176 Awakening
y."The conservative old ministers sneered inwardly, thinking even less favorably of this prince. Indeed, there was little he could say; such matters were never pursued if no one complained, but once e...176. Wake Up
176. Wake Up
In the study, looking at Mo Xiuyao's calm eyes without any ripples of emotion, Han Mingyue felt that there were countless words she wanted to say but couldn't bring herself to speak them out. Mo Xiuyao had never planned on sparing Su Zuodie, and Han Mingyue was well aware of this. Even if he were in Mo Xiuyao's position, he would have long ago torn Su Zuodie into pieces, but... He wasn't Mo Xiuyao. The woman he loved wasn't Ye Li either, so he had no choice but to watch helplessly as Su Zuodie suffered. However, now he had nothing left that could persuade Mo Xiuyao to change his mind.
But Mo Xiuyao ignored Han Mingyue, who stood by the side lost in thought. The reason why he hadn't expelled Han Mingyue for such a long time and let him stay in Ruyang City even living in the mansion was merely because Han Mingyue had helped A Li on the cliff back then. But this didn't mean that he would make any concessions to Han Mingyue as a result of it. As he looked down at various documents laid out on the table, his eyes softened, touched by the elegant handwriting on them. The contents of those documents were enough to astonish everyone in the world. Even himself never knew how many ingenious ideas and grand plans resided in his wife's heart.
Ever since he learned that Mo Jingqi had secretly struck a deal with Nanzhao Xiling, A Li clearly foresaw the day when the Mo family army would split from the imperial court. Therefore, she spared no effort to safeguard all of Northwest and during this time, she carefully pondered over how hundreds of thousands of soldiers could survive and thrive in relatively barren Northwest. If A Li were a man, Mo Xiuyao was sure that she would have qualified as an even more illustrious statesman than her ancestors.
Now, gently stroking the documents under his hand, tenderness and affection welled up in Mo Xiuyao's eyes. "A Li... This king will never let your efforts go to waste. Even if you aren't by this king’s side, your name will be remembered alongside mine for generations to come." Of course... Before then, she should watch how this king would make the world fall apart and change.
No matter how tumultuous and bloody events might be, there were always a few secluded places in the world that remained serene and peaceful forever.
Ye Li struggled to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was the light blue coarse cloth ceiling and curtains hanging separately apart from it. Looking down at herself, she found a similarly colored coarse blanket covering her body. A numb feeling made her attempt to sit up only result in slight movement. Placing one hand on her abdomen, she felt occasional movements and couldn't help but feel joy flooding into her heart. No matter where she was now, at least... She had thought that she must die for sure, yet now, not only did she still live, her baby was also alive with her. This alone was enough to make Ye Li set aside all of her resentments and be grateful. As long as she was still alive, nothing was impossible to resolve. Biting down on her lip, suppressing her worry in her heart, Ye Li tried her best to sit up.
"Oh, you finally woke up." By the door, a middle-aged woman in a floral blouse came in carrying something and smiled joyfully when she saw someone struggling to get up. She hurriedly placed the fragrant porridge on the table inside before helping Ye Li sit up against the bedpost. Ye Li thanked her softly, leaning against the bedpost with the help of the woman's hand. "Thank you, big sister," she said while sitting up. "You’re the one who saved me May I ask how to address you" The middle-aged woman smiled kindly and warmly replied, "My family name is Lin; just call me Sister-in-law Lin then, alright Poor child… You were unconscious for over four months, and when you came back, there was still more than a month left in your pregnancy. Luckily this child has good fortune as well as longevity—apparently it survived the entire time. I can see that little sister is also blessed with good luck; what’s that saying again… 'He who survives great calamity will surely enjoy subsequent happiness'…"
Ye Li smiled faintly and stroked her protruding abdomen, "Thank you for your auspicious words, Sister-in-law Lin. I am called... My family name is Chu, so please call me Jun Wei."
Sister-in-law Lin looked at Ye Li. She noticed that she only mentioned her own maiden surname and thought that a girl of sixteen or seventeen with a pregnancy appearing in such a place must have had some reason for silence. A look of concern and sympathy appeared on her simple face as she patted Ye Li’s hand, saying, "Everything will be alright; don’t worry too much, just take care of your health. The baby is most important." Ye Li nodded and accepted the porridge that Sister-in-law Lin handed over, slowly putting it into her mouth. Even though months of unconsciousness had left her feeling weak throughout her body and even made her hands tremble slightly when holding a spoon, she managed to remain composed with her extraordinary endurance. While watching her eat the porridge, Sister-in-law Lin sat by her side chatting casually. It turned out that this Sister-in-law Lin wasn’t the one who saved her. The only senior doctor in the village had rescued her; it was just that the senior doctor didn’t have any other family members to take care of a woman, so he invited Sister-in-law Lin here to help.
When she mentioned this, Ye Li immediately wanted to pay respect to the senior doctor who saved her. Sister-in-law Lin hurriedly stopped her and said, "Uncle Lin went up into the mountains for medicinal herbs; it will be late before he comes back. I know you seem like a well-mannered young lady, but there aren’t so many rules here. Just take care of yourself properly to avoid wasting Uncle Lin’s effort." Ye Li nodded in gratitude to Sister-in-law Lin and then changed the topic. By the time Sister-in-law Lin was about to leave after tidying up, Ye Li had a general idea of her surroundings.
Even though she didn’t know the specific location, this place should be far from where she fell off the cliff, in an isolated village. She was found by that senior doctor while he was collecting herbs near a small river; however, it was strange that neither the Black Family army nor the secret guards had found her yet.
In the evening, Ye Li sat outside beside the herb garden and gazed at the sunset in deep thought. The village wasn’t large, only having around ten households. A small settlement built on a mountain didn’t follow any particular rules but was scattered sparsely at its foot. Each house looked old and low; clearly, people here did not崇尚奢華和享受。偶爾經過她麵前的年輕人或婦女對她報以善意的微笑。這是一個寧靜而淳樸的小村莊，葉璃望著天邊的夕陽默默地想著。
Under the setting sun, an elderly man with white hair came walking in, carrying a basket of herbs. Seeing Ye Li sitting by the herb garden, he raised his bushy eyebrows and said, "Awakened You must be truly fortunate; I thought you would need at least another month to wake up." Ye Li stood up respectfully and bowed slightly towards him, saying, "Jun Wei thanks Senior Doctor Lin for saving my life." The elderly man looked at her with interest. "A lady of high birth A lady so fortunate is indeed rare. Girlie, what’s your surname"
Although it seemed somewhat ungrateful to deceive the person who saved her, Ye Li did not want to take any unnecessary risks. She whispered softly, "Chu… Junwei."
The old man gave her a sidelong glance and stroked his beard for a while before nodding. "Chu... Junwei, what a suitable name for a girl like you. However, I remember that there are no prominent Chu families in the Great Chu Empire. Your mannerisms and speech don’t seem to belong to an ordinary family."
Ye Li smiled apologetically, saying, "Doctor Lin’s praise is exaggerated. Junwei... comes from Yunzhou originally, so she has some connection with the Xu Family of Yunzhou." As Ye Li spoke, she observed the old man's expression discreetly, and saw him frown slightly before nodding. "The Xu Family of Yunzhou That makes sense. Alright then, I won’t inquire about your origins further. Since I saved you, it’s our fate to be together; rest and recover well." Ye Li lowered her eyes and said softly, “Thank you, Doctor Lin.” The old man's expression did not seem like he was putting on a show. There was no way she could hide the news of her fall from the cliff, so now everyone in the Great Chu Empire likely knew about it. By mentioning Yunzhou Xu Family earlier, anyone who has some knowledge would make connections. However, there was no sign of recognition or surprise on the old man's face. Unless he was a masterful actor and could not be seen through, he must have been unaware that Princess Consort Ding had fallen from the cliff. Ye Li concluded it was the latter. When she fell off the cliff, she threw her last dagger at Southern Prince Wang, even wearing clothes that were unremarkable and did nothing to prove her identity. Unless someone knew her personally, seeing a stranger would not immediately remind them of her identity. Even though she felt guilty for deceiving him, Ye Li was well aware that she had to be cautious; she could not fall into the hands of enemies who might use her against Mo Xiuyao. Thinking about Mo Xiuyao made her heart ache slightly as if it were being pulled. It seemed that they spent an entire year apart last year. Knowing her death… thinking about Mo Xiuyao’s health, Ye Li’s brows furrowed even tighter.
“Don’t stay outside! Can’t you see it’s going to rain” The old man’s voice sounded from within the room. Looking up at the darkening sky where the sun was being covered by clouds, it seemed that rain was indeed imminent. Ye Li smiled faintly and turned back into the house.
During dinner, Ye Li volunteered to prepare two simple dishes. Doctor Lin appeared quite pleased, saying, “At least I didn’t rescue a useless person.” Ye Li could only feel exasperated as she saw Doctor Lin sit down at the table and start eating. As he ate, he seemed to recall asking about her origins, "Where are you from" Reflecting for a moment, Ye Li replied honestly, “Hongzhou.”
Doctor Lin’s brows knitted together in confusion, “Hongzhou Where is that” Ye Li was taken aback; she hadn’t expected him to ask such a question. Hongzhou was the first gateway of Northwest territory, and even someone near the Northwest region wouldn’t be unaware of its location.
“Hongzhou used to belong to Ruyang fifty years ago, but it’s now an independent state renamed as Hongzhou,” Ye Li thought. “I should say I am from…” She hesitated for a moment before saying, “There was another name… Biyang.”
"Biyang" Doctor Lin paused with his chopsticks and asked in puzzlement, "Why would a young lady like you come all the way here from Biyang" Ye Li looked at him in confusion. "Although I haven’t left this place for a long time," he explained, “even if you were to travel as fast as possible, it would take two months to get here from Biyang.”
“Two months Then where am I now” Ye Li was skeptical; according to Auntie Lin’s explanation, they likely had only found her three days after she fell. How could she have traveled so far even if she were swept downstream by the river Thinking this over, Ye Li paused for a moment. The large river from which she had fallen wasn’t too unfamiliar to her. If she had been carried away by the water and ended up in a lake more than 100 miles outside of Hongzhou, that would make sense. But how could she have suddenly appeared beside a small stream in a mountain Lowering her head, she pondered over her memory of the terrain near Hongzhou.
“Is this... somewhere north of Hongzhou” Ye Li asked uncertainly.
The old doctor gave her an approving look and said, "This place is at least seven or eight hundred miles from Hongzhou. Moreover, it’s entirely rugged mountain roads; there are wild animals, poisonous snakes, and insects along the way. Even a strong young man wouldn’t dare to venture out."
Hearing this, Ye Li felt utterly helpless. She frowned and asked, "Then how do I go back"
Doctor Lin rolled his eyes and said, "How should I know An old man like me who saved your life isn’t responsible for sending you home! First, give birth to the child and regain your health; then see if anyone is willing to send you back. But I doubt it will happen! Second, settle down in the village and marry someone else to live a good life. Forget about what happened before. Don't worry; the young men here are fine folks who won't mind that you've been married before. Should I arrange your marriage for you" Ye Li gave him a dismissive look. Although they had only interacted for less than a day, she could tell that this old man was an eccentric fellow who didn’t respect his age. She calculated in her mind and realized she still needed at least four months to give birth to the child, and after giving birth, she would need some time to recover before leaving. In other words, it would be at least six months before she could head back home. At this thought, she couldn’t help but frown, yet there was nothing she could do about her situation now. All she could hope for was that Hong Zhou and Mo Xiuyao were safe and sound. At the very least… her baby had to still be alive, right She lowered her head and gently stroked the baby bump that occasionally stirred, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"Humph! Are you thinking about your heartless lover" Doctor Lin snorted and said with a sideways glance at her gentle, smiling expression.
Ye Li smiled helplessly and replied, "He's the father of my child and my husband. And he’s very good to me."
"Very good Would you be here if he was" Doctor Lin scoffed at this idea. This girl clearly came from a family with literary education and wealth; she should have been kept in seclusion, living an opulent life. How could such a noble lady end up in a place like this He had seen no one else like her in the past sixty years.
Ye Li smiled faintly without arguing with him.
Xiuyao… I’ll be back with our baby soon…at his condition is very serious." Qingxia nodded and said, "After returning to書房 last night, His Excellency didn’t leave the house until morning. When breakfast was delivered, it was blocked outside...