“Master, there’s news from the Shu River.”

Ji Rong hurriedly rushed to Shang Rong’s sleeping quarters. Upon seeing Shang Rong and the others, he quickly informed them that the main army had arrived at the Shu River.

“The battle situation is critical. Though the court continuously dispatches troops there, resisting Nanqing is no easy matter.”

Zhao Nanzhang spoke in a low voice, her eyelids slightly lowered, appearing as if she had no interest in speaking.

Hearing this, Shang Rong said, “Though our treasury has been without silver these years, Nanqing hasn’t fared much better either.”

“Prince Ning’s dispatch of troops to Dongning was because years of internal strife in Nanqing had damaged their foundation, and they wanted to invade our Dongning to gain a lifeline. If this were ten years ago, Nanqing could have at least assembled over a hundred thousand troops. Now they cannot.”

The others said nothing, only gazing blankly at Lu Youjun’s exclusive seat from the past. Even Song Wan looked somewhat haggardly at that empty seat, her heart heavy.

“Hold this to warm your hands.”

Taking a hand warmer from a palace maid and tucking it into Song Wan’s embrace, Wu Xixiang gently smoothed her hair in silent comfort.

Everyone lacked spirit until Cai Ji came looking for Song Wan. Only then did Song Wan hurriedly rise and go with her to Changxin Palace.

“Aunt.”

Upon seeing Song Yuning, Song Wan rushed forward and examined her carefully from top to bottom. Seeing that she appeared uninjured, she finally felt relieved.

“Aunt is unharmed.”

Pulling Song Wan to her side, Song Yuning embraced her shoulders with eyes full of heartache.

“I heard that old thing injured you quite badly?”

“I only took a few blows. It’s just superficial pain, nothing serious. But Aunt, where have you been these days? Were you injured?”

Not having received news from Song Yuning for several days, Song Wan had already prepared for the worst. Now seeing her aunt again, her heart that had been suspended for days finally settled three parts.

Song Yuning snorted. “I hid in Jiang Man’s Yanqing Palace.”

“Her Yanqing Palace was empty, so Aunt hid there for a few days.”

Gently stroking Song Wan’s back, Song Yuning felt through her palm that the girl had become noticeably thinner and frailer, and her eyes grew sore.

That day after being rescued by Yuan Rong, she had actually hidden in the eunuchs’ duty quarters.

Though Yuan Rong had forcibly suppressed the poison’s toxicity with life-sustaining medicine and preserved her life, her body was badly injured. But Song Yuning was unwilling to tell Song Wan these things.

“Do you know about Jiang Yi—that to save the Crown Prince, he led the remaining forces at the Shu River to perish together with Qin Rao?”

Song Wan’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she gently shook her head.

Earlier, Ji Rong should have been about to inform everyone of this matter, but worried about her aunt, she had hurriedly left without hearing this news.

“He truly is the seed of the old Marquis—not a coward.”

Seeing Song Wan remain silent, Song Yuning carefully said, “You two have known each other since childhood. If you’re grieved, it’s only natural. Just don’t worry too much.”

Song Wan shook her head, momentarily not knowing what to say.

Speaking of it, her connection with Jiang Xingjian couldn’t be called shallow, but since entering the palace, she rarely recalled matters of the Chengyang Marquis Manor. Now hearing that Jiang Xingjian had passed, what she thought of was Lin Jiayue—she wondered what her reaction would be upon learning of it.

Song Wan said flatly, “I only feel some regret.”

“If he had returned safely, he could have personally seen his child born. Now… there’s no chance anymore.”

Hearing this, Song Yuning sighed deeply and pressed her lips, remaining silent for a long time.

Returning from Changxin Palace to Laiyi Pavilion, Song Wan discovered a secret message from Dong Chang placed on her vanity, along with a palm-sized wooden box.

“Eunuch Ji Rong delivered it earlier. This servant helped you place it on the table.”

Heng Zhi brought over a bowl of warming tonic soup to warm Song Wan’s body.

Setting the hot soup aside, Song Wan first opened the letter on the table.

There wasn’t anything particularly special written on it. Shen Qianyu only briefly mentioned his feelings when the court’s reinforcements arrived and informed her that all was well, except for matters concerning Jiang Xingjian, which he mentioned in three or five sentences.

After reading the letter, Song Wan smiled faintly and picked up a brush to reply to Shen Qianyu. She briefly mentioned Lu Youjun’s death at Emperor Wenhui’s hands and informed him that she and everyone in the Eastern Palace were all well, only waiting for his safe return.

After finishing the letter, Song Wan carefully handed it to Heng Zhi. After Heng Zhi left to find Ji Rong, she opened the wooden box.

Inside the box was the white jade plum blossom hairpin she had once treasured for many years. Song Wan picked it up and gazed at it for a long while, then gently placed it back in the box and had Jinshu put it away in the chest.

“Luanjian, I remember at the estate in the suburbs, you carved wooden hairpins twice, correct?”

Luanjian nodded. “This servant carved them to pass time when idle. They weren’t made very finely.”

“Could I trouble you to carve a simple one for me?”

“This servant will give it to Miss tomorrow.”

Song Wan nodded, letting Luanjian go to the courtyard to find wood material.

The next day, after Song Wan received the wooden hairpin Luanjian had carved, she found a box and had people from Dong Chang deliver it to Lin Jiayue’s hands at the Chengyang Marquis Manor.

Since receiving news that Jiang Xingjian had died in battle at the Shu River, the Chengyang Marquis Manor had remained utterly silent, its main gate tightly closed.

Jiang Mother had locked herself in Jiangxiang Courtyard for a night without emerging. Lin Jiayue clutched her belly while leaning on a beauty couch, staring at the candle stand in the room with wooden and vacant expression.

“Sister Jiayue, the gatekeeper delivered something. They said it was sent from the Shu River to the Eastern Palace, and the Eastern Palace sent it to the manor.”

“What was sent?”

Lin Jiayue received the wooden box and casually opened it, seeing a brand new wooden hairpin placed inside.

“Could it be from the Marquis?”

Jiang Xing cautiously stole glances at Lin Jiayue, seeing her covering her face with continuous tears falling.

She clutched the wooden hairpin, crying and laughing, going mad for quite a while before slowly calming the emotions in her heart.

Worried that her great emotional fluctuations would affect the fetus in her belly, Jiang Xing anxiously guarded her side with a face full of concern.

“I’m fine.”

Wiping away her tears, Lin Jiayue said, “It should be from him. I once saw him carving these small things in the past at the Shu River, and I also asked him to carve some for me, but he kept putting it off. Now…”

“It can be considered fulfilling my past wish.”

Gently pinching the wooden hairpin, Lin Jiayue casually placed it in the bottom layer of her vanity box and stored it away.

“When I wanted this thing, he wouldn’t give it to me. When I no longer wanted it, he sent it before me. This shows that we two indeed had fate but no destiny—predetermined by heaven.”

Though she spoke thus, the expression on Lin Jiayue’s face appeared much more at peace than before.

After all, she had once loved Jiang Xingjian with solitary courage and wholeheartedness, had also hated him to the point of tossing and turning at night, wishing she could devour his flesh and drink his blood. But now, all that hatred and love had passed away with that person’s passing.

That person was dead, and that he had thought of her before death was enough. The rest she didn’t care about and wanted to let herself go.

Gently touching her belly, Lin Jiayue turned to Jiang Xing and said, “Help me find some food. After eating my fill, you’ll accompany me to the manor to find those stewards.”

With Jiang Xingjian’s death, the Chengyang Marquis Manor had suddenly become a masterless place and would certainly create some disturbances. Jiang Mother was someone who couldn’t stand firm, and now having endured the elderly sending off the young, she would likely suffer.

If she and Qing Wei didn’t take charge, who knew what chaos would erupt in this manor.

Gently stroking her belly, Lin Jiayue’s eyes revealed some maternal love.

For the sake of her child, she would definitely manage the Chengyang Marquis Manor properly, even at any cost.