the old emperor and Lu Zhengliang.

When Lu Jiahe awoke, she saw several familiar figures gathered around her bedside.

“Grandmother, Father, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, my dear,” Lu Jiahe reached out toward them.

Upon hearing his son’s voice, Lu Zhengliang immediately exclaimed, “You rascal! How could you hide the news that Her Highness the Princess is pregnant from us?”

“What?” Lu Jiahe trembled as he withdrew his outstretched hand.

Sitting nearby, the elderly Lady Lu chimed in, “Yes, Jiahe, you shouldn’t have kept this from your father, let alone from me. If the pregnancy isn’t stable, think of the suffering Her Highness would endure!”

Lu Jiahe stared blankly at them, his mouth agape. Before he could utter a word, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted once again.

Everyone gathered around the bed was left speechless by Lu Jiahe’s reaction, especially Cheng Yi.

“This child, fainting again? His mental fortitude is truly lacking. How will he protect our daughter in the future?” the old emperor frowned, eyeing Lu Jiahe lying on the bed.

Lu Zhengliang, with his sharp ears, caught the emperor’s implication that his son was irresponsible.

Glancing around, he stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to slap Lu Jiahe across the face, hoping to jolt his unconscious son awake.

“Wait!”

Cheng Yi quickly intervened, stopping Lu Zhengliang’s motion. Though she was angry with Lu Jiahe, she wouldn’t stand by while someone else laid a hand on her beloved.

Lu Zhengliang halted his action. Before he could ask why, he saw Cheng Yi pour a cup of tea and walk to the bedside, splashing the entire contents onto her younger son’s face.

As if revived from the brink of death, Lu Jiahe jolted upright, gasping for breath, his eyes wide open.

“What happened?” he asked, bewildered, after catching his breath and looking at the people seated around the bed.

Lu Zhengliang shook his head almost imperceptibly, thinking how clueless his son was.

“Do you remember what just happened?” Cheng’s mother cautiously asked, afraid to mention Cheng Yi’s pregnancy outright and risk sending him into another faint.

Under their probing gazes, Lu Jiahe finally recalled everything that had transpired.

“Darling, you should lie down and rest,” he said, noticing Cheng Yi standing by the window, glaring at him. He hurriedly helped her to the bed.

Lying there, Cheng Yi paid no heed to his gesture of goodwill. “Just hearing your voice gives me a headache. Please keep quiet in front of me.”

Lu Jiahe’s face fell, utterly confused by his wife’s cold demeanor.

“Okay,” he replied meekly, not daring to argue or question her attitude during such a delicate time.

“Tch!” Cheng Yi closed her eyes in irritation at the sound of his voice.

Immediately, Lu Jiahe covered his mouth to ensure no further noise escaped.

Witnessing this, Cheng’s mother felt her daughter was being overly domineering in the relationship and scolded her, “What are you doing? He treats you so well, and you’re finding fault with everything!”

Turning to Lu Jiahe, she added gently, “Don’t be afraid of her. If she ever bullies you, just let me know, and I’ll teach her a lesson.”

“Mom! What are you talking about?” Cheng Yi immediately frowned at her mother upon hearing this. They say daughters are close to their mothers, so why was her own mother siding with an outsider?

Hearing this, Mother Cheng looked at her daughter sternly. “Don’t always bully him like this. Xiao Lu treats you very well, how heartless it is for you to act this way.”