Hong Taiji closed his eyes in disappointment, hearing Jeje's soft sobs. He opened them again and strode purposefully around the screen.
"Great Khan?" Jeje gasped, startled by her husband's sudden appearance. Her voice trembled as she asked, "When did you return?"
Da Yuer was frozen in place, tears still on her face. She stiffly moved aside, retreating in silence.
"I heard you had an early delivery. I had to come see you." Hong Taiji sat by the bedside, taking Jeje's hand gently, his voice warm as he asked, "Was it my leaving that worried you so much, that it caused the early labour? Why did it happen so many days before the due date?"
"Great Khan..." Jeje choked out, tears overwhelming her as her husband pulled her into his arms.
Da Yuer, though keeping her head lowered, could sense the intimacy between them. She knew she no longer belonged in the room.
Quietly, she slipped away. At first, she could still faintly hear her aunt and Hong Taiji speaking, but as she moved further from the room, the voices faded, and with them, her heart grew heavier.
"When did the Great Khan enter the room?" she asked one of the night watchmen at the entrance to Qingning Palace. The man, clearly anxious, gave her a rough estimate. Da Yuer offered a faint, sorrowful smile. She had known.
Hong Taiji had overheard everything she and Jeje had spoken about. He must have heard it all, and that was exactly what he despised most.
Walking back toward the glow of her own palace, Da Yuer felt a sense of resignation wash over her. She hadn't forgotten what she told Qiqige: her life would be easier if she just obeyed. Why speak out, why think too much, why do more than necessary?
"Yuer," suddenly, her husband's voice cut through the night. She turned, startled, and saw Hong Taiji standing with one hand lifting the curtain. His tall and imposing figure, once so commanding, seemed thinner in the dim light of the night.
"Yes," she responded, standing up straight, instinctively pulling her posture tight. The warm summer breeze tugged at her thin clothes, but she didn't want to appear dishevelled in front of him. Almost unconsciously, she pressed the hem of her robe under her hands, trying to keep herself composed.
Hong Taiji approached, step by step, the moonlight reflecting the anger in his eyes. Da Yuer couldn't remember what emotion had been in his voice when he called her name earlier, but now, as he stood before her, the fury on his face was unmistakable, just like in the past.
Da Yuer was filled with fear. She had always respected and feared her husband. That feeling had never changed.
"Was what you said just now your true feelings, or were you simply trying to comfort Jeje?" Hong Taiji cut straight to the point, offering no prelude. "Yuer, do you really want so badly to give me a son?"
Da Yuer's throat tightened with the weight of her sorrow. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Her eyes filled with tears—was crying all she could do? Could she not find more strength within herself?
Hong Taiji's hand grasped her shoulder firmly. "I asked you a question—why aren't you answering?"
"Don't you know?" Da Yuer finally managed to speak, her voice strained, a defiant sob rising in her chest. "Haven't you always known what's in my heart?"
Hong Taiji furrowed his thick brows, seeing the tears glistening under the moonlight, evoking a tender sorrow. Everyone knew Yuer's feelings, how could he not know? Yet still...
"Take care on the road, please, please be careful," Da Yuer tried to calm herself, her voice trembling with concern. "Great Khan, promise me."
He nodded slightly and pulled her frail figure into his embrace, gently stroking her back. "Yuer," he said softly, "but do you understand my feelings?"
The woman in his arms remained silent, and Hong Taiji continued, "Yuer, why does being my wife, my woman, have to be so hard? Yuer, I've fought all these battles—what am I really fighting for?"
A sudden warmth spread through Da Yuer's heart. She didn't know if it was the comfort of his chest or the weight of his words that gave her strength. Lifting her tear-streaked face, she smiled through her sadness, a smile so full of love and vulnerability, it could melt any heart. "I am willing," she whispered, her voice filled with emotion. "Marrying you has been the greatest blessing of my life."