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Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky, Chapter 152: Two Generals Celebrate Double Happiness
March 6th is an auspicious day according to the Chinese calendar, suitable for marriage.
The streets of Bianjing were teeming with people, all crowding to watch the two great generals, Jingbei and Pingxi, get married at the same time—a truly rare and joyous occasion. Suddenly, the sound of suona horns filled the air, and everyone pushed their way to the center of the street, eager to catch a glimpse of the two generals and their wives. But amidst the festive red decorations and the throngs of people, it was impossible to tell which way was which.
Everyone knew that the two generals were very close friends. They fought together, rose through the ranks together, and even got married together. Their generals' residences were even located on the same street. When they got married, Zhao Gou specially dispatched the Imperial Guards to clear the way for them and even granted the Empress permission to personally go and offer her congratulations, truly giving them ample face.
For this wedding, the Yue and Han families specially demolished the wall between their residences, setting up the wedding hall and banquet in one place. Qin Zhen was sitting with her mother-in-law in the Yue residence. Yue Fei had recently achieved great success and had brought his mother from his hometown to the capital. This morning, her mother-in-law was astonished to see the Empress, who was none other than the little girl her family had saved years ago, and she felt even more sorry for her eyes.
The woman was a little reserved at first, but Qin Zhen wasn't one to put on airs. He quickly became familiar with her again, and they sat together chatting while waiting for the newlyweds to arrive.
A maidservant from the manor ran up, her face flushed, and said, "Your Majesty, Madam, the bride has been brought back and will be entering the manor soon."
With a beaming smile, Yue Niang and Qin Zhen hurried outside. Qin Zhen couldn't see the lively scene unfolding; she was simply helped to sit down in the hall by Wan Qiu, listening to the laughter, the playing of musical instruments, and the popping of firecrackers. After the master of ceremonies and the abbot finished their prayers, Qin Zhen had Wan Qiu help her to a room in the back to rest.
Wanqiu asked with concern, "Your Highness, are you tired?"
Qin Zhen nodded and said, "Yes, I'm a little tired."
Wanqiu noticed a hint of loneliness on Qin Zhen's face, likely due to the depression caused by her blindness, but she didn't know how to comfort her. Qin Zhen had been blind for over half a year, always bravely smiling. But on this joyous occasion, she couldn't feel happy at all. This was her elder brother's wedding, but she couldn't even be a bystander, completely unable to blend into the festive atmosphere. To avoid spoiling the mood, she had no choice but to quickly leave.
Just as she was feeling melancholy, the door creaked open, and Wanqiu looked up. She exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, Young Master Fan!"
Qin Zhen turned her head to the side of the door and asked, "Is that Jing'er? Come, come to your aunt."
Fan Nianjing came to the wedding banquet with Fan Tianxiang today. He was originally in the front hall to join in the fun and watch the newlyweds, but there were too many people and he couldn't see them. Just then, he saw Qin Zhen break away from the crowd, so he followed her.
"Why didn't Auntie play a little longer in front?" Fan Nianjing lay on the round table next to Qin Zhen, eating snacks as if they were still close.
Qin Zhen chuckled and asked him, "What about you? Don't you like excitement? Why aren't you playing up front?"
Fan Nianjing said with dissatisfaction, "We are all too small, we can't see anything, it's so boring."
Qin Zhen said, "I'm the same as Jing'er. Because I can't see, I also feel that life is meaningless."
Fan Nianjing had half a pastry in his mouth when he understood Qin Zhen's words. He scratched his head, unsure of what to say, because Fan Tianxiang and Li Shishi had told him not to bring up Qin Zhen's blindness.
After a short pause, Qin Zhen asked about other things: "Jing'er has been so naughty. Is this the first time she's come to see her aunt since the New Year?"
"Hehe, Auntie, please forgive Jing'er. My parents are really too strict with me. I don't have any time to play. I can only play during the New Year. Not long ago, I was dragged back to school by my teacher."
Qin Zhen patted his head and saw that he was alright, just like any other child. She felt relieved. Zhu Lian, if he knew this in the afterlife, would surely be at peace.
Fan Nianjing was telling Qin Zhen about interesting things that happened at school when Liu Qi suddenly walked in and interrupted her.
Qin Zhen asked in surprise, "Why did Commander Liu arrive so early?" She and Zhao Gou had agreed to have dinner before returning home.
Liu Qi said excitedly, "Empress, His Majesty has ordered me to bring you back immediately. News has come back from Kunlun Mountain!"
Qin Zhen paused for a moment before reacting and asking, "Fifth Senior Brother found the Eight-Leaf Lotus Eye Grass?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, please return to the palace with me."
Qin Zhen was overjoyed. He left Wan Qiu there to relay the message and returned to the palace with Liu Qi. In the palace, Zhao Gou was discussing something with a young man when he saw Qin Zhen return and quickly went over to him.
The young man was none other than Zhuo Yiyi, Su Mufei's disciple. Upon seeing Qin Zhen, he greeted him, saying, "Junior nephew greets Senior Uncle. Senior Uncle hasn't forgotten me, has he?"
"Yiyi, is that you?" Qin Zhen asked in surprise.
"Yes, Second Uncle and Fifth Uncle have specially sent their nephew to pick you up."
Qin Zhen asked in surprise, "Where are we going? Kunlun Mountain?"
Zhao Gou then learned that although Ji Wuhuan had finally found the medicinal herbs, he couldn't bring them to Bianjing. Only if Qin Zhen went to Kunlun Mountain to collect the herbs locally and use them immediately would they be effective. After he told Qin Zhen this, Qin Zhen hesitated and said, "It seems I have no choice but to go."
Zhao Gou was somewhat reluctant to part with Qin Zhen, but his illness was the most important thing, and he was certainly rational enough to do so. So he said earnestly, "I will send Liu Qi to take you there, and I will also come to see you whenever I have the chance. Take good care of your health and try to come back as soon as possible!"
Although Qin Zhen nodded, she still had some worries on her mind. First, Qin Hui was still in prison, and second, Li Yunluo had not yet been dealt with. She was worried that once she left, Zhao Gou might do something unexpected.
So that night, she instructed Wanqiu, who had returned to the palace: "Give that person a map of the Ministry of Justice's dungeon, and tell him to take Li Yunluo as far away as possible, so that he never returns to Bianjing in this life."
The person Qin Zhen was referring to was the commander of the guards around Li Yunluo. Back then, Yelü Huan only captured Li Yunluo, who had gone to seek refuge with the Liao emperor, and did not make things difficult for the commander of the Western Xia guards. He followed Li Yunluo all the way to the Song Dynasty, but he never managed to rescue her.
Li Yunluo had been tortured by Zhao Gou several times in the past few months. Now, not only was there a brand on her forehead, but her hands and feet were probably crippled. Qin Zhen wasn't worried that she would do anything else. If the guard cared about her life, he should listen to her advice and take Li Yunluo far away to live out her remaining years.
Wanqiu received the order and secretly left the palace that night, thus resolving half of the matter.
Two days later, Qin Zhen, escorted by Liu Qi, went with Zhuo Yiyi to Kunlun Mountain to seek medical treatment. Zhao Gou, seeing Qin Zhen about to part, kissed her forehead deeply, hugged her and said, "Take good care of yourself. I will come to see you in a few days..." Qin Zhen nodded, speechless at the parting.
Volume Two: Eagle Soars Through the Sky Chapter 152: Kunlun Snow Master's Love Story
On the way to Kunlun Mountain, besides Liu Qi's guards, Qin Zhen, Zhuo Yi, there was also Ji Wushuang, who was making a fuss about going to see her brother.
Qin Zhen wouldn't refuse Ji Wushuang's request and was naturally willing to bring her along, but Liu Qi felt uneasy about it, though he couldn't show it on his face. Even Qin Zhen could sense the awkwardness between him and Ji Wushuang, let alone Zhuo Yiyi, who liked to tease others.
Ever since Zhuo Yiyi figured out something, she's been bringing it up with the two of them every day, making them blush all the time. But they can't win against the shameless Zhuo Yiyi, so there's really nothing they can do.
One day, Qin Zhen saw that Ji Wushuang was still upset about Zhuo Yiyi's teasing, so he deliberately changed the subject and said, "Hey, nephew, where's your master? I heard he was in the capital too. How come we both forgot to invite him to Kunlun Mountain this time?"
Zhuo Yiyi said, "Uncle-Master, you're mistaken. Ever since Master heard that Fifth Uncle was injured, he went back to the manor long ago. How could he wait for us!"
"What?"
Qin Zhen and Ji Wushuang asked the same question at the same time, but Zhuo Yiyi covered her mouth to stop herself from letting it slip, but it was too late.
Ji Wuhuan searched for medicinal herbs for Qin Zhen in the freezing cold, but after being immersed in the snow for a long time, she developed a cold-related illness. During a mountain climb, she lost her footing and tumbled down the slope, injuring both her feet. To avoid making Qin Zhen feel guilty and to prevent her sister from worrying, Ji Wuhuan forbade anyone to tell Qin Zhen and Wushuang about this incident. However, someone found out on the way.
The subsequent itinerary was arranged extremely tightly. They were worried about Ji Wuhuan's injuries and only hoped to reach their destination as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Just as they were traveling and passing through Golmud, an unexpected incident occurred: they were ambushed in the middle of the night!
The attacker was none other than Nongying's younger sister, Nongying's sister, Nongying. Yelü Yazhu had saved Nongying's life. Nongying then blamed Qin Zhen and Zhao Gou for Yelü Yazhu's sudden death. Unable to harm Zhao Gou in any way, she happened to find out that Qin Zhen was coming to Kunlun Mountain, so she ambushed him there, intending to kill him to avenge Yelü Yazhu.
Nong Shuang was outnumbered and outmatched. With Liu Qi and Zhuo Yiyi there, how could she possibly harm Qin Zhen? Liu Qi didn't attack her either; his primary mission was to protect Qin Zhen. So he led his guards to surround Qin Zhen's carriage, simply watching Zhuo Yiyi and Nong Shuang fight.
Zhuo Yiyi and Nong Shuang were on good terms. Although they were on opposing sides, neither could bring themselves to kill the other. In the end, Zhuo Yiyi only managed to wound Nong Shuang with a single sword strike, forcing her to leave. Afterward, they continued on their journey, but Zhuo Yiyi remained silent for the rest of the way, seemingly lost in thought.
Having finally arrived at Floating Cloud Manor, Qin Zhen's first priority was to visit Ji Wuhuan. Ji Wuhuan had recovered considerably after being rescued from the mountain, but his feet were still frostbitten and required long-term rest. Su Mufei spent all his time in Ji Wuhuan's room, refusing to leave no matter how much Ji Wuhuan scolded or chased him away. Eventually, Ji Wuhuan simply ignored him.
Seeing her brother lying pale on the bed, coughing intermittently, Ji Wushuang was extremely worried and leaned over the headboard, sobbing softly for a long time. Qin Zhen stood silently by, feeling equally distressed.
Su Mufei walked to Qin Zhen's side and patted her shoulder, as if to comfort her. She followed Su Mufei to Ji Wuhuan's bedside. Grasping Ji Wuhuan's cold hand, she said, "Fifth Senior Brother, it's all my fault, I've dragged you into this..."
Ji Wuhuan, her hair disheveled, leaned against the headboard, still breathtakingly beautiful, though her face was pale and bloodless. She said to Qin Zhen, "Your words are not something your senior brother will like to hear, so how can you implicate me?"
Qin Zhen lowered his head and remained silent. Ji Wuhuan comforted him, saying, "Don't look so sad. It's not like I've lost my legs. I'll be completely healed after a few days of rest. By then, your eyes will be better too. We, your fellow disciples, will be fine."
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhen smiled and sweetly agreed.
The Eight-Leaf Lotus Eye Grass needs to be used immediately after being picked to be effective. Ji Wuhuan's idea was to let Qin Zhen rest for a few days first, and after he had made sufficient preparations and checked Qin Zhen's physical condition, he would then have Su Mufei go up the mountain to pick the grass to ensure that the herb was as fresh as possible.
After visiting Ji Wuhuan, everyone settled down under Tang Yufeng's arrangement. Ji Wuhuan, injured, stayed in the West Garden, and Su Mufei, insisting on taking care of him, also stayed there. Ji Wushuang had initially said she would take care of her brother, but seeing Su Mufei staying there, she felt it was inconvenient, so she stayed in the East Garden with Qin Zhen, while Zhuo Yiyi stayed in the West Garden with her master. Liu Qi and his guards stayed in the North Garden. The remaining South Garden was where Tang Yufeng always resided.
As soon as Qin Zhen entered the East Garden, he heard a familiar voice. It was Yuqin. Yuqin had known Qin Zhen was coming and had prepared the garden in advance. She was overjoyed to see him. Yuqin had previously worked under Qin Zhen. Tang Yufeng had asked Yuqin to come and help, seeing that Wanqiu might be tired from taking care of Qin Zhen and Ji Wushuang alone. So the four of them stayed in the East Garden.
Liu Qi was a cautious man. Although he saw the strange formation of the stone forest when he entered the manor and knew that it was not a place that ordinary people could enter, he was still a little worried when he thought about Nong Shuang's sneak attack on the way. In addition to always following Qin Zhen, Bai arranged the guards to patrol the vicinity of the East Garden from time to time.
After two days of peaceful rest, Ji Wuhuan felt much better on the third day, and with Su Mufei's help, he got out of bed to examine Qin Zhen's condition. He held Qin Zhen's wrist for a long time, and everyone was anxious as they saw his uncertain expression, sometimes happy and sometimes worried, wondering about the true state of the toxins in Qin Zhen's body.
Seeing that Ji Wuhuan remained silent for a long time, Qin Zhen asked, "Fifth Senior Brother, how is the poison in my body? Just say what you have to say."
“Junior Sister,” Ji Wuhuan said calmly, her voice devoid of emotion, “you are pregnant.”
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Everyone, please help Qin Zhen's baby come up with a name!
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Volume Two: Soaring Eagle 153 - How to Choose?
Wu Huan said, "Junior Sister, you are pregnant."
Qin Zhen hadn't misheard; everyone in the room had heard it. How could she have misheard? Wanqiu and Yuqin were the first to exclaim, "Congratulations, Your Majesty the Empress!"
Liu Qi, who was standing nearby, was also very excited and hurriedly said, "This subordinate will immediately inform the Emperor of the good news!"
Tang Yufeng and Su Mufei were also beaming with joy, but Qin Zhen alone couldn't be happy. Ji Wuhuan didn't elaborate, but Qin Zhen knew medicine; she had become pregnant while her body was poisoned, which was not something to be happy about.
Seeing the grave expressions on Ji Wuhuan and Qin Zhen's faces, everyone realized the situation was dire. Ji Wushuang, however, remained naive. She tugged at her brother's sleeve and asked, "Brother, isn't having a child a bad thing? Why are you..."
Ji Wuhuan sighed and said to everyone, "Junior Sister's pregnancy should be a joyous occasion, but her current condition is not suitable for childbirth. It is still a question whether the fetus can survive after being poisoned in her body."
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd, their expressions turning grave. Ji Wuhuan then changed the subject, saying, "But this could also be considered a good thing for Junior Sister herself. The placenta helps absorb toxins, so perhaps the Eight-Leaf Lotus Eye Grass won't be needed to clear the toxins from your body. But the child..."
Qin Zhen asked in a trembling voice, "How is the baby?"