Liu Bang Rising (3): Spring's Uninvited Guest
With the arrival of two capable assistants—Lady Cao, the fairy of household affairs, and Shen Yiqi, the strategic brain of the merchant guild—my life finally gained some much-needed breathing room.
“I went ahead and made one, but… I’m not sure it will perform exactly as you imagined. It’s such an unfamiliar item, after all.”
“It looks sufficient. Thank you, sir.”
That was why, in the remaining time, I busied myself with various tasks beneath the surface and began serious preparations for the uprising.
I accepted the object from the blacksmith, then settled onto a large rock nearby and held it up to the sky. Under the spring sunlight, its rugged yet precise curves sparkled.
Now it looks quite plausible.
The item I had poured the most effort into preparing was none other than the stirrup—a strategic weapon that would upend the battlefields of the third century BCE. This iron ring attached to both sides of the saddle to support the rider’s feet was a revolutionary tool that allowed cavalry to wield weapons freely and maintain balance atop their mounts. The powerful charges we commonly associate with heavy cavalry were practically impossible without them.
And it’s an item that hasn’t yet been distributed across the Central Plains.
Of course, since I had never ridden horses myself in my previous life, the development process amounted to a crude sketch scratched into the dirt floor combined with the blacksmith’s creative interpretation of my explanations.
Well, it isn’t an especially complicated tool.
Still, after six rounds of trial and error, the stirrup had finally reached a point where its appearance was genuinely respectable. I rose from the rock with a satisfied smile.
I should ask Xiahou Ying to test it.
This was the Qin Dynasty of the third century BCE, a world ruled by blades and laws. No matter how much money one possessed, ordinary commoners—especially women—could not freely purchase horses. Naturally, borrowing the influence of my natal family might have made it possible, but I could hardly confess to my parents that their eldest daughter was crafting instruments of war.
Therefore, the test would have to be conducted in secret by entrusting it to Xiahou Ying, the county office’s groom.
It’s already April… The weather is lovely.
A warm sky. A gentle breeze. Leisurely time. As I walked along the dirt path near the deserted blacksmith shop, a hum unconsciously slipped from my lips.
“Oh, sister?”
A high, familiar voice rang out from a distance.
“My goodness.”
When I turned my head, I saw Su-a standing beside the main road with her servants, holding a bundle of vibrant silk.
What a curious coincidence.
I discreetly slipped the stirrup into my inner pocket and turned my steps toward her. Su-a tossed the silk bundle to her servants as if discarding it and came running toward me, paying no mind to the way her silk skirt dragged through the dirt.
“What brings you out here, sister? All the way to such a remote place.”
“I had a few matters to discuss with the blacksmiths regarding the merchant guild. What about you, Su-a?”
“I was on my way back from meeting a merchant who came from Danbu County. Look at these—the new silks that just arrived. The colors are exquisite.”
Su-a pointed to the silk bundles cradled in her servants’ arms. Indeed, silks from Danbu County were precious commodities that even wealthy young ladies had to exert considerable effort to obtain.
When I nodded and said, “I see,” Su-a beamed and abruptly seized my hand.
“This is perfect. Since we’ve run into each other like this, let’s go somewhere and have a little snack.”
“A… snack?”
“Yes! You’ve probably skipped meals again because you were so busy, haven’t you, sister?”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
I hesitated for a moment before nodding as though I had no choice. After all, there was no guarantee Xiahou Ying would still be at the county office.
“All right. It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper sisterly chat.”
“Yay!”
Su-a tugged my hand with glee. The way she smiled brightly while looking after her older sister was utterly endearing. She chattered away about recent events, and I answered honestly about everything except the small detail that I was plotting treason.
Conversing like that, we soon arrived at a stall on the main road thick with the scent of sweetness.
“So what did you come all this way to eat?”
“The new product everyone says they can’t get enough of.”
“New product?”
“Yes. It’s a snack called Peixian Chewy Jujube. They shorten it to Pei Chewchu.”
“Pei Chewchu?”
That was quite an enterprising name. I closed my eyes and sniffed.
“Is this… the smell of honey?”
“Correct! It’s made by gently stir-frying a dough of honey and starch over low heat until it becomes chewy, then filling it with pitted jujubes.”
“Oh…”
Just listening to the description made my mouth water. It sounded similar to the glutinous rice cakes or honey cakes of the twenty-first century.
I should experiment with this later and sell it myself.
While I mentally sketched out new business ideas, Su-a dashed to the stall and returned with two steaming Pei Chewchus.
“Here, eat up. It might be hot, so be careful.”
Su-a smiled innocently as she offered me one.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
I smiled back and accepted it. A warm, soft texture met my fingertips.
I was actually craving something sweet.
Perhaps it was the arrival of spring, but my energy had felt a little low lately. I savored the sweet aroma for a moment before cautiously bringing it to my lips.
Chomp. The moment I took a large bite, the thick, sweet fragrance of honey flooded my mouth. It was followed by the chewy texture of the dried jujube and its distinctive sweet-tangy aroma…
“Ueeeeegh!”
“S-sister?!”
An unbearable wave of nausea surged over me without warning. Su-a, who had been about to bite into her own snack with a happy expression, jumped in alarm and placed a hand on my back.
What… what is this?
Tears sprang to my eyes, blurring my vision. The sweet-and-sour treat in my mouth suddenly felt revolting beyond endurance. Forgetting all dignity, I cupped a hand over my mouth and spat out the twice-chewed morsel.
Su-a flinched, her face crumpling with worry.
“Why, what’s wrong? Is it spoiled? Or was it too sweet?”
“No… it’s not that…”
When I lifted my head after wiping my tears, the people around us—even the merchant selling the snacks—were staring at me in blank astonishment. I waved a hand at the merchant to indicate it wasn’t his fault, then immediately turned and headed for the alley.
Even the sweet honey scent lingering in the area now turned my stomach.
Why on earth…
The first possibility that came to mind was an allergic reaction. Jujube allergies were fairly common, after all. But when I searched my memory, I recalled that only two weeks earlier I had happily devoured an entire basket of dried jujubes that Lady Cao had bought as a snack, sharing them with Liu Fei. My constitution could not have changed in a mere fortnight.
“Ha… ha…”
In a dim alley roughly twenty paces from the stall, I bent over, clutching my knees, and gasped for breath. Su-a arrived a moment later and cautiously patted my back.
“Were you feeling unwell?”
“No… it’s not that…”
I tossed the chewed piece onto the ground and glared at the Pei Chewchu still clutched in my right hand. Had they used spoiled ingredients? Or was there poison involved? Upon closer inspection, however, I saw only chewy starch dough and large, plump jujubes.
Why…?
I bit my lip hard and racked my spinning mind. A bodily rejection with no discernible cause. It felt as though my own body had slipped beyond my control.
The anxious Su-a spoke carefully.
“Um… sister…?”
“……What.”
“This is really just in case… I’m asking on the absolute off chance, but…”
I could hear her gulp from where I stood. Her gaze slowly drifted down to my lower abdomen.
“This month… has your monthly visitor arrived?”
“Monthly visitor?”
“Yes… just in case.”
She gently stroked my lower back. Now that she mentioned it…
“The one from last month… still hasn’t come…”
By the calendar, it had been roughly forty-five days of silence.
“……Huh?”
At that moment, a realization flashed through my mind like lightning.
Wait… just a moment…
Until now I had simply assumed it was poor health. After all, back in December of the previous year, extreme stress from the county magistrate had halted my cycles for nearly two months. But now? There was no county magistrate tormenting me, nor the harsh winter winds that had shaken our dilapidated house so violently. The business was proceeding smoothly, and both body and mind were at ease. Unless I had unconsciously become addicted to work, the excuse of “stress” no longer held water.
Then could it be…
My breath suddenly caught. This time my vision blurred in an entirely different way. Su-a glanced around cautiously, then gripped my shoulders with the most serious expression I had ever seen on her face.
“……Sister.”
“Uh… uh…”
“I’ll introduce you to a good herbalist.”
“Huh…?”
Not a physician? When I looked at her as if to ask what she was talking about, Su-a bit her lower lip and lowered her voice.
“Don’t worry. He’s a man who knows how to keep his mouth shut. Even if your husband returns someday, he won’t breathe a word.”
“……What?”
Su-a’s words were slow to register. If this was true… shouldn’t I inform Liu Bang first? Then another realization drifted through my floating mind.
No, wait a second… now that I think about it…
Liu Bang had been missing for four months now. And the fact that I had secretly met with him remained, of course, a tightly guarded secret.
“Gasp.”
Therefore, to Su-a who knew nothing, the situation must appear as though…
I shook my head frantically.
“I-it’s not like that!”
“It’s all right, sister. You were simply… lonely, weren’t you?”
Su-a patted my shoulder with an expression that said she understood everything.
“It really isn’t… Uwp…!”
Perhaps my blood pressure had spiked. The nausea that had barely subsided surged back to life.
Liu Bang, you crazy bastard…
I covered my mouth and struggled to steady my breathing, then looked at Su-a through eyes glistening with tears of nausea. She leaned closer, as though pressing for a decision.
“So who is the father? Whether we take care of it or not…”
“……Uwp.”
Dizziness was setting in now. I gripped Su-a’s forearm tightly and shook my head with all my strength. Finally, when the nausea had eased slightly, I gasped out a few rough breaths and managed to speak.
“The truth is…”
After confirming no one was nearby, I confessed everything that had happened with Liu Bang back in March.
…
“Huh.”
When the entire story was finished, the first sound out of Su-a’s mouth was a hollow laugh. She glanced around warily once more, then drew close.
“So… brother-in-law has become a bandit chief hiding in Mangtan Mountain, and you’ve been secretly supplying him with materials?”
“Mm…”
“And on the single day you met to discuss that supply, you suddenly became pregnant.”
“Well, it’s not certain yet…”
“Still, it makes sense. The timing for morning sickness fits perfectly.”
Su-a nodded in understanding. Her expression grew cautious.
“So… are you going to have the child?”
“……”
“Ah, no, of course you must have it. But… honestly, we don’t know when brother-in-law will return. He might… never come back at all.”
“……”
I understood Su-a’s meaning at once. No matter the circumstances, a widow with a child would be at a disadvantage if she sought a second marriage later. My kind younger sister was sincerely hoping her older sister would not suffer because of a wrong choice.
What a good girl.
But from my perspective, knowing the future, the source of my worry was slightly different. If I had conceived in March, the due date would be January of next year. And January of 208 BCE was precisely when Paegong Liu Bang would join Xiang Liang’s forces and form a united front alongside Xiang Yu.
……At least that period is relatively calm.
Merely a year later, in 207 BCE, the Battle of Julu, the Hongmen Banquet, and Liu Bang’s exile to Pa and Shu would unfold in rapid succession. Being pregnant at that time would place not only the birth but my very life in grave danger.
Is this the final window for childbirth…?
It felt absurd even to be thinking such things. I had no memory of the act itself, yet I had suddenly become a mother. The mind of a thirty-year-old Korean man still lived vividly inside me, yet in a few months I would have to give birth.
But.
……I don’t want to erase it.
That much was certain. It was less maternal love than a choice made as an adult. Moreover, as someone from the future who knew history, and as Liu Bang’s wife, I did not wish to erase this child who might one day become Emperor Hui.
If the legal wife cannot bear an heir, the Han kingdom will fall into chaos after Liu Bang’s death.
In the worst case, Consort Qi might seat her son Liu Ruyi on the throne as crown prince and seize power. And if that happened…
You’ve been too forward until now, sister.
The image of Consort Qi—whose face I did not even know—smiling coldly as she reduced me to a human pig flashed before my eyes.
Yes, this is absolutely not maternal corruption.
This was insurance for my comfortable old age. And… it was also the strongest chain with which to bind Liu Bang to my side for the rest of his life.
“I will have it.”
Having made my decision, I faced Su-a with an utterly serious expression. Her eyes widened in surprise at my resolute answer, but she soon smiled gently and clasped my hand tightly.
“All right! Then I’ll speak with Mother and find the best physician—someone skilled and absolutely discreet.”
Today, Su-a’s expression looked especially reassuring.