Wei Caiwei never expected that upon returning to the time before her husband's self-castration, she would publicly announce his pregnancy.
The word "castration" had suddenly transformed into "womb."
The noisy Xie Family Tavern fell into abrupt silence. All eyes in the main hall focused on Wang Daxia, particularly on his abdomen, while patrons exchanged knowing glances: No wonder this youth had rosy lips and pearly teeth, with features more delicate than the courtesan-therapists from earlier—it turned out to be a woman disguised as a man to accompany her husband on business trips. To avoid suspicion, the husband referred to his cross-dressing wife as "sworn brother."
Having reached an irreversible point, Lu Ying, who had unexpectedly become a father-to-be, could only play along. He excitedly grasped Wang Daxia's hand, "I'm going to be a father? Ah, I shouldn't have made you drink earlier! Physician, could it have harmed the pregnancy?"
Wang Daxia was utterly bewildered: Who am I? Where am I? How could I be pregnant? I'm not even married! Wait—even if I were married, I shouldn't be the one pregnant!
Wei Caiwei pretended to check his pulse again, "It's fine. The lady is in excellent health, but she must avoid alcohol from now on."
She then turned to Ding Wu, "Have you been experiencing frequent back pain recently?"
Ding Wu nodded, "Exactly."
Wei Caiwei raised a palm, "Give me fifty coins, and I'll perform acupuncture and cupping to unblock your meridians. The effect is immediate. Want the treatment?"
Ding Wu replied, "Yes. If you can relieve my pain, I'll pay double."
Wei Caiwei hastily finished her meal, slung her medicine chest over her shoulder, "Let's go to your room. Acupuncture requires undressing—it's inconvenient here in the main hall."
Ding Wu stroked his chin, "Well... my room is next to the Hua Brothers'. They just took two women upstairs, and the partition walls are too thin..."
Outwardly calm, Ding Wu's inner turmoil mirrored Wang Daxia's: Ah! How could I say such things to my own sister!
Wei Caiwei said, "No matter, we'll use my room then—that'll be an extra twenty coins."
She led Ding Wu to her room. For easier protection, her room was situated between Lu Ying and Wang Daxia's rooms, all labeled as Earth-class chambers.
As Wei Caiwei and Ding Wu went upstairs, Lu Ying took Wang Daxia's hand, "My wife, you're with child—you should rest now."
He also instructed the waiter, "Tell the kitchen to stew an old hen soup. My wife will have it tonight."
What a tender and considerate husband.
Having previously acted as a courtesan to lure the vile Taoist, Wang Daxia now found himself forced into playing a pregnant woman—a role he slipped into effortlessly. He rose slowly, naturally placing his right hand over his abdomen, and let his "husband" lead him upstairs.
The main hall resumed its clamor, filled with murmurs:
"That young wife has such a round and perky bottom—clearly built for childbearing."
"With that broad face and full cheeks, she's sure to bear a son—a classic male-bearing appearance."
"Why bring his wife on business trips? So inconvenient."
"Look at how she sways that slender waist—clearly restless. Would you dare leave such a pretty wife at home? Who knows who might take advantage."
"You make a fair point, brother."
Hearing this, Wang Daxia flared up: A bunch of gossiping men! Calling me a loose woman? Believe me, what I've got down there is bigger than any of yours!
Once upstairs, both hurried into Wei Caiwei's room. After all the twists and turns, the four were together again.Wei Caiwei was recounting her attempt to imitate his mooncake baking, "...maggots grew inside while the crust remained perfectly intact. I'll never cook again."
Ding Wu's eyes brimmed with amusement. "When all this is over, I'll bake them for you every Mid-Autumn Festival."
Wang Daxia entered the room and immediately dropped his right hand from his abdomen, resuming his masculine posture. "I wonder if we'll get to share some."
Seeing the two enter, Ding Wu promptly stood and bowed. "Thank you both for protecting my sister. Of course there will be enough for everyone."
Ding Wu's immediate expression of gratitude, so noble and magnanimous, made Wang Daxia's earlier jealous remark seem utterly petty.
Wang Daxia felt ashamed, remorseful, and angry. He knew perfectly well that Wei Caiwei regarded Ding Wu as an elder brother, that theirs was a familial bond, yet he couldn't help himself... Whenever he saw Wei Caiwei paying more attention to others than to him, he grew upset and uncomfortable all over.
Lu Ying cut straight to business: "The cabin of the ship you purchased? Where is that vessel headed? Are there still available spots? We'd better travel on the same ship."
Ding Wu opened the window and pointed at a large merchant ship on the canal flying a "Fair Wind" banner with five sails. "That's the one, bound for Hangzhou. The ice hasn't melted yet, so there are more ships than merchants. There should still be space."
Lu Ying immediately ordered her subordinates to negotiate passage fees with the Fair Wind ship, then asked Ding Wu about his experiences over the past six months.
Ding Wu explained: "I had to fully embody a genuine defector, blaming the Ming court for my family's downfall and my parents' deaths, hoping the Khanate Court would defeat the Ming regime to restore the Ding family's honor and bring glory to our ancestors..."
"...The current Ados resembles my disguised self - harboring resentment toward the Khanate Court, constantly pining for San Niangzi. However, San Niangzi shows no attachment to her betrothed Ados, focusing entirely on pursuing power. Anda Khan dotes on her and rarely refuses her requests."
Wang Daxia blurted out, "Isn't that just like Consort Shang in the palace? It seems old men all fancy young, beautiful maidens."
Ding Wu stared fixedly at Wang Daxia. "San Niangzi often speaks of you. She praises you highly."
What? An inexplicable wave of jealousy surged in Wei Caiwei's heart as she looked at Wang Daxia. "Praise him for what? For being easily deceived? For being naive?"
You sold your mother's dowry fields to redeem her, yet drove me out the very day I paid the rent! I haven't settled that account with you yet!
Wang Daxia defensively crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't make baseless accusations. I have no relationship with her whatsoever. If Loyalty Earl hadn't concealed the intelligence that San Niangzi was Miss Jin Ying, I would have been framed for colluding with the enemy. From start to finish, I've been the victim."
Ding Wu said, "San Niangzi instructed that no matter what conflicts arise between the White Lotus Sect and you, neither you nor your family and friends should be harmed."
Wei Caiwei understood the weight of these words, and her jealousy intensified.
Wang Daxia frantically waved his hands. "No, no! I'd thank heaven and earth if she'd just treat me as a stranger. I don't need the esteemed San Niangzi's protection."
Ding Wu explained, "Sect Leader Zhao Quan hates you to the core, yet San Niangzi ordered me to protect you. Their conflicting stances make you the key to gaining San Niangzi's trust. That's why I was able to establish myself so quickly in both the Khanate Court and the White Lotus Sect - all thanks to you."Wei Caiwei: "Oh my, I never expected you to be such a devastatingly handsome troublemaker who could even stir conflict between the Khanate Court and the White Lotus Sect."
Seeing Wei Caiwei's increasingly cold gaze, Wang Daxia frantically distanced himself. "The outcome is what it is. I can't change San Niangzi's opinion of me, but I have no feelings for her whatsoever. She is my enemy."
Lu Ying rested her chin in her hand, deep in thought. "That's not the right way to look at it. The enemy of my enemy is a temporary ally. Regarding the White Lotus Sect, San Niangzi isn't an enemy but an ally."
Wang Daxia quickly added, "Those words only represent Commander Lu's view and have nothing to do with me."
Seeing Wang Daxia's wary expression, Wei Caiwei suddenly understood why she had never heard of Jin Ying in her previous life. Because pulling up one radish brings up the mud—the matters involved were too complicated, so Eunuch Wang simply kept his mouth shut.
Eunuch Wang had even told her about Wang Xiaoxia's private preference for his right hand's "five girls" while he was alive, yet he kept Miss Jin Ying buried deep in his heart, unwilling to reveal her, silently bearing the burden alone.
At this realization, Wei Caiwei felt relieved. She picked up the teapot and poured a cup for everyone. "We've talked so much—you must be thirsty. Have some tea."
Seeing that there was a cup for him, Wang Daxia felt slightly reassured: Fortunately, I clenched my teeth and stubbornly denied everything.
After concluding the serious matters, Ding Wu said to Lu Ying, "I was shocked to hear the tragic news of Loyalty Earl's passing. With the change of commander, I once worried I'd be forgotten at the Khanate Court, imagining all sorts of bad outcomes and fearing the undercover operation would fail. But seeing you appear in Linqing during your mourning period... I feel ashamed. I underestimated your determination, speculating you might withdraw from the Embroidered Uniform Guard without the Loyalty Earl's protection and lose contact with me."
In truth, Lu Ying also felt ashamed. When her mother Li Yiren threatened suicide, she had genuinely considered giving up—she couldn't just watch her mother die.
So it turns out a single thought can change one's own life and affect others' destinies. Unknowingly, their lives had become intertwined, where pulling one thread moves everything.
Lu Ying said, "Alone at the Khanate Court, your daily pressure is unimaginable. Some wavering is normal—no need for guilt. Honestly, I was almost forced to quit by my mother too. It was Wang Daxia and Doctor Wei who worked together to rescue me from the household. Everyone has moments of doubt and vulnerability. After enduring them, we emerge stronger. Please rest assured, I'll always have your back from the rear."
"Me too," Wei Caiwei said. "Though I'm not in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, I'll help you however I can. I'll wait for you to return and bake me mooncakes, peach cookies, make chicken stew with mushrooms, and iron-pot braised goose for me. We'll still go to Tieling to sweep the graves of our adoptive parents and see the snows of the northeast."
By the end, Wei Caiwei's voice choked up, a clear tear tracing her cheek. Ding Wu wiped it away with his thumb. "It will happen. That day will surely come."
Wang Daxia instinctively took out a handkerchief to dry Wei Caiwei's tears but abruptly stopped midway, realizing he couldn't do that now. The handkerchief veered and was placed in Wei Caiwei's hand instead. "I'm going too," he said.
Noticing this, Lu Ying thought: Well now, something's going on here.The four of them were just speaking with deep emotion when Wu Xiaoqi returned from gathering information at the Linqing customs checkpoint, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "That antique dealer who calls himself Zhang Shan is actually Luo Longwen. He passed through customs with all those goods completely tax-free because he holds a tax-exempt clearance document issued by Vice Minister of Revenue Yan Shifan."
Yan Shifan was as greedy as a mythical pi xiu—only taking in, never giving out. Asking him to pay taxes was harder than asking for his life. Thus, by issuing the tax-exempt clearance document to Luo Longwen, he inadvertently revealed Luo Longwen's true origins—no matter how he disguised himself, he couldn't hide it.
Unexpectedly, there was an additional surprise. Wang Daxia remarked, "Sneaking around like that—it can't be for any good purpose."
Just then, the subordinate sent to book a canal boat returned to report, "We've settled with the Shunfeng boatman. We can load the goods now. The ice has already begun to crack, and we can set off as early as tomorrow morning. Also, that antique dealer has booked the same boat. They're already moving their cargo into the lower hold. Who knows what's inside—it's incredibly heavy. It takes six bearers to carry a single crate, and the boatman demanded extra payment on the spot."
Wu Xiaoqi, who held a vendetta against Yan Shifan for his father's death, volunteered, "Pack me into a crate and carry me into the ship's hold as cargo. Once the hatch is closed, I'll come out and see what shady things they're hiding in those boxes."
Author's Note: The lottery results are out! For readers who didn't win, don't be discouraged—this chapter includes 100 red envelopes as a gift. Wishing everyone a happy weekend! Also, next month there will be a 50,000 Jinjiang Coins lottery—still plenty of chances, mwah!
On another note, here's a drama that might reveal my age: When I was young, I watched a TV series called "The Hero of the Grasslands," which depicted the love triangle between Luo Longwen, Wang Cuiqiao, and Xu Hai. The series romanticized the pirate Xu Hai, portraying him as a hero forced into rebellion. Back then, I didn't understand much and actually shed tears over the tragic ending of Xu Hai and Wang Cuiqiao, wishing I could kill Luo Longwen for tearing the couple apart. Now, I finally get to "kill" Luo Longwen in my own story. Revenge is a dish best served cold—even twenty years later. Call me petty if you will—hmph!
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