After Scheming Against the Enemy Nation’s Emperor, I Got Pregnant Chapter 73

Jiang Huaichu found an excuse to return to his residence.

Xiao Yun was somewhat displeased and clung to him for nearly half an incense stick’s time, pestering him and making him promise to return to the palace at bedtime to share his pillow before finally letting him go.

Back at the residence, Xie Caiqing had Ru Shi pass a message to his imperial brother—they would leave tonight, under the cover of darkness.

It just so happened that this period coincided with the time when various countries sent tribute and came to pay respects. The capital of Great Ning had eight main gates, but the court had decreed that envoys from foreign states could only enter through three of them. These delegations typically numbered in the hundreds, and guards were ordered to conduct thorough inspections to prevent anyone with malicious intent from threatening the capital. If something did happen, a strict and proper protocol could help reduce the blame that might fall on their own heads.

As a result, many of the guards from the other five gates had been reassigned to the three designated ones, meaning that security at the remaining five gates was not as tight as usual.

One of the gate commanders in charge of the city gates happened to be his man.

Since there was no reason to stay, he would leave immediately.

Every extra day spent here was an unnecessary risk, and he no longer had to bear such meaningless danger.

Silently, he had Miluo’s informants notify the necessary people. Meanwhile, Xie Caiqing packed his belongings in the room.

This day had been rehearsed many times. Everything was proceeding rapidly and secretly behind the scenes. Within less than an hour, all preparations were complete.

At most, in another hour and a half, Xiao Yun’s top scholar would vanish, and the world would be left only with Jiang Huaichu of Nanruo.

He lifted the bed board. Underneath, in a pre-packed bundle, were a new human-skin mask, plain and inconspicuous clothes, and valuables for travel.

Travel permits, official documents, and fish tokens—all were prepared.

The people coming from his imperial brother’s side were many, and they likely came even more thoroughly equipped.

Xie Caiqing took off his white robe trimmed with gold thread. Thanks to Xiao Yun’s private treasury, he could dress as lavishly as an imperial consort.

Wearing only his undergarment, he turned his head unintentionally and caught sight of himself in the bronze mirror.

In the mirror, the man had long hair draped over his shoulders. Around his neck was a thick red cord, and hanging from it was a piece of lustrous, oily white jade.

Suddenly, it didn’t quite look like him.

A flicker of confusion appeared in Jiang Huaichu’s dark, quiet eyes.

During Xiao Yun’s worst days, he would always embrace him from behind in the mornings, tormenting him while fondling the jade around his neck: “You’re mine, understand?”

“See? I’ve locked you up. You’ll never escape my grasp.”

“If fate is truly tied by the red thread of the old man under the moon, then this thread’s so thick he’d need time just to cut it. That’s more than enough time for me to tie you down with an even thicker one.”

“I’m doing great—you just don’t know it. You need to give me time, let me show you how great I really am.”

Xiao Yun would tease him in front of the mirror, voice low and lazy, laced with a mocking smile: “Do you know what it means: ‘After seeing the vast ocean, no other waters will do’? It means that once you’ve experienced someone as big as me, you’ll start to disdain others. You’ll think, ‘How could anyone be so pitiful?’ Then you’ll begin to miss me. Ah, I’m so incredible.”

“There’s another meaning too. After you’ve had someone like me, the next guy that gets inside you—well, you’ll immediately know just how much lesser he is. Compared to the ocean, a mere stream only brings shame. Men are prideful; they won’t dare touch you. You’ll be mine and mine alone.”

“Ah…”

Xiao Yun would hold him down brutally, pressing him to his limit, hugging his trembling body like a cold-blooded general skewering his enemy on a silver spear—watching the vivid, dying-flame brilliance bloom in his eyes, and say lazily: “That’s why… never meet a man too strong and too wild when you’re young. Otherwise, for the rest of your life, you’ll never feel that kind of pleasure again—except from him. Especially since you’re so young, just starting to know men. You’ll think about me forever, empty and lonely, sleepless through the night—until you finally come back to me…”

B*stard.

Jiang Huaichu cut off the memory, suppressing the heat rising to his face. He expressionlessly removed the jade from his neck.

As he carefully folded the red cord and set it down, he caught sight of the flamboyant “Yun” character engraved on the back of the jade. He paused, a strange, indescribable feeling washing over him.

His long, pale fingers gently brushed over the carved character. He pressed his lips together, then resolutely placed the jade back under the floorboards, hiding it with the bundle.

He took off his undergarment—his body was covered in red marks.

The external ones could be erased by others, but the internal ones would take time to heal.

Some features were no longer recognizable, but he would slowly return to being Jiang Huaichu—until every trace of Xiao Yun was gone.

As if they’d never met.

It was better, in the end, to forget one another across the horizon.

A faint discomfort stirred in his abdomen again. Jiang Huaichu frowned.

It had felt like this in the morning too.

Now it was even stronger.

Almost like… he was pregnant.

The thought felt like a cruel joke.

He gave a helpless laugh. Outside, Taifei was urging him to hurry. Xie Caiqing no longer hesitated and sped up his movements.

…

The Emperor’s sleeping quarters.

After Xie Caiqing left, Xiao Yun was about to review the memorials. Seated at his desk, he suddenly frowned.

He’d been seething earlier, and his anger hadn’t yet faded. Now, with no one to distract him, he was alone and calm enough to reflect…

This morning, after court, he’d still been teasing Xie Zhe—saying that with Jiang Huaiyi’s personality, it was unlikely he’d come all the way to Great Ning just to return tit for tat. He wasn’t like himself—impulsive, doing as he pleased. There had to be more to it.

Unclear motives needed watching. He had someone tailing Jiang Huaiyi in secret.

Jiang Huaiyi wasn’t like him. Jiang Huaiyi cared about the people and Nanruo. Even with a stubborn streak, it didn’t make sense that he’d come all this way over such a small matter.

Yet during the day, he had argued fiercely with him.

Wasn’t he afraid Xiao Yun might, in a fit of anger, send troops to Nanruo—or worse, just have him arrested?

Xiao Yun had never stooped so low, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t.

So what if he didn’t execute envoys? A little poison behind the scenes, then announce to the world that the Emperor of Nanruo had died of sudden illness. Who would doubt him? Even if they did—so what? Who would dare oppose him?

Not even the most rigid idealist like Jiang Huaiyi would be unaware of this.

Did he think Xiao Yun was too upright to do such things?

That thought made Xiao Yun laugh to himself, a hint of ridicule curling at his lips.

Xie Caiqing.

The moment that name rose in his mind, the playful smirk vanished completely from Xiao Yun’s face.

His hand, mid-reach for a memorial, froze. His eyes closed for a moment. The fingers that had stretched open suddenly curled back in.

The first time he met Xie Caiqing was at the Yixian Tower. There was no way Xie Caiqing could have known he was there. Otherwise, he would never have dared to praise Jiang Huaiyi in front of him.

Openly elevating Jiang Huaiyi could be seen as a ploy for attention—after all, calling oneself “Southern Huaiyi worthy” was enough to gain quick fame in the capital.

But what if we look at it another way?

Xie Caiqing was defending Jiang Huaiyi.

He was biased.

Then those words would become a case of “pointing at the mulberry tree while cursing the locust tree”—every word sounding like praise on the surface but actually aimed at scolding someone.

If that doesn’t prove anything, then during the palace examination, when he asked Xie Caiqing, “Who is more handsome—me or Nan Huaiyi?”, Xie Caiqing didn’t say a word and only blushed.

At the time, he thought it was shyness.

But what if… he deliberately avoided answering?

Earlier, when he asked the third time, Xie Caiqing deflected, saying he hadn’t seen Jiang Huaiyi and couldn’t judge.

Xie Caiqing was from Junzhou, which borders Nanruo—only one checkpoint away.

What if… he was from Nanruo?

He always thought Xie Caiqing didn’t look like someone from Great Ning, but in truth… he was a typical Nanruo man in appearance.

Xiao Yun’s hand suddenly clenched into a fist.

Slender, fair-skinned, refined, gentle features, not tall—every trait matched.

If Jiang Huaiyi came to Great Ning for… Xie Caiqing, that would explain why he gave Xie Caiqing the cold shoulder at their first meeting.

That was because he cared. Because he was angry Xie Caiqing came to Northern Ning behind his back.

That uncharacteristic public embrace during the day, his alternating warmth and coldness—could all be explained.

He himself had treated Xie Caiqing that way before.

Jiang Huaiyi was a clean freak—usually wouldn’t even allow others to touch him, let alone take the initiative to hug someone.

Xiao Yun’s knuckles cracked loudly.

Xie Caiqing had risked offending him again and again to defend Jiang Huaiyi. Jiang Huaiyi had traveled thousands of miles, braving danger alone, just to find Xie Caiqing—willing to fight with him and risk all of Nanruo for him.

A pair of d*mn lovers.

That day…

Those two memorials that dropped one after another to the floor…

Xiao Yun’s eyes flew open. He took a deep breath. His expression turned completely cold. His gaze turned pitch black and unreadable, with a murderous glint between his brows. The veins on his arms bulged—he was on the verge of fury.

“Summon the Commander and Xia Zhe,” Xiao Yun said.

The emperor’s summons was swift—Xie Zhe was already in the palace. He came quickly. When he didn’t see Xie Caiqing, he was about to make a teasing remark, but seeing Xiao Yun’s blank expression, and knowing him for years, he instantly sensed the emperor was holding back a towering rage. He quickly sobered up and stood cautiously.

Xiao Yun said, “That day at Yixian Tower, didn’t you tell me someone was tracking us?”

Xie Zhe’s heart skipped a beat. He had a bad feeling, like a storm was coming. “Yes,” he said quickly. “We shook them off. Don’t know who they belonged to.”

“And didn’t you say a few days ago that Zhang Ninghan’s madness caused his father to send people everywhere looking for him?”

“…Yes.”

Xiao Yun fell silent. The atmosphere was oppressive. Xie Zhe was drenched in sweat and nearly collapsed to his knees.

No one knew how much time passed before a bone-chilling voice echoed from above: “Summon Zhang Yu.”

He paused and added, “First, send someone to control Xie Caiqing’s residence.”

Xie Zhe looked up in shock, unable to believe his ears.

Xiao Yun: “Still not going?”

“…Yes.”

Xie Zhe accepted the order and left, his scalp tingling.

…

Xia Zhe and Zhang Yu were summoned soon after. Xie Zhe and his men hadn’t even reached Xie Caiqing’s residence yet when the orders changed.

—Arrest Xie Caiqing. Imprison him. Take control of his residence. Do not let Jiang Huaiyi’s group suspect anything. Secretly surround them with elite troops. Let them in, but no one out. If they try to leave, kill without mercy.

Night fell.

Jiang Huaichu changed clothes, put on a human-skin mask, grabbed a bundle, and opened the door. But instead of the Taifei, he was met by Xie Zhe with a longsword, and behind him were coldly armored, silent elite soldiers.

Jiang Huaichu froze, then blinked and smiled.

It was unlike any of his past gentle or obedient smiles—this one was radiant and arrogant, dignified and noble, dazzling and awe-inspiring. It made others instinctively lower their heads in reverence and submission.

Taifei had been restrained by two soldiers, mouth covered, eyes wide as she looked at him and shook her head frantically. Jiang Huaichu chuckled and threw away the poisoned needles in his hand.

“Well,” he said lightly, as if entirely unconcerned by the situation, “what now?”

He was clearly prepared for all of it.

Xie Zhe couldn’t recognize the man before him anymore. He looked down at the three silver-glinting, highly toxic, hair-thin needles on the ground, and felt a cold sweat cover his back. He sighed, “To the dungeons.”

His feelings were complicated. In a low voice, he said, “Empress, please come with us.”

Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get 5 or more chapters of After Scheming Against the Enemy Nation’s Emperor, I Got Pregnant right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)