142 Chapter 142
"Be careful not to get a miscarriage."
It was early July this year, and the dog days of summer hadn't yet ended. The weather was still incredibly hot. The Golden Crow was like a furnace hanging in the sky, baking the earth in a scorching heat. The only relief was staying inside a room with ice. Throughout the day, only the mornings felt refreshingly cool.
Xu Qinghe has been very sleepy recently and has to sleep until the hour of Si every day, but on the seventh day of July, he woke up very early.
When Jing'an woke up, he found her lying on her side, staring at the wall in a daze.
"When did you wake up? Why is there no movement at all?"
Xu Qinghe spoke, his voice slightly hoarse: "I woke up not long ago, but after waking up, I couldn't fall asleep. I didn't want to get up, so I lay like this for a while."
After getting up, the two began to wash, then had breakfast and read poetry and books. After lunch, they took a walk and took a short rest. In the afternoon, they went to the studio to paint.
This day was just like any other, an ordinary one. After dinner, Xu Qinghe stood by the window, looking up at the crescent moon in the pitch-black night.
She suddenly ordered someone to help her dress up and change her clothes.
Jing'an asked her what she was going to do, and Xu Qinghe replied softly, "Today is Qixi Festival, and I want to go out and join in the fun."
Jing'an naturally wanted to persuade her: "There are many people here today, and you are pregnant, so you'd better not go out."
Xu Qinghe said: "Don't you still have me?"
Princess Jing'an deliberately acted embarrassed. "It's all your fault, after all. You could have taken medicine and taken pulses to maintain your pregnancy, but you insisted on dragging me along. I feel like I've taken too much these past few days, and I'm feeling dizzy. I can't go. How about we wait a few days, when the weather is cooler, and then go out together, okay?"
When talking about the latter part, I couldn't help but be a little cautious.
Xu Qinghe pursed her lips and said okay, but she still had someone comb her hair into a beautiful bun, put on beautiful makeup, and finally put on a luxurious and exquisite dress.
At first Jing'an was worried when he saw her dressing and changing clothes, but when he saw her just standing by the window looking at the moon, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Once the tension in his heart was relaxed, the drowsiness caused by the medicinal food he had just eaten came back. Jing'an was leaning on the couch reading a book, but as he read, he closed his eyes involuntarily.
Xu Qinghe asked someone to put a soft pillow under her so that she could sleep more comfortably, and then went to stroll in the yard.
Today is the Qiqiao Festival. The girls in the backyard have either gone out to play or gathered somewhere to test their skills by throwing needles. Only a few warriors have been following her.
Xu Qinghe asked Wu Shi to walk aside with the lantern, and the few of them just walked around the yard.
When I walked to the small gate connecting the front and back courtyards, I unexpectedly met Yang Ye.
"During the Qiqiao Festival, why is Madam staying at home instead of going out to enjoy the fun?"
Ever since Yang Ye expressed his feelings last time, Xu Qinghe has been deliberately distancing himself from him. Tonight is the first time they have met since that day.
Xu Qinghe was not wearing a veil, so she turned sideways, hiding her face in the shadows, and explained, "I'm pregnant and it's inconvenient for me. There are so many people outside, so I won't join in the fun."
Yang Ye sighed, "Madam, you are so celestial today. I thought you were going out and was planning to go with you. But now, I have no choice but to go and pray to the Banyan Tree God alone."
Xu Qinghe: "...Banyan Tree God?"
Yang Ye explained, "Madam, do you still remember the two century-old banyan trees at the entrance to the town? I heard that prayers under those banyan trees are very effective. During every festival, people in the town like to go to the trees to pray for blessings, whether it's a happy marriage, family happiness, or peace for loved ones, and most of them are granted. I have relatives and friends who are fighting the enemy on the border, so I wanted to pray for their safety."
Since becoming pregnant, Xu Qinghe has become much slower.
At this moment, she didn't think about the fact that when she checked Yang Ye's identity before, she didn't hear that he had a relative who was fighting the enemy on the border. She also didn't think that since he was going out, why would he come towards the backyard? She just thought that since the banyan tree god was very powerful, it would be better to pray for that person's safety on his birthday.
It was she who had originally vowed that his life or death was none of her business, but now she was the one worried about his safety. Fortunately, no one knew of her feelings, so Xu Qinghe didn't try to suppress them, and simply followed her heart.
She asked someone to bring her a veil and put it on before going out.
Yang Ye naturally took the lantern from Wu Shi's hand and stood beside him.
Although the Qiqiao Festival in Ting'an Town is not as lively as those in Kyoto and the southern border, it also has a unique scene. There are many rivers in this town, and young boys and girls who are not yet married hold river lanterns in their hands and go to the river to release the lanterns and pray for blessings.
"Madam, do you want to release river lanterns too?"
Xu Qinghe was staring at a boy and girl who were joking and playing by the river. The boy was outspoken and the girl was shy. After releasing the lanterns, they exchanged their wishes, but the girl was hesitant and refused to speak.
"I've already told you my wish. It would be unfair if you didn't say anything."
The girl defended herself, "If I say it out loud, it won't work! Besides... who would make a wish... wishing for someone to come of age as soon as possible..."
The young man lowered his head and touched the back of his head, feigning indifference as he kicked the stones by the river, muttering, "I'm just thinking that if you come of age soon, our engagement can be fulfilled sooner... I've been waiting for you for a long time..."
Unconsciously, the young man and girl by the river had become her and the man now far away in the southern border. They played and laughed by the river, gazing at the lanterns filling the river and the bright moon and stars in the sky above.
"……lady?"
But Yang Ye's voice brought her back to her senses. She didn't know when the boy and girl by the river had disappeared.
Maybe he has already left.
Xu Qinghe also walked away from here.
"Isn't Mr. Yang going to pray for his relatives and friends under the banyan tree? Just go there directly."
What Yang Ye said was right. The two big trees at the entrance of the town were crowded with people praying.
Both banyan trees are centuries old, with long roots and sturdy branches. Their dense foliage resembles an open umbrella, enveloping dozens of people. Numerous wooden prayer plaques hang from the branches, some faded, others still vibrant, carrying the wishes of generations of Ting'an residents.
Xu Qinghe missed Yang Ye's hand and took the wooden prayer board directly from the old man guarding the tree. He carefully wrote down his wish on it and finally threw it to the top of the tree with his own hands.
The branches and leaves at the top of the tree were small, and the wooden sign fell on the branch with a trembling sound. It swayed from side to side for a while, and it seemed that it was about to break the branch.
Her heart trembled along with the branches and leaves.
It is said that wishes will only be seen by the gods if they are hung high, but if the branches are directly broken, it is not a good sign.
Fortunately, the branch only shook a few times, and finally it was able to bear the weight of the wooden sign underneath and stood there intact.
Xu Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief, took out a handkerchief from his arms and wiped the thin layer of sweat from his palms.
Some neighbors under the tree recognized them and saw Yang Ye standing beside her, protecting her closely. They all praised their love.
Xu Qinghe didn't respond, but Yang Ye smiled and gave a few compliments.
She came here just to pray for blessings, and after hanging the sign, she planned to go home. On the way back, she saw several girls making cookies in front of the shop, and a large group of people gathered around to watch.
Yang Ye suggested that they go and take a look, but Xu Qinghe had no intention of doing so and just walked through the crowd and left.
The girls working next to the shop were all very clever and skillful. They could make delicious products with just a flick of their fingers, which made everyone cheer.
Some people couldn't help but sigh: "It's better to live in a peaceful time. Unlike the southern border, the peace lasts only a few days and fighting breaks out again."
Another person sighed and said, "That's right. In war, it's the people who suffer. Especially since we've been defeated again this time. Sigh."
"——Who did you say lost the battle?"
As the two were chatting, they suddenly heard a cold female voice, and saw a beautiful pregnant woman wearing a veil walking towards them, surrounded by several people.
"Who else could it be? It's naturally the newly appointed Marquis Dingnan, the former Young General Xie of the Southern Territory. Alas, back then everyone said Young General Xie was a rare talent, but who knew he'd suffer a defeat in just one battle? He himself was knocked off his horse and severely injured, and it's unknown whether he's dead or alive."
"Not only that, I heard that the Southern Territory has already prepared the coffin and is preparing for the funeral."
Hearing this, the woman's body shook violently, and the people who were chatting were startled. The woman must be at least six or seven months pregnant, and it would be disastrous if anything went wrong at this moment.
Fortunately, the man beside her was quick to support her.
The woman paused, then spoke again, her voice a little hoarse, no longer as pleasant as before: "When did this happen?"
"I guess it was more than a month ago."
Her most recent correspondence with Nanzhi was five days ago. When Nanzhi wrote that letter, it must have been at least half a month ago, but she never mentioned it in the letter.
"Madam, are you okay? Do you want to see a doctor?"
The two men couldn't see her pale face through the veil, but they could tell something was wrong from her unsteady posture.
Xu Qinghe wanted to shake his head and say no, but he couldn't muster any strength, and even lifting his feet and taking a step was difficult.
After resting her arm on Yang Ye's for a while, she finally said she wanted to go home.
On the way back home, she thought of what was wrong with Jing'an and everyone in the mansion in the past few days.
Jing'an was thinking about her, so Xu Qinghe didn't blame her, but Yang Ye, who deliberately led her here today to overhear other people's words, clearly had ulterior motives.
She pushed Yang Ye's hand away and asked the other two warriors to support her.
When I returned to the mansion, Jing'an just woke up. She came to me worriedly, "Where have you been? I was sending people to look for you in the mansion, and I almost had to go outside to look for you. Why do you look so bad? Are you feeling unwell? Come on, go find the mansion doctor..."
"Grind the ink first. I want to write a letter to Nanzhi." Xu Qinghe interrupted her.
She didn't know how she got all the way back. When she came to her senses, she was already at the door.
Princess Jing'an understood that she must have just returned from outside and naturally heard the rumors about the southern border.
She helped Qinghe sit at the desk in the back room, and while spreading paper and grinding ink, she comforted him, "Don't worry, the rumors may not be true. They might just be exaggerated."
Xu Qinghe wrote the inscription while asking, "You came from the capital, and I only have one question for you: did he really lose? Jing'an, either keep silent or tell the truth. If you continue to hide things from me, then our sisterhood will cease to exist."
Jing'an knew she was angry and quickly tried to comfort her, "Be careful not to disturb the fetus. To be honest, I don't know much. Father never brings matters of the past dynasty to the harem. I haven't heard anything from Mother. I only heard from Qi Sheng that a month ago, the Nanyi Kingdom broke the alliance and raided the southern border. Xie Qi led his men to fight back hastily, and indeed suffered heavy losses..."
As he spoke, Xu Qinghe had already stopped writing and called Lin Xiao over.
"Order this letter to be delivered to the southern border as soon as possible."
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