After Scheming Against the Enemy Nation’s Emperor, I Got Pregnant Chapter 76

Jiang Huaichu had his mouth sealed and was taken away, stuffed into a carriage, and rushed out of the palace during the night.

As soon as the carriage stopped, before Jiang Huaichu could speak, Jiang Huaiyi had already taken him from the guards, bowed deeply to the two black-clad Changling Guards who had helped smuggle him past layers of security, and, with the help of trusted aides, shoved Jiang Huaichu into another pre-prepared carriage despite his continuous head shaking. Jiang Huaiyi got in as well.

After receiving word from Xie Zhe, Jiang Huaiyi had already instructed the rest of their group to scatter. Disguised as commoners, his trusted men followed the original plan from the previous night, quickly leading them out of the city.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Huaiyi tore off the seal on Jiang Huaichu’s mouth. Jiang Huaichu immediately said, “Royal Brother, I can’t leave.”

Jiang Huaiyi’s face darkened visibly. “You’re still thinking about him at a time like this?”

Jiang Huaichu shook his head. “No, I can’t leave because it was Xie Zhe who let me go. Xiao Yun won’t be that easy to fool. If this gets exposed and we’re ambushed midway, you’ll be implicated, and even Xie Zhe will…”

Jiang Huaiyi said coldly, “Our people might not lose to him.”

“Royal Brother, that’s exactly what I don’t want to see.”

“Then what do you want to do? Things have come this far. Sacrifices must be made.”

Jiang Huaichu shook his head. “I’m pregnant with his child. If I tell him, he won’t harm me…”

Jiang Huaiyi laughed bitterly at his naivety. “He thinks you’re a spy from an enemy state. Do you think he can marry you openly?! What if he wants to take you as a concubine? What if you remain without name or status?”

Jiang Huaichu remained calm. “I never wanted to marry him. So what if I’m a concubine? So what if I have no name or status? I don’t want him—I only want you and the child to be safe. He’s angry now and definitely won’t treat me well. My original plan was to tell him, stall for time, stay alive, and wait for another chance to escape. You’re all moving too fast—”

“I don’t agree!” Jiang Huaiyi snapped coldly. “I’d rather suffer heavy losses than let you stay by his side!”

Jiang Huaichu didn’t understand. “This is the best outcome for everyone.”

“But not the best outcome for you. You’re a man, staying by his side without clarity—what will people think when your belly grows?!” Jiang Huaiyi was so furious his chest hurt. He tried to calm his tone but remained firm. “Huaichu, you need to be selfish. Think about yourself.”

Jiang Huaichu’s heart softened, but he still insisted, “Royal Brother…”

“If he chases after us, in such haste, he’ll only be able to mobilize a fraction of his men,” Jiang Huaiyi said coldly. “In short, we’ll fight to the death. I won’t let him lay another finger on my brother.”

“Royal Brother—”

“Enough!” Jiang Huaiyi resolutely resealed his brother’s mouth.

Jiang Huaichu: “…Mmph.”

…

The Emperor’s Bedchamber

The Emperor had not slept all night. He now sat at his desk reading memorials, his grip slowly loosening.

Xiao Yun had fallen into a recurring dream.

The dream picked up where it had last left off. Xie Caiqing, who was pregnant with Xiao Yun’s child, had divorced Xiao Patriotic and moved with Xiao Yun from the countryside to a small town, where they were happily preparing for their wedding.

Today was their wedding day.

In the dream, Xiao Yun suddenly woke up and asked urgently, “What time is it?”

“It’s noon.”

“It’s noon!”

“Yeah.”

Xiao Yun had expected the reply to come from his rowdy friends who were going to help him mess up the bridal chamber later, but the voice in front of him was hoarse and unpleasant. Looking closely, it was a hunched, scrawny old man in a coarse short jacket.

Xiao Yun looked around and suddenly realized he was lying on a door plank being pulled by an ox. The old man was swinging a whip at the ox’s rear, urging it forward.

Xiao Yun’s eyes widened. “Where am I? Aren’t I supposed to be in the bridal chamber?”

The old man sighed. “Patriotic, stop dreaming. Wake up.”

Xiao Yun was stunned. “What did you call me?”

“Xiao Patriotic.”

Xiao Yun suddenly sat up on the door plank. When he saw his thick, farmer-like left leg bound to a wooden splint, a wave of terror surged in his chest like never before.

Seeing him get up, the old man said, “Then walk yourself. Mind your leg. Really, what were you thinking? You just had to attend your brother’s wedding, and look, you broke your leg on the way.”

“I won’t pull you anymore. We’re almost there anyway, their house is just ahead.” The old man sighed again. “Why put yourself through this? Your wife is already pregnant with your brother’s child. What are you gonna do, make her abort it? You have to know your limits. Your brother is handsome, strong, and hardworking—any girl would like him.”

“Patriotic, my advice is to swallow this bitter pill and don’t go humiliate yourself. When you first married your wife, we all said privately that you two weren’t a good match. She’s way too pretty, not the kind to settle down. You couldn’t keep her in line. No way she’d ever be loyal to you. She was bound to lead you in circles. She clearly didn’t have you in her heart. And see? That’s exactly what happened. You left for the capital to take the exams, and she’s already pregnant with your brother’s child. With how big that belly is, it’s been at least three or four months. She must’ve gotten with him as soon as you left—”

“Bullsh*t! That’s my wife! MINE! The baby’s mine too! MINE!” Xiao Yun roared.

The old man looked at him with a trace of pity.

Ever since Xie Caiqing eloped with Xiao Yun, Xiao Patriotic had lost his mind, always screaming that he was Xiao Yun and that his brother had stolen his wife.

The villagers understood. After all, there was that one pockmarked Zhang Ermazi in the next village who, after suffering a major blow, believed his drowned youngest son was still alive, always smiling and telling people his son was just playing inside the house.

…

With a crutch, Xiao Yun hobbled frantically and finally reached the brightly decorated house in town.

“Xiao Patriotic! What are you doing here?!”

The crowd was shocked and stirred up when they saw the short, stocky man charging in with his head down.

“Xiao Patriotic! It’s Xiao Patriotic!”

Xiao Yun shouted angrily, “You’re Xiao Patriotic! I’m Xiao Yun!”

“Is Xiao Patriotic crazy or something?”

“Maybe the blow was too much…”

People whispered. Xiao Yun ignored everything, shoving people aside roughly as he made his way to the inner hall—only to suddenly freeze, as if plunged into an ice cave.

At the very front, the officiant had just announced “third bow between husband and wife,” and the tall, handsome man had already scooped up the slender, delicate Xie Caiqing in his arms.

The crowd burst into laughter:

“Can’t even wait for the bridal chamber, huh?”

“Hey now, she’s pregnant!”

“Oh right, I forgot. Xiao Yun really spoils his wife!”

Xie Caiqing’s belly was rounded. Her face flushed red. Her fair, jade-like hand rested gently on the man’s shoulder. The man held her steadily and nodded to the guests: “Thank you all for coming. Xiao Yun won’t be staying to entertain you further.”

“No problem! Hahaha, your wife and child come first.”

“They’re such a perfect match.”

The “Xiao Yun” scanned the crowd, his gaze finally landing on the charging “Xiao Patriotic.”

In that moment, Xiao Yun saw his face clearly.

Rigid, cold, dignified, stern.

Jiang Huaiyi.

“You son of a b*tch, Jiang Huai—”

Just as he spoke, Xiao Yun’s chin dropped, his whole body shook, and he woke up with a start.

Yin Xian had come over to drape an outer robe on him, but was so startled by the outburst that he immediately fell to his knees. “Forgive me, Your Majesty! Please calm down!”

Xiao Yun’s brows furrowed deeply. An inexplicable anxiety took root in his chest, gnawing and intensifying into full-blown panic.

After a few seconds of silence, he glanced at the pitch-black, gloomy night outside the window and ordered, frowning, “Go check the prison.”

…

After Jiang Huaichu promised not to say anything irritating, Jiang Huaiyi finally removed the gag from his mouth.

The carriage sped ahead. In just over an hour, they had traveled thirty miles from the city. One more hour, and they would leave the capital’s jurisdiction and enter the provinces.

By then, the danger would be completely behind them.

Along the way, Jiang Huaichu tried several times to talk, but between the bumpy roads and the rapid pace, the jostling was too much. Every time he opened his mouth, nausea rose in his throat. He had to hold the window and dry heave.

The first time, Jiang Huaiyi had been worried. Once he realized it was morning sickness, his face went cold in an instant, eyes sharp like blades, as if he wanted to kill someone across time and space.

Jiang Huaiyi said coldly, “Hold it in. Once we leave the capital, the imperial physician can take a look.”

Jiang Huaichu shook his head. “…I’m fine.”

The fetus was unstable. He hadn’t known before and had even slept with Xiao Yun. Then there’d been intense emotional upheaval. It was sheer luck he hadn’t miscarried.

Though not yet in danger of a threatened miscarriage, he couldn’t handle any more jostling. But in urgent circumstances like these, there was no time to think about the child.

Jiang Huaiyi asked coldly, “How far along?”

“…Just over a month.”

“You’ve only been with him for just over a month, right?” Jiang Huaiyi sneered. “You got pregnant in the first few times, and then still let him defile you for a whole month?”

Being questioned like that by his own brother, Jiang Huaichu’s face flushed scarlet. “I—I didn’t know—”

Another wave of nausea rose. Seeing the corner of Jiang Huaiyi’s mouth tighten again, Jiang Huaichu wisely shut his mouth. Under Jiang Huaiyi’s pitch-dark gaze, he forced himself to suppress the dense shame welling up inside him.

After traveling for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the faint sound of horse hooves began to echo from outside. Just from the sound alone, one could imagine the clouds of dust and the speed of the horses in pursuit.

Jiang Huaichu’s face changed dramatically, and Jiang Huaiyi’s expression also darkened.

The trusted guards outside the carriage all gripped their daggers and short swords tightly, their faces tense and vigilant. In just the blink of an eye, a horse’s sharp whinny pierced the darkness behind them.

Jiang Huaichu’s fingers trembled slightly as he lifted a corner of the curtain. Through the misty night, he saw a strikingly handsome man in black robes atop a fine steed under the moonlight.

Xiao Yun had ridden hard all the way, his black-and-gold headband fluttering in the wind. For once, he looked somewhat like a youthful, dashing young man—but between his brows was the cold ruthlessness of a general chasing down his enemy, and the untouchable, commanding authority of an emperor. There was not a trace of tenderness or reluctance in his gaze.

Jiang Huaichu’s face paled, and he took a deep breath, feeling an unprecedented calm.

What must come, will come.

He touched his belly.

The ways of the world were unpredictable. The man outside the curtain was the child’s other father.

Two days ago, they had exchanged loving words. Two days later, they were strangers.

He felt deeply sorry for the child—to have conceived at such a time, to suffer so much, and now to witness a confrontation drawn with swords.

Within a few breaths, horses had charged in from all directions, surrounding Jiang Huaiyi’s group. The guards from Nanruo and Miluo drew their weapons, their expressions fierce and desperate, clearly prepared to fight to the death. The atmosphere was thick with tension, blades almost drawn.

On his white horse, Xiao Yun gave a lazy smile, the corners of his lips tinged with mockery. “My dearest, aren’t you coming out to greet your emperor?”

Jiang Huaichu let out a soft laugh, took his hand off his belly, and was about to lift the curtain openly. But Jiang Huaiyi pressed down on his hand and pulled the curtain aside himself.

When Xiao Yun saw Jiang Huaiyi’s face—identical to the one in his dreams—his expression instantly darkened. He gripped his reins tighter and forced a sneer. “Oh, you’re here too? No wonder my dearest was in such a hurry to leave.”

Jiang Huaiyi growled, “You—”

But Xiao Yun didn’t even spare him a glance. “When did my dearest become so close with the commander? He’s gone to such lengths for you, and I didn’t even know. Then again, there’s a lot I don’t know. Doesn’t Jiang Huaiyi get jealous?”

Xiao Yun smiled lazily. “Well, with his beloved in my bed, being thoroughly ravished day and night, if he were the jealous type, he’d have died from it already.”

Jiang Huaiyi froze for a moment, then turned livid as he understood what Xiao Yun meant. “Watch your mouth!”

Jiang Huaichu’s face turned red, then white.

“What? Did I say anything false? Isn’t it all true?”

Xiao Yun clicked his tongue. “My dearest is always thinking of you—he’d protect you even if it meant being caught by me. I bet even when he was moaning beneath me, he was picturing your face. I just don’t get why he never called me by your name.”

“What a pair of tragic lovers. I, it seems, have become the villain unknowingly.” Xiao Yun said offhandedly, “Pity my dearest has such poor taste—to fall for a coward.”

Jiang Huaiyi’s hands clenched into fists. Since the day Jiang Huaichu was thrown into prison, he had become sworn enemies with Xiao Yun. Now, the man was insulting both him and Jiang Huaichu to his face.

Jiang Huaichu, afraid Jiang Huaiyi would act rashly, quickly held down his fist. At such a moment, he couldn’t help but feel a bitter, helpless sort of amusement.

Why should Xiao Yun believe him?

Xiao Yun was an emperor—someone who couldn’t even trust those closest to him, let alone an enemy from a foreign land.

And truth be told, he had harbored ulterior motives.

How could he explain? Where should he begin?

For over a month now, his heart had genuinely belonged to Xiao Yun. He had never had any thought of betrayal. But what did that mean? How could he prove it?

To say it aloud would only invite further humiliation—sound like begging for mercy. It might even enrage him further.

Every word he spoke now, Xiao Yun would not believe. Maybe misunderstanding him was better. At least it would spare the truth of who he really was.

A faint ache stirred in his chest. Jiang Huaichu gave a bitter smile. In the end, he had acted for so long that he no longer knew where the performance ended and his true self began—was he still Xie Caiqing, or had he become Jiang Huaichu?

The man inside the carriage remained silent. In the long, suffocating quiet, the fury inside Xiao Yun surged higher, murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

He won’t even bother to argue?

Does that mean he’s admitting it?

He had never been humiliated like this in his entire life.

“If my dearest won’t come out,” Xiao Yun said, pretending to sigh, “then I’ll just have to come see you myself.”

His tone turned icy, and before the words had fully fallen, he spurred his horse forward. The guards of Nanruo cried out in alarm and rushed to intercept. Jiang Huaichu ignored Jiang Huaiyi’s restraint and flung open the curtain.

“What are you trying to—”

In his view, Xiao Yun wore no armor, yet he easily snatched a weapon from a guard’s hand.

With the clash of steel, the guard was knocked several meters away and could not rise again. Xiao Yun let out a snort of laughter, and in the blink of an eye, he was at the carriage, surrounded by the guards. Without hesitation, he leapt from his galloping horse and flew into the carriage as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

Jiang Huaichu had no time to speak and instinctively threw himself in front of Jiang Huaiyi.

Xiao Yun’s heart twisted sharply. Smiling, he said, “Protecting another man in front of me, my dearest—aren’t you afraid of breaking my heart?”

Jiang Huaichu stared at him coldly. “What do you want in order to let him go?”

Xiao Yun held a blood-stained dagger.

Blood dripped from the blade’s tip. His dark brows and eyes were laced with murderous intent—real, boundless killing intent that would terrify anyone who met his gaze.

It was the look of a warrior seasoned by countless battles. Like a wounded lone wolf, ready to tear his enemies to pieces at any moment.

“Caiqing, get out of the way!” Jiang Huaiyi shouted.

A fine, hair-thin poison needle silently pricked the back of Jiang Huaiyi’s hand.

He froze, unable to move, eyes wide in shock.

Xiao Yun watched, a faint, meaningful smile playing on his lips. “So you’re this ruthless even to your lover, hmm? Stab without hesitation. No wonder you were so cold to me. Smart move, though—if he talked any more, and I really would have killed him.”

Jiang Huaichu paid no attention to what he said and smiled faintly. “What will it take for you to let him go?”

He knew very well that begging for mercy wouldn’t make Xiao Yun let him off—it would only put him in a completely passive position, left at the mercy of others.

What he needed was a negotiation on equal footing.

He never liked using children as bargaining chips—he despised that kind of behavior. But if a child could be exchanged for the life of his royal brother and the others, then so be it.

Besides, barging in was easy for Xiao Yun—he was best at charging into battle—but getting out wouldn’t be.

If he wanted to leave, without a warhorse, it would cost blood.

They were both riding tigers with no way to dismount.

He couldn’t understand why Xiao Yun charged in like this. For him, encirclement and attrition would have been the better strategy.

Xiao Yun was all too familiar with that tone. Countless enemies—or allies—had spoken to him in similar ways. But never a lover.

He lazily chuckled. “Sweetheart, now this is more like you.”

Jiang Huaichu sneered. “Who are you calling sweetheart?”

“You, of course.”

“I’m not—”

In a flash, Xiao Yun suddenly leaned forward and grabbed Jiang Huaichu’s slender neck.

“Ugh…”

Jiang Huaichu looked up at him. After a moment of shock, there wasn’t a trace of fear in his eyes. He met Xiao Yun’s gaze head-on.

Jiang Huaiyi’s eyes were about to burst with rage.

Xiao Yun had left countless marks of ownership on Jiang Huaichu’s neck, had been obsessed with the skin there. But this was the first time he found it so detestable. It felt as if with just a bit more strength, he could twist it off, and never hear those infuriating words again.

Jiang Huaichu felt the breath cut off—at that moment, he could sense clearly that Xiao Yun truly wanted to kill him.

Jiang Huaichu let out a mocking laugh, for once feeling that he’d been wise. If he’d shown even a bit of softness or dizziness, he wouldn’t just feel hatred—there’d also be regret, and the grievances of a lover.

What love could exist among royals?

If Xiao Yun dared kill him, then they’d die together.

He was the heir to a lineage of poison masters—he wasn’t so easy to kill. His entire body was laced with poison.

A life for a life. Who would win?

The suffocation worsened, and Jiang Huaichu’s body weakened from the pain. He had never been this close to death. Xiao Yun stared him down, his eyes dark as ink, full of murderous intent.

The stalemate eventually broke.

“Why won’t you beg for mercy?” Xiao Yun’s voice was bone-chillingly cold.

Jiang Huaiyi’s eyes were bloodshot.

Jiang Huaichu casually smiled and said, “Would you pity a begging enemy? I can’t exactly look pathetic and cheap, can I? What is it you want?”

Enemy? Xiao Yun sneered inwardly, though he didn’t know whether it was at Jiang Huaichu or himself. He smiled and said, “How unfortunate—I lack nothing. But I know what you’re thinking. I can’t get out of here, right?”

“Sorry, that’s something for me to worry about later. Right now, I’d say you should be more concerned.” He laughed mockingly.

Jiang Huaichu’s heart ached. Then it seemed he had only one option left—his child. “Then—”

“I want you.”

Jiang Huaichu froze, a strange, indescribable feeling flickering in his chest. He looked up at him.

Xiao Yun’s eyes were full of ridicule and mockery—no sincerity at all.

Jiang Huaichu’s heart turned cold again, returning to calm. “I’m not Xie Caiqing.”

Xiao Yun nodded happily. “I know. But what can I say? I still want you. What do we do about that?”

Jiang Huaichu said blandly, “What do you—”

“Right here.”

Xiao Yun interrupted, his smile nastier than ever before.

Jiang Huaichu felt the weight of those two casual words and trembled. His face darkened, and his heart sank to the pit of despair.

His royal brother was here.

“Xiao Yun, you’re too childish.”

“Yes, I’m very childish,” Xiao Yun didn’t argue, loosening his grip. “This is what I want. You agree, I’ll let them all go. If not, even if you return to Nanruo, I’ll march my army and slaughter the city. I advise you to think carefully.”

He smiled.

Jiang Huaichu took a deep breath. He felt his dignity crushed to dust, nothing left. As expected, the hardest thing wasn’t despair, but hope. He smiled too, said nothing more, and held back the nausea in his gut as he began to undo his belt without hesitation.

Jiang Huaiyi’s eyes filled with bloodshot veins, silently wet with tears.

Xiao Yun’s hand clenched the dagger tighter and tighter. Where Jiang Huaichu couldn’t see, it trembled slightly. He was smiling, but there wasn’t a hint of joy in his eyes. “Even this you’re willing to do? For him? For those people? For Nanruo?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Such a sharp tongue. Sweetheart is so kind to others—it’s no wonder they all plead on your behalf,” Xiao Yun laughed. “Yeah, guess I’ll never get that kind of treatment. I will never see sweetheart throw himself in front of danger for me.”

Jiang Huaichu pretended not to hear the sarcasm. He had already taken off his outer robe. He clenched his hand and steadied his trembling voice, speaking calmly: “Can you be gentle?”

“Now you want to negotiate?” Xiao Yun laughed. “What are you to me, that I should treat you gently? This is a transaction—I’ll just take what I want.”

Jiang Huaichu took a deep breath. His chest suddenly ached terribly.

Xiao Yun said, “Take it off. Why’ve you stopped?”

Jiang Huaichu sneered, clenched his teeth, and resolutely reached for his undergarments. Just as his hand touched the fabric, Xiao Yun’s eyes turned pitch-black. The hand holding the dagger gripped so hard the blade nearly pierced the floor of the carriage.

“You’re really willing to do this?”

“What else would I do?”

“Be defiled by your enemy?”

“Cut the cr*p.”

There was no longer the familiar red string around Xie Caiqing’s neck, nor the piece of jade that marked possession across his chest. But faint traces of their last encounter still lingered on his skin.

The person disappeared even faster than those marks.

Xiao Yun stared at the familiar stretch of skin before him. After a long silence, he asked, “All this time… was there even once you were willing?”

Jiang Huaichu replied, “Never.”

Xiao Yun asked, “Not even once?”

Jiang Huaichu clenched his fists. “No. Stop with the nonsense—does that even matter now? Take off your clothes already. Or do you want me to serve you?”

He had already undone his belt and was about to pull off his inner garments when Xiao Yun suddenly pressed down on his hand.

Jiang Huaichu frowned. “You want to undress yourself?”

“I don’t have the interest. Already tired of it,” Xiao Yun said.

Jiang Huaichu’s face turned slightly pale. He took a deep breath. “Then what do you want?”

“It’s not like I can’t live without you, right? I’m the ruler of the world—what kind of person couldn’t I have? Wouldn’t it be better to find a woman who’s devoted, gentle, virtuous, and can bear children? Why cling to you of all people? If word got out, wouldn’t it be a joke?”

Jiang Huaichu stared at him coldly.

Xiao Yun lazily smiled. “Didn’t you say you’ve never willingly done it even once? How about this—kiss me willingly, and I’ll let you all go.”

Jiang Huaichu was stunned.

More shocked than at any other moment since Xiao Yun had entered.

Xiao Yun said… a kiss, and he’d let him go.

He was a spy from an enemy nation, carrying countless secrets.

Behind him stood the Emperor of Nanruo.

And Xiao Yun said… a kiss, and he’d let him go.

Jiang Huaichu’s heart trembled. “You…”

“What now, you don’t want to?” Xiao Yun said. “I should at least have a proper breakup with an old flame. Don’t be too happy too soon, I have a condition. I’m not the kind to be magnanimous—you can be with anyone in this lifetime, just not him.”

He pointed at Jiang Huaiyi behind Jiang Huaichu.

Jiang Huaichu’s eyes grew inexplicably misty and started to redden.

For some reason, when Xiao Yun spoke harshly, it didn’t hurt. His heart was already dead. But when Xiao Yun showed even a hint of gentleness, it shook him to his core.

“If you agree, I won’t go back on my word.”

Jiang Huaichu asked, “You… really don’t want anything else?”

Xiao Yun laughed. “If everyone I did business with was like you, wouldn’t I be making a fortune?”

Jiang Huaichu’s nose stung. He replied coldly, “I’m not Xie Caiqing.”

“I know that,” Xiao Yun said, impatiently. “How many times do you want me to say it?”

Xiao Yun sighed. “In the end, it was me who wronged you. I forced myself on you. Whether you were pure or not, I know. I’m an old man with no shame—I should at least repay you a little. Take this as my repayment. From now on, I owe you nothing.”

Jiang Huaichu’s voice trembled. “Xiao Yun…”

“If we meet again in the future, we’ll be enemies. Don’t expect mercy.”

“Xiao…”

“I want you to kiss me. Not Xie Caiqing, not anyone else, nothing messy. I don’t care who you are—I want a real kiss. No tricks, no half-measures.”

“…Alright.”

Jiang Huaichu didn’t know why—though he’d kissed him countless times, this time he was even more nervous, more clumsy, more afraid than the first.

Bit by bit, he leaned in. Under Xiao Yun’s mocking gaze, just as he was about to kiss his lips, Xiao Yun suddenly covered his own mouth. “Willingly?”

Jiang Huaichu gritted his teeth. “…Yes.”

Only then did Xiao Yun move his hand away.

Jiang Huaichu’s lips touched his. Xiao Yun kept his eyes open, watching him.

It was the first time Jiang Huaichu had initiated a kiss with Xiao Yun.

Not as Xie Caiqing. Not anyone else.

Just lips touching lips, a strange tremor. Jiang Huaichu didn’t know why, but a wave of panic rose within him. Xiao Yun just stared.

Just as Jiang Huaichu clumsily tried to pry open his teeth, Xiao Yun pushed him away. “That’s enough.”

It was a shallow kiss. There wasn’t a trace of desire or calculation—so pure it didn’t seem like something that would happen between two members of royalty.

Xiao Yun tossed something to Jiang Huaichu and stood up lazily.

Jiang Huaichu looked down. It was that ugly little lump.

A piece of jade, threaded on a red string.

Xiao Yun said, “We’re done, but you should keep the token of our bond, right? Otherwise, how embarrassing for me—if word gets out that even my old flame doesn’t care to remember me, returning the token and all.”

“We were together for so long—there should be some trace left. I have to leave you with something.”

Just before jumping down from the carriage, he added with malicious amusement, “I want you to owe me.”

Xiao Yun’s figure disappeared.

Jiang Huaichu gave the order to let him go.

There had to be some trace left.

He had to leave him something.

Jiang Huaichu let out a complex laugh and touched his still-flat stomach.

He had left him a child.

A mark that could never be erased.

He didn’t owe Xiao Yun anything.

…

Each to their own fate. Let the rivers and lakes never meet again.

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