Snow Niang touched her belly, thinking of the tiny seed within, taking root, sprouting, and growing into a cute, chubby baby. A smile couldn't help but escape her lips.
Xiao Shan would be back tomorrow. How should she tell him?
Would he be more surprised or more happy?
He might even be stunned.
Haha, if he dared to be unhappy, she would deal with him.
She forced down some meat despite feeling nauseous, yawned, and felt lazy again.
Little Tiger had barked twice in the yard and then fallen silent. She then remembered that the formation eye in the yard hadn't been put back.
Pulling on her cloak, she carefully stepped over the threshold, then suddenly felt something was wrong.
"Little Tiger, Little Tiger?"
A dark shadow suddenly appeared before her.
"Imperial Sister, long time no see."
...
Blazing flames engulfed the once warm courtyard.
"Drag that dog out. It saved my life. Eldest Imperial Brother, please."
A mocking glint flashed across the man's unrestrained face, though it was hidden by his cloak, unseen by anyone. He gestured with his finger to a shadow beside him, and immediately, dark figures rushed into the courtyard.
"Imperial Sister is still so kind-hearted."
Snow Niang heard the thick sarcasm in his voice and quietly lowered her head.
She was only kind to those who deserved it.
"Are you sending me to the Turks?"
"So what if I am, so what if I'm not? Your good second brother has thoroughly offended the Turks. Now that war has broken out, tell me, should I send you?"
His words were sarcastic and filled with mockery. She truly didn't understand this Eldest Imperial Brother.
He remained hidden in the darkness, exuding a sinister aura.
As the carriage gradually moved away, Snow Niang's heart sank into darkness.
Her home with Xiao Shan was gone.
It was a house he had painstakingly built, carrying trees from the mountain one by one. Every item inside had been carefully chosen by the two of them.
All gone.
In an instant.
Faintly, the lights of the village grew brighter and more numerous.
The villagers must have been alerted.
A distant wolf howl echoed from the mountain.
Was it the Snow Wolf King, seeing her off?
The fire could no longer be extinguished. Liu Zhuzi directed the villagers to fetch water to fight the flames. He held back a frantic Yutou, preventing him from rushing in to his death.
But Yutou still punched him in the face and charged in.
Yutou had learned martial arts from Xiao Shan, and Liu Zhuzi couldn't stop him.
"Quick, fetch water, fetch water!" Liu Zhuzi shouted.
He had said it before, when the main beam was inexplicably lowered during the topping-out ceremony, it was an ill omen!
As the fire gradually weakened, Zhuzi led people into the house, carried out the unconscious Yutou, and searched again. Indeed, Miss Xiao was not inside.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless, the person hadn't been burned to death. This way, when Brother Xiao returned, he would have an explanation.
Snow Niang lowered the carriage curtain. Her eyes ached. It was too far; the faint lights were eventually swallowed by the darkness.
"Imperial Sister, could it be that you've truly grown fond of this village life? You're truly adaptable! A treasure pampered and raised in the palm of Father Emperor's hand, who would believe it!"
The luxurious carriage was soft everywhere. She didn't have to squeeze into a cramped ox cart, didn't have to worry about bumping her waist, didn't have to be protected in someone's arms.
It was warm and comfortable.
Wisps of incense, the imperial special sandalwood, a tiny bit of which was worth thousands of gold, enough for all the villagers of Bozi Village to live for many years.
Her life had once been luxurious to the extreme.
"Tch!" The Eldest Prince scoffed again.
Snow Niang couldn't fathom his thoughts. She truly didn't know this Eldest Imperial Brother well. She only knew that Father Emperor was very indifferent to him. Not just anyone could enter Fengque Tower, and she had only seen him a few times.
He had seemed well-behaved, always following behind her second brother. His appearance wasn't outstanding, but he had a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes, which elevated his ordinary looks to eight out of ten.
He appeared gentle, not one to compete or fight for anything. Once, when her second brother took him to Fengque Tower, Father Emperor encountered them and reprimanded him unsparingly. He listened to the scolding quietly, without objection or defense.
In the end, it was she who coaxed Father Emperor into forgiving him.
He didn't talk to her much either. Every time she chatted and laughed with her second brother, he would listen from the side, like a transparent person.
She didn't understand the Eldest Imperial Brother of the past, and she was even more estranged from the one now.
Perhaps, she had never truly understood anyone in the palace.
Snow Niang was so tired. At this moment, she should have been asleep on the warm kang. She lay on the soft cushion beside her, and a tear trickled from the corner of her eye, disappearing without a trace.
She fell asleep.
Or perhaps she didn't.
When dawn broke, the carriage finally stopped. A hand reached out, and she gently shifted her body to avoid it.
"Get out of the carriage."
The Eldest Imperial Prince, cloaked in black, his entire face hidden within the large hood, revealed nothing. She could only feel his gaze, which was fixed on her.
Snow Niang's stomach was empty, and she couldn't control her nausea. She kept swallowing, trying to suppress the feeling. Her fists clenched, her fingernails digging deeply into her flesh.
Her stomach cramped painfully, wave after wave. She remembered the pill Linglong had given her, which could suppress vomiting, but she hadn't brought it with her.
"Ugh—"
She couldn't hold it in any longer and began to vomit. Her stomach was empty, so she couldn't bring anything up, yet she continued to retch, as if spasming. Finally, she began to vomit bile, her mouth filled with a bitter taste.
"What's wrong?"
The Eldest Imperial Prince grabbed her wrist, as if to feel her pulse, but Snow Niang instinctively shook him off.
"Hungry, I'm hungry."
Hungry? Would hunger cause such symptoms? The Eldest Imperial Prince didn't believe it. At this moment, they entered a courtyard, and he waved for someone to go buy food.
Snow Niang finally vomited until she was weak. She leaned on the table, pressing her stomach hard with her hands, trying to stop the spasms.
"Truly worthy of being a pampered and precious legitimate princess. After a year living among the common folk, your body is still so delicate."
The Eldest Imperial Prince was mocking her again. She really didn't know if his well-behaved demeanor in the past was an act for others, or if his personality had changed later.
Breakfast was quickly bought: congee, steamed buns, wontons, eggs, and noodles.
"Heh! Eat quickly, pampered princess."
Snow Niang hugged the bowl of congee and eagerly began to drink.
"Rough and uncouth, utterly lacking in grace, like a village woman. Indeed, nobility is not born, but made."
Snow Niang ignored him completely. After a bowl of congee, she felt a little better, but her stomach still felt uncomfortable. She smelled the meat buns and felt like vomiting again.
She stared at the eggs for a long time.
In the past, Xiao Shan would always peel them for her to eat.
"What, do you need someone to serve you?"
"Why aren't you speaking? Weren't you quite talkative before? Chirping endlessly."
"That's right, you were talking to your second brother. It's a pity your second brother can't protect you. He can't even protect himself."
Snow Niang began to peel an egg. She needed to eat, the child needed to eat. It was the child she longed for.
The Eldest Imperial Prince found her displeasing, but he didn't leave. He sat opposite Snow Niang and watched her eat.
"Heh, in the past, how could a noble legitimate princess eat such common food? She only needed to act spoiled and cry a little, and Father Emperor would spare no effort to find dragon meat to please her."
"Enough!"
Snow Niang waved her hand, scattering the breakfast all over the floor.