Pregnant with the Empress’s Alpha Heir - Chapter 27.2

But Yu Zhitao was deep in slumber, showing no signs of waking no matter how she called. Instead, annoyed by the disturbance, she simply turned over.

Zhen Qianqiu chuckled helplessly.

Remembering what had worked in the morning, she hesitated briefly before climbing onto the bed. Leaning close to Yu Zhitao, she pressed light kisses to the corner of her lips.

The persistent teasing finally made Yu Zhitao open her eyes.

She pushed Zhen Qianqiu’s hand away. “Ah Jiu, stop it. That tickles.”

“I’ll stop.” Zhen Qianqiu wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up. “Time to wash up and eat.”

Yu Zhitao mumbled, “What time is it?”

“Noon.” Zhen Qianqiu tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “You already missed breakfast, don’t miss lunch too.”

At the mention of food, Yu Zhitao’s stomach growled.

She groaned. “So hungry…”

Zhen Qianqiu’s heart ached even as she steeled herself to pull Yu Zhitao out of bed.

The palace maids, finally having something to do, had already prepared all the washing utensils and were waiting by the door. Seeing Yu Zhitao rise, they put on smiles and were about to step forward to assist.

This thoroughly startled Yu Zhitao awake.

Looking at the maid, who was about her own age, holding out mouthwash for her, she waved her hands frantically. “No, no, it’s alright, sister. Just leave it there, I can do it myself.”

The maid looked somewhat disappointed. “But this is my duty.”

Yu Zhitao shook her head vehemently.

Watching this, Zhen Qianqiu said, “No need to trouble yourselves. She’s not used to it.”

Bypassing the maids, she took the mouthwash into her own hands and brought it to Yu Zhitao’s lips.

Still drowsy and unwilling to move, Yu Zhitao, seeing it was Zhen Qianqiu holding the mouthwash, didn’t hesitate and let the liquid pour into her mouth.

Zhen Qianqiu handled it smoothly, even taking care of the toothbrush and face-washing herself and seemed quite happy doing so.

The only ones suffering were the maids left standing idly by.

At that moment, everyone was forced to witness the unprecedented sight of the Emperor personally attending to someone, leaving them both shocked and envious.

After all, Zhen Qianqiu personally serving someone was unheard of.

The maids’ gazes gradually grew fervent, truly treating Yu Zhitao as the future Empress.

Once freshened up, Yu Zhitao was finally somewhat awake.

Zhen Qianqiu took her to have lunch together.

These past few days, Yu Zhitao’s appetite had been poor due to her worries about school documents.

Now, with her burdens lifted and the palace’s lavish spread before her, she ate until her belly was round.

Zhen Qianqiu indulged her, eating little herself and spending the entire meal serving Yu Zhitao dishes.

Finally, Yu Zhitao refused the half-bowl of soup handed to her.

“No, no, I can’t drink any more.”

Zhen Qianqiu’s hand paused mid-air. “Just one more sip?

“The doctor said pregnant women’s appetites increase, but you haven’t eaten much more than usual.”

“I’ve already eaten way more!” Yu Zhitao wrinkled her nose.

She sighed. “You can’t feed me like a pig. What if I really get as fat as one later?

“Even during pregnancy, I need to watch my weight.”

Zhen Qianqiu thought for a moment.

Then, she looked at Yu Zhitao seriously. “You’d look good with a little more weight.

“Softer, more comfortable to hold.”

Yu Zhitao blushed and glared at her.

She refused firmly, “No! I can’t let that happen.

“I want to be like you with toned abs and a sculpted waist! I can’t get fat.”

Zhen Qianqiu asked, “Why?”

Yu Zhitao lifted her chin. “Because abs and a toned waist feel better to touch.”

She rubbed her slightly protruding belly. “Like this, it’s all soft not pretty at all.”

Zhen Qianqiu pulled her hand to her own abdomen.

Leaning close to Yu Zhitao’s ear, she murmured, “If you want to feel abs and a toned waist, you can just touch mine.

“Training is so exhausting you can’t even get up in the morning. Do you really think you could manage it?”

Yu Zhitao glanced around.

All the maids were staring blankly ahead, as if completely oblivious to the scene.

Reassured, Yu Zhitao indulged herself, running her fingers over Zhen Qianqiu’s defined abs.

Though clearly toned, Zhen Qianqiu’s skin remained smooth and delicate, addictive to touch.

While taking liberties with her touch, Yu Zhitao still stubbornly argued, “I, I can’t get up in the morning, do you know why?

“When I used to sleep alone, I’d wake up by nine at the latest!”

“Is that so?” Zhen Qianqiu chuckled. “But I’m afraid you’ll have to sleep in from now on.”

Pouting with indignation, Yu Zhitao pinched her abs in retaliation.

Zhen Qianqiu pressed down on the increasingly unruly hand beneath her clothes, her voice low and husky.

“Are you sure you want to continue?”

A chill ran down Yu Zhitao’s back as she finally realized the situation had taken a wrong turn.

She immediately withdrew her hand, pretending as if nothing had happened.

After dinner, the two took a stroll in the garden to aid digestion.

After walking for a while, Yu Zhitao yawned again.

Not wanting to truly succumb to laziness, she fought off her drowsiness and tried to find something productive to do.

So, after returning to the room with Zhen Qianqiu, she couldn’t help but ask, “Ah Jiu,  have you seen that document?”

“The school requires a signature from a legal spouse or parents, and the deadline is within a month.”

“I’d like to get this settled as soon as possible.”

Zhen Qianqiu fell silent for a moment before confirming, “Zhitao, are you sure you want to go back to school?”

Yu Zhitao nodded.

She said, “At the very least, I don’t want to miss the first semester’s classes.”

Zhen Qianqiu stroked her hair and nodded. “I understand.”

She took the document. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle this.”

With that, she placed the document on the table, took a fountain pen from her coat pocket, and then bent down preparing to sign her name in the bottom right corner.

Yu Zhitao was startled but reacted quickly, grabbing Zhen Qianqiu’s sleeve before the pen could touch the paper. “Ah Jiu! You can’t!”

Zhen Qianqiu straightened up, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Flustered, Yu Zhitao stammered, “You, Ah Jiu, this, this isn’t something you can just sign casually!”

As she spoke, she snatched the document back into her hands.

After verifying that the document was still intact, Yu Zhitao let out a sigh of relief.

She explained again, “Ah Jiu,  this isn’t something you can sign without thought.”

“Only a legally recognized spouse’s signature is valid.”

“I know,” Zhen Qianqiu said, looking at her. “That’s why you asked me that day if I wanted to get married, wasn’t it?”

Yu Zhitao looked up, her mind momentarily blank, and could only stare at her in shock. “You…”

But Zhen Qianqiu suddenly adopted a serious expression. “I’m sorry. A proposal should have a proper ceremony, shouldn’t it?”

“I was too hasty.”

Yu Zhitao’s face instantly flushed red. She waved her hands. “Ah Jiu, that’s not what I meant.”

Zhen Qianqiu didn’t respond to her words, instead leading her deeper into the palace.

“When I was little, I lived in the palace all the time. I didn’t know what people outside were like, or whether they envied life inside the palace.”

“When my father was alive, the family was harmonious. My world consisted only of my father, my mother, and… my sister.”

Yu Zhitao felt a pang in her heart.

She didn’t know why Zhen Qianqiu was suddenly telling her this, but she understood that whatever was about to happen next would be profoundly significant for both her and her Ah Jiu.

“Back then, I lived here.”

After walking for a while, Zhen Qianqiu stopped in front of a door.

She unlocked it with a glance and led Yu Zhitao inside.

The room was clean, free of dust, but all the furnishings seemed somewhat dated.

In truth, Yu Zhitao found it hard to believe this was Ah Jiu’s childhood room. The decor was mature and cold, devoid of any childish elements she might have imagined toys, colorful furniture, none of it was there.

The only thing that remotely fit the image was a slightly smaller-than-standard bow hanging on the northern wall.

Yu Zhitao was instantly captivated by it at first glance.

She was no stranger to this bow in her dreams, it had been slung across the back of the young girl Ah Jiu.

It had helped Ah Jiu drive away invaders and stood by her side as she guarded the palace.

Zhen Qianqiu, standing behind her, explained, “Before I turned ten, I was quite fond of archery. But as news of war grew more frequent, I knew I had to learn something more practical, so I set it aside.

“I still come to look at it occasionally, but I haven’t used it since.”

“May I… take a look at it?”

Yu Zhitao asked.

Zhen Qianqiu nodded. “Of course.”

Taller, she reached over Yu Zhitao to the wall and, with a slight lift of her heel, retrieved the bow.

Then, she handed it to Yu Zhitao.

Even though it was a smaller version, the weight of the bow was still a bit heavy for her.

Running her fingers along the smooth curve of the bow and its loosened string, she suddenly noticed a repaired mark on its surface.

“Did this bow… break?” she asked, puzzled.

Bows were ranged weapons, they shouldn’t have snapped in such a place under normal circumstances.

Zhen Qianqiu nodded.

She said, “Zhen Wuyou dropped it.”

“Zhen Wuyou…” Yu Zhitao murmured the name.

Recalling something, she frowned and asked, “…Xiao Wu, right?”

Zhen Qianqiu was momentarily taken aback.

She replied, “You said your dreams had a palace and a flower shed… I didn’t expect her to exist there too.”

Yu Zhitao nodded. “It seemed like your mental domain… or something tied to your memories. I can’t explain it clearly.”

Zhen Qianqiu grew intrigued. “Then, in your dreams… what did she do?”

Yu Zhitao wrinkled her nose.

She was reluctant to bring it up, but as she studied the repaired mark on the bow, she finally huffed indignantly, “She was a master of deception. At first, she treated me well, painted you as some irredeemable villain, and even made me…

“Made me take a dagger to kill you.”

Zhen Qianqiu chuckled, the corner of her lips curling.

Yu Zhitao frowned. “What’s so funny?

“Because I was too stupid?”

Zhen Qianqiu shook her head. “I’m laughing… because that was probably her best shot at succeeding.

“Too bad it only happened in your dream.”

“No!” Yu Zhitao insisted earnestly. “I told you, it wasn’t just any dream.

“I don’t know what would’ve happened if I’d really killed the ‘you’ in that dream, but Ah Jiu, you would’ve been affected in some way.”

Zhen Qianqiu suddenly remembered Xi Shuwen’s words.

Looking back now, the inexplicable improvement in her condition could only be attributed to Yu Zhitao.

Clearly, the only clue they had so far was Yu Zhitao’s dreams.

So, Yu Zhitao was right.

Had she made a different choice in that dream, her illness might have worsened instead of improving.

At this thought, her gaze softened as she looked at Yu Zhitao.

During those two months they spent together, outsiders might have assumed it was her, the Alpha, who had acted as a bodyguard, protecting Yu Zhitao.

But in reality?

Those people were sent by the Yu family they wouldn’t have truly harmed Yu Zhitao.

The one who had truly offered protection was the seemingly fragile Yu Zhitao.

She had healed her Ah Jiu.

Just as Zhen Qianqiu was about to say something, Yu Zhitao ran her fingers along the bow and spoke gloomily, “So, Ah Jiu, you know what? I’ve always wanted to tell you those people can’t hurt you. Only you can hurt yourself.”

“And only you can truly harm yourself.”

How could those two figures, Xiao Wu and Lin Rumeng, who issued the death mission, appear in Zhen Qianqiu’s exclusive mental domain?

It was because, subconsciously, Zhen Qianqiu had truly harbored thoughts of death at that time.

Had she not met Yu Zhitao, she would have allowed her body to deteriorate and her mental domain to be eroded until she perished.

Zhen Qianqiu’s nose tingled slightly.

She struggled to suppress her emotions. “You saved me.”

Yu Zhitao pressed her lips together.

She asked, “Can I know… what happened back then that led you to appear at the bar?”

Zhen Qianqiu hesitated for a moment before speaking. “You might already know much of it from the dreams.”

“We are twin sisters, but the differences were obvious from birth.”

“I was healthier and stronger than most children, while Zhen Wuyou… her condition was always fragile.”

“One day, she suddenly told me she had overheard our parents arguing, that her frail body was my fault. Moreover, the initial prenatal reports had indicated we were both supposed to be Alphas, but because of me, she ended up as an ordinary Beta.”

“From that moment on, she began to hate me.”

Yu Zhitao tightened her grip on the bow. “Ah Jiu…”

Zhen Qianqiu continued, “She framed me many times, though most were minor incidents.”

“I vaguely sensed she wanted me dead, but since we were blood relatives and our mother always favored her, I never took it to heart.”

“But a year and a half ago…”

Recalling that experience still sent chills down her spine. “I was handling official duties in the T-6 star system when I received a message from her, asking me to retrieve a rare medicinal herb from a nearby asteroid.”

“On the way there, I was ambushed in an asteroid belt.”

“The battle was intense, but I ultimately prevailed… The suspects were quickly apprehended, and the evidence pointed directly to the mastermind.”

“After returning to the capital planet, I intended to deal with Zhen Wuyou according to the law by sentencing her to death. But… my mother intervened.”

She recounted this part lightly.

In reality, the scenes both the fierce battle and Lin Rumeng’s desperate efforts to protect Zhen Wuyou had been harrowing.

“So… you agreed?” Yu Zhitao asked.

Zhen Qianqiu nodded.

“I confined her to the forbidden palace, allowing our mother only one visit per month.”

Yu Zhitao clenched and unclenched her fists.

“Before that, when you sent me to the academy planet alone and returned by yourself… what were you planning to do?”

“At the time, I believed and the doctors confirmed that I had lost my fertility,” Zhen Qianqiu turned to face her, explaining earnestly. “But the empire needed an heir, or my distant uncles would never rest.”

“My mother wanted Zhen Wuyou to bear the child and had been maneuvering behind the scenes. After some thought, I decided indulging them might not be so bad.”

“So I returned, first announcing Zhen Wuyou’s status. I planned to wait until she gave birth, abdicate the throne, and then come back for you.”

“Never expected…” At this point, her gaze lowered, looking tenderly at Yu Zhitao’s belly, “Never expected you’d bring yet another unforeseen surprise.”

She narrowed her eyes with a smile: “I quite like this surprise.”

But Yu Zhitao wasn’t pleased.

Pouting, she said: “So now… are you still thinking of letting her have the child and then handing everything over to them?”

“I never really thought that way to begin with.” Stroking Yu Zhitao’s hair soothingly, Zhen Qianqiu continued, “I’ve found a remote planet suitable for recuperation. After she gives birth, I plan to send her and mother there to recover.”

“As for the child, the Elder Council will take care of its upbringing. My occasional discreet support will suffice.”

Yu Zhitao sniffled: “That’s more like it.”

“So now, the only thing I’m worried about is you,” Zhen Qianqiu said.

Yu Zhitao glared at her in annoyance.

She was upset, upset that Zhen Qianqiu didn’t take better care of herself.

Even during their earlier days living together, she’d had an inkling of suspicion.

But back then, Ah Jiu wasn’t ready to open up to her, so she’d kept it bottled up, afraid to ask.

Now that the truth was finally out, all her pent-up frustration came pouring forth.

“What about me could possibly worry you?” Yu Zhitao asked, looking at Zhen Qianqiu.

Zhen Qianqiu clasped her hands behind her back, unusually flustered: “You once said… you didn’t want to marry into the imperial palace, nor did you ever imagine becoming the Emperor’s wife.”

Yu Zhitao was taken aback.

After a moment’s recollection, she remembered they had indeed discussed this before.

Muttering, she said: “It’s true I didn’t want to marry into the imperial palace or become the Emperor’s wife.”

“Places like the imperial palace aren’t so easy to enter. The more opulent the surroundings, the more rules there are, and the less personal freedom one has.”

Zhen Qianqiu’s lips parted and closed, momentarily at a loss.

After a pause, she took a deep breath: “Zhitao, I’m sorry.”

She grasped Yu Zhitao’s hand tightly, her gaze sorrowful yet resolute: “There’s no helping it, it’s already too late.”

Though not stated explicitly, Zhen Qianqiu’s meaning was clear.

You can’t leave now.

Yu Zhitao looked at her downcast expression and suddenly smiled.

She said: “But those weren’t the main reasons.”

“Do you know why back then I…”

“Does the Emperor truly have no interest at all?”

Zhen Qianqiu slowly raised her head.

Before she could react, Yu Zhitao set aside the longbow and wrapped her arms around Zhen Qianqiu.

She answered voluntarily: “Because from that time until now, and in all the foreseeable future, I’ve only ever wanted to be with my Ah Jiu.”

Zhen Qianqiu trembled slightly.

Coming to her senses, she gently cupped Yu Zhitao’s face and asked: “Will you regret it?”

“I won’t be relinquishing the throne. We might have to live in the palace for a very long time.”

Yu Zhitao buried her face in Zhen Qianqiu’s chest.

“Ah Jiu, do you know something?”

“If we were both ordinary commoners like me, our lives would be filled with the daily struggles of making ends meet.”

“If you were a wealthy merchant, we’d be burdened with the anxiety of maintaining that wealth.”

“You’re the Emperor, tasked with defending our lands, and I’ll stay by your side… well, while probably fending off romantic rivals from across the entire empire.”

“No matter who we are, life will always have its joys and sorrows.”

Zhen Qianqiu gently stroked the gland at the nape of her neck.

Her voice was tender: “If we were ordinary people, perhaps your life would be easier.”

Yu Zhitao nodded.

Then she added: “But it’s precisely because Ah Jiu isn’t ordinary that I was drawn to your radiant brilliance in the first place.”

She lifted her head from Zhen Qianqiu’s embrace, pulling back slightly to meet her gaze, though her hands remained firmly around the other’s waist.

“I never expected to buy Ah Jiu for just three hundred thousand.”

“I love Ah Jiu, I love Zhen Qianqiu, and I want to be with you forever.”

“To exchange my lifetime for someone as extraordinary as Zhen Qianqiu, I’m getting the better end of this deal!”

Zhen Qianqiu stared at her in stunned silence, nearly forgetting to breathe.

She had thought proposing to Yu Zhitao under these circumstances would be unfair to her beloved.

Yet in truth, the other woman had been just as prepared for this commitment all along.

“Because we’ve chosen to be together, all external hardships are simply the price we pay for staying by each other’s side,” Yu Zhitao said softly. “SoAh Jiu, don’t worry. Your presence alone is enough to soothe all my fears of the unknown.”

Zhen Qianqiu lowered her head, pressing a gentle kiss to Yu Zhitao’s forehead.

“Do you trust me?” she asked.

Yu Zhitao looked at her and nodded earnestly.

Zhen Qianqiu then retrieved the document from her embrace once more.

Taking out a pen, she solemnly signed her name in the “Legal Spouse” field.

Yu Zhitao had already signed her name beforehand, so now their signatures stood side by side on the document.

[Zhen Qianqiu & Yu Zhitao]