Mingzhu calmly looked at the Wusun Princess’s belly and smiled, “Please, Ninth Sister-in-law, go ahead.”
The Wusun Princess sat down, fidgeted for a while, and waited for Mingzhu to bring up her belly, but when she grew impatient, she blurted out, “Sixth Sister-in-law, you see my belly, right?”
“I see it.” Mingzhu picked up the tea and smiled at her, “It’s hot. Have some water.”
Feeling helpless, the Wusun Princess had to say, “When you and Shenniang visited my house earlier and saw me, I didn’t know any better and didn’t tell the truth. Actually, I discovered I was pregnant after His Highness left. Because of the incident with the purple sandalwood cup before, the fetal was a bit unstable. The old midwife in the mansion invited an expert to see, who said everything would go smoothly if we kept it a secret until the birth.”
Seeing her face blush, Mingzhu continued her words, “So it’s almost time now? Does Ninth Brother know?”
The mention of Yuwen You made the Wusun Princess’s embarrassment turn into shyness, “Of course, he knows.” He asked her to ask Mingzhu for help, but she didn’t listen to him.
“That’s good. Let someone inform the Court of the Imperial Clan to find a wet nurse and midwife. When it’s time for delivery, send someone to inform me, and I’ll invite a few sisters-in-law and Qi Wangfei to help you.” Mingzhu ended the conversation promptly and decisively.
The Wusun Princess thought Mingzhu would make things difficult for her, but she unexpectedly found her very accommodating, which left her a little stunned. “Is that all?” she asked.
Mingzhu smiled and said, “Sister-in-law, is there anything else?”
The Wusun Princess gently shook her head, “No, that’s all.”
“It’s getting late, and it’s not good for you to travel with such a big belly. I won’t keep you for dinner. It’s been a day since I last saw the two children; I need to go see them.” Mingzhu stood up, preparing to see her off.
“Sister-in-law, you’re busy, and I barged in without prior notice. I was too abrupt.” The Wusun Princess became polite again and took her leave. After leaving, she was still in a daze. Liuli whispered, “I thought we would be challenged, but I didn’t expect her to be so easy to talk to. Should we still go to Qi Wang mansion?”
“I won’t go anymore. Let it be. His Highness said that although her character isn’t great, she keeps her word. Considering her regard for His Highness’s frontline battles, she probably won’t harm me again.” The Wusun Princess had prepared herself before coming. If Mingzhu had been difficult or ignored her, she would have taken Yuwen You’s handwritten letter to seek help from Qi Wangfei. Qi Wangfei wouldn’t ignore her. Ultimately, Mingzhu would bear the blame, so she wasn’t afraid at all. But now, Mingzhu had effortlessly resolved the matter for her, making her feel a bit uncomfortable.
Liuli had been holding back for a long time and finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Why did Wangfei think she would harm you?”
The Wusun Princess refused to answer.
“I’m the person closest to Wangfei. There are some things I have to tell you, even if it might anger you,” Liuli plucked up her courage and said, “Perhaps Wangfei still remembers the instigation by Jiang Shanshan and Consort Jin? In my opinion, His Highness seems to have given up, and the Regent Wangfei has no such intentions at all. These years, all your struggles have been with yourself.”
The Wusun Princess sighed softly and murmured, “Perhaps. I’ve wasted all my efforts these years. If I had put in this effort into His Highness, we wouldn’t be as distant as we are now.” Her unborn child kicked her, causing her both pain and happiness. She gently caressed her belly and hummed a lullaby her mother used to sing to her when she was a child. The fetus quieted down, seemingly listening to her song.
Liuli smiled, “Wangfei, don’t think too much. Actually, things are pretty good now. His Highness is becoming more lenient. Although he quarrels with you, he hasn’t favored any other women. Now that you have a child with him, if he comes back victorious from a major battle, the three of you will reunite, and your days will become sweeter and sweeter.”
The eyes of the Wusun Princess moistened. “I will definitely live well.”
Mingzhu was unaware of these matters. While she was at her maternal home, Fu Cong and Fu Mingzheng mentioned to her that there would be a fierce battle between Yuwen Chu and Zhongshan Wang next. Both sides would deploy their main forces, and the entire outcome of the war would depend on this battle.
The frontline supplies were depleting rapidly and needed to be transported in full and on time. The weapons production sites of Ban Jian and Caiyun were particularly costly. They required manpower, money, and materials constantly. Iron needed to be refined, mines needed to yield high-quality ore, and people with various skills—intelligence, strength, and knowledge—were needed. She racked her brains for solutions while also caring for and raising two children, keeping herself incredibly busy.
If the Wusun Princess could avoid confrontation with her, that would be for the best. She simply didn’t have the energy to deal with trivial matters.
No one expected the fierce battle to come so slowly. When everyone grew impatient, it silently arrived. At the end of April, General Jiang Houxiu, who replaced Shen Ruilin to guard Yicheng, defeated Qiuli Wang in the west, burned down Qiuli Wang’s mansion, captured all his family members and children, and Qiuli Wang fled alone to join Zhongshan Wang. The rebellion in the west was thus quelled.
On the night of the sixth day of June, in a torrential rainstorm, Zhongshan Wang, along with the Xiongnu cavalry, two other vassal kings from the North, and the remnants of Qiuli Wang’s troops who had defected to him, launched an attack on the main imperial army at Minchuan.
That night, with pouring rain and fierce winds, firearms were rendered useless, crossbows lost their accuracy, greatly impacting the imperial army. Despite being prepared, the battle was destined to be a brutal melee. It lasted from late at night until dusk the next day, with rivers of blood flowing and heavy casualties on both sides.
The imperial army emerged victorious, holding Minchuan and forcing the rebel forces to retreat. Just as Zhongshan Wang was preparing to repeat his old tricks and retreat to his fortified cities, a cavalry unit flanked them from behind. They first unleashed a barrage of crossbow bolts on the retreating rebel troops before charging in, cutting them down like melons and vegetables. Caught off guard, the rebel troops were no match and fled in all directions.
But the nightmare wasn’t over yet. Another well-armored cavalry unit chased them down, and with coordinated attacks from both sides, they continued the onslaught from dusk until the early hours of the morning. Countless times, swords were raised, and countless lives were claimed.
Defeated soldiers fled like a collapsing mountain. Even though Zhongshan Wang ordered that deserters be executed on sight, he couldn’t stop the soldiers from fleeing for their lives. Panicked, Zhongshan Wang decided to risk it all in a fight to the death. However, just as he was about to do so, a loud horn echoed through the sky, and both cavalry units left without hesitation, leaving behind only dozens of dead war horses and not even a single fallen soldier.
As Zhongshan Wang caught his breath, he remembered his cities. Rushing to regroup his army to retreat, he found that most of them had changed hands. With no chance of fighting back, he had no choice but to order a retreat.
In this battle, the imperial army suffered more than 20,000 casualties, but they annihilated more than 70,000 rebels, recaptured eight cities, and drove the main rebel forces north of the Weishui River, in a battle known as the Battle of Minchuan.
