Chapter 43: Reunion

Chapter 43: Reunion

She heard hurried footsteps all around her, occasionally accompanied by the crisp clinking of bowls and basins. Jiang Wanrou lay on the bed, feeling waves of excruciating pain in her abdomen.

"Madam, bear down, bear down!"

"Ah—"

Sweat dampened her hair, and in her dazed state, Jiang Wanrou felt someone wiping the sweat from her forehead with a damp cloth. Someone placed a slice of ginseng into her mouth, while the midwife kept urging in her ear:

"Madam, hold your breath, push!"

"The baby's head is out."

"Almost there, just a little more, push! Oh, there's another one!"

After what seemed like forever, a sudden burst of white light blinded her. Jiang Wanrou was too weak to even cry out. She closed her eyes, and the loud wail of a baby filled the room.

"Congratulations, Madam! It's a boy and a girl—twins!"

"Oh, the little girl is crying so vigorously."

"Both mother and children are safe."

The tension in Jiang Wanrou's heart finally eased, and she let herself fall into a deep, dark sleep.

...

Jiang Wanrou had a dream. She found herself in a desolate desert, where a group of people wearing hideous masks and wielding sharp blades rode fast horses, chasing a man in black. The pursuit was relentless, and they thrust their spears into the man's chest, leaving several bloody holes. Blood pooled on the ground. As if driven by some unseen force, she stepped forward and lifted the man's black hair.

—It was Lu Feng's face.

Jiang Wanrou was utterly shaken. She looked around at the crowd, who were cheering like demons, and began to wipe the blood from Lu Feng's face. Once, twice, but it never seemed to clean. She pinched herself hard but felt nothing.

It was just a dream! But why did his body feel so real?

"Don't die."

She touched his face in a daze, "I gave birth to a pair of twins for you. Open your eyes, look at them."

Suddenly, the world turned gray, and darkness engulfed everything. The masked demons vanished, and Jiang Wanrou finally wiped the blood clean from Lu Feng's face. Holding his lifeless body, she was also engulfed by darkness.

...

"Ah—"

Jiang Wanrou's eyes snapped open, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. It was just a nightmare, she told herself: You dream about what you think about during the day. I must have been too worried about him...

"Husband?"

Jiang Wanrou looked up and suddenly saw the Lu Feng from her dream standing alive before her. She stared for a moment, then pinched her arm.

Ouch, this feels so real.

"It's me, I've returned."

Lu Feng quickly stopped her, putting his arms around her shoulders, and said gently, "I told you I wouldn't miss your delivery."

His touch felt just as real as before. Jiang Wanrou shivered, reaching up to touch his face, and asked timidly, "Is this really not a dream? Are you really alive, husband?"

Lu Feng raised an eyebrow, "Madam, feel me carefully, am I a man or a ghost?"

Jiang Wanrou didn’t hesitate. Her hands caressed his forehead, the bridge of his nose, his thin lips, and then moved down to his collar, unbuttoning his clasp.

"Ouch."

The dull pain in her lower body contorted Jiang Wanrou's face. She was now completely convinced—she had just woken up after giving birth. This was not a dream.

"Husband, when did you return? Why didn’t you let me know sooner? I wasn’t prepared at all. By the way, the children, our children—"

Lu Feng pressed her shoulders, "Our children are strong and beautiful, a boy and a girl. You’ve done well."

He shook the bedside bell, and soon, Cuizhu entered with a bowl of medicinal soup. Her eyes were swollen; she must have cried a lot in private. Seeing Jiang Wanrou awake, Cuizhu’s eyes lit up with joy.

Due to Lu Feng’s presence, she didn’t dare to act too familiarly in front of Jiang Wanrou. She put down the soup bowl and bowed to leave. Lu Feng scooped up a spoonful of medicine, saying, "Take it easy, I’ll explain everything in time."

Lu Feng and his men ambushed Chen Fu downstream of the Fuchun River. Chen Fu, who had grown up on the water, was an excellent swimmer, even faster than Lu Feng’s pace. Lu Feng spotted wet marks along the bank, following them to a canyon. Suddenly, "Boom—" the buried gunpowder exploded, and the mountain collapsed with a roar.

Jiang Wanrou’s beautiful eyes widened in shock. "Ah? Then how did you survive?"

Lu Feng spoke calmly, but she could sense the danger he had faced. Her eyes filled with worry as she reached out to his collar again.

Nothing could be seen on his face, but she worried that his body might be riddled with scars beneath his clothes.

"Madam, do you think I’m invincible?"

Lu Feng chuckled, patting away her hand. "Take your medicine first, I’ll show you later tonight."

Under Jiang Wanrou’s intense gaze, he put down the soup bowl and took out a jade disc from his bosom, looking at her.

"You’re the one who saved me."

"Me?"

Jiang Wanrou looked at the jade disc she had tucked into Lu Feng’s clothes before he left, puzzled. "Did Buddha really appear, sending a golden light from the sky to protect my husband?"

Lu Feng’s slightly curved lips stiffened. He raised his hand to gently stroke Jiang Wanrou’s beautiful hair. "You should read fewer plays from now on."

Jiang Wanrou: "..."

She always felt it wasn’t a good comment.

At that time, the canyon terrain was steep, and the water traces suddenly disappeared. There were four or five suspicious paths in all directions. Lu Feng felt uneasy, his mouth parched. He took the water pouch from his waist.

Suddenly, his movements paused slightly. He noticed the jade disc hanging from the pouch was gone.

Traveling outside, the most important thing on him was the water pouch—firstly, he valued cleanliness, and secondly, for safety. He had just drunk water at the bank; if it was lost, it must be there.

It was just an object, not as important as catching the traitor Chen.

The bank was just two miles away. If he was alone, he could go back and forth in a few breaths.

Chen was cunning; there was no time to waste.

Faster, even faster—it wouldn’t delay anything. It was something she had placed by the pillow, entwined with her hair, imbued with the fragrance of her body. The jade disc was not an ordinary item. If those rough soldiers saw it, or if it was picked up by a mountain woodcutter, played with in the palm...

The thought alone was unbearable to Lu Feng. Finally, the strong sense of possession in his heart took over. Lu Feng quickly ordered, "You guys search in those directions. I’ll be back soon."

By the time he found it and returned, the world had already turned upside down.

He was lucky to survive, and he was the only one left alive. He hurried over, scanned the area, and came to the same conclusion as Pei Zhang—there was a hidden passage.

He followed the hidden passage and finally caught up with Chen's men. Both sides were worn out, but Chen Fu’s men had the advantage in numbers and their own clever traps. Lu Feng, outnumbered, was once again outsmarted by them.

By the time he chased them out of the hidden passage, the sky was already painted with red clouds. Once again, Chen's men escaped him. Lu Feng, a natural talent, had always excelled at everything except for the time he broke his leg. Never had he felt such defeat.

Back then, Prince Chen had led countless loyal generals to their deaths in Youzhou. Now, Prince Chen’s descendants had killed Lu Feng’s brothers in this nameless gorge.

If he didn’t avenge this, he swore he wasn’t fit to be called a man!

Lu Feng didn’t look back. He headed to a nearby town, bought a fast horse, and tracked Chen’s men all the way to the capital.

...

"So that’s what happened," Jiang Wanrou sighed. Lu Feng’s thrilling journey was more dramatic than any opera. She pressed, "And then? Did you catch those water bandits in the capital?"

Lu Feng hadn’t mentioned Prince Chen to her. Jiang Wanrou assumed the 'bandits' Lu Feng mentioned were water bandits, marveling at their audacity to venture into the capital, right under the emperor’s nose. Wasn’t that like walking into a trap?

Lu Feng’s expression hardened as he continued feeding her the medicine, saying firmly, "You don’t need to worry about these things. Just focus on getting better and looking after our three children."

Lu Feng didn’t like discussing outside affairs, and Jiang Wanrou didn’t see the point in worrying. After all, no matter how bold the water bandits were, they couldn’t possibly break into the Duke’s heavily fortified residence. She relaxed a little and asked, "Then... will you leave again?"

He used to be gone for just ten days to half a month, and it would fly by. But this time, he’d been gone for four months, and she couldn’t help missing him.

Lu Feng didn’t make promises lightly, replying, "It’s up to the emperor’s orders."

The medicine contained a bit of anesthetic, and Jiang Wanrou felt less pain down there. Only then did she have the strength to take a good look at Lu Feng. He hadn’t changed much; his features were still sharp, with cold brows, piercing eyes, and thin lips pressed tightly together. But there were dark circles under his eyes, and stubble had grown on his jaw. His clothes seemed neat at first glance, but a closer look revealed frayed cuffs and edges.

She reached out and straightened the crown on his head, saying softly, "Husband, go and rest. I’ll have someone prepare a bath and fresh clothes for you."

Seeing him so travel-worn, she guessed he hadn’t slept since returning to the residence.

"No need," Lu Feng shook his head. "I must go and see the emperor."

Upon arriving in the capital, he first went to the Capital Prefecture, ordering the closure of the east and west gates, leaving only the north and south gates open, and commanded strict inspections of all passersby. Then he hurried back to the residence, just in time for her delivery.

Thinking of this, he tightly held her hand, as if still shaken, "My wife, now we have two sons and a daughter. That’s enough. We... won’t have any more."

Outside the delivery room, he watched as basins of blood were carried out, listening to her heart-wrenching screams, feeling a sharp pain in his heart, wishing he could bear the pain for her.

A woman giving birth was like stepping through the gates of hell. He had once dismissed it as an exaggeration—what woman didn’t bear children? If they couldn’t continue the family line, what use were women?

Not just Lu Feng, but all men in the world thought this way. Continuing the family line was a natural duty. If a wife was unlucky and didn’t survive, the matchmaker had to quickly find another good Miss for the family, under the guise of taking care of the children.

In this world, offspring were always more important than women.

Lu Feng stood outside the delivery room, listening to Jiang Wanrou's agonizing screams, suddenly recalling her desperate cries during her first delivery.

He ordered in the cold wind, "Save the mother."

"If anything happens to my wife, all of you present, along with your families and clans, shall accompany her in death."

Lu Feng's face was stern, his imposing presence so intimidating that the midwife swallowed back her words, "Both mother and child can be saved." When Jiang Wanrou woke up, apart from Cuizhu who was overjoyed to tears, everyone else breathed a sigh of relief.

...

Jiang Wanrou was still unaware of the details. Hearing Lu Feng's words, she smiled and said, "Having children is entirely up to fate; how can it be up to us to decide? After Huai Yi, there was no news for five years straight, and who would have thought that this time, it would be two."

Lu Feng initially wanted to say there were ways, but hesitated for a moment before speaking, "It's not difficult. There are methods like sheepskin sheaths among the common folk, and many contraceptive methods in the palace. When I meet the Emperor, I will ask for them."

"Don't!"

Jiang Wanrou quickly covered Lu Feng's mouth, chiding him, "Husband, aren’t you ashamed? I can't bear it. How can you speak such private matters openly? The Emperor is the true dragon, and he is not related to us—"

She suddenly paused... gazing deeply at Lu Feng.