Reborn Together: The General and I Reach for Power-Chapter 467 - 464: Fearless

Some things happened in the past life; in this life, Song Xian finds it much easier to verify them.

Initially, he didn’t want to bring it up so soon, but he mentioned a few things to reassure Xie Shao Yuan and Yang Shuyin.

Song Xian said, "There’s someone by the Emperor’s side who’s connected to Prince Qi. Prince Lu is secretly building an army, hoping to one day confront the Emperor. Prince Qi is different; he’s taking another path."

Compared to his two brothers, Prince Qi is much more skilled in using underhanded tactics.

Xie Shao Yuan furrowed his brow, "Prince Qi wants to..."

Song Xian nodded, "If Prince Lu rebels first, and after the Emperor kills Prince Lu, he then gets schemed against by Prince Qi, naturally the throne would fall into Prince Qi’s hands."

In the past life, Prince Lu didn’t rebel; Prince Qi couldn’t help but act against the Emperor first, which led to the Emperor falling gravely ill, and Prince Qi entering the Capital to assist in governance.

Prince Qi even wrote him a letter, inviting him to pledge allegiance. By then, he was already strong and resourceful; rather than submit to others, it was better to grasp the power himself, so he also marched south.

He, Prince Lu, and Prince Qi were bound to a chaotic battle, but he was seventy percent sure he could win the realm.

Back then, he didn’t care about casualties or what kind of disaster it might bring. He actually had no particular attachment to royal power; he just grew increasingly cold-hearted, mechanically forging ahead, like a blade smeared with blood and slaughter.

Yang Shuyin said, "If that’s true, then these brothers really think alike."

The Emperor and Prince Qi are also bound to contend, so for a period, the Emperor cannot afford to consider the North.

Xie Shao Yuan felt slightly relieved; like Prince Guangyang, who wholeheartedly served the court, yet met a tragic death amidst plots and schemes due to lack of preparation. This bloody lesson was right in front of him. Knowing more inner details to control the situation truly brings peace of mind.

Yang Shuyin asked, "You mentioned Prince Qi’s spies; do you have any leads?"

Song Xian nodded, "Yes."

Before Yang Shuyin could ask further, Song Xian said, "Besides those palace spies, there’s still one person plotting for Prince Qi."

Yang Shuyin wasn’t surprised, "You mean Empress Xu?"

At such times, aside from the Emperor, the only ones who could stand with Prince Qi were the Xu Family and Empress Xu. With a new Emperor ascending, the old figures would be suppressed. To remain unyielding, one must have accomplishments in supporting.

Song Xian didn’t tell Xie Shao Yuan and Yang Shuyin that it was Empress Xu who arranged for Liangchen to enter the book pavilion. How could Empress Xu not know the Emperor’s thoughts? The Xu Family had seen it all; for the sake of their status and interests, they mercilessly harmed others’ lives.

This time, they’re meant to reap what they’ve sown.

Yang Shuyin looked at Song Xian, "You don’t need to worry too much; just do your best. Whether good or bad, our family will be together."

Song Xian felt warmth in his heart, "Thank you, Mother."

"Silly child," Yang Shuyin smiled. In her eyes, Song Xian was just a twenty-something young man who’d become embarrassed talking about these matters, "We will take good care of your grandmother and Liangchen here; you go ahead with whatever you need to do."

Song Xian nodded again.

"Go on," Yang Shuyin softly said, "I’ve prepared some food. I’ll have someone send it in soon so you and Liangchen can rest a bit."

Ever since he learned of Liangchen’s pregnancy, Song Xian has been carefully watching over her, afraid she’d bump or bruise. Yang Shuyin could see it; if he continued to worry for ten months, what would happen?

Song Xian bowed to Xie Shao Yuan and Yang Shuyin and returned to the room.

Xie Liangchen was looking at the freshly made ink block.

The subtle fragrance of the ink block was enticing, with no musk or similar ingredients, so even those pregnant could smell it without harming the fetus. Yet, Xie Liangchen still felt a bit... uncomfortable.

Looks like this is a sign of morning sickness; perhaps dealing with these ink blocks will have to be handed over to her brother in the future.

Xie Liangchen’s slight frown was noticed by Song Xian. He reached out to move the ink block aside and used a cloth to clean Xie Liangchen’s hands.

"If you don’t like them, don’t look at them," Song Xian said. "Most of the ink blocks are almost finished, and the ones given to the sea merchants are selling well."

"That’s different," Xie Liangchen replied. "There are many brands in Daqi skilled at making ink blocks. If we want to promote these ink blocks, they must be done as well as possible. Otherwise, people might find them novel at first, but then abandon them upon discovering too many shortcomings. We’d have wasted our efforts and ruined Zhenzhou’s reputation."

Song Xian lifted Xie Liangchen’s hand to smell it, ensuring there was no ink scent, and that she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. Only then did he entangle their fingers as usual.

Xie Liangchen continued, "When selling to the sea merchants, we discounted the ink block prices to draw out Li Tao. In formal sales, the price should rise by thirty percent. This price is closely related to the quality of the ink blocks."

Song Xian listened attentively as Xie Liangchen spoke, a slight smile creeping onto the corner of his mouth. "I understand." His thoughts drifted far away. He enjoyed listening to Liangchen speak, regardless of the topic; it gave him a sense of security and warmth.

Xie Liangchen knew that Song Xian was likely thinking about more than just the ink blocks but couldn’t grasp what was on his mind.

Seeing Xie Liangchen’s puzzled expression, Song Xian lowered his head. "It’s really good now; someone is making plans for me, worrying for me."

Xie Liangchen’s face suddenly reddened, "Who’s doing it for you?"

"Not you," Song Xian whispered. "I meant Father and Mother. Just now, Mother called me out, very worried the court might target me, so I shared some details from the past life, explaining to her that Prince Qi was prepared. Once the Emperor dealt with Prince Lu, Prince Qi would scheme to seize power. So... as long as we’re prepared, we won’t be caught off guard by them."

Xie Liangchen nodded.

Song Xian continued, "Mother, upon hearing, reassured me that all I need to do is my best. Regardless of fortune or misfortune, our family will stand together."

Xie Liangchen felt warmth in her heart too.

Song Xian fell silent for a moment before deliberately getting closer to her, "I feel Mother cares for me even more than for you."

His breath landed on Xie Liangchen’s ear, making her laugh as she dodged. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

The two of them playfully pushed and leaned into each other, tangling together on the bed. After laughing for a long time, Xie Liangchen suddenly covered her belly.

Song Xian immediately became nervous, belatedly realizing he’d gone overboard, "What’s wrong?"

Xie Liangchen put on a stern face, but a moment later couldn’t help but laugh out loud again, "It’s nothing, just laughed so much my belly hurts."

Song Xian held Xie Liangchen in his arms, interlocking their fingers, gently swaying back and forth like cradling a baby.

"There’s no need to worry about things outside; I’ll take care of everything," Song Xian said. "As long as you all are okay, I fear nothing."

...

Capital City.

In the blink of an eye, November had arrived, and the court’s forces had consistently triumphed, improving the atmosphere in the Capital.

Within Zhengyang Palace, Empress Xu slightly frowned.

"Is the news confirmed?"

A Palace Attendant said, "It’s confirmed. Princess Jia’an is pregnant, and now she’s almost three months along."

In Empress Xu’s hand was the freshly painted Child Painting. Upon hearing this, her hand relaxed, and the Child Painting fell into the charcoal basin, instantly catching fire.