Chapter 268: with translation of chapter title

Su Wanrou looked at Xiao Yin in terror, stepping back repeatedly.

Sometimes harsh words are like a knife, making one wish for death.

She had thought he still cherished their past affection, but it turned out he felt nothing for her at all.

Everything she had done before turned into a joke.

After saying those few words, Xiao Yin turned and walked out of the corridor; this place, this woman, he couldn't bear to stay another moment.

Disgusting! Utterly disgusting!

He now urgently needs to go to Gu Jiu Ling's side to soothe his wounded heart.

Su Wanrou rushed to the fence, shouting Xiao Yin's name in one piercing cry after another; at this moment she completely broke down.

She cursed Xiao Yin with the most vicious words in the world, having never hated anyone so much.

On what grounds! On what grounds!

He gave her hope, then personally took it away, cutting off all her retreats.

Su Wanrou went completely mad, to the extreme.

Hongyu, who had been silently watching all this, burst out laughing; her voice was hoarse, producing a rough sound, yet in this gloomy Ministry of Punishments death cell it gave an indescribably eerie feeling.

Su Wanrou was mocked by the maid she despised most, and her anger flared; she rushed madly toward Hongyu.

Unexpectedly, Hongyu had been prepared; when Su Wanrou fought her, she gained no advantage, and Hongyu seized a handful of her hair and yanked out a clump.

Su Wanrou winced in pain and wanted to strike back to choke Hongyu, but the fence prevented her from exerting any force.

"Quick! Guard Miss Hongyu! Quick! Subdue that madwoman!"

A group also came from next door to see Hongyu, led by a palace attendant in court robes, appearing especially proper and solemn.

Seeing Su Wanrou clutch Hongyu's neck, she was instantly frightened and cried out.

Qian Yumu was a trusted attendant of Duchess Duan; this time she personally brought the palace physicians to Hongyu's cell.

Seeing the situation, a few jailers rushed forward to help, striking Su Wanrou's hand hard with the hilt of their sabers; she cried out in pain and released Hongyu.

Qian Yumu stepped forward with her entourage and steadied Hongyu.

"Physician Chen!" Qian Yumu shouted.

Physician Chen approached with his medicine box, knelt before Hongyu, quickly placed his hand on her wrist, focused on taking her pulse, and a flash of joy crossed his face.

"A joyful pulse! A joyful pulse!"

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Qian Yumu's voice trembled.

She then turned to Physician Chen: "Does the timing match?"

Physician Chen, still uneasy, checked her pulse again carefully: "It matches! It matches!"

"The Third Prince has a consort! He has a consort!"

For a moment, Qian Yumu and the others relaxed, their expression even more excited than if they themselves had gained a consort.

Earlier, Xiao Wei was attacked by a female assassin and wounded in his roots, rendering him unable to function as a man for life, let alone have offspring.

Xiao Yin's move to strike at the Third Prince's base was truly vicious, catching the entire Duan family off guard; upon hearing the news, Duchess Duan fainted on the spot.

Now that she is aged and faded, these days after the imperial selection several young concubines have entered the palace, and the Longqing Emperor's heart is wholly fixed on them.

That vile Consort Cao has recently been thriving; her son, the Sixth Prince, is growing ever more powerful, nearly able to rival the Crown Prince's faction, and with Xiao Yin's backing, the Sixth Prince is also flourishing in the military.

Seeing that Duchess Duan's son, lacking heirs, has become a laughingstock throughout Shang Jing, even the Duan clan can no longer support her.

With his roots gone, how can he be supported?

Duchess Duan weeps daily in the palace, regretting so much that she slaps herself.

She knows her son well—he is utterly lascivious, so the throngs of flirtatious women surrounding him are truly excessive.

The crucial point is that Xiao Wei, this scoundrel, observes no taboos, even consorting with courtesans; if he were to father a son or daughter in the future, where would the Duan family's reputation go?

The son's consort must naturally be the most noble lady of Shang Jing; Duchess Duan would scrutinize even the daughters of ordinary aristocratic clans, let alone think that those lowly women could simply attach themselves to her son, sleep with him, and rise to prominence.

Dream on!

Duchess Duan therefore had all the chaotic women brought into the mansion ingest contraceptive drugs, so none of them bore a child.

Now her son has become this way, yet he has no heirs of his own, causing Duchess Duan to weep until she fainted.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, an informant planted by the Duan family in the Ministry of Punishments reported that the maid beside Su Wanrou was pregnant, and the keen-eared Qian Yumu caught the news.

Duchess Duan personally went under cover of night to the Third Prince's residence to interrogate her son about his sexual affairs; Xiao Wei, lately somewhat despondent, nonchalantly admitted that the vile Su Wanrou could not endure his brutality in bed, so he had his maid serve her together with him.

Duchess Duan could no longer blame her son for such wanton play; upon hearing that he had indeed favored that maid, boundless hope ignited in her heart.

At this point, Duchess Duan no longer cared about status or rank; nothing mattered.

What matters is whether that maid is truly pregnant, and whether the timing of their intercourse matches.

The imperial physicians are no amateurs; even from taking a pulse they can estimate the approximate date.

Now Qian Yumu herself entered the Ministry of Justice prison; this time, having taken Hongyu's pulse, everything matched—Hongyu is carrying the Third Prince's child.

Moreover, the pulse is strong, indicating a male child.

Physician Chen excels at reading such joyful pulses; having examined over eight hundred pregnant women, he could tell even with closed eyes that Hongyu carries a young heir.

It must be the young heir; how could it be anything else? This is the sole sprout left—who else could it belong to?

Not long after, Duke Duan himself came to the prison.

For a moment, the death cell of the Ministry of Punishments bustled like a market; upon hearing the news, Duke Duan personally took the oral decree that Duchess Duan had obtained from the emperor and brought people into the cell.

These past days, the Duan family has been despondent over the Third Prince's lack of heirs, to the point that young and old alike want to weep; now that the Third Prince has a consort, they have not yet lost this round.

This is the royal family's first grandchild of that generation.

The eldest grandson! What does that signify!

Among the sons born to the Longqing Emperor, they have only just reached marriageable age; none have yet wed, let alone raised children.

Now Hongyu carries the royal family's eldest grandson!

Duke Duan was so excited he even wanted to personally support Hongyu; he very much wanted to kowtow to Heavenly Lord.

The Duan Family still has hope! The Third Prince still has hope!

Hongyu, being stared at by so many people, felt dazed; her steps were a little unsteady, and she stumbled a bit. Duke Duan hurriedly said, "Be careful! You all be more careful! If anything happens to the child in her belly, I will certainly not forgive lightly!"

As Hongyu walked out of the prison, she turned her face and smiled at Su Wanrou, who wore an expression of utter disbelief and jealousy.

We still have to thank the Su Clan; it's thanks to her that she can live.

She, Hongyu, will surely live well from now on! Live like a proper person!

She is not anyone's dog; she is a person, she is an upright and honorable person!

Zhao Da in the palace is still waiting for her; she wants to live, she wants Zhao Da to live as well!

She wants to be above all people in this world, never to be bullied again!