Maomao’s fear of pregnancy is not as simple as people make it sound. She is not necessarily against having a child with Jinshi. What scares her is the life that could come after it. Jinshi is still connected to the throne, and if he eventually becomes Emperor, Maomao would not be able to treat pregnancy as a private matter. She would become part of the imperial family, permanently tied to the palace and all the rules that come with it. That is the exact future Maomao has always tried to avoid.She values her freedom. She wants to study medicine, solve strange cases, and live on her own terms. Becoming Jinshi’s partner already places her in danger, but having his child could make it impossible for her to leave the palace at all. Jinshi understands this better than most people. That is why he refuses to risk getting her pregnant before his own position is settled. He does not want his love for Maomao to become another way of trapping her so the conflict is not really about whether Maomao wants Jinshi’s child. It is about whether she can still remain free after having one. And in the world of The Apothecary Diaries, that is a much more frightening question Thank you for your attention