Chapter 284: Military Merit
Su Yaoguang looked at him coldly: “Want to die? You’ve done so many bad things, how could I possibly let you die just like that? I haven’t had enough fun yet! One day when I don’t want to play anymore, when I’m tired of it, I’ll give you a release. But right now, you don’t deserve release. Xiao Yanci, I really regret saving you in my previous life. If I hadn’t saved you this ungrateful person, my mother wouldn’t have suffered so much with me, and she wouldn’t have died at your hands in the end.”
“Did you see it? In this life, I made different choices, and everything is different now. All the misfortunes of our mother and daughter were brought upon us by you. Without you, my mother could have met my father in her previous life. My father wouldn’t have ended up depressed until death, never recovering memory, never remembering his wife and daughter. Xiao Yanci, you’re an evil spirit, you should have died long ago.”
“No matter what, we were husband and wife after all, you loved me… Back then you were even willing to die for me… How can you bear to treat me like this?” Xiao Yanci looked at Su Yaoguang.
At this critical moment, he was still trying to bewitch Su Yaoguang, hoping to make her soften.
However, Su Yaoguang now felt only hatred toward him, endless hatred.
If her misfortune was because she couldn’t see clearly, what about her mother? What wrong did her mother commit? She couldn’t forgive Xiao Yanci for taking action against her mother.
“Listen up, change his torture method every day, let him know the taste of wishing for death. Su Yaoguang sneered, “But don’t let him die.”
Su Rende led troops to kill into the territory of the enemy country, while Su Yaoguang and Zhang Zhaodi waited for his triumphant return at the general’s mansion.
A few months later, Zhang Zhaodi went into labor.
That day, a heavy rain fell, washing away all the wind and sand across the entire border.
Amid the rumbling thunder, Zhang Zhaodi’s cries continued for a long time.
Su Yaoguang stayed in the room with her the whole time, holding her hand and tensely watching her reactions.
“Midwife, how is my mother?”
“Don’t worry, Eldest Miss, Madam is doing fine. Giving birth is like this naturally, it doesn’t happen so quickly, just wait a bit more.”
“Mother, don’t be nervous.” Su Yaoguang said.
Zhang Zhaodi said weakly: “Silly child, you’re the one who’s nervous, Mother isn’t nervous. Mother has been through this before and knows giving birth doesn’t happen so quickly.”
Su Yaoguang asked the midwife again: “Should I get some food for my mother?”
“That can be done.” The midwife said, “Madam probably won’t give birth so soon, eating something can replenish some strength.”
A servant brought food, and Su Yaoguang fed Zhang Zhaodi half a bowl, then stayed there waiting.
“Ah…” Zhang Zhaodi’s pains came one after another, growing more frequent and intense. “Midwife, I’m about to give birth…”
Noisy voices came from outside, followed closely by hurried, powerful footsteps rushing over.
Bang! Su Rende, clad in armor, pushed the door open and entered.
“Oh heavens, General, don’t come in.” The midwife hurriedly stopped him. “You reek of blood, and you’ve rushed over from outside, you’re not clean, don’t affect the mother.”
“If I wash clean and change into fresh clothes, can I come in then?” Su Rende’s eyes were bloodshot as he anxiously looked toward Zhang Zhaodi.
Zhang Zhaodi’s cries grew louder and louder.
She heard Su Rende’s voice and, amid the pain, roared with full vigor: “Go rest quickly, I don’t need you here, ah…”
“Madam, you’re suffering for me, how could I possibly rest? I’m back, and I won’t leave again, never again. The enemy country’s territory has already been conquered by us, there won’t be any more war from now on.” Su Rende said.
“Father, go wash up first and change clothes. I’m here with her.” Su Yaoguang urged.
“Alright, I’ll be right back.”
Su Rende meant quickly as he said—he bathed, changed clothes, with even his hair still wet, and hurried over. He squatted by Zhang Zhaodi’s bed and gripped her hand tightly.
With one push from Zhang Zhaodi, the child’s cry pierced the sky above the general’s mansion.
“It’s born. Congratulations, General, congratulations, Madam, congratulations, Eldest Miss, it’s a young master.” The midwife said happily.
Su Rende asked the doctor beside him: “Check on Madam first.”
The doctor took Zhang Zhaodi’s pulse and said: “Don’t worry, General, Madam has taken good care of her health these years. She has smoothly given birth to the son, and just needs proper recuperation.”
“I told you I’m fine, no need to be so nervous.” Zhang Zhaodi said, “Yaoguang has taken good care of me, I haven’t suffered much. Later I met Jing’er, that child is young but her medical skill is truly excellent. I often drank the herbal medicine she prescribed, and that’s how I built up my body so strong.”
“The child is very healthy.” The doctor continued, “Congratulations, General, on double blessings.”
The so-called double blessings: one was the great victory, the other was the birth of the son.
“This child was born when I won the victory and destroyed the enemy country, so let’s name him—Yun Ji, Su Yunji, how about that?”
“That’s a nice name. Father, you’ve gotten good at naming now!” Su Yaoguang teased him.
“Alright, don’t disturb your mother anymore, she needs to rest now.” Su Rende said, “Hand the child to the wet nurse to care for.”
“Mother, then I’ll head back. If you need me, have them call for me.”
“Mother just wants to rest now and won’t call for you. You’ve been worried and anxious with me for months, now you can relax and rest well!”
At Zhang Zhaodi’s age to be pregnant and giving birth, even with several doctors attending, Su Yaoguang wasn’t as calm as she appeared on the surface. She had actually been inquiring everywhere about the risks of high-age childbirth and what to watch out for. As Zhang Zhaodi’s due date drew nearer, Su Yaoguang grew more and more tense.
Now she could finally relax.
“Father, now that we’ve won the victory, are we preparing to return to the capital city?”
“That was the plan, but your mother just gave birth, and the child is too young for travel. I plan to write a letter to the Emperor, asking him to send someone to handle the neighboring country matters. If I’m not mistaken, with the country merger, the Emperor will surely choose a new capital. We just need to wait for the news, see where the Emperor selects, and then go join him there. Going now would just mean traveling again in the end.”
“I miss Wangshu, I want to return to the capital city soon.” Su Yaoguang said, “When the Emperor moves the capital then, our Peach Blossom Workshop will need some arrangements, I have to go back and take charge.”
“That’s simple, I’ll send a troop with you. They’re heading back to the capital city to report anyway, you can go find your son-in-law. When do you plan to leave?”
“Wait another half month. Now the neighboring country is our territory too, I plan to acquire some animal hides to bring back and sell, sure to fetch a good price.”
“Alright. Use this half month to properly accompany your mother and your younger brother.” Su Rende said, “Our family will rendezvous in the New Capital.”
“Father, it’s great that you recovered memory.” Su Yaoguang said.
