Jun Qiluо suddеnlу grаbbed her sistеr's hаnd.
"Liао Рeoplе? Whаt did the impеrial prосlаmаtiоn sаy?" Why wаs her heart pounding so fiеrсelу? Why wаs shе sо аgitatеd? It соuldn't bе him, it dеfinitelу couldn't be!
Jun Jiаngjuаn tried hаrd to recаll.
"Therе were nо роrtrаits, but it mеntiоnеd that onе оf the twо Liао Pеoрlе had blue еуes—sо terrifying! Onlу monsters cоuld hаvе blue еyes; and bоth оf thеm werе giаnts. Оur Imреriаl Guard hаs bеen рursuing them аll the waу from Вiаnjing, but thеy still hаvеn't саught them. Theу don't even know how mаny of them thеre arе or whаt thеy lоok like; they're like ghosts, impossible to capture..."
She didn't hear anything else her younger sister said after that. Blue eyes, blue eyes—among the Khitan she knew, the only one with blue eyes was him, Yelü Lie!
Could it be someone else?
What kind of person would dare to enter the south so conspicuously? It was practically asking to be caught! It definitely couldn't be him!
Please, don't let it be him! Once the Imperial Guard surrounds Hangzhou, those two Liao People would surely die. He wouldn't be so foolish as to come here and alert the authorities.
She placed her hands gently on her belly and bit her lower lip.
But... she had a feeling... it was him! Was he coming to die? What exactly did he want to do?
If it was him, he could surely come and go without being noticed. But then why had he alarmed the authorities?
Or... oh! She truly didn't know!
Don't think, stay calm! Jun Qiluo, don't panic, it's not him! It's not him...
At this moment, wasn't he newly married, immersed in love with the three princesses? How could he have time to come here alone? Oh! She would rather heartbrokenly hope he was enjoying his newlywed life than have him actually come.
Please, don't let it be him!
Jun Jiangjuan thought she had frightened her sister with her terrifying description and quickly said, "Elder Sister, don't worry. We'll rest early tonight and post more guards at the gate. Those two Liao People will be captured and executed sooner or later. Don't worry, there's an Imperial Guard unit and the authorities pursuing them! Maybe tomorrow, the heads of those two barbarians will be hanging over Hangzhou. When that happens, I'll definitely go see if anyone really has blue eyes..."
"No! Don't!" Jun Qiluo shouted in a low voice, breaking out in cold sweat. Whoever those two Liao People were, she didn't want them to die, especially the one with blue eyes.
"Sister..."
"I'm very tired. I want to go upstairs, I..." She stood up hurriedly. Jun Jiangjuan quickly supported her and led her upstairs, blaming herself for exaggerating and frightening her sister, who was about to give birth... Such bloody talk was truly unsuitable for a pregnant woman, and it might even corrupt the child!
At dusk, Jun Jiangjuan said apologetically, "Sister! I'll have someone bring up some tonics and dinner for you. Rest well! I won't say such things to scare you again."
"Alright! You may go. I want some peace and quiet." She covered her face.
After lighting the oil lamp, Jun Jiangjuan left the small building.
Her belly was immediately kicked twice.
Jun Qiluo whispered, "Are you worried about him too? Oh, I hope it's not him..."
When the maid brought up the dinner, it only made her feel nauseous. She entered the inner chamber and stared blankly at the bronze mirror, which reflected her frightened eyes.
"Oh..."
Knowing him had destined her to sink into this life, without even the right to not think of him...Covering her face, she collapsed onto the lounge chair, tears once again dampening her cheeks. Only after crying herself to exhaustion did she fall into a restless sleep, her dreams filled with even more unease...
※ ※ ※
Who should be said to have startled whom?
Yelü Lie stared with disbelief at the sleeping beauty before him—his woman.
Her sleeping face was sorrowful, thin and pale, yet still breathtakingly beautiful! But such a slender frame carried such a large belly, and he couldn’t help but furrow his brow tightly.
It was his child, he knew. But why did her frail body have such a large belly? Damn Duoluo Qi hadn’t found out she was pregnant, or else he wouldn’t have stood there like a fool, rooted to the spot the moment he entered her room. Just looking at her belly felt like staring for a thousand years.
She really wasn’t dead!
Even after seeing her with his own eyes, he still couldn’t fully believe it. He had to hold her, embrace her in his arms, feel her warmth and her breath to truly believe and tell himself that he hadn’t lost her.
He quietly sat by the lounge chair, carefully lifting her delicate wrists, which still bore faint scars from the bindings. Back then, in his anger, he had tied them too tightly and hurt her. Yelü Lie hated his own past roughness and gently kissed the red marks on her wrists, vowing never to harm her again. Even his unintentional strength was enough to hurt her—he would have to be even more careful...
Then, he looked at her belly.
In the north, such a large belly was common, but northern women were robust and strong! Yet she was a delicate woman from the south, carrying such a burden... He began to worry. Carefully placing a hand on her belly, he felt it move slightly. His eyes widened in shock and alarm—heavens! Was she about to give birth?
Looking more closely, it didn’t seem so—she hadn’t woken up. He sighed in relief and carefully picked her up, but it still startled the restless Jun Qiluo awake.
She gasped softly, blinking again and again... Was he... real?
"Stop blinking. Otherwise, I’ll take it as you trying to seduce me!" His deep, resonant voice whispered in her ear.
"Ah! You..."
She looked around in disbelief—it was indeed her own room. So, he was real? Or was this just another trick of her dreams? Gently, she reached out to touch his face, feeling the familiar warmth and contours... and his heart was beating!
He sat on the bed, holding her tightly in his arms. What was she thinking? Her expression was so complex—surprise, disbelief, wild joy, shock, fear...
But her final expression turned icy. Remembering he already had three wives, her face immediately grew cold as frost.
"Let go of me!"
"Never. This time, don’t even think about running away from me!" He had almost forgotten how easily this woman could stir his anger, and he struggled to suppress it.
Jun Qiluo pushed against his broad chest.
"If you don’t let go, I’ll call for help. This is Hangzhou, the territory of the Great Song. The entire city is deployed with troops to capture you. If I shout, your head will be cut off and hung on the city walls by tomorrow...""Go ahead and scream!" he growled indifferently, his eyes actually flashing with mockery and encouragement. "Scream! I'll let you earn great merit—helping the Great Song capture a member of the Yelü family is a major achievement! Perhaps you'll even become the first female official since the founding of the Great Song! Go on, scream!"
"Yelü Lie..." She bit her lower lip, glaring fiercely at him, yet knowing deep down she could never bring herself to cry out. Oh! He was still this despicable! Overcome with anger, she clenched her fists and struck his shoulder hard.
He caught her delicate fist, frowning as he looked at her.
She sneered coldly, "Did that hurt? How fragile you are!"
"You have a lifetime to use your delicate fists and feet on me, but for now, you'd better save your strength for childbirth." His large hand rested gently on her belly, and he frowned again. "He's moving again..."
"None of your business!" She tried to push his hand away, but instead, he grasped hers and placed it together with his on her belly.
"If it weren't for this belly of yours, I would have spanked you soundly and taken you away long ago. None of my business? Next, are you going to tell me this child is something you conceived on your own, with no connection to me?"
His tone was calm, his expression dangerous, his gaze threatening.
Jun Qiluo couldn't avoid his gaze, nor could she lie under such a terrifying expression. How could she deceive him? The child was almost due, and no matter how she calculated the timing, it had been conceived while she was with him.
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