Mr. Xiao almost fainted when he received the news. Why would those two rascals do such a thing?
"What on earth is going on? How am I supposed to face Third in the future?" Mr. Xiao jabbed at the slip of paper in his hand, his voice filled with anger.
"What’s this, what’s that? What did Eldest do wrong? Why should we feel bad facing Third? The world belongs to the capable! Eldest and Second conquered Beijiang. Why do you only think of Third and not Eldest and Second? Those are our biological sons..."
Ms. Jiang unleashed a torrent of abuse on Mr. Xiao.
Her father had sent a letter, informing her and her husband about Jiang Lile’s situation. Though her father hadn’t blamed them, Ms. Jiang still felt uneasy. With this news, Gu Qingli’s triple pregnancy suddenly didn’t seem so significant. After all, Jiang Lile was her biological niece, while Gu Qingli was merely her nephew’s wife. The difference in closeness was obvious. And most importantly, why should they cede the throne to Xiao Yunjing? Just because he was supposedly destined to be Emperor, did that mean her sons couldn’t be?
"You don’t understand! Such is a woman’s limited view," Mr. Xiao shivered with anger.
And Beijiang, which Eldest and Second supposedly conquered? That was entirely Third’s men! What did Eldest and Second even possess? Just brute strength? Even their improved martial arts were thanks to Third’s wife, who helped them advance. In the past, he had taught his three sons literacy, martial arts, and how to lead troops. But the art of ruling, of governing a country and bringing it peace—how could a mere brute manage that?
But now that things had come to this, what more could Mr. Xiao say?
After Ms. Jiang berated him once more, he finally set off for Beijiang.
No sooner had he left than Yun No. 1 departed to take over Yanshan Pass, which was precisely what Xiao Yunjing had anticipated.
However, Xiao Yunjing still ordered his men to keep a close watch on Xichen Kingdom and Fengli Kingdom, ensuring they had no opportunity to send troops to Beijiang.
Xiao Yunfeng might be ruthless, but he, Xiao Yunjing, would not be unjust. They were brothers, after all. Had his maternal grandfather not risked his life to carry him out of the Imperial Palace and seek medical treatment for him, he would have died long ago.
Beijiang was a prize. As long as it was managed well, it was only a matter of time before it became a great power.
The previous rulers of Beijiang only knew how to wage war and kill, neglecting the people’s livelihood, which was why it had always remained such a tiny, insignificant territory.
News arrived from the Secret Sect: Chu Xiong was now rarely involved in state affairs, instead focusing on refining Longevity Pills with Taoist priests from the Qin Tianjian.
The imperial court was in Qingchen’s hands.
Chu Yan was poisoned again and fell into a deep coma. The King of Qing issued a royal decree, summoning renowned physicians from all over the land to treat Chu Yan.
Gu Xicheng was attacked by assassins while en route to his place of exile. Afterward, his whereabouts became unknown.
Just as everyone was lamenting his fate, Gu Xicheng appeared in the backyard of the Beijing County government office, meeting Gu Qingli and the others.
He had indeed been attacked and was seriously injured but had been rescued by members of the Secret Sect.
One could guess, even using their toes, that the one who attacked him was the King of Qing, whose power overshadowed the entire court.
The turmoil in Daqian did not affect Beijing County in the slightest. Beijing County was just another month away from the sweet potato harvest season.
When the people saw the fist-sized sweet potatoes, they were overcome with joy and held Xiao Yunjing, their new County Chief, in even higher esteem.
Indeed, Xiao Yunjing had formally assumed the position of Chief of Beijing County.
As for why it remained a county, Xiao Yunjing had his own plans.
During this time, Xiao Yunjing never left Gu Qingli’s side. Her perfectly round belly made him tremble with anxiety, terrified that a single careless moment might cause it to rupture.
Gu Qingli was also extremely uncomfortable, mostly confined to her bed or a soft couch, finding it nearly impossible to walk.
"Wuyou, a caesarean section should be fine now, right?"
As her due date approached, Gu Qingli had already made preparations for a caesarean section. Carrying triplets, she estimated a natural birth would be very difficult, so she had taught Wuyou how to perform the procedure.
Moreover, at the Gu Clinic she had opened in the city, they had already managed difficult births by performing caesarean sections for women in labor.
"Yes, Young Miss, please rest assured. I am confident," Wuyou nodded. She had been by Gu Qingli’s side constantly these days, worried that she might go into labor at any moment.
Multiple pregnancies were different from single ones; the likelihood of premature birth was higher.
A caesarean section wasn’t difficult. The Young Miss had taught her, and she had performed it herself. Stepping up to the operating table was no problem. She would absolutely ensure the safety of the Young Miss and her children.
"That’s good. I trust you..."
"Li’er, I found those dairy cows you mentioned!" Just then, Xiao Yunjing entered, his voice brimming with excitement as he spoke to Gu Qingli.
Seeing the Young Master had returned, Wuyou immediately offered him a seat and went to prepare dinner for Gu Qingli.
These days, all her meals were meticulously planned by Wuyou and Ms. Su, who came up with a variety of dishes every day.
Yet, no matter how much Gu Qingli ate, her face didn’t get any fuller; instead, she seemed to grow thinner, as if all the nourishment was absorbed by the three little gluttons in her belly.
After Wuyou exited, Xiao Yunjing sat down beside her, his palm gently resting on her belly.
"How many are there?" Gu Qingli asked. She had requested people to search for dairy cows months ago, as she had no intention of hiring a wet nurse for her children.
She couldn’t accept her children drinking another woman’s milk. She felt that the children wouldn’t form such a close bond with her that way, and the very thought made her uncomfortable. Cow’s milk was better—healthy and nutritious.
"There are two. Li’er, can you guess where I found them?" Xiao Yunjing affectionately nuzzled her cheek, asking with a wide smile.
"Beijiang Kingdom?" Gu Qingli blurted out.
"Hehe, Li’er, you’re so clever! It was indeed in Beijiang Kingdom. There are many nomadic peoples in Beijiang Kingdom, and that’s where we found them. They said these cows had come from overseas a long time ago. Ever since Tianshan became an Icefield and contact with the lands beyond the sea was lost, the entire nomadic tribe was eventually left with only these two—a bull and a cow."
"There’s an ’overseas’ here too?"
She knew that only the southern part of this continent connected to lands beyond the sea. It was only after emerging from the Icefield that she had people gather all available maps of this continent to understand its general layout. Daqian was situated in the east, Fengli Kingdom in the south, Xichen Kingdom in the west, and Beijiang Kingdom and the Tianshan Icefield in the north. The Tianshan Icefield was actually vast, far larger than the area they had traversed.
"Yes, this is the first I’ve heard of it too. I suppose the coast must lie at the far end of the Icefield."
They had both been to the Icefield and naturally knew that traversing it was impossible without considerable skill. It would be a miracle if people from overseas could even get in.
The two of them weren’t particularly concerned if it was truly ’overseas’; their focus was on those two dairy cows. They would put them into the Space to ensure they wouldn’t die.
And in the future, there would be little calves.
Their three little rascals could drink milk until they were old.
"We’ll go explore it when we have the chance," Gu Qingli said. She was very curious about the Tianshan Icefield. If not for the time constraints last time, she would have definitely explored it to see what lay at its end.
"Alright, we’ll go together," Xiao Yunjing replied indulgently.
Once he stabilized the situation, he would definitely take Li’er to travel the length and breadth of the land—wherever she wished to go, he would take her.
"Okay." Gu Qingli smiled, nestling into Xiao Yunjing’s embrace, her heart filled with immense contentment from this man’s affection.