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  Chapter 2

  Ming Xuan was startled, and suddenly thought that just now, she had not seen Huang Yi's face clearly from a distance, but the bulging belly was visible. She couldn't help but feel anxious, "Zhou Yuan was originally a decent husband, but in desperation, he might do something to Huang Yi. Although Huang Yi is tolerant, she is still pregnant! Brother, we must think of a way to follow them and protect her!"

  She had just finished speaking, when a severe cramp struck her abdomen, causing her to break out in a cold sweat. She placed her hand on Xiaosu's body and said, "The farmhouse where we rested last night is some distance from here, the mountain road is bumpy, I'm afraid there's no way to rush over, it seems that we can only give birth in this horse carriage."

  Xiao Su, I have entrusted our lives and those of the children to you!

  Xiao Su saw Ming Xuan's face turn pale, with large beads of sweat constantly rolling down her forehead, and even her breathing was getting weaker. Knowing that she couldn't delay any longer, she tightly grasped Ming Xuan's hand and said, "Princess, rest assured, your and the young master's lives are in my hands, I will not betray your trust!"

  She stood up, bowed to Gu Yuanjing and said: "The queen is about to give birth, please send someone to surround the carriage with people, and also send a few more people to go to a farmhouse two miles ahead to fetch a package. Also, General, have you seen any water source nearby? The queen needs a lot of hot water for childbirth, and this child's head is a bit big, it's probably not easy to give birth, please help me find the things I said as soon as possible!"

  Gu Yuanjing's face was solemn as he made arrangements, but his heart was impatient.

  He had a natural fear of childbirth. His birth mother died from postpartum hemorrhage, and his stepmother also experienced it after giving birth to Ming Huan. If she hadn't been rescued in time, she would have probably left this world too. However, despite that, Madame Lu's body was thoroughly ruined. She spent her days bedridden, lacking energy, and with every slight movement, a major illness would ensue. Having grown up seeing his stepmother's sickly appearance, he felt anxious upon seeing Ming Huan's pale and frightening complexion.

  He was very afraid that in this remote and desolate mountain ridge, the only person he cared about in the world, his younger sister, would follow in their mother's footsteps and die in childbirth.

  At the time when Gu Yuanjing was sitting and standing unsteadily, the deputy general came to report, "Two teams of cavalry have arrived from the front. One team went in the direction of Lin Nan Wang Shizi, looking at the command flag, it seems to be Han Xiang's cavalry. The leader of the other team is Anping King, and subordinates have already sent someone to respond."

  Xiao Su's face lit up with anticipation: "The king must know that the queen is about to give birth, and this time he'll definitely bring Master along. With Master's exceptional medical skills, the queen will surely be fine!"

  Gu Yuanjing's empty and lonely heart suddenly felt a bit more at ease, he hastily grasped Ming Xuan's hand and whispered in her ear, "Xuan sister, brother-in-law is rushing over! Don't worry, with him and brother here, the child will be fine!"

  Just then, a hurried horseshoe was heard, and Pei Jingxun anxiously called out, "A Xuan!"

  Ming Xuan's face showed a weak smile, her contractions were getting closer and closer together, the pain was getting stronger and stronger, at this time she was extremely weak, her head was dizzy, almost fainting, because giving birth in such a remote wilderness was worrying, so for the time being she was forcing herself to stay awake.

  But upon hearing Pei Jingzhen's voice, a huge boulder in her heart seemed to have fallen off, giving rise to a soothing magic that calmed her down. In her daze, she saw a handsome face that didn't seem human, but this usually calm and carefree face was now filled with worry and fear. His eyebrows were furrowed, and she couldn't help but reach out to smooth the wrinkles on his forehead with her hand. Her slender fingers slid down his pale face, pausing slightly at the stubble on his chin before her hands went limp, and she fell asleep.

  Dazed, Ming Xuan seemed to have arrived at a humble and unassuming little courtyard. She looked around suspiciously at the yard full of flowers and grass, feeling somewhat familiar, but couldn't quite recall where she was. She wandered aimlessly in the courtyard, following the steps to the door, and saw a woman in a simple dress and hairpin sitting by the window, sewing children's clothes.

  The woman hung her head, and couldn't see her face clearly, only revealing a elegant side profile and a neck as smooth as jade, but the simple dress couldn't conceal her temperament and beauty. From her gestures and movements, one could tell that she was an elegant and refined person, definitely a young lady from a noble family, it's just unknown why she lived in such a humble courtyard.

  Ming Xuan was even more bewildered and felt that the woman in front of him looked very familiar, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of who this person was.

  Suddenly, the gate of the courtyard opened and a man wearing a blue cloth shirt pushed in. He was tall and slender, with a handsome face and an elegant demeanor, exuding a refined scholarly air. He closed the door behind him and called out to the house with a smile, "Ah Xuan, look what I've brought back!"

  The woman who was making clothes in the house heard the sound and her eyes lit up, she supported her waist and came out of the house, asking with a hint of shyness, "What did you bring?"

  The man pulled the woman into his arms, rubbed her cheek, and said with a spoiled tone, "Guess!"

  The girl thought for a moment and suddenly exclaimed with delight, "Is it Yun Sha?"

  The man smiled and pulled out a bundle of cloth from his bosom, which turned out to be a piece of moon-white cloud brocade. He stroked it gently and said, "Last time I said I would make a few undershirts for the child, and this cloud silk is the thinnest and most delicate, perfect for making undershirts. Unfortunately, this kind of silk is produced in the western part of Shu and is hard to come by. Today, I happened to pass by the Caoyi workshop and saw that they had some for sale, so I cut a piece and brought it back. It's just enough to make two sets of undershirts for the child, I knew you'd be delighted!"

  The girl's face lit up with joy, but she immediately became worried and asked, "Cloud silk is expensive, Brother Xiu, where did you get the silver?"

  She paused, composed herself and said, "Xiu Gege is the top scholar of this dynasty, he should have been an official, but he offended Pei Xiang, who has the power to control everything, and has been suppressing his appointment all along. I don't know when he will be able to get a job. He doesn't want to accept my parents' support, we don't have much savings either, just waiting for our resources to run out... and now that I'm pregnant... the future is still long..."

  She bit her lip, "This cloud gauze, return it!"

  That man hastily said, "The young grandson of the Zhongding Marquis refused to study, so the Zhongding Marquis invited me to teach him. This is part of the tuition he gave, without touching our savings. Our child will be born next month, and although Yunsha fabric is precious, other fabrics are stiff, making inner shirts that might hurt the child."

  "I've been wanting to buy a piece of cloud gauze for a long time, and now that I've finally seen it, I'll just cut off a piece. It's not like I'm wasting money. Take it away, don't return it!"

  He sighed softly, "Pei Xiang is my grandfather and I am his closest blood relative. At this moment, he is grieving over the death of his eldest grandson, so he has been misled by petty people and vented his grievances on me, suppressing my orders and making things difficult for me everywhere. But after this period of time, when he comes to his senses, he will definitely let me recognize my ancestors and return to my roots. When I become an official and have a salary, I can at least afford to dress my mother and son in a few pieces of cloud brocade."

  The girl hesitated for a moment and finally nodded, "That's okay."

  Ming Xuan gazed at the back of this loving couple, and her heart felt increasingly astonished. She was standing right in front of them, but they seemed to be completely ignoring her, or... were they truly unable to see her? Her mind was filled with doubts and confusion. At that moment, the scene shifted rapidly, still within this small courtyard, but the scenery had changed dramatically. The spring flowers had already wilted, and the entire yard was desolate and barren, filled with decay and death.

  A team of officers burst through the gate, quickly surrounding the house and pushing out a bewildered man from inside. With an air of authority, they shouted, "Han Xiu, suspected of murdering the only son of the Governor of Jingzhao, the evidence is solid! We have come to arrest you, I hope you can be sensible and not make unnecessary resistance, which will also save yourself some trouble!"

  The woman in the house hurried out, followed by two boys, and still holding a girl in her arms. She stood in front of the man and asked loudly, "My husband is the top scholar appointed by the emperor, a student of the imperial academy. How can you tarnish his reputation at will? You say you are from the Ministry of Justice and have come to take my husband away. Where is the arrest warrant? Without official documents, how can I believe you are really officials? What evidence do you have? If the Ministry of Justice frames my husband with false charges, the Gu family will not let this go!"

  The leading official sneered, "Does Madam Han want to see the arrest warrant? Of course, it exists. As for evidence, Han Xiu had a falling out with the only son of the Prefect of Beijing over a trivial matter, which is a well-known fact in the city. On that day, the young master of the Prefect's family was murdered after quarreling with Han Xiu, and his body was thrown outside the city walls. At the time, there were also people who testified to seeing Han Xiu passing by the place where the body was hidden. The Prefect's son still held Han Xiu's jade pendant in his hand. With both human and material evidence present, does Madam Han still want to deny it for Han Xiu?"

  "He snorted coldly, 'We are just doing our duty, Madam Han, please don't make things difficult for us. Take the prisoner away!'"

  In the blink of an eye, Ming Xuan seemed to be back in the humble inner chamber. She raised her head and saw a frail woman lying on the bed, pale-faced, looking like she was about to breathe her last. A man sat beside the bed, his face filled with sorrow and grief, choking back sobs as he asked, "Sister, is there anything else you want to entrust me with? I'll do whatever it takes."

  The woman forced a smile and shook her head, "My illness is incurable, even if I'm rescued and treated again it would be in vain. What I'm worried about are my father, mother, and three children. My brother is filial, so I don't need to worry about our parents, and he has also promised to take care of my children, what else do I have to worry about?"

  Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she said in a low voice, "If there's something that can't be put down, then there's one more thing. My husband was framed and wrongly killed by Pei Xiang's blessing. Now Pei Xiang's power is overwhelming, and it's hard to clear this injustice. But the moon has its phases of waxing and waning, and fortunes also have their ups and downs. When the moon is full, it will inevitably decline, and even the greatest power will slowly lose its influence. One day, the Emperor will be wary of Pei Xiang, and when that time comes..."

  Her eyes flashed with determination and desperation, "Brother, if you have the ability, please clear my husband's name of injustice. I want my children to live with dignity, not like now, being treated as children of a murderer, wherever they go, being pointed at, gossiped about and ridiculed!"

  After getting a solemn promise, the woman smiled and left. The three children rushed forward, and for a time, the room was filled with wailing cries.

  Ming Xuan's confusion deepened, and suddenly a thought struck him. He remembered that the deceased woman lying on the couch had a face that was identical to hers!

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