The Foolish General's Mute Spouse - Chapter 86

86: The Matchmaker

Li Ke added a few more pieces of charcoal into the stove, warming the room further.

His eyes were fixed on Xiaozhu, unwilling to stray too far from her. He remained standing by the bed, his gaze glued to her.

Fu Yu’an slowly rubbed his hands over the hand warmer, hesitating for a long time before finally speaking. “Xiaozhu, after the baby is born, go back with Li Ke.”

The smile instantly vanished from Xiaozhu’s face. She struggled to sit up, her heavily pregnant body making the movement awkward, but Li Ke gently pressed her back down.

“Why?! Young Master, are you… casting me aside? Are you sending me away?”

“No, Li Ke will have to return to his duties eventually. You’re a family—how can you stay apart because of me? My conscience won’t allow it!”

Xiaozhu was agitated. She had relied on him for so many years—how could she leave him alone in Sizhou?

He was prone to overthinking. If she wasn’t there to keep an eye on him, who knew when he might spiral into despair again?

This couldn’t happen.

Fu Yu’an was eerily calm, as if he had long made up his mind and was just waiting for the right moment to say it.

Xiaozhu sighed, resting her palm over her belly through the blanket. Slowly, she said, “Young Master, back then, when you gave that letter to Young Master Xia, you were already planning for Li Ke to take me away, weren’t you?”

Li Ke tightened his grip on her hand. “Xiaozhu, His Highness is doing this for your own good. Once you’ve recovered after the birth, we’ll return to the capital, pick up the Second Madam, and then head south to reunite with the General.”

“I don’t want to—”

“My brothers are all there. I’ve already arranged for a house for you. Xiaozhu, the General will remain in the south for the rest of his life—that’s our home.”

Xiaozhu was furious. Suppressing her anger, she retorted, “That’s your home, not mine! Li Ke, what do you take me for? Some breeding tool you married just to continue your family line? What am I to you?!”

Li Ke was stunned by her outburst, worried she might harm the baby in her agitation.

“Yes, the General is your master, and you must be loyal—I won’t stop you. But what about me? Haven’t His Highness and I relied on each other all these years to survive? How is my loyalty any less important?”

Fu Yu’an hadn’t expected her reaction to be so intense and quickly tried to placate her. “That’s not what I meant. You go first. Once Siqi succeeds in the imperial exams, he’ll go south, and I’ll follow him there.”

Xiaozhu refused to listen. “Succeed? He started his studies so late—how can he just go wherever he pleases? Siqi is only thirteen now. By the time my child is thirteen, I doubt he’ll even have the freedom to make his own choices!”

Taking the imperial examinations and achieving success may sound simple, but in reality, it’s anything but. Countless people chase after it for decades without even getting close to the palace exams, let alone having the luxury of choosing where they’d like to be posted.

Her stomach ached faintly—yelling like this had left her feeling miserable as well.

The child in her belly stirred again, kicking so hard it sent sharp pains through her.

Fu Yu’an wanted to say more, but afraid of upsetting her further with endless arguments, he forced himself to stay silent.

At the door, slow footsteps approached, and Si Qi’s voice sounded from behind, muffled yet firm: “What I promised the young master, I will deliver. There’s no need for Sister Xiaozhu to worry anymore.”

The corners of Si Qi’s lips lifted, but his eyes held no trace of a smile.

He set the bowl of porridge down on the small bedside table and added, “I know I’m not the cleverest, but the young master has always taught me to keep my word. So, naturally, I’ll make sure things go the way I intend.”

Xiaozhu was taken aback that a boy so young could speak like this. She no longer dared to underestimate him, though she could only nod stiffly, frowning as she endured the pain in her abdomen.

“We’ll discuss this matter later. Xiaozhu, you should rest first—Xiaozhu! What’s wrong?! Go fetch the doctor, quickly!”

Fu Yu’an had been about to table the issue for now, but the moment he turned back, he saw her face had gone deathly pale as she clutched her stomach, clearly in agony.

Panic erupted among them. Li Ke rushed out to find a physician, while Si Qi stood frozen in place, twisting the hem of his clothes in helpless distress.

Regret tore through Fu Yu’an—how could he have been so foolish? He knew she was nearing her due date, yet he’d chosen this moment to provoke her with such words.

If anything happened to Xiaozhu, he would never forgive himself.

By the time the doctor arrived, Xiaozhu was drenched in sweat, on the verge of passing out from the pain.

The maids and elderly servants in the household had all been summoned by Si Qi, now hovering anxiously nearby.

Xiaozhu was already bleeding—it seemed she was going into early labor.

Fu Yu’an was ushered out of the room. Even the doctor could do little at this point; her waters had broken, and the child had to be delivered.

Whether it would be a safe delivery was another matter entirely—the situation looked dangerously precarious.

Li Ke was also shooed out by the midwives, left to stand with Fu Yu’an outside the tightly shut wooden door, both men burning with helpless impatience.

“Your Highness… I… I’m terrified. What if—”

This towering man, who had never once shown fear even in the bloodiest battles, now trembled so violently his lips quivered.

Fu Yu’an was just as worried, but he couldn’t afford to panic alongside Li Ke. At least one of them had to keep a level head.

“There are no ‘what ifs.’ She’ll be fine. Back then, we survived half a night buried in snow—this is no different.”

“But—” Giving birth wasn’t the same as enduring the cold—how could the two even compare?

Fu Yu’an clenched his fists inside his sleeves, nearly drowning in guilt and remorse.

Why am I always like this? he thought. Again and again, I hurt those closest to me. Again and again, I push them away.

I’m really terrible!

Basin after basin of bl00d water was carried out, Xiao Zhu screamed herself hoarse. The two of them waited outside from morning until the sun set in the west before finally hearing a clear cry from inside.

The midwife hurried out, her eyes brimming with tears: “Congratulations, Young Master Li! Mother and daughter are both safe!”

Only then did everyone’s hearts, hanging by a thread, finally settle back into place.

…

In the General’s Manor of Ruinan, Southern Border.

“Reporting to the General, there’s an old lady outside requesting an audience. She’s brought a young girl with her.”

Qi Ren frowned at the news, pausing the brush in his hand. He turned to the messenger to confirm: “An old lady with a young girl?”

“Yes… but the girl looks quite young, and she’s not even as fair-skinned as the one brought by Matchmaker Zhang last time!”

“…” Qi Ren clicked his tongue impatiently and waved his hand. “Tell her I’m training troops at the drill ground and ask her to leave!”

Just as the subordinate was about to go, it occurred to him that avoiding the issue like this wasn’t a long-term solution. Pushing them away by claiming he wasn’t available only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.

These matchmakers were truly relentless, insisting on arranging marriages. Whenever a girl from some family reached marriageable age, they’d immediately bring her over for an audience—fresher than vegetables at the market!

“Wait. Go tell her that this general has just lost his wife and is grieving deeply. Ask them not to come again!”

The subordinate’s pupils shook in shock, thinking, As expected of the General—to come up with such an inauspicious lie!

Qi Ren touched the ring at his collar, then after a moment, took it off and placed it in a box, stashing it on the top shelf of his bookcase.

Looking at it just pisses me off!