Ever since Xie Shiyan said those words to her, Gu Jiangli has felt a certain unease.
Less than a year later, this unease came true.
As expected, Nanlin started causing trouble again at the border between the two countries.
Last time, they took advantage of Yue Qiao'e's poisoning to plan an attack when the Northern Qi soldiers were almost all dead and sickly. However, they did not expect that the Northern Qi had many capable people who found a way to suppress the plague in no time.
Moreover, the plague was completely eradicated in just three years.
Since the insidious plan failed, he simply stopped pretending.
The soldiers guarding the border were brutally murdered.
Even if the emperor didn't want to fight, he had no choice but to fight now that he was being trampled on.
Xie Shiyan donned his battle armor once more and led his army to the border.
This time, he did not go alone; he also brought Wen Sheng, who was not yet six years old.
Some members of the Xie family objected, but Wen Sheng himself was very willing to follow Xie Shiyan into battle.
They even brought up the fact that Xie Shiyan himself joined the army when he was only six years old to shut up the Xie family.
With that said, the Xie family naturally had no reason to stop him.
Not only did Wen Sheng want to go along, but Wen An also volunteered to go as a military doctor.
The emperor had no way to deal with this family; he couldn't stop them, so he had no choice but to agree.
On the day of the march, the people of the capital gathered at the city gate, all with tears in their eyes.
Although they lived in the capital and had never experienced the hardships of war, they knew the difficulties of marching and fighting in the field.
The added worry of those with children in the marching column only amplified their concerns.
Everyone hoped the army would return safely, and Gu Jiangli was no exception.
After exchanging a few words, the two decided to part ways.
In front of the crowd, Gu Jiangli put her arms around Xie Shiyan's neck and whispered in his ear:
"It's okay to get hurt, but don't make it too serious. The kids and I are waiting for you to come home."
"The child?" Xie Shiyan asked, staring at Gu Jiangli with a puzzled look. "I've already taken Wen Sheng and Wen An away, who else is there...?"
Before he could finish speaking, the cunning look in Gu Jiangli's eyes sent a shiver down his spine.
Gu Jiangli placed her hand on her lower abdomen, the meaning of which was self-evident.
"Could it be... that you... again?"
Gu Jiangli nodded gently, "It would be best if you could come back before the baby is born. It's okay if you can't make it in time, as long as you can hear the baby call you 'Dad' with your own ears when the baby learns to do so."
She knew Xie Shiyan's abilities, and she also knew that Wen Sheng and Wen An, as figures who could change history, were unlikely to encounter any unexpected events.
The three of them will definitely be safe, but I might be a little bored during this time.
Xie Shiyan excitedly hugged her again.
The force he used was as if he intended to knead Gu Jiangli into his very bones.
"Jiang Li, I really don't know how to thank you enough..."
"Why are you thanking me?" Gu Jiangli joked. "Your former defeated opponent is no problem for you. Don't keep me waiting too long, it'll be too lonely. I'm afraid I'll make a mistake, you know?"
Gu Jiangli's eyes were filled with a bright smile.
Xie Shiyan knew she was joking, and a relaxed smile appeared on his solemn face. "Alright, if I return from the campaign and find an extra man in the Xie residence, you can take him in as your personal servant, okay?"
The two of them laughed together, oblivious to everyone else around them.
The clock struck, signaling the time for parting.
Wen Sheng and Wen An stepped forward, their faces showing reluctance, and finally said goodbye to Gu Jiangli.
The banners of the Northern Qi fluttered in the wind, and a large number of people followed the banners out of the city gate.
They traveled westward, their destination the perilous border region.
Life without Xie Shiyan and the two children is indeed different, but it's not boring.
On the contrary, she felt it was a bit too lively.
With Madam Xie's word, Gu Jiangli's grandfather and mother moved into the Xie residence and spent every day with her.
Madam Xie herself was also trying to find ways to keep Gu Jiangli entertained.
The opera troupe would come to the Xie residence to perform almost every three days.
Her mother and Hehua would take her out to the market from time to time to buy baby toys.
Gu Zan didn't have any particular hobbies; he just liked playing chess to pass the time.
However, Gu Jiangli's Go skills are absolutely terrible.
Every time I played chess with my grandfather, I would make him so angry that he would hang his chest.
"Why did you fall here! You should have fallen over there! You won't breathe if you fall here, how will you survive?"
Gu Zan was a mild-mannered person who rarely lost his temper, and he only let out such shouts when playing chess with Gu Jiangli.
Gu Jiangli laughed when she saw this, and then came up with an idea.
"Grandpa, I'm really not good at Go. How about we try a different way of playing?"
"Change?" Gu Zan raised a pale eyebrow. "Change what?"
Gu Jiangli cleared her throat, then put away all the black and white pieces she had lost miserably, and carefully explained to her grandfather:
"Grandpa, this game is very simple. You can draw three lines on the board: horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. As long as you have five pieces of the same color in a row on the same line without stopping, you win. How about it?"
Gu Zan gave a disgusted look. "What kind of rule is this? How can you connect lines at an angle? What's so fun about this?"
Gu Jiangli smiled mysteriously: "I definitely can't beat you at Go, but what if you can't beat me at this? Why don't you give it a try? You take the black pieces, you go first?"
Gu Zan placed a black piece on the chessboard with some skepticism. "I've never played this game before. I'll just keep you company today."
Gu Jiangli placed a white piece, suppressing a smile, "Grandpa, I'm not lying to you, I'm really good."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com