Two months later.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed. Ivy Shen’s belly had grown quite large, making it harder and harder to walk. In about twenty days, she’d probably give birth.
Except for a brief rest during the first month, Ivy Shen hadn’t taken any breaks—she was on the battlefield the entire time.
Two months ago, Cao Wan’er had Song Zhijue ascend the throne. A month ago, she officially started a war with Chu Kingdom.
Just as Ivy Shen predicted, she really did guess their whereabouts.
But since she’d already figured it out, of course she wouldn’t let them succeed.
A life-and-death struggle broke out between offense and defense.
The war had raged for a month with no sign of victory or defeat—this was clearly a clash between two powerful nations.
What Ivy Shen didn’t expect was that Liam Willow, under Colin Kerr’s protection, secretly went to the Soaring Phoenix Realm’s border and started spreading rumors among the commoners: the true emperor was in Chu Kingdom, and this war was to save the people from suffering.
As a result, Song Zhijue’s unearned throne quickly became the hot topic among the people.
Naturally, Ivy Shen gave Liam Willow a stern talking-to for what he did.
She wasn’t mad at him for what he did—she was mad that he kept it a secret and went off with Colin Kerr to take risks behind her back.
If something went wrong, then what?
By contrast, the other six husbands thought Liam Willow was showing real manly spirit and praised him.
As a result, Ivy Shen gave all seven of them a stern lecture and banned them from sleeping in her bed.
So the seven guys were left sulking, faces full of defeat.
On the battlefield, every day was filled with murderous intent and bloodshed—the air thick with the smell of blood.
This time, with Ethan Chu—the emperor himself—personally leading the charge, the whole Chu Kingdom army was energized. They quickly gained the upper hand, and their momentum was truly impressive.
But Cao Wan’er was no pushover. She loved her son Song Zhijue dearly and would never let him set foot on the battlefield. But seeing Chu Kingdom’s growing strength under Ethan Chu, she had to reconsider her strategy.
It’s said she actually used her guards’ families as leverage—if they succeeded, their families would be honored; if they failed, everyone would be executed.
Such ruthless tactics—only people like her could pull it off.
Of course, there were plenty of Liam Willow’s followers in the Soaring Phoenix Realm. They spread the word quickly, and soon half of Draken City knew—the person they were fighting wasn’t an outsider, but their own princess.
Watching the princess get treated like that by the crown prince, seeing the empress act so cruelly—no wonder the commoners were already grumbling.
Officials, terrified of being blamed by the court, had no choice but to silence the people.
Still, the common folk kept trying every trick to send letters to their sons on the battlefield, begging them to surrender.
Too bad every single letter got intercepted halfway.
Even so, Ivy Shen hadn’t appeared yet, but half of Draken City was already switching sides to support her.
Because they totally believed everything Saint Willow said—and honestly, he was just telling the truth.
“Xin’er, please just go back, okay? This is a battlefield, not a place for you,” Ethan Chu said, looking super heroic in his armor.
“Why not? Why can’t I be here?” Ivy Shen shot him a look—what, did he think women couldn’t handle it? She was just as good as any of them, thank you very much. Plus, with her 21st-century brain, she could totally bust out a few tricks from the Thirty-Six Stratagems if needed.
“Xin’er, I know your battle plans are brilliant, but you could just tell me from the palace, right? Why come all the way here?” Ethan Chu glanced worriedly at her belly—by now, it was huge, and he was really scared she’d suddenly go into labor on the battlefield. The thought alone made him nervous.
“Yeah, Xin’er, we’re all here watching over you. How about you and Big Sis go back?” Lucian Vane pleaded. He checked her pulse every day, and lately, it’d been a bit unstable—he was really worried she’d suddenly go into labor.
“What’s the problem? Didn’t you guys bring a midwife? If I really give birth on the battlefield, that just means my baby’s got the spirit of a general. Besides, the palace is way too far—by the time news gets there, the food’ll be cold,” Ivy Shen said, completely unconcerned.
“Xin’er.” A gentle voice called out. Yvonne Li and Nina Xu lifted the curtain and walked in together.
“What’s up?” Ivy Shen asked with a busy smile.
“Your method is seriously amazing. That Fire God power is so handy—you can set things on fire anytime, saves a ton of effort. If I’m not wrong, in half an hour, our camp can advance another ten li,” Nina Xu said, laughing happily.
Xin’er actually thought to use their high-ground advantage—she had the guards wrap flammable cloth into spheres, stuff them with charcoal, and then have the Fire God ignite them. Then everyone used long arrows to launch the fireballs, raining them down on the enemy and wiping out those stubborn guards.
“How many surrendered today?”
“Five hundred surrendered today.”
“Not bad, that’s progress.” Ivy Shen smiled slightly. Anyone willing to surrender, she’d let them go—after all, those were her own people, and she didn’t want to hurt the innocent.
But for those who stubbornly refused to surrender, she absolutely wouldn’t show mercy!
Everyone cheered at her words.
Over the past two months, something else had comforted Ivy Shen: under the Living Buddha Sage’s miraculous treatment and King Xiska Mon’s divine medicines, Lacey Shen’s injuries had greatly improved. She could now slowly start learning to walk with legs again, and Xiska Mon patiently supported her every day.
It was just like teaching a baby to walk for the very first time.
But what bothered Ivy Shen was that these two obviously liked each other, yet still hadn’t confessed. Who knew when they’d finally break through that thin layer of awkwardness?
For now, the most important thing was keeping the front lines under control—their relationship could wait until after the war.
“King Xiska Mon, I... I have a request,” Lacey Shen said, glancing up at the man with golden eyes. Her face flushed red, and she quickly lowered her head.
“Huh?” Seeing her shy expression, Xiska Mon couldn’t help but swallow nervously. If he weren’t afraid of scaring her, he’d have kissed her right then and there. But she was so fragile, he worried she’d reject him—or worse, leave him—so he could only hold back.
“I want to go to the battlefield. I want to see my sisters.”
“The battlefield? No way!” Xiska Mon’s tone was a bit harsh. “Your body’s only just started to recover—you can’t go somewhere so dangerous.”
“I’m really fine now. Big Sis and Xin’er have been away from the palace for a month—I miss them so much, I’m scared I won’t see them again… Actually, I’ve been dying to see them since they left ten days ago. Maybe it’s our blood bond, but I really treasure this family, and I’m super clingy—I hate being apart from them.”
Seeing her bite her lip and hold back tears, Xiska Mon’s heart ached. He quickly said, “Don’t worry, someone brings news every day—they’re all safe. I’m sure with seven husbands around, Ivy will be just fine.”
“I really, really want to see her… Never mind, Xin’er’s about to give birth, and I want her to come back.” Lacey Shen looked at the good news in the letter, but her reply said she couldn’t make it. She knew her sister was stubborn, but the battlefield wasn’t the place for a baby, especially with the due date so close. What if something happened early…
If that happened, the seven husbands would panic, the battlefield would be chaos—she couldn’t even imagine it. She just wanted to be by her sister’s side and see her baby born with her own eyes. That would be so heartwarming.
“Lacey…”
“Take me with you, please? I promise I won’t cause any trouble—I just want to see them.”
Xiska Mon frowned, remembering Ivy Shen’s instructions: ‘If I go to the battlefield, Big Sis will leave you in charge—don’t let her go out, it’s too chaotic outside, I’m counting on you.’
“Is it really that hard for you?” Lacey Shen said softly, watching him frown.
Seeing this, Xiska Mon sighed. “I promised her I’d take good care of you, but with the war raging outside, it’s really not convenient. Besides, your body can’t handle riding out of the city. Are you worried about her?” It was harsh, but for her sake, he had to be firm.
Hearing this, Lacey Shen nodded slightly and lowered her head. He was right—she couldn’t be reckless. With the war outside, if she got captured, it would only make things harder for Ivy Shen. She couldn’t become a burden!
“Lacey…” Seeing her hang her head in silence, Xiska Mon felt a little worried.
Suddenly, Lacey Shen lifted her head and smiled. “Let’s keep practicing walking—I want Xin’er to come back and see me striding confidently!”
Seeing this, Xiska Mon smiled gently and continued to support her as they moved forward, step by step.
*******Preview*******
PS: Dear readers, the story will reach its big finale this month! If you want me to start a new novel, please show lots of support~ (By the way, should the new story be one-on-one, or another N.P? Dilemma!)