Chapter 1036: Disturbing results (1/2)

Han Yunxi really did recall an extremely important thing--one that would affect Long Feiye’s future kingdom and state. That was the matter of a son.

Her other hand snuck out of its sleeves to carefully take her pulse. She had been secretly preparing for a pregnancy. By avoiding tea, she would avoid affecting the iron absorption in her blood and aggravating anemia. She had been so busy these past few days that her qi and blood were both a little lacking. Due to preparations for the punitive expedition to the north, she hadn’t even had time to notice her monthly friend was late for its usual visit.

Could it be…

Han Yunxi wore a disturbed, nervous expression as she tested her pulse. Yet the results soon upset her further because there was no pregnancy pulse. Even modern methods and tests had no guarantee of positively detecting pregnancies. The best thing to do was a blood test and ultrasound, so Han Yunxi wasn’t wholly disappointed by her lack of results. She only felt more tense and uneasy. There was no way to predict such things beyond waiting.[1]

Withdrawing her hand, Han Yunxi turned to face Long Feiye, who slackened his hold on her but didn’t let go. She was close enough to almost bump noses with him. Looking at his handsome face, she couldn’t help but imagine what their children would look like. Would it be a girl or a boy? Would they resemble him more, or her?

He’s definitely the type to dote on children, right? Han Yunxi mused. More and more, she wanted to see what Long Feiye would be like as a father. She personally hoped their first child was a girl, because she wondered what it’d feel for Long Feiye to have a little admirer of his own. If the first child was a girl, they would have more happy, carefree days for a bit. A boy would become the eldest son and be expected to shoulder heavy responsibilities in the future alongside his father. How could he be allowed to relax?

Children born in a royal household had inherent differences and were destined to shoulder more than other kids! Han Yunxi wasn’t childish enough to dream of denying this reality from her children. She hoped that her brood would be diligent and assiduous, possessing both wisdom and the courage to undertake their responsibilities. At least she could help them avoid the cruel competition of royal families. Yet it was then that she realized she was thinking too far ahead.

Right now, there was no kingdom and her womb wasn’t doing her any favors! If Long Feiye opened his eyes, he would see Han Yunxi’s peeved expression, which looked extremely foolish. Unable to fall asleep, she began to wonder how to discuss the delay for the campaign with the Di Clan delegation. Since Long Feiye had already told Tang Li his plan, the decision was set. There would be no other changes. The battle against the Di Clan delegation would be a formidable tasks. For the sake of going north in spring, they had already made ample preparations and were simply waiting for Long Feiye and Han Yunxi to return to Three-Way Black Market to settle the details for a few major things. It was approaching the new year now, so if they told them the plan was delayed for at least two more months, what would they think?

--

At this moment, the military, trade consortium, and Myriad Merchant Hall Council of Elder representatives were currently holding a secret meeting that had started since this morning. They had no idea that Long Feiye intended to delay the campaign and assumed that the Baili Army delegation had been held back by the snowstorm. This wasn’t the first of such covert meetings. In past sessions, they had discussed how to stick to their guns and maintain Di Clan powers during the alliance with East Qin. They had even pinned down which factions would take the initiative on the battlefield while another waited and watched for problems. These were all complicated questions, especially in light of the fact that the Di Clan themselves weren’t a united front. Before Long Feiye met with them, they had to sort out a conclusion by themselves.

Naturally, they had hoped to contact Ning Cheng directly and have him decide, because then there’d be no objections. Nor would they be debating so long. Unfortunately, there was no way for them to reach Ning Cheng directly. All news regarding him came from Ning Jing, and what she knew came from Bai Yuqiao’s spies within Jun Yixie’s camp. Ever since Jun Yixie took Ning Cheng away, Bai Yuqiao was their most direct channel of communications. She was a cautious type and knew that the less people involved in communicating, the better. Unless it was absolutely necessary, she would never deliver any letters to the army, much less allow her helpers to deliver messages from Ning Cheng.

According to Bai Yuqiao’s observations, the Di Clan could simply listen to Han Yunxi since she was around. Ning Cheng only needed to control Jun Yixie’s side! Many members of the Di Clan were guarded around Ning Jing, especially since she had married off to another clan. Moreover, her husband was Tang Li of all people. Just like that, the military, trade consortium, and Myriad Merchant Hall stopped interrogating Ning Jing about the expedition details and used a group discussion to figure out a solution. Because of that, precious few letters came from Myriad Merchant Hall to Tiger’s Den. Hao San waited for an entire day with no results before doubling back.

Uncle Cheng was unable to break the code on the letter, because Ning Jing had used a special code passed down to the Di Clan’s main bloodline. Besides Ning Cheng, only Ning Nuo would be able to decipher the numbers. When Hao San reported this to Jun Yixie, he was deeply disappointed. Without a way to break through the secrets, there was no point in intercepting further letters. Moreover, keeping this one out of the blue would alert their targets, so after some hesitation, he decided to allow Bai Yuqiao to keep sending her messages.

“Have you talked with that Old Cheng?” Jun Yixie asked coldly.

Bai Yuqiao’s secret delivery proved that Uncle Cheng hadn’t been lying, but he still didn’t understand why the man would sell out Ning Cheng.

“Master, he wouldn’t speak to this servant. He told this servant to pass on a message,” Hao San replied.

“Speak,” Jun Yixie grew curious.

“He begs master to give the Di Clan another chance based on his actions in exposing the plot. Convince Ning Cheng to cooperate with us, and if he’s willing, then we just have to control Bai Yuqiao to deal with Han Yunxi and Long Feiye,” Hao San repeated.

Jun Yixie knitted his brows before bursting into guffaws. “This lord is no fool!”

Ning Cheng had already fallen victim to a hypertoxic poison but still dared to trick him. It was obvious he was willing to throw his life away. How could he still agree to work with him?

“Master, shall I reinforce the guards around Tiger’s Den?” Hao San asked.