The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 120
For someone like Pei Qing, who had once given up on the very idea of living, being alive again meant he was free of the common worldly obsessions. The things he wanted were different from those of others. Compared with power and status, what he needed more was companionship for his soul. Because of this, compared with a noble young lady from a highborn family, the mute girl, whose background was similar to his, could more easily enter his heart.
Thinking of the scars that had once been on his wrist, Wen Shuse wondered whether his habit of self-harm had healed.
If Pei Qing wanted to see her child, then naturally, he would first see His Highness the Crown Prince’s child. The child in Ming Wanrou’s belly was more than three months older than hers. Once spring passed, she should be giving birth.
Taking advantage of the fact that her body was still relatively light at six months pregnant, Wen Shuse carried her large belly and made a trip to the Eastern Palace to visit Ming Wanrou.
With a child added to her belly, Ming Wanrou’s face, which had finally slimmed down, had filled out again. She was full of energy, glowing with a rosy complexion. One could tell her pregnancy had been well cared for.
After the New Year passed and Xie Shao still had not returned, Ming Wanrou knew Wen Shuse was lonely and feared she would feel bad. She did not dare reveal even the slightest trace of pride. “Gao Xian, I quite envy you.”
She was the dignified Crown Princess. What could she possibly lack? What need did she have to envy her? Wen Shuse looked at her suspiciously.
“What do you envy me for? Do you envy that my husband is not by my side, that I am pregnant alone and will give birth alone?”
When the two of them were each feeling proud, they competed with each other and thought of every way to overpower the other. But when one side truly encountered difficulty, the other almost wished to make herself look even more miserable, so the other could feel balanced.
Ming Wanrou did not agree with her phrasing and argued with her. “You call that being alone? Which one of the Xie and Wen families does not hold you in their palm? Second Madam practically worships you like a Bodhisattva. A few days ago, when she entered the palace, she was still asking the Mother Empress for advice and asking about midwives. If you were to call out in pain right now, the roof of the Xie residence would probably be blown off. Although Third Young Master Xie is not here, you can at least have some peace and quiet…”
What peace and quiet?
Wen Shuse looked puzzled.
Being looked at by her like this, Ming Wanrou failed to hide what was in her heart for a moment, and her face flushed red with a whoosh.
Seeing that expression, how could Wen Shuse not know what she meant? Astonished, she said, “Aren’t you afraid of hurting the baby…”
Before she could say it, Ming Wanrou covered her mouth with one hand. “It is not what you are thinking.”
“What am I thinking?”
“Really, it’s nothing!” Ming Wanrou grew anxious. “The late Emperor’s mourning period still has a year left. We also cannot…”
They had not shared a bed in that way. But when the two lay together, Zhou Kuang was a hot-blooded man. How could he endure it? Inevitably, sparks would brush against fire. Every time, it ended with Zhou Kuang breathing heavily and going to the washroom.
“Even if I told you, you would not understand,” she muttered.
Was she looking down on her ignorance now? Wen Shuse was just about to flare up when Ming Wanrou’s expression dimmed. She sighed and suddenly said, “Gao Xian, do you think I should loosen my stance and let him take a secondary consort or a concubine?”
She truly did not have peace. During one pregnancy, she either saw former court officials wholeheartedly trying to push their young ladies into Zhou Kuang’s arms, or she was tangled up by the noble madams of the Eastern Capital, who openly and secretly wanted to send their families’ young ladies in to become her sisters.
Even the Ming family was no exception. That day, Grandmother entered the palace and put the words right out in the open. Since other families were coming to share this cup of benefit, why could they not choose another young lady from the Ming family to enter?
The Old Madam Ming’s original words were, “Only one of our own people can stand of one heart with the Crown Princess. Once the Crown Princess gives birth to a prince, you will also have someone at your side whom you can use, someone you can rely on.”
Being in the imperial family, she had this awareness. In this lifetime, she and Zhou Kuang could not achieve one lifetime, one couple. It was only that whoever entered in the future had to be carefully considered.
She had never been quick-witted. Although she had only entered the palace for a year, and the open and hidden struggles of the palace had not yet reached her, that day would come sooner or later.
Compared with other families, people from the Ming family did indeed make her feel more at ease. But when Old Madam Ming asked her to choose one person among the younger generation in the family, she could not decide.
Since Wen Shuse had come today, Ming Wanrou happened to ask her who was more suitable. But Wen Shuse did not answer. Instead, she asked her, “Do you want that?”
“Ah?”
Wen Shuse asked again, “Do you want the Crown Prince to take a secondary consort?”
Was this a question of whether she wanted it or not? From the moment Jing Wang was named Crown Prince, her fate had completely changed. Everyone was telling her of the responsibility resting on her shoulders.
If it were for the sake of all under heaven, for the sake of the Zhou family, then naturally, she hoped the Eastern Palace would have many children and flourish. But if it were only for herself, which young lady under heaven would be willing to carry a large belly and listen to others choose other women for her husband?
She had felt terrible in her heart before, too, but all the voices around her told her that her discomfort should not exist.
Before Wen Shuse, Ming Wanrou did not need to conceal herself. She shook her head and spoke the truth. “I do not want it.”
“Then don’t.” Wen Shuse had always been her strategist, and this time was no exception. “If there are many children but they are not your own, can they be close to you? Within these deep palace walls, from ancient times until now, how many ruthless hands have not come from one’s own people? Blood siblings can still kill each other, let alone those separated by different mothers. If the Crown Prince wants to take concubines, let him go and agree himself. Why should you agree for him? Choosing young ladies for your own husband, what a joke.”
Seeing her blank expression, Wen Shuse asked again, “Do you like the Crown Prince?”
Ming Wanrou’s face reddened. In this life, she had only ever had contact with Zhou Kuang. He was her husband. Naturally, she liked him.
“When you truly like someone, even if he glances at another young lady one more time, you will feel uncomfortable. How could you make room for a third person? Don’t do something foolish that will only hurt yourself and break his heart.”
Ming Wanrou had always listened to Wen Shuse’s words. It was not that she obeyed her blindly, but each time, Wen Shuse could speak right into her heart. This time was the same. The words entered her heart.
When the Imperial Concubine Dowager again brought Madam Yang into the palace to visit her, Ming Wanrou fainted on the spot. The Crown Prince was badly frightened, and the Emperor and Empress were alarmed as well.
That very day, the Empress issued an order: no matter who it was, no one was allowed to step half a pace into the Eastern Palace. If the child in the Crown Princess’s belly were disturbed, it would be treated as a capital offense.
When she went into labor, even the Ming family’s people could not enter.
The Empress and the Crown Prince guarded outside the birthing room. From the first day at dusk until the next morning, she finally gave birth. A cry came from inside the room, especially loud and clear.
The Crown Prince was the first to rush in. He crouched beside the bed and tightly held Ming Wanrou’s hand, his head covered in cold sweat, as if he had also gone through a calamity. “The Crown Princess has worked hard.”
It was a prince.
The momo wrapped the little prince properly and carried him to the Crown Prince. “Congratulations, Your Highness. The little prince is very healthy.”
Zhou Kuang turned back and saw a tiny face with its mouth wide open, crying continuously. He could not make out its features, but that single glance tugged at the bottom of his heart.
That was his son.
A warm current flowed into his chest, and mist rose in his eyes. Carefully, he stretched out his hands, not knowing how to hold him. Following the momo’s instructions, he stiffly held the child in his arms and stared dazedly for a while. Then he lifted his head to look at the weak Ming Wanrou on the bed and smiled. “A’Yuan, we have a child.”
That smile was pure, covering the majesty of the four-clawed dragon pattern on his body, as if he had returned to the simple appearance he had had back in Fengcheng. It was nothing more than the joy of being a father.
The imperial family’s descendants had already been sparse. After the former Crown Prince rebelled and the late Emperor passed away, they had become even thinner. Now that a little prince had finally been added, the whole palace was filled with joy.
When the news reached outside the hall, the officials waiting outside all knelt in unison.
By the time Wen Shuse learned of it, it was already afternoon. Aunt Qing was accompanying her for a walk in the courtyard when Xiangyun hurried in from outside. She was still under the corridor when she could not help calling out to her.
“Miss, Miss… the Crown Princess has given birth. It is a prince. Mother and child are safe.”
Xiangyun was afraid Wen Shuse would worry, so she reported everything in one breath. “Truly?”
After ten months of pregnancy, Ming Wanrou had finally endured this process. Wen Shuse’s face was full of excitement. If it were a prince, A’Yuan would have things much easier. At least for the near future, no one would be in a hurry to send women into the Eastern Palace.
Wen Shuse had just let out a breath when she grew nervous again.
A’Yuan was free now, but she was not. She wondered whether A’Yuan’s delivery had gone smoothly. “When did she give birth?”
Xiangyun saw her nervousness and hurriedly said, “She started having pains last night and gave birth this morning. Everything went very smoothly. Miss will also go smoothly.”
She said it easily, but hadn’t that still been a whole night of pain?
With the Crown Princess having delivered first, Wen Shuse’s waiting felt even longer. The days felt like years. Not knowing whether the child in her belly was male or female, she guessed with the maids in the courtyard every day. Today, she hoped it was a boy; tomorrow, she hoped it was a daughter.
Whether boy or girl, she liked either.
She did not know when her husband would return, nor whether he could make it in time for the child’s birth.
Everyone knew what she was hoping for, and no one dared mention Third Young Master before her. Seeing the date of delivery draw closer and closer, Chancellor Xie and Second Madam also grew anxious.
Once Second Madam became anxious, she even criticized Chancellor Xie along with him. “Like father, like son. You fathers truly have it easy. You just pat your backsides and leave. When you return, there is already a baby.”
“If you want to scold our son, scold our son. Do not speak nonsense with your eyes open. How am I like him? When you were pregnant back then, I accompanied you every day. It was only at the final delivery that I did not know the situation. I rushed back from the palace and was half an hour late.”
It was precisely that half hour. Xie Shao had landed on earth, and Second Madam had talked about it for most of their lives.
If that rabbit brat still did not come back, Chancellor Xie feared he would never be able to lift his head in this lifetime.
On the day of the Beginning of Summer, military news from Hexi and Hebei finally reached the court.
—
Half a year earlier, at the border of Hebei and Hexi.
After Liao fought several fake battles with Hexi and Hebei and tasted the benefits, it became addicted to them and came to harass the border at every turn.
The two generals commanding Hexi and Hebei gradually realized the problem as well, but because the court still stood behind them, no matter how high a price Great Liao offered, it could not compare with the enormous consumption of a real war. They could only bargain with Liao on one side while dealing with Xie Shao, who had been sent by the court, on the other.
When they learned Xie Shao was not on the official ship, the two generals formed killing intent. But they could never find him.
At that exact time, Liao broke faith and launched a real attack. The two generals went overnight to negotiate, but the Liao, eager to intimidate the new emperor, refused their offers. Their attack was fierce. In addition, the soldiers and generals of the two regions had grown used to fighting fake battles and failed to react in time. Within two days, they lost a city.
The two generals were frantic. They raised the terms of negotiation, letting Liao receive benefits and temporarily withdraw their troops first.
The money and goods were gathered and secretly transported to Liao. Halfway there, however, the army was intercepted by a jianghu sect that lived by theft between the two regions, a group of locals called the Bodhisattva Lady’s gang. All the “peace offering” wealth being sent to Liao was plundered away.
Liao did not receive the goods, so its soldiers once again pressed close and shouted provocations outside the city gates.
Although Xie Shao was not on the official ship, there were still other accompanying court officials. No matter how furious the two generals were, they did not dare openly send people to arrest anyone using the true accusation. In the end, they used the pretext of wiping out bandits and sent troops to attack the mountain. Once they arrived, never mind people, they did not even see a single copper coin. The place was empty.
From then on, the generals of Hexi and Hebei not only had to deal with Liao’s harassment and search for Xie Shao’s whereabouts, but they also began a drawn-out game of cat and mouse with the jianghu sect.
This situation remained deadlocked until spring. Then, an unnamed young general in Great Feng’s army unexpectedly killed a Liao commander and burned the Liao’s grain stores. This became the fuse. Liao formally launched a war against Hexi and Hebei.
The battle continued for more than a month. The territory of Hebei and Hexi was swallowed up one piece after another.
The generals finally realized the seriousness of the situation. An urgent report was sent back to the Eastern Capital, requesting reinforcements. But Liao had long prepared. Its ambitions swelled, and the army pushed all the way to Hejian Prefecture.
Just as the overall situation seemed lost and Liao was cheering, fifty thousand soldiers suddenly charged out from Taiyuan Prefecture. As divine troops descended from the heavens, they drove the Liao back.
Several days later, Liao suffered a great defeat and withdrew from Hejian.
The fifty thousand soldiers did not stop for even a moment. They chased Liao outward. All the grain, supplies, and equipment followed behind the army, leaving them without any worries behind them. Within one month, the fifty thousand soldiers had recovered all the cities lost by the two great generals of Hebei and Hexi. They also forced the Liao army ten li beyond the original border and destroyed the watchtowers Liao had built along the frontier.
After the new Emperor ascended the throne, the first battle against Liao was fought with Xie Shao as commander, assisted by Ning Wang Zhou An, Military Governor of Dongzhou.
The Emperor had ordered Ning Wang to station fifty thousand troops in Taiyuan Prefecture. The court’s grain and supplies had taken a great detour. They were not handed to the two generals of Hexi and Hebei but given instead to Ning Wang Zhou An of Hedong.
This battle completely hollowed out the two generals of Hexi and Hebei. In the past, the two had spoken arrogantly, using border safety as a bargaining chip to threaten the court. Those methods have now become a death warrant, slapping their own faces. Knowing their end had come, the two generals tried to cross the river, only to be blocked by Xie Shao’s troops at the riverbank. They were all captured. The evidence of colluding with the enemy already existed. They only awaited being escorted back to the Eastern Capital for trial.
When the victory report reached the Eastern Capital, the weather had already turned warm. The several pomegranate trees in the courtyard had dropped their petals and begun to bear fruit.
The entire household finally let out a breath. A fast rider from the border could reach the capital in about ten days, just in time for Wen Shuse’s delivery.
It would depend on whether the child in Wen Shuse’s belly was willing to wait for its father.
Previously, when no news had come from the border, Aunt Qing and Xiangyun did not dare mention Xie Shao in front of Wen Shuse by even half a word. Now that there was news, Xiangyun finally dared to say, “Miss, hold on a little longer. Young Master will return very soon.”
But compared with waiting for Xie Shao, Wen Shuse was even more anxious about the little one in her belly who had yet to be born.
The Crown Princess had also finished her confinement month. After hearing the victory report about Xie Shao, she pestered Zhou Kuang into accompanying her to the Xie residence to visit Wen Shuse.
With only a few days left before her due date, Wen Shuse grew more and more nervous. The midwives Second Madam had invited had already moved into the residence, ready to deliver the child at any moment.
Although the Crown Princess told her with a blissful expression, “Once the pain passes, it is over. Once the baby is in your arms, when you look at her, everything is worth it.”
But Wen Shuse had not yet seen the child and could not understand that feeling.
Hearing the Crown Princess say her stomach had hurt from the previous night until the next morning, her heart rose and fell. She was both afraid and expectant. Gripping the Crown Princess’s hand tightly, she said with a bitter face, “A’Yuan, you already endured it. What am I going to do?”
Since childhood, Ming Wanrou had never seen Wen Shuse afraid of anything. This time, however, she saw fear on her face, and the protective desire buried deep in her heart was instantly awakened. She wrapped an arm around her and comforted her, “Gao Xian, don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
“Gao Xian, do you know when babies open their eyes after birth?” In order to ease her tension, Ming Wanrou tried to divert her attention.
“When?”
“They open them as soon as they are born.”
Wen Shuse froze. “Didn’t the midwife say they only open them after a few hours?”
“The little prince is different. His eyes are bright as snow. One moment, his eyes look here; the next, they look there. He is clever. His crying is loud, too. The midwife said infants with such strength are rarely seen. His body will surely be strong in the future.”
“All those supplements of yours were not eaten in vain.”
“We have agreed, yes? If this child of yours is a daughter, she must become my daughter-in-law.”
Afraid Wen Shuse would not agree, Ming Wanrou cut off all her worries. “When she enters the palace in the future, I will protect her. Who would dare bully her?”
She turned back to glance at Zhou Kuang outside the room, then leaned close to Wen Shuse’s ear and whispered, “Besides, the Zhou family has had single heirs for several generations. When we were little, did we not swear to share hardship and blessing alike? In this world, no one is more worthy of your daughter than my son.”
“You’re just making promises.” Her abdomen suddenly tightened. Wen Shuse sucked in a breath. “How do you know I am carrying a daughter?”
“It does not matter. Anyone will do.”
Wen Shuse was amused by her persistence. The smile at the corner of her mouth had not yet had time to fade before a twisting pain in her abdomen made her knit her brows tightly.
—
Every day, Second Madam sent someone to the city gate.
Seven or eight days had passed without seeing a figure. Today, someone continued to crouch there, waiting. When the sun was sinking westward, they finally heard movement. Stretching his neck and looking ahead, the servant saw a cloud of dust rising on the winding official road. A moment later, several fast horses came galloping from outside the city.
The servant’s spirits lifted, and he stared intently at the arrivals. Very soon, the horses reached the city gate, their speed not slowing at all. One of them called loudly, “Commander Xie of the Imperial Guards returns victorious by imperial order to the capital.”
The guards at the city gate immediately made way.
Before the servant could go forward and stop them, the horses had already charged through the city gate. Coming back to his senses, the servant hurriedly chased after them. “Master Xie! Third Young Master! Third Young Master…”
The voice entered his ears, and the person on horseback ahead turned back. He hurriedly left one sentence. “I must report to the palace. I will return to the residence immediately afterward.”
That familiar voice confirmed it was indeed the Third Young Master. Only then did the servant quickly rein in his horse and hurry back to the Xie residence.
The residence was already busy beyond measure. Maids and old women continuously went in and out, sometimes delivering food, sometimes delivering water. The midwife had also been inside for more than an hour.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess had originally come to visit. They had not expected to catch such perfect timing, so they were in no hurry to return to the palace.
When the pains first began, Second Madam sent someone to inform the Wen family. By now, Old Madam Wen and Wen Huai had both hurried over. Now, a group of people waited outside the courtyard for news, but the person who should have returned most had not yet appeared.
Second Madam had people go to the gate several times. Finally, she saw the servant hurry back with a delighted expression. Before he could report, Second Madam asked first, “Where is he?”
“Third Young Master entered the palace.”
Second Madam froze, then gritted her teeth and said, “At a time like this, why is he still entering the palace? Quickly go call him back.”
The servant turned and rushed off again.
For those traveling, time passed quickly. But for those waiting, every moment stretched into agony.
At dusk, Wen Shuse’s abdominal pain grew more and more frequent. When the pain came, she could not help groaning. The sound reached outside the room, and Second Madam’s heart felt as though it were being fried in a pan.
When she had given birth to Xie Shao, she had not been this nervous. Clenching her fists, she paced back and forth and asked the maid beside her, “Has he come back yet?”
The maid went to the gate again.
Only Ming Wanrou and Second Madam guarded the inner courtyard. It was not convenient for the Crown Prince and Wen Huai to enter. Old Madam Wen was advanced in age, and Second Madam worried she would not be able to bear it, so she did not let her come in. She waited outside together with Old Madam Xie.
The sky quickly darkened. Another hour passed, and the midwife’s voice came from inside. “Young Madam, very soon now. Hold on a little longer.”
This meant the child was about to be born.
Second Madam no longer hoped he could make it back. Standing outside the door, she pressed her palms together, closed her eyes, and murmured, “Bodhisattva, protect her…”
From outside the alley before the residence gate came the sound of horse hooves. They galloped to the entrance, and the person on horseback leapt down, charging straight into the residence gate.
Not waiting for the lantern in the servant’s hand behind him, someone came running beneath the dim lamplight of the corridor. The few people guarding outside the courtyard heard the movement and turned back before they could clearly see the person. Then they heard a familiar voice.
“Grandmother, Grandson will go in first.”
Everyone froze in unison. He had returned.
The sound of footsteps reached the room door. Hearing Ming Wanrou call out in surprise, “Young Master Xie,” Second Madam finally opened her eyes.
They had not seen him in almost a year.
Second Madam’s gaze lightly fell on him.
As soon as the war ended, Xie Shao rushed back, leaving Deputy General Zhao Huai behind to reorganize matters. He had traveled without stopping all the way and had entered the palace to report immediately upon returning to the city. He had not yet had time to change out of his clothes.
He wore a dark-blue round-collared robe with narrow sword sleeves, a curved blade at his waist, looking sharp and decisive. Perhaps after tempering on the battlefield, his posture was even more upright and strong than before. His face was also carved with the wind and frost he had experienced this past year, and faint stubble had grown along his jaw. Under the night lamp, his eyes were calm and deep, carrying restrained urgency.
Like this, he truly looked like a military commander.
He had changed quite a bit.
“Mother.” Xie Shao bowed to Second Madam, then lifted his foot and walked past her. His steps stopped outside the door. In his hand, he tightly clutched a scroll.