Translated by: Tinker

Song Luan only thought Zhao Nanyu was anxious again. She shrank into the quilt and said, “Childish.”

Even when she reached the ninth month, Song Luan could only still sleep on her side, for fear that she might press the child. 

Zhao Nanyu opened the quilt where Song Luan was hiding. 

She looked at Zhao Nanyu and said helplessly, “I’m not afraid of burying my whole face in this quilt.”

Song Luan’s delicate face flushed red, “It’s so warm.”

Zhao Nanyu still refused to let her hide in the quilt. He touched her face and said, “Your mother and brother will come to see you at noon tomorrow.”

Song Luan opened her eyes and said, “That’s good.”

After the emperor’s imperial notice came down regarding Song Luan’s identity, it startled almost everyone.

Aunt Lin and Song Heqing couldn’t believe it. They were one of the few people who had seen Song Luan’s corpse with their own eyes. Aunt Lin also sniffed her nose several times at that time. Her daughter was indeed dead and had no breath at all.

Besides, Aunt Lin’s prejudice against Zhao Nanyu made her think he deliberately killed his wife.

But Aunt Lin herself was seriously ill, and she was not well. She could only get out of bed after a few days, so she never had a chance to see Song Luan.

After several months of recuperation, Aunt Lin’s illness was completely cured. After thinking for several days, she was now ready to come to see what was going on.

The knife wound on her daughter’s chest was very clear, and the wound was deep and heavy.

Song Heqing helped her into the carriage, and didn’t forget to remind her, “No matter if you see Song Luan or not, don’t speak evil words there.”

Zhao Nanyu was different from the past. He was not someone that could be humiliated easily. Although Song Heqing did not like him, he couldn’t be impulsive. He still had a big family to take into account.

Aunt Lin thought of Zhao Nanyu and gnashed her teeth. “I know.”

After a while, the coach arrived at the gate of the residence, and the servants respectfully welcomed them in.

Song Luan was waiting for them at the gate of the courtyard. She felt that she had not seen her mother and brother for a long time. These two people treat her sincerely.

Aunt Lin looked at the replica of her daughter who stood at the door frame. 

Her eyes were filled with tears as she stared at the thin figure. She looked identical to her daughter!

She walked slowly forward, her fingers trembling as she caressed her cheeks. She couldn’t help but cry, “It’s really my Luan Bao.”

Before seeing Song Luan, Aunt Lin always thought that Zhao Nanyu was scamming her. 

Song Luan was gently held in her arms by her mother, and her eyes were sour. “Mother, it’s me.”

Aunt Lin wiped away her tears, and didn’t forget to ask, “Didn’t you already…”

…died?

Song Luan lied to her with the reason she had already made up. “Do you remember that Ah Yu has a brother? It took him a long time to save me.”

Aunt Lin was half convinced. Her face was heavy and she suddenly said, “But it was Zhao Nanyu who stabbed you, right?! That evil seed!”

How painful it was to be stabbed by a knife? Her baby daughter was so good, how could someone do it to her?

When Song Heqing heard the word “evil seed”, his eyebrows jumped.

“Mother, he didn’t do it.”

It was because she was in so much pain, and begged him to kill her.

Aunt Lin didn’t believe what she said. “He admitted it himself!”

Song Luan hugged her, poured a cup of tea for Aunt Lin, and said slowly, “Do you believe others more than me?” She then laughed, and continued, “You see, I am very well now.”

Song Heqing also helped out, “Yes. Sister is doing very well now, so you can rest assured. As for the past, I believe only my sister knows.”

Aunt Lin reluctantly pressed back all kinds of doubts in her heart and looked at her stomach, “How many months has it been? Is it coming soon?”

Song Luan rubbed her sore waist. “It seems I’m about to give birth this month.”

She didn’t know the specific date.

Aunt Lin sobbed again. “The situation wasn’t very good when you gave birth to your eldest son. Now, I don’t know what it’s like, but don’t let anything happen. If it’s a critical moment, you must save your own life first.”

When her daughter didn’t show any love to her eldest son two years ago, Aunt Lin never persuaded her to correct her behavior.

Song Luan couldn’t cry or laugh. “It should be okay, mother. Don’t worry. I’ll live well. Don’t worry about me anymore.”

“You’re coaxing me.” Aunt Lin sighed, “It would have been better if you had married a little white face.”

Who would have expected Zhao Nanyu to have such a grand fate today? Aunt Lin once sincerely hoped that Zhao Nanyu would die early so that her daughter would have a chance to remarry.

She had observed people for decades and never missed anything. Zhao Nanyu was not a good person.

Song Luan nodded, echoing her words. She thought of little white’s bright eyes. “I like white faces too!”

White, clean, gentle, and polite.

No power, no money, nothing.

The last thing her mother lacked was money.

Song Heqing’s corner mouth twitched. He half-jokingly said, “Sister, you haven’t changed.”

“Brother, I just told you the truth.”

“I didn’t care about it in the past, but now, you don’t talk about this at home.”

“I’m not stupid.”

“I’m afraid you’ll be stupid.”

Aunt Lin recovered from her serious illness, and now she felt tired after talking for a short time.

“Mother, are you tired?”

“I’m really tired.”

“Otherwise you can just rest in my room for a while?” Song Luan suggested.

Aunt Lin originally wanted to agree, but when she thought about it, Zhao Nanyu seemed to return at this time. She didn’t want to see her son-in-law at all. She was afraid that she couldn’t stop herself from pointing at his nose while scolding and beating him.

She waved her hand. “I won’t stay. I’ll see you some other day.”

Aunt Lin took out the silver collar that she had prepared early. The collar was inlaid with agate of excellent color. It looked very beautiful. “This is for the child in your stomach. I also gave it to you when you were a child. It does not only look good but could also keep you safe.”

Song Luan also felt that the collar was very beautiful. She couldn’t help touching it again and again, “It’s beautiful!”

“If you like, you can get it from me. There are a lot of them, which will be given to you in the future.”

Also, when Song Luan got married, she added a lot of gold and silver jewelry to her dowry, but after a few years, Song Luan must have spent the money already.

As an elder brother, Song Heqing naturally wouldn’t say that he didn’t bring any gifts. Before he came, he racked his brains to think about what to send. After picking out the best things, he couldn’t find any satisfactory ones.

As always, he gave her a silver note directly.

Song Luan was reluctant to let go of the five thousand taels of silver. Her bright eyes seemed to be shining.

She never took so much money in her life. She laughed sweetly, “Thank you, brother.”

Looking at his sister, Song Heqing thought that she was still the same as before. She liked money very much, but she was now much less daring. He asked jokingly, “Is Zhao Nanyu not giving you money to spend?”

Song Luan locked the silver note he gave in a small drawer and nodded, “How do you know?! He doesn’t give me money. He’s so stingy.”

Song Heqing was dumbfounded, then he waved his hand, “It doesn’t matter. If there is no money in the future, send someone to tell me, and I’ll give it to you.”

Although the Song family lost their power, they were still rich.

He could still take out a few thousand taels of silver.

“Good.” She almost lost her smile.

Song Luan’s body was heavy, it was not convenient to send them back, so she had to stand by the door and watch them leave. When she couldn’t see their backs, she went back to the residence reluctantly.

On the table was still a silver collar that her mother had given her. She remembered that little Zhao didn’t seem to have it, because she had never seen him wear it.

Song Luan had one hand on her waist and the other on her chin. She thought about it. For the sake of fairness, she also wanted to tie a collar for little Zhao, and a pair of silver bracelets for both of her children.

When her elbow moved, she accidentally touched the collar on the table. Song Luan couldn’t bend down and pick it up.

All of a sudden, there was a hand in her line of sight, and it picked up the collar on the ground.

Zhao Nanyu asked, “Did your mother give it to you?”

“It’s not for me, it’s for the children.” While he was here, Song Luan decided to say what she just thought. “But little Zhao doesn’t seem to have this. I was afraid that he would feel sad when he knew about it, and wouldn’t say anything.”

Zhao Nanyu didn’t seem to be listening to her. He lowered his head and fiddled with her fingers, and asked, “What do you want to do?”

“I want to find a better craftsman and make a pair of little Zhao.”

Song Luan wanted to let her son know that she treats her two children the same, and there was no difference in treatment.

Zhao Nanyu casually said, “You have the final say.”

He seemed to think of something particularly interesting and suddenly asked, “Did your mother scold me again today?”

Song Luan said truthfully, “Yes, you don’t know how much she doesn’t like you.”

Because of this, Zhao Nanyu deliberately avoided Aunt Lin. He was not interested in irrelevant people.

***

After being pregnant, Song Luan’s temper had changed a lot. She wanted to do a lot of things.

Zhao Nanyu was almost responsive to her every request and did everything according to her wishes. Although Song Luan loves spicy food and was craving it every day, Zhao Nanyu wouldn’t give the final say when it came to her meals.

Song Luan also knew that he was doing it for her good. She always had a stomach ache after eating spicy food. But she couldn’t control her temper, she just wanted to vent her anger at him, and the things he brought back were not pleasing to the eye.

She glared at Zhao Nanyu and pointed to the portrait on the table. “You deliberately didn’t paint me well! You painted me ugly.”

Zhao Nanyu had no choice but to put away the portrait, “It’s not ugly.”

“If I say it’s ugly, it’s ugly.”

“Then should I throw the painting?”

“No.”

Song Luan also knew that she was being troublesome, but she just couldn’t help it. The closer she was to the birth date, the more flustered she was, and she wanted to find a sense of existence.

She heard that giving birth to a child would be very painful. What if there was an accident and she couldn’t wake up? Or what if something happened to the child?

After thinking too much, Song Luan began to cry.

Zhao Nanyu hugged her waist, caressed her cheek with his fingers, and wiped the water from her eyes. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Song Luan had been having nightmares these days. She felt very unlucky. How could anyone dream of a knife and blood every day before giving birth to a child? How bloody!

She sobbed, “You said that, but why hasn’t she come out yet?”

Zhao Nanyu laughed. “She’s coming.”

Song Luan’s small face gradually turned white. Her hands tightened his sleeve, and her red lips opened slightly. “Ah Yu, my stomach hurts…”

Zhao Nanyu took her to the bed and said to the servant outside the house, “Please bring the doctor here.”

Song Luan was sweating with pain. Lying in bed, her face was still full of pain, and her eyelashes were trembling. She slowly opened her eyes and lifted her hand to catch the corner of his clothes. Her lips turned white and her face was full of pain. “I feel like…I’m about to give birth.”

Zhao Nanyu opened the quilt and found that her amniotic fluid broke. His face was tensed, as he held her upper body tightly, and said coldly, “Call the midwife.”

It hurts to have a baby.

At the beginning of giving birth, Song Luan burst into tears and sobbed constantly.

The midwife, who had many years of experience in delivery, was not at all flustered. She first ordered the maids to go down and heat the hot water, and then said to Zhao Nanyu, “Your honor, you should go out first.”

Zhao Nanyu took a handkerchief to wipe the sweat of Song Luan. “I’ll wait.”

The midwife didn’t dare to urge him. When the servants brought in the hot water, she said again, “My Lord, the delivery room is filthy.”

Zhao Nanyu didn’t want to go. Song Luan pushed him with her little hand. “You go out. I don’t want you to see this.”

Zhao Nanyu kissed her eyebrow and sighed in a low voice, “I’m waiting for you outside.”

Not long after he went out, there were shouts from the room.

…

Song Luan was still in pain, but it was normal to feel pain for a few hours while giving birth. 

Song Luan tried her best to stay awake. The midwife held her hand. “Madam, bear with me. The child will come out soon.”

Song Luan bit her teeth and managed to overcome the pain.

She thought vaguely, what a pain to have a baby!

Another hour later, her vagina opened a bit, and she tried hard to push the baby out.

The midwife took her hand and cheered her on. “Madam, use more strength, and the child will soon come out.”

Song Luan was sweating and panting. With her last effort, a cry broke through the sky, and the child finally came out.

Song Luan fainted, and the voice of the midwife sounded in her ears, “Congratulations, madam. It’s a young master.”

Many voices were squeezing in her ears.

Before falling to a night of deep sleep, Song Luan regretfully thought that her baby turned out to be a boy.

Song Luan’s brain and ears were tingling as if there were many people around her speaking.

[Princess, are you not going?]

[Princess, don’t be obsessed with him anymore!]

[The emperor and the empress were captured by the rebels at the exit of the secret road. Please run before you die!]

The princess’s house was in a mess. The man in armor stroked her cheek with pity. “Sister, I’m going to kill all the disorderly officials and thieves. You hide first okay?”

“You go, I’ll wait for you, brother.”

The princess’ brother took a group of soldiers in the capital who only obeyed his orders, and went to the gate without looking back.

The little princess sat on the steps with a blank face, her hair and clothes were a bit messy, and the sound of fighting outside reached her ears.

Her husband was a weak scholar who had no strength to bind a chicken. He only knew a little about military strategy.

The little princess was afraid that the cruel rebels would kill her husband.

Before the southwest king rebelled, he drew a line with the younger son and even said that the death of the son had nothing to do with him.

At that time, her husband stayed in the capital. It was that the king of Southwest asked him to be his aide.

At that time, he had already been abandoned by the southwest king.

Her husband had also told her father the emperor of the rebel army’s march route before. If it had not been for this, her father and mother would have been killed at the first act of the southwest king’s rebellion.

If the rebels caught her husband, they wouldn’t let him go.

At dusk, a soldier with blood on his face rushed to her. “Little princess, please follow us quickly.”

She shook her head obstinately. “I’m not going.”

“The son of the southwest king rebelled. The head of your brother was cut off by the rebels and was taken as a flag.”

What was he talking about? The little princess didn’t understand.

Tears fell in a hurry, and when she came back to her senses, she had been caught by her wrist and was forced to run.

Along the way, she saw many scattered bodies, and the person who took her away seemed to have been seriously injured.

They were stopped by a team.

“Little princess, I’m sorry.”

She recognized him. He was the commander of the guards.

The little princess laughed and pointed to the seriously wounded soldier. “You let him go. I’ll go with you.”

“Good.” The commander wanted to tie her hand, and said, “Your husband also rebelled. I have to use your life for the peace of the palace.”

At that time, the little princess thought that she had some weight in her husband’s heart.

Her voice was very quiet, “Is my brother really dead?”

The commander replied, “The head of the prince was indeed used as a flag.”

She nodded, with a cool look. “I see.”

The little princess laughed at him, “Can I change my clothes before I go with you? It won’t take long.”

“You can.”

The little princess changed into a red wedding dress that she had only worn once.

The commander could not completely put down his guard against her, so he tied her hands.

The rebels were about to hit the palace gate.

She was pressed up the tower. But even from afar, she could see her brother’s head.

The head of the army was holding a lance, and her brother’s head was picked above it.

Before leaving, her brother gently touched her face and told her it would be okay, but he was gone in a flash.

She was the most beloved woman in the world. Her father and mother treated her very well. Her royal highness, as her elder brother, responded to her every request.

When she was a child, her brother often let her sit on her shoulder and took her out of the palace to play.

The last bit of luck in her heart was gone.

She also knew that her father and brother couldn’t govern the country, since the imperial court was already in a bad state.

The little princess had never seen her husband look like this. He was wearing black armor. His white face was stained with blood. His whole body exuded extreme murderous aura while he held a longsword in his hand, with blood dripping on it.

In her eyes, her husband was just a gentle young man who likes reading. He could only hold a fan instead of a sword.

He doted on her capricious temper, would take her to a lot of fun places, would accompany her mischievous behaviors, and then would stand by her side when her father and mother scolded her.

He shouldn’t be like this.

Having been married for many years, the little princess did not even think that the husband who she shared a bed with would kill people.

She looked at the setting sun in the distance. The clouds in the sky seemed to be stained with blood, and some of them were bright red.

She remembered that they had never had children.

Thinking about it, he had already planned all of this.

The little princess had a sword on her neck. The commander behind her said to the man under the palace door in a loud voice, “Let us go, or I will kill her.”

Her beloved husband didn’t even say a word. Without hesitation, he shot an arrow at her and snorted. Her heart was full of intense pain.

The commander of the guard saw that she was useless, and in a panic, he pushed her directly under the palace gate.

The sound of horses’ hooves and the sound of swords and spears echoed in her ears.

Before she died, the little princess felt that her husband had never fallen in love with her.

The country broke down and her family died.

Song Luan was woken up by the crying of the child. She raised her eyelids. Her eyes were still hazy. When the lamp was lit in the room, Zhao Nanyu held the child and whispered coaxingly.

She slowly sat up and looked at Zhao Nanyu in her eyes.

The man looked back and saw that she was awake and laughed. “You’re tired.”

Song Luan looked at his face.

Zhao Nanyu put the child on her side and pursed his lips. “It’s a boy. Do you like it?”

Two tears fell in Song Luan’s eyes, and she was a little puzzled. Although she remembered all the memories of her previous life, she did not feel sad.

It seemed like a distant thing to her.

Zhao Nanyu covered her hand and said, “What’s the matter? Is it still painful?”

She shook her head. “No.”

It didn’t hurt much.

Song Luan thought that maybe because of her lack of love, even the hate for him would also be lacking.

She didn’t feel sad because she didn’t have a strong emotion for Zhao Nanyu.

Plain as water…it’s actually good.

She bowed her head, laughed, and called out his name, “Zhao Nanyu.”

The man froze slightly and listened to her next words.

Song Luan’s tone was relaxed, and she winked at him mischievously. “I remember.”

She even joked, “You are a little cruel.”

T/N: ZN’s worst nightmare finally came true!! Song Luan remembered!!