"You originally didn’t want this child, did you?"

"..."

Hearing Shang Ruyi’s low, gentle yet piercing words, as if each word stabbed her heart, Lei Yu’s face grew paler than before, losing all color. She did not answer, nor could she, and lowered her head again.

Shang Ruyi felt as if her heart was being twisted by a knife.

She spoke again, her voice tinged with wetness and bitterness, trembling as she said, "So, you’re willing to keep this child now, for me, aren’t you?"

She uttered the word "me" so softly, so weakly, almost like a whisper, as if it was too much to bear saying.

In fact, even if she hadn’t asked, even if Lei Yu hadn’t answered, she already knew the answer.

Although Lei Yu came from a military family, she was meticulous. Being over two months pregnant, she should have sensed something; moreover, when she just learned the news of her pregnancy from that woman, she reacted too calmly—no shock, no joy.

So, she had known all along.

Knowing, yet she hadn’t told anyone, not even her husband, the Young Prince Yiasu. Obviously, she didn’t want anyone to know, which meant she had been wavering about the fate of this child.

But just now, when she fell off the horse herself, she protected her belly in a defensive position, for only one reason—

She used the news of her pregnancy to save Shang Ruyi’s life!

And this child, she must keep!

Looking at Lei Yu’s downcast eyes, she indeed did not answer, but at this moment, there was no need for her to answer. Shang Ruyi’s eyes burned, something almost uncontrollable was about to roll out, but she gritted her teeth and pressed it down. After a while, she spoke bitterly: "Why did you do this?"

"..."

"Why did you do so much for me?"

"..."

"I, I even—"

I even "took" away the one you loved, causing your affection to end without a result. My marriage with Yu Wenye once made you so miserable, so resentful of me.

Why are you helping me like this now?

Seeing Shang Ruyi’s troubled look, Lei Yu instead pressed her pale lips and a faint smile appeared on her face, she said softly, "If I say I do this for you, but not to please Feng Chen, would you believe me?"

Shang Ruyi looked at her tremblingly.

Lei Yu smiled and said, "I consider you a friend; you can’t keep seeing me as a rival in love, can you?"

Shang Ruyi hurriedly shook her head.

She knew Lei Yu admired Yu Wenye, but never used that as the basis of their relationship. Two women who were once love rivals could still appreciate each other.

Being love rivals doesn’t necessarily mean fighting or framing each other.

The friendship between women can also be open, intimate, and sincere, even life-and-death loyalty!

Lei Yu smiled slightly, but her smile was filled with warmth and an unspoken bitterness, and she said, "I consider you a friend because I really like you—even with Feng Chen there, I have liked him, and I also really like you."

"..."

"So, I want to protect you."

"..."

"After all, now, there isn’t much left that I can protect, or who I can protect."

"..."

Shang Ruyi could no longer hold back, tears rolled down her cheeks.

The more she cried, the more Lei Yu smiled, but her smile was no happier than crying, and her voice gradually started to choke.

"Don’t be like this."

"..."

"Actually, I just made this decision. It was when I saw—you were going to leave."

"...!"

Shang Ruyi was startled, looking at her in surprise with tearful eyes. Lei Yu smiled again, reached out, and wiped the tears from her face with her thumb, saying: "I just saw it, you wanted to seize the chance to run away, so you never released the final arrow. But you should know how foolish that thought was."

"..."

"How could you be so stupid."

Hearing her say this, although it was teasing, the warmth in it made Shang Ruyi’s tears flow again.

Lei Yu smiled and said, "Don’t cry anymore."

"..."

"Now, you are Princess Qin of the Dasheng Dynasty, crying like this in front of me, a Turkic Princess, are you going to disgrace the Dasheng Dynasty’s prestige?"

"..."

Shang Ruyi knew she was deliberately trying to make her happy, but she couldn’t suppress the bitterness in her heart. She could only lower her head, let a few tears fall, bite her lower lip hard, swallow down the remaining bitterness, and then look up at Lei Yu, speaking bitterly: "Then you—"

Lei Yu looked at her and smiled, saying: "I want to scold you for being so stupid. At that moment, I almost shouted it out."

"..."

"And then I realized, I was actually really stupid too."

"..."

"I kept not telling others or Yiasu about my pregnancy because I always thought I was not a Turkic person, and that one day I would leave here and return to the Central Plains."

Shang Ruyi looked at her.

As she said this, Lei Yu’s smile became more and more bitter. She said softly, "But how could that be?"

"..."

"I can’t go back."

"..."

"I’ve already become the Turkic Princess, part of this political exchange, how could I go back?"

"..."

"So—"

So, that decision was made in an instant.

In that moment, she decided to break the mortal combat with a fall from the horse, and then use her pregnancy to save Shang Ruyi’s life.

This way, Shang Ruyi could live, and live with dignity; while she could completely sever the thought of returning to the Central Plains, staying on this endless grassland, being the Turkic Princess. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Looking at Shang Ruyi’s tearful eyes, Lei Yu smiled and said, "In short, you survived, and that makes me happy."

"..."

"My future is also decided, so you can be at ease."

As she spoke, she turned to look outside. Although the tent flap was closed, she still murmured: "I don’t know when Yiasu will come back. When he returns, I’ll ask him to find a way to send you back."

Shang Ruyi was stunned, looking at her in surprise: "How is that possible? Shali Khan he, to me—"

Lei Yu said, "Shali Khan dotes on Yiasu."

"..."

"Moreover, even if he doesn’t agree, I’ll get Yiasu to find a way to let you leave."

"..."

"I don’t have much power here, but Yiasu is Shali Khan’s most beloved son, and combined with Lady Jiayuan, there will always be a way."

Shang Ruyi said, "Is that Prince Yiasu really that good to you?"

Lei Yu glanced at her.

It wasn’t the first time they mentioned her husband, but until now, it seemed she hadn’t been willing to seriously face certain things. After lowering her head and pondering for a while, she said again: "I told you, he treats me well, and that’s true."

"..."

"Whatever I want, he will give me."

"..."

"So, if I want to save you, he will help me!"