Xiao Yun’s expression froze. Am I seeing ghosts? Ever since seeing that person in the prison a few days ago, now every man he looked at seemed pregnant.
But this Duan Wang looked so thin—why was his belly so big? Had he been cooped up in the residence every day, growing fat from sitting around?
Beside him, Xie Zhe urged him softly. Behind him, 300,000 troops waited for his command. Before him, countless eyes on the wall watched him with hatred and vigilance, ready to release their arrows at any moment.
Xiao Yun raised his hand again, but couldn’t resist glancing up one more time.
That person wore simple, elegant clothing. In his jet-black hair was a single snow-white plume, inlaid with three round azure-blue gems—this was the totem that symbolized the royal status of the Nanruo family, worn only on the most important occasions.
There was no doubt—he was Duan Wang. If anyone else wore that plume, it would be a capital offense. That ruled out the possibility of impersonation.
The wind on the city tower blew even harder, and the man’s loose robe clung tighter to his body. Around his waist and abdomen, the fabric creased noticeably. As if realizing this, he calmly moved a slender hand to block his belly and stepped away from the windy edge, letting the rail of the city wall obscure his slightly rounded, clearly defined stomach.
Was it that Xiao Yun had sharp eyesight, or that the man’s skin was too fair? Because Xiao Yun could clearly see the blush rising to his face.
Xiao Yun’s brow furrowed sharply at this subtle but revealing gesture. He immediately thought of that fake rabbit who ran off to reunite with an old lover after he’d raised him for over a month.
That fake rabbit had the same shy little gestures… exactly the same.
Xiao Yun cursed inwardly, Are you f*cking stupid? That’s Duan Wang—Jiang Huaiyi’s younger brother. Xie Caiqing is Jiang Huaiyi’s beloved.
This was clearly a critical moment, and yet Xiao Yun’s thoughts drifted.
What was Duan Wang hiding?
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t think too much. But just two days ago, he had accidentally groped a pregnant person in the prison—a ridiculous experience he’d never had before in his life…
Wait—could Duan Wang be that pregnant person?!
Xiao Yun’s expression subtly shifted.
The person who had brought him food in the cell was definitely pregnant. He had touched the belly…
Similar height and build. The size of the belly also matched. Someone with the power and status to release both Zhang Kui and him…
This bizarre and terrifying thought made Xiao Yun’s face shift through a hundred expressions.
Duan Wang… pregnant?
Could Duan Wang have been disguising as a man for years?
What kind of nonsense is this?
Dozens of eyes stared at him in confusion. Xiao Yun snapped back to focus.
What did Duan Wang have to do with him? This was the battlefield—not like the enemy commander’s pregnancy could get them to cancel the war. Who did Duan Wang think he was?
Xiao Yun’s face went cold. He raised his hand again, about to give the signal—when his fingers froze.
Wait—!
This person looked a lot like his fake white rabbit.
Why did Duan Wang release Zhang Kui and him? Sure, he had the authority—but not the justification.
It had to be someone who still valued past ties and trusted Zhang Kui and Dong Lu deeply enough to take the risk. That someone could only be Xie Caiqing. That’s why it had made sense to guess the person bringing him food was Xie Caiqing… and that’s how he ended up groping a pregnant person.
Wait—!
That pregnant person, aside from the thick waist and protruding belly, carried a familiar scent to the bone—exactly like Xie Caiqing. A scent that drove him wild in seconds, impossible to resist.
Wait—!
Last night’s dream… he’d lifted the veil… and it was Xie Caiqing’s face.
Xiao Yun suddenly looked up at the man on the wall, disbelief filling his eyes.
Could that be his fake white rabbit?
The day the rabbit ran off, Xie Zhe had reported that he’d been caught wearing a human-skin mask. Xie Caiqing had a history of changing faces. So, if Duan Wang’s face was a fake… or, more accurately, if Duan Wang’s face was real, and Xie Caiqing’s was the fake one…
Then it all made sense. Duan Wang’s uncharacteristic boldness in flinging open the city gates.
He had been puzzled before. Even if Duan Wang trusted Xie Caiqing deeply, he wouldn’t take such a huge risk… unless he knew Xiao Yun intimately.
Why Zhang Kui and Xiao Yun had been released so easily also became clear—because the one with supreme authority issuing orders was Xie Caiqing himself…
Duan Wang was the same age as Xie Caiqing… and equally brilliant.
That day, Xie Caiqing had dropped two memorials. The first named Zhang Yu as a traitor. The second, which Xiao Yun later reviewed, had no issues. But… Xiao Yun’s eyes widened.
He remembered now! The contents of the memorial were fine—but when he mentioned Duan Wang, Xie Caiqing had dropped the memorial he was holding.
The more he thought about it, the more details surfaced.
That noble aura not quite befitting a mere courtier… his obsession with the best of everything, yet total disregard for wealth… never touching chores… Jiang Huaiyi, an emperor, had risked his life to take him away…
Wait—wait—wait—!
If Xie Caiqing was Duan Wang…
Then Jiang Huaiyi was his—
Xiao Yun’s face went ashen.
He knew he hadn’t grabbed the wrong person in that cell! He’d recognize Xie Caiqing even if he turned to ash!
Wait—he’d insulted him to his face in the cell…
No, that wasn’t the point—Xiao Yun’s hands were trembling uncontrollably. The most important part was—
He looked up with difficulty, staring at the man whose blush still hadn’t faded.
That rounded belly of his…
What was going on?
How could a man be pregnant…
He’d touched carefully that day—there was no doubt. It was real. And far along, too…
Xiao Yun’s face turned to stone.
Whose was it? Jiang Huaiyi’s?
Before rage could explode, Xiao Yun blinked—and the thought vanished.
Impossible. Jiang Huaiyi was his… older brother. Even in a world full of incest, that old-fashioned, rigid Jiang Huaiyi would never…
Then… was it his?
Xiao Yun’s whole body started to shake.
No. Impossible.
He took the medicine. It can’t be his. But the timing matches exactly…
No, no, no—it’s not his. He took the medicine.
Then… did Xie Caiqing cheat on him?
But—he’d had people secretly watching Xie Caiqing day and night, afraid someone would snatch his rabbit away. Xie Caiqing’s first time was definitely with him. In the month they’d been together, there hadn’t been any other men.
So it was his…?
No no no—it’s not his. He took the medicine.
But if it wasn’t, why did Xie Caiqing come to Nanruo in the first place? That still-unexplained motive…
“Wait—!”
Scheming so hard just to have him do that…
Xiao Yun’s lips began to tremble uncontrollably.
It was like a tangled ball of yarn had finally revealed the end of the thread. He tugged lightly—whoosh—the whole thing unraveled. In a blink, he remembered that noble pregnant woman he encountered when he first arrived at the Miluo Villa in Nanruo…
That slender, elegant hand.
That beautiful middle-aged lady who looked at him like she’d seen a ghost.
If it wasn’t his child, then why—on the day he went up to Miluo Manor, even after he’d shown his command token, did the guards still let that side through?
Why did the old man suddenly flip his attitude, blatantly and confidently opposing him and siding with Nanruo?
Because… he had a little great-grandchild now?
Xie Caiqing was Duan Wang—and was pregnant with his child?
But hadn’t he taken the medicine…
Even though the medicine was foolproof, even though Xie Caiqing was a man—Xie Caiqing was definitely carrying his child!
Yes, that must be it. Xie Caiqing was pregnant with his child! His child! That day what he touched was his little bun! He was going to be a Royal Father!
His wife was pregnant with his child!
He was amazing.
Xie Zhe stared at Xiao Yun with a look of sheer disbelief.
Based on his instincts, even though Xiao Yun sat tall and regal on horseback, looking every inch the heroic, unparalleled looks, Xie Zhe couldn’t shake the feeling that the man was one second away from leaping around like a monkey or galloping in circles like a wild horse.
He seemed on the verge of flailing and howling like a madman.
Sure enough, in the next moment—under the weight of thousands of gazes, in a solemn, even tragic setting, amidst a tense and explosive atmosphere—Xiao Yun began to grin foolishly.
Xie Zhe’s heart jumped. In the midst of the strange, dead silence, his face flushed beet red. He nearly rushed over to slap a hand over Xiao Yun’s mouth. Usually this only happened in private! In public, he was always proper! Why was he losing it now?!
“Your Majesty!” Xie Zhe whispered urgently, “You’re supposed to give the attack order! Wave your hand first, then smile!”
On the city wall, Jiang Huaichu, ready to fight Xiao Yun to the death with a cold and composed face, stared at the handsome man atop a white horse who was now grinning like an idiot: “…”
Beside him, a general whose face was twisted in righteous fury and whose eyes were bloodshot from rage caught sight of the opposing commander’s sincere and harmless-looking smile. He immediately felt like he was overdoing it. Embarrassed, he muttered, “Is this some kind of secret strategy? To kill our bloodlust?”
“…” Jiang Huaichu replied, “I have no idea.”
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