Yu Jin set Jiang Si down and frowned as he glanced at the door.

He and A Si had been living without shame for so long that A Si’s maids were quite sensible. They naturally knew to avoid them at times like these.

Who could be so tactless?

As he was grumbling internally, the knocking suddenly stopped, and shortly after, the window was tapped.

Yu Jin walked over and forcefully opened the window to find Erniu with his front paws on the windowsill. The dog pushed off with his hind legs and jumped onto Yu Jin.

“Woof woof!” Erniu wagged his tail affectionately at Yu Jin.

Yu Jin’s anger immediately dissipated. He helplessly patted Erniu’s head and scolded, “Get down quickly.”

His embrace was reserved for A Si. What was this fellow Erniu doing hanging on his chest?

Erniu’s four paws hit the ground, and he left Yu Jin to walk in front of Jiang Si, barking twice to curry favor.

Jiang Si smiled and stroked the thick fur on the big dog’s back. “Don’t worry, the steamed meat will be ready soon.”

Yu Jin’s smile vanished as he asked, “Steamed meat? What steamed meat?”

Jiang Si replied with a beaming smile, “I had the kitchen prepare steamed meat early this morning.”

Looking at his wife’s radiant smile and then at Erniu’s drooling face, Yu Jin became furious. “Bone scraps are enough for Erniu. Why does he need steamed meat?!”

It was too much, too unreasonable! He had been longing for steamed meat at the Imperial Clan Court, and this dog Erniu could eat it whenever he wanted. Who knows, he might even eat one basin and bury another!

Yu Jin pointed to the door with a dark face. “Out!”

Erniu let out a dissatisfied growl from his throat. Seeing his master’s murderous aura, he decided to avoid the brunt of it. He swung his tail and left, using his front paws to forcefully close the door.

If he had to leave, so be it. As long as he didn’t miss out on his steamed meat.

As the sound of the closing door faded, the room returned to silence.

Yu Jin pulled Jiang Si close and said pitifully, “A Si, I want to eat steamed meat too.”

Jiang Si glanced at him and said with a curved smile, “The kitchen made plenty today. There’s enough for you.”

Yu Jin sat with Jiang Si on the bed, asking discontentedly, “Don’t tell me Erniu has been eating steamed meat every day while I’ve been away?”

Jiang Si stopped teasing him and laughed, “No. Knowing you love steamed meat but weren’t home, I just didn’t bother to have it made.”

Yu Jin finally brightened up and gently touched Jiang Si’s belly. “How’s the child? It hasn’t been tiring you out, has it?”

“It’s fine. I don’t feel nauseous anymore, just always sleepy.”

Jiang Si’s expression softened even more at the mention of the child.

Both the family physician and the imperial doctor said her pregnancy was stable, and this child was indeed giving her an easy time.

She would have a child connected by blood to the person she loved, something she never had in her previous life.

Thinking about these things, Jiang Si sometimes felt a sense of unreality, but the mysterious connection with the fetus in her womb constantly reminded her that it was all real.

“Has it started moving?” Yu Jin asked excitedly.

During his days at the Imperial Clan Court, he thought about the child far less than he thought about his wife, usually just in passing, wondering if the child was causing A Si to sleep or eat poorly…

But when his hand rested on his wife’s belly, the little one’s existence seemed more real.

Jiang Si shook her head. “I can’t feel anything yet. The physician said I should be able to feel movement in about a month.”

The couple chatted about the child for a while before Yu Jin’s expression turned serious. “A Si, have you heard about the Crown Prince being deposed?”

The deposing of the Crown Prince was shocking news that had spread throughout the court and beyond as soon as the officials and nobles left the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

“I’ve already heard about it.”

“I always felt the Crown Prince wouldn’t instigate the Imperial Guards to assassinate Prince An. It’s a pity I didn’t attend the Heaven Worship Ceremony this time, or I might have glimpsed the truth,” Yu Jin said regretfully.

Jiang Si’s lips quivered, but she didn’t reveal the real reason for the Crown Prince’s dethronement. Instead, she smiled and said, “Whatever the truth is, it doesn’t concern us.”

Yu Jin nodded. “That’s true. A Si, you should have seen it. When I was leaving the Imperial Clan Court, I ran into the deposed Crown Prince being escorted there. He even wanted to hit me.”

“The deposed Crown Prince is now a drowning dog. There’s no need to bother with him,” Jiang Si said. Suddenly remembering how this man before her could be jealous of Erniu for days, she felt the need to remind him of something.

“A Jin, although I’ve had little interaction with Father Emperor, I can see that he values the deposed Crown Prince…”

“You mean—”

Jiang Si said meaningfully, “Perhaps when Father Emperor’s anger subsides, he might change his mind.”

Yu Jin was stunned and fell into deep thought.

If the Emperor might reinstate the Crown Prince in the future, it would indeed be unwise to have a poor attitude towards him now.

He didn’t care for himself, but there was A Si and their unborn child to consider. He couldn’t let them suffer because of him.

“Don’t worry, A Si. I understand.”

“Mm, let’s go eat first.”

The table was soon set with bowls and plates, with a large bowl of steamed meat in the center. It looked appetizing, and when a thin slice was picked up with chopsticks, it revealed pickled beans underneath.

The meal was thoroughly satisfying. After rinsing his mouth, Yu Jin said to Jiang Si, “You go back to the room and rest first. I’ll take a bath and join you after.”

In many strict households, the male head of the family rarely visited the inner courtyard during the day, spending most of his time in the study in the outer courtyard. But such rules were meaningless in Prince Yan’s mansion.

For Yu Jin, no damn rules were more important than cuddling with his wife to sleep.

Jiang Si was used to this. “Alright, I’ll wait for you in the room.”

Lying down right after a meal would be uncomfortable, so Jiang Si took a few laps around the room. Before Yu Jin returned from his bath, she received news that Prince Lu had come to visit.

Several princely mansions were located on the same street, with Prince Lu’s mansion being closest to Prince Yan’s. In the past, the two brothers would fight whenever they met and never visited each other.

Why would Prince Lu come at this time?

When Yu Jin returned wearing clean clothes, Jiang Si told him about Prince Lu’s visit.

Yu Jin frowned upon hearing this. “What does he want? A Si, you rest first. I’ll go to the front to see.”

The news of his release from the Imperial Clan Court must have spread. There was no appropriate reason to avoid seeing visitors now.

A carefree and unrestrained demeanor was Yu Jin’s protective coloring. It would be foolish to be overly arrogant.

He was a man with a wife and child now; he couldn’t afford to be foolish.

Prince Lu sat in the flower hall, idly observing his surroundings.

The decor in Seventh Brother’s mansion was really simple—wait a minute!

Prince Lu suddenly stood up and quickly walked towards a high table where a garlic-head vase was displayed.

The long-necked vase with blue and white fish-weed patterns looked simple and ancient, and indeed it was.

Prince Lu, having grown up surrounded by gold and silver, was discerning. After a few glances, he could confirm that this garlic-head vase was an antique from the Great Han Dynasty!

A garlic-head vase from the Han Dynasty would be extremely valuable.

Wasn’t Seventh Brother just a wild child thrown out of the palace? He heard that this time in the Imperial Clan Court, he was even fined a year’s salary. Where did he get the money for this?

When Yu Jin entered the flower hall, Prince Lu couldn’t help but ask about the vase.

Yu Jin smiled slightly. “Oh, I bought a cosmetics shop for the Princess Consort earlier. Who knew the little shop would be so profitable?”