Di Jingcheng wasn't in a hurry. Seeing her deep in thought, he held her quietly and waited for her to figure it out herself.
After a long pause, Di Jingcheng spoke, bringing her back to her senses: "Baby?"
Azi nestled against him, gently nuzzling him, and softly said, "Acheng, don't be angry. I know he seems to like me, but..."
"Baby, look at me!" Di Jingcheng took the person out of his arms. The two looked at each other with serious expressions. Azi's little face was a little wrinkled.
"Baby, this isn't your fault, nor is it Jingyuan's fault. Besides, everything between you two has always been aboveboard, so you don't need to feel guilty. Hmm? Your husband has always loved you, and my love for you won't diminish because of other people's thoughts; it will only grow stronger." Di Jingcheng's understanding and tender voice greatly comforted Azi, as she was genuinely afraid that Acheng might feel uncomfortable.
She nodded gently: "What about him? Has the antidote been found?" She blinked, her eyes filled with worry.
"Don't worry, baby, Cheng Er and the others are doing their best to search. But there's one worst-case scenario: cutting off a piece of flesh to save her!" Di Jingcheng looked a little nervous, afraid of frightening the pregnant woman in front of him.
Azi was shocked. Was this really reliable? She knew some medical skills, though not to the point of being an expert, but she had never heard of such a horrifying method of saving lives.
"Is this really reliable?" Azi's eyes widened in disbelief, her small mouth slightly agape.
"I didn't believe in these things either. These were all collected by the imperial physicians from the common people. However, the antidote must be found and taken within three days. Tomorrow is the last day. I won't let them use this method unless absolutely necessary." Di Jingcheng sighed slightly. He was also somewhat helpless in this matter.
Azi gripped the man's sleeve tightly with her two small hands, pursed her lips, and took a deep breath: "Then... whose blood and flesh should be cut?" She seemed to vaguely know the truth.
"Family members and loved ones."
Upon hearing this, Azi felt like she couldn't breathe. Di Jingcheng quickly patted her back and said, "Baby, breathe, breathe! It's alright. Your husband just wanted you to know; he won't hurt you."
Di Jingcheng was terrified that his precious darling would think he was going to cut off her flesh and drain her blood to cure Jingyuan's illness. When he saw her catch her breath, he turned pale with fright.
"Don't worry, my darling, I won't, I won't! I'm sorry, I scared my little Zi..." He kept coaxing her, she must have been terrified.
It took Azi some time to process this information, and she began to feel conflicted. She was in a dilemma; she was willing to save Prince Yuan, but she was currently weak and about to give birth, and she didn't know if she would end up putting herself in danger.
It's not fair to blame her for being selfish; she still had many people and things she cherished. Besides, her relationship with Prince Yuan was merely that of uncle and sister-in-law, not close, let alone to the point of risking her life for his.
But she couldn't bear to stand by and watch someone die; she feared she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.
She lowered her head listlessly, her hands unconsciously digging into the man's large hands: "Ah Cheng will definitely save him, but I'm afraid my body can't take it."
Di Jingcheng was heartbroken. He regretted not telling her, but she would definitely find out eventually. If the antidote wasn't found and something happened to Jingyuan, Azi would probably suffer even more.
"Don't worry, my darling, there's still one day! Once we find the antidote, Jingyuan will be fine. And even if we can't find the antidote, your husband won't let my darling get hurt. I'll have the imperial physician find another way to cure Jingyuan!" Di Jingcheng tried his best to comfort her and cheer her up.
Azi nodded listlessly. She knew why Acheng was telling her this now: if Prince Yuan really died because of her, she would blame Di Jingcheng for not helping him in the future.
As Azi pondered, a mix of sadness and confusion welled up in her eyes. She leaned against the man's chest and began to sob, tears streaming down her face.
Di Jingcheng gently wiped away her tears and kept comforting her.
——
Di Jinghan and Li Yannian parted ways in the afternoon and went their separate ways.
Li Yannian carefully considered the emperor's words and decided to go to the palace the next day to request an audience and clarify things with Jinghan. Before entering the palace, he needed to prepare a gift for her, so he left shortly after entering the general's residence, his face full of smiles.
Di Jinghan seemed rather depressed, sitting in her bedchamber and eating her dinner listlessly, while Ning Hui served her food.
Ning Hui watched as her eldest princess kept poking at the piece of fish in her dish with her chopsticks, until it was practically shredded, but she showed no sign of stopping. She barely ate any of the other dishes, didn't touch the rice, and stared blankly at the doorway.
"Princess, the food is getting cold," Ning Hui said gently.
"Ah, Ning Hui, don't worry about me. Go down and have your meal, don't go hungry!" Di Jinghan said dismissively, then continued to drift off into thought.
Ning Hui gently shook her head: "Princess, I just received news that General Li will be setting off for Dongyang the day after tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Di Jinghan instantly snapped out of his daze, threw down his chopsticks, and stood up abruptly: "What! It's absolutely true!?"
"Princess, this is an imperial edict from the Emperor." Ning Hui felt helpless. These two were clearly in love, so why did they have to be separated for so long, making marriage so difficult?
"Ning Hui, do you know how long he'll be gone?" Di Jinghan took two steps forward, grabbed Ning Hui's arm anxiously, and looked flustered.
"The war has just ended. General Li is going to reorganize the Dongyang army and govern Dongyang with the civil officials. I'm afraid he won't be back for at least a year and a half."
"No, I must go and beg my brother, the Emperor! I must go with him!" She lifted her skirt and hurriedly ran outside.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
