Chapter 18 Xiao Mingzhang, if you have ever wronged me in any way...

Xiao Ming'an realized he had said the wrong thing.

She quickly got up from Yunzhu's embrace, wiped away her tears, and said, "It's nothing. Anyway, I don't need your comfort. You should leave! You don't know what happened to me, so what's the point of you staying here?"

She turned her back, not wanting Yunzhu to see her guilty expression.

But Yunzhu had already realized something was wrong, and she wasn't about to let her off so easily. She grabbed Xiao Ming'an's sleeve, determined to get to the bottom of it: "What exactly happened? What child? Tell me clearly!"

"What do I have to say to you?" Xiao Ming'an was flustered and anxious, knowing that Yunzhu absolutely could not know those things.

She tried to shake off Yunzhu's entanglement, but Yunzhu held onto her sleeve tightly, refusing to let her leave.

"Let me go!" Xiao Ming'an shouted.

"I won't let go!" If she hadn't heard those words, it wouldn't have mattered, but now Yunzhu knew exactly what she had heard, and she was absolutely determined not to let go of Xiao Ming'an.

"If you don't explain yourself clearly today, I'll drag you to see your brother! I'll make you talk to him!" she threatened Xiao Ming'an.

"Go ahead! He'll definitely protect me anyway!" Xiao Ming'an was clearly fearless and didn't take Yun Zhu's threat seriously at all.

Yunzhu was furious, but she also knew that what Xiao Ming'an said was true. She really couldn't say for sure who was more important to Xiao Mingzhang now, her or Xiao Ming'an.

Threats were useless, so she could only tighten her grip on Xiao Ming'an's sleeve, preventing her from leaving her side.

The two remained locked in this stalemate for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Finally, it was Xiao Ming'an who couldn't take it anymore.

"Let go..." She no longer had the heart to miss her lover who was about to leave. She stopped crying and was no longer heartbroken. Her heart was filled only with the thought of Yunzhu's escape.

"I won't let go!" Yunzhu had put all her patience and strength into this. She just stared at Xiao Ming'an, completely forgetting that she had come to comfort this little girl in the first place.

Xiao Ming'an was on the verge of collapse because of Yun Zhu. Her eyes were still red from crying. She glared at Yun Zhu, her small face burning hot.

Yunzhu's patience far exceeded her expectations.

Xiao Ming'an stared intently at Yun Zhu for a moment before finally giving in completely.

She conceded defeat, her eyes, which had been filled with hatred, gradually turning complicated as she said, "You should know very well what I mean by child, Yunzhu. Don't you have any doubts at all? You and my brother are both in good health, so why haven't we had a child... Are you people from the Western Regions really that naive?"

...

Xiao Mingzhang returned very late again today.

However, it wasn't intentional on his part today. It was because the people he sent to Qingzhou brought back news that the situation in Qingzhou was very troublesome, and the disaster caused by the locust plague was far more serious than what the Sui King had reported.

Yu Zhouling said that if Yunzhou wants to avoid being affected, it probably really needs to lend a helping hand now.

There are no crops left in the fields of Qingzhou, and the people are fleeing to various places, such as Jizhou and Luozhou. It is only a matter of time before the number of refugees in Yunzhou explodes.

Moreover, what's even more serious is that Qingzhou hasn't seen rain for over a month.

Summer has just ended, and it hasn't rained for over a month, which seems normal. However, if it's combined with a locust plague, it becomes a very serious matter.

Xiao Mingzhang then summoned several advisors to the government office that very night to discuss matters, without even having time to eat.

It was nearly 9 PM when they returned to the Prince's residence.

At this hour, Yunzhu was usually already asleep when Xiao Mingzhang returned, so he had to be careful when entering the room. But when he glanced at the bed, Xiao Mingzhang saw that Yunzhu was not yet asleep tonight.

She was sitting on the inside of the bed, wearing a thin nightgown, with her bent legs draped in front of her, her curled-up posture resembling a snow-white rabbit.

The curtains in front of the bed cast shadows, making it impossible for Xiao Mingzhang to see the rabbit's expression clearly.

But it's obvious he was just spacing out.

He looked at Yunzhu quietly for a moment, and suddenly, the fatigue of the whole day in the government office seemed to disappear easily.

A slight smile gradually appeared on Xiao Mingzhang's lips as he quietly walked to the bed and sat down in front of Yunzhu.

What are you thinking about?

He bent down to look at Yunzhu's expression.

But unexpectedly, there was no surprise. Xiao Mingzhang only saw the person in front of him with red and swollen eyes, and the moisture in his eyes was even heavier than the dew at night.

He immediately dropped his joking expression and asked Yunzhu with concern, "What's wrong?"

Yunzhu looked up, and it took her a long time to realize that Xiao Mingzhang had returned after being lost in thought for so long.

The misty tears in her eyes had not yet completely dissipated as she quietly looked at Xiao Mingzhang through her tear-filled eyes.

She tried to hold back, but she couldn't, and tears streamed down her face again.

Xiao Mingzhang quickly reached out and cupped her face, catching her tears.

"What exactly happened?" Just like when Yunzhu asked Xiao Ming'an this morning, he was determined to find out what had happened.

Yunzhu didn't speak, only wept. She shook her head, wanting to tell Xiao Mingzhang that nothing had happened to her, but found her head held in Xiao Mingzhang's palm, and she could do nothing.

Yunzhu felt even more uncomfortable.

Xiao Mingzhang's rough, large hands caused her even more excruciating pain.

"Yunzhu?" Xiao Mingzhang had no idea what had happened to Yunzhu in just one day. Seeing that she could no longer speak, he hurriedly called Ayan, who often followed her, to ask her about the truth.

Ayan did know what had happened in Yunzhu today, and was the only one besides Xiao Ming'an who knew. But facing Xiao Mingzhang, she glared at him with her eyes wide open, not wanting to reveal a single word to him.

In the Central Plains, such treatment of one's master by a servant is a grave offense. However, Xiao Mingzhang knew of Yunzhu's relationship with Ayan, and therefore had no intention of punishing her.

He had a feeling that something serious had happened. After calling Ayan downstairs, he cupped Yunzhu's face in his hands and asked her questions carefully.

Yunzhu had nothing to say.

She didn't want to say anything.

What should she say to Xiao Mingzhang? Should she tell him that she finally learned from Xiao Ming'an why she hadn't conceived in the past two years? Should she tell him that she had learned that Ying Shi had been having people hide musk in her bedding?

When Yunzhu first learned the truth, she couldn't believe it. So after leaving Xiao Ming'an's courtyard, she asked Ayan to cover for her. They bypassed all the guards in the Prince's Mansion and went to a random clinic outside.

The clinics that weren't bribed by Prince Huan's mansion would naturally tell her the truth.

The doctor said that she did indeed have many traces of musk incense on her body, and if this continued, she might never be able to have children. He also repeatedly warned her never to do this again.

Dejected, Yunzhu returned to the palace and went to see Xiao Ming'an again.

She asked Xiao Ming'an, "I just want you to tell me one more thing. Does your brother know about this?"

Xiao Ming'an looked at her silently, and Yunzhu knew that the answer was self-evident.

"But my brother's heart is with you!" Seeing Yunzhu turn to leave, Xiao Ming'an quickly grabbed her hand and said, "These things were all done by my mother. My brother knew nothing about them before! He only found out the truth recently. As soon as he found out, he ordered people to change all the bedding and pillowcases in your courtyard!"

“My brother… was also worried that you would be sad, and that you and Mother would have a falling out,” Xiao Ming’an said finally.

Unpleasant?

Yunzhu no longer knew how to get along well with Ying Shi.

Ever since she arrived at the Prince's residence, she disliked her, after all, her arrival meant that their Prince's residence could no longer compete for the throne. She didn't blame her and tried her best to get along with her. But she just couldn't stand her in any way. At first, from her words to her temperament to her travels, if Ying wanted to, she could find eight hundred faults in her every day.

If it weren't for Xiao Mingzhang, Yunzhu thought she would have already had a huge argument with Ying Shi.

And now she's still keeping it a secret from her, not letting her know she's pregnant...

“If you were to cause trouble for my mother right now, my brother would be in a very difficult position,” Xiao Ming’an said.

"..."

This was the last straw that stopped Yunzhu from going to Ying's place to cause trouble today.

Yunzhu looked at Xiao Ming'an with teary eyes, knowing that her only weakness had been hit.

She didn't want to put Xiao Mingzhang in a difficult position, she really didn't want to put him in a difficult position... because in this family, he was the only one who genuinely cared for her...

She refused Xiao Ming'an's offer to take her back to her room, and instead led Ayan alone, passing through most of the palace, back to her and Xiao Mingzhang's courtyard.

Back in her bedroom, Yunzhu couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears. She cried about her grievances, her own weakness, and her inability to vent her frustrations.

Now that Xiao Mingzhang is right in front of her, she can't say anything to him.

"Yunzhu?" Xiao Mingzhang was still looking at her with concern.

Yunzhu finally trembled as she reached out her hand and placed it on the back of Xiao Mingzhang's hand.

“Xiao Mingzhang…” she choked out.

"Yes, I'm here." Seeing that she was finally willing to speak, Xiao Mingzhang hurriedly stepped forward to face Yunzhu and their breaths mingled.

Xiao Mingzhang, I am still staying in this palace for you... You must be good to me for the rest of your life. If you ever do anything to wrong me, I will leave immediately, turn around and leave cleanly, so that you can never find me again.

Yunzhu didn't say anything, but through her tearful eyes, she repeatedly looked at the person in front of her.

"Yunzhu?" Xiao Mingzhang called her name again.

Yunzhu closed her eyes and pressed her lips to Xiao Mingzhang's lips, and Xiao Mingzhang was finally unable to speak anymore.

He looked at Yunzhu with some surprise, but seeing that she was kissing him earnestly, he finally didn't have any further reaction.

He held Yunzhu tightly, making sure she sat firmly in his arms.

There was no longer even a sliver of space between them.

A note from the author:

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Here it is! I'm so sorry, I was really stuck writing these past few chapters, it was so emotionally draining, sob sob sob [poor face]