Chapter 79

The Main Hall of the Prince Rong Mansion’s Main Courtyard

Cheng Ruyi was munching on dried meat jerky as she waited for Rong Mo to return. Looking at the basin of delicious meat jerky made by the head chef sitting in front of her young miss, Moxiang’s forehead was covered in black lines.

It was almost time for dinner, yet the young miss was still eating non-stop.

They had already replaced the basin of meat jerky just a moment ago.

Prince Rong’s mouth twitched slightly as he watched from the side. His daughter-in-law had been far too capable of eating over the past two days; her mouth had hardly stopped moving. According to his son, she would even wake up from hunger in the middle of the night to look for dried meat to eat.

“Ahem, Ruyi girl, is that meat jerky good?”

With her cheeks puffed out, Cheng Ruyi nodded vigorously, her eyes exceptionally bright. “It’s delicious, Father! You should try a piece, it’s really good. My favorite is the spicy flavor.”

“Is that so?”

Prince Rong had Li Fan fetch a piece of the meat jerky. He put it in his mouth and took a bite. The meat was tender and full of aroma—it was indeed delicious.

“This tastes like… venison jerky…” Prince Rong immediately figured it out after eating it.

Cheng Ruyi nodded cheerfully. “It is venison jerky! Today, I discovered several herds of deer in the mountains and brought back an entire den. While the animals in the mountains are still dormant right now, I need to hunt more and hoard them.”

Speaking of this, Cheng Ruyi was actually a bit embarrassed. She had been far too capable of eating lately.

Not only dried fish and dried meat, but she also consumed a massive amount of vegetables and fruits every single day. If she didn’t eat, she would starve. She was genuinely afraid she might eat through the next two years’ worth of food reserves all by herself.

Therefore, she had no choice but to hunt more game to replenish the stocks.

The mountain ranges outside the capital stretched on endlessly. The outer fringes were fine, but venturing deeper was extremely dangerous, as ferocious beasts roamed everywhere. She just didn’t know if the water sources in the mountains would be affected once the drought arrived. If packs of dangerous animals were driven out of the mountains at that time, it would be incredibly perilous.

To fill her stomach, Cheng Ruyi had no choice but to slaughter a portion of every animal population she encountered and bring them back.

The people of the capital had already grown numb to the sight.

Even the Emperor in the imperial palace sighed with regret, lamenting that Cheng Ruyi had been born the wrong gender. If she had been born a man, the Great Zhou Dynasty would undoubtedly have gained another fierce and formidable general.

What a pity.

Cheng Ruyi was not someone who kept good food to herself. She always sent some of the game she hunted back to her parents and younger brother at the Marquis Changle Mansion, to her cousin Luo Fei, and to Master Gongsun Yi, who taught her how to play the qin.

Master Gongsun Yi looked far too much like her father from her past life, so Cheng Ruyi had a great fondness for him and never forgot to include him whenever there were good things to share.

It was just like the dried shark meat from before.

Shark meat didn’t taste very good unless it was meticulously prepared. However, anyone who could become a head chef always possessed a few tricks up their sleeve. Since the Consort of the Heir Apparent wanted to eat dried shark meat, they had to exhaust all their skills to turn it into delicious fish jerky.

Over the past few days, Master Gongsun Yi had frequently received dried meat and jerky brought to him by Rong Mo. His reaction had shifted from initial surprise to subsequent delight.

These meats and jerkies were all crafted by famous chefs and tasted superb.

Gongsun Yi had eaten many delicacies from land and sea, so dried meat was usually nothing extraordinary to him. However, knowing this was a token of Cheng Ruyi’s respect made him feel deeply comforted.

Cheng Ruyi, Prince Rong, and Rong Ting finished off the basin of meat jerky together. This time, she didn’t ask Moxiang to bring another one.

Sitting to the side, Rong Ting groaned as he rubbed his stomach; he had eaten until he was a bit bloated.

“So full!”

What should he do? He wouldn’t be able to eat dinner later.

Cheng Ruyi giggled. “Who told you to eat so much!”

Rong Ting blushed in embarrassment and murmured softly, “The venison jerky was just too good!”

Cheng Ruyi smiled with immense pride. “Of course it’s good, it was made by our mansion’s head chef.”

In truth, Prince Rong was also a bit stuffed and even felt a lingering desire for more, but he was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

Cheng Ruyi turned to look at Prince Rong. “Father, Ah Mo should be back soon, right?”

Prince Rong surreptitiously rubbed his stomach and nodded. “Yes.”

Speak of the devil. Just as Prince Rong finished speaking, they saw Rong Mo walking in, bringing an imperial physician with him.

“Ah Mo, you’re back! Li Fan, go and tell the kitchen to serve the food quickly,” Cheng Ruyi instructed happily the moment she saw Rong Mo’s tall and straight figure.

Li Fan accepted the order and left.

“Father, Ruyi, I’m back. This is Imperial Physician Chen. Imperial Physician Chen, please check my wife’s pulse,” Rong Mo said. His expression softened slightly when he looked at Cheng Ruyi, and he turned to address the physician.

“Ah Mo, what are you saying? I’m not sick, there’s no need to check my pulse,” Cheng Ruyi said, utterly bewildered. Her body was perfectly healthy—healthier than anyone else here.

Rong Mo smiled gently, walked over to sit by her side, and stroked her hair. “I know you’re not sick. I just want the imperial physician to check your pulse.”

“Oh!” Hearing this, Cheng Ruyi nodded, though she still found it a bit strange.

Prince Rong was thoughtful at first, but then his eyes lit up, and he looked at his daughter-in-law with an expression full of anticipation.

Imperial Physician Chen first bowed to Prince Rong, then prepared to check Cheng Ruyi’s pulse. “May the Consort of the Heir Apparent please extend her hand.”

Cheng Ruyi carelessly stretched her hand out.

Looking at the Consort’s skin, which was as white as coagulated fat, Imperial Physician Chen hesitated for a moment. He glanced at Rong Mo, who frowned and said, “There is no need for so much formality. Just take her pulse directly.”

The physician was an old man anyway. While Rong Mo was prone to jealousy, he wasn’t jealous all the time. Furthermore, if they placed a silk handkerchief between them, who knew if it would lead to a misdiagnosis?

Such situations occurred frequently in the imperial harem. It was especially easy to make mistakes with imperial concubines who were only in the early stages of pregnancy.

Seeing this, Imperial Physician Chen said no more. He placed his fingers onto Cheng Ruyi’s wrist. After a few moments, a look of joy surfaced on his face. “Congratulations, Your Royal Highness! Congratulations, Heir Apparent! The Consort is with child.”

“Really?!” Rong Mo nearly stood up in his excitement.

Prince Rong was even more ecstatic.

Imperial Physician Chen nodded and said with a smile, “Although the pulse is still faint, it is undoubtedly a pregnancy pulse.”

“That’s wonderful! Ruyi, we are going to have a child!” Rong Mo hugged Cheng Ruyi excitedly.

“So it turns out I have a baby! That’s amazing!” Cheng Ruyi’s eyes widened, and she immediately beamed with joy as she stroked her lower abdomen. She was going to have a baby?

No wonder she had been so capable of eating these past few days.

She remembered that when her eldest sister was pregnant, she also seemed to have a massive appetite. In the end, the baby born was also an ability-user.

It looked like her baby would be an ability-user too.

“I’m going to be an uncle!” Rong Ting chimed in excitedly from the side, wearing a silly grin. Once his little nephew was born, he would take him out to play.

Watching the excited and joyful young couple, Imperial Physician Chen stroked his beard and smiled as well.

Prince Rong was beyond delighted. His daughter-in-law was simply too efficient; she had only been married into the family for less than two months and she was already pregnant. Just thinking about how he would have a cute little grandson in nine months made his heart swell with excitement.

Standing to the side, Moxiang and Nanny Yang were also overjoyed.

After Imperial Physician Chen wrote down a list of precautions, Rong Mo gave him a hefty red envelope. On top of that, he generously gifted him a bottle of the divine medicine, which absolutely thrilled the old physician.

This was a divine medicine! With it, an old man like him might just be able to live for several more years.

After seeing Imperial Physician Chen out, Prince Rong immediately announced that the monthly allowance of all servants in the mansion would be doubled for this month. At the same time, he sent people to the Marquis Changle Mansion to inform their in-laws of the good news.

The servants were ecstatic upon learning this joyful news.

After happily enjoying their evening meal, Rong Mo and Cheng Ruyi returned to their room.

The temperature had risen over the past two days, so while the weather was still a bit chilly, the water was no longer freezing. A charcoal brazier was still burning in the room.

The candlelight flickered.

Rong Mo’s eyes were filled with a warmth as blissful as the spring sun. He reached out and gently caressed Cheng Ruyi’s abdomen. “Ruyi, I am so happy… so very happy…”

Cheng Ruyi nodded with crescent-shaped, smiling eyes. “We have a baby. No wonder I was so hungry before. Ah Mo, when the baby is born in the future, they might have special abilities just like me.”

Rong Mo was pleasantly surprised. “Really?”

Cheng Ruyi nodded, smiling rather proudly. “Of course.”

“Ah Mo, now that we have a baby, I’ve decided to hunt even more game to store up.”

Hearing this, Rong Mo immediately gripped her hand tightly, looking extremely tense. “Ruyi, you are with child now. You mustn’t go hunting anymore. Whatever game you want to eat, I will get it for you.”

Cheng Ruyi waved her hand. “Ah Mo, my body isn’t that fragile. You should know that my constitution is quite unique. Even if I jump up and down every day, the baby will be perfectly fine.”

Pregnancy for an ability-user was completely different from that of an ordinary person. Back in the apocalypse, many ability-users frequently went out on missions to kill zombies even while pregnant, and they were completely fine. In her base, there was a particularly powerful female ability-user who gave birth right in the middle of fighting zombies. In the end, the child was born safely; the only mishap was that the scent of blood attracted a horde of zombies.

But those zombies were completely wiped out by the female ability-user who had just given birth. Her fame skyrocketed, and every major base came to know of this fierce woman.

It could be said that a body modified by supernatural abilities was no longer that of an ordinary human.

Not to mention the weak animals of this ancient world—hunting them was as effortless as chopping melons and slicing vegetables.

Rong Mo pressed his thin lips together tightly. “No, I cannot rest easy.”

Seeing Ah Mo so tense and worried about her made Cheng Ruyi very happy, but she really wouldn’t experience any issues. She reached out and held Rong Mo’s large, warm hand in return.

“Ah Mo, don’t you trust me? I wouldn’t joke around with my own body and the baby. Haven’t you witnessed my special abilities? Not only can I sense surrounding dangers, but I can also hunt animals from a long distance away.”

She was the one who wouldn’t feel at ease if Ah Mo went hunting. Even though Ah Mo possessed inner martial arts and seemed quite formidable, he was still very weak in her eyes. She absolutely did not want anything to happen to him.

Rong Mo remained silent for a long moment. Thinking back to how his little wife had spent the past few days bouncing off into the mountains while harboring a child, bringing back cart after cart of game, he had to admit she was right. His worries were indeed redundant.

His little wife was simply too powerful.

Or rather, her special abilities were too miraculous.

Rong Mo let out a helpless, bitter laugh. “Fine. But you are not allowed to act recklessly, you are not allowed to place yourself in danger, you are not allowed to…”

He rattled off a long string of “not alloweds.”

Cheng Ruyi obediently nodded in agreement, though her heart felt sweet and bubbly.

The next day, Marquis Changle gleefully went out and bragged to everyone he met. Soon, the news of Cheng Ruyi’s pregnancy spread through the streets and alleys as if it had grown wings.

Even Cheng Qingyao, who had been forced to marry into the Prince Wei Mansion as a side-consort, heard about it. Instead of being angry, she was absolutely ecstatic.

“Getting pregnant at a time like this is practically seeking death!”

Did she truly think that hoarding a vast amount of food and ice blocks would allow her to pass these two years completely unscathed? How utterly laughable.

However, thinking of her own situation, Cheng Qingyao stroked her completely bare head, and the smile vanished from her face. Cheng Ruyi was simply her living nightmare.

Recalling the words of the Consort of Prince Wei that she had inadvertently overheard lately—that anyone who plotted against someone possessing great karmic merit would receive divine punishment—it seemed that ever since she stopped scheming against Cheng Ruyi with petty tricks, her circumstances had gradually become increasingly difficult. Thinking up to this point, a wave of cold dread washed over Cheng Qingyao’s heart.

She had never believed that an unlearned, useless fool like Cheng Ruyi could possibly be someone with great karmic merit. When she first heard Master Huiyuan say those words, she had secretly mocked and jeered at them.

Yet reality had dealt her a resounding slap in the face.

How could there be someone with such a blessed life in this world!

Cheng Qingyao’s heart burned with frenzied jealousy.

Little did she know, Cheng Ruyi’s immense karmic merit was earned starting from the age of five. It was exchanged through ten years of killing zombies and planting vast amounts of food crops to save countless ordinary people.

Pies never just fall from the sky.

While Cheng Qingyao envied Cheng Ruyi, she failed to realize that she herself was originally the one with the best luck. Not just anyone could be granted a second chance at life. Unfortunately, she had completely ruined a perfectly good hand of cards.

Ever since marrying into the Prince Wei Mansion, Cheng Qingyao had been constantly whispered about and pointed at by the servants behind her back. As a side-consort, she did not possess the right to eat in the main courtyard. Every day, the food delivered by the kitchen was cold. Chu Yuan treated her with cold indifference, and his attitude even carried a faint trace of impatience.

Cheng Qingyao’s heart had turned entirely cold.

She had experienced the fickleness of human nature to the absolute fullest.

At this moment, she was secretly plotting to fake her own death to escape the Prince Wei Mansion.

As for Cheng Ruyi—although she still madly envied her blessed life and even wished she would vanish entirely—Cheng Qingyao had already decided to stay far away from her.

She somewhat regretted that she had ruined herself just to deal with Cheng Ruyi.

Since she couldn’t afford to provoke her, couldn’t she at least hide from her?

Of course, if Cheng Ruyi met with misfortune, she would still be overjoyed. Regarding Cheng Ruyi’s pregnancy at this time, Cheng Qingyao was more than happy to watch her court her own doom.

Half a month later, a sudden fire broke out in the Yilan Garden of the Prince Wei Mansion.

After the fire was extinguished, everyone learned that the legitimate daughter of Marquis Jian’an, who had married the Prince Wei’s Heir Apparent over half a month ago, had been burned to death in the blaze.

However, Cheng Ruyi and Rong Mo knew that Cheng Qingyao wasn’t dead and had already fled the capital.

After faking her death and leaving the Prince Wei Mansion, Cheng Qingyao had someone secretly deliver a letter to Cheng Ruyi.

Between the lines, the letter was filled with heavy provocation and schadenfreude.

After Cheng Ruyi finished reading it, she was utterly speechless.

According to Ah Mo, Cheng Qingyao had suffered some kind of psychological shock and now regarded her as a terrifying monster. She only dared to blabber and mouth off to gain a petty verbal advantage, but she no longer dared to actually make a move against her.

This was truly an unexpectedly pleasant piece of news.

Sansukini: Chen Qingyao, somewhat, finally learned her lesson, to mind her own business.

P.S. I realized this novel is ending soon. There’s 8 chapters left.

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