Pregnant with the Empress’s Alpha Heir - Chapter 28.2

“Nothing too important,” she said softly. “It’s just that my mother and I will soon be leaving the palace. Since you’ll be the one staying by Qianqiu’s side from now on, I wanted to ask you, please take good care of her.”

Yu Zhitao arched a brow. “No need for concern, Your Highness. I would do so regardless.”

Zhen Wuyou smiled at her. “That’s good. I always knew Qianqiu had excellent taste, the one she loves must be extraordinary.”

Yu Zhitao suppressed a shudder.

She forced an awkward smile and subtly shifted further away.

Zhen Wuyou’s smile soon faded, her brows knitting slightly. “If you can look after Qianqiu, then my mother and I have nothing left to worry about.

“As for Qianqiu’s unresolved pain.

“Perhaps once we’re gone, she’ll find her own way to heal. I just hope she doesn’t dwell on it too stubbornly.”

Yu Zhitao blinked in confusion.

Despite suspecting this might be a trap, she couldn’t help but ask, “Unresolved pain? What pain does Ah Jiu have?”

She already knew about the childhood trauma that haunted Ah Jiu, but she was curious, what details might Zhen Wuyou, the very architect of that pain, reveal?

Seeing her interest, Zhen Wuyou frowned and sighed again.

After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke. “Qianqiu has always been stubborn. Once she fixates on something, it’s hard to change her mind.

“My mother and I have often worried about it.”

Yu Zhitao gave a noncommittal hum.

The same quality that was called “focus” in her case was twisted by Zhen Wuyou into being “stubborn.”

She adjusted her sitting posture slightly, leisurely waiting to see what other drama Zhen Wuyou would perform.

Zhen Wuyou smiled and continued, “Because I’ve been frail since childhood, Mother always paid more attention to me.

“Over time, she inevitably neglected Qianqiu a little, though she herself felt guilty about it.

“But because of this, Qianqiu grew to believe Mother was biased and even harbored some resentment toward her.”

At this point, she paused briefly before saying, “I heard that your own mother, Zhi Tao, passed away when you were very young.

“Do you miss her?”

Yu Zhitao responded half-truthfully, “Not being able to grow up by my mother’s side is the greatest regret of my life.”

Zhen Wuyou nodded. “Indeed.

“A mother’s significance can never be replaced by anything else.”

She stood up and sighed. “Now that my health has finally improved and Mother no longer needs to watch over me day and night, Qianqiu refuses to give her a chance to make amends.

“I fear that once Mother and I leave, the misunderstanding between them may never be resolved.”

Yu Zhitao looked up at her.

“What does the Grand Princess want me to do?”

“Ah?” Zhen Wuyou hadn’t expected her to ask so directly and stiffened momentarily. “I didn’t mean for you to do anything.

“Your presence by Qianqiu’s side during this time is already the greatest help to Mother and me.”

“Is that so?” Yu Zhitao lowered her head in thought.

Zhen Wuyou nodded. “So we’ll have to trouble you with everything.

“You’re so kind, I believe no matter what grievances Qianqiu holds in her heart, they won’t stand in her way.”

Yu Zhitao looked up and countered, “But this is ultimately a matter between Ah Jiu and her mother.

“Wouldn’t it be better, Grand Princess, if you and the Empress Dowager stayed, and I mediated between them to slowly resolve the misunderstanding?

“After all, our wishes are the same, we just want Ah Jiu to be happy, don’t we?”

Rong Yixuan, standing nearby, grew anxious, her eyes darting around, but she dared not overstep and remained silent.

Zhen Wuyou tilted her head as if seriously considering the idea.

Then, glancing away casually, she cautioned, “That might be a solution, but…

“Given Qianqiu’s temperament, I can’t be sure she’d agree. She’s the type who’d rather suffer in silence than open up and show vulnerability.”

“It’s alright. Ah Jiu cares about me deeply. I can persuade her she’ll definitely agree,” Yu Zhitao quickly added, lowering her voice.

Zhen Wuyou suppressed a smile that had reached her lips and turned back, intending to coach Yu Zhitao on how to convince Zhen Qianqiu.

But the moment she saw the expression on Yu Zhitao’s face, she realized something was wrong.

Yu Zhitao sneered. “Were you looking forward to me saying that, Zhen Wuyou?”

Zhen Wuyou pressed her lips together.

Frowning, she said, “Miss Yu, what do you mean by that?

“I never forced you to agree to anything, nor did I expect any particular response from you.”

“True,” Yu Zhitao conceded. “You didn’t say it outright, but every word of yours was meant to make me help you and your mother stay, wasn’t it?”

Zhen Wuyou’s heart skipped a beat.

She realized her plan for this visit had likely fallen through, but even now, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly which part had gone wrong.

Summoning her courage, she spoke directly: “I’m also doing this for Qianqiu’s sake.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if my mother and I stayed to help her resolve her emotional knots?”

Yu Zhitao couldn’t help but laugh at her words.

She asked, “I fail to see how placing an attempted murderer and a mother who shielded the criminal next to the victim constitutes a ‘better’ solution.”

Zhen Wuyou’s mind went blank.

When she regained her composure, she trembled as she asked, “She actually told you about this?”

“Surprising, isn’t it?” Yu Zhitao stood up, stepping closer. “Such a vile act, one that should have been exposed to the world yet she kept it buried in her heart for so long. Aside from those who already knew, I was the only one she confided in.”

Zhen Wuyou gritted her teeth. “You’ve been toying with me all along?!”

Yu Zhitao tilted her head in confusion. “Are you always this skilled at playing the victim while being the aggressor?”

Beside them, Rong Yixuan tried hard to suppress her amusement, but upon hearing this, she couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smirk.

She was secretly thrilled.

She had never seen Zhen Wuyou so thoroughly humiliated before!

Go on, Miss Yu! Keep charging ahead!

Zhen Wuyou shot her a furious glare and turned to leave.

But this time, Yu Zhitao refused to let her go.

Though she was an Omega, Zhen Wuyou’s physique was even more delicate.

Once Yu Zhitao seized her wrist, Zhen Wuyou struggled desperately but couldn’t break free from her grip.

Yu Zhitao took the opportunity to reason with her properly.

“Honestly, I couldn’t be bothered to seek you out especially since Ah Jiu said you were leaving soon.

“But since you came knocking on my door yourself, we might as well have a proper chat, don’t you think?”

Zhen Wuyou was livid.

She yanked her wrist with all her might and finally broke free but the force sent her stumbling backward, collapsing onto the floor.

Yu Zhitao also swayed unsteadily before steadying herself with Rong Yixuan’s help.

Without missing a beat, she crouched in front of Zhen Wuyou, preventing her from getting up.

“Is there a misunderstanding between Ah Jiu and the Empress Dowager?

“Then what about between you and her?” Yu Zhitao pressed. “Isn’t it you, the Eldest Princess, who holds a grudge against Ah Jiu? Why push all the blame onto her?”

The more she spoke, the more her heart ached for her beloved.

She gave Zhen Wuyou a shove, sending her back down just as she had propped herself up on her elbows.

“Why focus only on Ah Jiu and the Empress Dowager?

“Is it because you know there’s no chance of reconciliation between you and Ah Jiu?” she demanded. “What exactly does she owe you? That despite protecting you and your mother, she had to endure your bullying since childhood?”

Zhen Wuyou tried to rise again, only to be pushed back down.

Panting, she spat, “You know nothing.

“If you were in my place, you’d have done the same!”

“Don’t project your malice onto everyone else!” Yu Zhitao hissed through clenched teeth. “If I were you, I’d be laughing in my dreams.

“Tell me, what is it you want?

“Do you also crave the throne, to bask in wealth and luxury?

“But before you resorted to murder, was there anything Ah Jiu didn’t give you? She shouldered all the duties of the sovereign, leaving only the comforts for you and the Empress Dowager.

“Do you even know the meaning of gratitude?”

Zhen Wuyou froze. After a long pause, tears welled up in her eyes.

“No! That’s not how it was at all.”

“It was her who ruined me! She turned me into a useless wreck, stole my position, it’s all her fault, everything is her fault!”

Yu Zhitao pressed down on her shoulders.

“My apologies.

“Your congenital deficiencies might indeed have been inadvertently caused by her.

“But all the honor and wealth you enjoy now were also earned by her risking her life on the battlefield, fighting for you and the Empress Dowager.”

She looked down at Zhen Wuyou, who was pinned beneath her knee, utterly bewildered.

“See, without her, you’re nothing.

“Not even capable of standing up to an Omega like me, aren’t you?”

Zhen Wuyou had already given up trying to rise.

She had completely abandoned all decorum, flailing her arms wildly in an attempt to claw at Yu Zhitao’s face.

Yu Zhitao dodged deftly, but in the heat of the moment, she instinctively swung her hand.

Slap!

A sharp crack echoed as her palm struck Zhen Wuyou’s face.

Almost immediately, faint streaks of blood surfaced on Zhen Wuyou’s cheek. She froze, stunned into silence.

Yu Zhitao flexed her fingers.

Truth be told, she was a little surprised at first, but now that the moment had passed, she mostly felt a sense of catharsis.

Back in the dream, in a fit of anger, she had lashed out at Xiao Wu. Now, in reality, she had delivered that long-overdue slap, a fitting conclusion.

Rong Yixuan and the other maids nearby grew anxious when they saw her shaking her hand. “Miss Yu, is your hand alright?”

Yu Zhitao stood up and shook her head.

Looking down at Zhen Wuyou, she said, “That’s enough. No matter what, you must face the consequences of your actions.

“Don’t worry about Ah Jiu. I’ll take good care of her.

“For the rest of your life, if possible, spend it repenting for your sins.”

With that, she left with Rong Yixuan and the others, leaving Zhen Wuyou alone on the ground, tears still streaming down her face.

“It’s not my fault. It’s all Zhen Qianqiu’s doing. She’s the one who ruined me.”

Yu Zhitao glanced back and let out a cold chuckle.

Zhen Wuyou had claimed that Ah Jiu harbored an unresolved grudge against the Empress Dowager.

But through the dream, Yu Zhitao already knew, the two shadows that once dominated Ah Jiu’s subconscious palace had completely vanished.

Ah Jiu’s resentment had dissolved over time, through their companionship.

The one truly consumed by inner demons was Zhen Wuyou herself.

Everyone faces injustice in life, but one must learn to move forward.

Though she lacked a healthy body, she had a mother and sister who loved her deeply, she could have lived a life envied by all.

Yet she clung to that injustice, driving herself and her devoted mother into madness.

Not that she deserved pity, of course.

Yu Zhitao exhaled softly and turned to Rong Yixuan. “Yixuan-jie, I’d like some cherry juice.”

Rong Yixuan smiled. “Of course, Miss Yu.

“The palace has already prepared it. You can have some as soon as we return.”

Yu Zhitao nodded lightly.

She rested a hand on her belly, stretched lazily in the breeze, and walked ahead with light steps.

Back in the palace, after drinking the juice, drowsiness began to overtake her.

Though the timing wasn’t ideal, she didn’t know what else to do, so she simply lay down for a short nap.

But when she closed her eyes, she didn’t wake until dusk having slept for a full hour and a half.

Zhen Qianqiu had already returned and was sitting by the bed, watching her.

Yu Zhitao reached out to rub her eyes. “Ah Jiu… You’re back. Why didn’t you wake me?”

Zhen Qianqiu caught her hand and picked up a damp towel nearby. “Don’t use your hands.”

As she helped Yu Zhitao freshen up, she said, “You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Yu Zhitao mumbled, “If I sleep too much during the day, I might not be able to sleep at night.”

“Isn’t that perfect timing?” Zhen Qianqiu countered.

Still groggy from waking up, Yu Zhitao was slow to react. When she finally understood the implication, her face flushed as she glared at Zhen Qianqiu. “Ah Jiu,  You’re being shameless!”

Zhen Qianqiu looked puzzled. “Is it really ‘shameless’ when it’s with my own fiancée?”

Yu Zhitao hugged her knees. “If I say it is, then it is.”

Zhen Qianqiu smiled helplessly and set the towel aside. Watching her back, Yu Zhitao spoke up, “Ah Jiu, I ran into Zhen Wuyou this afternoon.”

Zhen Qianqiu’s movements paused briefly before she replied, “It wasn’t a coincidence. She set it up to meet you intentionally.”

After Yu Zhitao returned to the palace, Rong Yixuan had reported the incident to Zhen Qianqiu. Following this lead, Zhen Qianqiu had uncovered many things. An hour earlier, the security team had taken control of the building where the Empress Dowager resided. The cleanup operation was underway, and soon, Lin Rumeng and Zhen Wuyou would be permanently removed from their lives.

“So that’s what happened,” Yu Zhitao realized. “No wonder her words felt so off.”

Zhen Qianqiu turned back and asked, “Did she upset you?”

“How could she? I wouldn’t let someone like her get to me,” Yu Zhitao declared, puffing out her chest. “Besides, I even helped you get a little revenge!”

Zhen Qianqiu couldn’t help but laugh. She felt a twinge of regret for not witnessing Yu Zhitao standing up for her, but the proud little expression on Yu Zhitao’s face now more than made up for it.

“I heard about it,” she said. “Thank you, Zhitao. I was very touched.”

“Ah, there’s no need to thank me! Someone like Zhen Wuyou, any normal person would want to give her a beating, right?” Yu Zhitao wrinkled her nose.

Zhen Qianqiu gently stroked her hair. “You’re absolutely right.”

Yu Zhitao blinked playfully and rolled off the bed. As she bent down to put on her shoes, she asked, “Did you finish your earlier tasks? What time is it now?”

“It’s dinnertime. Even if I hadn’t finished, I should still come back to be with you,” Zhen Qianqiu replied naturally.

Yu Zhitao felt a bit embarrassed. “I’m not that delicate. Eating dinner alone is no problem for me.”

Zhen Qianqiu shook her head. “You are that precious.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “You made the news. Would you like to see?”

“The news?” Yu Zhitao was surprised. “What news?”

Even as she asked, she didn’t hesitate to open her smart device and log into the star network, navigating to the trending page. The moment she entered, an overwhelming flood of headlines featuring the word “Empress” assaulted her vision.

Yu Zhitao felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. She looked up at Zhen Qianqiu in dismay. “H-how did I suddenly become Empress?”

Zhen Qianqiu, puzzled by her flustered reaction, said, “Didn’t you agree to it before?”

Clutching her chest, Yu Zhitao began to protest childishly, “Mmm, I wasn’t mentally prepared to be announced to the public like this!”

With that, she buried her face directly into Zhen Qianqiu’s embrace, playing the ostrich.

“It’s alright,” Zhen Qianqiu reassured her. “I’m here with you.”

Yu Zhitao suddenly remembered something and lifted her head from her arms.

She glanced back at the news page sure enough, the hashtag “Future Heir of the Empire” was now right below “Empress.”

Unlike the previous announcement about Zhen Wuyou, the royal family hadn’t employed any suppression tactics this time. Instead, they had amplified the publicity.

Now, the entire star network was flooded with the news, with netizens everywhere discussing and sending their blessings.

Blushing, Yu Zhitao skimmed through a couple of trending comments before suddenly bursting into laughter.

Zhen Qianqiu asked curiously, “What’s so funny?”

Yu Zhitao pointed at a top-ranked comment on the screen.

The comment had been posted days earlier, on the same day the royal family had revealed the identity of the eldest princess.

The original poster had shared a sarcastic remark about her classmate’s delusional dream of marrying into the royal family.

At the end, she wrote: “Wild guess, next time the royals make an announcement, it’ll probably be about the Empress and the soon-to-be-born imperial heir. Then my bestie’s fantasy will be completely shattered, hahaha.”

Originally just a joke, the comment had now gone viral because reality had unfolded exactly as predicted. Netizens were swarming the post, leaving frenzied replies.

[Prophet! Off with her head!]

[Waaah, OP, do you have insider info or something? How’d you get it so spot-on?!]

[Hey OP, can you irresponsibly predict that my crush will confess to me soon?]

Yu Zhitao covered her mouth, unable to stop giggling as she read the replies.

She turned to Zhen Qianqiu. “I think I’ve met this person before. I heard the exact same thing on a bus once.”

Zhen Qianqiu chuckled. “Seems she not only predicted it right but also had the fortune of meeting the future Empress herself.”

Yu Zhitao flushed and lightly smacked her shoulder. “Stop teasing!”

“I’m not teasing,” Zhen Qianqiu said seriously, her smile fading. “You are the future Empress.”

Yu Zhitao wrinkled her nose, a hint of worry creeping in.

After a brief silence, she asked, “Ah Jiu, what if I’m not a good Empress?”

She had always been free-spirited, never imagining she’d become the center of attention.

Though she had already resolved to stand by…

By Ah Jiu’s side, Yu Zhitao couldn’t help feeling timid when facing the unknown.

Zhen Qianqiu brushed aside the stray hairs on her forehead and planted a gentle kiss between her brows.

She said, “An empress isn’t something you ‘become.’ You just need to stay obediently by my side and do whatever you want to your heart’s content.”

“That won’t do.” Yu Zhitao took a deep breath. “This position holds extraordinary significance.

“If I don’t perform well, I’ll probably be labeled as a seductive demon who bewitched the emperor.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “Isn’t there a poem that goes, ‘The night of passion is too short, the sun rises high; from then on, the sovereign no longer holds morning court.'”

Zhen Qianqiu chuckled.

She could actually picture the scene Yu Zhitao described.

“So one could skip morning court for a night of passion? We might have to try that someday.”

Yu Zhitao pinched her cheek. “No nonsense!”

Only then did Zhen Qianqiu grow serious, pulling her close. “Don’t worry about what others think.

“If possible, I wouldn’t want you to become the empire’s empress either.

“I’d rather hide you away, where only I can see you, hear you, smell you, touch you.

“Zhitao, you belong to me alone.”

Yu Zhitao flushed at her words. “Ah Jiu.”

Seeing that she still hadn’t been fully reassured, Zhen Qianqiu thought for a moment and added, “If they don’t accept you, we can just elope.

“Run away to a planet where no one knows us and live a quiet, ordinary life.”

Yu Zhitao gaped. “But,  what about the palace?”

Zhen Qianqiu glanced at her stomach. “Isn’t there still her?”

Yu Zhitao covered her belly protectively. “The baby isn’t even born yet, and you’re already scheming for her?!

“She’ll have it so hard.”

Zhen Qianqiu laughed again.

She slowly bent down, pressing her face against Yu Zhitao’s neck, inhaling the intoxicating scent of cherry and cream near her scent gland.

“We could always have more. Then she wouldn’t have to bear the burden alone,” Zhen Qianqiu suggested.

Blushing furiously, Yu Zhitao punched her shoulder hard.