“Don’t worry, what I said yesterday about the two children vomiting milk and not eating—that was just for outsiders to hear! Although both children are indeed weak, especially Kangle, with Imperial Physician Huang here, they’ll surely recover.” Dong Shi gently patted the child in her arms while speaking softly to Bai Qingyan. “Imperial Physician Huang has prescribed some warming and nourishing medicines and medicinal meals for both children’s wet nurses. We’ll use milk to slowly regulate the children’s constitutions. I think this method is excellent.”

Bai Qingyan gazed at her sleeping daughter’s little face, feeling infinite tenderness, and gently placed her daughter on the inner side of the bed.

“Mother, let both children sleep with me tonight!” Bai Qingyan said.

“The children were just born and need to nurse several times during the night. If they’re beside you, you won’t rest well! Have you forgotten how you promised A’Yan to take good care of your health for his sake!” Dong Shi knew Bai Qingyan cherished the children and gently persuaded her. “Listen to Mother and rest well. The wet nurses will stay with the children in the side room. After you complete your two-month confinement, Mother will never object to you caring for the children.”

“Mother, just for tonight, please…” Bai Qingyan couldn’t bear to part with the two children.

Dong Shi glared at Bai Qingyan, but after a long moment, her heart softened. She remembered when she had just given birth to Bai Qingyan, she too had been reluctant to let the wet nurse take Bai Qingyan away.

“Fine! Fine! Just for tonight…” Dong Shi carefully placed the sleeping Xile from her arms beside Bai Qingyan, then instructed Nanny Tong and the wet nurses to stay alert during the night.

After Dong Shi left, Bai Qingyan lay on her side against the cushioned backrest, looking at the two children sleeping on the inner side of the bed, wondering whether these two children resembled her more or Xiao Rongyan more.

Later, she remembered a saying that nephews resemble their uncles, but she could no longer remember what A’Yu had looked like when he was just born.

She pulled the blanket up for both children, her heart heavy again, wondering whether A’Yan, A’Qi, Jinxiu, and the others had rescued A’Yu and Xiao Qi yet.

Newborn babies wake frequently during the night—to nurse, to have their diapers changed.

As soon as a child began crying, Bai Qingyan would wake first. When Nanny Tong and the wet nurses entered, they would see Bai Qingyan already holding a child in her arms.

With twins, when one cried awake, the other would follow suit.

The wet nurses took both children to nurse and change their diapers. Nanny Tong urged Bai Qingyan to quickly lie down and sleep for a while, but just as Dong Shi had predicted, once Bai Qingyan was awakened, she couldn’t fall back asleep.

Babies only a few days old are nursed slowly. After waiting for a long while, Bai Qingyan inevitably began worrying about the war situation in Xi Liang again. She said to Nanny Tong: “Nanny… please help me get a map of Xi Liang.”

Nanny Tong looked troubled: “Miss, please don’t make things difficult for this old servant. Your room doesn’t have any maps… not even books. Madam had Steward Hao remove everything, fearing you might strain your eyes during confinement.”

Dong Shi, who couldn’t sleep due to worry, was about to enter when she heard Bai Qingyan asking for a map. She stepped through the door, lifted the hanging curtains, and entered with a stern expression: “What map are you looking for? During confinement, you must be most careful with your eyes. You also shouldn’t hold the children too much—be careful of wrist pain in the future!”

Seeing the wet nurse finish feeding and bring the children back, Dong Shi quickly took over and held the children, sitting beside Bai Qingyan’s bed.

Bai Qingyan also received her son from the wet nurse’s hands.

“Mother, I’m just accustomed to it. That’s why I asked Nanny Tong to help me find a map of Xi Liang to look at!” Bai Qingyan was still worried about the Xi Liang battlefield… concerned about A’Yu and Xiao Qi. She glanced at her daughter in her mother’s arms. “Mother, you’re criticizing me, but aren’t you also here in the middle of the night, holding the child and not letting go?”

“There’s a saying: ‘Hold grandchildren, not children!'” Dong Shi looked at her little grandchild with doting affection in her eyes, then turned to persuade her daughter: “You promised Mother you wouldn’t overthink and would properly observe your confinement. Besides… you should trust that A’Qi and the others can rescue A’Yu and Xiao Qi! Trust in A’Yu and Xiao Qi’s intelligence and wisdom—they’ll surely turn danger into safety.”

Dong Shi paused before continuing: “You should also trust A’Yan!”

Bai Qingyan looked up at her mother: “Mother… do you trust A’Yan?”

“Mother trusts him! Even A’Yu trusts his brother-in-law—why wouldn’t Mother trust him?”

Dong Shi had already made peace with past events. Although she had initially been angry with Xiao Rongyan for getting her daughter pregnant, after Xiao Rongyan rescued her daughter at Jiangzi City, remembering what Murong Yan had said to Bai Qingyan, and seeing this adorable pair of grandchildren in her arms now, how could Dong Shi still dislike Xiao Rongyan?

She remembered the longing look in Xiao Rongyan’s eyes when he called her “Mother,” his desperate desire for family affection. Thinking of it now filled her with heartache—losing his mother at such a young age, Xiao Rongyan’s life must have been very difficult!

Dong Shi couldn’t help but feel sorry for her son-in-law. She thought that when he returned, she would be a good mother to him.

“At such a young age, leaving his homeland to plan for his Kingdom, traveling between nations, maintaining his position among nobles of various countries despite his lowly merchant status with such skill!” Dong Shi, having heard about her son-in-law’s accomplishments, felt admiration in her heart. “A’Yan is very capable! But what Mother likes most… is his feelings for A’Bao!”

Bai Qingyan’s expression showed a smile.

“Look, your younger siblings… your husband is all commanding troops at the front lines. What is there for you to worry about? Mother also needs to learn to feel at ease, learn to trust you children!” Dong Shi smiled. “Mother knows you’re the eldest sister and have always taken care of your younger siblings as your responsibility. You’ve done very well, and Mother is very proud!”

Bai Qingyan nodded.

Dong Shi looked down at the little granddaughter in her arms, murmuring, as if speaking to Bai Qingyan but also to herself: “When your father was alive, he was always worried about you charging recklessly on the battlefield. No matter how capable you were… he still worried endlessly! Later… because you chased after General Pang of Shu alone, your father became very angry and ignored you for a long time. It was your grandfather who persuaded your father, saying that fledglings must grow up eventually—if you don’t let fledglings fly, how can you know they might fly higher than their parents!”

“The same principle applies, A’Bao… you should let all your younger siblings, including A’Yu and Xiao Qi now, let them train themselves, let them spread their wings and soar. You must trust that they’ll fly higher and more steadily than you expect! Don’t worry too much! Mother keeps telling herself the same thing.”

“Mother, I’ll remember!” Bai Qingyan said earnestly to Dong Shi.

Just as Bai Qingyan finished speaking, Nanny Qin lifted the curtain and entered, speaking softly through the hanging curtains: “Madam, Miss… the Fifth Madam has sent word that someone in the palace has made a move!”

She raised her eyes, her voice cold and stern: “Good that they’ve moved—I was afraid they wouldn’t!”

This time, Dong Shi brought the little Prince and Princess out of the palace to reside at the Bai Mansion was something Dong Shi and Fifth Madam Qi Shi had used to create opportunities, hoping to thoroughly clean out the imperial palace.