Chapter 78

Translator: She.Wee
Editor: KitKat

—

Kang Hong was swiftly detained. Most of the Generals under him were unaware of his actions and were quite loyal to him. Seeing Kang Hong being accused of such crimes, they believed there must be some hidden truth or that he had been framed. Many of them tried to find ways to rescue him or plead for his innocence. Perhaps the death of Zuo Qiu had made them wary; the Deputy General, fearing that Xiao Zhige might preemptively execute Kang Hong, even plotted to break him out of prison.

Xiao Zhige did not comment on this. Being a man who had risen through the military ranks, he did not overly suppress or harshly reprimand these loyal but deceived Generals. Instead, he had his men quickly take control of Yongzhou’s defenses while he began to compile the evidence of Kang Hong’s numerous crimes.

Some of Kang Hong’s confidants, who knew the inside story, secretly sent letters to Yejing. Xiao Zhige did not dispatch anyone to intercept these letters. However, if these letters reached the Third Prince in Yejing, it was likely that what awaited these Generals would not be rescue, but a death warrant.

Three days later, Yongzhou was completely under Xiao Zhige’s control. The rebels in Guangping County had all surrendered. Xie Ling, with his men, registered the household registrations, allowing the common people to return to the city. Meanwhile, in the square of the government office, Kang Hong, his confidants, and several bandit leaders were shackled and awaited judgment.

Xiao Zhige sat in the chief position, with the powerful families of Yongzhou, acting as witnesses, all present.

One after another, boxes of account books were carried in by soldiers. These were the “tributes” that the powerful families had handed over to Kang Hong over the years, and the amounts were staggering. In addition, there were confessions from several bandits, revealing that they were originally soldiers in the Yongzhou army. When they were still unknown, Kang Hong had transferred them out of the military camp, erasing their names from the military registry and fabricating their deaths. On the other hand, he secretly trained them in the mountains, raising them as his private army. Over two or three years, their numbers had grown to three thousand.

During the Yongzhou uprising, these hidden private soldiers, under Kang Hong’s orders, disguised themselves as bandits and raised the flag of rebellion. Their true purpose was to incite the refugees and escalate the unrest, thereby giving the Crown Prince a charge of failing to suppress the rebellion. Although there was no direct evidence linking the Third Prince to this, the truth now laid bare before the people was that Kang Hong had been receiving enormous bribes, raising a private army, harboring ambitions of rebellion, and conspiring against the State.

Xiao Zhige was in no hurry to execute Kang Hong. Before the people of Yongzhou, and in front of the loyal Generals who supported Kang Hong, he presented the evidence, stripping away Kang Hong’s façade layer by layer.

With irrefutable evidence and testimonies, Kang Hong’s crimes were undeniable. Even the Generals who had once been loyal to him had nothing to say.

The onlookers praised the wisdom and benevolence of the Northern Warlord, calling him a blessing to the people.

Kang Hong, now a prisoner, looked around in a daze. When his eyes met Xiao Zhige’s stern face, he let out a bitter laugh. Xiao Zhige did not order his execution immediately; instead, he intended to send him and the other criminals to Yejing for judgment. However, when Kang Hong thought of his family in Yejing, bitterness filled his throat. He could not afford to return to Yejing alive.

Xiao Zhige wouldn’t kill him, but he had to die.

That night, Kang Hong committed suicide in prison, overwhelmed by guilt. Xiao Zhige was not surprised when he received the news; Kang Hong was destined to die, but Xiao Zhige had no intention of killing him with his own hands. This way, no one could use Kang Hong’s death as an excuse to blame Xiao Zhige.

Moreover, with the Crown Prince still in power, the Third Prince might still be of use.

That night, Xiao Zhige pretended to be unaware of the situation. The next day, when the prison guards reported Kang Hong’s death, he gathered everyone to explain the situation. He then ordered that Kang Hong’s body, along with those of the other criminals, be sent back to Yejing. The Generals who had once served under Kang Hong had no grounds for complaint. On the contrary, the Deputy General who had previously attempted to break Kang Hong out of prison showed a look of shame. After hesitating for a few moments, he knelt on one knee and pleaded for forgiveness, thanking Xiao Zhige for his mercy.

Seeing the Deputy General submit, the other Generals followed suit. Although these Generals were not as trustworthy as those Xiao Zhige had personally trained, they were still of some use. Therefore, Xiao Zhige did not make things difficult for them and allowed them to remain in their original positions, each performing their duties.

These sub-commanders were filled with gratitude and became even more obedient to him. When they followed Xie Ling to see that all the surrounding refugees had come to surrender and had been properly settled, they were filled with even greater respect.

The civil unrest in Yongzhou City was essentially pacified. The methods used were much more moderate compared to those in Qingzhou, but perhaps the powerful families in Yongzhou were fearful of his tactics. They took the initiative to donate their wealth and lands, and if there were any criminals in their families, they did not wait for Xiao Zhige to send people to arrest them; they tied them up and delivered them themselves. Every one of them was very obedient. Xiao Zhige accepted their donations and used them all for the resettlement of the refugees.

As most of the refugees in Yongzhou were properly resettled, the refugees attacking Ruanzhou also heard the news. By this time, the situation in Qingzhou and Yongzhou had spread to many States and Counties in the South. The powerful families feared that he would target them, but the common people praised him. Some scholars in rural areas even wrote poems to praise him. The fierce reputation of the Northern Warlord was no longer heard, replaced by the good name of wisdom and benevolence that spread across the South.

Many of the refugees attacking Ruanzhou also flocked to Yongzhou upon hearing this. The small portion that refused to submit mostly harbored other intentions. Xiao Zhige showed no mercy and personally led his troops to wipe out this small group of rebels in early December.

Thus, the unrest that had disturbed three States had completely been brought to an end.

However, the resettlement of refugees in the two areas still required time, and the military needed to maintain a deterrent presence. It was not possible to return to Yanzhou immediately. Xiao Zhige gazed in the direction of Yanzhou from afar, his thoughts drifting to one concern: Now that it was December, Nuo Nuo should be about to give birth.

—

Yanzhou, the General’s Residence.

An Chang Qing’s belly had grown very large, making it difficult to walk without feeling the heavy burden. The movements of the children inside his womb had become increasingly noticeable. Hu Shifei had been right; he was indeed carrying twins. Perhaps it was some kind of mysterious father-child connection, but he could already feel the differences in the movements of each child. One was more lively, with strong kicks that made his belly bulge slightly. The other was quieter, with gentler, softer movements.

An Chang Qing sat in the courtyard, glancing toward the entrance with a hint of disappointment on his face—today was already December 10th, and Hu Shifei had said that his due date would be around the 15th. Since there was still no news from Xiao Zhige, it seemed likely that he wouldn’t make it back in time.

He gently caressed his belly and softly said, “Your father probably won’t make it back in time. Let’s give him a surprise.”

Under his palm, his belly gently bulged as if in agreement. An Chang Qing smiled and slowly stood up to take a walk in the pavilion. Although he was scheduled for a C-section, Hu Shifei insisted that he walk around more. The stronger his body, the faster his recovery would be after the delivery.

Yu Xiao, who was standing nearby, quickly came to support him, but An Chang Qing smiled and waved him off, saying there was no need. Despite the inconvenience of his large belly, the two children were well-behaved and did not cause him much discomfort. Other than his heavy and clumsy gait, he felt even stronger than before.

After finishing his walk, Lady Yu brought over some nourishing soup. She had been personally preparing various soups and medicinal tonics for An Chang Qing in recent days. An Chang Qing obediently took the bowl and slowly drank the soup. Lady Yu sat across from him, her expression filled with worry, several times wanting to say something but holding back. When An Chang Qing finished the soup, she quickly concealed her worries with a smile and said, “The delivery room is ready. When the time comes, Dr. Hu and Yu Xiao will be there to help with the delivery. Your mother and sister will also be there with you, so don’t be afraid.”

She seemed to want to say more, but stopped herself.

An Chang Qing understood her concerns. He was disappointed that Xiao Zhige hadn’t returned yet, but the others were even more anxious, likely fearing that he would be saddened, so they didn’t dare to bring it up.

He smiled, took her hand, and reassured her, “I’m not afraid.”

Lady Yu patted his head as she had when he was a child, but secretly sighed. She had no strong attachment to her lineage or ancestry—she had long since made peace with her past. But now, seeing An Chang Qing with his large belly, about to go through the life-threatening ordeal of childbirth, she couldn’t help but feel regret. If she had found her relatives, perhaps her son wouldn’t have to face such unknown fears and dangers.

An Chang Qing noticed her melancholy expression and, not wanting her to dwell on negative thoughts, began to comfort her by changing the subject, “Yu’er should be back soon, right?”

An Xian Yu had been thriving in the women’s academy. Her talents were exceptional, making her more than capable of educating the young ladies there. In addition, she was beautiful and had a gentle temperament, earning her great praise from the students. The academy, which had initially enrolled only daughters from poor families, had grown in reputation, and now daughters of wealthy families and even officials were being sent there. The academy was flourishing, and An Xian Yu, who had joined early on, had become the dean’s right-hand assistant, even busier than An Chang Qing. She had taken leave to be with him during his delivery.

“She should be back by this evening,” Lady Yu smiled and replied. “She took ten days off, saying she wanted to take good care of her little nephews and nieces so that they would be close to her in the future.”

An Xian Yu had said this ever since she found out that he was carrying twins. Twins were considered a good omen in Daye, and dragon-phoenix twins even more so. An Xian Yu had always talked about wanting a little niece to teach and guide in the future.

Talking about the children softened both their expressions.

An Chang Qing was about to say something when he suddenly heard someone shouting from a distance, “Wangye is back! Wangye is back!”

An Chang Qing was stunned. He turned to look and saw An Fu running toward him in a hurry, shouting as he came closer. Still in a daze, he thought that if Xiao Zhige had indeed returned with his 20,000 troops, there would have been a large commotion, and someone should have informed them much earlier.

As he pondered whether An Fu had misheard, a black horse suddenly galloped past An Fu, covering the distance in just a few strides before stopping in the courtyard. The rider, a man covered in dust, swiftly dismounted and strode toward the pavilion.

An Chang Qing stared at him, forgetting to stand up.

Xiao Zhige removed his heavy cloak, greeted Lady Yu, and then moved toward the heater in the pavilion to warm himself, his deep black eyes fixed steadily on An Chang Qing. “I made it back.”

Lady Yu, seeing this, quietly retreated with Yu Xiao.

An Chang Qing stared at him without blinking for a long moment before suddenly throwing himself into his arms, wrapping his arms around Xiao Zhige’s sturdy waist without saying a word.

“Careful of your belly, I’m cold,” Xiao Zhige caught him, torn between the desire to hold him tight to quell his longing and the fear of chilling him with his cold body. He could only awkwardly hold him loosely.

“I thought you wouldn’t make it back,” An Chang Qing sniffed and looked up at him.

The man’s face was rough, his lips chapped, and his chin was covered in stubble, showing that he had rushed back without rest.

The warmth of the pavilion had already dispelled the cold. Xiao Zhige let out a deep sigh, carefully wrapping his arms around An Chang Qing’s waist, resting his chin on his neck, and gently rubbing it. “Things in the South are not yet finished. I’ve left Xie Ling to handle them.”

How could he bear to let him enter the delivery room alone? He had handed over the Southern affairs to Xie Ling and Tie Hu, then rushed back with only a dozen men, fearing he wouldn’t make it in time for the birth.

An Chang Qing nestled into his embrace, smiling joyfully.

Xiao Zhige lifted his head and gently kissed the top of his head. “You’ve had a hard time these past few days.”

He had left in October, and now it was December. They had been apart for nearly three months. Though he had managed to endure the loneliness and longing when they were apart, now that they were together again, his yearning seemed endless, even more intense than during their separation.

Xiao Zhige didn’t want to let go of him, but he was afraid of pressing against his belly. After much thought, he finally lifted him in his arms, sat on the soft couch, and placed An Chang Qing on his lap.

An Chang Qing wasn’t too happy about it, but Xiao Zhige held him tightly and wouldn’t let go. He narrowed his eyes and pinched Xiao Zhige, grumbling, “You’re setting a bad example. Don’t corrupt the two children!”

“They don’t know anyth—” Xiao Zhige started to say but then froze, his expression turning to shock. “Two children?”

Seeing his stunned expression, An Chang Qing proudly touched his belly and raised his chin. “Yes, Dr. Hu said I’m carrying twins.”