Chapter 66 The joy of pregnancy is utterly laughable.
The vermilion gates of the Bai residence were tightly shut, and two plain white lanterns in front of the gate swayed gently in the breeze, like two frozen teardrops.
Bai Lian pushed open the door and walked in silently. No servants came to greet her. The once vibrant courtyard was now filled with a somber atmosphere. The servants lowered their heads and hurried along, not daring to make a sound.
She arrived at the main hall, where she saw white banners hanging low and white candles flickering; Bai Ziyuan's mourning hall was set up here.
In the center of the mourning hall, there was a coffin containing a set of tattered silver armor stained with dark brown blood. Beside it was a sword with a broken tip and a waist tag engraved with the character "Bai". These were Bai Ziyuan's last thoughts left in this world.
For his relatives, even dying on the battlefield was a luxury.
Shuli, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt on a prayer mat, her body as thin as a sheet of paper, as if a gust of wind would blow her away.
There were no tears on her face; her eyes were empty as she stared at the armor, as if her soul had already fallen into that abyss along with her husband.
Beside her, the young child seemed to sense his mother's endless sorrow, clutching her clothes tightly with his little hands, sobbing softly and anxiously.
Bai Moyuan stood before the spirit tablet. This old prime minister, who had weathered many storms in the court and was fearless, seemed to have all his energy and spirit drained away at this moment.
His sideburns were disheveled, and overnight they had turned completely white. His once bright eyes were now sunken and bloodshot, and he had been unable to sleep for several days.
He reached out with trembling hands, his fingertips carefully touching the cold nail plates, as if caressing his son's face.
“It was me…it was me who sent him…” His voice was hoarse, tinged with sobs, yet it sounded like he was muttering to himself, “I always told him…the sons of the Bai family should prioritize the nation…be loyal to the emperor…be patriotic…in the end…in the end…” The words of self-reproach finally choked in his throat, turning into a silent tremor.
Bai Lian came to Changsun Rao'er's side. Changsun Rao'er was crying so hard that she could barely stand. With Qingmei's help, she was able to stand still.
Bai Lian understood that all she could do at this moment was to stay by her side. She gently patted Changsun Rao'er's back to try to comfort her, but her own eyes welled up with tears.
As she watched her father's back grow old in an instant, her sister-in-law's lifeless appearance, and her nephew's bewildered yet uneasy eyes, her heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, and a suffocating pain spread to every part of her body.
She couldn't save her brother... A wave of overwhelming guilt washed over her, filling her with remorse. Changsun Rao'er held her daughter's cold hand tightly, the two of them speechless, only tears silently streaming down their faces.
"His Majesty has arrived!" At this moment, the long announcement broke the silence of the Bai residence.
Galo Lin's imperial carriage stopped outside the Bai residence. He personally attended the memorial service, bringing the most solemn honors and posthumously conferring upon Bai Ziyuan the title of "Loyal and Valiant Marquis," along with numerous rewards.
However, when he tried to help Bai Moyuan, who was kneeling to express his gratitude, he touched the old man's cold and stiff arm.
Bai Moyuan lowered his head, respectfully performing the rites of a subject, but his eyes were blank, and his former loyalty to the monarch and gentleness towards the younger generation had completely vanished.
As Galo Lin stood in the center of the mourning hall, looking at the scene before her, she felt her heart sinking deeper and deeper, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
Even someone as calm as him felt uneasy.
Was he infected by the overwhelming grief in the Bai family mansion? Or was it because Bai Lian never looked up at him from beginning to end?
-
The following day at court, in the Golden Hall...
The excitement from the great victory in the southwest had not yet faded, and the officials were discussing the post-war rewards. At this moment, Bai Moyuan walked out of the ranks of civil officials, one step at a time.
He held the prime minister's hat, a symbol of being second only to the emperor, in his hands, his steps slow and heavy, as if each step had exhausted all his strength.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he slowly knelt down and raised his official hat high above his head.
“Your Majesty,” his voice echoed clearly in the hall, “this old minister, Bai Moyuan, has been trusted and relied upon by the late Emperor and Your Majesty, serving as prime minister for decades. I have always been grateful for the Emperor’s boundless grace, and have been constantly worried and anxious, fearing that I might fail in my duty. However…” He paused, forcibly suppressing the grief surging in his chest, “this old minister failed in educating his son, Bai Ziyuan, who died in battle before achieving his goal.”
He raised his head, his cloudy eyes looking at Jialuolin on the dragon throne. There was no resentment in his gaze, only a sense of desolation after the fire had burned out. "This old minister is exhausted and knows that his frail body is no longer able to function. He has no face to stand in this court. I implore Your Majesty to consider my many years of service and grant me permission to... resign from my official post and return to my hometown with my wife, widowed daughter-in-law, and young grandson to live out the rest of my days..." After speaking, Bai Moyuan touched his forehead to the ground and knelt for a long time.
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire hall was shocked. Several senior officials who were on good terms with Bai Moyuan quickly stepped forward to dissuade him.
"President Bai, please think twice! The nation is facing a difficult situation, and it is precisely at this time that we need experienced and wise ministers like you to strategize for the country!"
"Brother Moyuan, you must not let momentary grief cause you..."
Galo Lin abruptly stood up from the dragon throne, his face filled with shock and heartache. "Minister Bai! How could this be! Zi Yuan's contributions will be forever remembered by me and all my subjects! The court needs you too..."
Looking at Bai Moyuan's resolute, kneeling posture, the fear and unease he had felt over the past few days surged up in his heart.
Bai Moyuan's departure not only meant the court had lost a pillar of support, but also that the close ties between the Bai family and the royal family would be completely severed. And what he feared most might soon follow...
Galo Lin took a deep breath, forcing himself to steady his voice, and said loudly, "I deeply sympathize with Minister Bai's grief over the loss of his son. Bai Ziyuan sacrificed himself for the country, his contributions to the nation are eternal, and I hereby grant you temporary leave of absence to return to your hometown to recuperate and ease your sorrow." He paused again, then added in an almost coercive tone, "As for this matter of resigning from office, it concerns the dignity of the nation, and I hope Minister Bai will consider it further!"
After speaking, Galo Lin's gaze swept over the assembled officials, finally landing on Bai Moyuan, who was still kneeling on the ground. However, the kneeling man did not react at all, neither expressing his gratitude nor leaving.
A surge of passion welled up in Galorin's heart, gradually shattering his composure. Almost without hesitation, he issued a second decree, which was also a public declaration of his will: "Bai Lian, daughter of General Bai, is virtuous and talented. She turned the tide when Feng Kingdom was in peril, rendering great service to the country. Moreover, she and I share a deep and profound bond, and we are devoted to each other. I have decided that after the mourning period for General Bai, a grand investiture ceremony will be held to establish Bai Lian as Empress, the mother of the nation!"
Upon hearing this, the entire Golden Hall fell into complete silence; you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone was stunned by this untimely decree.
The Bai family was in mourning, and Bai Moyuan had just resigned from his post, yet the emperor announced the establishment of an empress at this time? This was not an honor, but rather a kind of... humiliation.
Bai Moyuan's body swayed almost imperceptibly. He slowly raised his head, his gaze towards Jialuolin filled with disbelief—a sense of absurdity and desolation born of utter despair.
He didn't speak again, but instead kowtowed heavily in the direction of the dragon throne. Then he stood up, ignoring the gazes around him, and staggered out of the Golden Hall without looking back.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching the palace where Bai Lian resided.
At that time, Bai Lian was quietly sorting through some old things. She had been here to heal her wounds, and it was time for her to leave. She planned to move to the Bai residence as soon as possible.
When the palace maid, with a cautious yet subtly ingratiating expression, informed her of the "good news" of His Majesty's appointment of an empress, she was completely stunned.
Immediately, a chilling, sharp, and ironic feeling spread rapidly from the deepest part of my heart throughout my entire body.
Her elder brother's body was barely cold, her parents were devastated, and her family was on the verge of collapse... In the darkest and most painful moment of her life, what he thought of was not comfort, not companionship, but rather an eagerness to use a phoenix crown to bind her? What was this? Compensation? Or was he afraid that she, this "handy weapon," would leave him along with the family, so he quickly branded her with his royal mark?
"In the end, it's all the same." Bai Lian murmured, almost wanting to laugh, but as soon as her lips twitched, tears of sorrow slid down her cheeks first.
The last vestige of love, born of past affections, seemed to be extinguished by this cold and selfish "favor." Her heart felt dead.
She quickened her pace and packed a few simple pieces of clothing.
Having made up her mind, leaving this place and leaving him to spend the rest of her life with her parents was her only choice.
However, at that moment, waves of uncontrollable nausea and dizziness suddenly struck, forcing her to stop. She assumed it was due to the excessive grief and exhaustion of the past few days and tried to ignore it.
A perceptive old nanny noticed her unusual expression and cautiously advised, "General, you look unwell. You should ask the imperial physician to come and take a look. If you are ill, Lord Bai and his wife will be even more worried."
Bai Lian hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
The imperial physician arrived quickly. Through a silk handkerchief, he placed his fingertips on her wrist pulse and examined her intently for a long time.
The old physician's brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed, revealing a complex expression on his face that was a mixture of surprise, hesitation, and finally, cautious congratulations.
He withdrew his hand, took a step back, and bowed, saying, "Reporting to General Bai, your pulse is smooth and rapid, which is a sign of a slippery pulse. General, you... are nearly two months pregnant."
"What did you say?"
Bai Lian stood there, stunned, her mind blank.
For nearly two months... that was before the war in the southwest, before her brother's death, and when there was still some warmth between her and Galorin...
She subconsciously raised her hand and gently covered her still flat stomach, where... a tiny life was growing?
When she had completely lost hope in that man and was determined to cut ties and leave?
What should she do?
Confusion, helplessness, a hidden fear mixed with a faint, almost imperceptible tremor—all these complex emotions surged into her heart like a tide, assaulting her already exhausted nerves.
"Not a single word of this matter is to be revealed." Her cold gaze swept over the imperial physician and several palace maids. "Those who disobey will be executed without mercy."
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