Chapter 32: The Situation Seems Unfavorable – The Young Man and a Woman Always Talk Alone…

This time, not only was he not allowed to leave the Qingzhu Courtyard, he was even directly locked in the room, not allowed to step out of the door.

During the day, Meng Huan wanted to see the sunlight, but he could only look through the window. He couldn’t think about anything else. Even the storybooks placed in his room were taken away.

Wen Xi could only put things in from outside the door and couldn’t go in to serve him.

Wen Zhaoyin was truly angry, the kind of very angry.

The next time she appeared was the next night. She left directly after having a passionate encounter with him, with almost no communication.

This cycle repeated for several days. Meng Huan finally couldn’t hold back and asked her what she wanted. She then said that he could only regain his freedom after getting pregnant.

These words made him panic. How could he get pregnant? It was such a terrifying thing.

He had argued with her sternly, negotiated with her softly, and even begged humbly, but none of these had any effect.

Wen Zhaoyin was determined to make him pregnant.

She locked Meng Huan up for a whole month. She would come every night, leave without any lingering after finishing, and not let anyone talk to him much, only allowing him to interact with her.

This was an extreme way of taming someone. If it weren’t for his background and resistance that angered her this time, Wen Zhaoyin wouldn’t have used such a method on her own man.

While she was trying to get Meng Huan pregnant, she also sent people to investigate the people behind the Meng family.

In fact, such an investigation had been conducted since he entered the mansion. At that time, she didn’t pay much attention and only sent two people to simply check his family background, without investigating anything else.

Later, when she discovered something was wrong, she slowly started to take it seriously.

And this time, she sent out a team of her most trusted family servants. They were a group of people who had helped the Empress investigate corrupt officials and had never failed to find anything in the current court.

However, after a long investigation, the Meng family’s background was clean, and there was no one supporting them from behind. The reason for Meng Huan’s change in personality was also not clear.

Could some people’s personalities suddenly change greatly? She could only guess like this and couldn’t think of any other reason.

Wen Zhaoyin broke free from her contemplation. After sorting out the official documents on the desk, it was already midnight.

She raised her head to look at the full moon outside the window, picked up a lantern, and went to the Qingzhu Courtyard.

In the first half of the month, Meng Huan still resisted. However, as time went on, he knew that he really couldn’t fight for his freedom, so he stopped struggling in vain.

And in the past few days, his state had become even softer. He didn’t talk much and lacked his usual vitality. Every time she went, she could see him sitting at the door waiting for her.

Wen Zhaoyin pushed open that door and saw him hastily standing up and walking over to greet her. She was very satisfied in her heart. After placing the lantern aside, she turned around and closed the door.

Meng Huan had already obediently hugged her from behind, gently resting his face on her shoulder and rubbing it slightly. “Wife, you came so early today.”

He was unwilling to call her ‘wife’, but after having his eyes covered with a black cloth for two days, he was willing to call her that.

Wen Zhaoyin showed a faint smile but didn’t say anything. She hugged him and walked inside. Saying little was also the key to taming someone.

Meng Huan understood her intention. As they walked, he undressed himself. Anyway, he had to go through this every day, so it was better to finish early and rest early.

He had half-undressed when he suddenly felt very uncomfortable in his stomach. Before he could react, the feeling of nausea surged up.

He couldn’t even speak. He quickly held up his skirt and ran to the side to vomit. He didn’t throw up anything, but he stood there retching for a long time.

Wen Zhaoyin put aside her airs and turned around to bring the teapot on the table to him, gently patting his back to help him catch his breath.

“Did you eat something bad?”

Meng Huan rinsed his mouth and raised his face to look at her, his eyes slightly teary from vomiting. Then he shook his head. “No.”

It should be the thing he feared the most. “I haven’t had my period this month. It’s already six days late…”

In the end, was he really pregnant?

Come to think of it, he was pressed down by her to do it every day. Having a child was just a matter of time.

Thinking of this, he was still as resistant and afraid as before, but he didn’t show it as intensely as before. He was quiet, making it difficult to see his true thoughts.

Wen Zhaoyin’s eyes showed a hint of joy. She continued to pat his back to help him catch his breath. “Shall we invite a physician to take a look?”

“Okay.”

He agreed softly. After glancing at her, he added, “I feel very uncomfortable. I’m afraid I won’t be able to… with you today.”

“Don’t say these things. Let’s see the physician first.”

During the time it took for Pei Lan to arrange for the physician to come, Meng Huan vomited two more times for no reason. His entire state looked sickly, lacking any spirit.

He was locked up, and his body didn’t suffer much, but the damage to his spirit was greater.

Wen Zhaoyin didn’t let people talk to him. At first, he could still talk to himself and play chess with tea on the table. Later, he gradually lost motivation and would only sit by the window every day, staring blankly at the sky.

She had become his sky, the person who controlled all his perceptions. His psychological dependence on her gradually formed in this way.

Even though all of Meng Huan’s fears about pregnancy were caused by Wen Zhaoyin, while waiting for the physician to come, he needed to hold her hand to feel at ease and not become more and more afraid.

Unknowingly, he had developed an absurd dependence on her.

“Wife…” Meng Huan hesitated for a moment before speaking. He carefully observed Wen Zhaoyin’s expression before continuing.

“If I… if I have a… child, can you let me go out for a walk? I won’t wander around. It’s just that I saw it snowing outside and wanted to build a snowman.”

Although he remembered that she said she would give him freedom after he got pregnant, he felt very insecure now and needed to repeatedly confirm to believe it was true.

Wen Zhaoyin saw that he still remembered going out. She slightly tightened her grip on his hand. “No rush. Let’s discuss it after the examination.”

Hearing her say this, Meng Huan felt that all his hopes were shattered. He had no intention of arguing based on reason, only a face full of disappointment.

The physician arrived late. After listening to the described symptoms, she began to take his pulse, but in the end, she still couldn’t determine whether he was pregnant or not.

“The young man’s pulse is very unstable. It’s hard to say whether he is already pregnant. I suggest the master observe for a few days and then take his pulse again.”

If judging based on his current pulse, he should not have a child. But he didn’t have his period, making it difficult for the physician to determine.

The medical knowledge in this world was not so advanced. There weren’t many standards to judge whether one was pregnant or not.

The physician packed up and left. The two people in the room looked at each other, having nothing to say, falling into silence for a while.

Then, after a short while, Meng Huan began to untie his own belt.

Wen Zhaoyin stopped his action. “There’s no need today. Get some rest early.”

If it was still uncertain, it meant it was hard to say whether there was a child or not. What if her recklessness caused some unfavorable consequences? She would rather eliminate all hidden dangers.

Moreover, they had been doing it continuously for a month. No one could maintain their state at all times. Looking at the submissive Meng Huan, she didn’t really feel like it.

Meng Huan’s hand that was untying his belt stopped in mid-air. He didn’t know whether to raise or lower it. A feeling of embarrassment spread across his face.

“Not coming? Then do you want to leave now? Can you… stay with me for a while?”

He lowered his head, not letting anyone see his expression. Wen Zhaoyin could only see his tightly pursed lips. She thought he should be nervous and uneasy now.

She estimated that it was about time. She had locked him up for a whole month. What kind of man could endure this one-month imprisonment?

After all, this one month was completely different from the half-year before. There was no freedom at all, and there was no one to talk to. He was completely dominated by her. It was expected that he would become tame.

She should be happy to have obtained an obedient Meng Huan. However, for some reason, she only felt indifferent, even a little bland.

So what kind of man did she really want? Wen Zhaoyin had some doubts in her heart.

“Okay, I’ll stay with you for a while.”

She sat across from him and, seeing his slightly surprised expression, said, “Go out for a walk tomorrow. You can build a snowman, watch cranes, or visit Wen Shu.”

Seeing him growing thinner and more haggard day by day, Wen Zhaoyin decided not to continue locking him up.

An obedient pet was not what she wanted.

Meng Huan felt that he was almost catching up to Zhao Yun. While Zhao Yun went in and out seven times, he was locked up and released seven times. Carefully counting, he had been locked up by Wen Zhaoyin several times back and forth.

Freedom was hard-earned. He truly understood the meaning of this sentence.

He didn’t do any of the things like building a snowman, watching cranes, or visiting Wen Shu because shortly after Wen Zhaoyin left yesterday, his period miraculously arrived.

He wasn’t pregnant and had also gained freedom. He instantly felt relieved, ignoring most of the soreness and fatigue brought on by the period.

However, he was probably the only one happy about this matter. Anyway, when Wen Zhaoyin came over after hearing the news, her face didn’t look too good.

He was afraid that if she got the wrong idea, she would lock him up again. He also showed some disappointment and self-blame, earnestly playing the role of a concubine who had started to consider his wife.

Being cut off from the outside world for a month was indeed very uncomfortable for Meng Huan, but it wasn’t enough to completely change his personality.

Half of his previous submissive behavior was an act, hoping that through those actions, Wen Zhaoyin would give him some freedom.

Compared to the narrow range of activities in the room, he still felt it was better to be able to stroll around the Wen family’s courtyard.

Winter passed and spring came. Time flew by.

Although Meng Huan often stayed with Wen Zhaoyin, there was still no good news.

The latter thought that it might be because his body hadn’t recovered from the previous miscarriage and didn’t suspect anything. Only Meng Huan himself knew how he had persuaded the kitchen staff to help him buy contraceptive soup.

The guards at the door were very loyal to Wen Zhaoyin, and the young servants sweeping the courtyard were all men. These people couldn’t help buy medicine.

However, she had overlooked one thing and hadn’t included the loyalty of the kitchen staff in her plan, which gave Meng Huan an opportunity.

He first used some favors to become familiar with the new young cook, and then with the excuse of wanting to eat something with a unique taste, he asked the young cook to buy a bunch of messy medicinal ingredients.

After the ingredients were bought back, he lied to the young cook, saying it was an abortion drug. He deceived her, saying that this was a plot to harm the family’s heir and that if discovered, she would be beaten half to death and then kicked out of the mansion.

And if she could agree to his request, he would keep this secret forever.

The request was to keep helping him buy contraceptive soup that wouldn’t harm his body…

The young cook was illiterate and had a particularly timid personality. Being threatened like this, she was instantly flustered and agreed to his request, tremblingly helping him buy the medicine.

Meng Huan estimated that even if she realized she had been tricked afterwards, there was nothing she could do. Once she boarded his pirate ship, it wasn’t easy to get off.

In fact, he and the young cook had a mutually beneficial relationship. It was said that her biological father was very sick, and her mother wouldn’t give her money for treatment, almost causing him to die.

The money he gave was just enough to solve the young cook’s urgent problem and treat her biological father’s illness, preventing her from losing a loved one at a young age.

Even if she was tricked, she had nothing to be dissatisfied with.

“Young master, it’s time to take your medicine.” Wen Xi walked in from outside, holding a bowl of black liquid in his hand. Meng Huan didn’t even frown when he saw it. He directly picked it up and gulped it down in one breath, his posture quite bold.

He had told the physician that he wanted to nourish his body, so the physician prescribed a soup for him. In reality, he had the young cook in the kitchen swap the nourishing soup with the contraceptive soup. After it was cooked, it was openly sent to him.

Meng Huan didn’t expect that he could design each step so well and even deceive Wen Zhaoyin. It was really not easy.

Today was the time for him to meet with the young cook. Every once in a while, he had to give her some money, partly to buy medicine and the rest as a reward for her hard work.

That idiot Wen Xi was too straightforward. He didn’t even know about the medicine swap, lest he might cause trouble if he knew. Meng Huan handled everything himself, so he had to give the money in person.

He took the opportunity while Wen Xi was loosening the soil in the courtyard to slip out, carrying a basket and walking towards the kitchen. Even if someone asked, he could say he was going to get some food or snacks.

In fact, originally, he only needed to put the money in a designated place, and the young cook would naturally find a time when no one was around to take it herself. The two of them didn’t even need to meet.

However, Meng Huan discovered that the money he had left in that place the day before yesterday was still in the same place for the past two days, untouched.

This made him a little anxious. He even started thinking, could it be that the young cook didn’t want to help him buy medicine anymore? Wouldn’t he be at risk of getting pregnant again if he ran out of medicine?

He guessed for a long time but couldn’t come up with a result, so he decided to go see the young cook today and give her a warning at the same time.

After walking for a while, turning corner after corner, he arrived at the kitchen. He saw the young cook picking vegetables from a distance.

So he called out, “Li He’an! Come over and talk!”

He felt that the less confident he was, the more likely he would be discovered. Being so righteous and open like this made it less likely for people to suspect him.

Moreover, he felt that he was only drinking contraceptive soup and had nothing to feel guilty about, so his demeanor was more natural when he spoke.

In contrast, the young cook Li He’an, who believed she was doing something wrong, subconsciously started feeling guilty. She put down the vegetables and ran over, not daring to look directly at Meng Huan.

This scene attracted the attention of the head chef. She also walked up to Meng Huan together with the young cook. “Young master, what are your instructions?”

“In the second month, the spring breeze is as cold as a knife. There is still some chill outside. In the future, if you have any instructions, you can send a servant to tell us. We will definitely follow them.”

He was now the only man in Wen Zhaoyin’s rear courtyard. Although there was no mention of any title, everyone still respected him on the surface.

Meng Huan waved his hand to indicate that it was nothing. “It’s not cold, not cold. Head chef, please go back to your work. I’ll just talk to Little Li.”

The head chef naturally couldn’t go against his wishes and could only quietly step back to do her own thing, leaving the place to him and Li He’an.

“Young master, why did you come?” Li He’an seemed very nervous, especially when the head chef came over just now. She felt like her heart was about to jump out.

It was the first time he had suddenly looked for her like this. She really didn’t know what to do.

Meng Huan lowered his voice a little. “Why didn’t you take the money? Have you bought the medicine these past few days?”

So it was about this matter. The young cook understood and said directly, “Young master, my biological father’s illness has greatly improved. There’s no need to spend money anymore. I still have some silver coins, so I didn’t take the ones you left.”

How could this girl be so foolish? Just because her biological father’s illness had improved, she didn’t need money anymore? He glared at her and said, “What I give you, just take it! Remember to find time to take the money.”

“Did you hear me?”

“Alright then…” The young cook hesitated but still agreed.

After finishing the matter, Meng Huan left, completely unaware that the head chef was looking at the two of them from a distance with a thoughtful expression. He was still secretly delighted that everything was normal, not knowing that he had already exposed his flaws.

—

Wen Zhaoyin was promoted. From the Left Deputy Censor, she became the Right Assistant Minister. Although it didn’t seem to change much, her official position had risen by one rank.

She became even busier during the day, occasionally returning home late. Even after returning home, she had to continuously handle matters, almost having no free time every day.

The head chef told Pei Lan about what she had seen and heard today, saying that Meng Huan was getting too close to the young woman in the rear kitchen. Under the principle of keeping a distance between men and women, it was somewhat inappropriate.

Moreover, it wasn’t the first time the two of them stood together and talked alone, always not letting others hear. Many servants had started privately speculating that they had something going on. She was afraid that the master would be kept in the dark, so she specifically came to report.

On the surface, Pei Lan seriously noted down the head chef’s words, but in fact, she didn’t take it to heart. After all, she was always by the master’s side and knew that Young Master Meng had a weak sense of keeping a distance between men and women. Standing together and talking didn’t necessarily mean there was something going on.

The master had many things to worry about every day. Mentioning such a small matter seemed unworthy.

She originally planned not to say anything for now, but it just so happened that Wen Zhaoyin saw her and asked her what the cook had come for as soon as she returned.

Pei Lan had no choice but to tell the truth. “Recently, Young Master Meng has been getting close to a young cook. They occasionally stand together and talk. Some servants have speculated that they have something going on…”

“I thought of inquiring first. If it’s true, I would then tell you, lest these rumors waste your time.”

There were many men in the rear courtyard, so there were naturally many gossipy matters. Although Pei Lan was Wen Zhaoyin’s personal maid, she was also half a housekeeper. When managing affairs, she had heard all sorts of rumors and gossip.

Nine out of ten of these rumors were false, so she had a preconceived notion and wanted to first discern the truth before telling Wen Zhaoyin.

The latter didn’t blame her for not telling her immediately, only saying, “What’s there to inquire about? Go and call that young cook over. I’ll ask her a few questions and the truth will be clear.”

Subjectively, Wen Zhaoyin felt that it was impossible for Meng Huan to have something going on with a young cook. A man she couldn’t even tame, how could he easily fool around with a cook?

But the rumors had already spread, even to the extent that someone specifically came to report it, which somewhat affected Meng Huan’s reputation.

So she wanted to call the person in front of her to talk, directly dispelling those rumors and protecting his reputation.

Wen Zhaoyin had good intentions, but when the guard brought the young cook Li He’an over, the moment she saw Wen Zhaoyin, she was so scared that she immediately kowtowed repeatedly.

At that moment, Wen Zhaoyin started to feel that the situation seemed a bit unfavorable.