Chapter 69

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

When An Chang Qing was little, he had always wondered why his father would treat him differently from all his brothers. Whether it was the An family’s New Year banquet or an acquaintance’s invitation, he would always be left out and ignored. To make things worse, the servants would occasionally mock him by reminding him of the old days when he and Lady Yu were still the apple of An Zhi Ke’s eyes. But the more he listened and hoped, the more far-fetched those glorious days felt. Gradually, he only felt helplessness and disappointment in his father and learned to not expect anything from him.

But the question still lingered and as he dared not ask Lady Yu for fear it would bring up unpleasant memories for her, he could only keep them buried in his heart.

Later, after being with Xiao Zhige and learning to let go of his grievances regarding An Zhi Ke, he no longer felt any attachment to his father.

Unexpectedly, after he had finally let go, the knot he had always felt since childhood had been unraveled. 

Such a reason to hate his son, although seemingly ridiculously, did suit An Zhi Ke’s small minded nature.

With this, the remaining dissonance in his heart dissipated. 

An Chang Qing saw Lady Yu’s listless expression and held her hand to comfort her. “The red mark is not a big deal. What I wanted to ask you is something else.”

At this point, An Chang Qing found it hard to continue. He looked towards Xiao Zhige for support and encouragement. He then took a deep breath and spoke to Lady Yu, “Do you remember me asking you about the mermaid tribe? For the mermaid tribe, there is no distinction in gender and those who bare the red marks are able to conceive…”

“I probably have mermaid blood and… I can give birth.” The nervous An Chang Qing subconsciously touched his abdomen and finally disclosed his secret, “I’m almost four months pregnant. Mother, you’re about to become a grandmother.”

Lady Yu seemed to partly understand what she heard but also partly couldn’t understand it. She looked at An Chang Qing with a blank expression on her face.

An Chang Qing thought she needed time to digest the information so he kept quiet and waited. After a long while, Lady Yu let out a deep breath and said, “Is that true? Will it affect your health?”

She then beckoned him to stand up and carefully looked at his belly. “It’s already been four months but you don’t seem to show any symptoms. Is it possible the physician has made a mistake? How’s it possible that our family carries the mermaid bloodline…”

Lady Yu suddenly remembered that she did not know anything about her birth parents nor her bloodline. She thought deeply and finally sighed with guilt, “This is my fault, I brought this upon you.” Because she came from the brothel, her children were frequently ostracized for it and now, due to her unknown bloodline, her eldest son was clearly a man but had gotten pregnant…

“How is it your fault? I won’t be here if you didn’t give birth to me.” An Chang Qing saw her guilt stricken look and tried to comfort her, “Although it was too sudden and unbelievable at first, I’ve come to believe that this child is a blessing.”

“Wangye also feels the same, isn’t it right?” An Chang Qing looked towards Xiao Zhige and gave him a wink.

Xiao Zhige immediately responded positively, “That’s right. This child carries Nuo Nuo’s and my blood, we are really looking forward to having him. It’s just that a man conceiving is unheard of so we are only checking if mother has any knowledge of this.”

Lady Yu earnestly tried to recall her past but she really couldn’t remember anything about her birth parents. Her earliest memories were of her being sold to the brothel where she was taught poetry, calligraphy, and music. As she got older, her reputation spread and she began serving more esteemed guests. It was then that she met and fell in love with An Zhi Ke and eventually married him.

“I really have no recollection. The only item that could provide any clue is the twin fish jade pendant that was left together with my baby swaddle. Because there is a letter ‘yu’ carved on it, I’ve taken it as my surname.”

The couple had thought that if anyone should know about the mermaid tribe, it would be Lady Yu but it seemed she was not in the know either. They could only sigh inwardly and to avoid making Lady Yu blame herself, An Chang Qing comforted, “It’s alright if mother doesn’t know, Wangye will have someone investigate this. You’ve been on the road these few days and should be tired by now. I have told An Fu to prepare the courtyard, why don’t you go have a rest first?”

Lady Yu sighed and could only agree to follow them to the courtyard to settle down.

Seeing that everything in the courtyard had been in place, An Chang Qing and Xiao Zhige returned to their room after making sure that Lady Yu and An Xian Yu had comfortably moved in.

Lately, An Chang Qing had been feeling drowsy and needed to rest early. Xiao Zhige was well aware of this new habit. After bathing, he brought out a small wooden basin filled with warm water for An Chang Qing to soak his feet.

August was a month of hot weather. An Chang Qing was wearing a loose and short robe, exposing his ivory white calves. Xiao Zhige did not mind if it was a menial task for the servants; he bent down to help An Chang Qing take off his shoes and soaked his feet in the warm water. 

The man knelt on one knee and placed An Chang Qing’s foot on his other knee. He then began kneading An Chang Qing’s sole. The usually cold and expressionless face was only ever gentle when facing An Chang Qing. It was an affectionate expression no one else had seen.

An Chang Qing pursed his lips and showed a smiled, “If people were to find out that the Northern Warlord washes his Wangfei’s feet, I’m afraid you won’t be able to maintain your authority.”

“Authority is only used to treat outsiders. Nuo Nuo is naturally different.” Xiao Zhige responded while keeping his focus on massaging for An Chang Qing. 

An Chang Qing was thinking about teasing him but Xiao Zhige’s words unexpectedly pierced his heart. An Chang Qing stretched his foot and touched Xiao Zhige’s chest with the tip of his toe and said, “Wangye is also different.”

Xiao Zhige raised his head and looked at him, his eyes filled with affection.

An Chang Qing smiled back at him and said the words he had been keeping in his heart, “I’m only willing to give birth to Wangye’s child.” If it had been someone else, and even if he knew he could give birth, regardless whether it was safe or not, as a man, he  would still not agree to conceive a child. 

But since this person was Xiao Zhige, all feelings of uneasiness and unacceptance were replaced with joy. Just like Xiao Zhige refusing to take in a concubine and cutting off his own bloodline, proving his devotion towards him, he could also overcome the psychological discomfort of having a child within him. As long as he thought of how this child would carry Xiao Zhige’s blood, all his anxieties were turned into conviction.

And Xiao Zhige’s every word and action only strengthened this conviction.

Now that he looked back at their previous lives, apart from feeling regret over his cowardice and passivity, he was also grateful for this life. Grateful that the heavens had given him a chance to start over, grateful that on the day of their wedding, he had reached out to hold his hands.

That was the start of their life together. From then on, despite any storms and hardship, they will get through it together.

Xiao Zhige dried his feet with a towel and then planted a soft kiss on the top of his foot and said lovingly, “It’s been hard on Nuo Nuo.”

An Chang Qing rolled himself into the blanket with some embarrassment. He peeked out from the blanket, smiled and said, “Not as bad as Wangye.”

Xiao Zhige saw his smile and his Adam’s apple moved, “It’s nothing worth mentioning. I’m going to pour out the water.”

After speaking, he picked up the water bucket and walked out. Although his pace was steady, there was a slight panic in his step. 

An Chang Qing waited for him to get into bed and snuggled into his arms.

Ever since they have confirmed An Chang Qing’s pregnancy, Xiao Zhige had been strictly following the do’s and don’ts. So when things got overwhelming for him, he would simply go out to train and drain his energy before coming back.

An Chang Qing had been feeling a little itchy himself and began touching Xiao Zhige with some bad intentions.

Xiao Zhige took a deep breath and tried to control his urge. He hugged An Chang Qing’s shoulder to keep him from moving. 

An Chang Qing pouted and complained, “Dr. Hu said it’s fine after the first trimester…”

Xiao Zhige was slightly tempted by his insistence but considering the unusual nature of An Chang Qing’s pregnancy, he dared not take any risks. He straightened his resolve by holding An Chang Qing tight to restrict his wandering hands and ordered, “Stop talking. Go to sleep.”

Since his scheme fell through, An Chang Qing sulked and obediently rested his head against Xiao Zhige’s chest to sleep.

…

The next day, An Chang Qing went out with Lady Yu and An Xian Yu. Back in Yejing, strict customs restricted the ladies of noble families from leaving the house but these rules did not apply to Yanzhou. They could leave the manor anytime they wanted.

The streets of Yanzhou had become livelier compared to when An Chang Qing had first arrived. Without having to worry about the Beidi’s invasion, the people had set up shops and stalls and the bustling sound of the marketplace could be heard.

Initially, the stores did not do very well but with the arrival of the Common Man’s Army, the populace skyrocketed and with the money they earned from working on the farms and construction, they could turn to the local stores to procure items that they needed. This had, in turn, made the streets increasingly crowded.

Lady Yu and An Xian Yu, who for years had believed that Yanzhou was a desolate wasteland, were surprised at the sight. Yanzhou was a much livelier and prosperous place than they had imagined.

An Chang Qing introduced  them to the customs and cultures of Yanzhou as they strolled the street, enjoying the freedom they had never had back in Yejing. 

After a while, Lady Yu was a bit tired and An Chang Qing led her to a teahouse to rest.

The three and their two bodyguards had just sat down when they heard a storyteller slam the table and say in a resounding voice, “This time, let me tell you the story about the past lives of the Northern Warlord and his Wangfei. One was the God of War from the Heavenly Realm while the other was the Demon Fox King of the Demonic Realm…”

The teahouse patrons all cheered with oomph, obviously eager for the new stories.

“!!!” An Chang Qing almost spit out his tea. It took him some effort to swallow it down but it caused him to choke instead. 

He looked at the guards who seemed to know something with wide eyes and tried to ask calmly, “What’s going on?”

Lady Yu was also surprised. An Xian Yu was stretching out her neck enthusiastically, trying to catch the story teller’s words as they had arrived late and were sitting at the back of the room.

The two guards then proudly explained, “The people of Yejing have great admiration for Wangye and Wangfei. Many scripts singing your praises have been written and spread all the way to Yanzhou. When our scholars saw that, we naturally refused to fall behind. Wangye had been fighting for Yanzhou for so many years and Wangfei has given great effort in improving the people’s lives; how can we lose to Yejing in paying homage to you and Wangye? Therefore, the scholars have been writing poems and other literature about you two!”

But poems weren’t popular amongst the common folks, storytellers preferred to weave fictitious scripts to tout the Northern Warlord and his Wangfei’s popularity. At the moment, the most popular scripts were about Wangye and Wangfei’s previous lives. Wherever this story was being told, the venue was sure to be packed!

Even the soldiers in the camps had become the envy of the people simply because they get to meet Wangye and Wangfei everyday!