Du Ping'an pretended to work hard at his task, unable to avoid feeling the same levels of anxiety and anticipation as the men around him were radiating. For the past several days, there had been a distinct edginess that had wired everyone in the Red Hills Courtyard and had caused almost everyone to be extra-vigilant of any activity at the front entrance. He almost felt like he was back at Hong Chuan on the eve of battle, except that this energy was more positive and hopeful.
As the birth of Chu Da Ren's firstborn loomed nearer, incidents of Xiulis and servants alike suddenly finding work to do near the gate skyrocketed. Ping'an himself was busily "trimming" shrubberies that were already immaculate since numerous men before him had been pruning them with excessive care for the last several days. When word finally came that Chu Da Ren's labor had begun, nobody wanted to miss out on the news.
In fact, Ping'an figured that he'd never seen the Courtyard this neat and tidy. Not that the Xiulis didn't proudly take care of their home, but anticipation of fresh news on Chu Da Ren's well-being was high. So the hedges were perfectly shaped, the pathways were spotless, and even the buildings themselves were immaculate.
Ping'an made one last cut with his shears and then gave up on his pretense, knowing that it was almost time for him to do his favorite task that he was fortunate enough to be able to do several times a day. Given his age and his relationship with Chu Da Ren, he served as an informal liaison between Red Hills and Green Hills. All of the Yue guards knew him and were glad to give him whatever new information there was about Chu Da Ren's health and well-being.
He received more greetings than normal as he headed through the entrance of Red Hills and set off on the relatively short trip to Green Hills. Ping'an knew that someone would soon take up his post at the hedge that he'd just vacated in order to anxiously await his return. While there was always the chance that someone would come to Red Hills with news of their beloved general, he secretly hoped that he would be the one who would be able to bring word of Chu Da Ren's labor back to the Xiulis.
Whistling cheerfully, he reflected on his good fortune as he briskly walked along the pathway. His mother had, ironically enough, survived the battle of Hong Chuan only to succumb to her illness a few weeks later. Ping'an had been left with nowhere to go and had realized that he'd felt a kinship with the loyal fighting force that had as one declared their home to be wherever Chu Da Ren was. He'd begged to come with them; they'd agreed; and he'd never looked back.
Many of the Xiulis seemed to view him as a little brother and had done their best to take care of him over the past couple of years. In return, he worked hard at whatever task needed doing and never for a moment forgot that he easily could've been one of the many war orphans of Yanbei had Chu Da Ren not stopped her carriage that time to raise him up just because she could.
Some of the Xiulis had even begun to train Ping'an in combat in their free time, laughing and saying that every man should know how to defend himself in a fight. While he knew he'd probably never be a soldier, he still felt reasonably confident that he could hold his own if he ever got into trouble. Whatever he ended up doing when he reached manhood, he knew that he would be serving Chu Da Ren in some capacity.
The gates of Green Hills came into view, and Du Ping'an could tell that there seemed to be more activity inside than usual. He walked quickly up to the gates and was greeted with a smile by the Yue guards stationed there. Before he could even exchange any pleasantries, one of the guards decided to put him out of his misery.
"Yue Qi says that Xing'er has entered the early stages of labor and that she should give birth sometime late this evening or during the night."
Thanking the guard, Ping'an spun around and took off for Red Hills at a sprint. He had his orders from He Xiao, after all, and he didn't want to waste a single moment.
While He Xiao would've otherwise been tempted to tease his men about the way that they were all milling around in the courtyard instead of being useful, the commander of the Xiulis was forced to admit that he was just as guilty. True, he'd claimed that he was inspecting the work that everyone else was doing, but that was just a pretense for doing what everyone else was doing: anxiously waiting for fresh news about Chu Da Ren.
Having grown up in a city surrounded by many people, He Xiao knew about the harsh realities of childbirth and the dangers that it could bring. While he had the utmost faith that his beloved general would be able to win this battle just as she had all the rest, he still couldn't help but worry about all that could go wrong during the process.
A small smile shaped his lips as he remembered a conversation that he'd had with Young Master Yue only a few days ago. To his immense surprise and delight, Yuwen Yue had gone out of his way to give He Xiao updates about Chu Da Ren's pregnancy. He felt that the young master might be coming to consider him a friend—or at least a kindred spirit in regards to the importance of Chu Da Ren's protection.
Young Master Yue had matter-of-factly stated that he was going to be there for Chu Da Ren when she gave birth, and He Xiao had goggled at him with what he was sure had not been his best "Commander of the Xiuli Troop" expression. He'd never heard of a husband being present for the birth of his child, but once he'd gotten over the shock, he'd felt a sense of rightness settle over him.
"I'm glad," was all he'd said before inclining his head at Young Master Yue in understanding.
Over the past nine months, he's trained her for war, He Xiao thought, nodding to himself in approval. It's only logical that he would want to be there for her when the battle commences. He always has...
This was a sentiment he not only shared but was prepared to act on once he got word that Chu Da Ren was in labor. He knew that his plan was somewhat risky, but he figured that he and his men could do what they needed to do and get back into Red Hills before the wrong people found out.
As if He Xiao had summoned him by the power of his thoughts, the unmistakable figure of Du Ping'an came barreling up to the entrance of Red Hills Courtyard. The grin on his face was evident even from this far away.
"It's begun!" the boy shouted. "Chu Da Ren is in labor and is expected to give birth sometime this evening or tonight!"
He Xiao figured that the last time he'd seen his men move that fast had been when they were rushing to Chu Da Ren's aid at the icy lake. Those who had been "working" outside rushed up all at once, and those who hadn't been able to come up with an excuse to be outdoors poured out of the buildings of Red Hills like they were on fire. He waited for all of his troops to gather before putting his plan into action.
"Xiuli troops!" He Xiao said loudly to the men gathered around him.
They yelled back.
"Today, our general is going into one of the most ancient battles in all the world: that to bring forth a new life. Chu Da Ren is strong, proud, and unafraid, and I have no doubt that she'll be able to win this battle just like she's won all the rest. Surely she will emerge from this trial victorious!"
Another yell rang out from the troops.
"In all the times that she's led us into battle, she's never lost. In all of the times that we've been able to fight at her side, we've done so with all of our hearts. We've never willingly stood by and let her go into battle without us, and we're not going to start now!"
A louder yell filled the entire courtyard.
He Xiao walked over to a small table on which he'd set a small incense stand and produced a stick of incense.
"That's why I'm giving you all a single stick of incense time to put on all of your armor and to gather back in the courtyard. Chu Da Ren promised us that she would bring us home, and she did. We told her then that we were coming back with her—and we always will. There won't be room for all of us inside of Green Hills, but we can all still stand outside and support Chu Da Ren in this battle the only way that we can. So, Xiulis, put on all of your battle gear, rejoin all of your brothers, and then-"
He Xiao placed the incense in the holder and lit it.
"WE MARCH!"
The roar of the Xiulis shook the earth and caused a fierce grin to form on He Xiao's face as he set off for his quarters to don his full set of armor. One way or another, he knew that this was going to be a day and night to remember.