Mu Houchu felt his throat choke up and seemed unable to speak. After a long time, he finally answered in a slightly hoarse voice, "Alright."
He then gave her a kiss on the forehead and said, "Be good and wait for me at home."
Xin He nodded, and he turned around and left.
Standing at the door, she stared blankly at his departing figure, suddenly feeling empty inside.
"Madam, it’s windy outside. Let’s go inside," Shulan said.
Xin He sighed lightly, "I still can’t avoid it in the end."
Though she was aware of the dangers, she still had to jump in. Indeed, she had perceived the matter early on, but she also knew that Mu Houchu did not want her to know about it, fearing that she would worry and feel uncomfortable.
However, it wasn’t as if the matter wouldn’t have occurred just because she was unaware of it.
From the moment she knew about it, she realized that it wouldn’t be easy to end, and there must be countless follow-ups. In the end, the fiery pit was something Mu Houchu couldn’t avoid, no matter what.
"Madam, don’t think too much. My husband has great abilities, and there won’t be any problems," Shulan consoled.
Xin He let out a faint smile, "I won’t think too much. I promised to wait for him, so I’ll wait patiently."
She lowered her head and gently touched her belly, whispering, "Ah Guai, your father wants us to wait for him. Will you be good and wait with me?"
It has been half a month since Mu Houchu left, and Ji Xinhe sent people every day to inquire about the news.
Xin He had already heard a lot about these bandits. They were said to be cunning and tricky, and difficult to deal with. Moreover, with the Great Prince stirring up trouble, Mu Houchu’s journey was clearly a pincer attack. How difficult would it be for him to get out of this predicament?
Upon hearing that the situation remained deadlocked, Xin He’s anxiety grew stronger day by day, though she didn’t show it on her face.
Ji Dong and Xiao Cui came to see her from time to time during these days. But since Xiao Cui was also pregnant, it wasn’t very convenient for her. Actually, their visits didn’t make much difference, as Xin He had plenty of maids and helpers around her. They were just worried that Xin He may be upset since she was carrying a child and expecting soon.
During this time, Lady Song also visited a few times to offer words of comfort.
As the estimated due date approached, there was still no definite news from Hou Chu. Xin He began to lose focus in recent days.
Looking at her, Shulan couldn’t help but feel heartbroken: "Madam, why don’t you rest for a bit?"
Xin He cast her eyes down, looking at the little bellyband in her hand, "It’s okay. The more I make, the more there will be for the child to wear."
Perhaps sensing the tense atmosphere at home, even the usually lively Xiao Bei became well-behaved and brought Xiaochaihu to Ji Xinhe’s room to do homework.
In fact, she just wanted to spend more time with her.
Seeing that the two children were so well-behaved, Xin He felt very gratified, and although she felt a little depressed, she forced herself to cheer up. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"Shulan, is there any news?" Xin He asked almost every day.
As Shulan poured tea for Xin He, her hand trembled imperceptibly. She laughed, "They are still in a stalemate. Madam, don’t worry. There are only a few thousand bandits, but the imperial court has sent 10,000 troops. How could they not deal with these little bandits? Nothing will happen."
Upon hearing this, Xin He sensed that something was wrong, her eyes darkened: "Did something happen?"
She wasn’t a fool. She knew clearly that the real threat to Mu Houchu this time was not the so-called bandits, but the people of the imperial court. It would be more accurate to say that Mu Houchu had jumped into a fiery pit with attacks on both sides, and it would be extremely difficult for him to escape.
Shulan’s face briefly showed panic, "Nothing happened!"
Xin He’s hand clenched the handkerchief, and she suddenly stood up, her voice raised a few notches, "What exactly happened!?"
Shulan, frightened, knelt down on the ground, "I, I, I... I heard that my husband suddenly disappeared, and... and some people said he died. I thought this might be a rumor, maybe it’s not true... "
Before Shulan could finish speaking, Ji Xinhe swayed and collapsed back into the chair, her face pale. Her lips moved, but she couldn’t say a word. After a long time, she slowly said, "What did you say?"
Xiaoyu hurriedly came forward, "Madam, don’t listen to Shulan’s nonsense. How can you believe such rumors? The more vicious the rumor, the more likely it is to be false. At the very least, we should wait until we find the body to believe it!"
Xin He grabbed Xiaoyu’s hand, her eyes red but holding back her tears, "Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Xiaoyu could only tell the truth, "Last night, the husband led his men to the mountain to rescue the Great Prince. It seemed to be very chaotic at that time. I don’t know the specifics, but this morning, there were rumors that something happened to the husband."
"Did he disappear or die?" Xin He’s voice turned hoarse, stressing the word "die", as if it took all her strength just to say it.
Xiaoyu bit her lip and eventually shook her head, "We don’t know yet."
Shulan began to cry, "The husband will be fine. Madam, please don’t be upset. Be careful not to harm the child. You must think of the child in your belly at this critical time. Otherwise, when the husband returns, how sad will he be?"
Xin He cast her eyes down, concealing the look in her eyes. Her hand inside her sleeve clenched into a fist, "Immediately send someone to find out the news, and we must know the whereabouts of my husband no matter what!"
"Yes!" Xiaoyu immediately agreed, hurriedly leaving the room.
Xiao Bei was also scared at this moment, her little face creasing as if about to cry. She comforted Xin He, "Sister, don’t be afraid. Brother-in-law is so capable that he won’t have any problems."
Xiaochaihu, who was not good with words, stood on the side, lips pursed, unable to say anything. Perhaps he knew in his heart that Ji Xinhe did not need consolation. She has always been a strong woman. She had the ability to adjust herself, and she just needed the truth - whether Mu Houchu was alive or dead.
The panic on Ji Xinhe’s face disappeared in an instant, and she quickly regained her composure. If it weren’t for her red eyes, still flashing with tears, even Xiao Bei might have doubted if he had just seen a weak and sad sister.
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