During the initial period after their arrival, Pei You’an received envoys from the northern steppe, representing the court to either bestow rewards or display authority to subdue the Zhamu tribe and other similar northern tribes.

Besides these envoys, there were also local commanders and city officials coming to pay their respects one after another. Days were inevitably filled with busyness, and in the blink of an eye, two months had passed. The northern frontier had once again transformed into a world of ice and snow.

Jiafu counted on her fingers, calculating her monthly cycle once more.

A few days ago, she had her monthly period again.

This was the third time her period had come since they had stopped deliberately avoiding intimacy during those days.

She felt slightly disappointed.

She very much wanted to bear another child for Pei You’an.

This wish had lingered in her heart since Ci’er was two or three years old.

During the later years, she had stopped thinking about it, and gradually the thought had faded. But now that the idea had returned, it was like an old house catching fire—she thought about it all day, wishing she could become pregnant immediately.

Although in her eyes, Pei You’an would forever be as stunning as when they first met. Looking in the mirror, she never felt she had aged much either. But he had already passed forty, and though she was considerably younger, she certainly wasn’t young anymore. If she wanted to fulfill her wish, it seemed she would need thorough preparation.

Recently, when she had free time, she would prepare delicious food and stew various nourishing dishes. Besides eating them herself, she would force Pei You’an to eat them when he returned to their chambers each evening, regardless of whether they suited his taste—naturally, these nourishing foods weren’t chosen randomly.

Before leaving the capital, she had specifically and secretly consulted an imperial physician specializing in women’s health. The physician said her constitution was excellent, neither cold nor dry, requiring no medication, but at her age, some gentle warming tonics would be appropriate, making it easier to conceive. He recommended she eat more black beans, ginger, and lotus seeds, saying black beans aid conception, while ginger and lotus seeds warm the body. As for Pei You’an, he naturally needed similar nourishment and recommended some medicinal dishes to warm the liver and kidneys, giving her a long list.

The imperial physician’s words were very subtle. It’s said that women at thirty are like tigers and at forty like wolves, while most men, once past forty, often begin to have more willingness than ability, which is why aphrodisiacs and similar improper substances became so widespread, harming countless lives.

In any case, the physician’s meaning was that as long as the amount was controlled, for a man of his age, eating these foods regularly every few days would generally benefit that aspect.

Although until now, Jiafu had been very satisfied with their intimate relationship and never felt that Pei You’an was struggling when with her, after a sixteen-year interval, wanting to have another child required thorough preparations, the more the better.

Tonight she began to feel hopeful again.

Her monthly cycle was always very regular, differing by at most one day each month. According to the imperial physician’s guidance, combined with her years of experience with Pei You’an, she knew that starting tonight and for the next few nights, if they were intimate, the chance of conception would be much greater than on other days.

In the past, during this time each month, they would tacitly avoid doing that kind of thing.

But now it was different.

As soon as it grew dark, the charcoal fire in the room was burning warmly. Jiafu bathed early, and afterward, lay on the daybed, letting Tan Xiang dry her long hair. Then she applied her favorite imperial jasmine fragrance cream to her skin, carefully spreading it evenly from head to toe, leaving no inch of skin that didn’t smell sweet and fragrant. She then carefully selected a lotus-colored gauze skirt from a pile of clothes, covered with a cicada-wing-thin gauze robe, evenly applied light powder to her face, dabbed light rouge on her lips, tied her hair in a loose bun with black hair-like clouds cascading toward her face, and wore a snow camellia flower slanted in her hair by her temple. The beauty of her face matched the flower, and through her charming languor, she revealed the splendor of careful grooming.

It had been a long time since she had dressed up like this. After she finished dressing and makeup, she looked at herself in the mirror and found herself incomparably beautiful, quite satisfied.

Pei You’an would surely like it very much, Jiafu guessed.

At the end of the hour of You (5-7 PM), he returned from the front hall to the rear quarters. Jiafu greeted him with a smile, brushing off the snowflakes that had fallen on his shoulders.

Pei You’an entered and, at the first sight of her, seemed slightly stunned, his gaze falling upon her.

Jiafu was delighted inside. She pushed him to take a bath, and when he came out, helped him change clothes, then called for tonight’s prepared meal to be brought in. After asking him to sit down, she stood behind him, personally massaging his shoulders while eagerly urging him to eat.

The contents of the bowl were lumpy, with meat and rice, swimming in broth. Before even tasting it, Pei You’an smelled a faint medicinal odor mixed with a musky sheep smell. He smiled ruefully and asked, “What is this now?”

Over the past half month, every few days there had been deer kidney soup, pig kidneys, wolfberry and sheep kidney porridge…

At first, it was tolerable, but by now, just the smell was making him feel a bit nauseated.

“This is Guiyuan soup. Yam, desert cistanche, dodder seed in small amounts, plus walnuts, rice, lean mutton, and sheep backbone all stewed together. I simmered it for a whole afternoon, finally adding scallions, ginger, Sichuan pepper, cooking wine, ground pepper… oh, and star anise. The imperial physician said it’s good for a man’s body.”

“I already tasted it for you, it’s very good, hurry and eat.”

Jiafu opened her eyes wide and lay with a straight face.

She had indeed tasted it, but the flavor… was so strange…

Anyway, she didn’t want to take a second bite.

Pei You’an reflected that he had no symptoms such as kidney essence deficiency, ringing in the ears, blurred vision, weakness in the lower back and knees, or any of the many unspeakable conditions often faced by middle-aged men. He didn’t want to eat this thing at all, but under her expectant gaze, thinking of her expression when she discovered her period had come in the past few months, he couldn’t bear to disappoint her again. He could only steel himself to eat it bite by bite. By the end, he had skipped the chewing stage, swallowing it down in one gulp, patting his uncomfortable chest, and letting out a long sigh of relief.

He rather missed the desserts she used to make him…

Comparatively, he preferred her feeding him sweets rather than these so-called nourishing foods that made one nauseous just by smelling them.

Jiafu saw that he had finished it all at once, drinking even the soup to the last drop. Her heart was delighted but also somewhat sympathetic. She rubbed his chest and massaged his shoulders for a moment, estimating that what he had eaten had already gone down, then softly said, “Husband, it’s getting late, let’s retire to bed.”

Pei You’an was pulled up by her and led to the bedside.

He lowered his head and silently watched as she happily removed his clothes one by one, then pushed him down onto the bed. Lying there, he watched as she removed the thin gauze draped outside, then layer by layer removed the rest, finally crawling into the bed. Her fragrant, soft body nestled entirely in his arms, and those red lips came to his ear, cooing coquettishly: “Cousin…”

Given the experience of the past few months, to ensure that from tonight onwards, for the next few nights, he could fully exert himself, Jiafu had not allowed him to be intimate with her from the end of her period until tonight.

Pei You’an hadn’t touched her for nearly half a month.

He turned his face and gazed at her for a moment, then with one roll, pressed her beneath him.

The bed curtains were lowered.

Along with the bed curtains’ wave-like movements, halfway through, Jiafu was amid passion when she felt he seemed somewhat weak, increasingly struggling, until finally he even stopped. She couldn’t help but wonder—

Actually, from the very beginning tonight, Jiafu felt he had been strange, always feeling something was off, as if he couldn’t quite get into the spirit.

By all rights, it shouldn’t be like this—

She looked so beautiful tonight, even she herself was moved looking at her reflection, and he hadn’t touched her for half a month…

She opened her eyes in confusion to see that he had quickly rolled off her, pulled aside the bed curtain, leaned out, and began to vomit.

Jiafu was greatly startled, and her passion immediately dissipated. She hurriedly got up, helped him hang up the bed curtain, and knelt beside him, gently patting his back.

Pei You’an not only vomited the bowl of Guiyuan soup he had just eaten but also all of his earlier dinner.

Jiafu quickly put on her clothes, got out of bed to pour him a cup of warm water, brought it over and helped him drink it. Seeing him leaning there motionless, looking very weak, she became extremely worried and wanted to call for a doctor, but he held her back.

“I’m fine.”

“Jiafu, could you please stop forcing me to eat those things…”

He said weakly.

“I don’t need to eat those things to perform,”

As if afraid she would be unhappy, he added another sentence.

Jiafu was stunned, looking at his traumatized expression. She glanced down at his lower half and saw it had already gone soft. She couldn’t help but feel both amused and annoyed. She pulled the blanket to cover him, laid him down, lowered the bed curtains, and got out of bed herself to dress. She opened the door and called people in to clean up in front of the bed, then called for hot water to be brought, urging him to wash himself. The two returned to bed, and she once again burrowed into his embrace, hugging his body, looking up at him, her breath like orchids: “Cousin, it’s all my fault for pushing you too hard. You don’t need to eat those unpleasant things anymore! I’m not in a hurry, let’s just let nature take its course. You must be tired tonight. Go to sleep early. I’ll sleep too.”

After she said this, her cheek lovingly rubbed against his chin, and she settled beside him, obediently closing her eyes, not moving.

Pei You’an gazed at her face, suddenly sat up, put on his clothes, and dragged her out from under the covers, holding her to sit at the edge of the bed as he began to dress her one piece at a time.

“It’s snowing outside! Where are you taking me?”

Jiafu was a bit confused, asking him several times, but he just smiled without answering. Only at the end, after helping her put on shoes and socks and draping a fur-lined coat over her, did he take her hand and smile, saying, “The snow is good. You’ll know when we get there.”

Jiafu followed him out of the room, sitting backward on Taxue’s back, her head and face covered, her entire body wrapped in a fur cloak in his arms, both arms tightly hugging him. After a swift journey like riding clouds and mist, they left the city, seemingly climbing a slope all the way, until finally they stopped. She poked her head out from his embrace to find they were in front of a mountain ravine with facing slopes.

By the reflection of the snow, she saw a gate wall built at the entrance, looking as if it had just been completed recently.

Jiafu vaguely remembered this place, recalling that she had come here more than ten years ago, also brought by Taxue. She remembered that this ravine, unlike the mostly bare rocky mountains around Suye City, had a ground surface in winter that was warmer and wetter than other places, and snow didn’t accumulate. Sometimes there was even green grass, but because of the steep terrain, with a weathered cliff several hundred feet high on one side, and no ready-made mountain path to climb up, it was rarely visited by people. Taxue had been very playful back then, and one day, somehow ended up running here, after which it often came to seek fresh tender grass.

Jiafu looked at the gate wall, still confused.

Pei You’an carried her down from the horse, led her through the gate, quickly latched it, then guided her to bend down and carefully pass through a narrow rock crevice, finally emerging to a suddenly open view.

From the outside, one couldn’t tell, but inside was a hidden paradise, a small valley like a ringed well, with a crescent-shaped pool of water in front.

Snow was falling in flurries, drifting down from the mouth of the valley, continuously piling up on the shore, but the water’s surface was steaming with white mist—it was a hot spring!

Even more surprising was that beside the hot spring stood a small wooden cabin, also appearing to have been newly built.

Jiafu was delighted and ran to the spring’s edge, crouched down, and reached out to feel the water.

It was wonderfully warm and comfortable.

Pei You’an smiled and said, “I remember this place didn’t have this spring more than ten years ago. Two years ago, I recall the court’s Imperial Observatory received a report from the Suye Military Command stating that an earthquake occurred here in August of that year. Fortunately, it wasn’t strong and didn’t cause major damage. But I think this spring must have appeared then. Thanks to Taxue, last month when it didn’t return for a long time, Yang Yun found this place and accidentally discovered it contained a hidden paradise. I went down to explore the depth, took some water, let it cool, and gave it to animals to drink. Seeing no adverse effects and that it was usable, I thought if it snowed, bringing you here for a soak would be nice. So I prepared this place for you, finished just a few days ago. I just remembered it now and brought you over, also as a way to…”

“Make amends to you.”

He paused, then said softly.

But Jiafu had long stopped listening to what else he was saying. She exclaimed with joy, pulling him into the small wooden cabin, lit the candelabra, and saw that though the place wasn’t large, it had everything from bed to table and chairs. On the ground in front of the bed was a fluffy white fur rug. Best of all, in the corner was a stove with a pile of already-split firewood beside it.

While Pei You’an was still lighting the fire to warm the cabin, Jiafu had already removed her clothes and, barefoot, entered the warm spring water. Her entire body below the neck was immersed in the water, leaning against the sitting platform built at the pool’s edge, looking up at the sky filled with gently falling snowflakes, so comfortable that all she could do was sigh.

Pei You’an finished lighting the stove, came out of the wooden cabin, but did not enter the water himself, only crouching at the edge of the pool, watching Jiafu.

Jiafu opened her eyes, wiped her wet face, and beckoned to him: “Cousin, come down too.”

Pei You’an smiled and shook his head, waving his hand: “I won’t go in. When you’re done, I’ll carry you inside.”

Jiafu swam like a mermaid to his side, extended one hand, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled hard. With a splash, accompanied by Jiafu’s laughter, Pei You’an was pulled into the pool.

Jiafu embraced him in the water, soaking for a long time until she gradually felt her whole body soft and weak. Only then was she carried out and returned to the small wooden cabin.

Pei You’an dried Jiafu’s hair and body, and laid her on the bed, his gaze and fingertips lingering on her delicate skin, tender after being soaked in the hot spring water.

“Jiafu, are you tired?” he whispered in her ear, his voice hoarse, filled with an intense intimacy.

Jiafu’s eyelashes trembled lightly as she slowly opened her eyes and gazed at him for a moment. She slowly sat up, pushed him down on the bed, and under his surprised yet indescribably excited gaze, with a face red as a lotus flower, climbed on top of him. Her cherry lips moved to his ear, whispering: “Cousin, whatever you want, I’ll do it all…”

Snowflakes fell silently. In the pleasant crackling sound of burning wood, this winter night in the cabin was as warm as spring.

……

In the month after returning from the small cabin, Jiafu’s period stopped, and by the next month, she began to vomit and feel sleepy, confirming her pregnancy.

Jiafu finally got her wish. Although the pregnancy symptoms made her thinner, her mood was excellent. From then on, she began to focus on nurturing the pregnancy. With nothing to do each day, she counted on her fingers, calculating the due date.

Pei You’an’s feelings, however, were somewhat different from Jiafu’s.

He was no longer young, and in a few more years, his temples would inevitably be touched with frost.

During the past decade or more, as he assisted the young Emperor, he had been single-minded and exhausted himself, never thinking that in this lifetime, he would have a child of his own.

Now that his young wife was pregnant again, seeing her overjoyed and not finding it difficult at all, deep in his heart, he was naturally delighted and moved. But behind this joy and emotion, there was also hidden worry.

Even now, more than a decade later, whenever he thought of the suffering and risks she had experienced during her first childbirth, he still felt a lingering fear.

As Jiafu’s belly grew day by day, Pei You’an became increasingly nervous. Besides walking with her morning and evening, personally taking care of her diet and daily life, when she was more than a month away from her due date, he even summoned the imperial physician specializing in women’s health from the capital to stay in Suye City, prepared for any needs during the Duchess’s delivery.

Compared to Pei You’an’s nervousness, Jiafu herself was much calmer.

Having experienced the previous difficulty, this time she wasn’t afraid at all.

Having gone through the worst, what was there to fear? Every day she ate what she should, slept when she should, and walked when she should go for a walk. Eating and drinking contentedly, with a peaceful mind and healthy body, by autumn of the following year, one evening while Pei You’an was accompanying her on a walk, she suddenly went into labor. After just over an hour, she smoothly gave birth to a baby girl.

After a seventeen-year interval, in his middle age, he had become a father again, fortunate to be the father of this beautiful baby girl who had descended into the world.

Pei You’an carefully held the soft, small body of this baby girl, who was destined to be showered with endless love. As he took her in his arms, the excitement and wild joy in his heart were simply indescribable.

He named his daughter A-Yuan.

Yuan means “beginning,” and also has the meaning of “goodness and auspiciousness.”

He wished that his daughter, born to him and Jiafu in their middle age, would have a new beginning and a life full of goodness and fortune, just as her name implied.