However, before Li Ji could finish embroidering the character for "king," he received a summons from the Emperor.
He had to put down his needle and thread and get up to change.
Hua Manman, lounging on the daybed and fiddling with the small stuffed tiger, mumbled softly.
"Why is the Saint summoning you to the palace at this hour? It’s almost dark out. This will get in the way of dinner, won’t it?"
Li Ji adjusted his collar in front of the mirror and said, "You go ahead and eat. Don’t wait for me. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done."
Li Ji already had a good idea why the Emperor had suddenly summoned him.
It could only be about quelling the rebellion in Lingnan.
When Prince Dongyang had fled Shangjing in disgrace and hastily taken refuge in Lingnan, he’d held no advantage, neither in legitimacy nor in strength. Logically, it should have been a simple matter for the court to capture him.
However, nearly half a year had passed, and the generals the Emperor sent to quell the rebellion had met with one disaster after another.
Far from being defeated, Prince Dongyang had instead established a firm foothold in Lingnan and was showing signs of preparing for a long-term struggle against the court.
If Prince Dongyang were truly allowed to succeed, splitting the Great Zhou Dynasty in two, not only would the realm descend into chaos, but the Emperor’s lifelong reputation would also be destroyed.
Prince Dongyang had now become the Emperor’s greatest affliction.
To eliminate this scourge as quickly as possible, the Emperor had to use his sharpest blade.
And Li Ji was that sharpest blade.
Even if the Emperor was reluctant to use him, he now had no other choice.
After Li Ji left, Hua Manman, bored out of her mind, hugged the little tiger and took a nap on the daybed.
By the time she woke up, the sky outside was pitch black.
Si Yun helped her sit up and reminded her.
"The kitchen has dinner ready."
Hua Manman yawned. "Has the Prince not returned yet?"
Si Yun nodded. "He has not."
Hua Manman wanted to wait for Prince Zhao to return so they could dine together, but her stomach was rumbling insistently. Afraid of letting the baby in her belly go hungry, she got up to eat something.
Si Yun and Qing Huan helped her wash up and change her clothes.
Since she’d already napped, she wasn’t sleepy. She pulled Qing Huan and Si Yun into a game of cards.
She played cards while waiting for Prince Zhao to return.
Li Ji didn’t return to the Prince Mansion until very late.
Hearing a noise outside, Hua Manman immediately dropped her cards and rose with Qing Huan and Si Yun’s support.
The door was pushed open, and Li Ji strode in, bringing a gust of icy wind with him.
He quickly shut the door behind him, sealing out the biting wind and snow.
He shrugged off his heavy, ash-white crane robe and tossed it casually to Qing Huan.
Hua Manman hurried over to him.
"Have you had dinner?"
Li Ji answered truthfully, "I ate a little at the palace, but not enough to be full."
Hua Manman hurriedly had someone prepare a late-night meal.
Li Ji warmed his hands over a brazier and only took Manman’s hand when they were no longer cold.
He led Manman to the daybed and sat down.
"Why are you still up so late?"
Hua Manman huffed playfully. "Waiting for you, of course."
A warmth spread through Li Ji’s heart, and a small smile played on his lips. "Don’t be so silly in the future. If I’m not back, just go to sleep. Don’t worry about me. I know how to take care of myself."
Hua Manman said, "It’s fine. I already slept well earlier, so I’m not tired now. It was no big deal to wait for you, too."
Li Ji: "..."
His smile gradually faded.
’So I was just an afterthought.’
The late-night meal was served quickly. It was a large, steaming bowl of shredded chicken noodles with two small side dishes.
Resting her chin on her hand, Hua Manman watched the man across the table heartily eat his noodles.
Only when he was almost finished did Hua Manman ask,
"The Imperial Chefs are so skilled. How could you not have eaten your fill?"
Li Ji put down his chopsticks. "I had dinner with the Saint. He is still ill and depressed, so he has a very poor appetite. He stopped eating after just a few bites."
’Realization dawned on Hua Manman. If the Emperor himself stopped eating, how could Li Ji, a mere subject, dare to continue? Of course, he would have had to put his chopsticks down as well.’
Li Ji rinsed his mouth with tea from a cup, wiped his lips with a silk handkerchief, and spoke with a somber expression.
"There’s something I need to tell you."
Seeing his sudden serious demeanor, Hua Manman also lowered her arm and sat up straight.
"What is it?"
Li Ji took a gilt-edged memorial from his sleeve and said in a heavy tone, "This is a Holy Decree just issued by the Saint, ordering me to Lingnan to take full command of quelling the rebellion."
He casually tossed the memorial onto the table.
The casual gesture made it seem as if he hadn’t just tossed aside a Holy Decree, but a cheap storybook bought for ten cents.
Hua Manman picked up the memorial and looked at it.
It was filled with flowery script, most of which lauded Prince Zhao for his valor, combat prowess, loyalty to the throne, and love for his country. The order to head south and quell the rebellion was only mentioned at the very end.
The news was too sudden.
Hua Manman was caught completely off guard.
’She wanted to ask Li Ji, ’Can’t you just not go?’ Quelling a rebellion was no small matter. If Li Ji went to Lingnan, it would be a year or two before he could return. If that happened, she would have to face childbirth all alone. She was scared. But the Holy Decree had already been issued. If Li Ji didn’t go, it would be defying an imperial edict.’
After a long moment, Hua Manman finally spoke, her voice strained.
"When do you leave?"
Li Ji watched her fixedly and said in a low voice, "I don’t want to go."
Hua Manman froze.
Li Ji: "I don’t want to be separated from you."
It wasn’t just Manman who was afraid; he was even more terrified than she was.
He was terrified of an accident during her labor, terrified that something would happen to her.
He wanted to stay by her side and witness the birth of their child with her.
Hua Manman murmured, "But the Holy Decree has already been issued..."
Li Ji said grimly, "I could pretend to accidentally fall from my horse and break my leg."
’Then, even with the Emperor’s decree, he couldn’t force a cripple to lead an army into battle.’
Hua Manman was taken aback and quickly tried to talk him out of it.
"Don’t you dare do anything foolish! I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with a cripple."
Li Ji’s gaze gradually filled with reproach.
’He was willing to break his own leg just to stay and be with her. But her? She actually had the nerve to find him distasteful!’
Hua Manman said, "Since the Saint has already issued the decree, you should just go. When you return in victory, I’ll bring our baby to give you a hero’s welcome."
’Never mind the fact that self-harm was not worth it at all. Even if Li Ji really did become crippled, there was no guarantee he could fool the Emperor. With the Emperor’s suspicious nature, who knew what new doubts it would stir up.’
Li Ji was still very reluctant.
"If I leave, I won’t be there when you give birth. I won’t have any peace of mind."
Hua Manman said, "There’s nothing to worry about. This pregnancy has been very stable. We’ve already hired an experienced midwife, Feihua Zhenren is always around, and my mother will come to help when the time comes. Everything is prepared. There won’t be any issues."
Her words were meant to comfort Li Ji, but also to comfort herself.
Li Ji fell silent.
Hua Manman began to paint a rosy picture for him.
"When you return victorious from this battle, the Saint is sure to reward you again. When that happens, you should ask him to grant you a fiefdom."
"In the future, the three of us can retreat to our fiefdom to live, far away from all the drama in Shangjing. Wouldn’t that be nice?"
Li Ji knew full well that she was just trying to coax him.
But he was still moved by the future she described.
’A family of three, finding a remote place, closing their doors to the world to live their own quiet life.’
’Just the thought of it was liberating.’
Li Ji responded in a low voice, "Alright."