Smoke rose and was blown away by the wind, obscuring the surrounding scenery. Jiang Xuanjin felt a moment of disorientation as if he had returned to Feiyun Palace a year ago.
Danyang loved the Yaochi peonies, embroidered in layers on her palace attire. Even when facing death, sitting on the Hehuan couch, she maintained a proud demeanor, hands folded in front of her, her chin slightly raised, and her words were sharp and venomous.
At the time, he thought she was angry and ashamed, unwilling to accept her fate, which was why she said such words to him.
But later, he realized she was heartbroken and sent to the underworld by his hand. She was devastated, yet she maintained her posture, not wanting him to see her pain.
Even in death, she wanted to be the most dazzling in his eyes.
“You…” He caressed the back of her hand, his eyes reddening. “How much do you like me?”
The person beside him could no longer answer. Her body was drenched in sweat, eyes tightly shut, as the midwives urged her to “push” and instructed her on how to breathe. She tried to endure without crying out, but couldn’t help letting out a few pained groans.
“The water has broken!” a midwife exclaimed joyfully, quickly attending to her belly.
Jiang Xuanjin thought he was calm. He didn’t lose his composure or shout; he just sat there holding her hand. Yet, for some reason, Xu Chuniang and Qingsi looked at him with worry, and Li Huaiyu, in between breaths, glanced at him and couldn’t help but frown.
“Do you… want to go out?” she said haltingly. “I’m afraid… I’m afraid you won’t hold on.”
Her hair, soaked with sweat, clung to her face. Jiang Xuanjin gently tucked it behind her ear, then leaned down to kiss her cheek.
She must look so disheveled now, she thought, letting out a muffled groan and turning her head away. “Sweat… is bitter.”
“I’ll tell you a secret,” he said, looking down at her, his voice hoarse. “You’re especially sweet. I don’t find it bitter at all.”
Huaiyu was startled.
Long ago, by the ink-washing pool, he had complained, “Why do you talk so much?”
The breeze rippled the ink pool, and she, parched, replied, “It’s all for you.”
“Hmm?”
“You said she was useful to you, so I tried to persuade her. Maybe she responds better to kindness than force. If I can convince her, she’ll help you. I’ll try again tomorrow.”
“Why bother?”
She suddenly stopped, beckoning him closer. “I’ll tell you a secret.”
Puzzled, Jiang Xuanjin leaned down.
She quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, capturing his lips in a kiss, sucking hard before releasing him with a smack.
“You’re especially sweet. I don’t find it bitter at all,” she said.
You’re especially sweet. I don’t find it bitter at all.
Those were her teasing words. At the time, he was annoyed, his face flushed with embarrassment, wishing he could pry open her mouth and shove the words back in. She thought he had forgotten, but he remembered every word, repeating them in her tone.
He had listened after all!
But now, Jiang Xuanjin’s voice trembled, lacking the calm, lingering scent of incense from before. His voice, low and quivering, pierced her heart.
“Madam! Madam, wake up! You can’t faint!” a midwife suddenly pinched her philtrum, urging her awake.
Jiang Xuanjin froze, gripping her hand tightly.
The person on the bed, her pupils dilated, unconsciously followed the midwife’s guidance, murmuring.
He leaned closer, listening for a long time before he understood.
“Spring banquet… a cup of green wine… a song.
“Bow again… present three wishes… one wish… my lord lives a thousand years, two wish… I remain healthy… three wishes… like the swallows on the beam, year after year… we meet.”
“I still want… to see you year after year…”
Her increasingly weak voice faded into her lips.
Eyes red, Jiang Xuanjin stared at her, shouting angrily, “You have to keep your word! If you lie to me again… if you dare lie to me again…”
He didn’t know how to threaten her, dumbly holding her hand, lips pressed tight, angry and helpless.
The midwife at the foot of the bed saw the baby’s head emerge and shouted with joy, supporting the little head and gently pulling. Soon, a loud cry echoed through the room.
“Hey, hey! There’s another one! Another one!” the midwife exclaimed, delighted. “Twins! No wonder her belly was so big. Come on, Madam, push again!”
The midwife on the right turned to congratulate Ziyang Jun.
However, Ziyang Jun seemed not to hear, his lips pale, staring at the person on the bed, unmoving.
“Blood!” Seeing something amiss beneath their mistress, Qingsi cried out, “There’s so much blood!”
Jiang Xuanjin’s eyelashes trembled. He turned his head, his gaze landing on the large patches of blood red in Qi Jin’s hands, his body suddenly stiffening.
“My lord, please step outside,” Xu Chuniang urged, seeing his expression, feeling it was inappropriate, pushing him gently, making up an excuse. “It’s not auspicious for you to be here. It’s not good for Huaiyu. Wait outside. We’ve got this!”
“Please, this way,” Qingsi insisted, directly taking Jiang Xuanjin’s arm, and firmly pushing him out.
Realizing they wanted to send him away, Jiang Xuanjin’s eyes darkened. “Let go.”
Xu Chuniang pleaded anxiously, “You’re making Huaiyu worry. She has no strength left. Give her some peace of mind!”
Images flashed chaotically in his mind. Jiang Xuanjin pressed his lips together, stubbornly shaking his head. “I want to stay here with her.”
No matter what happened, he wanted to stay with her. He wouldn’t be like his elder brother, standing outside, holding a child in desolation.
He wanted to hold her.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said gently, his tone softening, speaking to her. “I’m not afraid, and I’m not worried. You said you wanted to see me year after year, so no matter where, I’ll make sure you see me.”
His gentle tone brought tears to Qingsi’s eyes.
Qi Jin frantically worked to stop Huaiyu’s bleeding, while the midwives encouraged her. Seeing her breath grow weaker, one midwife couldn’t help but urge, “My lord, say something Madam likes to hear, encourage her!”
Something she likes to hear? Jiang Xuanjin thought for a moment, stroking her hair, coaxing softly, “The Princess of Danyang is the best person in the world.”
Li Huaiyu’s eyelids twitched.
Jiang Xuanjin knew that if she had the strength, she would laugh, scolding him for being insincere, never having acknowledged her before.
But he was serious. Gently touching her brow, he chuckled softly, “If I had known the truth earlier, I would have liked you when you were still Danyang.”
Pausing, he added, “In other words, no matter what you become, I will like you.”
In the eight-year struggle between the Princess of Danyang and Ziyang Jun, the world declared Ziyang Jun’s victory with the Princess’s death. But now, she didn’t have to do anything, and he had already lost completely.
In the end, debts must be repaid.
As if truly encouraged by his words, Huaiyu suddenly regained some consciousness. With the midwife’s push, her belly contracted sharply.
“Wah—” Another loud cry, the second child was successfully delivered, the umbilical cord cut, and taken away to be cleaned.
But at the same time, a large amount of blood-stained half the bedsheet. Li Huaiyu didn’t have time to say a word before her grip on Jiang Xuanjin’s hand loosened.
His heart sank. Jiang Xuanjin held her hand, pretending not to notice, gripping it tightly, pressing his lips together.
“The capital is a good place. You’ll surely like it,” he said. “In a while, I’ll take you back to see it. The orange trees you planted must be bearing fruit by now.”
“The four characters you had Qingsi frame, I’ll have them brought back and hung in the same place. If you want any other words, I’ll write them.”
“Just don’t embroider handkerchiefs anymore. They’re really ugly. How could you make such a mess of four good characters? Who would want to carry that?”
Saying this, he took the handkerchief from his sleeve pocket and placed it before her eyes. “Look, it’s really ugly.”
The person on the bed didn’t respond, and Qingsi and Xu Chuniang were choked with emotion.
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t ask any more questions, continuing to speak softly, “Your imperial brother is really out of line. You may spoil him, but I won’t. In a few days, I’ll teach him what it means to respect his elders. He pretended to be too obedient before, and the ruler was too lenient.”
“And Lu Jingxing, I returned his gift, but he hasn’t seen it yet. It’s not my fault, but don’t worry about it.”
Rambling on, everyone felt that Ziyang Jun was trying to say everything he had saved up over the past twenty years to the person on the bed.
But the person on the bed showed no reaction.
The Princess gave birth to a pair of twins, and the people waiting outside cheered at the news. Even the usually stern-faced Manager Lu relaxed, stumbling slightly, supported by someone nearby. He laughed self-deprecatingly, “Getting old, my limbs aren’t nimble. Just standing for a while, and my legs are numb.”
He then asked the midwife who came out, “Are the mother and children safe?”
The midwife trembled, speaking softly, “The two children are fine.”
The smile froze on Lu Jingxing’s face. “What do you mean?”
The courtyard, which had been lively moments ago, fell silent.
“During childbirth… there was heavy bleeding,” the midwife stammered. “They’re still trying to save her inside. We don’t know the outcome.”
With a loud crack, the jade ribs of the Nanyang fan hit the ground, breaking two.
The sky in the afternoon hadn’t darkened yet, but it inexplicably turned gloomy. Qi Jin was busy inside, and everyone, including Ziyang Jun, was driven out.
Jiang Xuanjin stood in the courtyard, his expression unusually calm. Xu Chuniang approached, asking if he wanted to see the children in the next room, but he didn’t respond. His eyes were fixed on the closed door as if waiting for a verdict.
Half an hour later, Qi Jin opened the door with a strange expression.
“How is she?” Lu Jingxing immediately asked.
Qi Jin hesitated, glancing at Jiang Xuanjin. “Madam wants to see the lord, only the lord.”
Hearing this, Lu Jingxing closed his eyes, and those around him, including Jiu Wu, had red eyes.
Was it time to say goodbye?
Straightening his clothes, Jiang Xuanjin clenched his fists and stepped through the door.
The person lying on the bed was pale, lips chapped, hair disheveled. Seeing him enter, she forced a smile. “Why… aren’t you happy?”
Suppressing the turbulent emotions within, Jiang Xuanjin pressed his lips together, speaking lightly, “I’m not unhappy.”
She nodded with relief. “From now on… the children will rely on you to take care of them…”
His heart ached sharply as Jiang Xuanjin looked down at her.
Huaiyu struggled to reach out, just as a drop of water fell, landing on her fingertip.
“Is it raining in Yixian City?” she chuckled softly.
Jiang Xuanjin nodded. “The house is leaking a bit. In a few days, I’ll have someone fix it.”
Sighing, Huaiyu looked at him. “You said last time… you have feelings for me.”
“Yes, I have feelings for you.”
“Then… do you love me?”
His throat tightened painfully. Jiang Xuanjin caught her hand, gently kissing it. “I love you.”
“Say it properly… to me,” she smiled, her brow furrowing again as if in pain, her voice weaker. “Hurry… I can’t hold on…”
Gripping her hand tightly, he no longer cared about anything else, speaking hoarsely, “I love you, very much.”
From beginning to end, I’ve only ever loved you.
Smiling contentedly, Huaiyu sighed, “You wouldn’t say it before.”
“I will,” he said. “Don’t sleep. I’ll tell you every day from now on, okay?”
“You said it,” Huaiyu slowly closed her eyes. “Then tomorrow, remember to tell me.”
“No! Open your eyes!” The person beside the bed suddenly panicked. “Don’t sleep!”
Unable to keep up the act, Li Huaiyu coughed weakly, saying, “If I don’t sleep, how will I recover? Qi Jin said this heavy bleeding will take months to heal. I used up all my strength just now. I’m very tired. Let me go.”
“No… huh?” Realizing something was off, Jiang Xuanjin paused, then narrowed his eyes slightly.
Months to heal?
She wasn’t in mortal danger?
Feeling the air around the bed suddenly cool, Li Huaiyu quickly closed her eyes, letting out a weak groan, “fainting.”
Realizing she had deliberately scared him, Jiang Xuanjin nearly choked, unable to catch his breath.
“Li Huaiyu!”
How deep was the grudge? How deep was the grudge to scare him like this? He had truly thought… truly thought she was…
Slapping his thigh hard, he glanced at the genuinely pale face on the bed, stood up, and strode to the door, yanking it open—
The group eavesdropping at the door nearly fell in, with Qi Jin at the forefront. Awkwardly adjusting her clothes, she whispered, “I was just about to remind the lord that Madam is fine, just lost a lot of blood and needs good care. You shouldn’t talk too long. Come out early and let Madam rest. Hehe.”
Jiang Xuanjin coldly looked at Lu Jingxing, who was cradling his broken jade fan. “Don’t look at me. I was scared too. This is Nanyang jade, very rare!”
He then looked at Jiu Wu, who shivered, shaking his head repeatedly. “We only just found out from Physician Qi. We had no idea!”
It was all the idea of the person inside!