Chapter 264 (1/2)
Chapter 264
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Stunned, she looked at the old doctor, asking in disbelief, ”What did you say? Say that again?”
”Lady, you're really reckless. How could you be clueless that you're pregnant after almost three months? Besides, you are not in good physical shape, and your pulse is weak. If you can't rest, your baby will be at risk.”
Three months? Chu Qiao wondered as she looked down on her still flat belly. How was it possible that she was pregnant? After all this time waiting for the marriage, fighting a war, soaking in the river, riding a horse and fighting in the battlefield, she was actually carrying a child in her stomach?
”I'm going to give you some supplements for re-nourishment. Consume them properly, then rest well. Don't go traveling long distances and tire yourself out.” The old doctor comforted her before going out with He Xiao.
Chu Qiao sat on the bed, still in a daze. In the past few days, she had been flooded with all sorts of news, particularly bad, from all over the region due to the war. The massive waves of bad news reached her like many waves in a tsunami. The last thing she expected from such a situation was to be pregnant. She reached out her trembling hands and gently touched her abdomen. For a moment, she thought that she felt the faint heartbeat of the growing fetus inside her.
A stream of tears rolled down from her eyes, as she gently bit her lower lip and choked up, silent.
Zhuge Yue, I'm expecting your child. We are going to be parents.
As the night settled in, He Xiao lit a candle in the room, bringing in supplements, rice, vegetables, and soup. Next to Chu Qiao resting on the bed, he asked softly, ”Master, do we still proceed towards Tang Jing? Isn't it better to turn around and head back to Qinghai?” Chu Qiao lifted her head and looked straight at him without speaking.
”Master, you are not physically suitable to continue leading troops. Even if you disregard your own well-being, you have to think for Master Zhuge and the child that is growing inside you.”
Chu Qiao maintained her silence and looked at looked at her stomach. After what seemed like an eternity, she looked up and gently replied, ”I've already let him down once, He Xiao.”
Not knowing who she was referring to, He Xiao stunned, asked, ”What are you talking about, Master?”
”I've let him down once.” Chu Qiao's gaze gently shifted towards the candle. ”I promised him once that I would stand by him and protect him against bullies, but I failed him. He already lost his parents. If I care for my child, who will care for him?”
Upon realizing she was talking about the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Xiuyi, He Xiao frowned. ”Master, as things are, you can't change everything alone. Even if you had stayed in Tang from the very beginning, you may not have been able to change how things eventually turned out. You're not in good shape, and you are at risk of overthinking. You can't blame everything on yourself.”
Chu Qiao lifted her head up, taking a deep breath. ”He Xiao, there some responsibilities in this world that we can't run away from,” Chu Qiao replied calmly. ”It is, after all, time to repay what both Li Ce and the Tang Empire have given me. My descendants will not appreciate my legacy if they learn that I abandoned that child who was in need of help.” She stood up, wearing her shoes, and walked towards the dining table to consume her food before steadily taking her supplements. Her ragged and weakened figure in the candlelight looked nothing like a lady that was three months pregnant.
”Relax, everything will be alright.”
He Xiao looked at her, unsure of who she was referring to. Herself? Her unborn child? Or the current Tang Emperor?
The night breeze ruffled the tree branches outside the window. The landscape of Tang looked the same, yet the footsteps of war loomed ever closer. At the same time, in the large tents of Baizhi Pass, Yan Xun was wearing his black robe, sitting on the couch. Below him were a dozen girls that were sent in by the rich businessmen of the region. All the young ladies were wearing seductive dresses that made them look ever so delicate and elegant. On occasion, some of the more daring ladies would look up to sneak a peek of Yan Xun who towered over them, yet his attention was always elsewhere.
”Your Majesty, we have prepared our troops and are ready to trap the Xiuli Army in Hanshui Pass.”
”One of you, come here!” Yan Xuan suddenly ordered, with one of his guards coming over. ”Drag him down here, and give him 20 lashes!” Immediately, the guard grabbed the strategist and headed out. The man, unaware of how he had offended Yan Xun, immediately pleaded guilty but did not dare to beg for mercy. It wasn't long before screams of pain echoed across the courtyard, shocking the young girls that had obediently knelt on the floor all this while.
”To surround and trap them all,” Yan Xun muttered. His words were neutral, and one could not hear any emotions within. He lazily laid back on the porch couch, dozing off, with all the beautiful young ladies still kneeling before him. Despite being thousands of miles apart, both of them would utter the exact same sentence, ”Hopefully, we won't meet on the battlefield.”
It was as though Yan Xun was brought back in time. In his ragged house, a young girl, dressed in her light pink gown, sat under the candlelight and as she sewed her clothes and said, ”On the battlefield, familial ties no longer matters. Even if you all were to fight with your family, you can't retreat from the war. This is the actual history of the Tang Dynasty, not some theatrical play. Listen carefully.”