The smoke drifted lazily, dispersing with a gust of wind, revealing the scene around them. Jiang Xuanjin felt a faint sense of déjà vu as if he had returned to the Feiyun Palace a year ago.
The eldest Princess of Danyang adored the peonies of the Yaochi Pond, embroidered in layers on her palace garments. She possessed an imposing aura; even at the brink of death, sitting on her bed, she maintained a proud demeanor. Hands folded in front of her, chin slightly raised, her words were venomous and ruthless.
Back then, he had thought she was merely angered and unwilling to submit, which prompted her to say those words to him.
But later, he learned she was grieving, devastated by the fact that he had sent her to the underworld with his own hands. Yet she remained composed, unwilling to reveal her sorrow to him.
She wanted to die most dazzlingly in his eyes.
“How much do 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. Soaked in sweat, eyes tightly shut, amidst the midwife’s incessant urging to exert force, and someone else instructing her how to breathe, she struggled to refrain from crying out, yet couldn’t help but let out a few stifled groans of extreme pain.
“The water broke!” The midwife exclaimed with joy, quickly following through with her instructions.
Jiang Xuanjin felt that he should be considered calm now. He hadn’t lost his composure or yelled; he simply sat there, holding her hand. Yet for some reason, Xu Chuniang and Qing Si glanced at him, their eyes filled with concern. Even Li Huaiyu, in between gasps for breath, raised her eyes to look at him and couldn’t help but furrow her brows.
“Do you… want to leave?” She interrupted, intermittently saying, “I’m afraid… I’m afraid you won’t be able to hold on.”
With her hair drenched against her face, Jiang Xuanjin looked at her, reaching out to tuck it behind her ear, then bowed his head to gently kiss her cheek.
Seeing her in such a disheveled state, Li Huaiyu couldn’t help but quip between breaths, “Sweat… tastes bitter.”
“Let me tell you a secret.” The person beside her lowered his head to look at her, his voice hoarse. “You taste particularly sweet. I don’t find it bitter at all.”
Li Huaiyu was taken aback.
A long time ago, in the washbasin, he complained to her, “Why do you talk so much?”
As the breeze ruffled the ink in the pool, she replied with a dry mouth, “Isn’t it all for you?”
“Really?”
“When you said she could be useful to you, I helped persuade her. Maybe that girl would listen to reason if I spoke to her. If I persuaded her, maybe she would be willing to help you. I could come and tell you tomorrow.”
“Why bother?”
Suddenly stopping in her tracks, she hooked her hand, saying, “Let me tell you a secret.”
Glancing at her in confusion, Jiang Xuanjin lowered his head.
She swiftly wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips against his, giving a hard suck, then releasing them with a “pop.”
“You taste particularly sweet. I don’t find it bitter at all,” she said.
“You taste particularly sweet. I don’t find it bitter at all.”
These were her teasing words to him. At that time, he was annoyed, his face flushed with embarrassment, wishing he could pry open her mouth and stuff those words back in. After so long, she thought he had forgotten, but he remembered every word, imitating her tone perfectly to say it back to her.
He had taken it to heart!
However, now Jiang Xuanjin’s throat trembled uncontrollably, nowhere near the serene and lingering scent of incense from before. Leaning close to her ear, his slightly trembling voice mixed with a hoarse tone, causing her chest to ache.
“Madam! Madam, wake up! You can’t faint!” Suddenly, the midwife pinched her philtrum, admonishing loudly.
Jiang Xuanjin’s heart skipped a beat, gripping her hand tightly.
With dilated pupils, the person on the bed unconsciously followed the midwife’s force, murmuring something under her breath.
He leaned closer, listening for a long time before finally understanding.
“On a spring day… at the banquet, with a cup of green wine… singing a song.
“Kneeling once more… presenting three wishes… One wish… for my husband to live a thousand years, second wish… for me to always be healthy… Third wish… like the swallows on the beam, to meet again… year after year.”
“I still want… want to see you year after year…”
The weakening voice gradually faded from her lips.
With eyes bloodshot, Jiang Xuanjin stared at her, his voice filled with anger. “You have to keep your promise! If you dare to lie to me again… if you dare to lie to me again…”
He didn’t know what he could threaten her with, staring blankly at her hand. His thin lips were tightly pursed, furious yet at a loss.
At the foot of the bed, the midwife saw the baby’s head emerge, joyously exclaiming and gently guiding it out. In no time, the sound of a crying baby echoed throughout the room.
“Ah there’s another one! There’s another one!” The midwife inspected and exclaimed with delight, “Twins! No wonder the belly was so large. Quick, my lady, push harder!”
Upon hearing this, the midwife on the right turned to congratulate Lord Ziyang. However, Lord Ziyang seemed to be oblivious, staring at the person on the bed with lips pressed tight, unmoving.
“Bleeding!” Seeing something amiss beneath her master, Qingsi urgently exclaimed, “There’s a lot of blood!”
Her eyelashes trembling, Jiang Xuanjin turned his head, his gaze falling on the vast expanse of crimson on Qi Jin’s hands, his body suddenly stiffening.
“Your Highness, please leave,” Xu Chuniang sensed something amiss from his expression and felt it wasn’t right. She nudged him and fabricated, “It’s not auspicious for you to stay here; it’s not good for Lady Huaiyu. Go outside and wait; we’ll take care of things here!”
“Please, this way,” Qingsi was even more direct, coming up to support Jiang Xuanjin’s arm and forcibly pushing him out.
Realizing they were trying to keep him away, Jiang Xuanjin’s eyes darkened. “Let go.”
Xu Chuniang anxiously pleaded, “Staying here, Lady Huaiyu worries more. She’s already exhausted; you should ease her mind!”
Scenes flashed through his mind in disarray. Jiang Xuanjin pressed his lips together, stubbornly shaking his head. “I want to stay here with her.”
No matter what happens, he wants to be here with her. He wouldn’t be like his elder brother, only able to stand outside helplessly holding the child. He wanted to hold her.
“Don’t worry about me,” he softened his expression, whispering to her, “I’m not afraid, nor worried. You said you wanted to see me again. Wherever you are, I’ll make sure you see me.”
His gentle tone made Qingsi’s eyes redden.
Qi Jin anxiously tried to stop the bleeding for Huaiyu, while the midwife tried to encourage her. Seeing her breath growing weaker, the midwife couldn’t help but urge, “Your Highness, say something Lady likes to hear, give her some encouragement!”
Something she likes to hear? Jiang Xuanjin pondered for a moment, gently stroking her hair as he murmured, “The Eldest 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 smile, perhaps even scold him for being hypocritical, clearly never acknowledging her before.
But he was sincere. Gently brushing her brows, he chuckled softly, “If I had known the truth earlier, I would have fallen in love with you when you were still the Eldest Princess.”
Pausing for a moment, he added, “In other words, no matter what you become, I will always love you.”
In the eight-year struggle between the Eldest Princess and Lord Ziyang, the world declared Lord Ziyang’s victory with the passing of the Eldest Princess. But now, without doing anything, she had already thoroughly defeated him.
What goes around, comes around.
As if truly encouraged by his words, Huaiyu suddenly regained some consciousness. With the push from the midwife, her belly suddenly dropped.
“Wow—” Another loud cry echoed as the second child was smoothly delivered and taken away for cleaning. However, at the same time, a large pool of blood stained half of the bedsheet, and Li Huaiyu didn’t even have a chance to say a word. She gripped Jiang Xuanjin’s hand tightly before letting go abruptly.
Feeling a sinking feeling in his heart, Jiang Xuanjin held onto her hand, pretending not to notice anything amiss, repositioning it, and pursing his lips.
“Kyoto is a wonderful place; you will surely like it there,” he said softly. “In a little while, I’ll take you back to see it. The orange trees you planted will surely bear fruit.”
“The four characters you had Qingsi frame, I’ll have them brought along. They’ll hang in their original place when we return. If you want any other characters, I’ll write them for you.”
“But please, no more embroidery on handkerchiefs. They look terrible. Such good characters, yet you managed to embroider them so poorly. Who would want to carry that around?”
With that, he took out the handkerchief from his pocket and placed it in front of her. “Look, it’s really ugly.”
There was no response from the person on the bed, and both Qingsi and Xu Chuniang choked up a bit.
Jiang Xuanjin didn’t ask any more questions, continuing to speak softly, “Your younger brother is truly unreasonable. If you pamper him, I won’t. In a few days, I’ll make him understand the concept of respect for elders. He pretended to be obedient in the past, but he didn’t receive enough discipline.”
“And as for Lu Jingxing, I’ve sent him a gift, but he hasn’t seen it yet. It’s strange, but don’t worry about it.”
Rambling incessantly, everyone felt as if Lord Ziyang was trying to unload decades of pent-up words onto the person in the bed.
But the person on the bed remained unresponsive.
The Eldest Princess gave birth to twins, and those waiting outside rejoiced at the news. Even the innkeeper Lu, who had been tense, relaxed a bit. Stumbling, he was supported by someone nearby, laughing self-deprecatingly, “Getting old, my limbs aren’t as nimble. Just standing here for a while makes my legs go numb.”
Then he asked the midwife who came out, “Are the mother and children safe?”
The midwife trembled slightly and whispered, “The two children are fine.”
The smile froze on Lu Jingxing’s face as he darkened. “What do you mean?”
The lively courtyard moments ago suddenly turned silent.
“In labor… there was a lot of bleeding,” the midwife quivered, “They’re still trying to save her inside. We don’t know how it will turn out.”
With a loud crack, the fan made of Nanyang jade fell to the ground, snapping in two.
The sky, not yet dark at this hour, inexplicably turned gloomy. Qi Jin was busy with first aid inside the room, and everyone, including Lord Ziyang, was hurriedly ushered out.
Jiang Xuanjin stood in the courtyard, surprisingly calm. Xu Chuniang came over and asked if he wanted to go to the neighboring room to see the children, but he didn’t react. His eyes fixed on the closed door in front of him, as if awaiting a verdict.
Half an hour later, Qi Jin emerged from the room with a strange expression.
“How is it?” Lu Jingxing stepped forward and asked.
Qi Jin hesitated, glancing at Jiang Xuanjin before saying, “Madam wants to see Your Highness, only Your Highness is allowed in.”
As soon as Lu Jingxing heard this, he closed his eyes, and Jiu Wu and the others beside him also teared up.
Was it… time to say farewell?
Adjusting his clothes, Jiang Xuanjin clenched his fist and stepped into the room.
The person lying on the bed looked pale, with cracked lips and disheveled hair. Seeing him come in, she forced a smile. “Why… aren’t you happy?”
Suppressing the tumultuous emotions in his heart, Jiang Xuanjin pursed his lips and said lightly, “I am.”
She nodded contentedly. “In the future… the children will rely on you more…”
A sudden pang struck Jiang Xuanjin’s chest, and he lowered his head to look at her.
Huaiyu weakly reached out, and a drop of water fell onto her fingertip.
“Is it raining in Xianxian City?” She chuckled lightly.
Jiang Xuanjin nodded. “The house leaks. I’ll have someone come to fix it in a couple of days.”
Sighing, Huaiyu looked at him and said, “You said before… you delight in me.”
“Yes, I delight in you.”
“Then… do you love me?”
His throat tightened with pain, and Jiang Xuanjin caught her hand, which was trembling in midair, gently kissing it. “I do.”
“Say it nicely… to me,” she smiled, her brows furrowing. It seemed painful, her voice becoming even fainter. “Hurry… I can’t hold on much longer…”
Clutching her tightly in panic, he disregarded everything else, hoarsely whispering, “I love you, very much.”
From beginning to end, he had only loved her.
Smiling satisfactorily, Huaiyu sighed, “You were unwilling to say it before.”
“I was willing,” he said. “Don’t sleep. From now on, I’ll say it to you every day, okay?”
“That’s what you said.” Huaiyu slowly closed her eyes. “Then remember to say it tomorrow.”
“No! Don’t close your eyes!” The person by the bed suddenly panicked. “Don’t sleep!”
Unable to continue the pretense, Li Huaiyu lightly coughed twice and weakly said, “If I don’t sleep, how can my body recover? Qi Jin said, with this heavy bleeding, I need several months of rest. I’ve just exhausted all my strength. I’m very tired now; let go of me quickly.”
“No… huh?” Sensing something amiss, Jiang Xuanjin choked, then squinted slightly.
Several months of rest? She wasn’t in mortal danger?
Feeling the temperature by the bed suddenly dropping, Li Huaiyu immediately closed her eyes and groaned weakly, fainting.
Realizing that she was deliberately trying to scare him, Jiang Xuanjin felt breathless, almost choking.
“Li Huaiyu!”
What kind of grudge was this? How big was it to scare him like this? He had thought… thought she was…
He slapped his thigh hard, casting a glance at the pale face on the bed. He stood up and walked to the door in long strides, grabbing the door handle and pulling it forcefully—
The eavesdroppers at the door almost fell in together, with Qi Jin leading the way. Awkwardly adjusting his clothes, he whispered, “This servant was just about to remind Your Highness. Madam is fine, just a lot of bleeding. She needs good care. You can’t talk for too long. Come out soon and let Madam rest. Heh heh.”
Jiang Xuanjin looked coldly at Lu Jingxing behind him. The latter was cradling his precious jade fan, “Don’t look at me like that. I was scared too. This is Nanyang jade, very rare!”
He then looked at Jiu Wu. Jiu Wu shivered, shaking his head repeatedly. “We all just found out from Lady Qi’s place, we didn’t know anything!”
It was all the idea of that master inside!