Capítulo 1444: Chapter 1422: Pregnant
The Crown Princess nodded repeatedly, feeling a bit anxious herself. She placed a hand on her stomach and whispered, “I haven’t dared to let His Highness sleep in the room these past two days.”
It had been twenty-three days since Manbao last said it was okay to share a bed.
Manbao turned on the spot and felt her pulse. It seemed like it might be, but it also seemed like it might not. In the end, it was simply too early to tell.
After some thought, Manbao glanced at the box in the medicine chest, gritted her teeth, and paid Keke a few points to scan directly.
Hmph, if it turns out you all just wait, how dare you threaten me! Hmph hmph!
The Crown Princess was unaware of Manbao’s thoughts. Seeing her gripping her pulse while staring blankly ahead, she too swallowed nervously, waiting anxiously.
Keke quickly deducted some points and then scanned. Before long, the scanned data was displayed in Manbao’s mind.
Manbao stared at the tiny new life appearing in the Crown Princess’s belly, her eyes bright as stars.
Manbao didn’t even need to speak; the Crown Princess understood from her reaction. Her hand trembled, and she asked in a quivering voice, “Am I?”
Fearing she might frighten her, Manbao carefully nodded after exiting the system and said in a low voice, “It’s still early, about twenty-one days or so. We’ll need to wait another ten days or so to confirm.”
The Crown Princess felt weak all over and leaned back in her chair, saying, “But, but I’ve heard that a woman shouldn’t announce her pregnancy until after three months.”
Manbao nodded, “That’s true, but you still have to see a doctor. I wouldn’t say anything, but given your and the Crown Prince’s situation, shouldn’t you call a royal physician?”
Of course, they should.
The Crown Princess’s muddled mind finally cleared up, and she suddenly thought of many things.
She was pregnant, and the Crown Prince had an heir. This instantly solved most of their current problems, so they definitely needed to call a royal physician.
Once the royal physician came, even if they didn’t announce it, the people who needed to know would know anyway.
Besides…
The Crown Princess turned to look at the Crown Prince, who was still asleep on the bed, and tightly gripped Manbao’s hand, unintentionally squeezing it until it hurt Manbao.
She didn’t want the Crown Prince to take that path.
It was a path where one gambled with their life.
She didn’t think they could succeed, so it was highly likely the Eastern Palace would be ruined, affecting her Third Brother and possibly the Su Family’s future development for decades.
Previously, she had no choice, but now she did, and the Crown Prince had a choice too.
She swallowed and raised her head to Manbao with a slight smile, “Doctor Zhou Junior, can you come to the palace every day to check on me? I have no experience, and there are dangers lurking everywhere in this palace. The Crown Prince and I only trust you.”
Manbao’s mouth opened slightly in surprise.
The Crown Princess continued, “We’ll be counting on you a lot with this child in the future.”
She knew very well that Manbao was also skilled in childbirth, even managing to ensure the safety of both mother and child in cases like Han Wuniang’s.
Manbao, who was quietly planning to treat the Crown Prince and then avoid the palace: …
She hesitated and said softly, “Your Highness, although I’m skilled in medicine, I have no experience with pregnancy.”
“It’s okay. I just want you to come every day to check my pulse to give me peace of mind. Just seeing you makes me feel a lot more at ease.”
Manbao noticed her hand sweating from holding her own and felt she was overly tense.
She remembered what Teacher Mo had said, one reason humans abandoned natural gestation was the significant impact maternal emotions had on the fetus. Anxiety or fear during pregnancy could lead to fetal death or maldevelopment.
This child is their hope.
Manbao shivered and immediately nodded in agreement, “Don’t worry, I’ll frequently come to the palace to check your pulse.”
“You’ll come tomorrow?”
After a brief silence, Manbao said, “It’s not a problem for me, but if I come to the palace daily, there might be speculation outside.”
The Crown Princess’s eyes shifted slightly, battling internally. After a moment, she asked, “Doctor Zhou Junior, can you confirm I’m definitely pregnant?”
Manbao nodded, convinced. Though she couldn’t yet detect a definite pulse, Keke’s scanning couldn’t be wrong.
The Crown Princess calculated quickly; the skilled royal physicians could typically determine a pregnancy a month in, so another ten days should suffice.
She made a decisive choice, “I ask Doctor Zhou Junior to come to the palace tomorrow.”
Manbao understood her intention and nodded in agreement.
Glancing at the hourglass in the corner of the room, Manbao turned to adjust the Crown Prince’s needle, carefully timing when to remove it.
The Crown Prince, who had been sleeping soundly, lifted his eyelids to glance at the shadow in front of him, then closed them again to continue sleeping.
When he awoke again, it was half an hour later.
The Crown Princess was also asleep on another recliner, while Manbao was sitting comfortably in a chair, enjoying some snacks.
Having confirmed the pregnancy, the Crown Princess no longer kept her distance from Manbao, knowing her fondness for snacks and ordering the kitchen to prepare an array of them.
The table was filled, but Manbao dared not eat too much for fear of indigestion, so she selectively picked her favorites to eat and tried a bite of those she’d never tasted before.
The Crown Prince lifted his quilt and got up. Donning his inner robe, he saw the Crown Princess still asleep on the recliner, he frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with the Crown Princess?”
She rarely didn’t keep watch over him while he was asleep.
Manbao shushed him, glanced at the closed door, and said, “The Crown Princess is pregnant. She might be drowsy during this time.”
The Crown Prince stood frozen in place.
After a while, he walked over to Manbao and sat down, picking up a snack but not eating it. He furrowed his brow and turned to her, “What did you just say happened to the Crown Princess?”
Manbao sipped tea, swallowed the snack, then glanced at him and said, “The Crown Princess is pregnant, about twenty-one days along.”
The Crown Prince suddenly crushed the snack in his hand.
Manbao glanced at the scattered crumbs, gathered all the snacks towards her, and disposed of the crumbs.
The Crown Prince’s hand was slightly trembling, and it took him a moment to find his voice, “I’m, alright?”
Manbao replied, “Let’s continue with the acupuncture for another month, it’ll help you recover better.”
After a brief pause, Manbao added, “Just don’t indulge excessively, did you look at the booklet I gave the Crown Princess?”
She continued, “It should detail the general frequency of relations between men and women…”
“Enough,” the Crown Prince, slightly regaining his composure, glanced at her, “What would a young girl like you know about such matters with me?”
He got up and went to the Crown Princess’ side, intending to lay her down for better rest but feared waking her, so he withdrew his hand instead.
After some thought, he gently draped the quilt he had been using over her and sat beside her, lost in thought.
Having had her fill, Manbao gently patted her hands, sorted through her medicine box, and gestured to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince frowned at her, stood up, and walked over, furrowing his brow as he asked, “What is it?”