“I’m also very happy to have met you…” Bai Qingyan responded to Xiao Rongyan in a low voice, tightening her arms around his neck and gently kissing the heavily breathing Xiao Rongyan.
In her previous life, in this life, she was very happy… to have met Xiao Rongyan.
In her previous life, he saved her once.
In this life, he walked hand in hand with her.
She was very happy…
“Eunuch Wei, is Elder Sister awake?” Bai Jinzhao came rushing in from outside the courtyard. “We’ve finished making all the yuanxiao and are just waiting for Elder Sister!”
“Fifth Miss, His Majesty is still sleeping,” Wei Zhong said with a smile to Bai Jinzhao. “Miss Qingzhu just came to deliver the pregnancy medicine and couldn’t bear to wake His Majesty.”
Bai Qingyan looked through the window lattice at the sky that was about to darken, and said to Xiao Rongyan: “Today is the Lantern Festival. I still need to go up to the city tower to comfort the people in Yecheng Pass. I need to get up.”
Xiao Rongyan tucked the loose hair by her temples behind her ear and nodded: “Alright…”
Xiao Rongyan didn’t stop Bai Qingyan from getting up. He only had Wei Zhong bring over the pregnancy medicine. After Bai Qingyan drank it all in one gulp, Xiao Rongyan, sitting on the bedside, took the medicine bowl and brought her honey water to rinse her mouth. Finally, he even stuffed a piece of candied fruit into her mouth, taking care of her like a child.
Wei Zhong stood to the side with a smile, watching Xiao Rongyan carefully help Bai Qingyan put on her shoes and clothes, not putting on any airs of a prince at all. His genuine love and care for Bai Qingyan were evident, making Wei Zhong’s smile even deeper.
Xiao Rongyan helped Bai Qingyan up and draped the white fox fur cloak he had brought for her: “I happened to encounter two foxes with extremely beautiful fur at Liuxiang Mountain. I coincidentally had two fox pelts, so I had someone make you a cloak and hand warmers.”
Bai Qingyan raised her chin, allowing Xiao Rongyan to tie the cloak’s strings for her, gazing at his deep features as her ears grew even redder.
She had always been sensitive to cold, which Xiao Rongyan knew well.
Xiao Rongyan handed the snow-white hand warmers to Bai Qingyan. As soon as she slipped her hands in, she felt jade inside.
“Hmm?” She looked down and turned the lining of the hand warmer inside out, revealing a pair of jade-carved… tiger-headed little tigers that appeared to be fighting.
“This is warm jade that generates heat to the touch. It was a fine piece of material that my mother obtained when I was young, but she never used it. This is our first New Year after having a child. I’ve been pondering what good gift to give the child. After much thought, nothing would be better than a gift personally prepared by their father.” Xiao Rongyan gently stroked Bai Qingyan’s abdomen.
“Why do you always like to give jade?” Bai Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh, though she was very fond of this pair of little tigers in her heart. Xiao Rongyan’s carving skills had become increasingly exquisite – they were lifelike.
“Then later, I’ll learn the craft of making jeweled hairpins and ornaments, so I can personally make A’Bao a complete set of hair ornaments in the future.” Xiao Rongyan said with a smile.
“So Prince Nine plans to become a craftsman when he goes to Baiwo City?”
“This craft is only to make my beloved wife smile!” Xiao Rongyan gripped Bai Qingyan’s hands and pulled her close, saying in a low voice, “As long as A’Bao is happy, when I have leisure time in the future, I’ll spend every day thinking of making jewelry for A’Bao to make her happy, as long as A’Bao doesn’t mind my crude workmanship.”
“A word is a promise!” Bai Qingyan said with a smile.
“A word is a promise!” Xiao Rongyan lowered his head close to Bai Qingyan, almost unable to control himself from kissing her, when he suddenly felt her abdomen pressed against him move.
Xiao Rongyan’s eyes widened as he looked at Bai Qingyan and then at her abdomen.
“Fetal movement – this is normal…” Bai Qingyan said with a smile.
“You sit first!” Xiao Rongyan nervously helped Bai Qingyan sit on the soft couch by the bed. Not caring about his dignity, he knelt on one knee on the huanghuali wood footstool carved with the “Hundred Sons at Play in Spring” pattern, cupping Bai Qingyan’s abdomen with both hands and speaking softly to the child within: “Good child, you know Father has come, don’t you? You and Mother both miss Father, don’t you?”
Bai Qingyan looked down at Xiao Rongyan with bright eyes, her smile growing even warmer.
“You be good in Mother’s belly and don’t bully Mother. When you’re born in the future… Father will reward you properly!” Xiao Rongyan spoke seriously to the child in Bai Qingyan’s womb. After saying a couple of sentences, he would press his ear to Bai Qingyan’s abdomen to listen for movement inside, as if the child in her womb could answer him.
Being a father for the first time, Xiao Rongyan was quite nervous too, not as composed as he appeared.
Especially since the couple was separated, Xiao Rongyan was very afraid that the child wouldn’t hear his voice much before birth, and after being born, wouldn’t be close to him or recognize him as their real father.
“Father will personally make you a little wooden horse. Your father is planning to… support Mother by craftsmanship in the future.” Bai Qingyan chuckled softly, teasing Xiao Rongyan.
“Good! Make a little wooden horse… and what else? How about a wooden sword too?” Xiao Rongyan said enthusiastically, then looked up at Bai Qingyan. “What if it’s a daughter? A wooden sword might not be suitable? A’Bao, what do you think would be good to make?”
Seeing Xiao Rongyan’s expression, looking like he planned to make things for the child, Bai Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh. She hadn’t expected that the usually composed and confident Prince Nine of Great Yan would have such flustered moments.
Bai Qingyan leaned forward to help Xiao Rongyan up, saying with a smile: “Whatever it is, a gift from Father would be the best! When I was young, Father was busy. I remember the only gift I received that Father made with his own hands was a riding whip. I was especially happy and couldn’t bear to use it. My father said I was silly, saying that if I wore it out, he would make me another one…”
Later, she became weak… the riding whip couldn’t be worn out, and now that she could use a riding whip, Father could no longer make one for her.
Seeing Bai Qingyan’s eyes smiling and her voice calm, Xiao Rongyan squeezed her hand: “In the future, I’ll make them for you! For our child!”
Bai Qingyan’s eyes smiled even deeper as she nodded: “Good!”
Wei Zhong stood to the side as if he didn’t exist, without even making a breathing sound. After listening to the couple finish their conversation, he stepped forward quietly: “Your Majesty, the soldiers are still waiting for you to eat yuanxiao. The people in Yecheng Pass who have been anxious after several days of fighting will probably gather at the city tower soon. Time is getting tight.”
“Alright…” Bai Qingyan nodded. “Thank you for the reminder, Eunuch Wei.”
Wei Zhong looked at Bai Qingyan with some surprise, then quickly smiled: “This is what I should do!”
“I’ll go to the wounded soldiers’ camp first. Yan, you wait here for now. After I leave… You can come with Eunuch Wei later!” Bai Qingyan was afraid that before the two countries merged, if rumors spread about her and Prince Nine, it would be detrimental to the merger.
“I know the importance and won’t let anyone see!” Xiao Rongyan said with a smile.
Bai Qingyan nodded. When she went out, Shen Qingzhu had already changed clothes and was waiting outside for Bai Qingyan. Seeing that Bai Qingyan was wearing a fox fur cloak she had never seen before, she stepped forward to support her.