Chapter 184: A Fortuitous Affair

 Chapter 184: A Fortuitous Affair

"What did you say? Concubine Lin fainted?"  

Daohua looked at Wang Man'er with surprise, then shook her head in disbelief. "The timing couldn't be worse. Father’s already left, and now she faints—who is she trying to impress? She could have done it earlier."

Wang Man'er, seeing that Daohua thought Concubine Lin was pretending, quickly clarified, "She really fainted. Her face was as pale as death, and Madam has already sent for a physician."

Daohua paused for a moment. "She really fainted? Why? Is it because Father left in a hurry and didn’t pay her attention, and now she's so upset she fainted?" She clicked her tongue. "She's truly spoiled by Father. She's so fragile and has such poor mental resilience!"

Wang Man'er, seeing Daohua still joking around, looked at her with a helpless expression. She opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately swallowed her words.

Noticing her hesitation, Daohua grew curious. "What is it? If you have something to say, just say it. Don't hold back."

Wang Man'er hesitated and finally spoke, "Miss, when I used to follow my father on escort missions, I once saw a woman faint, and it turned out she was pregnant."

Upon hearing this, Daohua froze, her mind going blank for a long while.

"Really?"

Daohua felt her temples throb as a thought quickly crossed her mind. After all the effort her father had made to distance himself from the people at Shuangxing Courtyard, was everything about to be undone? "Let's go, we should head to the main courtyard."

Unable to sit still, Daohua grabbed Wang Man'er and hurried toward the main courtyard.

Just as they reached the entrance, they saw Ping Xiao escorting the physician out.

Daohua quickly asked, "Ping Xiao, is Concubine Lin alright?"

Ping Xiao gave Daohua a complex look before answering, "Miss, you should ask Madam."

Daohua's heart sank. She immediately turned and rushed into the courtyard. "Mother, what's going on with Concubine Lin?"

Madam Li glanced up at her daughter, her expression calm. "Congratulations, you’re going to be an older sister again."

"She's really pregnant?!"

Daohua’s eyes widened in shock, her face a mix of disbelief and frustration.

Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Madam Li shot her a stern look. "Close your mouth. It’s not that big of a deal. Why are you so surprised?"

Daohua immediately moved closer to Madam Li. "Mother, aren’t you worried? Father has always favored Concubine Lin. Now that she's pregnant, her position will only rise higher."

Madam Li replied calmly, "What’s there to worry about? She’s your father’s concubine, and your father likes to spend nights there." She stopped abruptly, realizing it was an inappropriate topic to discuss with her young daughter.

Seeing her mother fall silent, Daohua shook her arm.

Madam Li sighed, her tone softer. "At the end of the day, Concubine Lin being pregnant is a good thing for the Yan family."

"But it’s not good for us," Daohua blurted out without thinking.

Madam Li quickly glanced at the others in the room. Seeing that only Ping Tong and Wang Man'er were present, she let out a sigh of relief before speaking seriously to Daohua. "You can speak about this with me, but never let it show to anyone else, especially to Old Madam Yan. She loves you, but she also wants the Yan family to thrive and grow."

Daohua, sensing her mother’s seriousness, nodded obediently.

Madam Li stroked her daughter’s head, offering some comfort. "Don’t worry. When Concubine Lin gave birth to the twins, I managed. Now that you and your siblings are all so accomplished, I’m not afraid anymore."

Daohua sighed deeply. "What kind of situation is this? Just when things were starting to settle down, now it’s all going to stir up again." 

Prefect Magistrate Guo was hosting a banquet for officials from the Central Province during the Dragon Boat Festival, and of course, Xiao Yeyang was going to be there. This time, Yan Wenxiu and his brothers were also invited. 

With that, a large portion of the Yan family was away, and with Concubine Lin’s pregnancy, every household had their own thoughts. This year's Dragon Boat Festival felt somewhat quiet and lonely.

Yan Zhigao returned in the afternoon of the second day of the festival.

Upon hearing the news, the entire Yan family gathered at the front gate to greet him.

Looking at Concubine Lin and her two children swaggering toward them, Daohua felt a headache coming on, while Yan Zhiyuan and the others exchanged knowing glances with Madam Li.

Ping Xiao snorted and muttered, "She's just pregnant and already acting so proud. Doesn’t she fear straining herself?"

Madam Li shot her a sharp look. "Don’t cause trouble," she said, then turned her attention to Concubine Lin. "You’ve just conceived, and your body is still delicate. It’s better for you to stay inside and not come out."

Concubine Lin smiled weakly, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I just wanted to be the first to tell the master that he’s going to be a father again." She touched her belly, radiating happiness.

Daohua couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She knew it—this woman would use her pregnancy to stir trouble. Just two days in, and she was already out here showing off.

At that moment, Yan Zhigao’s carriage arrived.

When Concubine Lin saw Yan Zhigao step down, she was eager to approach him, but to her shock, another young, beautiful, and enchanting woman stepped down right after him.

The woman was about twenty, with her hair styled in a married woman’s fashion, standing shyly next to Yan Zhigao, appearing demure and dependent.

At this sight, not only was Concubine Lin dumbfounded, but the rest of the Yan family stood frozen in surprise.

"Ahem~"

Seeing the stunned faces of his family, Yan Zhigao awkwardly cleared his throat, smiled at Madam Li, and pointed to the woman. "Madam, this is Liu Shi." He then looked at Liu Shi. "Liu Shi, go ahead and greet the Madam."

Liu Shi immediately stepped forward, kneeling before Madam Li with a soft thud, respectfully bowing. "This servant, Liu Shi, greets the Madam."

After Liu Shi finished her kowtow, Madam Li finally snapped back to reality. She glanced at the somewhat uncomfortable Yan Zhigao and quickly said, "Please rise." She gestured to Ping Tong to help Liu Shi up.

Once Liu Shi stood, Madam Li regained her composure and forced a smile. "Master, you must be tired from your journey. Please go and freshen up."

Yan Zhigao nodded, said nothing, and walked straight into the house, ignoring Concubine Lin, who was still standing by.

Madam Li shot her daughter, who looked like her eyes might pop out from shock, a quick glance and hurried to follow Yan Zhigao inside.

As they left, the rest of the family slowly regained their senses and exchanged glances before hurrying after them.

Daohua stood frozen, staring at their retreating figures. "Father’s only been gone for two days, and now there’s another concubine? Truly, he’s blessed with good fortune!" She flung her handkerchief and quickly ran to catch up.

At the front gate, Concubine Lin remained standing there, dazed, until everyone had gone inside. Finally, she came to her senses.

"I haven’t even told the master I’m pregnant yet!" she muttered to herself.

Yan Yishuang and Yan Wenbin, both anxious, realized that their father hadn’t acknowledged Concubine Lin at all.

"Yiniang let’s go inside," they urged.

The main house wasn’t a place for petty concubine squabbles—let the concubines fight amongst themselves.

(End of Chapter)