After the signal flare was fired, a man who looked like a scholar entered the city not long after. He passed through unimpeded all the way and entered the City Lord's Mansion where Yi Zhici was as easily as if walking on flat ground.
Yi Zhici struggled to get up. "Senior Brother Culi, save me..."
The gentle and handsome young man who came after seeing the signal flare was none other than Culi, who had run amok with Yi Zhici in the Sea - avoiding Villa. He was as gentle as jade and as free as the wind.
Culi frowned. "How did you get yourself into such a mess? You look so disheveled."
Lin Yuan bowed. "Sir, please do your best."
Culi waved his hand. "No problem. After all, she's my junior sister whom I've raised since childhood. Don't worry, brother - in - law. It's the first time I've seen you. You're a good - looking young man. No wonder, huh."
Lin Yuan nodded in greeting, then fixed his eyes on Yi Zhici.
Culi felt Yi Zhici's pulse and was silent for a while. "This pulse... is she pregnant?"
Yi Zhici was sweating profusely from the pain. In a daze, she suddenly woke up. "What? What did you say?"
Lin Yuan was stunned.
"She's pregnant. She was badly hurt from the fall. She almost had a miscarriage," Culi glared at Yi Zhici. "You don't even know you're pregnant and still run around all over the place. You're so reckless."
Yi Zhici was too weak from the pain to think, so she simply gave up and lay still on the bed. Lin Yuan looked complicated and frowned several times.
After scolding Yi Zhici, Culi turned to scold Lin Yuan. "You too. She's your wife after all. You even took her with you to war and had no self - restraint. Brother - in - law, my first impression of you is completely ruined."
In fact, Lin Yuan had shown self - restraint. Since he set out for war, he and Yi Zhici hadn't shared a bed. But Lin Yuan didn't explain. He just lowered his head. "It's my fault that I didn't care enough."
Yi Zhici was disgruntled. "Come on. Don't act like an old brother. Lin Yuan is here to fight a war, not to be my nursemaid. Besides, it wasn't him who took me with him. I followed secretly. Go and boil some medicine for me."
Culi shook his head. "I think you've been bewitched by him." With that, he shook his head and went to boil the medicine as if sighing.
Lin Yuan's eyes were slightly red. He sat by the bed, holding Yi Zhici's hand and gently squeezing it. "A Ci..."
Yi Zhici wrapped herself in the quilt, sat up and kissed Lin Yuan. "Don't say those unnecessary things. It's not your fault. Hey, your son is quite tough. He's endured the fall for so long and only started to protest now."
Lin Yuan touched Yi Zhici's belly through the quilt. "Yes."
Yi Zhici thought it was bad. Lin Yuan was being silent again. She had to think of a way to comfort him. But the pain was too much. Before she could come up with a good idea, she fell asleep in a daze.
When she woke up, Yi Zhici was going to be sent back to the capital.
Seeing that everyone - Lin Yuan, Lin Qiong and Culi - looked determined and unnegotiable, Yi Zhici hung her head.
When it was time to say goodbye, Yi Zhici pouted and almost cried. "I don't want to go. I want to stay here..."
Lin Yuan's heart ached. But he had to send Yi Zhici away. "Be good. I'll finish the war soon and return to the capital right away. Okay?"
Maybe it was because she was pregnant, but her emotions were different from before. She just felt extremely aggrieved. "You're sending me back because I'm pregnant, right? Your son is more important to you, right?"
Lin Yuan shook his head. "In terms of importance, both of you are important. The one in your belly is only important because he's in your belly. I can live without him, but I can't live without you."
Culi was about to take Yi Zhici into the carriage. Yi Zhici clung to Lin Yuan tightly. Lin Yuan kissed Yi Zhici on the forehead and then put her in the carriage.
Yi Zhici sat disconsolately outside the carriage, tears dripping one by one. Lin Yuan forced himself to be cruel and didn't look at her. He turned around and walked back to Hanyu Pass. His back was firm but desolate.
The carriage moved slowly, much slower than when they were on a military march. They had to take Yi Zhici's pregnancy into account. Looking at it this way, the scenery on the way was actually quite beautiful. But when they were on the military march, they were too tired to enjoy the scenery.
Culi mocked her while driving the carriage. "Aren't you being a bit too embarrassing? You're completely bewitched by that guy, aren't you?"
Yi Zhici hadn't recovered yet and looked listless. "Tell me the truth. Did the reinforcements from Xinyi and Fangu arrive, so you wanted to send me away quickly?"
Culi laughed. "You're not that stupid after all. You always seem so silly when you're with that guy."
"Because he's by my side, I don't need to be shrewd."
She could figure it out. Lin Yuan cared about her. So if there wasn't anything serious, he wouldn't have let her endure the bumpy journey just after she got pregnant and almost had a miscarriage.
Culi clicked his tongue twice. "Really. When will Haitang learn to be just as appropriately silly as you? She's as shrewd as a monkey all day long. It's impossible to deceive her."