Chapter 25 Pregnancy.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
On the seventh day of the third month, Emperor Jiahe died in Hengzhou.
Qiu Min came to the princess's residence to deliver the news that he was now serving in Jizhou. This was the last bit of courtesy between master and servant.
But it must have been approved by Qin Lie, or rather, tacitly agreed to.
Emperor Jiahe, crown prince for ten years, emperor for twenty-two years.
He was tolerant of his subordinates and worked diligently to govern the country; he even personally led troops into battle to defend against foreign enemies.
He also indulged in extravagance and pleasure, making several southern tours; he also became addicted to beautiful women and sought enjoyment.
If that were all, he could even be called a wise ruler with flawed personal morality.
Unfortunately, in his later years, he became obsessed with cultivating immortality and neglected state affairs for several years. He also spent a huge sum of money to build ninety-nine towers to the heavens in pursuit of immortality, which led to widespread suffering among the people.
His life was full of dramatic events, and his merits and demerits will be judged by posterity.
At this point, no one can make a definitive judgment.
However, as his daughter, Lingyi had no impression of him.
When she was little, her mother said she loved her very much, often visiting her and even holding her in her arms—a treatment unmatched by any princess. However, it turned out that it was merely a case of loving the house because of the person she loved; after her mother fell out of favor, he never set foot in her palace again, and all his affection vanished.
The only time Lingyi saw her after she could remember was on the day she left the palace.
But the palace was so large that when you looked up, all you could see was a ferocious and terrifying five-clawed golden dragon on a black jade crown, and the face behind the crown was a blur. The light reflected from the gilded dragon throne was dazzling and cold.
After all, I gave birth to her and raised her.
Lingyi set up a mourning hall in the mansion, where Emperor Jiahe's memorial tablet was enshrined, and decided to keep vigil for him for seven days.
However, the next day, Qin Lie, who had rushed over, kicked him over.
He reeked of alcohol and was furious: "How dare you, Liu Lingyi, hold a memorial service for that tyrannical emperor on the territory of Jizhou?!"
Lingyi did not want to say more to him, and obediently said, "If the general does not allow it, I will accept it."
Li De bent down to tidy up, but Qin Lie kicked him to the ground. He crawled out trembling, not daring to get in Qin Lie's way anymore.
Lingyi then tried to pick them up herself, but he grabbed her wrist, saying, "The memorial tablets are already set up, and now you're putting on this act!"
Lingyi didn't want to argue with the drunkard, but after struggling to break free several times, she couldn't help but say, "When I was arranging these things, I asked Qin Xiaohu, and she agreed before I put them out. If the general cares so much, he could have refused back then. Why throw a tantrum now?"
Qin Lie, drunk and half-closing his eyes, stared at her and said, "You unfaithful harlot, how dare you argue with me? I should have shot you dead with an arrow long ago! It would have saved me from getting angry here! I'm so angry!"
He was so drunk he could barely stand, and he dragged her around, making her stagger. Lingyi tried to steady herself while saying irritably, "You've never considered me a member of the Qin family, so for whom should I uphold my wifely duties!"
"Sharp-tongued!" He gripped her chin, his thumb roughly kneading her lips. "How could you kiss someone like General Zhang? Liu Lingyi, you're a complete and utterly promiscuous slut!"
Back in Junzhou, after he captured her, he remained aloof and cold, turning his horse around and galloping away without even glancing at her.
Now that he's drunk, he's bringing up these old grievances with her.
Lingyi never regretted what she had done, nor did she bother to argue. She just wanted him to leave quickly, so she said perfunctorily, "Now that my father is dead, General, your wish has been fulfilled. On such a joyous day, why come to me, a person in mourning, and bring bad luck? If you want to see the Liu family sad and in tears, I will put on a show for you."
Qin Lie lowered his brows upon hearing this, a storm brewing in his eyes: "Acting, you're a master actor, but no matter how you act, I can't bring myself to be happy." He picked up the memorial tablet of Emperor Jiahe at his feet and said violently, "How can this be considered a joyous day if I haven't personally avenged my enemy?"
Lingyi was terrified and tried to escape, but he pulled her back and pressed her down in front of Emperor Jiahe's memorial tablet. "If you want me to be happy, you should tie up all his loved ones while he's still alive and kill them one by one." Although he was drunk, his words seemed to have been thought of a thousand times in his mind. Lingyi couldn't help but feel a chill. Her face turned pale, and against her white mourning clothes, she looked like a small flower swaying in the wind, pitiful yet alluring.
Qin Lie chuckled softly in her ear, "Don't worry, I won't kill you—what kind of dearest person are you to him?"
"I will press you down hard on his coffin, bury him with the tears of his beautiful daughter as she shed her blood, and send him off to heaven with the most beautiful cry of the noble princess of the Great Han!"
As he spoke, his breathing became heavier, and his hand reached under her mourning clothes to grope her.
Upon hearing what Li De said, Granny Zhao and Pearl rushed over, only to be stopped by Qin Xiaohu outside the mourning hall.
After a long while, Qin Lie stumbled out, his clothes disheveled, still reeking of alcohol. Even a casual glance from him was enough to send chills down their spines. The two men were so frightened they knelt on the ground, too afraid to look up. Thankfully, he didn't stop and walked over.
After he walked away, the two hurriedly got up and went into the mourning hall.
The ground was in a mess, with offerings scattered everywhere and the memorial tablet smashed.
The princess leaned against the table, her hair disheveled, her mourning clothes torn, barely covering her body, her exposed skin covered with teeth marks and handprints.
Pearl exclaimed, "Princess!" Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't say anything more.
Lingyi said, "Bring some hot water; I want to take a bath."
Seeing Pearl's distressed expression, she comforted her, "It just looks scary, but it's actually harmless."
Qin Lie was so drunk today, his actions were urgent and rough, a mixture of revenge, venting and conquest.
Since she couldn't escape, she could only try her best to accept, tolerate, and even comfort him. As a result, she was not injured. However, the forceful way he pressed her down on the table at the end caused discomfort in her lower abdomen. It had been a long time since she had done this, so it was inevitably swollen and difficult to describe at first. After taking a bath and resting for two days, she was fine.
She treated it as a nightmare, but the dream was too real. She never imagined Qin Lie could hate her so much, hating her even after Emperor Jiahe died. Even when he was drunk and in the throes of pleasure, he stared at her intently, gritting his teeth and calling her a "whore." He hated her so much.
Lingyi then thought that she should be more careful with her words and actions in the future, and should not do things like setting up a mourning hall today, so as not to attract his attention.
Fortunately, things calmed down for more than a month, and Lingyi's heart was somewhat at ease. Qiu Min came again.
Granny Zhao loathed him, hating him for betraying his master for personal gain, and even more so because every time he came to the princess's residence, there was no good news. Perhaps now, nothing good ever happens in Da Han.
The princess desperately wanted to see him, and she didn't want to miss any news, good or bad, as long as it was true.
Granny Zhao gave him a heads-up: "General Qiu, the princess treated you well in the past, but she has been having a poor appetite and is not in good spirits lately. If you still have any regard for the old master-servant relationship, you should think carefully about what you should say and what you shouldn't say."
Qiu Min agreed verbally, but upon seeing Lingyi, he knelt on one knee and said sorrowfully, "Your Highness, the Seventh Prince has kept the late Emperor's coffin in Hengzhou for several days without burying him, demanding that the Crown Prince personally escort the coffin. The Crown Prince was furious and, disregarding the objections of the officials, personally led troops to attack him. On the way, he was ambushed at Yuling Pass in Mangshan and was surrounded and killed under the city walls!"
"You ungrateful wretch! You heartless scoundrel!" Granny Zhao roared in anger.
Qiu Min didn't look at him, but called out, "Princess!"
When Granny Zhao turned around, she realized that the princess had fainted. Fortunately, Qin Xiaohu helped her in time, preventing her from falling to the ground.
Qin Lie returned to the princess's residence a day later after receiving the news. The door to the princess's bedroom was tightly closed. Qin Xiaohu said, "Ever since the princess learned the news, she has not had a drop of water, has not slept a wink, and has not allowed anyone to approach her."
She glanced at the medicine bowl on the table outside. "I did not receive orders and dare not act on my own, so I sent this message to the general."
She knew Qin Lie's temperament: he was protective of his own when dealing with outsiders, but intolerant of his subordinates' self-righteousness. Qin Xiaoshan had taken the princess to see him without prior notice, and as a result, he was removed from his personal guard and sent to the military camp.
The medicinal soup was heated several times, and steam rose from it. Qin Lie looked over, his forehead twitched slightly, and he turned his eyes away, kicked open the door, and went inside.
Lingyi was curled up on the bed with her knees drawn up to her chest. Hearing the noise, she hurriedly hid inside the bed like a startled animal, but Qin Lie, who strode over, grabbed her and pulled her out. "Where do you think you can hide?"
More than a month had passed since I last saw her, and her already small face looked even smaller, with only her unusually large eyes remaining, filled with fear and unease.
She pleaded with him, crying, "General, please let me keep my child!"
She trembled as she clung to his arm, pleading, "Please, even tigers don't eat their cubs, he's your child too!"
Qin Lie never imagined that his drunken recklessness that day would have such consequences.
He had been thinking about this all the way here, about the past and the future, and he was determined not to let the child stay.
His cold expression extinguished Lingyi's last glimmer of hope. She released him, clutched her stomach, and a bleak smile appeared on her face.
"In that case, there's no need for further trouble. Please, General, just kill me. My elder brother, the Crown Prince, is dead, and my fifteenth sister's whereabouts are unknown. If I can't even save the child, I might as well die. Fortunately, we'll die together now. I couldn't have one in life, but in death, I'll have an inseparable relative by my side."
Qin Lie coldly replied, "I hate being threatened more than anything in my life, especially when it involves your life, which is of utmost importance to me!"
"I dare not threaten you!" Lingyi smiled bitterly. "I am the daughter of your enemy whom you were forced to marry. In your eyes, I have the blood of the late emperor in my veins, so you can treat me however you want. But what about me?"
She looked up at him and accused him, "I knew nothing in the deep palace and married you with high hopes. But just because of my status, I was hated by my husband and abandoned by his family. Now even the blood ties between us are being taken away. What did I do wrong?"
Qin Lie stared at her for a long time, his expression gradually softening. "If I hadn't come, would you have been able to save him by not eating or drinking? Eat something first, and we can discuss the child's matter later."
He went out and summoned someone to bring him food. Granny Zhao had already had it prepared and quickly brought it up.
Lingyi was carried by Qin Lie to sit at the table, but she didn't touch her bowl or chopsticks.
Qin Lie knew what she was worried about. "I can just order someone to administer the medicine directly. Why go through the trouble of tampering with the food?"
Upon hearing this, Lingyi finally picked up her chopsticks. Her heart ached, and she didn't know what the future held. She also thought that eating well would ensure the health of the baby in her womb. She silently shed tears while desperately eating, and she didn't know how many tears she shed during the meal.
Qin Lie didn't touch his chopsticks at all; he just sat there watching her.
Seeing that she had finally managed to eat so much, before she even put down her chopsticks, she felt nauseous and vomited most of it. She had just rinsed her mouth when she felt nauseous again, and she lost the remaining small portion.
He had no food in his stomach and was still dry heaving.
He frowned and called the doctor, who explained, "This is morning sickness. It's common for pregnant women to experience this, so there's no need to worry too much."
Qin Lie recalled when Hui Niang was pregnant. He was away fighting a war, and every time he returned, she said she was fine and everything was alright. Why was the princess having such a strong reaction now? He asked, "Is there any way to alleviate it?"
The doctor said, "Pregnancy vomiting usually stops after two or three months when the belly grows bigger. If it's really uncomfortable, you can drink some herbal medicine to relieve it. But I see that your reaction is so severe that even if you drink the medicine, you will vomit it up immediately, so it won't be of much use."
Qin Lie said, "Just prescribe the medicine."
The medicine was ready and served, but Lingyi gritted her teeth and refused to drink it.
Qin Lie sneered: "You don't even trust the medicine brewed by your personal maid? If you don't drink it, with your body so weak and frail, you'll die in less than a month, let alone two or three months. Why bother me to do it myself?"
Pearl added, "Princess, please drink it. Granny Zhao has seen the prescription. It's medicine that I brewed myself, so it won't harm the child."
Lingyi nodded and drank it down in small sips. Although she eventually vomited up a lot of it, what she drank did have an effect. The medicine contained calming herbs, and soon after drinking it, she fell asleep.
Even in her dreams, she couldn't find peace. Her brows furrowed, and she placed her hand on her lower abdomen, protecting it tightly.
Qin Lie sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her.
He kept looking at her today. In fact, she didn't look too good. She looked haggard and kept vomiting. Even a beauty doesn't look good when she vomits, and it smells even worse.
He kept watching, probably finding it fascinating that such a tiny person was carrying his child.
He had two sons and a daughter. Before Hui Niang gave birth to her eldest son, Aunt Liu had been drinking contraceptive soup.
When Hui Niang was pregnant for the first time, he had just turned eighteen and knew nothing about women's affairs, nor did he need to. His grandmother and mother took care of him, and Hui Niang knew more than he did.
Hui Niang was his wife and sister, and she took care of him more than he took care of her. She never made a mistake in either his life or his emotions.
As for Aunt Liu, she was just a concubine. Even if he had some affection for her, he only needed to visit her every month, and he didn't need to worry about her at all.
Therefore, it is as if the child in the family was suddenly born into this world to fulfill his mission of continuing the family line.
He was naturally delighted, and after his delight, he resolved to teach them well, lest they tarnish the reputation of the Qin family.
In the matter of educating the children, Hui Niang took the lead and only needed him to ask a few questions occasionally.
She was good at everything she did, and her grandmother and mother both praised her highly, never causing him any worry.
Before today, he had no idea that his child could be so troublesome.
He returned in secret and stayed at the princess's residence for two days without leaving the house. He was about to leave before dawn on the third day.
He slept in other rooms for the past few nights, but on the day he was to leave, the princess came to dress him, just like before.
This time, although she still looked somewhat haggard, she wasn't as lazy as before. She perfunctorily dressed him before going back to sleep.
Instead, she meticulously and gently tidied his clothes, and finally gazed at him silently with affectionate eyes.
He knew what she meant; it was simply because she wanted a promise from him.
He promised to let her give birth to his child.
But he couldn't make a promise, even though he felt more and more deeply these past two days that he was about to become a father, and even felt a little curious about the child in her belly—curiosity is such a naughty child that it is almost never still.
He turned and left, and all that could be heard was a soft sigh from her behind.
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