Blutbefleckter Tod

Kapitel 74

"My God! What an unparalleled injustice!"

Just as Huo Nan was about to burst into tears and clutched his head in despair, Xue Yuhan's casual remark immediately turned his grief and indignation into a wisp of smoke: "If we shave it off, then the opportunity to fight may reappear."

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After enduring nearly ten hours of labor pains, as the sun set and the sky was ablaze with rosy clouds, Song Xiaohua finally gave birth to a healthy boy with all his limbs intact, a loud cry, and who appeared to be perfectly normal in every way.

Exhausted from the ordeal, she glanced at the baby the midwife brought her, her last vestiges of consciousness barely registering. She burst into tears, even more heart-wrenching than during her most painful moments, letting out a mournful wail before falling into a deep sleep: "What is this dark, wrinkled, dirty, ugly thing...?"

When I woke up again, a day and a night had passed. The sunset glow shone through the airtight windows, casting a soft, hazy glow over everything. It was beautiful and peaceful.

Song Xiaohua blinked, her mind briefly blank, unsure of who she was or where she was. Then, she was filled with immense satisfaction, a surge of energy coursing through her body, making her want to run and jump. Just as she was about to move, she realized her hand, resting on the outer edge of the bed, was being tightly held.

Those palms, familiar and warm. The face leaning against the bedpost, asleep, looked haggard and tired, yet a faint smile seemed to linger on the corners of her lips, a smile that would never fade.

Holly, Holly, you and I have a child, a life formed from our blood and flesh, an eternal bond and connection between us.

Damn God, I don't hate you at all...

As if sensing something, Lu Ziqi's brows furrowed slightly, and he opened his eyes. His gaze was initially unfocused but quickly settled, and his eyes became bright: "Yaoyao, you're awake. You must be thirsty and hungry, right? You slept for a long time. Are you feeling better? This is all prepared for you by Tingxian and the others. It's just the right temperature. Eat up!"

He grumbled as he helped her prop up her pillow, sitting up slightly. Watching her eat and drink like a starving wolf, a broad smile spread across his face. His wife, the mother of his child…

After emptying the entire food box, Song Xiaohua let out a satisfied burp: "My stomach shrank a lot after the baby left, like a bottomless pit."

"Then eat more and fill this hole."

"No, if I fill in the truth, I won't be able to lose any more weight. Hey, where's the baby? I remember, it's a son, right?" After thinking for a moment, she suddenly looked miserable: "Did I give birth to a little monster?"

"Don't talk nonsense, Yue'er is perfectly fine!"

"Yue'er?"

"Your father named you Lu Yue. Do you like it?"

He muttered it twice: "Oh, it seems like this is a good way to commemorate being a 'time traveler'..."

"What?"

"I like this name, please thank Dad for me. But Dongqing... Yue'er isn't pretty, is he?"

Helpless, Lu Ziqi got up and asked the wet nurse from the next room to bring the baby in: "Why do you have so little faith in our son?"

The spring evening was still a bit chilly. The little thing, wrapped up in a big red blanket, only had its tiny face, no bigger than half a palm, showing.

With pale pink skin, barely visible eyebrows, long eyelashes, a delicate little nose, slightly parted rosy lips, and occasionally twitching, almost transparent nostrils... the little baby, fast asleep with his eyes closed, was breathing softly and slightly rapidly, making one's heart clench involuntarily, wanting to do everything in one's power to protect him and prevent him from suffering even the slightest harm.

The wet nurse carefully placed the child beside Song Xiaohua's pillow: "Second Madam, the young master is very well-behaved. He sleeps after eating and almost never cries."

She tilted her head and looked closely again and again, then burst into tears: "I was so scared! I thought I had really given birth to a little clown!" Then, she suddenly burst into laughter through her tears: "I knew it! The one who comes out of my belly, even if she's not a goddess, she'll be absolutely stunning!"

Lu Ziqi sighed: "Yaoyao, you have this problem with misusing words..."

"Alright, anyway, the responsibility of teaching the children literature and art won't fall on me in the future. Dongqing, look, Yue'er's nose is just like mine, her mouth is too, her face shape is too, and her forehead, chin, eyebrows and eyes are all so beautiful, everything is just like mine!"

Calmly reminding him, "It seems that Yue'er hasn't grown eyebrows yet, and Yue'er's eyes haven't been opened either."

He stubbornly persisted: "It's obvious!"

"And what about me? In what way does Yue'er resemble his father?"

"Hmm... the baby hair on the top of your head, it's so black and thick, just like you."

"...You've never even seen me before."

"I already told you, you can figure it out yourself!"

He feigned defeat: "Alright, then can you imagine what Huo Nan looks like right now?"

Suddenly, it dawned on me: "Oh right! I think I asked him to shave, did he really shave?"

"If you threaten to have a child, who would dare disobey?"

He was immediately excited: "I've been eyeing his big beard for a long time. How does it look after he shaves it off?"

After thinking about it carefully, he said, "If you finish your postpartum confinement and he hasn't left Bianliang yet, you should be able to see it. There's nothing you can do; you can't leave your room, and he can't come into this room."

Song Xiaohua was dumbfounded, then tilted her head and glanced at the little baby who was still fast asleep: "Dongqing, actually Yue'er is just like you, look at the eyebrows, eyes, nose and facial contours, even the little expression of frowning when sleeping is exactly the same!"

Lu Ziqi nodded in satisfaction: "When you can sit up a little more in a few days, I'll have him stand outside the window for you to see."

As it turns out, you can never trust the words of a scheming man.

Song Xiaohua saw Huo Nan again at Lu Yue's "Double Full Moon Celebration".

However, in truth, Lu Ziqi cannot be entirely blamed for this.

After "Big Beard Huo" became "No Beard Huo," the eldest son of the Xue family immediately uttered a six-word comment upon seeing him—

pretty boy, sissy.

Her attitude towards his affair with his younger sister changed abruptly from being happy to see it happen to being firmly opposed. Poor Huo Nan went from being a guest of honor at the Xue residence to an outsider in the blink of an eye. No matter how much she pleaded or even tried to force her way in, she couldn't get in even half a step.

Xue Laoda had studied under a famous master since childhood and possessed extraordinary martial arts skills. Moreover, he had fought real battles on the battlefield. In terms of bravery, fierceness, and head-on confrontation, Huo Nan really couldn't gain the slightest advantage.

But if you try a softer approach, Old Master Xue will say, "See? I told you he was a gigolo! A grown man who only knows how to use sweet talk and opportunism—my Xue family's daughter can never marry such an unreliable sissy!"

If you suggested he could simply grow his beard back, Old Xue glared at him and said, "Hiding your true face and not daring to show it to others is not the behavior of a true man!"

Driven to desperation, Huo Nan picked up a knife to disfigure herself, but at that moment, Xue Yuhan, who had always remained secluded in her chambers, sent a maid to deliver a message: 'What kind of person am I, Xue Jiu Mei? I would never spend the rest of my life with someone whose appearance is disfigured!'

After all this commotion, lasting for over twenty days, Huo Nan laid out a bamboo mat in front of the Xue family's gate, refusing to budge despite the wind and sun. Meanwhile, the entire Xue family was ordered to treat him as if he were invisible, going about their business as usual. A few more days passed, and even passersby had become accustomed to ignoring him…

On the morning of the twenty-fifth day, the gatekeeper of the Xue family opened the gate and found that Huo Nan had disappeared along with his mat. It is said that for many days afterward, everyone in the entire mansion held their breath and was on high alert, because the eldest young master and the ninth young lady were in a very bad mood and could explode at any moment.

On the evening of the fifty-sixth day, a black horse galloped into the city and headed straight for the Xue family. The rider was covered in blood, filthy and smelly, but his eyes were terrifyingly bright.

The servants were so intimidated by his imposing manner that they forgot to stop him and let him stride in with his head held high. When he found Boss Xue, he threw the bundle in his hand on the ground, and a human head that had already begun to rot rolled out.

Upon hearing the news, Xue Yuhan rushed forward and slapped the man twice without saying a word. The man accepted the slaps with a smile, neither dodging nor avoiding them.

Old Master Xue laughed loudly: "Good lad, you actually killed this rebel leader who has been harassing the safety of my southern border for many years all by yourself! This old bastard owes the lives of tens of thousands of Song soldiers. I fought him many times, but I could never kill him. It is the greatest regret of my life. Today is truly exhilarating!"

The man's face was covered in dirt and blood, so dark that his features were almost unrecognizable. He grinned, revealing bright white teeth: "How about it? Does this pretty boy of mine have some manly qualities?"

Old Master Xue punched him hard on the shoulder: "Choose a date to get married!"

Xue Yuhan, who was originally teary-eyed, suddenly jumped up and grabbed his collar: "Next time you do something so reckless, you must come with me. If you die, at least someone will collect your body!"

"You brat, you won't have that chance. I, Huo Nan, am going to make you my wife, not my widow. Save widowhood for the next life!"

Therefore, the Huo Nan that Song Xiaohua met was already the future son-in-law of the Xue family.

On that day, the banquet had a full fifty tables, truly a scene of guests arriving in droves and guests filling the seats.

Less than a year after returning to the capital to take up his post, the second master of the Lu family uprooted the powerful and influential Yuan family with swift and decisive action. He recovered countless sums of money and grain, filling the national treasury and greatly pleasing the emperor. He then drafted several regulations to improve military discipline and conduct, benefiting the soldiers. In an instant, his prestige soared both in the court and in the army.

Although the emperor had not yet officially assumed power, the empress dowager was too old to continue ruling from behind the curtain, and state affairs had effectively been returned to the emperor. Lu Ziqi was exceptional in both literary and military talent, and his ambition coincided with that of the young emperor, so he was highly valued and promoted three ranks to become one of the most powerful figures in the Privy Council.

Although the Lu family was somewhat implicated in the Yuan family's affair, and Lu Ziheng resigned from his official post and went into seclusion, their power did not diminish but rather increased thanks to Lu Ziqi. Furthermore, their position became even more secure due to their renewed alliance with the newly rising Xue family.

Meanwhile, Huo Nan, Lu Ziqi's close friend, was promoted to the rank of fourth-grade captain for his meritorious service in investigating the case and his talent in both literature and martial arts. He was to take up his post in the army soon, with a promising future ahead of him.

Right now, news has spread that Huo Nan and Xue Yuhan, the most favored daughter of the Xue family, are about to get married. It's really hard for Lu Ziqi to keep a low profile when celebrating his son's one-month birthday...

The guests were mostly high-ranking officials and dignitaries, many of whom were handsome and charming. However, Song Xiaohua's gaze was immediately drawn to one person amidst the dazzling array of people.

Wearing a light black shirt with wide sleeves and a narrow waist, the tailored fit perfectly accentuated his upright and graceful figure.

Her long eyebrows slanted upwards towards her temples, her eyes shone like the sun, her nose was straight, and her lips were thin; she smiled even before she spoke.

Her chin was slightly pointed, but this did not detract from the softness of her facial features. Her skin was slightly dark, but this did not diminish her overall delicate beauty.

He walked over with a graceful and charming air, exuding a touch of laziness, casualness, and untamed spirit. When he looked at the beautiful woman beside him, his expression softened with a hint of teasing, but even more so with an overflowing, doting affection.

Heavens above, Buddha! Oh my Lady Gaga! This handsome young man is actually Huo Nan, who's always slovenly and unkempt, with messy hair and a greasy beard, wandering around everywhere!

Song Xiaohua stared in disbelief, almost drooling, and muttered, "Holy crap, his face is even more attractive than his chest and abs combined, it's so damn tempting..."

So engrossed in his infatuation, the person completely missed Lu Ziqi, who was standing beside him with a smile, and raised an eyebrow slightly...

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Although Lu Yue was perfectly healthy, eating, drinking, and sleeping well without any illness or pain, he was still a bit premature, so the whole family was quite nervous. They unanimously decided to keep him indoors to help him grow stronger before taking him out for public viewing. Song Xiaohua didn't have any objections to this; after all, the full moon celebration was purely for the adults' social needs, so there was no difference between a day earlier or later.

However, she never expected that she would also be included in the category of needing to be carefully cared for, and she ended up having to undergo a full sixteen days of 'postpartum confinement' that made her feel like she was dying.

The days of being unable to get out of bed, unable to be exposed to the wind, and constantly being stuffed with all sorts of things like a Peking duck, can actually be endured if you just bear it. But when you really can't bear it anymore, you have to endure it even more. When you're enduring it to the point where you're half a step away from postpartum depression, it's when you can't wash your face, your hair, or take a bath and can't wash anything at all. In the end, you'll smell terrible...

Although Lu Ziqi repeatedly said that she didn't look too bad, and that a new mother is always the most beautiful woman in the world, Song Xiaohua still managed to shut him out completely after twenty days.

The idea that men don't care about women's appearance is like the claim that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction—pure rumor…

Therefore, when Song Xiaohua was finally able to get out of bed to take a shower and clean herself up, all Lu Ziqi could do to share a bed with her was kiss and touch, but not roll around in bed, because she insisted on restoring her somewhat out-of-shape figure before engaging in any intimate acts.

Thus, Lu Ziqi's beastly desires could only be kept bottled up and bottled up...