AN: As I've said before, I'm largely ignorant of Chinese culture, so I've had to rely on Google to educate me. Naturally, I wanted to know about ancient Chinese birthing practices, so I poked around a bit. I finally settled on this source as what I would loosely use to shape these next few chapters. The relevant part of this book begins with the section marker of "a) Getting on the Ground and Sitting on Straw" on what's labeled as page 234 of the book but is page 19 of the PDF and goes through book page 241 (PDF page 26). The concept of the birth tent is described a little earlier in the book, which notes that it didn't have to be set up outside and should be placed "in an empty space of auspicious virtue," which I think I've done. Chu Qiao and Yuwen Yue will, of course, put their own spin on things and make their own rules as they've long done.

Xiao Yu welcomed the setting of the sun since she knew that darkness would soon follow. While she could flourish in the light as well as the dark, she'd always done her best work in the shadows. Sunset meant that her wait was almost over and that her plan would soon be ready to be sprung into action. Her people were ready; she was ready.

The people inside of Green Hills, however, would surely not be ready for the pain and vengeance that she would be visiting on them this night. And she did owe Yuwen Yue and his wife—just thinking that word in connection with Chu Qiao almost sent her into a rage—pain and vengeance.

Yuwen Yue had hurt her tremendously when she'd bared her heart to him and he'd turned cold on her. The princess could understand why he'd done it in one sense; her realization that the man she'd been writing to all of these years was actually her hated enemy had so shaken her that she'd actually allowed herself to become wounded in combat over it. Once she'd gotten over the shock, though, she'd resolved to confess her identity and her true feelings, assuming that Yuwen Yue would eventually come to accept her presence in his life as a friend—and maybe more.

But he hadn't, and not just because of her identity. Oh, no; Xiao Yu knew the truth: Yuwen Yue hadn't been able to give her his heart because he'd already given his heart to that woman. Luo He's daughter, who was every bit as much his sworn enemy as she was. But he hadn't cared. Oh, sure, he'd flinched a bit and had looked somewhat torn, but considering that he'd married that woman and fathered a child with her, he'd obviously gotten over it.

So she owed Chu Qiao, too, for taking away her one chance of true happiness with the man whose heart she'd known like no other even while his identity had remained a mystery to her. Besides, she knew there was no love lost between herself and Chu Qiao given their tempestuous past together. Yuwen Yue might be convinced to spare her life if she got caught tonight, but Chu Qiao...no, she would kill first and wouldn't even bother to ask questions later.

Xiao Yu crouched in her own hiding place, having retreated there after she'd failed to learn the identity of the mysterious combatants who had disappeared before she reached where they'd been fighting. She suspected that, for whatever reason, her brother had people hiding in these woods, but she didn't know who they would've been fighting that they couldn't easily dispatch. The princess mentally shrugged since she knew there was nothing she could do about the situation anyway. Even if there was a stranger in these woods, she knew that whoever it was was no match for her in terms of combat ability.

Besides, once she executed her plan, it's not like she was going to wait around for anyone to find her anyway. She'd get in, get what she'd come for, and get out. In fact, if all went according to plan, she'd be able to carry out her vengeance without a single drop of blood being spilled. Not that she'd lament the opportunity to eliminate a few of these people she hated so much, but she'd much rather achieve her objective and cause them to suffer. She'd always felt that failure was much worse than death anyway.

No, she wanted them all to know that someone had stolen their precious newborn baby right out from under their noses and that they wouldn't have any idea who was responsible until years later, if ever. While Xiao Yu definitely wanted personal revenge, she was also smart enough to realize that having the offspring of Yuwen Yue and Chu Qiao could mean someday being able to control the heir of the Wind and Cloud Decree. She still had Xia Chong imprisoned, so she figured that since the one-time Afterlife Camp assassin possessed a portion of the Wind and Cloud Decree herself, she might be able to unlock the powers in the child at some point.

If not, then the princess would still have the years of satisfaction gained by raising the child of two people she hated more than most others. She would raise the child to despise its birth parents by telling it all sorts of lies about abandonment and betrayal. They wouldn't be lies, though, at least not entirely. Yuwen Yue had abandoned and betrayed her, after all, and Chu Qiao...well, who hadn't that woman betrayed at one point or another? She didn't deserve to be a mother anyway.

As the sun finally slipped behind the horizon, Xiao Yu smiled in triumph. She' d wait for the baby to be born, for people to go to bed and sleep deeply due to exhaustion, and then...then she'd jump over the wall, sneak into the nursery area (which her spy had already scouted for her), take the baby, and leave the way she'd come. She had a few bowmen in the woods in case things went south and she needed a bit of cover fire, but the rest of her people were waiting near the road disguised as peasants who were traveling south. One of them was even a new mother herself so nursing wouldn't be a problem.

So help me, I'll have Yuwen Yue's child one way or another…

Yue Qi had fought in more battles than he could count. After all, he was the head of the Yue guards and his master's right hand, so he had often been the person closest to his master when a fight started. He'd fought against spies, against assassins, and against soldiers. He'd fought one-on-one, in a small group, and as part of a larger force. He'd come close to death several times and had usually escaped only by virtue of his master's martial prowess.

And Xing'er's powers, he admitted to himself as he stood guard outside the master's quarters, remembering that time.

Not that he could remember much of anything beyond that desperate battle against Cheng Yuan and his forces. He remembered the fight, and the pain, and the wild, feral look in Xing'er's eyes when she'd stabbed the rival general in the chest with his own dagger. He thought he'd mumbled something about saving the master with what he'd assumed to be his dying breath, but he couldn't be sure.

Did it really matter? It's not like she was going to go anywhere else but the icy lake anyway.

Yue Qi shook off the memories of the past as he watched the chaos in the courtyard area all around him. Many of the men before him had fought in at least as many battles as him, if not more. They'd all faced death numerous times and had survived under improbable circumstances together. So how was it that these grown men who could fearlessly wade into a vastly superior force with no heed for their personal safety fall apart in the face of a single, small woman giving birth?

Not that he could deny the importance of that small woman in all of their lives; he'd willingly bled for her a time or two himself. His primary purpose in life was to take care of the master, and if something happened to Xing'er...Well, he knew firsthand how his master would react from when they'd thought that Xing'er had died at Yuwen Yue's own hand years ago.

And that was before he married her and fathered a child with her. I don't even want to imagine…

Yue Qi shifted uneasily and barely resisted the temptation to look back at the door.

It's only been about five minutes. But what might've happened in that five minutes? I'm responsible for the master's welfare, so I should be the first to know if anything's-

He whirled around, slowly opened the door, and stuck his head inside again. Everything was just as it had been five minutes ago. A birth tent had been erected in the middle of his master's large bedroom where he knew that Xing'er and the master had engaged in kungfu sparring since the beginning of their acquaintance. He knew that Xing'er, the master, and the midwife were within the tent carrying out the mysteries involved with bringing a new life into the world.

Another couple of midwives hovered around outside the tent in case they were needed; one of these came over to talk to him. He opened his mouth to speak.

"No, there's been no change. Yes, she's still doing well. Yes, I still think that she'll be delivering her child within the next couple of hours. No, the master doesn't need anything. No, there's nothing you can do. Yes, you should wait longer than five minutes before looking in here again. Do you have any more questions?"

"No," Yue Qi said meekly. "Thank you."

He quickly retreated and shut the door, shaking his head at the anxious way everyone else was milling around. After all, he himself was a man of action, so in these circumstances, he acted. What was wrong with that? Nothing. Nothing at all.

A rumbling sound interrupted his musings and caused him to pale as he realized what it was. He ran down the steps, dropped to the ground, put his ear to the earth, and paled. Leaping to his feet, he barked orders at the loafing guards, who immediately formed up in front of the master's chambers.

Yue Qi himself ran for the gate of Green Hills Courtyard so that he could find out why what sounded like 60-75 foot soldiers and 25 or so horsemen were thundering towards them in the almost-darkness. Was it an enemy come to take vengeance on his master at a vulnerable hour? Was it a new threat that was coincidentally emerging at the worst possible time? Was it someone coming to wish them good fortune?

He shook his head at the last one, dismissing it as improbable. No one went riding around with a hundred troops just to casually drop by a friend's home. His face firmed and he gripped his sword in his hand. If any harm came to his master or his master's wife this night, it would be because he'd already rattled out his dying breath.

Yue Qi's eyes widened as he reached the front of Green Hills, his eyes barely able to take in the defensive stance of the Xiulis in the last rays of the dying light. The horsemen rode closer, and Yue Qi got his first look at who was in the lead. He paled and ran through the gates, hoping that he could somehow prevent imminent disaster.