Having a Baby Before Marrying a Wicked Husband - Chapter 96

At night, the two of them did not stay in the palace granted by the Emperor; instead, they moved back to their original small house. Yan Cai is used to living in this place and doesn’t want to change it.

Throughout the night, their son hadn’t been held, nor had he seen his father. So, when they returned home in the evening, he clung tightly to Yan Cai, refusing to let go, not even wanting the other father.

Jiang Manyue felt a little hurt in his heart as he gently stroked his son’s soft hair.

“Is he asleep?”

“Seems like it,” Yan Cai whispered back, lowering his head to see that their son had already closed his eyes, his hands still tightly gripping Yan Cai’s clothes. His long eyelashes were like tiny brushes, delicate and small.

The more Yan Cai looked, the more he felt that their son resembled Jiang Manyue more as he grew older. But that was fine; he thought Jiang Manyue looked better, so it was good.

It was already early winter, and the weather was getting cooler. They had changed the thin blanket to a thicker one. Yan Cai had warmed a hot water bottle and placed it in the small blanket. After checking the temperature with his hand, he tucked their son into the blanket and carefully tucked in the corners.

Once done, he slowly moved closer to Jiang Manyue, seeking warmth, and slid his hands into Jiang Manyue’s clothes. Jiang Manyue’s body was warm, like a natural small stove that was always burning.

“Hey, Manyue, what do you think the Emperor meant today?” He looked up at Jiang Manyue. From this angle, Jiang Manyue looked handsome. The sharp contours of his face were softened by his beautiful brows and eyes.

“What?” Jiang Manyue didn’t quite understand.

“That thing the Emperor said.” Yan Cai repeated the Emperor’s words to Jiang Manyue, “What do you think it means? Why do I feel like there’s more to it than meets the eye?”

The Emperor hadn’t stayed long when he visited them. It seemed like he was just there to show his face, but it did make everyone present take them more seriously. Of course, this wasn’t what Yan Cai had anticipated.

He didn’t like being in the spotlight. Throughout his life, he had always tried to keep a low profile, to hide himself, never intending to expose himself to the public eye. So, the current situation wasn’t to his liking.

“We will go back to Qingqu after a while.”

Hearing this suddenly, Yan Cai immediately sat up.

“Really!” There was an unmistakable joy in his voice, showing that he truly wanted to return to Qingqu.

“Yeah. I’m not lying to you.” Jiang Manyue ran his hand through Yan Cai’s hair, very gently. “I want to go back too.”

Although he grew up in the capital he hadn’t been in Qingqu for long. A long time ago, Qingqu was nothing more than a cold and icy city in Jiang Manyue’s impression. He felt lonely and isolated in that city.

During those bleak years, he could only sit in his wheelchair, watching others laugh, enduring their sympathetic, mocking, or indifferent looks.

So in the past, he never held Qingqu in his heart. For him back then, the desolate yellow sand beyond the borders was the only place worth missing.

People long for a piece of land because of the emotions attached to it.

Perhaps time had softened Qingqu’s coldness and added new warmth, making him start to miss the place.

It was only now that he truly liked this small place.

Yan Cai liked Qingqu very much. Qingqu wasn’t as developed as the capital, and life there was always slower. But since arriving here, Jiang Manyue has been getting up before dawn every day. Often, by the time Yan Cai woke up, the bed beside him was already cold.

This made him feel that life was not easy.

Life in Qingqu was much freer.

There weren’t as many cumbersome etiquettes and people coming and going. Well, Yan Cai hated those the most. So, hearing Jiang Manyue agree to return to Qingqu made him very happy.

Jiang Manyue added, “But the Emperor’s intention was probably just to give a few princes a warning. You don’t need to be nervous.”

The conversation returned to Yan Cai’s initial question. The Emperor had said a few brief words to some princes yesterday.

“You all are very diligent.” These words sent a chill through several people. Though the words were simple, whether they harbored deeper meaning or not, no one could say for sure.

Actually, Yan Cai had also noticed yesterday that the Emperor had a lot more white hair. By modern standards, someone in their fifties would still be healthy and not yet retired, but in this era, they were already considered old.

What’s more, the Emperor’s harem has countless beauties, and he squandered too much in his youth, so naturally, he would pay the price for his extravagance in old age. The Emperor’s health is somewhat weak, although Yan Cai had nurtured his body with his ability when treating his illness before.

However, aging alone cannot be stopped.

A person’s mood can also affect the aging of the body. Enduring consecutive attempts of poisoning and assassination, how much gloom will be added to the Emperor’s heart, thereby breeding more suspicion and mistrust towards his children.

Perhaps this is the sorrow of an Emperor, destined to not enjoy family happiness like ordinary people. However, there are gains and losses. Although he lost some of the ordinary happiness, what he holds in his hands is something ordinary people cannot aspire to.

So even though dynasties change countless times, and everyone knows that sitting on that throne is bound to be lonely, yet they still come forward one after another

Yan Cai couldn’t accept this kind of trade-off, so he couldn’t adapt to officialdom. Fortunately, this kind of days did not last long, and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Who cares. Whichever prince becomes Emperor has nothing to do with us.” Yan Cai thought about it and retreated into the quilt. It was really cold outside; the temperature in the capital was even lower than Qingqu. For someone who is sensitive to cold like him, it was truly unbearable.

Don’t talk about plants not being afraid of the cold; if plants weren’t afraid of the cold, their leaves wouldn’t fall off with the autumn breeze, entering into dormancy.

He wasn’t like a cold-resistant pine or cypress, so he didn’t expect himself to withstand the cold.

Unable to bear it, Yan Cai once again guiltlessly placed his palms, slightly cooler than normal body temperature, on Jiang Manyue’s abdomen.

As the weather got colder, urgent messages were sent to the court from the border – Xuanwei General Wang Yifa unfortunately passed away due to illness a few days ago. With no leader in the army, Deputy General Liu Neng temporarily took over military affairs and requested an imperial decree to appoint a new Grand General.

Wang Yifa was a good general, but his illness came suddenly and he passed away without leaving any messages. After the Emperor mourned, he had to consider who would succeed him.

The army cannot be without a leader for a day, and this matter is urgent.

According to seniority, one of the several deputy generals around Wang Yifa should be promoted, but the Emperor isn’t familiar with these individuals.

“This name Liu Neng sounds somewhat familiar,” the Emperor mused.

There was a momentary stiffness in Jiang Manyue’s expression. He hadn’t expected General Wang Yifa to pass away so suddenly, months earlier than in his previous life.

Hee still remember that it was precisely because of the sudden death of General Wang, who was originally a stable and reliable officer, that the situation became urgent, leading to the appointment of Liu Neng, a deputy general, to succeed General Wang.

Liu Neng, with his impulsive temperament, tended to act recklessly. With General Wang keeping him in check, Liu Neng only needed to follow orders like a puppet, making it less likely for mistakes to occur. However, if left to make decisions on his own, he would surely choose more aggressive methods.

It was because of Liu Neng’s recklessness, causing countless soldiers to fearlessly sacrifice themselves, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties, that they finally couldn’t tolerate it anymore. After discussing it, they finally assassinated Liu Neng in his tent.

But in this life, General Wang has passed away due to illness. Something didn’t seem right. Jiang Manyue didn’t want to entertain conspiracy theories, but he couldn’t stop these dark thoughts from arising.

Perhaps because he was lost in thought, even the Emperor noticed.

“Jiang, do you have any insights?” the Emperor inquired.

Jiang Manyue snapped out of his reverie and stepped forward, saying, “Reporting to Your Majesty, I don’t have any profound insights, but I do have some observations. I do know Deputy General Liu Neng. As far as I know, his temperament is somewhat reckless and impulsive, and he may not be suitable for the heavy responsibility of a general. I suggest Your Majesty consider selecting someone else.”

His words were quite straightforward. Some murmurs arose in the court, with many thinking that Jiang Manyue shouldn’t have exposed Liu Neng’s shortcomings like this.

“Revealing someone’s shortcomings behind their back is not the conduct of a gentleman. Could it be that Jiang has some personal vendetta against Liu Neng and is using this opportunity to settle scores?” someone remarked.

Jiang Manyue sneered. “In the court, when it comes to state affairs, how can we disregard public interests for personal grievances? What kind of joke are you making? I’m just speaking the truth. Leading soldiers in battle is no joke; naturally, the best candidate must be chosen.”

Jiang Nan, who hadn’t attended court for a long time, found these words somewhat strange. He remembered Liu Neng, but in his impression, Jiang Manyue shouldn’t have any dealings with him. How could Jiang Manyue know what kind of person Liu Neng was?

It was strange indeed. Could it be that they had interacted in the capital back then? But he couldn’t imagine where they would have crossed paths. However, judging by Jiang Manyue’s expression, this statement was probably not false.

It seems he indeed knows Liu Neng.

While Jiang Nan was still in a daze, he heard the Minister of War stepping forward and saying, “What Jiang Manyue said may not be false, but as the old saying goes, ‘When a scholar is absent for three days, one should look at him with new eyes.’ Even for someone as impulsive as him, after so long, he should have become more mature. Otherwise, how could General Wang, who has always been cautious and composed, have kept Liu Neng by his side as a deputy general?”

Jiang Manyue really wanted to curse out loud, ‘You understand nothing!’ It was because General Wang could control him!

But he really had no grounds to say such things. Because, in the eyes of others, he couldn’t possibly know Liu Neng, nor could he possibly know General Wang.

Moreover, there was still an important condition that could make the Emperor lean towards Liu Neng, and that was the answer to the Emperor’s question earlier.

The Emperor felt the name Liu Neng was very familiar.

The Emperor found the Minister of War’s words reasonable upon hearing them. After all, to become a deputy general, one must have some ability. Seeing that the Minister still had more to say, he waved his hand to let him continue.

“Reporting to Your Majesty. Liu Neng is the son of the late Tiger General Liu Zhan. He grew up learning from Tiger Genera and was influenced by him since childhood, mastering military strategy from a young age. I have battled him in military strategy before and unfortunately lost, feeling inferior. I remember, at that time, Liu Neng was only fifteen years old, yet he could be considered a young talent.”

Jiang Manyue’s expression turned solemn. Right, this was a significant advantage for Liu Neng. As the son of Tiger General, he had mastered military strategy from a young age, familiar with various military texts.

It sounded quite impressive.