During this period, Bai Rantang was in high spirits, with all sorts of good things being sent to her courtyard. Zhao Yunyi's attitude towards her had undergone a complete 180-degree turn.
As her belly grew day by day, Zhao Yunyi secretly kept her courtyard under tight guard. This was his capital for turning things around. One of the concubines in the manor was also pregnant.
He kept her hidden in the dark, waiting for their delivery. Surely one of these two women was carrying a boy. Regardless, it would still be his child, Zhao Yunyi's, and he would not mistreat either of them.
Every servant who had access to Bai Rantang had to undergo layers of checks. He was afraid that one of his brothers might target Bai Rantang.
He was confident that the Crown Prince would not harm a child.
As for the one hidden in the dark, all matters such as delivering food and checking were carried out by his most trusted female bodyguard.
Lately, Bai Rantang had been feeling extremely unwell. She couldn't eat anything but sour oranges. Her stomach felt as if it were being burned by something all day long.
Forcing herself to eat two mouthfuls of porridge, she soon vomited it all back up. Now, even looking at oranges made her feel nauseous. The manor's cooks made her food in every possible variety, but she couldn't eat it.
Zhao Yunyi, however, was quite happy. After all, the saying goes that sour is for boys and spicy is for girls. It seemed this pregnancy was definitely for a son, so he didn't mind Bai Rantang's fussiness and changed cooks for her several times.
Bai Rantang was already in a bad mood, and with her inability to eat or sleep well, she became easily irritable. Her entire face was haggard and gaunt.
Every time Zhao Yunyi visited her, he only cared about her belly, not even looking at her face anymore. She could only vent her anger on the servants, causing resentment throughout the manor.
"Useless, you can't even hold a cup of tea properly. What good are you?"
The little maid knelt on the ground, trembling, her head bowed, not daring to say a word. She didn't want to suffer the same fate as her predecessors, being dragged away inexplicably.
"Are you mute?" As Bai Rantang spoke, she approached, pulling the little maid upright by her hair.
"Dressed so elaborately, what are you trying to do?"
"Your servant... your servant..." The little maid couldn't even utter a complete sentence.
Looking at the maid's silky hair, Bai Rantang found it extremely unsightly. "Lizhi, bring me a pair of scissors."
The little maid in green clothing quickly handed over a pair of scissors. "My lady, be careful. Do not hurt yourself."
"Idiot, do I need you to teach me how to do things?"
"Your servant dares not," Lizhi said, quickly stepping aside.
Bai Rantang grabbed the little maid's hair and was about to cut it. The maid, terrified, let out a scream and dared not dodge.
"My lady, you must not, you must not. Our bodies are gifts from our parents. How can you, how can you cut my hair?" She then burst into tears.
"Shut up, you'll scare the child in my belly. The heads of your entire family are not enough to compensate."
The little maid immediately fell silent, and Bai Rantang, losing interest, threw the scissors to the ground.
"Get out, all of you, get out."
"Yes."
After everyone had retreated, Bai Rantang sat before the vanity mirror and wept softly.
She didn't know what was wrong with her lately; her hair was falling out in clumps. She could only style it into simple buns and use hairpins to conceal it. She would use a brow pencil to sketch her forehead.
She hadn't expected her hair to fall out more and more severely. If this continued, she would despise herself, let alone a man who always valued appearance. What should she do? What should she do?
She had secretly tried various hair regrowth secret recipes from ancient books, but they had no effect whatsoever. If this continued, she might not even be able to comb her hair into a bun.
A few days passed like this. Bai Rantang refused Zhao Yunyi's visits. The Second Prince was also too lazy to pretend to be loving husband and daily went to attend to his concubine.
At night, Bai Rantang felt unbearable abdominal pain, cold sweat drenching the bedding. Her throat felt as if it were blocked, and she couldn't utter a sound. With great effort, she managed to knock over the water jug on the small stool, waking the maid on night duty.
"My lady, what is wrong?"
Lizhi hurried forward to check, touching the icy bedding. A chill went straight to her head. It was over.
Another maid fumbled to light the lamp, but before she could reach it, she heard Lizhi shout, "Grape, quickly go call the female doctor. Have the wet nurses outside report to the master that the madam is in trouble."
Soon, the entire manor was lit up. Bai Rantang's screams were piercing, chilling people to the bone.
Zhao Yunyi looked at the basins of bloody water being carried out of the room. He felt a bit disgusted but had to ask, "What exactly happened? How were you watching her?"
"Your subordinate deserves death. The madam showed no unusual signs tonight. When she was discovered, this was the situation."
"Useless, you truly deserve death. If the child in her belly suffers any mishap, all of you will go down to accompany her."
Everyone in the courtyard knelt on the ground. Zhao Yunyi's mind raced. Having fallen to this state, who would want to harm him?
Who had the power to bypass his spies and harm Bai Rantang? Soon, a woman stepped out and knelt before Zhao Yunyi.
"Master, the madam's appearance suggests she is about to give birth."
"What nonsense are you spouting? The child in her belly is not even four months old. How can you tell me she is about to give birth?"
"This servant dares not speak nonsense."
Zhao Yunyi glanced at everyone in the courtyard, then lifted his robe and angrily entered Bai Rantang's room.
Upon entering, he was genuinely startled by the scene before him. Bai Rantang's face was pale, her hair sparse and revealing the scalp. A few days ago, her belly had only been slightly distended. Now, it was terrifyingly swollen, with dark veins crisscrossing and pulsing, so frightening that one dared not look directly.
He quickly asked the female doctor, "What poison has she ingested? Is there a cure?"
"Your subordinate does not know, but the madam's pulse does not indicate poisoning. Instead, it resembles that of a woman in full term."
This female doctor had studied medicine since childhood and was secretly trained by Zhao Yunyi. She was always placed outside to gather information. When Bai Rantang became pregnant, she was brought back. She was loyal to him, so Zhao Yunyi believed her words.
He was so scared that he collapsed onto the ground, muttering, "Impossible, it's impossible. Didn't the imperial physician examine her? She just became pregnant not long ago."
"Qiuju, you have practiced medicine for many years. Have you ever seen such a situation?" Zhao Yunyi asked with considerable agitation.
"Never."
Upon receiving the answer, Zhao Yunyi's entire demeanor collapsed. Thinking of Bai Rantang's ability to predict the future and then considering the current situation.
Could it be that she was possessed by a mountain spirit? The thought of the woman beside him being an unknown demon sent shivers down his spine.
"Qiuju, guard the room well. I have other matters to attend to."
"Yes."