Wanwan had been rather sleepy lately, so when she woke up, he was already gone.

The bedding on the southern kang had been cleared away, leaving no trace of his overnight stay. She sat dazedly on the bed, her heart feeling hollow. Tonghuan came in to attend to her washing, and she seemed absent-minded.

“When did he leave?”

Tonghuan said: “He left nearly an hour ago. It was still dark then—probably didn’t want to disturb you, so he didn’t say goodbye. Through the latticed door, this servant saw him standing by your bed for a long time. He seemed reluctant to leave you… Actually, the prince truly cares for you, but his burden is heavy and he has no choice but to fail you.”

She listened silently, not speaking for a long time. Getting out of bed, she walked to the kang and touched the cushion with its longevity pattern, saying sadly: “Had no choice but to fail me… If our relationship weren’t separated by matters of family, country, and the world, we would be more complete than many couples.”

So be it. Not having to face him spared her the awkwardness. He probably also knew that going into battle meant attacking her maternal family. At parting, they would inevitably feel uncomfortable—rather than sitting in mute silence, better to leave without saying goodbye.

Since the general situation couldn’t be changed, she was more concerned about Jin Shi’s condition. “Do you think the commander can reach the capital safely? He won’t encounter ambushes on the road, will he?”

Tonghuan said no. “Yu Chengfeng watched him go far. As long as no one around the residence noticed, he should be able to leave Nanjing territory safely. From his departure to the prince’s departure, three hours passed. If something had happened to him, someone would have reported to the prince long ago.” She sighed deeply. “I truly never imagined Jin Commander was such an iron-willed man. Cutting his flesh with a knife—how painful that must be! When he reaches the capital and has to split open the flesh to retrieve the item… How many people in this world could endure such pain?”

Wanwan didn’t know the details and pressed her for the story. She told her everything about how Jin Shi had injured himself and what he had said: “Crisis most tests a person—whether they’re a white-faced traitor or a red-faced Guan Gong becomes clear immediately. I used to think all Jin Yi Guards looked like bad people, but I never expected there were such loyal and righteous heroes among them. Everyone left in our residence is excellent—with them protecting you, you needn’t fear anything.”

She understood Tonghuan’s meaning. With Liang Shi gone, there was truly no one left to shield her from wind and rain. A princess under a tottering realm—keeping her might even drag him down. If someone with decision-making power now stepped forward to order her disposal, her life couldn’t be saved. So she had to rely on these remaining people. They supported the entire Grand Princess Residence with their righteousness, and even if danger came, she would have a chance to survive. When great mansions were about to fall, even husbands and wives looked out for themselves, yet these people on meager salaries remained loyal. This truly proved the saying: “Righteousness often comes from humble butchers and dog-sellers, while scholars are frequently ungrateful.”

She sat in the round chair, her body limply slumped, saying with some relief: “Fortunately the deployment map was sent out. This is all I can do for Daye. If Heaven doesn’t destroy our Daye, may the Emperor govern diligently and restore prosperity, so as not to waste my painstaking efforts today.”

But if Nanyuan was defeated, Liang Shi would be gone too. In the future, who would accompany her to compose poetry in the wind and moon, appreciate lotus blossoms and play the flute? So her life was destined to be lonely. Her closest people would leave one by one, leaving her alone and pitiful. In the end, it would all be meaningless. Thinking this way, she began to feel world-weary.

Tonghuan naturally comforted her: “Your Highness has done everything possible. Regardless of the outcome, you’re worthy of your ancestors and the common people. If Daye can endure, your achievements will be recorded in history books and remembered forever.”

She smiled faintly and shook her head. “I don’t care about such empty fame. No matter how great, what does it matter? I’m just a miserable woman. Throughout history, no family’s realm can last forever. I just feel Daye can still be saved. Second Brother is very intelligent—as long as he applies himself properly, he’s no worse than Liang Shi.”

Regardless, that deployment map sent out gave her enormous comfort. She believed that if the Emperor managed properly, he should be able to resolve this crisis. But for the Yuwen family, she really wasn’t a good daughter-in-law. If Liang Shi knew what she had done, she didn’t know how much he would hate her in the end.

A chorus of cicada calls drifted over faintly, starting as a thread thin as gossamer, gradually expanding into waves. Unknowingly, midsummer had arrived.

Wanwan moved to the eastern octagonal pavilion to escape the heat. That place was the highest point in the entire residence, with carved doors above and below on all eight sides that could turn flexibly with the wind. She brought Dong Li along and placed a large bamboo couch against the wall. Dong Li had already learned to crawl, and the spacious area allowed him to crawl and tumble as he pleased.

But somehow, Dong Li had been listless these past two days. Later he began having diarrhea for several consecutive days with no sign of stopping. They called in the imperial physician for treatment and prescribed precious pills, but nothing worked. Wanwan was extremely anxious, asking what could be done. Then Nanny Li from the second gate made a comment: “Could it be supernatural influence? The young master’s stools are all vegetable-colored. Back in our hometown there’s a saying—when a pregnant woman holds a child, that child is sure to have stomach troubles. Just cut up some clothes to make diapers for him, and he’ll be fine the next day.”

Everyone looked at each other. Pregnant? Who?

Who else could it be? Those present were either unmarried girls or elderly nannies. The wet nurse had entered the residence and cut ties with her family—she couldn’t be pregnant either. Looking around, only Wanwan remained, and everyone’s gaze focused on her in unison. Her face went pale. “How could such a thing happen!”

They summoned the imperial physician to check her pulse, and indeed she was pregnant. She sat on the couch, not knowing whether to feel joy or worry. This child came at such an inopportune time. Did Heaven think she hadn’t suffered enough and wanted to add insult to injury? She and Liang Shi had reached the point of irreconcilable differences—who exactly was this child meant to retain? Because of everything that had happened before, they probably could never repair their relationship. A broken vase was broken—even if mended, with patches densely covering it so unsightly, could it ever be good again?

She said: “Don’t spread the word yet. Let’s wait and see.”

Calculating the time, it should be just over three months. She had a flat figure—even pregnant, it wouldn’t show until five months. She needed to think carefully about how to proceed.

Xiao You said: “We were just lying before, but now it’s really true. What a coincidence.”

Wanwan shook her head. “Why at this particular time!”

But Tonghuan encouraged her: “This is your blessing arriving—giving you a child to help you rally. The road ahead is still long.”

She stared blankly at the cluster of flowers atop the tree, her heart pounding in her chest, causing blood to surge like waves in her ears. Her limbs were weak—these symptoms had persisted for quite a while, and she didn’t know if it was due to pregnancy. She lay down and closed her eyes, worried about the battle ahead. Unable to sleep well, this child would probably be difficult to nurture.

Liang Shi had been gone for over twenty days, and the guards outside the residence had relaxed slightly compared to before. Yu Qixia devised a method—bribing the daily vegetable porter to help gather information about the outside situation. That porter was fairly conscientious, bringing in bits and pieces of news. But being a farmer by origin, he couldn’t distinguish priorities, so Yu Qixia taught him to go to teahouses and bird markets. Those were places where various current events gathered—with many idle people came much gossip, where valuable news could be gleaned.

Wanwan hoped to hear news of Ye army victories—even one battle would boost morale. But Yu Qixia entered dejectedly shaking his head: “Defeat. The Battle of Shucheng resulted in heavy casualties.”

Two days later he entered again, hesitantly saying: “Strange… the line from Pingshu to Wen’an was undefended and easily taken by the Qi people. Now the main army is camped at Waqiao Bridge—the next step should be Guiyi.”

Having studied since childhood, Wanwan had a photographic memory for things she’d seen. The map she had copied, she could basically recreate exactly from memory. Hearing Yu Qixia’s words, she hurriedly checked, her finger sliding along the red arrows, discovering that neither Pingshu nor Wen’an were within the attack range. She was momentarily stunned.

An ominous premonition lingered. Yu Qixia, fearing she’d panic, comforted her: “Battlefield situations change rapidly—commanders adjust routes on the spot. This is just the beginning. Your Highness should remain calm and wait to see what follows.”

She steadied herself and nodded. “Yes, let’s wait. Perhaps the Nanyuan army saw defenses elsewhere and changed to this route. Keep watching carefully—if there are any new developments, report to me immediately.”

While concerned about the situation, she couldn’t forget to nurture her body. The child was innocent after all—regardless of how wicked his father was, he was still her flesh and blood. The previous pregnancy unfortunately ended in miscarriage. This one must be carried to term properly. With such shallow fate for children, why make it worse?

Waiting for news from outside was very anxious during this period—she couldn’t withstand the slightest disturbance. Tonghuan advised her: “I think you shouldn’t inquire anymore. You’re carrying now—how can you handle so much worry? Take good care of your child. I’ll tell Yu Chengfeng not to report to you anymore. So what if we know victory or defeat? Beyond our reach—why make yourself uncomfortable?”

That’s what she said, but how could she not care? She found her annoying and told her not to interfere, sitting at the writing desk with her sweet bowl, eating while studying that deployment map.

Since they were camped at Waqiao Bridge, closest to Guiyi, attacking there next was logical. But reality was always disappointing. Yu Qixia brought another battle report—the Nanyuan army hadn’t gone to Guiyi but directly attacked Ba County. Those defending soldiers were unprepared, beaten into abandoning the city and fleeing. Ba County had now completely fallen to the Southern Army.

Wanwan was too shocked to speak. The red battle line under her fingertip burned blazingly, as if it would burn through her flesh. The map clearly showed Guiyi—why had they made such a large detour to Ba County? Could camping at Waqiao Bridge have been to mislead? This meant either Liang Shi had changed his marching route, or that night’s deployment map had problems…

Cold sweat drenched her back, her heart alternately hot and cold—she could barely hold on. Could it be fake? Deliberately let her copy it to confuse the court’s vision? She felt blood choking in her throat, making her face change color. Only after a long while did she smile miserably: “The devil rises one foot, the way rises ten feet. How could I be his match!”

She wasn’t being pessimistic. The subsequent battles all went as she feared—they should have taken Xincheng but took Qiu County instead, should have attacked Laishui but attacked Xuanzhou. By the end she was completely desperate, lying in bed unable to rise. Tonghuan scolded Yu Qixia severely: “Are you trying to anger Her Highness to death?”

Indeed she was about to die of anger. She had been so thoroughly fooled—this was her pillow companion, the husband who had promised to love her for life! How could she resent him? They had each harbored ulterior motives from the start—she could only blame herself for being inferior in skill.

She lay staring at the sky, her tears dried up, unable to cry anymore. The embroidered flowers on the canopy transformed into stars filling the sky. Her vision grew worse and worse—sometimes she couldn’t see clearly, just black and blurred patches occasionally mixed with mottled white, making her head spin even more severely.

Yu Qixia no longer reported battle results to her—presumably the news wasn’t good anyway. She had lost the desire to inquire. At this point she unconsciously began to escape, afraid to hear sounds from outside. She hoped to just lie here until death, never again asking about worldly affairs.

Her eye disease was also examined by the imperial physician. The diagnosis was nothing more than qi stagnation in the chest from excessive emotional injury. She took several doses of eye-clearing medicine, and even her pillow was stuffed with dried chrysanthemums and buckwheat hulls. Apart from still experiencing tumultuous waves in her dreams, there were no other effects.

Her heart had long sunk to the earth’s core. In extreme sorrow, nothing mattered anymore. She said: “I seem to have aged… Come look—do I have white hair?”

Tonghuan watched her wither helplessly. After experiencing so much, how could she recover? Prince Nanyuan’s turning-the-tables-on-her had dealt her the most fatal blow. Using her copied map to mislead the Emperor, the court was probably now filled with curses. Their evaluation of her might not be much better than the common people’s abuse outside the walls.

She dared not mention these things, only urged her to think of the child in her womb. She smiled: “We mother and child are the same—both have such thin fate.”

She spoke such dispiriting words that they terrified Tonghuan and Xiao You.

“This can’t continue.” Xiao You wiped her tears. “Think of something—save our mistress.”

Tonghuan looked at her miserably. “What can we think of? The one who tied the bell must untie it. Can you make Prince Nanyuan cease his military campaign? Can you restore peace to these mountains and rivers? With knives at our throats, not advancing means death. He can barely save himself—does he still care about Her Highness’s life or death?”

Truly before imperial ambition there were no husband and wife. You scheme against me, I inevitably scheme against you with higher methods. That prince was deeply hidden—even when leaving he showed no flaws. How foolish of the Grand Princess to think she had succeeded, how foolish of Jin Shi to torture himself so—it all became someone else’s entertainment. The proud princess had never suffered such humiliation. Unable to recover her lost face, the state she wholeheartedly tried to preserve was accelerating its decline. In agony, she had entered a dead end with no way out. What method could extend her life?

Tonghuan gazed outside over the wall: “Only counting on Jin Shi now. He said he’d bring people to break through the siege and rescue us…”

But when Jin Shi returned, he hadn’t brought back any Jin Yi Guards. He knelt before Wanwan unable to rise, head lowered, too ashamed to face her.

Wanwan propped herself up and asked: “Did you see the Emperor?”

Not only had he seen him, he’d nearly been thrown into imperial prison. That deployment map he had sworn to deliver was fake. He knew the Grand Princess couldn’t possibly collude with Prince Nanyuan—she must have been deceived by him. But the entire court didn’t see it that way. From the Emperor down to all officials, everyone accused the Grand Princess of ingratitude and betraying the country to please her husband. In such circumstances, gathering people for rescue was absolutely impossible. Fortunately his brothers secretly warned him, or he’d already be imprisoned now.

How could he tell the Grand Princess? Her voice was weak and made one’s heart tremble. He could only grit his teeth and report: “All available people in the court have rushed to military camps—truly no manpower can be spared… Your Highness needn’t worry. As long as we servants live, we’ll definitely take Your Highness away from here.”

She fell back onto her pillow. Whether she left or not, she didn’t care at all. The only thing she gleaned from his words was the court’s abandonment of her. Who would have thought that after racking her brains, this would be her final fate? Now she was neither fish nor fowl—her grievances and indignation, to whom could she speak?

She waved her hand, her posture still elegant: “Commander worked hard on the road. Are your wounds healed? Go back and rest.”

Jin Shi hesitated, saw Tonghuan give him a meaningful look, rose and withdrew.

“Now we can only fight desperately.” Yu Qixia saw him out, standing at the steps saying: “Please gather all available men, Commander. I previously hid some gunpowder—if necessary we’ll risk mutual destruction…”

Before he finished speaking, they heard Xiao You cry out. Both were greatly alarmed and rushed inside to check. The figure on the bed was faint as a wisp of smoke, but thick blood meandered from the corner of her mouth, gradually staining red her pure white collar and the plain silk on her pillow.