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Chu Yun was already expecting the uproar the revelation of his pregnancy would generate, but he had no patience to withstand the volley of questions from the assembled ministers.

In his opinion this had gone on for long enough, there was nothing to gain by entertaining more questions.

Besides, Xiao Ziyi looked faintly green, as if she couldn\'t tolerate another alarming revelation without expiring on the spot. She would probably demand the refurbishment of Haolin\'s garrison in compensation.

But inspired by her sickly complexion, Chu Yun got an idea about just how he could put a definite end to the caterwauling going on among the ministers.

He exchanged a meaningful wink with Xiao Zai and let out a trembling gasp, before falling into his arms, apparently unconscious.

Someone shouted, "His Grace! His Grace has fainted," and after that Chu Yun had to try really hard not to move while several people fretted over him.

Even Chu Ming climbed up the dais awkwardly, unsure if the Zui court would think less of him for not showing concern over his cousin\'s health.

Xiao Zai picked Chu Yun up under the knees, stepping outside the circle of onlookers. 

"Bring him into my quarters, we\'ll call a physician at once," the Queen Dowager said, all traces of sadness gone from her gravelly voice. "All the emotional turmoil was too much for him. "

Xiao Zai followed her advice anyway, while Chu Yun laid in his arms perfectly still, struggling not to let his lips quirk up in amusement. Xiao Zai waited for them to be far enough away from the throne room, in the palace\'s empty hallways to say.

"You couldn\'t resist, could you?"

Chu Yun opened a single eye and smiled at him. "Let them think they caused the death of their kingdom\'s unborn heir for a while, and maybe next time they\'ll only speak if they have something useful to say."

---

Chu Yun was feeling fine, but he still took the opportunity to stretch his legs on the Queen Dowager\'s comfortable sofa, resting in the same room he had convalesced not too long ago.

It was almost unbelievable to think of how much things had changed in such a short span of time. He was so tired from the arduous journey to Xin and back, but somehow he was inundated with an incredible sense of peace.

They had done it. The two of them.

He couldn\'t stop exchanging lingering looks with Xiao Zai, silent acknowledgements of what they had accomplished even as people came and left the room.

Xiao Ziyi was the first to walk in, together with Hua Nanyi. 

"Is it true?" Hua Nanyi asked, her voice trembling slightly, her eyes drifting towards Chu Yun\'s stomach.

Chu Yun chuckled and patted the slight roundness of his abdomen. "Believe me, no one was more shocked than me."

She blinked twice. "You seem fine."

"Well, I\'ve had more time to get used to the idea."

Xiao Ziyi was still trying to wrap her mind around it. "But how...how is it possible?"

Chu Yun let out a sigh and rubbed his temples. "Ah, that\'s a matter of much theological debate."

Xiao Zai\'s laugh startled Xiao Ziyi who looked between the two of them in utter confusion. Of course she wouldn\'t understand the duality of Chu Yun\'s cursed-blessed pregnancy. It was better to change subjects before she had a nervous breakdown from being forced to interact with people who weren\'t soldiers for such an extended period of time.

"By the way, there are about 300 mercenaries stationed just a few li outside of Haolin."

His words had the effect of wiping away Xiao Ziyi\'s look of extreme discomfort, but unfortunately replaced it with disbelief.

"What? How come? You didn\'t mention that in your letter."

Chu Yun nodded. "I did that on purpose."

She struggled for something to say, before giving up and just sighing deeply. "I\'ll handle it."

"You\'ll need to take my cousin Chu Ming with you."

That didn\'t cheer her up in any way, so Chu Yun added, "Take Hua Nanyi with you. The two of you will have fun antagonising him together."

Despite her best efforts to remain serious, Chu Yun could tell that she was at least a little pleased by that. Hua Nanyi said nothing, her shoulders squared and hands clasped tightly behind her back, but the fact that she was putting so much effort into looking serious and respectable spoke a great deal.

After the two of them left, the Queen Dowager came in, looking tired but spirited. She shot Xiao Zai a look. "What are you doing here? Go back to that hall and reassure your courtiers that your husband is well and so is the child. You\'ve made some bold statements, now you need to go out there and stand by them."

"Her Royal Highness is right," Chu Yun said, lifting his hand to brush his fingers against Xiao Zai\'s. "You should go."

Xiao Zai took Chu Yun\'s hand and bent at the waist to drop a soft kiss on his lips.

As soon as he left the Queen Dowager pulled up a chair and sat in the sofa in front of Chu Yun -- just as she had not so long ago, when Chu Yun had no idea how things would turn out for them, but apparently the old Queen Dowager did.

"Have you been planning this since the beginning?" Chu Yun asked her, supporting his cheek on the elbow he had thrown over the sofa\'s gilded armrest.

She smiled indulgently at him. "Since I had Xiao An kill his father, you mean?"

Chu Yun nodded.

"No, at the time I wanted the old bastard to see his own firsborn kill him before he breathed his last." She chuckled, as if the memory was one she liked revisiting. "But I also thought it would benefit me to have that to hold over Xiao An\'s head. And it did. I was regent until he was old enough to take the throne."

"You must have earned the court\'s respect in that time." It made sense for Chu Yun that the Queen Dowager would have done her best to seem concerned with the nation and ensuring a smooth transition when her son took the mantle himself. 

Especially if she took to the sidelines afterwards -- the caring mother, the grieving widow. Even if Xiao An screamed to the high heavens that he did it for her, no one would believe him.

And so, she was above any suspicion, bidding her time until the perfect opportunity to get rid of him came along. 

Chu Yun had offered it up to her on a platter.

"I suppose you\'re wondering why I did it."

Chu Yun chuckled. "I remember you telling me about how despicable father and son both were."

She nodded with a faint smile. "I remember using stronger language than that, but yes, in short, that was why."

"What did the late King do?"

He didn\'t bother asking her about Xiao An\'s crimes because he was well aware what they were.

"I suppose the worst thing he ever did was marry me." She twisted her knotted hands on her bent knees, the knuckles stood out dramatically against her pale skin. "I had been promised to him since I was a child, but I never wanted to marry him. The few short times we met, his mere presence annoyed me, everything he said seemed grating and boorish to me."

Chu Yun smiled. "Her Royal Highness must have been a very determined woman since a young age."

"I was, but that\'s not a good thing for an omega to be, and I suffered under the disciplining rod plenty for that." The curl of her lips made Chu Yun sure she didn\'t regret it even a little, and most likely, if she had some scars from that time, she wore them with pride. 

"One day, I couldn\'t take the stifling environment of my parent\'s estate any longer, and ran away. During my time away I fell in love." 

Chu Yun would never describe the Queen Dowager as a fanciful woman, but as she talked about falling in love it was as if she was momentarily transported to her own girlhood, even her sunken cheeks seemed to gain a little colour.

"I suppose her Royal Highness\' parents soon found out," Chu Yun said, imagining all kinds of recriminations and even more brutal uses of the disciplining rod.

The Queen chuckled. "No, not right away, we wouldn\'t have been found for some time. We knew we had to run and hide ourselves, hide who we were. The man I fell in love with was a commoner, which was bad enough, but worst of all, he was an omega like me."

Chu Yun sucked in a breath, that would surely make things worse. "Where is he now?" he asked, unable to stop himself.

"Dead," the Queen Mother said, hardened to it by the passage of time.. "And so is everyone who had anything to do with it."