A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

The news of Shang Wanqing's pregnancy didn't spread in the palace until the third day.

The message spread slowly, even deliberately discreetly, but everyone who needed to know was informed.

The first one to arrive was Liu Jingshuang.

When she entered, Shang Wanqing was leaning against the couch, covered with a thin blanket, staring blankly at the bare sycamore tree outside the window.

She didn't turn around when she heard footsteps.

Liu Jingshuang didn't make her stand up to greet her. She went straight to the chair opposite her, poured herself a cup of tea that had gone cold, and asked the first question directly: "Did you ride a horse all the way back from Quanzhou?"

Shang Wanqing stiffened for a moment, but did not answer.

Looking at her still pale face, Liu Jingshuang slammed the teacup down heavily, making a soft sound.

She sighed, her voice carrying a hint of suppressed anger and helplessness: "You're the kind of person who always shoulders everything alone."

Shang Wanqing finally withdrew her gaze and looked down at the blanket covering her, which was embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns—something she had never paid attention to before.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Liu Jingshuang thought she wouldn't speak again, before she said in a very soft voice, "Back in the dock, the old lady once told me something."

"She said that the women of the Wei family cannot live off men alone. I have always remembered that."

She remembered those words for many years.

From a weapons genius who only knew blueprints and mechanisms to a female general who could lead an army and burn down enemy camps, what sustained her, besides her obsession with weapons, was this sentence.

Upon hearing the words "Old Madam," Liu Jingshuang's sharp gaze softened slightly.

She looked at Shang Wanqing, at this woman who was more ruthless than men on the battlefield, but now she was like a hedgehog that had put away all its sharp quills, quietly curled up on the couch.

After a moment, Liu Jingshuang spoke slowly, her voice still cold but no longer so aggressive: "That doesn't mean I made you risk your life."

When Tuoba Yue arrived with Wei Xuan, Shang Wanqing was drinking the new pregnancy-stabilizing medicine prescribed by Xie Daoning.

The dark medicine emitted a strong bitter smell, but Shang Wanqing drank it all in one gulp without changing her expression, not even frowning.

Wei Xuan, however, pinched his nose, his little face scrunched up in disgust: "Bitter!"

Shang Wanqing put down the medicine bowl and looked at his exaggerated appearance. A rare smile appeared on her pale face.

She wiped her mouth and teased in a hoarse voice, "Last time you took your medicine, you cried even louder than Wei Heng."

"I didn't cry!"

Wei Xuan immediately widened his eyes and retorted defiantly, puffing out his small chest like a little tiger whose tail had been stepped on.

Tuoba Yue ignored her son's stubbornness. She stepped forward, took Shang Wanqing's hand, carefully examined her complexion, and touched her palm to make sure it wasn't cold before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Tell me what you'd like to eat."

Tuoba Yue sat on the edge of the bed, her tone cheerful and straightforward, carrying the directness characteristic of women from the grasslands:

"A batch of fresh milk tofu was just delivered from Xiqiang a couple of days ago. Do you like it? It's very nourishing."

Looking into her sincere, pure eyes, Shang Wanqing felt a tension in her heart ease. She nodded.

"Okay, I've got it."

Tuoba Yue didn't waste any more words. She kept the matter in mind. Seeing that Shang Wanqing looked tired, she took Wei Xuan, who was still arguing about whether he had cried or not, and left.

In the afternoon, Hua Jieyu arrived.

When she arrived, she didn't bring any health supplements or anything rare; instead, she brought a stack of blueprints that was half her height.

She instructed the palace servants to carefully place the heavy stack of blueprints on the largest eight-immortal table in the room, and then waved for everyone to leave.

"I had the Jinyige people keep an eye on the Quanzhou shipyard, and the progress hasn't fallen behind."

Hua Jieyu's voice was very low, carrying a unique, reassuring quality:

"The 'Wavebreaker' you mentioned before you left has its main mast installed. If all goes well, it should be launched for sea trials before winter."

She paused, glanced at the silent Shang Wanqing on the bed, and continued, "You just rest and recover here. I'll review these drawings for you first. I've marked any that I'm unsure about, so you can look at them again when you're feeling better."

Shang Wanqing's gaze never left the stack of blueprints from the moment Hua Jieyu entered the room.

That was something she knew best, a part of her life.

She stared at the familiar rolled-up parchment and hemp paper, remained silent for a moment, and then asked in a hoarse voice, "Is Ke Zhenchuan's nautical chart in there too?"

"exist."

Hua Jieyu nodded and pulled out a carefully wrapped picture book from the top: "I had several spies in the Embroidered Uniform Guard who are most familiar with the hydrology of the South China Sea recheck all the reefs and ocean currents that Ke Zhenchuan marked by hand, and added supplementary pages to make them even clearer."

Shang Wanqing struggled to sit up, and Hua Jieyu quickly stepped forward to support her. She leaned against the headboard, reached out, and took the heavy picture book.

She turned a few pages, looking at the routes she had never heard of and the deadly vortexes that could destroy any fleet, marked with vermilion and ink. The familiar, fanatical light in her eyes shone brightly again.

But it only lit up for a short while before dimming.

She closed the album, handed it back to Hua Jieyu, and said only two words.

Thanks.

The last one to arrive was Xiao Guanyin.

When she arrived, it was already quite late. Shang Wanqing was resting with her eyes closed on the couch when she heard very light footsteps at the door, at which point she opened her eyes.

Xiao Guanyin stood at the doorway, not venturing any further inside. She was still dressed in traditional grassland-style clothing, carrying a small food box in her hand, her expression as aloof as ever, even showing a hint of unease.

"I brought back some nourishing herbs from Xianyuan, and Xie Daoning took a look at them. She said they could be used."

She gently placed the food box on the low table by the door, her voice very soft, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the room: "I'll leave it by the door; you can have someone collect it later."

After saying that, she prepared to turn and leave.

"Eighth Sister".

Shang Wanqing suddenly called out to her.

Xiao Guanyin turned around and looked at her with some surprise.

Shang Wanqing looked at her, at this woman who was also living cautiously and prudently in the cage of the Wei family and the harem. Her throat moved, but in the end she only said two words.

"Thanks."

Xiao Guanyin paused for a moment, and then the lines on her face, which always carried a hint of stubbornness and defensiveness, seemed to soften a little.

She nodded slightly, said nothing more, gently closed the door, and left.

The room returned to silence.

Shang Wanqing sat alone under the dim light, looking at the small food box by the door, then at the tall stack of blueprints on the table, and finally, looking down at her flat stomach.

She suddenly felt that this palace, which she had lived in for so long but still felt unfamiliar, seemed to have... taken on a different flavor.