I thought about it all night, but I still couldn't figure out who Cai'er really was.
What purpose did she have in coming to me?
Since her appearance, it seemed she hadn't done anything bad to me and had been quite diligent in her duties.
Yet, upon closer reflection, something felt off.
"You really are something else." Hearing Cai'er say that, my expression changed.
Xiao Zhang was the main antagonist in the story, and he himself had said that too many people wanted him dead. Initially, he even suspected I was an assassin sent by the enemy.
I knew I certainly wasn't an assassin, but Cai'er might be.
Cai'er set the basin she was holding on a nearby shelf and took a few steps toward me.
Her steps were calm and composed; now she truly didn't look like a little palace maid at all. I couldn't help but take two steps back toward the bed.
"Don't come any closer; just stand there and talk," I said, feeling a bit uneasy inside.
Now that Xiao Zhang was gone, I had no strength at all. If she really was an assassin, I would only end up dead here.
Cai'er chuckled lightly and waved her hand in front of her face. "It's me."
Ox-Head!
My hand, which was propped up on the bed, went weak, and I fell straight back onto the bed.
"The King of Hell said you can't go back anymore; it would affect his performance, so he sent me to assist," she waved her hand again and resumed her appearance as Cai'er. "I have a script in hand, so of course I'm well-acquainted with the palace."
I blinked in surprise.
"So the Aphrodisiac Powder was your deliberate mistake?" I gritted my teeth in anger.
She blinked innocently. "Not exactly; it was He'er who made the mistake. I thought it was a bit interesting, so I didn't change it."
"Then, was the one in my cup also intentional on your part?" I tightened my grip on the blanket beside me.
"It really wasn't on purpose; it just fell into my palm," she continued to blink innocently.
I believed her about as much as I believed a ghost!
"You can leave now; I want some peace and quiet." I turned over, not wanting to look at her.
After hearing her take a couple of steps away, I called out to her again.
Without turning to face her, I held onto my pillow and asked softly, "So when are you going back?"
"I applied to the King of Hell to return with you," she said with a smile. "What do you think? Am I loyal enough?"
Not bad.
I curled the corners of my mouth up and contentedly closed my eyes to catch some sleep. "You can go now."
In the fifth month of being here, I finally met the legendary male and female leads.
I sat beside Xiao Zhang as we hosted a banquet for the envoys from Wu Kingdom and Qin kingdom.
"This is my lady," Xiao Zhang introduced me to everyone.
Not long ago, he had proposed making me his queen, which I declined. I told him that in our land, a man could only have one wife, and they all referred to their wives as ladies.
I was willing to be his lady.
From then on, he always called me "Lady Ayi."
It was somewhat endearing.
Everyone bowed to me and said, "Long live the lady."
I smiled as I watched, noticing the female lead sitting next to the male lead, looking back at me.
She was strikingly confident, her eyes shining with independence.
When she saw me looking, she didn’t shy away and smiled back at me.
Truly deserving of being the female lead.
After the banquet, she called out to me from a tree in the back garden.
“Imperial Jade Liquor.”
I blurted out, “One hundred eighty a cup.”
I widened my eyes at her, and she swung her legs on the tree branch with a look that said, "As expected."
“I’ve read this novel; the ending isn’t like this. So I figured someone must have come in and changed things,” she said with a smile, leaning slightly to look at me. “I didn’t expect it to be Xiao Zhang’s wife.”
“When I saw him six months ago, he had an aura of menace about him. Every move he made against Ling Xiao was ruthless, as if he was seeking death,” she plucked a leaf from a nearby branch. “But in just half a year, he now looks like a newlywed groom who just married his beloved. You’re quite remarkable.”
I sat down on a stone bench nearby, smiling as I accepted her compliment. “We’re both remarkable in our own ways.”
“General Ling takes good care of you; he’s a good man.”
“Of course! We’re practically from the same hometown; let’s exchange names.” She jumped down from the tree. “I’m Nan Yu.”
“I’m Xia Zhiyi.”
She somehow produced two jars of liquor and said she wanted to tell me the story of how she came to this world.
Neither of us could hold our liquor well; after half a jar, we started crying while hugging the jars.
“I’m worse off than you! I haven’t even read this novel and am terrified every day that I might die,” I cried as I patted her shoulder. “And I accidentally ended up sleeping with the antagonist.”
She reached out to hug me, crying uncontrollably.
In the end, Xiao Zhang and Ling Xiao arrived together. Xiao Zhang held me while Ling Xiao carried her away, bringing the drinking party to a close.
Xiao Zhang carried me back to the palace, placing me gently on the bed as if I were a fragile porcelain doll that could shatter at any moment.
How scared he must be of me disappearing to treat me this way.
I cupped his face and planted a firm kiss on his lips. "Xiao Zhang, don't worry, I'll spend my life with you."
Xiao Zhang's expression grew even more serious.
"Okay."
This was the second time we had done something like this since we got together.
The first time was because of Aphrodisiac Powder.
This time, it was because of love.
We lost ourselves in a wild night.
I was diagnosed with pregnancy again during the first snowfall of that year.
When I heard the doctor say this, I was so happy that I wanted to share the news with Xiao Zhang right away. However, on my way, I ran into him, who was worried about my early return.
"We're having a baby." The words fell alongside the swirling snowflakes.
Xiao Zhang quickly took off his cloak and wrapped it around me, his eyes filled with joy as if nothing in the world could satisfy him more.
"It's snowing! I've never seen such heavy snow before." I poked my head out from under the cloak, feeling the coldness of the snow, my eyes sparkling as I pulled Xiao Zhang forward. "Did you know? They say if two people walk together in the snow, they can walk all the way to White-Headed."
I found that saying incredibly romantic when I saw it online, but unfortunately, being a true southerner, I had never experienced heavy snowfall.
But Xiao Zhang was clearly not a romantic person.
He pulled the cloak up again to cover my head and picked me up horizontally.
"We will definitely reach White-Headed, but you can't catch a cold."
(End of main text)
[Extra]
I gave birth to a big, chubby boy, and it was hard to tell whether Xiao Zhang liked him or not.
Because he never held him.
He preferred for me to hold our son while he held me.
Until one day, when our son cried for a long time and he didn't hold him even once, I was so angry that I didn't speak to him for two days.
"If you don't like our son, then just throw us both into the cold palace," I said as I had Cai'er pack my things; I was going to move to the cold palace.
"I'm not, I don't dislike him," Xiao Zhang said, panic written all over his face as he blocked my way.
I glanced at him and was about to shove our son into his arms. "Then hold him."
His expression changed several times before he finally took our son with trembling hands, stiff and cautious.
"He's so small; what if I crush him?" he asked carefully, his arms rigid and unwilling to move easily.
Hearing his words, I was taken aback, then burst into laughter with Cai'er until we could hardly stand up straight.
Xiao Zhang had a difficult childhood, so he wanted to give our son the best of everything.
He even took a whole month just to choose a wet nurse.
"This is the most suitable wet nurse chosen for the Little Prince," Cai'er said, leading a woman to me with a smile.
I was busy soothing my son and only looked up at the woman behind her when I heard her speak.
My hand, which had been gently patting my son's, froze in mid-air.
"Madam, I am honored to meet you," the woman said, bowing to me.
My eyes reddened as I held back a mix of emotions and asked the woman, "How many children do you have?"
At the mention of her children, the woman smiled and replied, "I have a daughter and a son who is still in swaddling."
"Madam looks familiar; it seems that your daughter resembles you quite a bit," I remarked.
Of course, she did resemble her mother.
She looked very much like my own mother from another world.
The woman primarily took care of my son, and whenever Cai'er was too busy, she would occasionally help with my daily needs as well.
One day during naptime, she had originally been sitting on the other side, lulling my son to sleep, but somehow ended up beside me.
She gently pulled up the thin blanket that had slipped off me, waking me from my slumber.
Looking at her felt like seeing my mother again.
But my mother had never treated me this way.
"Madam, please rest; I will cover you properly so you don’t catch a chill," she said softly, as if speaking to her own newborn daughter.
I gave a light "mm" in response and turned away, not daring to look at her again.
"Madam, may I ask if these old items can be given to the Commoner Woman?" I asked Cai'er when I wanted to deal with some old hairpins. The woman spoke up shyly.
I looked at her.
She seemed a bit shy as she said, "My daughter has recently taken a liking to these beautiful hairpins..."
She intended to give them to her daughter.
She must be very good to her child.
I imagined her daughter was living a much better life than I was.
That night, I lay in Xiao Zhang's arms, burying my face against his chest, and asked him softly, "Can we have a daughter too?"
That way, my daughter would have loving parents and a brother who would obey her every wish.
She would be a true princess.
Xiao Zhang's hand, which had been wandering on my back, quickly pulled away.
"It's all my fault; I won't tease you anymore." He placed his hand on top of my head and gently rubbed it. "The doctor said you need to recover well, Ayi, just bear with it a little longer."
...
The gloom in my heart dissipated instantly, replaced by a warmth that flushed my cheeks.
"I didn't mean it that way!" I protested with a smile.
He stroked my head gently, as if smoothing down fur. "I know, I know; it's me who should bear with it."
In the end, I still couldn't have a daughter.
The doctor said it might be due to the previous miscarriage that had harmed my body, and giving birth to our little prince had drained my vitality.
But Nan Yu had given birth to a daughter.
I chased after her, wanting to hug her daughter, but she refused to let me.
"Your face looks just like those child traffickers reported in the news," she shouted back at me while running with the child in her arms.
She truly was skilled in martial arts; her footwork was impressive.
In a couple of days, I would have to ask Xiao Zhang to teach me some lightness skills.
In the nearby pavilion sat Xiao Zhang and Ling Xiao. As I passed by, I saw Xiao Zhang give the jade pendant he always wore to Ling Xiao.
"Ayi likes daughters, so I'll use this as a token to settle this engagement."
Ling Xiao glanced at the jade pendant in his hand and pouted.
"No way, let's talk about it again in a few years."
I laughed and continued chasing Nan Yu.
Our laughter and playful banter filled the air.
Fortunately, that day I told the King of Hell, "I'll choose the second option."
(The End)
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