Chapter 707: Chapter 258: Parting

Zhao Jing’s departure seemed to have taken away all of Chen Wanqing’s vitality. After returning to the Xu family, she lay in bed for a long time, unwilling to move, without even the desire to eat or drink. The elders were incredibly heartbroken, coming over one after another to console her.

Seeing her grandmother sweating profusely from pain yet still hurrying over to check on her, Chen Wanqing couldn’t hold back her tears. "I just don’t have an appetite right now. Once I recover a bit, I’ll eat. Why did you come over? Your legs hurt so much you can’t even get out of bed."

Her grandmother had knelt in the small Buddhist hall for two days; when she came out, her legs hurt as if pierced by needles. Mrs. Guo and Xu Su Ying originally wanted to invite an Imperial Physician from the palace to give her acupuncture, but the old madam hastily stopped them. Zhao Jing was dedicating himself entirely to the country. As an old woman, she couldn’t help, but she certainly couldn’t hold the children back. If they invited an Imperial Physician at this critical juncture, the Xu family’s resentment toward the Emperor would be visible to the naked eye, and Zhao Jing’s merits would be greatly discounted.

Not only did she refuse to let anyone invite an Imperial Physician, but she didn’t even allow them to fetch an outside doctor. She had her nanny take an old prescription written by an Imperial Physician to get medicine. Over the past few days, she had soaked her legs and received massages, but unfortunately, the effects were limited. She was still in so much pain that she couldn’t sleep at night.

Looking at her haggard granddaughter, her grandmother felt even more guilty. "It’s all my fault. I’m useless and couldn’t persuade your grandfather."

Chen Wanqing buried her face in her grandmother’s embrace, wiping her tears on the old woman’s clothes. Her voice was as hoarse as if she hadn’t spoken for days. Snuggling against her grandmother, she sobbed, "I don’t blame you, and I don’t blame Grandfather either. He has his stance, and it wouldn’t be good for him to interfere too much. If I must blame anyone, I can only blame Jing for stepping forward at that critical moment... He is responsible and has lofty ambitions, I know all that, but he didn’t consider me... Grandmother, my heart hurts so much..."

She wept softly, her voice filled with such despairing sorrow that the relatives waiting outside the folding screen teared up in heartache. Qing’er had never been an unreasonable person. Most of the time, she was calm and knew what was truly important. But she was, after all, a woman about to become a mother. She didn’t want any disturbances in her life, yet Zhao Jing had stepped forward at that very juncture.

"I know he had his compelling difficulties, and I admire his actions, but what about me? What about the child in my womb?"

Earlier, when Zhao Jing was still around, she had only made a fuss for one night before reeling in all her emotions. She seemed to have accepted it, acting as if she wouldn’t fret over unchangeable things, but only she knew she did it just to put Zhao Jing at ease. She couldn’t bear to let him travel far away with a heart full of worry. She had reassured him, but her own heart was shattered into pieces, and she didn’t know if it could ever be pieced back together.

Chen Wanqing cried unreservedly. Her grandmother held her in her arms, and the two wept together. Finally, exhausted from crying, Chen Wanqing couldn’t hold on any longer and fell asleep on her grandmother’s shoulder.

She hadn’t had a single peaceful night’s sleep these past few days. Every time she woke up with a start in the middle of the night, she either dreamt of Jing being gnawed to pieces by wolves or saw the endless yellow sand burying his body. She would shed tears in the dark night, not daring to make a single sound. But even if she lay there quietly, Zhao Jing would pull her into his arms the second her heartbeat grew erratic. The couple would embrace, staying silent like that until dawn. This was pure torment for both of them. But who knew how much longer these tormenting days would last...

When Chen Wanqing woke up again, she heard a lively commotion coming from the courtyard. She seemed to hear Xiang’er’s voice, as well as the loud WOOF WOOF of Zhaocai and Jinbao barking. Her head spun. Fighting back her physical discomfort, she rang the bell. The door was pushed open from the outside, and at the same time, two sets of hurried footsteps rushed in.

"Wanqing! Mother and I have arrived in the Capital City, Wanqing! Quick, let me look at you..."

Chen Wanqing looked dazed as she stared at Xiang’er, who was right in front of her. Xiang’er now looked entirely like a young woman; her childishness had almost vanished without a trace. It had only been over half a year since she and Zhao Jing had entered the Capital City, yet seeing Xiang’er again felt like a lifetime had passed. Chen Wanqing blanked for a moment before tightly gripping Xiang’er’s hands. "Xiang’er, you’re in the Capital City? Where is Mother? When did you arrive?"

Xiang’er chirped happily like a little bird. "We entered the Xu Mansion just half an hour ago. Mother is talking with the old madam right now. I said I wanted to see you, so she had someone bring me to your courtyard."

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