Chapter 62 Hope dashed
"Go!" She changed her previous awkwardness and her movements became skillful and confident. The hairpins in her hair fluttered in the wind and her long hair danced in the wind.
Seeing this, the Regent also quickened his pace and followed closely behind: "What do you think of this gift of apology, Madam?"
Su Wanyu responded in a clear voice, her voice full of gratitude: "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty. I will remember it in my heart!"
The regent stood tall, with his head slightly raised, his eyes flickering with a hint of playful smile: "Madam, your riding skills are so superb, who did you learn from?"
His question seemed casual, yet it was inquiring.
Su Wanyu slowed down and fell into a brief contemplation.
Did he learn riding from his father? Or was he taught by a master in the Su Family Escort Agency?
Or maybe it was the groom you met by chance during your journey?
That memory has become blurred, leaving only a distant shadow.
The regent patiently waited for her answer, and Su Wanyu did not dare to hesitate for too long, and answered casually: "My father taught me."
The smile on the Regent's face froze in an instant. The previous relaxed and happy atmosphere seemed to be swept away, replaced by his deep and elusive eyes.
Soon, Su Wanyu noticed that there was a sudden silence behind her. Looking back, she found that the Regent had disappeared on the vast grassland.
She hurriedly rode her horse to the exit, where guards were already waiting. Following the Regent's orders, they escorted her and the jade lion safely out of the hunting ground.
Full of doubts, Su Wanyu asked the guards about the whereabouts of the Regent King. The guards replied respectfully: "The prince has urgent government affairs to deal with and has to return to the palace immediately. He has specially ordered us to escort his wife back safely."
Su Wanyu nodded slightly, feeling mixed emotions. Looking back at the vast grassland, everything seemed like a dream.
When she woke up from the dream, she had to return to the depressing backyard of the Zheng family.
Turning to look at the white horse beside her, she gently stroked its smooth mane. Although the Regent's intentions were still unclear, she knew very well that this horse was no ordinary horse.
In this way, Su Wanyu brought the mysterious white horse back to the Zheng family mansion.
At this time, Zheng Chengyan's condition had improved greatly and his high fever had subsided. Guo was delighted to take care of him personally, and Liu'er also frequently went in and out of Zheng Chengyan's yard to help take care of him according to Su Wanyu's arrangement.
Within half a month, Zheng Chengyan recovered completely. His first thought after waking up was to go to Su Wanyu's courtyard.
Although the issue of fertility was still unresolved and the two's plan failed, the reason why Zheng Chengyan was eager to meet her confused everyone, including Su Wanyu.
The two met but were speechless. Zheng Chengyan just drank a cup of tea in a hurry and left in a hurry, leaving Su Wanyu full of questions and confusion.
On the surface, Zheng Chengyan seemed to have recovered as before, but the pressure of not having an heir was like a huge rock, weighing heavily on his heart.
Although Guo tried his best to cover it up, the truth would eventually come to light.
Lord Zheng was caught in a whirlpool of public opinion because of Guo's behavior. Ever since the tragedy happened and Jiang Yingying died innocently, he resolutely drew a line with Guo, no longer set foot in her residence, and even refused to linger on her for too long.
At the same time, Xiao Guo seized this opportunity and not only gave Lord Zheng meticulous care in daily life, but also cleverly inserted a few words about Zheng Chengyan when she was massaging him to relax.
"Master, do you know that Jing'er has accidentally heard some rumors about Yan'er recently?"
Lord Zheng frowned slightly, and asked with a hint of impatience, "What's the matter?"
Little Guo's technique became more and more delicate. "I happened to hear the servants talking about how Yan'er was heartbroken because he had lost that child. He had nightmares every night and kept repeating that that child was his only flesh and blood..."
Lord Zheng's face instantly darkened, his brows furrowed, as if he was blaming this inappropriate mention, "Why are you mentioning the only one for no reason? As a man, he is surrounded by wives and concubines, how could he be childless?"
Little Guo's fingers slowly wandered on Marquis Zheng's shoulders, and she continued casually, "Yan'er's illness is indeed strange. Although the high fever has subsided, the doctor must come every day. It seems that he has something to hide..."
"Could it be that your heart disease is difficult to cure, and the old illness has not been cured, and new worries have been added?" Marquis Zheng's tone revealed a barely perceptible worry.
Even a careless person like Lord Zheng could understand what Little Guo was hinting at. He held Little Guo's hand tightly, his eyes full of concern, "Are you worried about Yan'er's health?"
Little Guo nodded gently, with sincerity flashing in her eyes, "He is my nephew and the older brother of the child in my belly. If anything happens to him, who will protect us in the future?"
Lord Zheng held her in his arms, kissed the back of her hand, and promised, "I am here to protect you and your child."
A contented smile spread across Guo's face as she gently stroked her bulging belly, her heart filled with peace.
After dealing with Xiao Guo's affairs, Lord Zheng immediately sent someone to invite the doctor who treated Zheng Chengyan, vowing to find out the truth.
Faced with Marquis Zheng's questioning, the doctors kept silent at first, until they felt Marquis Zheng's anger, and then they were forced to reveal the truth.
"I'm afraid the Second Young Master will not have any offspring for the rest of his life..."
These words were like a bolt from the blue. Lord Zheng's body swayed and he collapsed to the ground, looking up at the sky, his eyes filled with endless despair.
Although he had many dissatisfactions with Zheng Chengyan, deep in his heart, he always retained a glimmer of hope, hoping that the Zheng family's bloodline could be continued by him.
At this moment, this last hope seems to have been shattered, the branches and leaves are not yet lush, and the roots are difficult to grow.
He would never allow the Zheng family's bloodline to be cut off in his generation.
Seeing this, the housekeeper hurriedly whispered to comfort him, "Master, don't worry. Isn't there a child in the second wife's belly? If the first wife... the second wife can be made the legal wife, then the child will be the legitimate son."
Upon hearing this, Lord Zheng's eyes gleamed with light, which soon turned into a heavy sigh, "Yan'er has been extremely intelligent since he was young, and he had a good chance of passing the imperial examination. Even if he was not the top scholar, he would have been the third scholar. He could have paved the way for me in the court. It is a great pity that he has no descendants."
The housekeeper offered another suggestion, "Maybe we can adopt one from the family..."
Before the housekeeper could finish, Lord Zheng interrupted him with a sharp voice, "Adopt? Adopt those illegitimate children? Let them inherit my Zheng family's century-old foundation? That's simply a foolish dream!"
When he was young, he was deeply traumatized by the conspiracy of his father's concubine, which made him naturally averse to illegitimate children. This is also the reason why the children of other favored concubines are hardly taken seriously.
In the eyes of Lord Zheng, if Zheng Chengyan really had no descendants, then he would have lost the value of his existence.
"Let's put this matter aside for now, especially don't let the first lady and the old lady know about it." He ordered in a deep voice, "We will make plans after Yan'er takes the imperial examination."