After sending away the military physician, Wei Zhong smiled and said: “Your Majesty, when the Great Yan generals returned, they originally wanted to come see the Ninth Prince, but were turned away by Yue Shi. However… It’s not good for us to keep blocking Great Yan generals from seeing their prince. What does Your Majesty think – should we move the Ninth Prince to the adjacent courtyard?”

“Don’t move him yet. Wait until he wakes up!” Bai Qingyan sat by the bedside, gently grasping Xiao Rongyan’s hand.

“Yes!” Wei Zhong responded.

At noon, Xiao Rongyan slowly opened his eyes.

The dull pain from his wound made him suck in a sharp breath. He suddenly remembered Jiangzi City, covered his wound, and sat up abruptly, sweeping aside the bed curtains…

The heavy curtains hanging from the crossbeam had already been hung on both sides by gilt twisted-branch copper hooks. Through the landscape nanmu wood screen, Xiao Rongyan saw Bai Qingyan sitting in the main seat, giving orders to a Bai Family guard. Seeming to sense that Xiao Rongyan had awakened, she glanced toward the screen and said to the guard: “Go!”

“Yes!”

The Bai Family guard accepted the order and withdrew.

“Wei Zhong, bring the medicine in!” Bai Qingyan lifted her skirt and stood up, walking toward the screen.

Bai Qingyan walked around the screen and saw Xiao Rongyan sitting on the bed’s edge covering his wound, his complexion still very pale, slightly hunched over.

She stood by the screen, her mind filled with the questions Xiao Rongyan had asked her before he fainted. Her hand gripping her skirt unconsciously tightened as she forced an awkward smile at Xiao Rongyan and walked toward him: “Does the wound still hurt badly?”

Seeing that Bai Qingyan was safe and sound, Xiao Rongyan breathed a sigh of relief, only then remembering that he had already reached Jiangzi City and had sent Yue Shi to pursue the fleeing Western Liang soldiers.

“It’s bearable.” After Xiao Rongyan answered in a hoarse voice, he pulled together his open undergarment and tied the sash, then stood up to take the frost-colored robe with auspicious cloud patterns from the small embroidered stool beside him and put it on himself.

Bai Qingyan stood there watching Xiao Rongyan. Though he didn’t say so, she could sense that Xiao Rongyan was angry.

Xiao Rongyan seemed unconcerned about his injuries and asked: “Has Yue Shi returned? Were the Western Liang’s main forces eliminated?”

“Some prisoners were captured, but they weren’t able to catch old General Cui Shanzhong. It seems that General Cui Shanzhong will continue to find ways to resist the Great Zhou or the Great Yan.” Bai Qingyan saw Xiao Rongyan trying to fasten his buttons with one hand and reaching for his mask, so she stepped forward to pick it up for him first.

“Thank you.” Xiao Rongyan took the mask, thanked her, then continued speaking to Bai Qingyan: “This time, Western Liang suffered heavy losses. General Cui Shanzhong may need to regroup next to defend Yun Jing. Jiangzi City is temporarily secure!”

His deep, profound eyes looked at Bai Qingyan as he adjusted the mask’s ties, saying: “Western Liang refugees know that Great Zhou will take them in, so they’ll surely continue flooding toward the cities Great Zhou has captured. Now that the Great Zhou has established procedures for accepting Western Liang refugees, you need not worry anymore! You are Great Zhou’s emperor – to avoid complications, you should return to the capital as soon as possible!”

After speaking, Xiao Rongyan was about to put on his mask.

Bai Qingyan raised her hand to gently grasp Xiao Rongyan’s wrist holding the mask, stopping his motion of putting it on, and asked in a low voice: “Where are you going?”

“To Gu Feng…” Xiao Rongyan stared directly into Bai Qingyan’s eyes. “I discussed the strategy for taking Yun Jing with the Great Zhou army before. I estimate the Great Zhou army is only two or three cities away from Yun Jing now. I need to lead troops there quickly – perhaps… we can enter Yun Jing even earlier.”

“Your injuries are quite severe, and your fever just broke. To undertake a long journey at this time – do you not value your life?” Bai Qingyan’s grip on Xiao Rongyan’s solid wrist tightened.

Hearing this, Xiao Rongyan quietly looked at Bai Qingyan, as if trying to see through her heart.

Their eyes met, and Bai Qingyan’s palm tightened with an inexplicable sense of guilt and confusion.

The man’s mature, deep voice carried a self-mocking low laugh. His tall, upright figure moved half a step closer to Bai Qingyan, his shadow enveloping her as he raised his hand to caress her cheek, smiling lightly as he pressed his forehead against hers, his voice gentle and measured: “You speak… as if you care.”

Xiao Rongyan’s voice was very tender, but her heart felt as if it had been lightly stung by a scorpion.

She gripped Xiao Rongyan’s wrist tightly, not rushing to explain, only saying earnestly: “A’Yan, I do care!”

Xiao Rongyan made a perfunctory “mm” sound, gently kissed Bai Qingyan’s lips, then released her. His thumb caressed the corner of her lips as he looked at her calmly, his lips pressing down again.

Their noses touched, and Bai Qingyan saw Xiao Rongyan’s extremely long, dense eyelashes half-lowered. Without the heart-stopping tension from before, her chest felt stuffy and painful instead.

Wei Zhong, who was carrying medicine and about to enter, vaguely saw the silhouettes of the two standing together and quickly withdrew, thinking to have someone take the medicine to the small kitchen to keep it warm over the fire.

She responded to Xiao Rongyan’s kiss, loosening her grip on his wrist. She wanted to embrace him, but was mindful of his injuries, so her hands could only rest on his firm shoulders as she stood on tiptoe.

Because of Bai Qingyan’s response, Xiao Rongyan couldn’t control himself, and the gentle kiss became deep. Her teeth parted, his breath forcefully invaded her heart and lungs, kissing her until her body kept retreating…

She did care about Xiao Rongyan – if she didn’t care… how could she have become his wife?

She seemed to want to prove this with their kiss.

Their steps became tangled beneath them. Bai Qingyan’s heel hit the footstool, and her whole body tilted backward. Xiao Rongyan wrapped one arm around her waist and braced his other hand against the carved wooden bed post – they would surely fall onto the bed.

Bai Qingyan’s heart was still racing as she looked up to see Xiao Rongyan gazing deeply at her.

Just as she steadied herself and was about to ask about his wound, Xiao Rongyan cupped her face and pressed his lips down again, this time briefly.

Xiao Rongyan’s thumb caressed her face as he said in a low voice: “I’m leaving. You should return to the capital soon.”

“A’Yan, you’re angry…”

He nodded slightly to comfort Bai Qingyan, his pale lips carrying a gentle, warm smile: “I understand everything. You don’t need to explain. We had an agreement from the beginning – being angry would make me seem unreasonable! You are a girl with great ambitions… who cares for the world. You’re wise and intelligent, with means, iron-blooded, sometimes ruthless, but you care for the people and even more for the Bai Family. For your family, your younger brothers and sisters, you can sacrifice everything. These are all things I knew when I first fell in love with you.”

All along, Xiao Rongyan had thought he and Bai Qingyan were the same kind of person.

But it wasn’t until he heard that Jiangzi City was besieged, until he led troops galloping all the way here, with scouts constantly reporting that Bai Qingyan had never lit the beacon fires, that he realized he was probably different from Bai Qingyan.

Once she set her mind on a goal, she would never give up until she achieved it. She had her principles and persistence, and would never compromise even half a step because of him… because of their unborn child.