"Ling Ku?"
Jiang Yu seemed stunned for a moment, somewhat unable to comprehend why Ling Ku's name would appear in Qin Ke'er's mouth.
"Yes, has General Ling Ku left the capital?"
Qin Ke'er was somewhat afraid to look Jiang Yu in the eye. She knew it was normal for Ling Ku to leave the capital to carry out orders, but she was still uneasy and felt that Ling Ku might encounter danger.
"Why ask him? Qin Ke'er, Ling Ku is a general of Dayu, a trusted minister of the Emperor. His whereabouts are a secret, and I will not tell you just because you ask me."
An unbelievable thought popped into Jiang Yu's mind, and she looked at Qin Ke'er with a hint of surprise.
Qin Ke'er pursed her lips. "Then may I ask Your Majesty, is General Ling Ku in danger?"
Jiang Yu slowly got up, and Granny Ling quickly helped her up, afraid that Jiang Yu wouldn't be able to get any strength.
Jiang Yu stopped in front of Qin Ke'er. "You like Ling Ku?"
"I don't."
Faced with Jiang Yu's bluntness, Qin Ke'er was a little at a loss. "I'm just worried about General Ling Ku. After all, he helped me a lot and even escorted me back to the Qin family."
"If that's the case, then you didn't ask about my position, because that's a secret of the Great Yu."
Qin Ke'er left with her head down, and Jiang Yu stared at her retreating figure for a long time.
"Your Highness, this old servant feels that Miss Qin's attitude towards General Ling is unusual," said Granny Ling slowly. "Leaving aside the fact that General Ling is many years older than Miss Qin, Miss Qin is, after all, from a prominent family..."
"I don't care about these things."
Jiang Yu waved her hand, "If Ling Ku is also interested in Qin Ke'er, why should I stop them? If Ling Ku has no interest in Qin Ke'er, given his personality, he will definitely reject her directly, without me having to intervene."
"Your Majesty is right, General Ling is the most straightforward person."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu sighed, "I am truly afraid, afraid that something might happen to my brother and Ling Ku on this trip. As for my brother's situation with the Pei family..."
Although her brother didn't say it, she could tell.
Her elder brother still harbored resentment over the matter of giving blood to Pei Jian and the Jiang family back then, believing that it was because of that incident that she was now in danger.
......
That night.
Qin Ke'er tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she simply sat up, put on her outer robe, opened the window, and looked out at the night sky.
"Miss, you haven't slept well for several days in a row."
"Go get me some paper and a pen. I want to write a letter to my mother." Qin Ke'er's voice was somewhat unsteady. She seemed to be caught in some kind of predicament, and she wanted to ask her mother.
A few breaths later, Qin Ke'er picked up her pen and began to write a letter.
She wrote down all the effects Ling Ku had had on her, and she wanted to ask her mother if this counted as liking.
Once the letter was finished, it was carefully placed into an envelope.
"Have someone send it to the Qin family first thing tomorrow morning."
Qin Ke'er clutched her chest, and the scenes of her time with Ling Ku involuntarily resurfaced in her mind.
This person doesn't seem as annoying as they appear; in fact, they're... quite interesting and make you feel very safe.
As Qin Ke'er pondered, she grew sleepy. As she drifted off to sleep, the night deepened, and the stars in the night sky twinkled, just like the restless thoughts of a young girl tossing and turning.
Meanwhile, Jiang He and Ling Ku had already arrived near Longyou.
"My lord, let's rest here for a day first," Ling Ku said, noticing the dark circles under Jiang He's eyes.
"No, time is of the essence. We need to find the mother Gu as soon as possible." Jiang He refused without hesitation. "Let's think about how to secretly infiltrate Longyou first."
"My lord!"
Ling Ku stood in front of Jiang He and said, "Before we came, the Empress Dowager specifically instructed us that this trip is dangerous and we must not rush but proceed with caution. Now that you clearly need time to recover your energy, why don't you rest here for a day?"
Seeing Ling Ku bring up Jiang Yu, Jiang He then took a sip of tea.
"As you know, the Empress Dowager is already eight months pregnant."
“I know.” Ling Ku stared intently at Jiang He. “But Lord Marquis, we still have two months, don’t we? But if we fail on this mission, the Empress Dowager will be in immediate danger.”
Jiang He ultimately decided to rest in place for a day.
Ling Ku watched Jiang He's appearance from the side, a hint of worry appearing in his eyes.
"General Chang, the Marquis seems troubled lately." Ling Ku quietly approached Chang Qing, who sighed heavily upon hearing this. "The Marquis seems to be struggling with himself!"
"Back then, when Pei Zhi asked for help, the Marquis helped Pei Zhi by giving her the Jiang family blood."
Upon hearing this, Ling Ku suddenly realized why!
"I urge General Chang to persuade the Marquis that once he enters Longyou, he cannot afford to be distracted for even a moment." Ling Ku clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chang Qing, who nodded in agreement and headed toward Jiang He's house.
Ling Ku paused for a moment, his gaze falling on a tear in his sleeve. For some reason, he thought of Qin Ke'er and couldn't help but chuckle.
As expected, the young lady raised in a prestigious family has quite a temper.
......
Zhaoning Palace.
After dinner, Gu Lin accompanied Jiang Yu for a walk in the courtyard, while Gu Qingyan read aloud from a book, ostensibly to read to the baby in Jiang Yu's belly.
"Ayan, if the child in my belly is not studious, he will probably be afraid of you, his older brother, even before he is born."
Jiang Yu spoke with a smile, and even the palace servants beside her couldn't help but smile.
"If he doesn't study hard, I will definitely discipline him."
Gu Qingyan's serious expression made Jiang Yu burst into laughter, which startled the baby in her womb, and the child started moving again.
"Ouch--"
Jiang Yu's call made Gu Lin freeze instantly, Gu Qingyan also stood up in a panic, Wan Ji ran to call Mei Chu, while Ling Mama ran to call the midwife who had been prepared in the side hall.
"I'm fine."
Jiang Yu paused for a few seconds before speaking, breaking the momentary stalemate.
"The baby's been moving quite a bit." Jiang Yu looked down at her belly, clearly feeling the little one waving its arms and legs inside. "What a naughty child! Does he know you're upset because everyone was talking about you earlier?"
Gu Lin slowly exhaled, not daring to let Jiang Yu continue walking, and directly helped Jiang Yu lie back on the bed.
"Stop bothering your mother."
Gu Lin patted Jiang Yu's belly, but Jiang Yu's belly moved even more violently, her skin twitching back and forth, and Gu Lin's face visibly darkened.
"It seems the little guy isn't going to listen to you as his father."
Jiang Yu reached out and touched her belly, her eyes full of affection. "Sometimes when I think about how my baby will leave my body in two months, I even feel a little reluctant."
It's as if this little guy and she were one before she was born, even sharing the same breath.
But things are different after birth.
Upon hearing this, Gu Lin patted Jiang Yu's shoulder and said, "After you are born, you will call me Mother just like Ayan. How wonderful."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com