Ning Si forced a smile and said, "Yin Lan, don't worry. Although Grandfather suspects it is the plague, there is no definitive conclusion yet. It may just be a more complicated intractable disease. You can rest assured staying at my house first. Currently not many people from my house go out and few people come in, so it should be safe for now."
Yin Lan's face was still tense, her lips pursed tight, "My Lady...I have a request..."
Gu Ying could tell what was on her mind, "You want Huai An to stay here with you?"
Yin Lan nodded, "Although the Prince is here and he is safe, his legs haven't healed. I fear I can't go out to take care of him anymore, so I thought since his legs are disabled anyway, why not have him stay here with me..."
Ning Si was generous and cheerful, "What's there to worry about? I'll have someone accompany you to the Qingjiang Manor where the Prince is staying and bring him here."
Yin Lan said gratefully, "Thank you, Young Lady Ning."
"Yin Lan, you don't have to be so polite with me." Ning Si waved her hand and called over a head maid to accompany Yin Lan.
After entering the room, Ning Si turned around and forcefully grabbed Gu Ying's hand, anxiously and sincerely asking, "Gu Ying, I didn't arrange another yard for you. You'll sleep with me...is that alright?"
In this troubled world, it was normal for a young lady like Ning Si to feel scared.
Gu Ying pressed her lips together, thinking about her recent estrangement from the Prince. She laughed and said, "What's wrong with that? I actually have good news to tell you."
The two sat down on the short couch. Ning Si breathed a sigh of relief and curiously asked, "Gu Ying, what good news?"
Gu Ying took her hand and placed it on her lower abdomen, smiling bashfully, "I'm pregnant, a little over two months along."
Ning Si was stunned, her fingers over the belly trembling, "You're pregnant? The Prince's?"
Gu Ying's eyes brimmed with joy, "Whose else could it be but the Prince's?"
Ning Si smiled at first, truly happy that Gu Ying was pregnant. But soon her fingers tightened anxiously and she felt uncomfortable, "Gu Ying is lucky to know who the father of her child is. But I..."
Gu Ying sensed something was off and frowned, "Ning Si , what do you mean by that?"
Ning Si stuttered, also pulling Gu Ying's hand onto her own belly, then looked up with confused eyes, "Gu Ying...I'll be honest with you...I...I seem to be pregnant too..."
"What? You're pregnant too?"
One shocking news after another left Gu Ying reeling. This time she really couldn't believe her eyes wide open, her mind going blank, "Ning Si, you...how did an unmarried young lady get pregnant?"
"I...I don't know..." Ning Si was nearly in tears. Ever since realizing she had symptoms of morning sickness, she had been living in terror.
It would have been fine if she was already married. But she was clearly still an innocent young lady.
Since returning to Yueyang City, she had been staying at home in the Ning Mansion, never setting foot outside. She rarely interacted with men other than the family guards and servants. The only man she had contact with was her father's student, Zhou Yan.
They didn't meet often. Her grandfather was always present when they did. As the young lady of the prestigious Ning family, she was always accompanied by handmaidens assigned by her grandfather wherever she went.
How could she possibly have gotten pregnant?
Moreover, her heart belonged to Prince Duan. She was pure and abided by propriety, wholeheartedly keeping her chastity for the Prince.
How could she possibly have willingly fallen to ruin and committed the disgraceful act of premarital sex and bearing an illegitimate child?
This matter was too serious and too inconceivable.
It took Gu Ying some time to steady her mind. She asked Ning Si in detail about everything that had happened in the past month.
Ning Si told her about trivial matters first. Zhou Yan would always escort her grandfather home after lessons and sit for a while. They didn't meet often and her grandfather was always present when they did.
Gu Ying pressed her lips together, lost in thought, "Ning Si, don't panic. Listen to me. You only show symptoms of morning sickness, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're pregnant. Perhaps you just have a gastrointestinal disease. Ning Si, have you seen a doctor recently?"
"No...It started when I suddenly felt nauseous after smelling fish. Cai Xiu casually mentioned pregnancy...and that's when I began to suspect it might be possible. Of course I didn't dare to see a doctor, otherwise once the news of my pregnancy spread...it would be over."
Ning Si shook her head. She wasn't stupid. She couldn't let anyone else know, especially not her grandfather. Otherwise her grandfather would definitely break her legs.
The Ning family reputation would also be ruined.
Moreover, the Empress was still intent on matching her with the Prince. If she truly inexplicably became pregnant, the imperial family would surely abandon her, and even Prince Duan would probably...look down on her.
The more Ning Si thought about it, the more distressed she became. Her eyes brimmed with tears that started falling.
"Gu Ying, what should I do? I could only dare to tell you...Even Cai Xiu doesn't know...Now whenever I smell anything fishy I feel nauseous... "
As she spoke, she didn't know if it was from fear or what, but she covered her chest and retched.
Gu Ying quickly helped prop her up. Seeing her look of nausea was exactly like her own morning sickness. She was also puzzled.
"Ning Si, I have an idea to first confirm whether you really are pregnant. If it's just an illness, we only need to treat it. If you are pregnant...we'll discuss later."
Ning Si miserably covered her chest, "Tell me, Gu Ying."
Gu Ying knit her brows, "Have someone invite Doctor Zhuge here right away."
Ning Si's eyes widened, "Gu Ying, I don't dare..."
Gu Ying reassured her, "Don't be scared. I'm here."
Only then did Ning Si nod.
...
Yueyang City had not imposed curfew yet.
That afternoon, Yin Lan brought some Ning Mansion servants to prepare to head to the Qingjiang Manor and have the injured Huai An moved to the Ning Mansion.
To facilitate the Prince's official business, the Qingjiang Manor was located near the Yueyang Prefecture Yamen.
Before leaving, Gu Ying considered carefully and still instructed her, "Yin Lan, when you get to the manor, carefully ask around to see if Jiang Yin followed along and where he's staying now."
Yin Lan's heart tightened. She hurriedly lowered her voice and asked doubtfully, "My Lady, why do you still care about Young Master Jiang's matters?"
She was more and more confused about My Lady's feelings toward the Prince.
My Lady was already married, yet she seemed overly concerned about Young Master Jiang from time to time.
Gu Ying had a grave look. "I'm not concerned about him. I'm just guarding against him..."
Jiang Yin now was the only one who knew of her past. He was also a confidant of Prince Shu. She truly feared that if the Prince returned to Yueyang City, he might accidentally run into Jiang Yin.
Jiang Yin might make trouble from behind the scenes and reveal everything about her to the Prince.
She didn't dare imagine what would happen then...
