Chapter 69 Chapter 69 Pink Eye is Really Annoying
After Jiang Ci gave his instructions, he told Wanniang, "Don't let your mother-in-law know about this for now. Wait until the governor returns and we'll make a decision."
"Yes." Wanniang responded and retreated.
Outside the hospital, the doctor who had taken Chu Yao's pulse had just left the hospital when Yue Bai ran into him. He looked nervous and asked, "Doctor, is the Madam feeling unwell?"
Seeing that he was close to the governor, the doctor did not hide the truth: "No, it was her maidservant... her surname is Chu, who diagnosed her with pregnancy."
Yue Bai was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He bowed and thanked the doctor. After the doctor left, he couldn't help but mutter, "I'm going to be a father... How should I ask my wife to marry Yao'er?"
Inside the house, Chu Yao immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "Madam, you treat me so well. Even if I have to work like a slave, I will never let you down."
Jiang Ci looked down at her, his eyes growing colder. Hearing the words "I won't let you down" somehow made her feel a sense of irony.
She didn't reach out to help Chu Yao, but simply said in a calm tone, "Since you're pregnant, move out of the maid's room. I'll have my stepmother arrange a room for you. You won't have to do any rough labor anymore, so you can take good care of your baby."
After that, she turned her head slightly and said, "Back off."
Late at night, the small window in the side courtyard opens slightly.
Yue Bai sneaked in. The candle in the room was still on. Chu Yao was sitting beside the bed, dressed in plain clothes, with an expression that seemed both cold and gentle.
"Yao'er," he whispered to her, kneeling before her with an excited look on his face. He placed his ear against her still-unpregnant belly, his voice trembling, "We...we have a child. When will you marry me? The governor will be back in a couple of days, and I want to ask him in person to marry you off properly."
Chu Yao pulled him up and looked at him quietly. Her voice was gentle and contained a lot of calculation. "Yue Bai, have you ever thought about where we will live after we get married?"
"Where will we live?" Yue Bai was stunned. "Of course, the villa of the Marquis of Dongyang. I have served the governor since I was young. He will definitely help us and allocate a villa for us."
"Yue Bai." Chu Yao gently interrupted him, "Do you think that after I marry you, I will continue to stay in the mansion and serve tea and water for others?"
Yue Bai was stunned: "But... that's also the governor's residence. We are not outsiders, so why can't we live there?"
"But I'm not you." Chu Yao slowly stood up and stood in front of the candlelight, her eyes flickering with light and shadow. "I'm not from a noble family, nor am I a soldier. I'm just a maid... and you're just a servant."
She turned around and looked at Yue Bai. Her tone was still gentle, but it carried the force of a final decision: "You want me to marry you, but let me continue to live under someone else's roof. Do you want our children to become servants and maids for the governor's children in the future? You are willing to do that, but I am not."
Yue Bai was speechless for a moment, and after a long while, he whispered, "Well, I... I still have some savings. If you're willing, we can buy a small courtyard in Fengdu City and move out. After we get married, we won't have to live under someone else's roof anymore."
Chu Yao chuckled at the words, as if touched, but then shook her head gently: "Yue Bai, I know you treat me well... but have you ever thought about how many years we can survive with this little savings? The birth of the child, the wet nurse, the medicine money, the school fees... You are running errands for others alone, and I am working hard at home. Is this the life you want?"
She took a step closer, raised her hand to straighten his collar, and spoke in a gentler tone: "If you really love me, you should listen to my arrangements. What I want is not just your heart, but a future that can truly allow us to gain a firm foothold."
Yue Bai stared at her blankly: "Then...what are you going to do?"
Chu Yao whispered, "I'll tell you then. But before that, you must not mention our marriage to anyone, especially not to the governor."
"Why?" he asked puzzledly.
Chu Yao hugged him gently, burying her head in his chest, her voice almost tearful, "I'm afraid. I'm afraid he'll say I'm not worthy of you, and that his wife will be disappointed in me... Once everything is settled, I'll tell them."
Yue Bai finally softened his heart. He raised his hands to hug her and nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you."
All of this was heard clearly by Lin Chun in the corner of the corridor outside the courtyard.
She held her breath and covered her mouth, and waited until the two of them were silent before she quietly retreated into the shadows and left quickly. She had only been there for a short time, and Chu Yao was by the lady's side, so it was better for her to avoid hearing such dirty things.
The less you know, the longer you live.
The next morning, before daybreak, Yue Bai quietly left, leaving Chu Yao feeling uneasy. Jiang Ci simply ordered her to rest in a side courtyard, not planning to tell Madam Ji for the time being.
She knew that if she wanted to gain a firm foothold in the Dongyang Marquisate, relying on Jiang Ci alone would not be enough. She had to let someone influential know about this matter. If Madam Ji knew about this, perhaps she could win a place for herself.
In the early morning, the sky was slightly overcast and the autumn rain had not stopped. Chu Yao put on a cloak and quietly slipped out of the side courtyard and headed towards the inner courtyard.
But just as she stepped out, she saw a figure slowly coming out of the corridor. It was Wanniang. Chu Yao paused, a smile spread across her face, and she called out softly, "Wanniang."
"Where are you going, Miss Chu?" Wanniang's tone was gentle, but there was no trace of the intimacy of the past.
Chu Yao's eyes flashed, and she replied softly, "I've been taking care of the baby these past two days, and I've been feeling depressed. I want to walk around."
"Miss Chu," Wanniang interrupted her. Although her tone wasn't harsh, it was no longer as gentle as before. "Since Madam ordered you to take care of your pregnancy, it's for your own good. You know the weather is cold and the roads are slippery, and the autumn rain hasn't stopped yet. If you accidentally fall, you might even lose your life."
Chu Yao was speechless for a moment, and her face changed slightly.
Wanniang continued, "The rules of the inner house are very strict. You can't just go wherever you want. Since you're pregnant, you should be more sensible and rest in the house. If you really feel bored, you can bear it."
Chu Yao clenched her hands in her sleeves and forced a smile, "I... understand."
"Young lady, if you truly understand, please go back." Wanniang leaned slightly aside. Although her posture was humble, she held a firmness that brooked no argument. "Madam is not fully recovered yet, and there are still many important matters at the mansion. If you truly don't want to disappoint others, then don't cause any more trouble."
Chu Yao lowered her head and nodded silently. She felt resentful in her heart, but she didn't dare to show it.
Wanniang stood there, watching Chu Yao slowly turn around. There was no more pity between her brows, and her eyes were as cold as autumn rain hitting the eaves, without any warmth at all.
She stood for a moment, tilted her head slightly, and called over two maids who were guarding under the pillars of the corridor.
"Qiu Xing, Wen Tao."
The two of them hurried forward and responded, "Wan Niang."
Wanniang spoke in a low voice, but her tone left no room for doubt: "From now on, the two of you will take turns watching Miss Chu's yard. Day or night, don't let her move around freely, especially not step out of that gate."
The two nodded.
After saying this, Wanniang turned and left.
In the evening, the light in the house was dim. Outside the window, the autumn wind swept through the branches, casting mottled shadows on the leaves. Jiang Ci sat by the window, his hands clasped around his knees, his mind lost in thought, staring at the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.
Wanniang came in with a bowl of nourishing soup. Seeing her in a daze, she called out softly, "Miss."
Jiang Ci then slowly turned his head, his eyes empty and his expression haggard.
Wanniang's heart sank. She took a few steps closer, placed the soup on the table, and softly advised, "Young lady, since ancient times, it's been common for men to take concubines. Even if it's not Chu Yao today, there will still be Chen Yao and Wang Yao tomorrow. The governor once said that he has ambitions for the whole world. If one day he truly becomes the ruler of these four regions, the Ji family bloodline will need to continue. He will have to mediate with the ministers, appease the aristocratic families, and take concubines and marry wives... I'm afraid it's inevitable."
She paused, her tone tinged with heartache, "Girl, why don't you...get used to it sooner."
As Jiang Ci listened, his originally empty eyes suddenly turned red and tears flowed out silently.
Wanniang panicked and quickly handed over a handkerchief to wipe her tears, but Jiang Ci pushed her hand away.
She lowered her head, her voice extremely low, yet her sobs were hard to conceal: "I know... I know these things, but when this incident really happened, I realized how painful it was in my heart."
She looked up at Wanniang, her eyes filled with helplessness and pain. "I know the child is innocent, and I also know that as the legal wife, I should tolerate her... But Wanniang, I can't do it. I can't share my husband with someone else."
Wanniang walked up to her, slowly took her into her arms, patted her back, and whispered, "Miss, you've been married for more than half a year, it's a bit fast."
Jiang Ci gently pushed her away, his voice low but clear: "This has nothing to do with how long I've been married. If he had never been attracted to me, I wouldn't have taken it to heart. Even if he married ten people in one day, I wouldn't have been sad at all. But he said those words himself on my birthday... He made me believe it."
Her eyes were red, and her voice was almost inaudible: "I just felt a connection with him... I just let go of all my worries and was willing to give my heart to him, and he treated me like this... I can't accept it."
Wanniang pursed her lips, her eyes reddening. "Miss, I haven't read much, and I don't understand those complicated thoughts... But no matter what you think, I'm on your side. We'll do whatever you want."
Jiang Ci looked at her with a calm look in his eyes, as if he had finally made up his mind.
She said slowly, "I've made up my mind. I'll go talk to him about...taking a concubine."
She paused, her tone growing calmer. "Our yard is almost finished. From now on, he and I will go our separate ways. I will put my thoughts aside and consider myself merely a bargaining chip in the alliance between Liangzhou and Tingzhou. I will no longer be his wife."
The room was silent for a moment. Wanniang looked at her, her heart aching. She could only hug her tightly again and pat her back gently.
Two days later, late at night, Fengdu City was completely silent.
The north gate of the city slowly opened with the sound of heavy mechanisms. The wind blew up the dust, and a team of armored soldiers slowly walked out of the darkness.
The torches were burning, and the light reflected on every weather-beaten face.
The leading rider was tall and stern. Ji Yang was wearing armor, his hair was messy, and his shoulder was wrapped in blood-stained gauze, but his eyes were dead and cold.
He said nothing, only staring ahead with a heavy gaze. The wind blew past him, lifting the scraps of his cloak and the pain hidden deep in his eyes.
A carriage covered in white cloth slowly moved along the procession, a heavy coffin resting on top. The Dongyang soldiers' faces were ashen, and none of them spoke. Even the horses' breathing was unusually heavy.
They returned with the bones of their fallen brothers.
The sound of horse hooves approached from afar. When they reached the outside of the Governor's Office, Ji Yang dismounted. Without a trace of emotion in his eyes, he simply said, "Take it down and put it in the side hall. No one else is allowed to get close."
"yes!"
Several personal guards carefully lifted the coffin from the carriage and escorted it into the side hall of the Governor's Office in silence, moving very lightly as if they were afraid of disturbing their sleeping comrades.
The night wind blew through the courtyard, and the lights flickered. Ji Yang stepped into the main hall, his heavy armor clanging, and every step seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.
He dropped the helmet in his hand and hurled it to the ground with a thud.
He stood in the center of the main hall, walked to the main seat with heavy steps, looked up at the military flag on the beam, slowly hugged his head with both hands, and suppressed something in his throat.
Suddenly, he uttered a choked growl: "...Zhong Si..."
These two words spilled out from his throat, tearing with pain.
Lu Linchuan slowly entered, his expression filled with grief upon seeing this scene. Standing aside, he whispered, "My lord... the Dongyang army suffered heavy losses this time. General Zhong, fighting for three days and three nights against the Hanbei cavalry to protect the supply route, ultimately exhausted himself... He held off the enemy, allowing us to launch a detour through Yanling. If he hadn't been the one defending the pass, this battle... we might not have won."
Ji Yang didn't look up, but just murmured softly: "He also has a son who is just learning to speak... Before leaving for the war, his wife asked me to take care of him. She said that the child has just learned to call people, and he has never heard the word "Dad" with his own ears..."
His voice grew lower and lower, as if a heavy stone was weighing on him. "I promised her... I promised her that I would bring him back this time and not have him stationed in Qingzhou anymore. I said I wanted to reunite their family..."
"Lu Linchuan." He closed his eyes, tired and hoarse, "You go back first, I want to sit alone for a while."
Lu Linchuan knew his temper, and no amount of persuasion would help. He simply nodded and said, "My Lord... accept my condolences. I'll come again tomorrow."
He backed out.
Ji Yang was the only one left in the huge main hall. He sat below the main seat, his figure elongated by the brazier.
He sat there motionless from late at night until dawn.
He didn't get up until the sky turned pale in the east and the first ray of light reflected on the window paper.
That night, Jiang Ci slept very restlessly.
Ji Yang's figure often appears in the dream, or his gaze when he said goodbye that day, or all the tenderness in the past... But the dream is always disordered, and the person in the dream disappears in the dark night in the blink of an eye and can never be found again.
When she woke up in the morning, there was still a hint of fatigue in the corners of her eyes. She forced herself to get up and wash up, and went to the main courtyard to pay her respects to Madam Ji as usual.
As soon as I entered the warm room, I heard Madam Ji saying while drinking tea, "Zisu returned to Fengdu City last night."
Jiang Ci paused, his fingertips hidden in his sleeves tensed up, and he said with forced composure, "He...came back last night?"
Madam Ji nodded and sighed slightly in dissatisfaction: "He left a message early this morning saying that he was busy with military affairs and would not be returning home for the time being. Apart from this sentence, he didn't say anything else."
Jiang Ci exchanged a few pleasantries with Madam Ji and then left the house. Then Wanniang spoke, "Now that the governor has returned, logically, the first thing he should do is to go back to the mansion and settle down, pay his respects to Madam Ji, or at least visit the young lady."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ci just laughed softly with a cold look in his eyes.
"Perhaps he felt guilty and used his official duties to escape."
She looked out the window at the trees in the courtyard where the morning light filtered through. Her eyes grew colder and colder, and her tone was so calm that it didn't sound like she was speaking in anger: "Since he won't come back, I'll go find him myself."
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