It's down, immediately down

Yu Zhen quickly made up her mind.

— She would find a way to leave the child with Guo Zhou, and from then on, she would be alone again. Young Master Shen from before had proven unreliable, so she would go find an even better love. With the help of the Mutual Alliance, she was certain she could succeed.

No sooner had she made this decision than she caught sight of a man striding in from the corner of her eye.

She was momentarily stunned.

"Guo Zhou?"

"It really is Guo Zhou!"

"I was dozing off, and someone sends me a pillow?"

"Truly, the Mutual Alliance is right."

"As long as I follow the Mutual Alliance, not only will they protect me, but even luck will come my way!"

Yu Zhen hurriedly got up, poised like a lion pouncing on a rabbit. The moment Guo Zhou entered, she charged forward and grabbed his arm tightly.

"Guo Zhou, this time, don’t you dare run away again."

"This child—whether you want to raise it or not, today you will!"

"You have to raise it, whether you like it or not!"

Yu Zhen spoke with fierce intensity, a sharp, rarely seen ruthlessness in her eyes. Her hands clamped around Guo Zhou like iron pincers.

Faced with such an onslaught, Guo Zhou was completely unfazed.

Instead, he said calmly, "Is the child mine?"

"If it’s not mine, why should I raise it?"

At these words, Yu Zhen was taken aback.

That’s right—the child wasn’t Guo Zhou’s. It had nothing to do with him at all!

But she quickly found a solution.

She immediately shouted, "The child may not be yours, but you promised to support both the child and me!"

"Now, I don’t need you to take care of me anymore. I’m going to pursue my own happiness."

"From now on, just raise the child for me, and that’ll be enough."

Guo Zhou wasn’t swayed. He said flatly, "And why should I? What am I to you, that I have to raise your child?"

"Am I your husband?"

"Did I marry you?"

"On what grounds should I raise it?"

"Even if we went to the authorities, given our relationship, they wouldn’t rule that I have to raise your child."

"There’s no such principle anywhere under heaven!"

It had to be said that Guo Zhou’s quick wit served him well. He had a clear head, handled matters calmly, and carried a hint of roguish stubbornness—perfect for the Demon Suppression Bureau, which faced complex situations daily.

Now, after this outburst, Yu Zhen was truly panicked.

Guo Zhou was resolutely refusing!

What could she do now?

Should she really find a chance to drop the child off at Guo Zhou’s place and then flee?

Just as she was struggling, a figure appeared at the doorway.

Zhang Shi walked in with his personal guards.

But Zhang Shi’s face lacked its usual cold severity. Instead, it carried an expression of disbelief.

Because he had caught the meaning behind Yu Zhen’s words.

"She means to abandon the child and go off in search of her own so-called happiness?"

"No, that can’t be…"

Zhang Shi stared at Yu Zhen in astonishment.

He thought to himself, "Sister, this won’t do. I gave you a chance, and you’re throwing it away!"

They were about to send her to the Riverside Sandbank Water Fort, where the Shen family placed immense value on bloodlines. It was almost certain they would surrender once they knew.

Once the Shen family surrendered, and considering their contributions, the Demon Suppression Bureau would surely treat Yu Zhen leniently.

For her, as the mother of the Shen family’s bloodline, she could at least be guaranteed a life of comfort and luxury.

But now…

She wanted to leave?

And abandon the child?

What more was there to say?

If he didn’t agree, it would make him seem unkind himself.

So he called out, "Guo Zhou, how dare you be so disrespectful!"

Guo Zhou quickly turned and bowed respectfully before Zhang Shi.

"Guo Zhou, oh Guo Zhou," Zhang Shi said with an air of righteous indignation, "you yourself once said that the child is innocent."

"An innocent child cannot be cast aside."

"So the child is good—it must be raised."

"Like this: if you refuse, then I will raise this child myself."

"From now on, I’ll raise the child!"

Guo Zhou: "???"

Wait, General, that wasn’t what we discussed before you came!

Yu Zhen was stunned too.

Though she hadn’t yet formally joined the Mutual Alliance, she was emotionally biased toward them and had regarded Ren Tianye and all his men as her natural enemies.

This general was clearly one of Ren Tianye’s subordinates.

He should have been her enemy… but instead, he was helping her?

This didn’t seem as bad as the Mutual Alliance had claimed!

So she quickly knelt down. "General, you are most wise. Little woman Yu Zhen bows to you in gratitude."

Zhang Shi smiled warmly. "Good, rise."

"I can see you’re not in the best health… For now, I’ll have someone settle you in. Once this matter is resolved—no, once you’ve recovered a bit—we’ll make further plans."

Yu Zhen was overjoyed. "Thank you, General!"

"Hmm." Zhang Shi nodded and immediately ordered his personal guards to arrange accommodations for Yu Zhen. Meanwhile, he picked up the child and looked it over—fair features and a delicate face, destined to grow into a handsome young gentleman.

"That renowned Riversedge Sandbank Water Fort’s Shen Du is said to be a graceful scholar. Judging from this child, it must be true," Zhang Shi muttered to himself as he carried the child back to camp, ordering his men to keep a close watch on Yu Zhen. After all, they would still need her to prove the child’s bloodline to crack the fort.

As soon as he returned to camp, he ran into Lu Shuang.

Lu Shuang looked at the child Zhang Shi was holding and asked the others around him. Then his face went blank.

"Wait, General Zhang Shi…"

"You’re actually willing to raise another man’s child?"

Zhang Shi laughed heartily. "If I can take the Riversedge Sandbank Water Fort so easily, what’s a little thing like raising someone else’s child?"

"If I could take Cloud Capital, I’d damn well raise anything!"

Then he called out, "Men!"

"At your command!"

"This is a letter of persuasion I’ve written. Deliver it immediately to the Riversedge Sandbank Water Fort, hand it to Shen Du, and tell him: if he wants his bloodline and inheritance, he’d better open the fort’s gates at once, to welcome the imperial army!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

The messenger set off at once and delivered the letter that same day.

Dressed in fine robes and with a jade-like face, Shen Du held the letter personally written by Zhang Shi and read it word by word. Surprise showed on his face.

"A child?"

"My child?"

"Born two years ago in that little town, conceived with that woman?"

"Still, it should be true."

Shen Du did have some vague recollection.

In his younger, wilder days, he had been with many women, most of whom had happily climbed into his bed. But one like Yu Zhen—so eager, so fervent—had been rare.

He remembered her for that reason, even if he couldn’t recall her actual name at the moment.

"If it was her, then based on the timeline, she could indeed have gotten pregnant."

"Still…" Shen Du was puzzled. "Given Yu Zhen’s situation back then, with her circumstances, how could she have had a child out of wedlock? And then raised it?"

"How much must she have loved the child?"

"She actually dared to give birth?"

"And kept it alive all this time?"

Shen Du couldn’t figure it out, so he stopped trying to.

Either way, for him, this was good news.

The Shen family, like other great clans, was deeply influenced by patriarchal values. They valued bloodline continuation above all else—especially sons, who carried on the family line, inherited the family heritage, and strengthened the clan.

But in his early years, he had no children. Later, after he settled on Lan Xiang, she remained unable to conceive, for which he suffered countless pressures from the clan, and they tried time and again to foist concubines and mistresses upon him.

He loved Lan Xiang deeply, and had long since reformed himself for her, refusing to be intimate with any woman other than Lan Xiang. Thus, the matter of children was dragged out, with no resolution for a long time.

But now...

This was actually a stroke of luck!

"If we could have this child..."

"Surrendering to Ren Tianye is not out of the question either. After all, most of the clan already holds a favorable opinion of Ren Tianye. Besides, Pukou City probably cannot hold out much longer. If we surrender now to gain Ren Tianye's recognition, that might not be a bad thing!"

Shen Du pondered carefully and soon reached a decision.

He immediately had the clan chief summoned.

Upon hearing the news, the clan chief leaped to his feet: "Is it true?"

"General Zhang Shi has a child with our Su clan's blood? Then what are we waiting for? Surrender!"

"Surrender at once!"

"I shall go and see for myself!"

...