In the days leading up to the incident at the palace, he hadn’t returned home. The next time he saw her was when she was besieging the Imperial Study with others. Was she pregnant at that time?
Jiang Xuanjin stared blankly at his fingertips.
“To be honest, after everything that happened, if she hasn’t killed you yet, you should know what you mean to her,” a voice drawled from the doorway.
He turned slowly to see Lu Jingxing leaning against the doorframe, his face full of mockery. “If it were me, carrying your child, risking my life to enter the palace to save you, and then being thrown into the dungeon by you, you’d be dead countless times over.”
His heart felt as if it were being squeezed tightly. Jiang Xuanjin took a deep breath, choking for a moment.
“What… did you say?”
“I said, you were deceived. Huaiyu and I never had an affair.” Lu Jingxing raised his chin, looking at him with a gleeful expression. “I don’t know who fed you that information, but how did the child get pinned on me?”
Not Lu Jingxing’s child?!
Jiang Xuanjin’s face turned pale.
In an instant, everything shattered on the ground, breaking into pieces like glass. The scenes reassembled: her joyful and relieved expression when she pushed open the door to the Imperial Study, the cold sword he held to her neck, the dark, damp dungeon, and the prayer beads forcibly torn from her hands.
She had said, “Jiang Jie, I truly like you.”
She had said, “I was afraid you wouldn’t understand, so I had to tell you, I want to have a child with you.”
Her almond eyes sparkled in the darkness, each word sincere. He had heard them, remembered them, but why… why hadn’t he believed her?
Lu Jingxing watched with schadenfreude, twirling his fan. “The weather is nice today, I don’t mind chatting a bit more—do you know why the Princess Consort keeps so many male companions? Because they’re all her subordinates, each possessing extraordinary skills. But unfortunately, she has someone in her heart, so even if one of them is deeply in love with her, they can’t get close.”
The cold wind from outside the post station blew in through the open door, making the robes flutter and filling the air with desolation.
Jiang Xuanjin looked up at him, his throat dry and unable to speak.
Male companions… weren’t male companions?
He thought she was promiscuous, thought she was capricious, thought she was scheming, thought she was trampling on his sincere heart.
But she wasn’t. She hadn’t done any of that.
Her sincerity was the same as his, no different. She said she had given him her heart, and she truly had, earlier and more deeply than he had.
The last image in his mind was her delicate face at the door of the Imperial Study, full of light, dimming visibly when pointed at by his sword. Behind her was the overwhelming sound of battle, but her eyes held only his cold face.
What had he said then? Oh, right, he had said: I don’t believe you.
The face before him turned pale, and in a hoarse voice, she said, “You just want me dead, don’t you? I’ll grant your wish.”
How heartbroken must she have been to not even care about her own life? When that sword came down, she hadn’t even thought about what would happen to the child in her womb.
Panicking, Jiang Xuanjin clasped his hands together, shaking his head instinctively, as if he couldn’t stand any longer, and rushed out over the threshold.
“Your Majesty, mind your demeanor,” Lu Jingxing called lazily after him. “The Jiang family motto: walk upright, sit straight. How come you can’t even walk properly?”
The teasing voice faded into the distance, but Jiang Xuanjin seemed not to hear it. He saw the carriage still parked at the door, hurried over, but suddenly stopped at the side, placing a hand on the shaft, his dark eyes slightly red.
The morning sun rose, casting a serene light over the countryside. He stood there, at a loss, reaching out and then pulling back.
Someone lifted the curtain of the carriage, kneeling inside with a smile, looking at him.
“Regret it?” she asked.
He looked up, three parts angry, seven parts aggrieved. “You tricked me again!”
What nonsense about living a good life with Lu Jingxing, naming the child with the surname Lu—she did it on purpose, just to make him suffer.
“Yes, I tricked you again,” Li Huaiyu said shamelessly, “Who told you not to coax me?”
She smiled, but her almond eyes were red, and by the end of her words, her nose was red too.
“I was just thinking, maybe I should just drive back and let you walk back if you want to return. You were so cruel to me, I can’t just be nice to you and let you have your way.”
“But then I thought about it and couldn’t bear to.”
Touching the shallow scar on her neck, she asked in confusion, “But how could you bear to let me go?”
His heart clenched, Jiang Xuanjin’s eyelashes trembled, wanting to reach out and touch her neck, but before he could, she slapped his hand away fiercely.
“What are you doing?” she glared with rabbit-like eyes. “Don’t you know the rules? Men and women shouldn’t touch each other.”
Looking at her helplessly, Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips and reached out again.
Li Huaiyu showed no mercy. Every time he reached out, she slapped his hand away, like a child throwing a tantrum, until his hand turned red.
With a crisp “slap,” she accidentally hit too hard. Her eyelid twitched, and Huaiyu instinctively wanted to pull his hand to check, but as soon as she touched his fingertips, he took the opportunity to wrap her hand in his palm.
“I’m sorry,” Jiang Xuanjin said hoarsely.
Li Huaiyu trembled slightly, swallowing hard, unable to control the tears welling up in her eyes.
She had no real reason to blame him, but she had been vomiting constantly, her back aching, and she just wanted to throw a tantrum. Hearing those three words, her insides twisted with sourness and bitterness.
Unable to hold back, the tears fell.
Jiang Xuanjin panicked, unable to maintain his composure, using his sleeve to wipe her face, frowning as he did. “They say pregnant women shouldn’t cry. Whatever you want to hear, I’ll say it. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Just please, don’t cry.”
“I can’t,” she gritted her teeth. “I can’t control it.”
Like a flood that had been building for years, once the dam broke, it couldn’t be stopped. Li Huaiyu sat in the carriage, sobbing, while Jiang Xuanjin, anxious, looked around and walked off in one direction.
He just left like that? Li Huaiyu was furious, her cheeks puffed like a frog’s, thinking that he was hopeless. Maybe she should just let him walk back!
Just as she was about to call for the driver, she looked up to see that blue-green robe returning.
His long fingers held a bright orange tangerine. He walked back to her, carefully peeled it, removed the pith, and offered a segment to her lips.
“I’ll peel a tangerine for you. Will you forgive me?” A long time ago, she had said this to him.
Looking down at his juice-stained hand, Li Huaiyu stopped crying, staring at him with wide, watery eyes.
Jiang Xuanjin felt a bit awkward, holding his hand up, his usually calm eyes full of unease.
“It should be… very sweet,” he said.
Such a sweet tangerine, won’t you try it? If you try it, you won’t be angry anymore, and we can go home together.
The emotions in his eyes were clear, like a stubborn child finally mustering the courage to make amends. His eyelashes fluttered, his gaze wandered, but he forced himself to appear calm, his thin lips pressed together, unwilling to show too much weakness.
Li Huaiyu thought, that even if he were made of iron, his heart would soften in front of him.
She bit into the tangerine, pulled his sleeve to wipe her face, and asked, “Are we going back?”
His fingertips brushed against her warm lips, Jiang Xuanjin paused, his gaze falling on her still-red eyes, his heart tightening.
“Yes,” he nodded.
Qingsi and the others hadn’t followed them out, all waiting in the Princess’s residence, unable to guess what the outcome of this trip would be, and naturally worried.
As the sun rose higher, there was movement outside the door. Everyone stood up, eagerly looking toward the entrance.
A peony skirt swept over the threshold, and Li Huaiyu entered alone, holding her belly and looking at them.
Seeing her red eyes, Qingxian rushed forward, saying, “Your Highness, don’t be sad. There are all kinds of men in the world. If you want one, no matter who it is, we’ll snatch him back for you!”
“Yes,” Xu Chunian quickly chimed in, “If someone wants to leave, no one can stop them. Don’t take it to heart.”
Jiu Wu frowned and shook his head. “Ziyang Jun is not a good man. In my opinion, Shopkeeper Lu is no worse than him.”
Jiang Shen stood awkwardly to the side, wanting to stay silent, but unfortunately, Xu Chunian glanced at him with hostility.
Was he caught in the crossfire? His eyelid twitched, and Jiang Shen quickly said, “Even if we’re brothers, I won’t side with Third Brother this time. If it’s a misunderstanding, how can he not listen to an explanation? Truly heartless and unreasonable!”
He didn’t know what had happened, but from the discussions in the hall earlier, it seemed his third brother was in the wrong. Since he wasn’t here, saying a few words wouldn’t hurt.
With this thought, Jiang Er Gongzi’s courage grew, and he looked at Xu Chunian, wanting to express his stance: “If it were me…”
“If it were you, you’d be visiting brothels and theaters, making a few perfumed beauties cry outside the Jiang residence, then traveling a thousand miles to say you know you’re wrong,” someone said, following Li Huaiyu into the room, coldly finishing his sentence.
His heart skipped a beat, Jiang Shen turned stiffly, meeting Jiang Xuanjin’s icy gaze, nearly choking on his breath.
“Th-Third Brother?”
Jiang Xuanjin’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, which were as cold as snow, his words like shards of ice: “Even if we’re brothers, I won’t side with Second Brother. Too much frivolity and all you do is hurt others’ sincere hearts.”
His face turned blue, then red, then green again. Jiang Shen looked at the frowning Xu Chunian beside him, shaking his head repeatedly. “I didn’t… I wasn’t…”
Xu Chunian calmly curtsied to him. “We’ve already separated. You don’t need to explain to me.”
“No, last time I went to the brothel, I didn’t even…”
“Second Gongzi,” Chi Jin interrupted gently, “since Miss Xu doesn’t want to hear it, why keep talking?”
Jiang Shen was about to explode. He felt it was necessary to clarify, but Xu Chunian truly didn’t want to listen, turning her head and going straight to Li Huaiyu’s side.
“Congratulations, Your Highness,” she said softly.
Li Huaiyu was surprised. “Aren’t you curious about what happened? Don’t you want to know how I brought him back?”
Shaking her head, Xu Chunian smiled faintly. “You wanted him back, and he came back. That’s enough. For us, nothing else is urgent. You can tell us slowly when you have time.”
Jiang San Gongzi was mentally noting down the people who had spoken ill of him earlier. Hearing this, he glanced at Xu Chunian and crossed her name off.
Huaiyu’s eyes reddened again, and Lu Jingxing pushed Qi Jin forward, saying nonchalantly, “Let someone check your pulse. You’ve been crying all day.”
Everyone snapped back to reality, hurriedly escorting her back to her room, leaving only Qi Jin and Jiang Xuanjin to keep watch, while the rest withdrew.
As soon as the door closed, Lu Jingxing was dragged to a corner of the courtyard.
“What happened? How did those two end up together as if nothing happened?” Xu Chunian asked, eyes wide.
Qingsi was also anxious. “If everything’s fine, why was the master crying? Was she wronged?”
Jiu Wu couldn’t understand either. “Ziyang Jun is such a proud person. How could he just come back like that?”
Lu Jingxing listened, his mouth twitching. “Who said nothing else was urgent and could wait for the master to tell us slowly?”
Everyone looked at Xu Chunian, who said softly, “That was to comfort her, seeing her emotional state.”
“Please, tell us!” Qingxian was scratching her head in frustration.
With a light snort, Lu Jingxing leaned against a vermilion pillar, twirling his fan, glancing at the closed main room door before slowly beginning to speak.
Inside the room, it was very quiet. Feeling Ziyang Jun’s gaze, Qi Jin was nervous, her fingers trembling on Li Huaiyu’s wrist.
“Hey, what are you afraid of?” Huaiyu laughed. “You’re already a seasoned physician in the Jiang residence.”
Qi Jin glanced nervously at the person beside her.
Understanding, Huaiyu shifted, patting the bed and saying to Jiang Xuanjin, “Come here.”
Jiang Xuanjin frowned. “She’s still taking your pulse.”
Despite his words, he obediently sat down, letting her lean half her body against him.
Smiling, Huaiyu found a comfortable position, watching him while Qi Jin took her pulse, her eyes full of unspoken emotions.
At first, he could meet her gaze calmly, but as she continued to look, and with someone else present, Jiang Xuanjin’s ears slowly turned red.
“Stop looking,” he muttered.
The atmosphere in the room inexplicably lightened, and Qi Jin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, focusing on the pulse, and then checking Huaiyu’s belly before stepping back. “Mother and child are both well, but Madam’s belly is quite large. Extra care will be needed during delivery.”
Hearing this, Jiang Xuanjin’s back stiffened, and he asked, “Will there be danger?”
Qi Jin whispered, “There’s always a danger in childbirth. If you’re worried, Your Majesty, find experienced midwives.”
“Can midwives ensure safety?”
“…Not necessarily, but it increases the chances.”
His jaw tightened, Jiang Xuanjin stared at Huaiyu’s belly for a while, then asked, “Can she not give birth?”
Li Huaiyu dug at her ear, thinking she misheard. “What did you say?”
“Don’t give birth,” he insisted. “We don’t need a child.”
Anger flared, and Huaiyu moved away, facing him. “It’s not you who’s been carrying this for over six months. You think you can just decide not to have it?”
“No.”
“Then what?” she shouted.
Jiang Xuanjin closed his eyes, twirling a strand of her hair, and after a long silence, he said softly, “What if something happens to you?”
If she ended up like his sister-in-law, gone after giving birth, what would he do?
Li Huaiyu was stunned, looking up at his expression, belatedly asking, “You’re worried about me?”
Worried enough to not even want a child?
Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips, nodding seriously.
From the first moment he saw her belly, his predominant emotion wasn’t anger but fear. He had seen the Jiang residence covered in funeral paper and watched his brother kneel at the altar, holding the baby Jiang Yan, crying uncontrollably.
That kind of pain, he never wanted to experience.
Huaiyu was taken aback, staring at him for a long time, finally exhaling slowly and laughing. “The divorce letter was written in vain.”
Mentioning this, Jiang Xuanjin was still displeased. “Since you had no affair with Lu Jingxing and are carrying my child, why the divorce letter?”
Was it just to make him sad?
Rubbing her nose, Huaiyu chuckled awkwardly. “I was plotting against you.”
“Hmm?” He frowned.
“In Northern Wei, children belong to the husband’s family, right? I was afraid you’d find out the child was yours and try to take it, so I wrote a divorce letter. Everything we share, everything I like, should belong to me.”
Under his gaze, Li Huaiyu’s voice grew smaller. “The child is ours, and I like it, so it should belong to me…”
His gaze was as cold as the wind outside, chilling her to the bone.
Jiang Xuanjin asked coldly, “Is that how you see me?”
Realizing she had misjudged him, Huaiyu sheepishly tugged his hand. “I was just being cautious…”
He looked at her deeply, then closed his eyes, leaning against the bed, rubbing his temples, his lips devoid of color.
Li Huaiyu felt a pang of guilt, thought for a moment, and asked, “Where’s the ‘Release Husband Letter’ I gave you?”
He opened his sleeve pocket, took it out, and placed it in front of her.
He carried it with him!
Feeling even guiltier, she coughed twice, took out the divorce letter from her sleeve, and tore them both in half.
With a ripping sound, Jiang Xuanjin opened his eyes.
The person in front of him smiled roguishly, tossing the torn letters to the ground, tapping his chest with her finger, and said cheekily, “You’re also something we share, and I like you, so you should belong to me too.”
“……”
The smiling face before him was one he hadn’t seen in a long time, as if from another lifetime, shining with the light of the rising sun, dazzling his eyes and making his heartache.
Slowly raising his hand, he covered his eyes, his Adam’s apple moving slightly.
Huaiyu watched quietly, propping herself up, gently leaning over to place a soft kiss on the back of his hand.