Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 21

In the latter half of the night, thick clouds gathered in the sky, swallowing the full moon until only a sliver remained. The faint light it shed had yet to touch the ground before it was devoured by the impenetrable darkness.

Except for the lamplight glowing from the small hut, the rolling mountains seemed to have transformed into a giant beast, its blood-red maw wide open, ready to swallow all living creatures.

Inside the wooden hut, Gu Rong sat cross-legged on a straw mat, his wide sleeves hanging loosely. In his hand, he held a small jar of wine that he had brought back from the mountain earlier. He drank from it slowly, one sip at a time.

Before long, Xi Rong emerged from the stone cave, fully dressed in a formal garb. At his waist hung the long sword he had kept tucked beneath his pillow.

“It’s cold in the mountains. Don’t keep drinking cold wine,” he lowered his gaze and spoke gently as he looked at Gu Rong, who was drinking so casually.

Gu Rong took another small sip, then set the wine jar aside and stood up. His eyes curved gently in amusement, just as they always did, and he said, “Wine is something to drink when you feel like it. That’s what makes it fun. Brother, I thought you were a man of temperament. How is it you’ve become like those pedantic old scholars, trying to set rules even for drinking?”

Xi Rong’s eyes were still filled with warmth as he said, “Then at least don’t run down the mountain to drink. Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll lose your way home again or get lured off by someone.”

The air went still.

Only the sound of insects chirping filtered in through the window.

Gu Rong’s eyes lifted slightly and he laughed carelessly again. “Don’t worry, brother. Someone like me, lazy and gluttonous, always mooching for a free meal, no one’s going to bother kidnapping.”

“Do you have a courtesy name?” Xi Rong suddenly asked.

Gu Rong thought for a moment and then nodded. “I do.”

“What is it?”

“Zhiwei.”

“Zhiwei,” Xi Rong repeated. He nodded. “Zhiwei jian zhu; seeing the profound in the subtle. A good name. I’ll tell you mine as well. Remember it, so if we ever meet again, we won’t still be strangers with no names. My courtesy name is Junjing.”

“‘Jun’ as in a gentleman and ‘jing’ as in fine jade, also a good name,” Gu Rong praised him.

Xi Rong’s expression remained calm. “My mother gave it to me. Few people know it. But I hope you’ll remember it.”

Gu Rong nodded. “Don’t worry, brother. I’ll remember for sure.”

He had drifted through the world for some time now, meeting all kinds of people, never bothering to remember most. But this person, Gu Rong thought, he would probably remember for a long time. So he answered seriously.

“Good. I fixed your rattan chair. The cave doesn’t get much sun, so remember to spend more time in the courtyard. Eat your three meals on time. And no matter whether it’s for survival or something else, don’t treat marriage as a joke again.”

Gu Rong thought, ‘That would seriously cut off a major source of income.’

But now wasn’t the time to say such discouraging things. He cheerfully replied, “Alright, I promise.”

“Verbal promises don’t count. Write it down. Sign and seal it. Otherwise, come next life, you’ll turn into a little dog,” Xi Rong declared with an iron face.

Gu Rong: “……”

Gu Rong coughed twice. “Isn’t that a bit much…?”

“What? Were you just humoring me earlier?” Xi Rong asked.

“……”

“Of course not.”

“Then go write it.”

“…………”

A perfectly good farewell moment had suddenly turned very strange.

While Gu Rong was still stalling, hoping to get away with it, Xi Rong had already, like performing a trick, fetched paper and brush and spread them right out on the straw mat. “Write. I’ll watch you. You wouldn’t seriously be unwilling to do this one small thing for me, would you?”

With things said to that point, Gu Rong had no reason to keep dragging it out. He could only accept his fate, pick up the brush, and obediently write it all down, character by character, exactly as Xi Rong dictated, while being watched the entire time.

“Sign it,” Xi Rong said.

Gu Rong pointed to the lower right corner. “I already signed. Look, brother.”

“That doesn’t count. What kind of scribble is that? I can’t even read it.”

“……”

Gu Rong had no choice but to obediently write his name again, neatly this time, and finally pressed his fingerprint onto the paper.

Xi Rong reached out, picked up the paper, and skimmed it from top to bottom. Seemingly satisfied, he nodded. “Your handwriting is quite good. Why didn’t you write properly before?”

“Hm?” Gu Rong didn’t quite understand. When had he ever not written properly?

Xi Rong didn’t explain further. He folded the paper and tucked it into his robe. “I’ll keep this. If you go back on your word and really become a little dog in your next life, I won’t save you.”

“Master, everything is ready. We can depart.”

Jiang Cheng’s respectful voice came from outside.

“Go to sleep. No need to see me off. I’m leaving,” Xi Rong said concisely. His cold eyes fixed on the youth for a moment, then finally moved away. Without lingering, he strode out.

The moment he opened the door and stepped outside, the warmth in Xi Rong’s eyes had completely vanished, replaced by his usual chill and killing intent.

Jiang Cheng, Song Yang, and Zhou Wenhe stood respectfully in the courtyard, while the guards and shadow guards waited beyond the gate.

Everyone knew that tonight, they would follow their master into yet another life-and-death struggle, gambling for a sliver of hope.

For those of the Eastern Palace, such situations were nothing new; one could even call it familiar. Over the years, Crown Prince Xi Rong had relied on a will stronger than most to survive countless desperate battles, carving a bloody path through Da’an’s court and accomplishing one seemingly impossible feat after another. Even civil aides like Song Yang and Zhou Wenhe could wield blades when the time came.

“Let’s move.”

Xi Rong stood at the top of the steps, hands clasped behind his back, his black robe flaring in the wind. His strikingly handsome face, sharp as if carved by a blade, was bathed in the interlaced glow of moonlight and lantern light, exuding a chilling, ruthless edge. He gave the command lightly.

Everyone answered with reverence.

Xi Rong strode out of the courtyard.

The shadow guards were already waiting with the horses. Seeing the prince emerge, they immediately dropped to one knee, offering the reins.

Xi Rong mounted his horse in one smooth motion. The others followed suit, each getting onto their own mounts.

Holding the reins, Xi Rong paused and then turned his head to look back.

The wooden hut behind had its door left open. The youth in blue robes still sat cross-legged on the straw mat, his slender figure steeped in the dim light, slowly sipping wine at his own pace.

Song Yang and Zhou Wenhe had long since noticed the prince treated the young man quite differently.

The mountain hut was cleverly hidden and could easily have served as a safe hiding place, yet the prince insisted on leaving at risk.

Zhou Wenhe had originally worried that the young man, having seen the prince, might be endangered, especially with the Liu family now offering a generous reward for Xi Rong’s whereabouts. He wanted to suggest bringing the youth along to avoid future trouble.

He knew very well that the young man had saved the prince’s life. To harbor such thoughts was utterly ungrateful, worse than a beast. But as a strategist, he was duty-bound to think from the prince’s perspective and prioritize his safety.

After all, the Crown Prince had endured too much betrayal over the years.

It was Song Yang who stopped him.

“If His Highness intended it, he wouldn’t need you to suggest it.

“His Highness would rather leave in the dead of night than implicate that young man. Why would he bring him into danger? Do not bring it up. If anything were to happen to that youth, you wouldn’t be able to wash your hands of it and His Highness’s trust would be lost forever.”

“If anyone dares harm him, I will not spare them.”

Xi Rong withdrew his gaze, suppressing the surge of crimson fury rising in his eyes. He dropped the cold sentence and spurred his horse forward.

The rest followed with solemn affirmations.

Zhou Wenhe and Song Yang exchanged a look, full of relief. Wiping the cold sweat from their foreheads, they tightened their legs and galloped after him.

***

As the sound of hoofbeats faded into the distance, the wooden hut returned to complete stillness.

Gu Rong spread his sleeves, sitting on the straw mat. After taking another swig of wine, he finally lifted his eyes and looked into the silent night beyond the doorway.

At some point, the heavy clouds had dispersed, and moonlight once again poured down like water. It spread silver across the courtyard floor, where spring insects nestled among the glowing grass, letting out their steady chorus.

Thus, it made the house feel even quieter.

For the past two years, Gu Rong had spent his days in such silence and had long since grown used to it. When the mood struck, or simply out of boredom, or after getting tired of reading, he would often spend the whole night drinking like this, then pass out on the straw mat and sleep till morning.

But that night, Gu Rong felt the silence in the house was a little too heavy.

He had always been a carefree soul. Even if he harbored some inexplicable and unclear emotions, he never took them to heart. Since the moonlight was nice, he picked up the wine jar and left the wooden hut, sitting cross-legged on the doorstep outside to continue drinking.

The tabby cat wandered back and leaped to its master’s side, curling up quietly for a nap.

One man and one cat, both bathed in moonlight.

It wasn’t until the jar of wine was emptied, a cold wind rose in the yard, and the moon was once again hidden behind clouds, making further stargazing impossible, that Gu Rong finally set down the jar. He stretched lazily, scooped up the dozing tabby, locked the door simply, and returned to the stone cave where he slept.

There were still two pillows placed neatly on the stone bed and the bedding had been carefully laid out. Gu Rong put away one of the pillows and couldn’t help thinking that sleeping that night certainly wouldn’t be as warm. By tomorrow, the neat bedding probably wouldn’t look so tidy anymore either.

There was no helping it, he simply wasn’t the kind of person who could fold the blanket properly every day.

Too much trouble.

Thinking so, Gu Rong reached for the pillow on his side, intending to move it to the center and restore the bed’s original state. But as he moved it, his hand suddenly froze.

Because beneath that very pillow was a thick stack of banknotes.

Gu Rong picked them up and counted over ten notes in all, each with a face value of five hundred taels of silver. The one who had left them was all too obvious.

Gu Rong froze in place.

The man had left in such a rush, yet still took the time to leave him so much silver.

Young Master Gu, who had always been carefree and unbothered, was for once caught in a complex mood, staring in silence at the sudden ‘windfall’ from the sky.

But, having drunk quite a bit of wine, Gu Rong truly couldn’t resist the growing drowsiness.

He carefully stashed away the silver notes, then shed his outer robe and crawled under the blanket with the tabby cat in his arms.

Perhaps the wind outside had picked up. Tonight, A’Li really wasn’t as warm. Even the feel of its fur was a little different from the past two days. Gu Rong frowned in dissatisfaction and wrapped the blanket more tightly around himself.

Fortunately, with the wine still in effect, he still managed a sound sleep.

It was a series of urgent knocks that woke Gu Rong.

He sat up and opened his eyes, only to find the sky still cloaked in darkness. It was that hour just before dawn when the light had yet to break.

The knocking continued, accompanied by anxious voices.

Gu Rong couldn’t help but feel puzzled. It was so early, right before dawn, who could be knocking at his door?

But with such urgency, there must be something serious. Gu Rong didn’t dare delay. He quickly got out of bed, put on his robes, and went to open the door and check the situation.

The moment he stepped into the yard, his footsteps stopped, and he frowned.

Because the once still and sleeping mountains were now echoing with faint tremors from all directions. Birds took flight in alarm, crying out in sharp, frantic bursts.

The tabby cat also raised its tail, alertly surveying its surroundings, letting out a few sharp meows.

The knocking grew faster and more insistent.

Gu Rong quickly walked over and opened the gate. When he saw what was outside, he froze.

“Young master, you’re finally awake!”

The three knocking at the door exclaimed with simultaneous relief and joy. The sky was still dark and at the front stood none other than Xi Rong, who should have already departed.

Behind him were Song Yang and Zhou Wenhe, looking even more battered than before, along with Jiang Cheng, disheveled for the first time, and a number of guards half-hidden in the shadows, faces obscured.

“Rongrong,” Xi Rong called softly.

Gu Rong noticed that his voice was unusually hoarse and low. And he looked very different from before.

Not only was his face pale, but his eyes were rimmed in blood red. His hand hung limp at his side, blue veins bulging, as if enduring some invisible, excruciating torment.

“Brother, why are you back again?” Gu Rong asked.

Song Yang explained on his behalf, “Young master, this place is no longer safe. Our master ordered us to return and take you away with us.”

However, in truth, Song Yang’s explanation was no longer needed.

Standing halfway up the mountain, Gu Rong could already clearly see the dense torches flickering in the dark like a long dragon, surging in their direction, accompanied by increasingly distinct tremors.

“What a pity. I’m afraid we won’t be able to leave now,” Xi Rong said in a low voice, the red in his eyes growing more pronounced.

Gu Rong looked at him and said, “Brother, you don’t look well. Why not go inside first?”

Song Yang added, “Master, listen to this young master. You must rest as soon as possible.”

That did the trick.

Xi Rong nodded.

The group entered the house and sat down. Xi Rong immediately closed his eyes, hiding the wild surging red in his gaze, and asked, “How many people have come in total?”

“The private soldiers of the eight powerful clans led by Liu Xin, plus government officials and troops from every office in Songzhou Prefecture; there must be at least ten thousand men.”

“Ten thousand.” Xi Rong let out a laugh. “To kill me, they’ve really gone through a lot of trouble.”

Everyone wore solemn expressions and didn’t dare reply.

Xi Rong said directly, “Prepare for battle. I want to see just how they plan to kill me, this ‘bandit leader.’”

Song Yang said, “There’s no need for your command, master. We will fight with all our strength. But your illness cannot be delayed. Please, rest immediately and stop exhausting yourself.”

Xi Rong didn’t respond, only called out, “Rongrong.”

Gu Rong wasn’t sitting on the straw mat but stood leaning with arms crossed against the wooden doorframe, watching the scene outside. Hearing the call, he turned and gracefully sat down on the empty part of the straw mat beside Xi Rong, asking, “Brother, how are you?”

Xi Rong didn’t open his eyes, just turned his head slightly, his voice softening. “I’ve dragged you into this. Don’t worry. As long as I still have one breath left, I won’t let them harm you.”

Gu Rong, as always, nodded with a cheerful smile. “Of course I trust you, brother. You’re sure to be victorious.”

“You really think so?”

“Of course!”

A smile appeared on Xi Rong’s lips.

Jiang Cheng at the side: “…”

This young master really is utterly carefree!

Even at a time like this, he’s encouraging His Highness to fight to the death!

Is that how you flatter someone?

However, before Jiang Cheng could finish grumbling in his heart, his eyes flew wide open.

Because in the next moment, he saw that very same young man who smiled so innocently, who seemed so harmless while His Highness had his eyes closed, suddenly pull a golden needle from his sleeve and, with swift and deadly precision, jab it into the back of His Highness’s neck!

Xi Rong immediately fell unconscious.

Jiang Cheng was so startled he leaped up on the spot.

Song Yang and Zhou Wenhe’s expressions also changed drastically.

“Young master, what are you doing—” Song Yang’s voice was trembling.

Gu Rong slowly withdrew his hand, gracefully sat back where he was, and swept his gaze across the others, yet his tone was steadier than ever before, “I don’t know what strange illness he suffers from, but I can tell that if he doesn’t rest now, his meridians will burst and he will die. You all wouldn’t want to see that happen, would you?”

The youth’s voice dropped clearly and evenly into the room.

The other three had no words.

Of course they were worried. Of course they didn’t want that outcome.

Of course they wished His Highness would just go and rest.

But they had never imagined the young man would dare knock His Highness unconscious with a needle!

Truly, what an astounding nerve!

And yet the young man remained calm and composed, not treating the matter as anything significant at all.

Jiang Cheng took quite a while before he found his voice again. “That reasoning makes sense, but His High— our master hasn’t given any orders. How are we supposed to face the enemy next… Young master, shouldn’t you have discussed this with us before you acted?”

Jiang Cheng had followed Xi Rong through countless campaigns, but it was the first time he had encountered such a thorny situation, and the first time he felt genuinely flustered.

Gu Rong said, “Then may I ask all of you to first tell me, who exactly is the enemy chasing after your master?”

At that point, Song Yang and Zhou Wenhe exchanged a glance.

In the end, Song Yang said, “To be honest, young master, our master’s enemies are indeed quite formidable. It’s the Cui clan, surely you’ve heard of them? They were once at the top of the Five Great Clans and Seven Noble Houses. Our master’s business grew quite large and due to some business conflicts, he offended the Cui clan. They colluded with the local authorities and powerful families of Songzhou Prefecture to accuse our master as a bandit leader and now seek to have him executed.”

Song Yang left out a portion of the crucial details as he spoke. Just as his voice fell, the entire wooden hut suddenly trembled.

A dark-clothed guard slipped inside and said, “Lord Song, their troops are already advancing up the mountain!”

The three men’s expressions changed drastically.

Although they had long expected that moment, now that they truly faced an army of nearly ten thousand, even someone as experienced and resourceful as Song Yang couldn’t help but feel anxious and tense.

Because the situation was truly too dire.

They only had the Crown Prince’s personal guards and shadow guards, and now His Highness had suddenly fallen ill, trapped in a perilous state. Compared to the overwhelming force charging up the mountain, they were no more than eggs thrown at a rock.

“Lord Song, what do we do now? Do we meet the enemy?” Jiang Cheng gripped his sword and looked toward Song Yang.

Now that Xi Rong was unconscious, Song Yang was the backbone of the entire Eastern Palace.

“The Cui clan, huh. I’ve heard a bit about them,” Gu Rong suddenly spoke, as though he had just digested Song Yang’s earlier explanation. Then, slowly and unhurriedly, he stood up and said, “Good. I’ve long heard of the Cui clan’s name. As the saying goes, hearing about something a hundred times is not as good as seeing it once. Today, I’d like to see for myself what kind of majestic force this Cui clan can muster.”

The three others turned to look at Gu Rong.

Jiang Cheng’s eyes widened as if he were seeing the unreliable young master for the first time. He couldn’t help but offer a reminder, “This is the Cui clan we’re talking about.”

Gu Rong looked utterly unconcerned. “So what? Just because they’re the Cui clan, they can kill people at will, come onto someone else’s land and make a racket, and even take a dump?”

“…”

Jiang Cheng did, in fact, wholeheartedly agree and almost nodded along furiously, but he genuinely felt that it was a bit too arrogant of a statement!

“Take good care of him.” Gu Rong turned his head and said to Song Yang and Zhou Wenhe. In his clear black eyes, there was a rare cold sharpness.

Then he looked at Jiang Cheng.

“Brother, I’ll trouble you to come along with me and enjoy the spectacle.”

The author has something to say:

Baby Rongrong: I’m usually not wild, but when I am, I’m really wild.
Thank you all, enjoy reading~