Three days later, she saw a topographical map on the table, with a stroke of ink drawn over the place of Yanmen County.
Yueji was originally a woman of great talent and insight, and she immediately understood the situation. She went to find Lou Zhao and found him in his tent discussing with his deputy how to coordinate with Jin Lang from within and without in Yanmen County.
Tsukihime shuddered, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head.
If this battle is won decisively, the Eastern Lands may face national annihilation.
She was a princess of a nation, and she could not bear to watch thousands of her people perish under the hooves of horses and her country change hands; standing on a narrow bridge, one end was her husband, and the other was her country.
Five days later, Lou Zhao saw smoke rising in the sky and said to the people around him, "The governor of Yanmen County has been captured by the general. Give the order that we set off immediately to meet him."
"Report—" someone entered the tent to report, "The lady is having severe abdominal pains, it seems she is about to give birth."
Lou Zhao was startled. "Where is the army doctor? Bring the doctor here."
"The doctor can't help you. Your wife was poisoned earlier, and her condition is not good right now."
Lou Zhao hurriedly said, "Let's discuss it when I get back."
After speaking, he hurriedly walked towards Yueji's tent.
Tsukihime's face was deathly pale, as if she had suffered great pain, and tears wet her hair.
The doctor looked worried and was completely at a loss.
Lou Zhao asked in a deep voice, "What's going on?"
The doctor trembled and said, "Military Advisor Lou, it seems the lady is going into premature labor. But she's frail, I'm afraid..."
Lou Zhao retracted his fingers, his knuckles turning white. "What are you afraid of? Go on."
"I'm afraid they won't make it through tonight..."
Yueji called out softly, "Lou Zhao..."
Lou Zhao walked to her bedside and took her hand. "I'm here. Listen to me, A-Zhao, I'm here."
As if a heart-wrenching pain was coming from her, she opened her lips and let out a soft "Ah—".
Lou Zhao stretched out his wrist and said in a deep voice, "Ah Zhao, if it hurts, bite my hand, bite hard. Yes, hard."
She left a deep tooth mark on his wrist.
A day and a night later, two cries of "waaaah!" pierced the sky.
Tsukihime gave birth to twin sisters.
The moon had waned outside the window, and the dark night sky overhead was quiet and peaceful. No one knew what kind of carnage was taking place in Yanmen County at that moment. Lou Zhao wiped away Yue Ji's tears and heard her sob softly: Jin Lang, where are you? I miss you.
At this time in Yanmen County, Stey had already led his troops to catch up.
Jin Lang was besieged in the city, and Lou Zhao was slow to arrive. Outnumbered and outmatched, he fought desperately. He held out for seven days, but ultimately, in a desperate struggle, he died in Yanmen County. Si Tai ordered his men to cut off his head and display it to the public at Yanmen.
When she received the news, Tsukihime was gazing at the baby girl in her arms with a smile in her eyes.
She was stunned for a long time, recalling her meeting with Jin Lang at Xishanbu. He was dressed in a red battle robe, sitting astride a black steed, looking imposing. He raised his red-tasseled sword, knocked off her helmet, and stopped it firmly at her neck, saying indifferently: "Has the Eastern Land lost all its generals and ministers, sending a woman to the battlefield?"
You see, from the very beginning, it was destined that she and Jin Lang would be forever separated.
Yueji whispered, "Jinlang, I still owe you a perfect ending."
Later, Yue Ji committed suicide in Yanmen County. When Si Tai learned of this, he remained silent for a long time. Afterwards, he issued an edict to bury Yue Ji in the Wenlai Imperial Mausoleum, and even in death, he did not allow them to be buried together.
After Jin Lang's death, the morale of the Li Kingdom army was thrown into chaos, and Si Tai led his troops to pursue the enemy in victory.
After the army suffered a crushing defeat, the twin princesses born to Yueji were lost and their whereabouts became unknown. Steiner ordered his men to inquire about the princesses' location multiple times, but to no avail.
Extra (2)
The most dashing member of the Lou family in Jiangnan was the seventh young master, who held a peach blossom fan. People only knew him for his elegant demeanor and gentle smile, but they didn't know that he had once truly fallen for a girl.
That year, Lou Xiyue was still young, a fifteen-year-old boy in a blue robe. The Lou family patriarch held a birthday banquet, inviting prominent families from Yangzhou and bringing in an opera troupe from the Dongyue Temple to add to the festivities.
The performance was a lively rendition of "Farewell My Concubine," accompanied by melodious and captivating music. On stage, Yu Ji, with her expressive eyes and graceful figure, exuded charm and allure. He wasn't usually a fan of opera, but he wanted to sneak out of the mansion with his fifth brother to drink, listen to music, and compose poetry with other young men.
Unfortunately, his fifth brother only passed by the stage once before stopping, seemingly lost in thought, his gaze fixed on the stage for a long time. Lou Xiyue was still a little bored, so she propped up a bamboo chair against the wall, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes to rest. The peonies in the garden were in full bloom, blooming beautifully, like silk fans held in a young lady's hand.
He was quite far from the stage, but he heard someone gruffly laughing, "Oh~~ Now that Yu Meiren is dead, I don't want to live either. Son, take me away."
He looked up and saw a little girl with red lips and white teeth, wearing a cloth shirt, with curved eyes. She waved her hand and flicked her sleeve, pretending to be in pain. An egg flew out of her sleeve and hit the back of Butler Wang's head in the audience with a "crack."
Butler Wang scratched the back of his head and shouted, "Who?! Who threw the egg?"
The girl clutched her chest, giggling and bending over, before leaping off the wall. Lou Xiyue rose and walked outside the courtyard, watching the girl run away until her figure gradually disappeared behind the weeping willow branches. Slightly taken aback, he asked the servant at the gate, "Whose daughter was that just now?"
The servant replied blankly, "Seventh Young Master, which one are you referring to? I haven't seen him."
Lou Xiyue closed her folding fan, tapped it in her palm, and laughed, "You run pretty fast."
This was the first time Lou Xiyue met Qi Xiang. At that time, he was a young man in spring clothes, laughing and enjoying the beauty of life without a care in the world.
Spring is in full bloom in Yangzhou, and the annual lantern festival has begun.
The seventh son of the Lou family and his friends enjoyed lantern viewing, riddle guessing, and painting on the river.
He stood at the bow of the boat, fanning himself as he talked with Xu Zilan about the recent poetry gathering in the capital, his phoenix eyes revealing his dashing charm.
The river surface shimmered, and a passing boat left a trail in its wake.
Xu Zilan pointed to the red building on the shore and said, "Brother Xiyue, the young ladies of Zuixiang Tower are dancing to entertain the guests."
Lou Xiyue just raised his head and met the eyes of a girl on the bridge.
As night fell, the delicately carved lanterns cast a dim, yellowish light, illuminating people indistinctly.
He was slightly taken aback. Could this be the girl he had met at the Lou residence?
Qi Xiao stood on the stone arch bridge, watching Lou Xiyue's eyebrows curve towards her, and was instantly lost in thought.
The river flows gently, both above and below the bridge.
Lou Xiyue picked up two shadow puppets and handed them to her servant Nan Yan, saying, "Take these to the girl on the bridge and see where she lives."
When Qi Xiao received the shadow puppet, she was so happy she almost fell off the bridge. She clutched the purse her sister had just bought for her, handed it to the servant, and ran off blushing.
Nan Yan said to Lou Xiyue, "Seventh Young Master, that little girl just gave me a purse and ran away. I didn't have time to ask her where she lives."
Lou Xiyue tapped Nan Yan's forehead with her folding fan and said regretfully, "Fool, why didn't you go after them to check?"
He looked down at the purse in his palm, embroidered with phoenixes and peonies, and a slight smile played on his lips.
It turns out that this girl also liked him.
The oars gently rocked the boat, leaving behind only a lingering sense of longing.
(End of article)