In the days leading up to the incident in the palace, he had not returned to the mansion. The next time he saw her was when she besieged the study with others.
Was she pregnant at that time?
Jiang Xuanjin stared blankly at his fingertips.
“To be honest, after going through all that, if she hadn’t killed you, you should have known your place in her heart,” someone spoke softly from the doorway.
He slowly turned his head and saw Lu Jingxing leaning against the doorframe, his face full of ridicule. “If it were me, pregnant with your child, risking going into the palace to save you, only to be thrown into the dungeon by you in return, you would have died countless times by now.”
His heart felt like it was being squeezed, and Jiang Xuanjin took a deep breath, choking for a moment.
“What… are you saying?”
“I’m saying you’ve been deceived. Huaiyu and I never had any affair.” Lu Jingxing raised his chin, sneering at him. “I don’t know who gave you that information, but how did you end up blaming me for the child?”
It wasn’t Lu Jingxing’s child?!
Jiang Xuanjin’s face turned pale.
In an instant, everything shattered into pieces and rearranged itself. He saw her joyful and grateful expression when she pushed open the study door, his cold sword pressed against her neck, the dark and damp dungeon, and the rosary torn from her hands.
She said, “Jiang Jie, I genuinely like you.”
She said, “I’m afraid you don’t understand, so I want to tell you that I want to have your child.”
The almond-shaped eyes in the darkness gleamed with tears. Every word she said was sincere. He had listened and remembered, but why… why couldn’t he trust her?
Lu Jingxing looked on with glee, fanning himself. “The weather is nice today. I don’t mind chatting a bit more with you — do you know why the Eldest Princess keeps so many “face capturers”? Because they are all her subordinates, each with extraordinary skills. Unfortunately, she has someone in her heart. Even if someone among the “face capturers” adores her, they can never get close to her.”
The cold wind blew in from the wide-open door of the relay station, making the robes flutter with desolation.
Jiang Xuanjin looked up at him, his throat dry and unable to speak.
“Face capturers”… they weren’t real “face capturers”?
He thought she was flirtatious, capricious, scheming, and wasting his genuine affection on herself.
But no. She hadn’t.
Her idea of genuine affection was the same as his, without any difference. She had genuinely given him her heart, earlier and more foolishly than he had.
The last thing he remembered was her clear face at the study door, full of light, dimming visibly as his cold sword pointed at her neck. What did he say then? Right, he said: “I don’t believe.”
The face in front of him was pale, and the voice was hoarse: “Is it because you want me to die? I grant your wish.”
How heartbroken must she have been to not even want to live? As he swung the sword down, she didn’t even think about what would happen to the child in her belly.
His hands trembled in panic, and Jiang Xuanjin shook his head subconsciously, as if unable to stand still, rushing out of the door.
“Your Highness, mind your bearing,” Lu Jingxing lazily called from behind. “The Jiang family motto says, ‘Walk straight, sit upright.’ Why are you staggering like this?”
The mocking voice grew fainter and fainter, but Jiang Xuanjin seemed not to hear. He saw the carriage still parked at the door, hurried over, but stopped abruptly at the side of the carriage, placing his hand on the carriage shaft, his pupils slightly red.
The sun was rising, and the outskirts were serene. He stood there at a loss, extending his hand but retracting it.
Someone voluntarily lifted the curtain of the carriage, sitting and hugging her stomach, smiling at him.
“Do you regret it?” she asked.
He raised his eyes, three parts angry, seven parts aggrieved. “You deceived me again!”
She was unashamed and unrepentant, speaking with confidence, “Who asked you not to indulge me?”
Her lips curved into a smile, but her almond-shaped eyes were teary. As she spoke, her nose turned red.
“I was just thinking, maybe I should drive the carriage back directly. If you want to come back, you’ll have to walk back. You’re so cruel to me, I can’t be good to you and let you off.”
“But then I thought, I couldn’t bear it.”
She touched the shallow scar on her neck, asking in confusion, “But why are you so willing to let me go?”
His heart constricted, and Jiang Xuanjin’s eyelashes trembled. He wanted to reach out and touch her neck, but before he could, she pushed his hand away angrily.
“What are you doing?” She glared with wide eyes. “Don’t you understand etiquette? Men and women should not get too close, do you know that?”
Feeling lost, Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips and reached out again.
Li Huaiyu showed no mercy. Every time he reached out, she would slap his hand away, like a child throwing a tantrum, slapping his hand back and forth until it turned slightly red.
With a crisp sound, she accidentally slapped him too hard. Her eyelids twitched, and Li Huaiyu subconsciously wanted to take his hand to see, but as soon as she touched his fingertips, he took the opportunity to wrap her hand slowly in his palm.
“I’m sorry,” Jiang Xuanjin said hoarsely.
Li Huaiyu’s throat tightened slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes uncontrollably.
She had no right to blame him. She had been vomiting and experiencing back pain recently, and she just wanted to throw a tantrum. Hearing those three words, she felt like her insides were being twisted into a knot, sour and bitter.
Unable to contain it any longer, tears flowed uncontrollably from her eyes.
Jiang Xuanjin was flustered, unable to maintain his usual calm demeanor. He used his sleeve to wipe her face, frowning, “They say pregnant women shouldn’t cry. What do you want to hear? I’ll say it, and whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Just stop crying, okay?”
“I can’t,” she gritted her teeth. “I can’t control it myself.”
Like a flood that had been building up for years, bursting its banks, Li Huaiyu sat in the carriage sobbing uncontrollably. Jiang Xuanjin was anxious. He looked around and walked in a direction.
He just left like that? Li Huaiyu was angry. Her mouth pouted like a frog, thinking to herself, “What is decayed cannot be carved.” He should walk back by himself!
Just as she was about to find the coachman, she looked up and saw him, in his green amber robe, returning.
Holding a red-orange orange in his hand, he walked back to her and carefully peeled it, removing the stem and handing her a piece.
“I’m peeling the orange for you. Can you forgive me?” It was something she had said to him a long time ago.
Looking down at his hand, which was now covered in juice, Li Huaiyu stopped crying. She stared at him blankly with her watery eyes.
Jiang Xuanjin felt a little uneasy, holding up the orange to her lips. “It should be… very sweet.”
“Do you want to try it? If you do, you won’t be angry anymore, and we can go home together.”
The emotions in her eyes were clear like those of a stubborn child finally mustering the courage to make amends. His eyelashes quivered lightly, his gaze flickering, but he tried to maintain a calm appearance, pursing his lips and refusing to show too much weakness.
Li Huaiyu looked at him and thought, even if he’s made of iron, he must soften his heart in front of him, right?
She took a bite of the orange, wiped her face with his sleeve, and asked, “Are we going back?”
As his fingertips brushed her soft lips, Jiang Xuanjin was taken aback, his gaze falling on her still-red eyes, his heart tightening.
“Yes,” he nodded.
Qing Si and the others did not follow them out. They were all waiting in the princess’s mansion, unable to guess the outcome of the prince’s trip, and they were all worried.
When the sun rose higher, there was movement outside the door. Everyone stood up and looked eagerly towards the door.
Wearing a peony-colored dress, Li Huaiyu entered alone, holding her stomach and looking at them.
Seeing her red eyes, Qing Xian hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Your Highness, don’t be sad. What kind of man in this world isn’t flawed? As long as you want, no matter who it is, we’ll help you snatch him back!”
“Yes,” Xu Chunniang quickly added, “People who want to leave, no one can stop them. Don’t take it to heart.”
Wu wrinkled her brows and shook her head. “Prince Zi Yang is not a good man. In my opinion, Shopkeeper Lu did nothing wrong compared to him.”
Jiang Shen stood awkwardly on the side, wanting to stay silent, but unfortunately, Xu Chunniang glanced at him inadvertently, and her eyes were hostile.
Was he caught in the crossfire? His eyelid twitched, and Jiang Shen hurriedly said, “Even if it’s your brother, if there’s a misunderstanding, how can you not listen to an explanation? He’s unfeeling and unreasonable!”
He didn’t know what had happened, but from the discussions in the hall earlier, it seemed that his third brother was in the wrong. Since he wasn’t there, he could say a few words without losing face.
Thinking this way, Jiang Er Gongzi’s courage grew, looking at Xu Chunniang, trying to express his position, “If I…”
“If it were you, you should stroll around the brothels, make a few courtesans cry outside the Jiang mansion, and then come and tell people that you know you were wrong.” Someone followed behind Li Huaiyu and stepped into the room, coldly adding the rest of the sentence for him.
With a “thud” in his heart, Jiang Shen stiffly turned his head, his gaze meeting Jiang Xuanjin’s icy eyes, and he almost choked himself to death without catching his breath.
“Third… Third Brother?”
Jiang Xuanjin smiled thinly, his eyes icy, and his words were like ice chips: “Even if we’re brothers, I won’t help Second Brother this time. He’s too loose with women and has hurt others’ sincere feelings.”
His face turned blue, then red, then green. Jiang Shen looked at Xu Chunniang, who was frowning beside him, and shook his head repeatedly. “I didn’t… I didn’t…”
Xu Chunniang calmly kneeled in front of him. “There’s no need for the young master to explain.”
“No, last time I didn’t even go to the brothels with those people…”
“Second Young Master.” Chijin gently interrupted him. “Since Miss Xu doesn’t want to hear it, why keep talking?”
Jiang Shen was furious. He felt it necessary to explain the matter, but Xu Chunniang didn’t want to listen. Without a preamble, she went straight to Li Huaiyu’s side.
“Congratulations, Your Highness,” she whispered.
Li Huaiyu felt surprised. “Aren’t you all going to ask what happened? Or how I brought him back?”
Shaking her head, Xu Chunniang smiled faintly. “You wanted him back, and he’s back. That’s enough for us. As far as we’re concerned, nothing else matters. When you have time, you can take it slowly and explain everything.”
Jiang San Gongzi was mentally flipping through a little notebook, jotting down the names of those who had spoken ill of him earlier. Hearing Xu Chunniang’s words, he glanced at her and crossed out her name.
His eyes welled up with tears again, and beside him, Lande pushed Qi Jin forward casually, saying, “Let someone check your pulse first. You’ve been crying all day.”
Everyone snapped back to reality and hurriedly escorted her back to her room. Only Qi Jin and Jiang Xuanjin remained, and everyone else withdrew.
As soon as the door closed, Lande dragged Xu Chunniang to a corner of the courtyard.
“What’s going on? How can these two act like nothing happened and just be together as if everything is fine?!” Xu Chunniang widened her eyes.
Qing Si was also anxious. “Since everything is fine, why is the master crying? Did something happen?”
Jiu Wu also couldn’t understand. “Prince Zi Yang is such a proud person, how did he just come back like that?”
Lande’s mouth twitched as he heard this. “Who just said we don’t need to be in a hurry and can wait for His Highness to speak slowly?”
Everyone looked at Xu Chunniang in unison. She whispered, “Isn’t it to calm Her Highness’s emotions and comfort her?”
“Hurry up and explain!” Qing Xian urged anxiously, scratching his head.
With a soft snort, Lande leaned against a crimson pillar, fanning himself casually. He looked over at the closed door of the main house and began to speak slowly.
The room was very quiet, and Qi Jin felt the prince’s gaze, making her nervous. Even the tips of her fingers on Li Huaiyu’s wrist were trembling.
“Why are you afraid?” Huaiyu smiled. “You’re already considered a qualified doctor in the Jiang Mansion.”
Qi Jin glanced at the person beside her with trepidation.
Understanding her hesitation, Huaiyu shifted over and patted the bed, motioning towards Jiang Xuanjin. “Come.”
Jiang Xuanjin frowned. “I’m still examining the pulse.”
Although he said so, he obediently sat down, letting her lean against him halfway.
With a smile, Huaiyu adopted a comfortable posture and let Qi Jin check his pulse while looking at Jiang Xuanjin, her eyes full of emotions, hinting at something she wanted to say.
At first, he could meet her gaze calmly, but after looking at her for a long time, with someone else beside them, Jiang Xuanjin’s ears slowly turned red.
“Don’t look.” He muttered.
The atmosphere in the room inexplicably relaxed a lot. Qi Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, focused on taking the pulse, and then reached out to feel Huaiyu’s stomach. Stepping back two steps, she said, “Mother and child are safe, but Madam’s belly is indeed a bit big. We need to be extra careful during childbirth.”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuanjin stiffened his back, raising his gaze to ask, “Is it dangerous?”
Qi Jin whispered, “There’s always a danger in childbirth. If His Highness is worried, he should seek more experienced midwives.”
“Can midwives guarantee safety?”
“…It’s hard to say, but they can at least offer more assurance.”
His jaw tensed, Jiang Xuanjin stared at Huaiyu’s belly for a moment before asking, “Can we avoid childbirth?”
Huaiyu dug her ear, thinking she misheard, “What did you say?”
“Not to give birth,” he insisted, “We don’t have to have children.”
Feeling a surge of frustration, Huaiyu hugged her belly and moved away, facing him, “So it’s not you who’s been carrying this for over six months, yet you decide I shouldn’t give birth?”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?” she snapped.
Jiang Xuanjin closed his eyes, pinching a strand of her hair between his fingertips, remaining silent for a while before murmuring, “What if something happens to you?”
If she ended up like the eldest sister-in-law, giving birth to Lin’er and leaving, what would he do?
Huaiyu blinked, catching the look in his eyes, and asked, belatedly, “Are you worried about me?”
Worried about the extent of not wanting offspring?
Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips, nodding earnestly.
Since the moment he saw her belly, his predominant emotion wasn’t anger but panic. He’d witnessed the flurry of paper money at the Jiang residence and seen his eldest brother kneeling at the ancestral hall, clutching little Jiang Yan in his arms, crying uncontrollably.
That kind of pain was something he was determined not to experience.
Huaiyu was stunned, staring at him blankly for a while. Slowly, she felt a breath of relief, then finally chuckled, “So much for writing that divorce letter.”
Bringing up that matter, Jiang Xuanjin was still somewhat displeased, “You have no connection with Lord Lu Jingxing, yet you carry my child. Why bother with a divorce letter?”
Was she deliberately trying to upset him?
Rubbing her nose, Huaiyu chuckled dryly, “I was testing you.”
“Hmm?” he frowned.
“In our Northern Wei customs, aren’t offspring usually taken by the wife’s family? I was afraid that if you knew I was carrying your flesh and blood, you’d come and claim it. So, I drafted a divorce letter in advance, stating that whatever we both own belongs to me.”
Under the scrutiny of the person in front of her, Huaiyu’s voice grew quieter as she continued, “Our child would be jointly owned, and naturally, it would belong to me…”
His gaze was as cold as the wind howling outside, sending shivers down her spine, and making her break out in goosebumps.
In a cold tone, Jiang Xuanjin asked, “Is that how you see me in your heart?”
Realizing she had misjudged, Huaiyu nervously took his hand, “I was just being cautious…”
Looking deeply into her eyes, Jiang Xuanjin leaned back against the edge of the bed, rubbing his brow with his hand, devoid of any color on his lips.
Feeling a pang of guilt, Huaiyu hesitated for a moment, then asked, “What about the ‘Husband-Dumping Letter’ I gave you?”
Opening his sleeve pocket, Jiang Xuanjin casually took it out and placed it in front of her.
He carried it with him!
Feeling even more guilty, she coughed lightly, took out the divorce letter from her sleeve, and tore both letters apart, then crumpled them together and ripped them apart from the middle.
With a loud tear, Jiang Xuanjin opened his eyes.
The person in front of him was smiling like a mischievous rascal, tossing the torn letters to the ground and pointing at his heart with his index finger, insolently saying, “You’re also mine, and I like you too. According to our agreement, everything we share should belong to me.”
“…”
It had been a long time since he’d seen this smiling face, as if from another lifetime, radiant with the glow of dawn, dazzling his eyes and making his heartache.
Slowly raising his hand, he covered his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
Quietly watching, Huaiyu propped herself up, gently leaning over and kissing the back of his hand.