I started as a concubine, and I made the crown prince cry with my delicious food.

When Xiao Jingshi returned to Tinglan Waterside Pavilion, exhausted, it was already completely dark.

The heated debate in the Imperial Study still echoed in his mind: his father's stubborn insistence on personally leading the expedition, the ministers' anxiety, and the difficulty he had in finally persuading his father to stay in the capital... all of this left him physically and mentally exhausted.

Pushing open the bedroom door, he saw Ye An'an lying on her side on the bed in the flickering candlelight. She seemed to be asleep, her long eyelashes casting a shadow in the candlelight, but there were still tear stains on them, indicating that she had been crying.

Xiao Jingshi felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of pain in his heart.

This silly girl, she must be worried that I'll go to the Southern Frontier. He tiptoed to the bedside, gently lay down, and pulled her into his arms from behind. Ye An'an's body trembled slightly, as if she sensed a familiar presence, and she subconsciously snuggled closer to him.

That small gesture of dependence softened Xiao Jingshi's heart.

In truth, Ye An'an wasn't truly asleep. Ever since Xiao Jingshi left, she had been restless and tossing and turning. Horrible images of war kept flashing through her mind—the clash of swords, rivers of blood, and the possibility that he might be injured or even…

No, she dared not think about it any further.

Feeling the familiar embrace and warmth behind her, she suddenly opened her eyes, her voice trembling with tears: "Your Highness? You're back?"

"Yes, I'm back." Xiao Jingshi reached out and gently wiped away the tear stains on her cheeks with his fingertips, his voice as gentle as if he were soothing a child. "Why are you crying like this?"

Ye An'an didn't speak, but nodded vigorously, burying her face deeply in his chest. Warm tears quickly soaked his clothes. She wasn't afraid of the war itself, but of him going, of losing him, of only being able to see him in her dreams from then on.

"Alright, stop crying, silly girl." Xiao Jingshi felt the trembling in his arms and tightened his arms around her with heartache. "I'm not going anywhere, I'll stay here with you."

"Really?" Ye An'an looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "But what about the war in the southern borderlands..."

"Father will send someone else," Xiao Jingshi explained gently, telling her everything that had happened in the Imperial Study that day—how his father insisted on leading the expedition in person, how he argued his case, and how he finally persuaded his father to stay in the capital while he himself stayed to oversee the country.

Hearing that Xiao Jingshi didn't have to go to the Southern Frontier, Ye An'an finally felt relieved. She hugged him tightly, afraid that he would disappear if she let go: "As long as you're by my side, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters..."

"Silly girl." Xiao Jingshi lowered his head and kissed her forehead.

However, in this warm moment, Ye An'an suddenly felt a wave of nausea washing over her. The feeling came on so suddenly and violently that she had no time to react.

"Ugh..." She suddenly pushed Xiao Jingshi away, staggered to the spittoon by the bed, and began to gag violently.

"An'an! What's wrong?" Xiao Jingshi was startled and immediately jumped out of bed, anxiously supporting her shoulders. "Did you eat something bad? Or did you catch a cold?"

"I...I'm fine..." Ye An'an vomited for a long time, only bringing up some acidic water, but her stomach was still churning. Her face was pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead.

This feeling had actually been going on for several days. At first, she only felt nauseous occasionally, which she thought was due to the recent cooler weather or eating something she didn't like. But in the last two days, the symptoms have become more and more pronounced, especially when she wakes up in the morning; the nausea feels like it's draining her completely.

She had always thought it was because of her recent bad mood and worry about the war that her stomach had upset. She never expected that her symptoms would be so severe tonight due to her extreme emotional fluctuations.

"How can you say you're alright!" Xiao Jingshi was extremely distressed and quickly poured her a glass of warm water. "Look how pale you are!"

Ye An'an took the water glass and sipped it slowly, trying to suppress the churning in her stomach. But as soon as she drank it, another wave of nausea surged up.

"No, we must call the imperial physician to take a look." Xiao Jingshi made the decision and turned to go and call someone.

"No!" Ye An'an grabbed his sleeve and said weakly, "The palace must be in complete chaos right now, and the war in the southern border is so urgent. Don't add to the chaos because of my little matter. I'll be fine after a good night's sleep, really."

"This is no small matter!" Xiao Jingshi's attitude was firm, his eyes filled with worry. "You've vomited like this, what if it's some kind of emergency?"

Without a word, he carried her back to bed, carefully covered her with the blanket, and gently wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief: "You lie still, I'll go and call the imperial physician right away. Even if the sky falls, your health is more important than anything else."

Having said that, he strode outside and instructed Changting, who was guarding the door, "Go to the Imperial Hospital immediately and summon the head physician! Tell him that the Crown Princess is unwell, and have him bring all the necessary medicines. Go quickly!"

"Yes!" Changting didn't dare to delay and immediately ran off.

Xiao Jingshi returned to the bedside and took Ye An'an's hand in his. Her hand was cold, so he wrapped it in his own palm, trying to give her some warmth.

"Your Highness, there's really no need to make such a fuss..." Ye An'an wanted to say something more.

"Shut up and lie down properly." Xiao Jingshi rarely used a commanding tone, but the tenderness in his eyes betrayed him. "All you have to do now is wait for the imperial physician to arrive and then rest and recover. Don't worry about anything else."

Looking at the worry and heartache in his eyes, Ye An'an felt a warm current well up in her heart. She obediently nodded and said nothing more.

Soon, Changting "invited" the head of the Imperial Medical Academy over overnight.

The elderly imperial physician, surnamed Sun, with his white hair and beard, had served in the Imperial Medical Academy for over thirty years. He possessed superb medical skills, especially in treating difficult and complex illnesses. Although it was already late at night, upon hearing that the Crown Princess was unwell, he dared not delay in the slightest and hurried over with his medicine chest.

"This old minister pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince," said Physician Sun, bowing.

"No need for formalities, come quickly and see the Crown Princess." Xiao Jingshi said urgently, "She suddenly vomited repeatedly, and her complexion is very poor."

"This old minister will now take your pulse," Physician Sun stepped forward and said respectfully, "Please, Your Highness, extend your wrist."

Ye An'an extended her hand as instructed. Physician Sun took out a silk handkerchief and placed it under her wrist, then gently placed three fingers on her fair wrist, listening intently.

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xiao Jingshi stood to the side, his heart pounding in his chest. He stared intently at Physician Sun's face, trying to glean something from his expression.

At first, Physician Sun's expression was calm; he simply focused on taking the pulse. But gradually, his brow furrowed, as if he had encountered something that puzzled him. He changed the position of his finger and listened carefully again.

Then, his expression turned strange.

From doubt to disbelief, from disbelief to shock, it finally turned into immense ecstasy!

The old doctor's hands began to tremble slightly. He checked the diagnosis several more times, afraid that he had made a mistake. After the final confirmation, he suddenly opened his eyes, his lips trembling for a long time, too excited to speak.

"How is it?" Xiao Jingshi's heart nearly jumped out of his chest at his reaction. "What kind of illness is it? How serious is it?"

"It's...it's not an illness..." Imperial Physician Sun took a deep breath, trying to calm his excited emotions, then knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling, "Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Your Highness! The Crown Princess...it's not an illness, it's pregnancy!"

"What?" Xiao Jingshi was stunned, not reacting for a moment. "What did you say?"

"It's a pregnancy pulse!" Imperial Physician Sun repeated excitedly, "Her Highness the Crown Princess is pregnant! In my more than thirty years of medical practice, I would never mistake a pregnancy pulse! Her Highness has a slippery pulse; judging from the pulse pattern, she should be more than a month along!"

boom--

These words struck Xiao Jingshi like a thunderbolt.

He froze, remaining motionless in the same position.

Is she pregnant?

Is An An pregnant?

Is he going to be a father?

The news came so suddenly and unexpectedly that he didn't know how to react for a moment.

Ye An'an was also stunned. She subconsciously placed her hand on her still flat stomach, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Pregnant? She's pregnant.

No wonder I've been feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit lately, no wonder I have a poor appetite, no wonder I always feel tired... It turns out I'm not sick, I'm pregnant!

"Your Highness?" Physician Sun called out cautiously when Xiao Jingshi did not respond for a long time.

This sound finally snapped Xiao Jingshi out of his shock. He turned sharply to look at Ye An'an, his eyes gleaming with an unprecedented light.

The next moment, he strode to the bedside, carefully took Ye An'an's hand, and said in a trembling voice, "An'an, did you hear that? You're pregnant! We're having a baby!"

Seeing the ecstasy and excitement in his eyes, Ye An'an felt a lump in her throat, and tears streamed down her face again. But this time, they weren't tears of fear and worry, but tears of happiness and emotion.

"Yes..." She nodded vigorously, her voice choked with emotion, "We're having a baby..."

Xiao Jingshi could no longer control himself and leaned down to gently embrace her. His movements were careful, as if he were afraid of hurting her or harming the tiny life inside her.

"That's wonderful, that's wonderful..." he whispered in her ear, his voice filled with excitement and joy. "An'an, thank you, thank you for giving me such a big surprise..."

Physician Sun knelt on the ground, watching this heartwarming scene, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

"Your Highness, this old minister offers my congratulations!" he bowed again. "This is a momentous occasion! The royal family has welcomed a new member, a great joy for the nation! This old minister will immediately go and report to His Majesty!"