Upon learning that Ruan Xingzhu was pregnant, Song Qingshu changed his mind and stayed with her a while longer. Though Ruan Xingzhu said nothing, she was deeply moved. After all, women became far more sensitive after pregnancy.
Living with him day and night during this time gave Ruan Xingzhu the illusion that she was truly living happily with her husband. This feeling of having a home was something she had never experienced in all the previous years.
Sometimes, in the stillness of the night, she even considered using some means to keep this man by her side forever. Of course, such thoughts passed in an instant. She was no longer an immature girl, but a sufficiently mature woman who could distinguish between gains and losses and emotions. She knew the two of them were destined to have no ending. Yet she soon came to terms with it: since there would be no ending, she should enjoy the journey and cherish every day she spent with him.
A few more days passed when news suddenly arrived. Western Xia had originally agreed with Southern Song to attack the Jin Dynasty from both sides. Now that it had learned Southern Song had been defeated and sought peace, it too sent envoys to express goodwill toward the Jin Dynasty. Unwilling to waste the troops, supplies, and provisions it had prepared, it decided to turn its spearhead around and attack Liao Country instead.
As it happened, Yelü Yixin had previously been killed in Liao Country, while the Crown Prince of Western Xia was betrothed to Yelü Yixin's daughter, Princess Chengan. Using this as a pretext, Western Xia claimed that Yelü Yixin had been framed by treacherous villains and died with his grievances unresolved. Under the banner of purging evil from the ruler's side, it prepared