"Нuаn'еr!" Shi Wuji рulled his wife bасk tо his sidе, stоpping her sеlf-рraise аnd the subsequеnt tеmрtаtiоns аnd decеptions. He cupреd his hands tоward Jun Qiluо.
"Мiss Jun, tаkе cаrе! If thеrе is аnything Рroud Dragon Fоrtrеss cаn assist with, pleаse do nоt hesitatе tо аsk. Fаrеwеll fоr now!"
"Thаnk уou," shе rеsрondеd with a роlite bow.
"Gооdbyе!" Shi Dingrui blew her a kiss bеfore being саrriеd off thе deck by his fаthеr; thе ship sеt sаil оnсе mоre.
Shi Wuji wаs indеed а remаrkable mаn, worthу оf bеing the grеаt mаgnаte of the nоrth!
They were suсh an unusual cоuple, оften sреaking wоrds she couldn't understand; perhaps this was what true immortal companions were like!
Yelü Lie...
Every time she thought of his gaze, her heart ached, lingering in her chest day after day!
Farewell! Yelü Lie, from now on, their worlds would no longer intersect. It was better if he thought she was dead, so he would no longer disturb her.
Then, he would forget her, choose another beauty to cherish, forget that a woman named Jun Qiluo had briefly blossomed in his life, never knowing she had borne his child, forgetting her forever!
This was the ending she wanted, wasn't it?
He would eventually forget her!
※ ※ ※
By the time the Shi family merchant ship sailed into the Qiantang River, she was already four months pregnant.
Returning to Hangzhou, she would face a family civil war and the endless speculations from outsiders.
After mourning what he thought was her death, Jun Chengliu could no longer bear the emotional shift upon suddenly seeing her again. Tears streamed down his aged face as he urgently grasped his daughter's hands.
"Tell your father, what kind of life have you lived these past months? How did you survive the disaster?"
In the living room, besides the father and daughter, there were also the second wife, Jiang Juan, and Xiu Kun with her husband. Beside the couple stood a beautiful woman holding Xiu Kun's month-old daughter—a newly taken concubine.
Jun Qiluo glanced around the room. Her agitation had already subsided during the journey, so she maintained her usual composure and self-control. This was not the right moment to speak, yet they had all gathered before her out of concern.
Could she not tell the truth? If she could, she could only confide in her father; otherwise, her child might not be safe.
Xiu Kun anxiously asked, "Five months ago, the news came back that you and that caravan were completely wiped out. Many soldiers' bodies were brought back, and now no one dares to travel the Silk Road for trade anymore. Sister, you..."
"Xiu Kun," Zheng Shuting called softly; Jun Xiu Kun immediately fell silent obediently and retreated behind her husband.
Jun Jiang Juan shot them a glance and suggested, "Father, Sister has been on the ship for nearly two months and must be exhausted. Let's allow her to rest properly first!"
Jun Chengliu nodded.
"I almost forgot you must be tired! Jiang Juan, help your sister back to her room to rest. We can discuss everything once Qiluo is refreshed!"
Of course, he was eager to know about the child in her belly, but he feared it might have been conceived under unbearable circumstances. He couldn't bear the thought that his daughter had been violated and humiliated, resulting in this pregnancy. But...
"Sister, let's go!" Jun Jiang Juan supported Qiluo as they headed toward the side door.
But Zheng Shuting raised his eyebrows and interrogated, "May I ask, elder sister, whether the child in your womb is legitimate?"Jun Qiluo looked coldly at her brother-in-law. A stubborn scholar, steeped in the classics for over twenty years yet growing ever more rigid, he had molded his wife into a model of obedience and wifely virtue, treating her husband as the center of her world. Now, did he intend to meddle in her affairs as well? His gaze seemed to suggest that her pregnancy had tainted his status! In the past, he had insisted that his wife keep her distance from her natal family and had subtly mocked Jun Qiluo, a mere woman who refused to learn proper feminine virtues and insisted on competing with men, predicting she would face retribution sooner or later. Now, was he eagerly awaiting that retribution to fall upon her?
"Thank you for your concern, brother-in-law, but Qiluo is unworthy of such attention. If you could redirect this focus to your studies, I believe you would surely rank among the successful candidates in this year's provincial examination."
With that, she lifted her head and returned to her room.
"Hmph! Corrupting morality! Let's go!" Zheng Shuting flicked his sleeve and stormed off.
Jun Xiukun and a group of maidservants hurriedly followed him out.
Jun Chengliu slumped wearily into his chair, praying fervently that heaven had not been so cruel as to subject his precious daughter to a terrible ordeal. Otherwise, he truly deserved to die!
"Master..." Madam Jun quickly served her husband tea and massaged his back.
After all, she was not Qiluo's birth mother; no matter how concerned she was, her comfort could only scratch the surface. "At least she has returned safely. Don't press her anymore! Now that she's back, you needn't worry about the business anymore."
Jun Chengliu suddenly opened his eyes.
"No! I must do something for her. So far, outsiders still don't know that Qiluo is Jun Feifan. We'll tell everyone that Qiluo married a local man while traveling in the north last year, and now that her husband has died on the journey, she has returned alone. Everyone saw the Shi family's ship from the north escort her back, so this explanation won't raise suspicion." Jun Chengliu summoned the steward. "Jun Darong, prepare a generous gift and deliver it to the Proud Dragon Fortress in the north to express our gratitude to the Shi family for their kindness to our Jun family. Also, while you're in the north, stop by the 'Golden Weaving Workshop' and instruct them that from now on, all orders from the Shi family are to be free of charge!"
"Yes, sir!" The steward withdrew.
Jun Chengliu sighed; once this news spread, everyone would focus their attention on the Proud Dragon Fortress in the north. In turn, they would be less inclined to speculate about whether Jun Qiluo had actually married.
For now, the most important thing was to protect Qiluo's reputation. No matter what, he could not let his daughter suffer injustice, nor could he allow her name to be tarnished; otherwise, she would not be able to survive in this society.
Chapter Eight
The season had officially entered spring, with flowers blooming in vibrant colors amidst the lingering patches of unmelted snow.
Jun Qiluo's seven-month pregnancy made her appear as if she were about to give birth; and her morning sickness symptoms had only begun after returning to the Jun household. It nearly confined her to bed, but she still insisted on helping her father with the business. Thus, Jun Jiangjuan brought piles of parchment scrolls to her small pavilion every day to discuss work matters.
In fact, during the months Jun Qiluo was missing, all the family's business affairs had been taken over by Jiangjuan. This experience had stripped away her innocence and playfulness; she was no longer a naive, fun-loving girl.
Her second brother-in-law had mocked her extensively for this reason, congratulating himself on marrying the most conventional woman in the Jun family. A proud scholar with considerable talent, yet rigidly conservative, he often ridiculed Jun Jiangjuan at literary gatherings, causing the eligible young scholars who had once sought her hand to hesitate. At seventeen, Jun Jiangjuan now received no further marriage proposals, leaving Madam Jun nearly in tears with worry.Thus, Jun Jiangjuan officially developed a feud with Zheng Shuting, and because of her elder sister's affairs, their relationship grew even more strained. She often used her "unvirtuous" talents and sharp tongue to provoke Zheng Shuting into fits of rage, nearly driving him to spit blood!
Jun Jiangjuan possessed absolute cleverness and wit but lacked her elder sister's composed and dignified composure. Otherwise, how could she have allowed that bookworm to mock and ridicule her at will? Someone like Jun Qiluo, with just one icy glare, was enough to send that bookworm scurrying to a corner to reflect on his childish and pointless behavior. Therefore, no matter how much contempt and disdain he harbored for Jun Qiluo, he dared not directly provoke her. Instead, he forbade his wife from frequently associating with her sisters, lest she pick up immoral and unconventional habits.
In April, Hangzhou was picturesque everywhere, and the crowds of spring admirers added to the city's liveliness.
However, after the arrival of spring, it was also the busiest time for the Jun family's cloth business.
Jun Chengliu was growing older and could no longer handle too many official duties, especially since he had recently been busy providing relief to disaster victims. After the arrival of spring, an avalanche buried an entire village at the foot of the mountain. Despite rescue efforts, only about a hundred people remained from the original village of over five hundred, most of whom were tenant farmers of the Jun family. This matter alone kept Jun Chengliu fully occupied.
Thus, Jun Qiluo insisted on participating in the family business.
The midwife worriedly told her that her belly was too large and that childbirth might be difficult, possibly even life-threatening. Her stepmother, drawing from her own experience, also stared at her unusually large belly—it truly was too big. It was only seven months, with two and a half months left until the due date, and no one knew how much larger her belly would grow.
Meanwhile, her body grew increasingly weak due to morning sickness, and she vomited all the nourishing supplements she tried to consume.
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