All the courtyards in the Prince's Mansion were bustling with activity, but Huo Xiaocheng's place was deathly still, with the couple sitting facing each other, neither willing to give way.
This was the first time General Huo hadn't given in to his wife, but there was really no way he could back down on this.
“Wife, you’re pregnant. We just found out last night. It’s one thing for you not to let Doctor Gu tell your parents, but now that things are like this, even if Long’er knew, she wouldn’t let you go.”
Huo Xiaocheng spoke in a gentle tone, as if he were patiently explaining things to his wife.
"If I say I'm going, then I'm going. Nobody can stop me, not even the Emperor himself!"
"Honey, shouldn't we be reasonable?"
The grown-up eagle, just like its father, is timid and hesitant in front of its wife. Why is it so difficult to reason with her?
Chunying slammed her hand on the table and said rather loudly.
"Reasonable? Huo Xiaocheng? Let me ask you, if anything happens to you and Long'er this time, how am I supposed to live with the child? It's not that I can't survive, it's that I don't want to live!"
"When I was fifteen, I thought I would spend my whole life in the brothels of the border town. Yes, my mother didn't force us to sell ourselves, but what if? There are always some high-ranking officials and nobles we can't afford to offend."
"I thought, this is how my life is going to be. If it doesn't work out, I'll just die. It doesn't matter. I'll just live one day at a time."
“It was around that time that Mother Cen brought Long’er back. At first, she was mentally challenged, unable to speak or move. It wasn’t until that night when I went on stage to dance that she hid behind a pillar to watch.”
"Neither my mom nor I knew when she slipped out. While everyone else was still reacting, she was already clapping."
"Later, she said she wouldn't eat for free and wanted to wash our clothes. You know, what can a little kid like that do? She carries clothes up and down the stairs every day, but Ping'er and the others didn't let her wash them."
“The child spends all her time around us, never leaving anyone out. She just sits there doing nothing, and we even cherish her meals.”
"At that time, I thought that if I had a child or a younger sister in my life, she would be just like her, beautiful, sensible, and heartbreaking."
“You’re telling me now that I should watch you two risk your lives while I stay home to rest during my pregnancy? I don’t agree to that, and I can’t accept it.”
As Chunying spoke, tears began to fall. She rarely cried, perhaps because she was pregnant and couldn't control herself. The sight of the beautiful woman weeping under the lamplight made Huo Xiaocheng a little confused. He was about to give in, but then he remembered the dangers of the battlefield and held back.
"Huo Xiaocheng, in this world, you have to be ranked after Long'er, not to mention the children I've never met."
"Don't try to persuade me. If you keep trying, I'll take abortion pills."
The woman wiped away her tears, her tone resolute.
"Whatever, whatever, let's go, okay?"
Huo Xiaocheng could only resign himself to packing his luggage. He hadn't decided when to leave yet, but everyone else was packing, and his wife was getting anxious too.
"Did you know that Chunying is pregnant?"
Hou Xiangxiang is practically useless at home. She never has to pack her own luggage. No matter how arrogant and self-reliant she is outside, at home she's a pampered young lady.
Huo Xiaolong and Da Ni'er are both like this.
The girl who was maintaining the knife was taken aback. Upon hearing this news, she slowly exhaled, her brows initially furrowing slightly before relaxing as she continued sharpening the knife.
"Now I know."
“But Sister Chunying doesn’t want my master to tell anyone else; she still wants to go with you.”
Huo Xiaolong smiled, feeling a mix of happiness and heartache.
"What can I do to manage these sisters? Make more medicine to prevent miscarriage. If you need any elixirs, just tell me. Also, get more baby supplies from our mother, so that we can take care of the baby if it happens on the battlefield."
"Okay, no problem."
Xu Qiushui and Li Wanwan also learned about the news. Miss Xu's way of helping people has always been very simple and straightforward.
"This is your military pay for this year."
“This is what my grandfather asked me to bring you. He will cover your military pay for the next five years.”
Hou Xiangxiang and Huo Xiaolong looked at the pile of silver notes on the table, their little mouths pursed.
No matter how hard they try, they're still no match for these established families in terms of money. Their family background is truly impressive, as they've been business people for generations.
The little girl said happily
"Thank you so much, sis!"
Huo Xiaolong followed her example.
"Thank you so much, sis!"
Xu Qiushui felt a little sorry for him. What a prince he was doing! Other merchants would beg for money, but here, the prince was thanking her on his own.
"Alright, it's better for you to come back sooner than anything else."
This time, it was Dongyu that forced Dayan to take action, but it's not that simple. Huang Ranhu's claim of avenging his brother is just a pretext.
What they wanted was for Huo Xiaolong to go to war.
Whether Huo Xiaolong can die in Dongyu depends on Huang Ranhu's abilities.
The Empress Dowager knelt before the Buddha statue, smelling the sandalwood incense around her, and opened her wrinkled, droopy eyes.
As long as Huo Xiaolong dies in Dongyu, Beining will inevitably belong to the grasslands.
This was the second step in her collaboration with Dong Yu. Since the assassination attempt on Ruyi using Xiao Lanyi had failed, they decided to be more direct.
She was certain that Huo Xiaolong would take care of this matter, and with such enthusiasm, how could she not take the bait?
The Empress Dowager fiddled with the prayer beads in her hand and said to the head palace maid beside her...
"Go and contact the King of the Grasslands, and tell her to return to the grasslands to hear the message. As long as the King of Zhenbei is dead, she can send troops."
"yes."
The head palace maid hadn't been gone long, only about an hour, when she hurriedly ran back.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened."
The Empress Dowager asked with an air of composure.
"What's wrong? Don't panic, there's nothing that can't be solved."
"The Grassland King... The Grassland King just left a message that she... she is going to Dongyu with the Zhenbei King."
—Crackling sound
The Buddhist prayer beads in the Empress Dowager's hand were scattered all over the ground.
"What does it have to do with her, a mere grassland queen, if the Prince of Zhenbei goes to war? Isn't the grassland big enough for her to run wild?"
"She said... the Grassland King said he wanted to see how good Huang Ranhu was at fighting. If he won, fine, but if he didn't, she could go back and prepare for battle, and take advantage of his weakness to kill him."
"absurd!"
The Empress Dowager still doesn't know how Helian Qing could be killed by such a person. He clearly inherited the same intellect as the Yalan family, and was just as incompetent and sick!
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" the head palace maid asked the Empress Dowager.
“Go and deliver a message to the King of the Grasslands, saying that Boss Red Flower wants to meet with her in person.”
"yes."
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