CHAPTER 441: CHAPTER 409: MARRYING HER AND TREASURING HER

Xue Yinhuan spent half a month recovering from her injuries in the palace, and when she was almost able to walk around, Consort Qing found someone to send her back.

When Xue Yinhuan left, Song Yuanbao stood on the Observatory watching.

After returning, he clicked his tongue in front of Zhao Xi, "That girl is truly pitiful, inexplicably caught up in so much trouble, and even scolded as brainless in front of the Empress by some venomous man. If it were me, I’d jump off a building."

Zhao Xi suddenly looked over, "After being poisoned for more than a year, why haven’t you jumped yet?"

"But I’m a man!" Song Yuanbao said, "My existence is not for jumping off buildings, but for protecting those beauties who want to jump."

Zhao Xi: "If you feel sorry for her, marry her home as a treasure and protect her, so you won’t have to see her suffer again."

Song Yuanbao raised his eyebrows, "Do you mean it? If Your Highness nods, I’ll pack my things and go home to marry at once."

Zhao Xi gave him a deep look, "You accept anyone who comes?"

Song Yuanbao: "The more, the merrier."

"..." Zhao Xi was once again choked by his shamelessness.

——

In the Northwest, it took a month to gather the troops, and they began to invade West Yue.

The first battle was won, but due to a lack of understanding of the enemy and the harsh winter climate, the adaptability of the Great Chu soldiers was far inferior to that of the West Yue people. The army led by Su Qing suffered heavy casualties, and even he himself was hit by several arrows. Though not mortally wounded, he was unconscious when brought back, and the military doctors were racing against time to save him.

...

Governor Mansion.

Ever since her pregnancy, Lin Xiaoyue had fewer dreams, but that night she slept fitfully, constantly dreaming that something happened to Su Qing on the battlefield. One moment he was pierced by arrows from the enemy army, the next he was poisoned to death, and then his soldiers carried his body back, with the coffin placed outside the main gate.

Lin Xiaoyue awoke with a start, instinctively looking at the other side of the bed.

The place was empty, unoccupied for months.

She clutched her chest, gasping for air in big gulps.

Jin Zhi, who was keeping watch outside, heard the noise, immediately lit a lamp and entered, only to see Lin Xiaoyue’s forehead and temples covered in sweat, and was startled, "Granny Qi, did you have a nightmare?"

Lin Xiaoyue’s voice was hoarse, she glanced towards the window lattice, "What hour is it?"

Light seeped through the window lattice, and she felt it was already quite bright outside.

Jin Zhi answered, "Just past the hour of the tiger, it’s still early, it’s snowing outside."

Lin Xiaoyue suddenly grabbed her arm, "What about Mr. Qi? Has any news come from his side?"

Jin Zhi was startled by her actions but tried to stay calm, "A letter came a couple of days ago, saying everything is well, asking Granny Qi not to worry."

"No, that’s not right. I had a bad dream, something must have happened to him."

Jin Zhi took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat while saying, "Dreams are always the opposite, don’t overthink; the doctor emphasized that during pregnancy you mustn’t stress, as it may affect the fetus."

As Lin Xiaoyue recalled the scenes from her dream, she couldn’t remain calm or composed. Her anxiety grew more intense, and finally, she pushed Jin Zhi’s hand away and threw off the brocade quilt, getting out of bed herself.

Seeing this, Jin Zhi quickly fetched a cloak to drape over her and urged, "No matter how worried you are about Mr. Qi, you need to take care of your own health, don’t you? Seeing you like this hurts me."

"Jin Zhi, I can’t calm down," Lin Xiaoyue said, her voice shaking, "My intuition tells me something has definitely happened to him."

"No, it’s just that you had a bad dream and haven’t recovered from it yet," Jin Zhi shook her head, "If something had happened to Mr. Qi, how could there be any letters to you?"

"Those letters may not have been written by him personally; with so many hidden guards under him, it wouldn’t be strange for someone to imitate his handwriting."

Jin Zhi sighed, "While others are hoping for the best, you’re anxiously expecting something to happen to Mr. Qi?"

"I want him to come back to me unscathed," Lin Xiaoyue clutched her wildly beating heart again, "But I can’t ignore my intuition."

"Alright, alright, even if your intuition is right, we must deal with the present first, right?" Jin Zhi’s gaze shifted to Lin Xiaoyue’s abdomen, which was now slightly round, not too obvious, but if she wore tight clothing, it would be noticeable.

Just as Jin Zhi finished speaking, Lin Xiaoyue felt the little one inside her give a hard kick.

She let out a cry of pain.

Jin Zhi quickly asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

Lin Xiaoyue helplessly looked down at her abdomen, "Restless little one."

Yuanbao recognized it as fetal movement and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "As long as it’s not abdominal pain. Granny, don’t just stand there; the floor is cold. You should lie back down. If you don’t sleep, even the little master in your belly is protesting!"

Persuaded by Yuanbao’s words, Lin Xiaoyue no longer insisted and obediently lay back down.

Pregnancy fatigue came quickly; she had no more dreams for the rest of the night and slept until daylight.

The snow had lessened, drifting down like scattered salt. A walk outside was enough to freeze one’s hands and feet.

Considering Lin Xiaoyue’s condition, the room not only had a heated floor but also a brazier added for warmth.

Su Qing’s official rank was high, so the quality and quantity of coal they received was excellent, enough to last the entire winter.

Unable to go out, Lin Xiaoyue could only sit in the room and daze off. Though she appeared calm, she was still anxious about the nightmare she’d had.

She could find no one to inquire, nor could she personally travel so far to find Su Qing, so she could only pray repeatedly in her heart.

Yuanbao said, "When Mr. Qi just left, Granny Qi had already gone to Fahua Temple to pray for him. He’s blessed with great fortune and will surely be fine."

It was fine until Yuanbao mentioned Fahua Temple; once she did, Lin Xiaoyue recalled that fortune stick.

Feeling even more agitated, she told Yuanbao to shut up.

Yuanbao stood up, "I’ll go fetch some breakfast."

The kitchen prepared her a bowl of milk bird’s nest egg custard. Lin Xiaoyue didn’t have much appetite, but thinking of the baby in her womb, she forced herself to eat some and had the rest taken away by Yuanbao.

Finally, when the snow partially melted on a clear day, Lin Xiaoyue took a walk in the garden. Upon returning, her calves were slightly cramping.

Yuanbao helped her sit on the soft couch, then knelt on a needlepoint stool to massage her legs evenly.

Lin Xiaoyue felt a short, sharp pain in her lower abdomen, and she furrowed her brows deeply.

Yuanbao noticed and asked, "Am I pressing too hard?"

Lin Xiaoyue reached for her abdomen, which had returned to calm, as if the pain earlier was just an illusion.

"It’s nothing." She shook her head, not wanting the servants to worry.

——

It was cold outside on the snowy day, so Wen Wan made several sets of cotton padded clothes and two pairs of tiger-head shoes, all for newborn infants.

Taking advantage of Jinbao being taken by his grandpa to shovel snow in the garden, Wen Wan packed the clothes and shoes and took a carriage to the Governor Mansion.

Lin Xiaoyue did not expect her to come and, pleasantly surprised, came out to greet her in person.

Standing in the cold wind as she got off the carriage, Wen Wan’s breaths turned to mist, "I’m no rare guest; why the fuss? Couldn’t you just send a servant to greet me? You’re in a delicate condition; if you slip and something happens, I can’t take that responsibility."

Lin Xiaoyue softly complained, "You don’t know how I’ve been these days."

"As if no one else has been pregnant," Wen Wan said. "You’re in the Capital; when bored, you can go out shopping to ease your mind. When I was pregnant with Jinbao, I had both my mother-in-law and stepmother watching me closely, forbidding this and that, nearly driving me insane."

Lin Xiaoyue looked at her in surprise, "You have a stepmother?"

Wen Wan realized that she only ever had one mother from beginning to end. She pursed her lips and nodded, "Yes."

"It sounds like your stepmother wasn’t too bad to you?"

"Only because I wasn’t a threat to her interests," Wen Wan didn’t forget how Mrs. Zhou almost conspired with Mrs. Wu to have her sold off as a concubine to the town’s master. "Once it concerns money and profit, she might not truly be so kind."

Lin Xiaoyue realized there was a story behind this and knew it was about stepmother abusing the stepdaughter. She had no intention of reopening her friend’s old wounds and shifted her attention to what Wen Wan held.

In Wen Wan’s hands were the small clothes and shoes she made for Lin Xiaoyue’s soon-to-be-born baby, wrapped in silk cloth.

Seeing this, Lin Xiaoyue raised her eyebrows with a smile, "You’re giving me a gift?"

"Dream on," Wen Wan said. "They’re for your son."

This was music to Lin Xiaoyue’s ears, and she took it without hesitation, not opening it immediately, "Just based on you calling him ’son,’ I’m sure I’ll give birth to a big chubby boy, do you believe it?"

Wen Wan quickly distanced herself, "Don’t rely on me for that; I’m not a fortune teller. Besides, aren’t you too grown to believe in such things?"

"Didn’t your Jinbao predict quite accurately last time?" Lin Xiaoyue firmly believed this family’s words were prophetic. "He said I’d have a little sister, and it really was a daughter. This time you inadvertently said it’s a son, so it must be a son."

Wen Wan was speechless.