lovenovelstory Chapter 260 Yunluan, you too must bear me children!
Chapter 260 Yunluan, you too must bear me children!
The inner hall of Huaqing Palace.
The candles were lit, and their orange-red glow spread throughout the hall, bathing everything in a warm color.
The palace maid Qiuyue came forward, took the cloak she had taken off, and asked cautiously:
"Your Highness, would you like to take a bath tonight?"
Xu Fenghua shook her head.
"No need," she said. "You can go now."
Qiu Yue was slightly taken aback, then bowed:
"Yes."
She stepped down.
The palace doors closed gently.
Inside the hall, only Xu Fenghua remained.
She stood still, motionless.
The candlelight flickered across her face, casting her dignified features in shifting light and shadow.
for a long time.
She slowly turned around and walked to the window.
Open the window.
A night breeze swept in, carrying the chill of early winter, and ruffled the stray hairs at her temples.
She gazed out the window at the deep night and at the cold, clear moon.
then,
She slowly sat down.
He sat in that rosewood armchair.
My gaze fell on the window, which was empty and deep.
Thoughts surged through my mind like a tidal wave.
Everything that happened today flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern.
Qin Mu suddenly appeared in the Imperial Garden at dawn.
The candied hawthorns and sugar figurines on the street, and those vibrant smiling faces.
The idle chatter of the common people in the teahouse, the things she had never heard before.
The old fortune teller said, "You're having a girl."
Qin Mu said, "There's one less child."
And those conversations on the carriage—
"I hope it's a girl."
"It will certainly be as Your Majesty wishes."
"That would be best."
Xu Fenghua slowly raised her hand.
It landed on the lower abdomen.
There, it remains as flat as ever.
I can't feel anything.
But she knew that a life was being conceived there.
A girl.
She and Qin Mu's girl.
Xu Fenghua's tears fell silently.
Tears streamed down her pale cheeks, dripping onto her moon-white dress and leaving a small, dark stain.
She didn't know why she was crying.
Perhaps it's because of fear.
Perhaps it's because of the contradiction.
Perhaps it's because—
She suddenly realized that she didn't want to abort the child anymore.
This thought came without warning.
But like a bolt of lightning, it cleaved through the chaos in her heart.
She didn't want to abort the child.
She wanted to give birth to her.
I want to see her grow up healthy and strong.
I want to see her receive favor.
I want to see her—
But as soon as this thought crossed my mind, another voice began to clamor wildly in my head.
Are you crazy?!
That's Qin Mu's child!
He's the child of the Xu family's enemy!
If Xu Longxiang were to rebel—
If Xu Longxiang succeeds—
Then what is this child?
She is of royal blood, the daughter of Qin Mu.
What Xu Longxiang wanted to overthrow was the imperial family.
The person she wanted to kill was her father.
Wouldn't this child and Xu Longxiang be natural enemies?
How should she, as a mother, deal with this?
On one side is her younger brother, and on the other is her daughter.
On one side is the Xu family, and on the other is one's own flesh and blood.
Which side should she stand on?
Xu Fenghua's hands were tightly covering her lower abdomen.
His body was trembling violently.
Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.
She couldn't figure it out.
I really don't understand.
Why did fate treat her this way?
Why was it she who got pregnant with this child?
Why at this particular time?
Why—
she does not know.
She knows nothing.
All I know is that at this moment, I am sitting in this quiet hall, gazing at the deep night outside the window.
The complex emotions in her heart were so intense that they almost overwhelmed her.
I'm scared.
I'm afraid of how Xu Longxiang will react when he finds out.
I'm afraid of what fate this child will face after it's born.
She fears that one day she will have to choose between her brother and her daughter.
There is a contradiction.
On one side is a 20-year-old sibling relationship, and on the other is a blood connection formed during a ten-month pregnancy.
On one side is the Xu family's century-old legacy, and on the other is this innocent little life.
What should she choose?
Xu Fenghua's tears flowed even more fiercely.
........
The night wind blew through the palace walls, carrying the crispness unique to early winter, stirring the palace lanterns hanging under the corridors, their light and shadows swaying erratically on the ground.
Qin Mu walked ahead, his pace neither hurried nor slow.
His moon-white robe gleamed with a warm luster in the night, and the cloud patterns embroidered with silver thread appeared and disappeared with his steps, moving like living things on the hem of his garment.
The corners of his mouth still held that ambiguous smile.
But deep within those deep eyes, a rare, soft light appeared at that moment.
He didn't expect it.
I really didn't expect that.
Xu Fenghua was actually the first woman in his harem to get pregnant.
As Qin Mu gazed at the deep night ahead, countless images flashed through his mind.
He had only been on the throne for a little over six months, yet the number of his concubines in the harem had expanded from the initial twelve to the current thirty-six.
Those women each had their own beauty and their own merits.
Consort Wan, Su Wanqing, was gentle, graceful, and understanding. Every time she served the emperor, she was as docile as a pool of spring water.
She never vied for his favor, never overstepped her bounds, but simply stayed quietly in her own Lan Yue Pavilion, waiting for his occasional visit.
Consort Rong was beautiful and lively, and loved to act coquettishly and act childish in front of him.
Every time he came, she was as happy as a little bird, chirping and chattering nonstop, wanting to tell him all the new things that happened.
Consort De, Consort Xian, Consort Liang, Consort Shu...
He had thought about each and every one of them.
I wondered if one of them would get pregnant with his child first.
I also thought about Jiang Qingxue.
That woman from the North was as aloof as snow and as stubborn as a plum blossom.
She entered the palace the latest, yet she occupies a special place in his heart.
Especially after last night, when she finally let down her guard and gave herself to him completely—
He even wondered if it could be her?
But to my utter surprise...
It turned out to be Xu Fenghua.
The woman he forcibly took as a concubine, whose nightly service to him felt like going to his execution.
That woman whose eyes always held hatred, yet she had to force a smile.
She would become the first woman to bear his child.
A meaningful smile slowly curved the corners of Qin Mu's lips.
"I never expected that she would be the first one to get pregnant."
Actually, Qin Mu noticed it as soon as he saw her today.
How could I possibly hide it from him?
He's a terrestrial deity.
Nothing in the world can hide from him.
He could clearly sense the faint yet real life force emanating from her from the moment she stepped into his sight.
At that moment, a complex and indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.
I was surprised.
There's a surprise.
There is also a kind of softness that is hard to describe.
He watched her reading in the pavilion, watched her kneel down with a slight bow, and watched the fleeting panic and tension in her amber eyes.
Especially when she kneels down, she will subconsciously use her hands to protect her lower abdomen.
When she walks, her pace is slower and more steady than usual.
When sitting, she chooses a more comfortable posture to avoid putting pressure on her waist and abdomen.
These subtle changes might go unnoticed by others.
But he saw it immediately.
Moreover, he could tell that Xu Longxiang cared a lot.
No matter what she says or what she thinks, her instinctive, subconscious actions don't lie.
The little life inside her belly was more than just a "trouble" that needed to be dealt with.
She cares.
I care about it very much.
This realization filled Qin Mu with an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Whether she likes it or not, no matter what she thinks—
This child must be born.
He will not allow anyone to hurt her.
Xu Fenghua is also not an option.
Qin Mu recalled the conversation he had just had in the carriage.
"I hope it's a girl."
"It will certainly be as Your Majesty wishes."
"That would be best."
He said those words very casually.
But only he knew that it was more than just a casual remark.
He really wanted it to be a girl.
A girl like her mother, with amber eyes, dignified and resilient.
A little princess who can be cherished and pampered by everyone.
This thought softened the soft spot in his heart even more.
Qin Mu suddenly smiled.
He stopped in his tracks.
I looked up at the night sky.
The moonlight was cool and clear, and the stars twinkled.
Those stars, like millions of eyes, are silently overlooking this land.
Qin Mu gazed at the stars and suddenly spoke:
"Yunluan".
Behind them, a dark blue figure silently stepped forward.
"His Majesty."
Yunluan's voice remained clear and cold, but it was a few degrees gentler than usual.
She was still wearing that dark blue outfit, her long hair neatly tied into a high ponytail.
The moonlight shone on her, illuminating her cold and heroic face with exceptional clarity.
But at this moment, there was a hint of dazedness on that face.
She had been thinking about it ever since Qin Mu said those words.
The first woman to get pregnant was Xu Fenghua.
Xu Fenghua.
That woman who was forcibly taken into the palace, whose eyes were full of hatred, and who felt as if she was going to her execution every night when she served the emperor.
It was her.
A complex mix of emotions welled up in Yunluan's heart.
That emotion cannot be described as jealousy.
She has no right to be jealous.
She was merely a sword in His Majesty's hand, the leader of the Dragon Shadow Guard, and His Majesty's most trusted bodyguard.
That's it.
But that emotion is real.
It's a kind of indescribable...complexity.
She remembered those nights.
Those nights when I was favored by His Majesty.
Each time, she felt as if she were floating on clouds, completely overwhelmed by that unfamiliar and intense feeling.
She didn't know if that counted as serving someone in bed.
She had no official title; she was not a concubine, but merely His Majesty's bodyguard.
But if His Majesty wants her, she will give it to him.
I gave it willingly.
After those nights, she would sometimes think—
If, if she could conceive His Majesty's child...
What will it look like?
Every time this thought crossed her mind, she would forcefully suppress it.
OK.
I can't think about it.
She doesn't deserve it.
She is merely a sword.
It's just a shield.
It is merely the sharpest tool in His Majesty's hands.
Tools should not have their own thoughts.
But now, hearing His Majesty say, "She will be the first to get pregnant,"—
The soft spot in her heart, which had been suppressed for so long, trembled slightly.
Just then—
"Yunluan".
Qin Mu's voice rang out again.
Yunluan snapped back to her senses and quickly composed herself.
"Your Majesty," she replied.
Qin Mu turned around and looked at her.
The moonlight shone on his face, illuminating his handsome features in a half-light, half-shadow.
Those deep eyes were fixed on her.
With a smile.
Gentle yet profound.
"Tell me," he began, his voice soft yet each word clear, "if I were to have a daughter, what name should I give her?"
Yunluan was stunned.
She looked up at Qin Mu.
Looking into his smiling eyes, and at his face that looked especially gentle in the moonlight.
My mind went completely blank for a moment.
His Majesty……
Is His Majesty asking her?
They asked her what name the princess should have.
But she was just a guard, the leader of the Dragon Shadow Guard, a tool that only knew how to kill and protect people.
What makes her worthy of being involved in such a thing?
Yunluan's heart skipped a beat.
Immediately, she lowered her head, her voice clear and respectful:
"Your Majesty, naming the princess is a major matter, and I dare not make the decision on your behalf."
"But congratulations, Your Majesty," she said, her voice steady and clear.
"Once Consort Hua has a child, the Northern Border will lose a major ally."
She spoke calmly and analyzed things thoroughly.
This is what she, as the leader of the Dragon Shadow Guard, should say.
But only she knew that when she said those words, the complex emotions in her heart intensified.
Qin Mu looked at her.
Looking at the calm expression on that cold face, and the deliberately suppressed light in those deep eyes.
He smiled.
Then he spoke.
The voice was soft, yet every word was clear:
"You must also bear me children in the future."
Yunluan was stunned again.
This time, I was stunned for even longer.
She looked up at Qin Mu.
Those eyes were wide open, their pupils filled with disbelief and shock.
What did Your Majesty say?
she?
To bear children for His Majesty?
Her mind went blank, with only those four words echoing wildly in her head—
To have children.
To have children.
To have children.
She, Yunluan, is an assassin of the Dragon Shadow Guard, a woman whose hands are stained with blood, whose life is dedicated to killing and protecting His Majesty.
Could they also bear children for His Majesty?
A faint blush instantly spread across Yunluan's face.
The blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, then to her neck, and burned all the way into the depths of her collar.
Under the moonlight, it resembled a snowfield scorched by fire, breathtaking and awe-inspiring.
Her eyelashes trembled violently, and her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say something.
But it felt like something was blocking his throat, and he couldn't say a word.
She could only stare blankly at Qin Mu, at the gentle smile on his lips.
for a long time.
She finally managed to squeeze out a sound.
Her voice was hoarse and trembling, carrying a cautious fear she had never shown to anyone before:
"Your Majesty is joking..."
She paused, took a deep breath, and then continued:
"This subordinate dares not ask for more."
Qin Mu's smile deepened as he looked at her.
He stepped forward and walked up to her.
Moonlight shone in from behind, gilding his moon-white robe with a silver edge.
He stretched out his hand.
His slender fingers gently lifted her chin.
This forced her to look up at him.
Those deep eyes were right in front of her.
"Yunluan," he said softly, emphasizing each word, "your role is far more important than that of the concubines in the palace."
His fingers gently stroked her chin.
The touch was warm, with a thin callus.
"You are the one who is by my side—"
He paused, his gaze deep and unfathomable:
"The person I trust most."