"Oh my, how envious! Your husband has come to bring you lunch again."
In the pavilion of the Women's University, a passing teacher saw General Qin delivering homemade meals to Ge Qing once more, feeling incredibly jealous.
In the early days of the Women's University's establishment, the passionate story of General Qin's pursuit of Principal Ge was still frequently mentioned.
Initially, Ge Qing, like Her Majesty the Empress, was determined not to marry. However, General Qin proved to be patient. This straightforward military man's pursuit of love led to many amusing incidents. Through his unwavering persistence, he finally melted Ge Qing's stone-cold heart with his affection.
General Qin had married six months ago. On their wedding day, Zhou Qichen came to offer congratulations with his wife, both of their gazes betraying a hint of envy.
Compared to mutual respect between spouses, compared to responsibility and monotony, perhaps Zhou Qichen longed for a more passionate romance.
Perhaps Zhou's wife, beyond respect, also yearned for intense love.
Unfortunately, that person who would never return was too dazzling, becoming a beacon in Zhou Qichen's heart that would only extinguish at the moment of death.
"Principal Ge, didn't you say you wanted chicken soup?"
"This is chicken soup personally made by mother. Try it and see how it tastes."
Ge Qing didn't like General Qin calling her "darling" in front of others, so he always addressed her as "Principal Ge."
Although the form of address didn't sound intimate, they were both informal people who didn't care about such trivial matters.
Ge Qing felt both honored and startled: "How could you trouble mother to make it herself? Please don't bother her in the future."
General Qin sat down beside Ge Qing: "It's alright, mother can't sit still. Besides, she says having such a capable daughter-in-law makes her proud when she's out."
"You're now the face of our family, of course we have to take good care of you."
Ge Qing rolled her eyes at General Qin: "Keep flattering me, and I might float away."
"By the way, I should let you know, it's getting close to exam time and quite busy, so I might stay at the school."
General Qin held Ge Qing's hand reluctantly: "Principal Ge, please come home to sleep. I'll come pick you up in the evening."
"When I sleep alone at night, the bed is too big, and I can't sleep well."
Ge Qing sighed: "You need to remember you're a general. You've seen plenty of death before."
"And now you're telling me you can't sleep well?"
General Qin chuckled: "Without you by my side, I can't sleep soundly. I just love holding my wife while I sleep, what's wrong with that?"
After General Qin's persistent coaxing, Ge Qing had no choice but to agree to go home, letting him come to the school to pick her up in the evening.
By nightfall, Ge Qing had finished her work, but there was still no sign of General Qin.
She stood waiting at the school gate, not daring to leave first for fear of missing him.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour, Ge Qing was just thinking that perhaps General Qin had been delayed by some urgent matter, and was considering walking home herself.
After all, the night markets were open now, and there were many people out at night, making it relatively safe for a woman to walk alone.
Moreover, she had learned some martial arts from the future, so if any troublemakers dared to approach her, they would be the ones in for a nasty surprise.
She had barely taken two steps when she heard the clip-clop of an approaching horse-drawn carriage.
As it drew near, she saw it was driven by a servant from the Qin Family.
"Madam, General Qin has been ambushed by assassins."
Ge Qing immediately boarded the carriage in a panic, only then hearing the servant explain that General Qin had encountered assassins on his way to pick her up.
Ge Qing suddenly remembered what a fortune teller had once told her - that she would bring misfortune to her husband and was destined to grow old alone.
She returned to the Qin Mansion with trepidation, only to find over a dozen people standing in the room to visit.
If it were just a minor injury, why would even the Qin family elders be present, along with all the extended relatives?
Realizing this, Ge Qing's legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed, fear and anxiety simultaneously occupying her mind.
She pushed past all the people blocking her way and ran to General Qin's bedside.
The imperial physician was still by the bed examining him. Ge Qing first glanced tearfully at General Qin, seeing the horrifying wound oozing black blood.
A dangerous glint flashed in Ge Qing's eyes. Who would dare assassinate a general right under the Emperor's nose, and with a poisoned blade no less? They clearly intended to kill.
"Sigh, General Qin was fortunate to receive treatment in time. He's barely clung to life."
"However, he'll need to rest and recover well for the next half month."
The imperial physician instructed everyone after completing his examination.
Ge Qing asked the servants to escort the physician out, then sat by the bedside, carefully cleaning General Qin's wound before bandaging it with clean cloth.
Relatives immediately crowded around, complaining: "I heard he was ambushed on his way to pick you up?"
"I'm not just saying this, but even if you are the principal of the Women's University, you're a married woman now. You should focus on your family."
"I think you should quit that job of yours. Our Qin Family can certainly afford to support you," General Qin's aunt continued.
"Don't blame us elders for saying too much. Look, you studied medicine, and now your husband is lying in bed between life and death."
"I think you should stop working for now and focus on taking care of your husband at home."
"Besides, you've been married for half a year now. It's time you got pregnant and had a child."
"Otherwise, if something unfortunate were to happen—"
Ge Qing interrupted the third aunt's words, saying firmly: "It won't. With me here, nothing will happen to him."
"I'll take a half-month leave to look after him. Once he's better, I'll return to the school."
Hearing that Ge Qing still refused to give up her work, the extended family immediately started criticizing her.
The sister-in-law across from her reproached: "Sigh, why are you so stubborn? Is your husband's life not more important than your job?"
"Our Qin Family has treated you well. If our Qin Family's line were to end, then—"
Old Madam Qin, who had been standing behind Ge Qing all this time, quickly stepped forward and said: "Pah! Don't speak such unlucky words. Your line may end, but my son's never will."
"Alright, it's getting late. You should all go home now."
"Having so many people watching here is useless. Let the young couple make their own decisions."
After Old Madam Qin had shooed all the relatives out of the room, she returned to check on her son.
Seeing Ge Qing's exhausted face, Old Madam Qin said:
"You look tired too. Go sleep in the next room tonight. I'll keep watch here."
Ge Qing looked at Old Madam Qin with guilt. Since marrying into the family, Old Madam Qin had been very kind to her. Having lost her own mother at a young age, Old Madam Qin was like a mother to her.
But she couldn't agree to their demands to give up her work for the sake of the family.
She loved being at the school, loved the feeling of being busy, loved teaching women to be independent and strong. Every time she saw a woman become self-reliant, it made her happy.
So she didn't want to give up her career, but balancing career and family was difficult.
Even if Old Madam Qin didn't think this way, the other members of the Qin Family had long harbored resentment towards her.
How could she balance family and career perfectly? Were women always destined to be the ones who sacrificed?
"Mother, I'm fine. Let me keep watch. He might develop a low fever or infection tonight. I'll only be at ease if I'm here myself."
Ge Qing stood up, intending to escort Old Madam Qin back to her room. But as soon as she stood, the world began to spin. Her vision went black, and she fainted.
When Ge Qing slowly regained consciousness, it was already the next morning.
She found herself lying in bed, with General Qin already awake, sitting by the bedside gazing at her tenderly: "Principal Ge, you're finally awake."
"I heard about what happened last night. Thank you for your hard work."
"Don't worry. Before you married me, I promised I would never put you in a difficult position."
"I'll handle those matters. Leave it to me!"
Just then, Old Madam Qin entered the room carrying a freshly stewed soup: "You gave me such a fright when you suddenly fainted yesterday."
"Thankfully, you've both woken up today."
"You hadn't eaten dinner last night, right? Come, drink this bowl of soup first to nourish yourself. Later, tell the kitchen whatever you want to eat."
"Thank you, Mother."
Ge Qing was about to drink the soup, but as soon as she smelled it, a wave of nausea surged up her throat.
"Ugh."
Ge Qing retched a few times.
"Mother, I'm sorry. It's not that your soup tastes bad, I just feel a bit nauseous."
General Qin smiled and said: "The doctor checked your pulse last night and said you're already pregnant."
"What?! Really!" Ge Qing exclaimed joyfully.
But then she felt a bit troubled. If she were to become pregnant, would she have to give up her career?
Seeing the struggle in Ge Qing's eyes, General Qin said, "I promised you before we got married that you could pursue whatever you liked without worry."
"I will support you with all my might!"
"You don't have to give up one thing for another. You have me and mother at home, so you don't need to worry."
"After you give birth, we'll have a wet nurse to help take care of the child."
Old Madam Qin also nodded quickly. She was one of the few people who had broken free from oppressive thinking, so she approved of her daughter-in-law's choices.
Why should she have to sacrifice her career to be a devoted wife and mother?
Old Madam Qin was determined not to let that happen. She held Ge Qing's hand firmly and said, "Let others say what they want. Deep down, they're probably just jealous of your excellence."
"We'll just mind our own business and live our own lives."
"Didn't Miss Gu say it? Never compromise for the sake of others' opinions. Only compromise for your own desires and preferences. Do whatever you want to do. If marrying into the Qin family would stifle your freedom and abilities, then my son wouldn't be a good husband, and this wouldn't be a good family."
"A man who makes you sacrifice your career for family and children is not worth having."
