Battle reports were sent back one after another, and the situation on the front line was not good. Without the resistance of Yueling Pass, the remaining soldiers of Dayong could only put up a desperate fight.
The emperor's health was getting worse, and he almost always asked Jiang Xu to read government affairs to him. The emperor would answer yes or no based on Jiang Xu's questions, and then let Jiang Xu write them down on his behalf.
The worse your health is, the more suspicious you become.
Seeing that the front line was at a disadvantage, the emperor actually thought of appealing to gods and ghosts. He arranged for an altar to be opened at the Circular Mound outside Beijing to pray for the front line.
The prayer was grand, with important officials in the court and royal family members all present.
For this matter, the Queen Mother summoned Xue Zhiyi into the palace to discuss it. The Queen Mother was also quite worried about this. Most people in the court believed that money should be used for military expenses rather than sacrifices. This was really the behavior of a tyrant.
As they were talking, the palace maids served snacks, saying that they were newly made by the imperial chef, and Huo Zhiyu liked them very much.
The lotus root starch dumplings in the bowl were sweet and greasy. Xue Zhiyi had a poor appetite recently, and she felt greasy after just a small taste. She covered her lips to suppress the involuntary feeling of nausea.
But her expression still revealed her discomfort. Huo Zhiyu asked someone to serve tea: "Is your sister-in-law not used to it?"
Xue Zhiyi shook his head: "It's just that my appetite hasn't been very good recently."
But the Queen Mother's expression changed slightly: "Has it been like this in the past few days?"
Xue Zhiyi was stunned. To be precise, she had been like this since Huo Wuyou left. However, when she said it this way, it sounded like she was lovesick and seemed a bit pretentious.
She just said, "Maybe it's because of the late spring cold weather a few days ago. I caught a cold."
But the Queen Mother asked her seriously, "When was your last period?"
Hearing this, Xue Zhiyi's breath caught in her throat. After a moment, looking at the Queen Mother's expectant eyes, she vaguely understood what she meant...
"I..." She couldn't answer for a moment.
The Queen Mother hurriedly sent for the imperial physician to come over immediately.
Xue Zhiyi's heart was beating fast. She understood what the Queen Mother meant... If this was the case, would she really...
Seeing that Xue Zhiyi and the Queen Mother were both nervous, Huo Zhiyu was confused: "What's wrong? Is my second sister-in-law sick?"
The two of them remained silent until the imperial physician arrived and took Xue Zhiyi's pulse. Only then did they beam with joy and congratulate him, "Congratulations to the wife of the Marquis of Lin'an, and to the Empress Dowager. Her pulse is strong and pulsating, and she is over two months pregnant!"
His heartstrings seemed to be plucked quietly, and Xue Zhiyi subconsciously put his hand on his lower abdomen, not knowing what he was feeling for a moment.
In her previous life, she had given herself cold medicine long ago, completely cutting off her offspring, but now she was suddenly told... that she was already pregnant, and soon, a blood relative of hers would be born into this world, and would share the same bloodline as her beloved.
"That's great, second sister-in-law, I'm going to be an aunt!" Huo Zhiyu was overjoyed and shook her hand.
Xue Zhiyi finally realized it and smiled. She looked at Chai Yue at this moment: She, Jiang Wan, is going to have another relative.
It’s a pity that Huo Wuyou went on the expedition a few days ago and didn’t know about this. But on second thought, it’s a good idea. Even if he knew, he would still go on the expedition.
She said, "Grandmother, I want to keep this a secret from the Marquis for now, to avoid unnecessary worries."
The empress dowager agreed with what she said and asked the imperial physician to prescribe a prescription for maintaining the pregnancy. She also rewarded her with various tonics. When she left the palace, she also ordered a sedan chair to be carefully escorted out.
Xue Zhiyi was supposed to attend the sacrifice, but because she was pregnant, she was allowed to stay in the mansion to recuperate.
Even when she returned to Lin'an Marquis Mansion, she still felt a sense of unreality.
The whole mansion was immersed in joy and peace, and Xue Zhiyi also asked Qiuyun and Suyue to allocate money as rewards.
Looking at her still flat belly, Xue Zhiyi's brows darkened slightly for a moment: she now had to protect one more person, and there was no room for failure in some things. Otherwise, not only them, but even the unborn baby in her belly would have a hard time surviving.
…
During the month that Xue Zhiyi was recuperating, the altar at the Circular Mound was prepared.
Xue Zhiyi was unable to attend the event, and was just playing chess silently with his right and left hands in the peach blossom forest of Lin'an Marquis Mansion.
The imperial physician said that her pregnancy was stable and except for occasional nausea about sweet and greasy foods, most of the time everything was normal.
In the peach blossom forest, Qiuyun added a piece of clothing for her, but did so very carefully, not daring to disturb her in the slightest.
Both she and Su Yue clearly noticed that although Xue Zhiyi seemed to be playing chess leisurely, she was actually very worried. She had a frown on her face and always remained silent for a long time before making the next move.
She sat like this from morning until noon. Only when Su Yue brought her freshly made pigeon soup did she remember to eat.
In the afternoon, she sat for the whole afternoon, and even missed the daily nap she had taken since she became pregnant.
Qiuyun and Suyue exchanged glances: Perhaps the news came from the front line that the Marquis has reunited with General Shen, and the Marquis has gone to the battlefield, so their young lady is so worried.
Until evening, the wild geese returned and reported: "Madam, it's done."
Xue Zhiyi hurriedly asked, "Are there any loopholes left?"
"Everything is complete."
Hearing this, Xue Zhiyi's expression relaxed slightly.
Qiuyun and Suyue were puzzled. They just watched Xue Zhiyi with a smile on his face as he placed the piece he had been holding in his hand for a full hour on the chessboard.
…
The next day, Shen Qingtang came to visit Xue Zhiyi as usual, and sent others away mysteriously.
"It's a good thing you didn't attend yesterday's sacrifice. I heard from Qingwei that His Majesty was assassinated at the Circular Mound!"
Xue Zhiyi was surprised: "How could this be?!"
Shen Qingtang lowered his voice and said, "Before the sacrifice began, His Majesty was resting in the Imperial Pavilion at the Circular Mound when a crossbow arrow suddenly shot in. Qingwei spotted it in time and shot it down. Even so, he was still reprimanded by His Majesty."
Covering his heart, Xue Zhiyi asked her, "Has the assassin been caught?"
Shen Qingtang shook his head: "Circular Mound is located in the suburbs of Beijing, surrounded by mountains. By the time we chased him out, the assassin would have already disappeared without a trace."
She sighed, "If it weren't for my father fighting on the front lines, His Majesty would have definitely punished Qingwei for poor defense this time... I wonder how my father and the Marquis are doing." As she spoke, she gently touched Xue Zhiyi's still-still belly, "So much time has passed in a flash. You're already three months pregnant, and we don't know when they'll be back."
At this moment, Qiu Yun came hurriedly and handed a letter to Xue Zhiyi: "Madam, the Marquis's letter has arrived."
Xue Zhiyi hurriedly took it, and Shen Qingtang sat up straight with nervousness. Xue Zhiyi opened the letter, read it quickly, and finally showed joy on his face.
"What did you say?" Shen Qingtang asked hurriedly.
"If everything goes smoothly on the front lines, they will be able to repel the Northern Di in about three months."
"Great!" After such a long period of worry and fear, Shen Qingtang finally received the good news and couldn't help but smile: "That means they will be able to end everything and return to the court before July."
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