At the Youpeng Teahouse, in a private room.
Sheng Mingzhu finally met Zhu Qisheng.
Ever since she was provoked by Huang Yaning that day, Sheng Mingzhu couldn’t eat or sleep, terrified that Xia Zhi might become pregnant with Zhu Qisheng’s child.
In fact, way back after she fell into the water that day, when the Princess of Jing agreed to let Xia Zhi enter the residence, Sheng Mingzhu had already wanted to ruin Xia Zhi’s body.
She didn’t act back then because she didn’t have anyone she could trust to buy that kind of medicine for her, and the senior brother who could supply her with the medicine wasn’t in the capital…
Then she was bullied by that little wretch from Haitang Court, making her life so miserable that she put the matter aside.
Sheng Mingzhu was actually quite angry inside when Zhu Qisheng got scared and ran off that day.
It wasn’t like she had wanted to eat that disgusting thing?
She had been badly humiliated, yet the Sheng哥哥 she claimed to like didn’t help her seek justice; instead, he ran away in fright and then avoided her afterward.
She was so mad she didn’t want to deal with Zhu Qisheng either.
But Sheng Mingzhu never imagined that Xia Zhi, that sly vixen, would become Zhu Qisheng’s woman so quickly.
If she still didn’t take action, Sheng Mingzhu was truly afraid Xia Zhi would get pregnant with Zhu Qisheng’s child.
So she decided to act. She had Yuluo deliver a letter for her, and today she finally succeeded in arranging a meeting with Zhu Qisheng.
“Sheng哥哥…”
As soon as Sheng Mingzhu spoke, tears fell like beads from a broken necklace.
Her gaze was infatuated, with a hint of resentment as well.
The medicinal baths over this period had worked; her beauty now surpassed even her former self.
Sheng Mingzhu also knew exactly which expression and look in her eyes were the most captivating.
Soon, she saw admiration flash in Zhu Qisheng’s eyes.
“Mingzhu, my dear…”
Zhu Qisheng’s voice was filled with boundless affection.
Sheng Mingzhu felt secretly pleased but covered her face with her handkerchief, crying as if wronged.
“Boo hoo hoo…
“Sheng哥哥, I thought you had forgotten about me…”
Zhu Qisheng immediately grew anxious. They were already sitting close together.
He simply pulled Sheng Mingzhu by the shoulder and drew her into his arms.
“Mingzhu, my dear… How could I ever forget you… I think of you day and night; I will never forget you…”
If Sheng Mingzhu had heard those words before, she would have felt sweet.
But today, she felt a faint wave of nausea.
You think of me day and night, and yet you still slept with Xia Zhi?
What do you take me for?
But she couldn’t lose her temper. She had to swallow her anger and sound even more pitiful.
“But, Seventh Sister told me that you and Xia Zhi… already…”
Zhu Qisheng’s face stiffened. He had thought he was keeping it well hidden.
He never expected that in just over a month, his dear Mingzhu would already hear about it.
That loose-lipped little wretch, Sheng Qi — she really needed to be taught a lesson!
Seeing his dear Mingzhu looking at him with tearful eyes, he felt deeply guilty.
Today’s Mingzhu seemed to have returned to how she used to be, both beautiful and delicate.
That made Zhu Qisheng briefly forget the memory of that frog from last time.
“It’s my fault. I was drunk… and mistook her for you…
“Do you blame me? Hate me?”
“Sheng哥哥… How could I hate you? I only hate myself… hate myself for being so useless and unworthy…”
“Go on, hit me —”
Zhu Qisheng took Sheng Mingzhu’s hand and tried to make her slap his own face.
“How could I bear to hurt… the one I love…”
With that, Sheng Mingzhu let two more tears fall, looking utterly heartbroken.
“Maybe Xia Zhi is already carrying your child, Sheng哥哥. I’m here to wish you both happiness…
“I… can’t come between you. In the future, no matter how much I miss you, Sheng哥哥… I won’t come out to see you again…”
Sheng Mingzhu said this while trying to break free from Zhu Qisheng’s embrace, but he only held her tighter.
Zhu Qisheng didn’t realize this was a tactic of feigning retreat to advance.
He couldn’t see through it at all. He only felt that his dear Mingzhu was afraid of losing him, and that her little face had turned white from the pain.
His dear Mingzhu was so fragile, so in love with him — he wanted nothing more than to press her into his very flesh and blood.
“Mingzhu, my dear, believe me! In this lifetime, I will love only you!”
“But… Xia Zhi might already be carrying your child, Sheng哥哥…
“In the future, once you have your own child, I… I absolutely cannot interfere…”
Sheng Mingzhu lay limp and boneless in Zhu Qisheng’s arms, constantly bringing up the child.
Zhu Qisheng finally got the hint and promised.
“Mingzhu, my dear, rest assured. I guarantee there will be no child before you enter the residence…”
Sheng Mingzhu secretly rejoiced but pretended not to understand.
They went on being lovey-dovey for a while. At one point, Zhu Qisheng was so impulsive he wanted to kiss Sheng Mingzhu…
But at the critical moment, the memory of the “frog” jumped back into his mind.
He felt as if struck by lightning, his body going rigid. In the end, he only kissed her on the forehead.
Sheng Mingzhu was both angry and aggrieved inside, but she could only pretend not to notice, acting all shy and bashful.
In their previous life, before they married, their hearts belonged only to each other — vows of eternal love, a mutual devotion.
What happiness and romance that was!
But in this life, their relationship was filled with suspicion, cracks, and scheming, becoming fragile and fake.
After they parted, Sheng Mingzhu returned to the residence with Yuluo, who had been waiting outside.
And Zhu Qisheng was ruthless too. He left the teahouse and went straight to a medicine shop.
That very night, Zhu Qisheng bought some pastries for Xia Zhi. He had added something to them.
Xia Zhi happily ate the pastries and soon felt a dragging pain in her lower abdomen. Her face turned as pale as paper, and she broke out in cold sweat.
Then, she collapsed to the ground, letting out agonized wails…
Blood soaked her skirt, and the room filled with the stench of blood…
Zhu Qisheng stood there in a daze, apparently not expecting Xia Zhi to already be pregnant — and to have a miscarriage on the spot…
By the time the Princess of Jing arrived and learned what had happened, and also heard that Xia Zhi had injured her body and would never be able to have children again…
The Princess immediately summoned the people around Zhu Qisheng for questioning and found out that he had met Sheng Mingzhu that day.
What else was there for the Princess to understand?
She was shaking with rage!
She could not tolerate her son destroying his own offspring for a woman like Sheng Mingzhu.
If her son could drug Xia Zhi today, he might drug her someday!
The Princess of Jing secretly made up her mind: Sheng Mingzhu would never enter the Prince of Qi’s residence in this lifetime — not even as a concubine!
When Xia Zhi woke up and learned she had miscarried and injured her body…
She nearly went mad.
Xia Zhi had always hoped to get pregnant with the Prince of Qi’s child as soon as possible, so she could rise to the top in one stroke.
Now her path to the top was cut off. What was she going to do?
Just then, Old Nurse Wang arrived. Old Nurse Wang brought many tonics and told Xia Zhi:
The Prince of Qi had gone to the teahouse that day to see Sheng Mingzhu, and he had brought back pastries as soon as he returned to the residence…
Xia Zhi’s eyes instantly blazed with fury!
Sheng — Ming — Zhu!
Xia Zhi’s hatred for Sheng Mingzhu erupted like a volcano!
If Sheng Mingzhu were standing in front of her, Xia Zhi would have loved to eat her alive!
Summoning every ounce of her strength, she said:
“Nurse, please help me pass this message to the Princess: back when Sheng Mingzhu was treating her leg…
“she used medicine that harmed her body. She will never be able to have children in this lifetime either…”
Old Nurse Wang was stunned. “This old servant understands…”
What Xia Zhi didn’t know was that the medicine shop where Zhu Qisheng bought the drug was the very same shop where she had bought medicine for Sheng Mingzhu.
The same shop. The same sterility drug.
She had harmed Sheng Mingzhu. And now, through twists and turns, Sheng Mingzhu had made the Prince of Qi harm her…
Harm others, and you harm yourself in the end.
