Chapter 127

Overjoyed, she wept and hugged him tightly.

The man held her protectively in his arms with one hand, and raised his long sword with the other, pointing it towards the city gate. The Qin army swarmed in and attacked the city gate.

He asked softly of the person in his arms, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

Si Yanmo shook her head. After not seeing him for many days, her eyes were filled with tears when she looked at him, and she didn't know what to say.

Zhou Yanqing gently patted her back, "It's okay, I'm here."

"Hmm," she tried to say something more, but fainted due to exhaustion.

In her dream, amidst the swirling sandstorm, she saw the Qin army defeated and Zhou Yanqing pierced through the body by a spear once more. She was certain that Zhou Yanqing was still looking at her before he died, urging her to leave quickly.

She shook her head with tears in her eyes, wanting to step forward, but an invisible force was stopping her.

"Zhou Yanqing! Zhou Yanqing!"

Si Yanmo suddenly woke up from her bed, her eyes met with a scene of complete unfamiliarity. She frantically searched for Zhou Yanqing's figure, "Zhou Yanqing!"

The man, who looked as if he had just taken off his armor, hurriedly walked in from outside, carrying a bowl of medicine. Seeing her panicked appearance, he quickly walked to her side and put the bowl of medicine down.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare..."

Before he could finish speaking, she pounced on him.

"I'm so glad you're alright, I'm so glad you're alright!" Si Yanmo's voice choked with sobs, and tears streamed down her face like they were free. Only when she smelled the familiar scent of jasmine mixed with mugwort on him did she realize that she had finally escaped from the nightmare.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Yanqing felt a pang of heartache and hugged her tightly. "Silly girl, I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? You're fine too."

Sano's reinforcements haven't arrived yet, and everyone is advising him to calm down and wait for Sak's army to arrive before attacking Nandu.

But he couldn't wait any longer; his wife was still there, and he couldn't abandon her.

Seeing that Si Yanmo was safe and sound, the huge weight in his heart finally lifted. He tightened his arms, wishing he could merge Si Yanmo into his own bones and blood.

After an unknown amount of time, Si Yanmo's crying subsided, and he gently pushed her away, stroking her fair face and saying with heartache, "You've lost so much weight."

Si Yanmo grabbed his hand and rubbed her cheek against his palm. "You've lost weight too."

The two exchanged a smile, knowing they were both worried about each other.

Zhou Yanqing picked up the medicine bowl. "Come on, drink your medicine first."

"I'm fine..." Si Yanmo pushed it away with a hint of disgust, "It's so bitter, I'm not taking medicine."

Seeing that she could already act coquettishly with him, he finally felt completely relieved and let her lean against him. "Drink it obediently, I'll go get you some candied fruit in a bit?"

The person in his arms was still resisting, saying, "I'm just tired. I'll feel better after eating something in a bit."

"Nonsense!" He pinched her nose, pretending to be serious. "The army doctor just examined you and said you're too weak and need to take good care of yourself."

"I didn't, look at me, I can still..." she said, trying to stand up, but then fell back down weakly.

Zhou Yanqing sighed helplessly, "Don't try to be strong anymore."

He held her tightly in his arms, picked up the bowl of medicine and drank most of it himself, then leaned down and kissed her lips to pass it on to her, finally biting her lower lip as if as punishment.

"Didn't you drink it?" he teased with a smile, his fingertips caressing her lips.

Si Yanmo's face felt hot from his touch, and she slapped his hand away, "Why are you still attacking me from behind?"

Zhou Yanqing wasn't annoyed. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "How can kissing my wife be considered an attack?"

He picked up the medicine bowl again, looked at the remaining medicine, and joked, "Then the remaining medicine..."

Si Yanmo quickly snatched the bowl and gulped it down, afraid he would do it again.

He even complained, "Does my wife really not want me to kiss her?"

"I clearly don't want to be bullied by you!" Si Yanmo snorted.

A moment later, someone brought over a plate of candied dates, which Zhou Yanqing fed to her. "Now they're not bitter anymore, are they?"

"That's more like it." She proudly took the plate and began to eat with relish.

Zhou Yanqing just stared at her, his eyes seemingly filled with a hint of greed.

He was about to say something when his throat tightened, and he couldn't help but cough twice.

This made Si Yanmo nervous. She put down the plate and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Zhou Yanqing waved her hand, "It's nothing, I just choked a little."

"Are you really alright?" Si Yanmo looked at him suspiciously.

He smiled and patted her head. "You're concerned about me as soon as you get back, Madam?"

"Nonsense, I am you..."

"What is it?" Zhou Yanqing asked, anticipating her response.

Si Yanmo was a little shy. She had never called herself "wife" before, and she felt a little embarrassed to say it suddenly.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Zhou Yanqing wrapped his arms around her waist and clung to her, "Why aren't you saying anything? Or is Madam shy?"

After being exposed by him, Si Yanmo changed the subject, "How's things going with Sano?"

Zhou Yanqing wasn't about to let her escape, and completely ignored the question, saying, "Don't say anything else!"

Si Yanmo, worn down by his nagging, finally said, "Alright, alright, all you want is to hear me say I'm your wife, right? It's just two words, what's so special about that?"

The man chuckled, "You don't understand, I..."

However, before he could finish speaking, a metallic taste rose in his throat. He quickly turned his head away and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Si Yanmo was startled when she saw this and quickly helped him up, "Zhou Yanqing!"

Zhou Yanqing wanted to comfort her, "It's nothing, just an accident..."

But then even more blood gushed from his mouth.

Si Yanmo immediately realized he was poisoned and helped him onto the bed. "When did this start? Has any witch doctor come to examine him?"

Of course there are, but by the time the witch doctor discovers them, it's too late.

Zhou Yanqing didn't want her to worry, so he casually lied, "Don't worry, I'm already taking the medicine, I'll be fine."

Si Yanmo was skeptical, but thinking of the fate she had seen at the Southern Emperor's place, she tentatively asked him, "Then do you know... who drugged me?"

He laughed, his pale face and the bloodstains at the corner of his lips making him look extremely sickly. "I guess the Southern Emperor's people have infiltrated here. I've already sent people to investigate, don't worry."

He thought Si Yanmo was concerned about him, but he didn't expect her to frown and look like she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Having been with her for so long, Zhou Yanqing knew what her appearance meant.

You know?

Si Yanmo paused slightly, raised her hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips, and tentatively said, "Then promise me that no matter what you hear, you won't get agitated, I'm scared..."

Zhou Yanqing grasped her hand in return, giving her a reassuring look, "Don't worry, I'm not that fragile."

But if this person were mentioned, he probably wouldn't be so calm.

Si Yanmo cautiously asked, "What if I said I was Consort Qin?"

"What?" Zhou Yanqing tightened his grip on her hand instantly, his knuckles turning white, somewhat incredulous. "Amo... are you sure? Could it be..."

Did the Southern Emperor deceive her?

Si Yanmo wanted to say it was fake, but she knew the truth better than anyone else.

"I saw my destiny."

These words were like a dagger, stabbing Zhou Yanqing's heart again and again.

He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything; instead, he coughed violently, his cheeks turning red.

Si Yanmo felt heartbroken, but there was nothing she could do but pat his back.

Just then, Consort Qin walked in. "Yan Qing, how is Xiao Mo?"

She continued to care about Si Yanmo as if nothing had happened. When she saw Zhou Yanqing's sickly appearance, her eyes flickered for a moment before quickly returning to their usual state of worry.

"Why is he coughing again?"

She was about to walk over when she heard her son shout angrily, "Don't come any closer!"

Zhou Yanqing's voice was hoarse from coughing, filled with anger and sorrow, giving Zhou Yanqing a bad feeling, but she could only force herself to remain calm. "Wh...what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Zhou Yanqing stared at her with bloodshot eyes, letting out a self-deprecating sneer. "What did Mother do... cough cough... doesn't she know? And yet she still... cough cough... pretends to care about me!"

Consort Qin felt a chill run down her spine, clenched her fists, and stammered, "Yan Qing... what... what are you saying?"

The warm room seemed colder than winter. Consort Qin stood there awkwardly, facing Zhou Yanqing's disappointed and resentful gaze, unsure how to smooth things over.

Si Yanmo couldn't stand her hypocritical act. She had previously thought that Consort Qin was, after all, Zhou Yanqing's mother, and that she would never do something like poisoning her own child.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yanqing still ran into trouble, even in the remote Wufeng Pass, far from the emperor's reach.

She couldn't help but feel indignant on Zhou Yanqing's behalf, "Shouldn't Consort Qin know best what's wrong with His Highness now? How could you bear to poison your own flesh and blood?"

This question was like a bolt of lightning, shattering Qin Consort's last pretense.

Her legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground. "You...you all knew?"

Seeing her looking like the sky had fallen, Zhou Yanqing felt even more ironic. He tried to stand up by supporting himself on the edge of the bed, but he didn't have the strength. He could only gently pat Si Yanmo's hand, hoping she would help him.

Si Yanmo could see his sadness, so she helped him up and walked to Consort Qin's side. She heard his trembling voice: "Mother, did you ever love me?"

Zhou Yanqing rarely called her "mother," always addressing her respectfully as "mother," as if there was always something between them.

Consort Qin knew this because she had never fulfilled her duties as a mother in the past.

She also knew that Zhou Yanqing loved her, and that he always compromised for her sake when faced with the Southern Emperor's coercion.

Can……

"Yanqing, do you think your mother wants this? It's all because of you..."

"Because of what?" Zhou Yanqing roared. He could never understand how anyone could poison their own son.

Consort Qin quickly gave him the answer, "Because you intend to rebel! He is your father! This is a heinous crime, and you will be punished by Emperor Gu!"