With her pregnancy now quite advanced, Jiafu found movement difficult. She already had trouble sleeping at night, and with Pei You’an absent these two nights, it was even harder to fall asleep. This night, she drifted in and out of sleep until before the fourth watch, when she could no longer sleep at all. Her mind was preoccupied with him, wondering how matters in the city were progressing. As she tossed and turned in bed, she suddenly heard the crunch of footsteps on the snow outside the door. She immediately recognized them as his. Indeed, the next moment she heard his voice softly calling her from outside. Her heart filled with joy as she sat up, put on her clothes, and carefully descended from the bed, supporting her belly and slipping on her shoes to open the door for him.
Pei You’an stamped the accumulated snow from his boots outside, then bent down to enter through the door curtain. Immediately, a warm, soft body was in his arms. Jiafu, disregarding the cold that surrounded him, had thrown herself into his embrace, hugging him as if they had been separated for a long time.
Pei You’an felt a warmth in his heart but feared his coldness would affect her. He said: “My body is cold. You should go back to bed quickly.”
Jiafu shook her head, released him, helped him remove his outer garment, and led him to the stove, making him sit down. Pei You’an pulled her onto his lap and asked about her eating and sleeping over the past two days. Jiafu said she was fine and then asked about his experiences. Pei You’an briefly explained, without mentioning that he had killed to maintain order, saying only: “I’ve temporarily confined Hu Liangcai. The urgency of the situation demanded immediate action—the garrison troops absolutely could not be withdrawn, so I had to act accordingly. After completing the initial defensive arrangements last night, I sent a letter to the Military Governor of Longyou, Elder Master Tang, requesting him to dispatch someone quickly to take charge of the situation.”
The Military Governor of Longyou, Elder Master Tang, belonged to the same generation as the father of Duke Wei, Pei Xian. In his early years, Duke Wei respected him as an uncle, while Pei You’an called him Grand-Uncle. In the first year of Emperor Chengning’s reign, when Prince Shun’an was regent, General Tang had retired to his hometown. Several years later, when Prince Shun’an ascended the throne, a group of old imperial generals including Dong Chengmao were either demoted or left, leaving the northwest without leadership. Prince Shun’an then invited the old general, who was already over sixty, out of retirement. Although the old general was dissatisfied with Prince Shun’an’s schemes to usurp power, he could not bear to see the border people suffer hardship. So he accepted the position of Military Governor of Longyou and has held the post until now. Though approaching seventy, he still had not laid down his armor.
Several months earlier, the Elder Master had exchanged letters with Pei You’an, expressing his intention to retire again and offering consolation regarding Pei You’an’s misfortune. At the end of the letter, he mentioned that he knew Hu Liangcai was a fierce general who had previously rendered meritorious service to the court but was stubborn and glory-seeking. He worried that Hu might rashly pursue achievements in the future and, if he misused his troops, would place the people in danger. He earnestly advised Pei You’an that although he was now a commoner, he should always remember his father Duke Wei’s heroic spirit that had once guarded this land. In case of emergency, he could take expedient action, with the overall situation being the priority.
Though Pei You’an spoke lightly of the matter, Jiafu still listened with her heart pounding. But as long as it was something he did, regardless of what it was, even if it meant beheading someone, in Jiafu’s eyes, it was all correct. She felt nothing but admiration for him.
She nestled into his embrace, and Pei You’an held her in return. After a moment of intimacy, Jiafu remembered that he must have gone without sleep for a night and was probably both hungry and tired. She wanted to call for food so he could eat and then get some rest.
Pei You’an said he would go out, but then, as if suddenly remembering, added: “Cui Yinshui has arrived, but I left him outside the main gate. Later, tell your maid to give him some hot food and have him leave immediately. Don’t let him stay!”
Jiafu was stunned, not expecting Cui Yinshui, the small eunuch from the palace who was most favored by Li Yuangui, to suddenly appear at this time. She asked about the reason.
“He says he’s here to serve you,” Pei You’an said indifferently.
Jiafu asked a few more questions and learned that Cui Yinshui had come alone. She pondered for a moment.
She naturally did not need Cui Yinshui’s service, but the eunuch’s arrival must be at the Emperor’s behest. Although she didn’t know the Emperor’s intentions, since the person had already arrived and it was so icy cold outside, she recalled that this small eunuch had been polite to her in the past and had even helped her. Her heart couldn’t bear it, so she said: “He probably isn’t eager to come to such a place and is likely just following orders. It’s so cold outside; regardless of anything else, let’s call him in to warm himself first. As for whether he stays or not, I’ll follow your decision. You must be tired; lie down first. I’ll call you when the food is ready.”
Seeing that she was about to get dressed and go out, Pei You’an quickly pulled her back and placed her on the bed: “You’re just soft-hearted. Fine, let him come in to warm himself. Just don’t let him stay.”
Daylight came.
He hadn’t closed his eyes for two nights. After eating something and taking a bath, urged by Jiafu, he lay down to sleep, but he wanted her to sleep beside him. The two had slept for barely an hour or two when someone came from the city with news that the Hu people’s advance cavalry, originally heading for Jianmen Pass, had changed course and seemed to be approaching the border. Li Rui and others urgently requested Pei You’an to come for a council.
Pei You’an woke up and immediately rose. Jiafu silently helped him dress and saw him out, leaning against the doorway, watching his departing figure.
After walking a few steps, Pei You’an suddenly turned back and whispered in her ear: “I will return as soon as possible to accompany you in bringing our child into the world.”
He embraced her tightly, then quickly departed, his figure gradually disappearing.
Jiafu slowly returned to the room and sat down. Suddenly remembering Cui Yinshui, she inquired about him. Tan Xiangmu replied: “Didn’t we invite him in to warm himself by the fire this morning? He refused to come in, just gnawed on a few bites of steamed bun, and is still kneeling outside the main gate.”
Jiafu frowned slightly and asked Tan Xiangmu to call him in. A moment later, Cui Yinshui appeared, his face frozen like a frost-bitten radish, pale with a bluish tinge. His eyebrows and hair were covered with a layer of frost, and his knees and trouser legs were full of ice and snow. The cold seemed to have penetrated deep within him, and his whole body trembled. Entering the room and seeing Jiafu, his joints were so stiff that he couldn’t even kneel properly. His whole body fell flat on the ground like an ice stick, and his tongue seemed frozen as well, unable to speak.
Jiafu was startled and quickly called for Old Ding and his wife to carry him away to warm up. After a while, Cui Yinshui finally regained some vitality. He returned to Jiafu, knelt, expressed immense gratitude, and kowtowed to thank her.
Jiafu said: “I have no need for your service here, and please don’t kneel outside like that again. You should leave. When you see your godfather, give him my regards and tell him that we don’t need you sent here to serve us.”
Cui Yinshui kept kowtowing: “I beg Mistress to take pity on this servant. Before I left, my godfather said that if I were sent back, I would no longer be able to stay in the palace. I have no father or mother, entered the palace at the age of ten, and became a ‘wasted person.’ If I’m expelled from the palace, I’ll have no way to survive…”
As he spoke, he was full of tears and mucus.
Jiafu knew he was exaggerating to gain sympathy and frowned: “Why did His Majesty suddenly want you to come here? Is it just to serve me? Is it that simple?”
Cui Yinshui immediately swore to heaven, saying that if he had any ulterior motives, he would be punished to be a eunuch in his next life too. After finishing his oath, as if suddenly remembering, he quickly said: “Oh yes, on this trip, I’ve also brought Mistress a family letter from Quanzhou.” Saying this, he took a letter from his bosom and handed it to her.
This place was remote, and ordinary people had difficulty communicating with those inside the frontier, let alone Quanzhou, which was so far away, one in the south and one in the north. Only at the beginning of the year, after Jiafu had arrived, did Pei You’an inquire through various channels and finally find an old retired soldier of Fujian origin in the city. He paid him to take a letter from Jiafu back to her maternal home, informing them of her safety. Now, almost a year has passed. Although Jiafu firmly believed that her family was doing well, she still missed them at times. Upon suddenly hearing about a family letter, she was overjoyed and quickly took it and opened it.
The letter was written by Lady Meng, saying that in April and May, they had received her letter reporting her safety and learned that she and her son-in-law were doing well where they were, which was very comforting. The family was all well, and Grandmother’s health had not deteriorated further. She told Jiafu not to worry and enjoined her and her son-in-law to take good care of themselves, hoping to see them again soon.
At the end of the letter, she mentioned her brother’s marriage. She said that when her son-in-law was previously in a position of prominence, people came to their door almost every day to form a marriage alliance, including local officials. At that time, they were almost spoiled for choice. Unexpectedly, a year ago, when news spread that her son-in-law had fallen from grace and been exiled beyond the frontier, the family’s door became quiet. Those who had previously expressed interest in marriage all changed their tune, and no one was seen again. She then arranged for Yuzhu to be brought into the family. After this great rise and fall, the old lady’s attitude was also different from before. Seeing that Yuzhu was steady and capable, helping her manage everything inside and out properly over the past year, and knowing that her grandson wholeheartedly wanted to marry her, she no longer opposed it. They had originally wanted to write to Jiafu about this matter, but due to the vast distance, there was no one to carry the letter. Coincidentally one day, someone came to their door saying he was going beyond the frontier and could carry a family letter for the Zhen family. Lady Meng was overjoyed and immediately wrote a letter, entrusting that person to take it, hoping it would reach Jiafu’s hands and relieve her worry about her family.
Jiafu read her mother’s letter several times, filled with joy.
Cui Yinshui secretly observed Jiafu, saw her excited expression, and quickly pleaded again: “Although I was sent here to serve Mistress, I know Mistress is a first-rate good master. I am willing to serve her wholeheartedly. I beg Mistress not to send me back.”
“Even if you truly want to send me away, I beg Mistress to take pity and wait until spring when the weather is warmer… It’s too cold now. When I came, one of my ears almost fell off from the frost…”
Cui Yinshui had a woeful expression.
Jiafu glanced at him. In such weather, she couldn’t bring herself to force him to leave. After thinking for a moment, she said: “Fine, we’ll discuss it again after winter. This is not the imperial palace; you don’t need to refer to yourself as a lowly servant. Just speak to us normally. And there’s no need to kneel all the time—we don’t have so many formalities here. Remember, be honest and straightforward. If you have any schemes, I may not be able to deal with you, but you should know how formidable my husband is.”
“Yes, yes, thank you, Mistress!”
Cui Yinshui was extremely delighted, kowtowed to Jiafu once more, and then joyfully withdrew.
Thus, this eunuch Cui temporarily stayed. He was exceptionally diligent, eager to do tasks, and had a sweet tongue. When addressing Tan Xiangmu and Mu Xiangmu, he constantly called them “sisters,” and within half a day, the two maids had become familiar with him.
That evening, Pei You’an sent someone back with a brief letter for Jiafu. The letter said that this conflict originated when Hu Liangcai’s spies were discovered by the Hu people. Knowing his eagerness for merit, the Hu people played along, creating the impression that they were fully prepared to launch a surprise attack on Jianmen Pass, intending to divert attention. According to the spies’ reports, the Hu cavalry would arrive in a few days. He was departing that night for the border to arrange for the emergency evacuation of civilians and the deployment of defending troops. There might be a battle in the coming days, so he couldn’t return but told her to stay at home without worry.
After reading the letter, although Jiafu appeared nonchalant, how could her heart not be filled with concern? Every day she looked forward to news from him. Finally, after he had been gone for seven or eight days, she received definite news that after several battles, yesterday on the banks of the Suye River, two hundred li from Suye City, Pei You’an had personally led soldiers in a great battle that thoroughly defeated several tens of thousands of Hu cavalry. The Hu people suffered heavy casualties, and the remainder hastily retreated northward, no longer daring to invade.
When the news reached Suye City, the people erupted in cheers. Despite the severe cold, many brought wine, food, and clothing, and spontaneously went out dozens of li from the city to welcome and reward Pei You’an and his soldiers.
The people at the fodder station also rejoiced upon hearing the news.
Jiafu received another brief letter from Pei You’an, saying he would try to return before dark.
Suppressing her excitement, Jiafu couldn’t wait until nightfall. In the evening, she asked Tan Xiangmu and Mu Xiangmu to support her as she slowly went toward the main gate of the fodder station, wanting to wait for his return there. Halfway there, she suddenly felt a contraction in her abdomen, and a warm flow began to seep down her trousers. She stood still, tightly grasping Tan Xiangmu’s hand, and slowly said: “I think I’m about to give birth. Help me back.”