[I know thereâs some content missing, but Iâve checked a lot of sites and the raws are all the same. If anyone can find the missing content, send me a link!]
âBe careful.â There were soldiers patrolling around the mountain. If the soldiers saw them together, they would be finished.
When Shangguan LingRan ran down to the bottom of the mountain, his martial nephews released sighs of relief when they saw him come back safely.
They looked at his happy face and rippling phoenix eyes filled with deep tenderness and knew that his wish had been fulfilled. For a time, they were all happy for their little Shishu.
Yi Chen immediately smiled and said, âIt looks like we will have a little martial aunt [Shishen] soon.â
Shangguan LingRan was not angry. He smiled happily and devilishly charmingly. âThatâs right. Children, you have to be as loyal to your little Shishen as you are to me.â
âYes, little Shishu.â The little martial nephews smiled as they answered.
That night, Shangguan LingRan and Zi You tossed and turned. They didnât sleep well.
Zi You thought that since she liked him, then she would have to fight. Even if there were deep trenches or countless thorns in front of her, she would rush through them to fight for him.
Shangguan LingRan was thinking about Zhao HongXiang. That b*stard! As soon as he thought that YouYou was his fiancée in name, his teeth ached from hatred.
He must take care of him, but not now. He had to wait until he had the ability to protect YouYou and not be guarded against by the Emperor and his sons before he could make a move.
Military training was intense and tiring, but the days were full of happiness. Through frequent interactions, the females and males got along more and more naturally.
At first, the females were reluctant to bandage the soldiersâ wounds on their legs or torso. But after several times and after they saw Zi Youâs calmness when she bandaged wounds for the soldiers, the females had calmed down too.
Zi Youâs strength, tenacity, and amiability to the soldiers made the soldiers admire her very much. They affectionately called her âLittle fairy.â
Winter left and spring arrived. Since Shangguan LingRan returned to the capital, he didnât go see Zi You in the mountains again. He didnât even come on Zi Youâs birthday on March 23rd. He had fifteenth martial nephew Yi Chen bring her a gift and letter.
The gift was in a rosewood box. Zi You opened it. It was a diamond inlaid emerald corundum bracelet with a matching long hairpin lying on the red flannel. The brilliance of the corundum and diamond shone like a rainbow.
Fifteenth martial nephew Yi Chen proudly opened the hairpin. It was actually hollow in the middle. A very small dagger was in the thin hairpin. The sharp blade emitted bright light. The position where the emerald corundum was inlaid was precisely the part where someone should hold it. It was suitable for a woman to hold without hurting her hand.
Zi You knew that it was very skillful to do such a thing in a small area of a hairpin. This must be valuable. But she was very happy with the hairpin from simply her necessity for such an item.
She couldnât bring a dagger or soft sword everywhere she went. But close combat wouldnât be a problem with this hairpin.
Fifteenth martial nephew Yi Chen could tell that a smile was emitting in her eyes. He boasted even more proudly. He took the bracelet out and pressed down somewhere. Needles swooshed out and landed on a table.
He said, âThere are fourteen silver needles inside this bracelet. Seven are dipped in anesthetic. Seven are dipped in poison. The range is about five meters. It will be more effective the closer you are. My little Shishu had someone make this in three months. Others certainly wonât make it so well. My little Shishu has spent a lot of thought! My little Shishu canât home. He feels very bad about it!â
It wasnât that Shangguan LingRan didnât want to come, but that he couldnât come. That was because the Empress Dowager was watching the fireworks and had gotten a cold. At first, she hadnât paid much attention to it. But she had gotten worse and worse. In the end, the cold turned into heat, obstructed her lungs, and gave her asthma. She was suffering from modern day pneumonia.
Shangguan LingRanâs feelings were conflicted towards this grandmother of his. There was resentment, but also familial affection. After all, everything that she did, including raising âhimâ into a dandy, was to save his life.
The Empress Dowager really did love him. Shangguan LingRan understood that if she wasnât alive, the Emperor would be even more unbridled. Thus, he could only strongly suppress his lingering for Zi You and stay by the Empress Dowagerâs side day and night; for fear that the Empress would do something.
Zi You was aware of the Empress Dowagerâs condition. Shangguan LingRan had Lightning send her a letter every two days. Even his aunt Nee Liu mentioned the Empress Dowagerâs condition in her letters to Mu YingYi. The words were full of worry.
Since something big had happened, in order to demonstrate his filial piety, Taizi actually proposed to marry cefei Liu Ruixue ahead of time as a warding-off wedding.*** The Emperor even agreed.
[Warding-off wedding (Chongxi) = holding a wedding in hopes that a joyous occasion would âward-offâ imminent death.]
Originally, the wedding was scheduled for August 6th, but it was now pushed forward to April 12th. That was the result from Duke Anguoâs discussion with the Emperor because Liu Ruixue didnât reach marriageable age until May 13th.