Xu Yixing felt a sharp prick in the heart at his own interpretation. It wasn't that he was nostalgic for life in the capital, but he suddenly missed Lu Anyuan. He wondered if he had married a new concubine, or if he was reviewing memorials while a beautiful woman graced his room.
Bah! Why think about these things? Even if he drags 300 concubines to have fun now, what does it have to do with you? It's still your own choice!
"You're right, they brought this upon themselves. You go out first, I'll get some sleep."
Jun He put on her coat and left for the west wing. During the month she had been here, she had initially assumed the two people in this courtyard were a couple, but now it was clear they weren't. One was a wife about to give birth, while the other looked a bit like a housekeeper from a wealthy family. Her little mind would constantly wonder, could this be the mistress of some high-ranking official in Miaozhou City?
But who cares? She can love whoever she wants. She is now a slave in this family. She has no worries about food and drink, and can even light a charcoal fire. She lives a better life than her own family with their cruel parents, brother and sister-in-law. It feels so good!
But today, he had just fallen asleep when he suddenly heard a commotion outside. When Jun He got up, dressed and went out to see, his wife was already leaning against the door frame, whispering something with the housekeeper named Wu Zi.
"Madam! It seems, it seems that the Hu people are attacking the city!" Junhe was a native of Miaozhou. She was very familiar with the sounds of fire and a large army passing by. She moved tremblingly from the west room to the door of the main room.
"Ah, I heard it. It's okay. We are at the east gate. Even if the Hu people attack, they will attack the north gate first. This must be the sound of the garrison in the city sending reinforcements there. Don't be afraid." Xu Yixing spoke slowly and firmly. Jun He was comforted by this statement and the fear in his heart was reduced a lot.
"But what should we do if the Hu people really come and kill us?" Jun He's mind is now full of what her parents once said. Those Hu people kill people without blinking an eye. They will chop down anyone they see as soon as they enter the city. She is terrified.
"Ever since the late emperor pacified the surrounding areas, although there have been constant wars with the Hu people, the Hu people have never set foot in our city again. Don't worry, they can't break in. If you don't believe me, you can ask your parents. They probably haven't seen the Hu people kill anyone."
Junhe nodded. These stories were told by her grandfather to her father, and then to herself. She had been in Miaozhou for so many years and had indeed never seen any critical moment of a city being broken.
"Then, Madam, are you not afraid?"
"What's there to be afraid of? It must be because of the heavy snow this year. Those barbarians have nothing to eat, so they invaded our state capital. They will be repelled soon. Don't worry."
"Okay..." After hearing what his wife said, Junhe felt much more at ease and went back to the west room to sleep in the night wind.
Xu Yixing waited until she left before asking Ying Wu, "Do you know who is the current general stationed in Miaozhou?"
"It was Ren Shaozhou. The late emperor appointed him to replace the general defending the city after the rebellion in the northern border. However, I don't know the details."
"Ren Shaozhou..." Xu Yixing had heard of this name before. After Lu Anyuan became the crown prince, he had frequently interacted with officials from all four regions. He had read all those letters and remembered that he seemed to admire this man. He thought he was a capable man. "Let's go to sleep first. The Hu people are only good at looting. They're far from capable of attacking a city."
Ying Wu looked at Xu Yixing's belly with great concern. He was originally worried that his master might be frightened and have a miscarriage, but now it seems that he was worrying too much.
As Xu Yixing expected, the attack was abandoned after only three days. Even before the Miaozhou garrison sent border troops out of the city to clear out the rebellion, these people ran back to the grassland on their own.
By mid-September, peace seemed to have returned to Miaozhou, the earlier rebellion seemingly forgotten. Yingwu made daily trips to the city, buying fresh food and gathering news. This day, he brought back unusual news.
"Master, the emperor wants to lead the army in person."
"Where is the war?" Xu Yixing widened her eyes and sat up from the kang. Her mind was a little confused. Why was there another war?
"Conquer those barbarians!"
"What! But didn't those barbarians just launch a small-scale attack? Why did they need to lead the army in person? Did Lu Anyuan feel that he had just ascended the throne and couldn't control the people, so he had to lead the troops to convince everyone?"
Ying Wu didn't know how to answer this. He was not knowledgeable in military affairs, but he could see that those Hu people were just here to take advantage of the situation and were not a threat at all. It was really not worth it for him to lead the army in person.
"Where did you get your information? Is it accurate?"
"It was posted on the walls of Miaozhou. The emperor is personally leading the army, and the garrison troops are spreading the news everywhere to boost the morale of the people."
"It can't be a trick..." Xu Yixing shook his head. What on earth was Lu Anyuan going to do?
"If Your Majesty were to lead the troops here, it would take at least fifteen days, or at most a month. What would we do?"
"Tsk!" Xu Yixing spat reluctantly. Lu Anyuan really knew how to pick the time. She was due to give birth in half a month. If he came at this time, the Imperial Guards would definitely conduct a comprehensive investigation of suspicious elements in Miaozhou. What if it was Ada's group who had seen him before? His disguise would be useless.
"You, go find Gao Yao and ask her if she has any news about my brother. Also, ask her if she knows of any place in Miaozhou where we can hide safely for a few days. I don't believe that after going through so many storms, I can be defeated at this moment!"
Ying Wu grumbled inwardly: "How could you have experienced such a storm?" "Okay, I'll go right away. I've already contacted the clinic across the street. If you feel unwell these days, they have a midwife and a doctor ready to come over."
"I see. Go ahead. Jun He is at home anyway."
As soon as Ying Wu left, Xu Yixing slowly sat up, holding onto the bedside cabinet. She really wanted to walk around, but the weather was cold and her feet were so swollen that she couldn't wear shoes. She decided not to bother. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Whether this happened before or after Lu Anyuan came, the inspections for leaving the city must have been very strict. She figured she had to hide until he finished fighting and returned to the capital, and then she could find a way to escape.
Pregnant women don't tend to think too much, and after being so stressed out, she suddenly felt something was wrong with her body. When she lifted the quilt, she saw that her pants were indeed wet.
"Junhe! Junhe! Go find a midwife! I'm afraid I'm about to give birth!"
Junhe was in the kitchen processing the meat that the housekeeper had just bought. When he heard the noise, he quickly ran to the main room. When he saw his wife sweating profusely, he immediately ran against the wind to call for help.
As soon as Xu Yixing's water broke, she felt excruciating pain. She could only bite her handkerchief hard to prevent herself from fainting or biting her tongue. Thankfully, after learning about Grandma He's harmful methods, she had read a lot about maternal health tips. Now, even though she had no one around, she could still rely on herself!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
