Chapter 323: Premature Birth (4)

Yan Hongtian perhaps had not even realized himself that he was already so indulgent toward Qingfeng, and Qingfeng was even less capable of grasping it; naturally, she did not appreciate it, rolling her eyes at him directly, pushing his hand away, and huffing, "I wouldn't dare call it shocking the world, but if the Little Prince cannot come to live with me, then surely I can go live with him, right?" "You..." Yan Hongtian was caught between laughter and tears; a Concubine moving in to live with a Little Prince was something that had never happened in any dynasty or generation. Was this what she called not breaking the rules?

Qingfeng thought about it and also felt it was a bit excessive, but she was unwilling to follow these heartless rules. After pondering for a long time, she had an idea in her heart: "If that won't work, then I will go see him at the hour of the Dragon (7-9 AM) every day and return to Qingfeng Palace at the hour of the Pig (9-11 PM); that should be fine, right? In your imperial rules, there is no regulation on how many hours a mother can see her own child each day, is there?"

"The Little Prince is your child; regardless of whether you are by his side or not, he is your child. Why must you handle everything yourself?" Going at the hour of the Dragon and returning at the hour of the Pig—what difference was there from living there? Born into the imperial family and accustomed to the way mothers and children interacted in the Palace, Yan Hongtian truly could not understand Qingfeng's stubbornness.

She did not want her son to become like Yan Hongtian, unpredictable in his moods, cold and heartless, nor did she wish for him to be arrogant and ignorant like Yan Jing. She wanted to personally accompany, care for, and teach her child, so she had to persuade him.

"Because... I don't want my child to ask me in the future what mother-child affection is." Qingfeng knew she had made another risky move. Sure enough, the moment her words fell, Yan Hongtian's expression immediately darkened. His black eyes, which had been sometimes smiling and sometimes deep these past few days, were filled with a cold, fierce light. His sharp gaze was like an ice blade, slicing her bit by bit.

"Your courage is getting... bigger and bigger!"

This was what they called a monarch's anger. She had stepped on his sore spot, but only in this way did she have a chance to move him. Qingfeng clenched her fists tightly, using the pain in her palms to alleviate the fear and chill born from her heart. "Yan Hongtian, I am his mother. I don't want to only be able to see him when I pay my respects every day, I don't want him to be closer to his wet nurse than to me, and I especially don't want my son to be raised by nannies and Eunuchs!"

The two of them just stared coldly at each other, neither giving way. Beneath the seemingly calm gaze in those eyes as deep as cold pools lay surging undercurrents; making eye contact with such eyes would make one forget how to breathe. Just as Qingfeng was about to suffocate, Yan Hongtian coldly spat out two words: "One year."

What one year?

Did he mean... the child could live with her in Qingfeng Palace for one year? Qingfeng's eyes lit up. He actually agreed? Qingfeng was filled with joy. "Thank you..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Yan Hongtian no longer looked at her and stood up to stride away. After he left, that oppressive pressure also dissipated. The fists she had been clenching tightly slowly relaxed, and Qingfeng let out a long sigh of relief. Never mind, one year is fine too. During this one year, she could still find opportunities to persuade him, although it would be very difficult.

Qingfeng lay on the bed; her body was very tired, but she could not sleep, nor did she want to move. She just stared at the bed curtains in a daze until Ruyi came in and asked if she wanted to have lunch. Only then did Qingfeng come back to her senses; it was already almost the hour of the Horse (11 AM - 1 PM).

Having Ruyi bring up a few small dishes, Qingfeng did not have much of an appetite. After eating a few bites hastily, she said impatiently to Ruyi beside her, "Ruyi, have the wet nurse bring the child over."

"Yes." Knowing her mistress missed her child dearly, Ruyi walked out quickly. Before long, she led a woman back in. This woman was not the wet nurse from a few days ago; she looked to be in her early thirties, her skin was fair and clean, and she was very quiet.

"Let me hold him." Qingfeng reached out her hands, and the woman immediately handed the Little Prince in her arms to Qingfeng gently, then quietly stepped to the side.

The little fellow was sleeping very soundly, and the faint scent of medicine on his body indicated he had already been bathed. Qingfeng sighed inwardly; she truly did not know how to raise a child. The day before yesterday, she had spent over two hours just giving him a bath, and he had cried for over two hours as well. Look at him now; she had only been lying down for a little while, and he looked full, satisfied, and completely comfortable. Qingfeng was both annoyed and amused.

Qingfeng wanted to ask the woman a few questions, but when she looked back, she saw her standing quietly to the side with her head slightly lowered. If one didn't pay attention, one would absolutely not feel her presence. "What is your name?"

"Replying to the Consort, this servant is called Shen Yao."

Silent and soft-spoken, introverted and docile—Qingfeng looked at her a few more times, thinking that after returning to the Palace, she would have her serve in Qingfeng Palace so she wouldn't be so flustered again.

Just as Qingfeng was thinking, Xiao Yu walked in carrying two boxes, one large and one small. Qingfeng smiled and said, "Xiao Yu, what good things are you holding?"

Placing the two boxes gently on the table, Xiao Yu smiled and replied, "Naturally, they are good things. They are congratulatory gifts sent from the Prime Minister's Mansion and the General's Mansion."

"Congratulatory gifts?" Qingfeng was stunned for a moment, not reacting. Xiao Yu moved the two gift boxes in front of Qingfeng and smiled, "Yes, they are for the Little Prince."

The child had only been born three or four days ago. To be in such a hurry to send gifts, it must be her own sisters using the names of Lou Xiyan and Su Ling to send them.

Ruyi curiously picked up the plain white silk box placed on top. The box was only the size of a palm and felt light as a feather. The wooden box underneath was much larger; she touched it with her hand and couldn't even move it, showing that the contents were not light. Ruyi chuckled, "One light and one heavy, I wonder what the gifts are?"

"Then let's open it and see what treasures they are; even I am a bit curious." A slightly deep voice came from outside the door, and Yan Hongtian's tall figure also appeared at the entrance. Qingfeng felt uneasy, but Yan Hongtian's expression was already back to normal, and a faint smile could even be seen at the corners of his mouth, as if the morning's events had never happened. Qingfeng lowered her head slightly and noticed some mud stuck to his shoes, as well as a withered yellow bamboo leaf. So, he had gone to the bamboo forest.

"Long live the Emperor, long live, long live the Emperor."

"Rise." Yan Hongtian sat down beside Qingfeng. Ruyi picked up the small square box and opened it gently; wrapped in red silk satin was an oval jade pendant slightly larger than a thumb. Ruyi took the jade pendant out and handed it to Qingfeng, praising, "Look, Consort, this jade pendant is truly beautiful. The Prime Minister is indeed worthy of being a man of letters."

Qingfeng examined the jade pendant in her hand closely. It was not carved with flowers, plants, or auspicious patterns like ordinary ornaments; it was simply a plain oval piece of jade. The jade quality was extremely fine, pure white and warm. What was most special was that in this early winter season, the jade was actually warm. Holding it in her palm, that warm current seemed to seep through her palm and warm her heart.

Rongshan Warm Jade? Yan Hongtian only glanced at it once and recognized it. Legend had it that when a child was young, having Warm Jade by their side could ward off evil winds. Xi Yan had been in poor health since he was a child; back then, the Lou Family had gone to great lengths to find a piece of Rongshan Warm Jade for him. To think he would actually give it to this child.

Ruyi had seen the Prime Minister's gift and then curiously stared at the heavy large wooden box in front of Xiao Yu, smiling, "I wonder what General Su sent?"

Xiao Yu opened the wooden box, and a golden ornament lay quietly inside. No wonder it was so heavy; Xiao Yu had to use both hands to lift the ornament out. Seeing the shape of the ornament clearly, Xiao Yu could not help but gasp, "Yazi?!"

The ornament had a dragon's body and a jackal's head, with a precious sword in its mouth and glaring eyes—what a majestic divine beast. However, although Yazi was one of the nine sons of the dragon, it loved slaughter and was mostly placed on weapons to intimidate enemy troops.

Qingfeng's face turned slightly pale. This gift was clearly not something Moer could have sent; it must be from Su Ling. Having been in the inner Palace for these days, she understood very well that even if she were favored, most people still did not take her seriously. They were all waiting to see her make a fool of herself, waiting to see what her end would be when the imperial favor was gone. Now, with the open support of Lou Xiyan and Su Ling, even without Yan Hongtian's favor and protection, she would not have a hard time in the Palace. Qingfeng thanked Su Ling in her heart and could not help but worry for him again.

How would Yan Hongtian view this? Su Ling controlled two-thirds of the military power of Qiongyue, and he sent such a divine beast that represented baleful energy to a Little Prince...

Ruyi did not understand why the expressions of Xiao Yu and Qingfeng had become so grave. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became strange. The Emperor raised his hand to gently stroke the Golden ornament and suddenly burst into laughter, "As expected of a gift from the General's Mansion."

Qingfeng could not guess if he was laughing out of extreme anger or genuine praise, so she could only remain silent. She quietly raised her eyes to look at Xiao Yu. Xiao Yu had been by Yan Hongtian's side for many years and should be best at gauging his intentions. Her expression had returned to normal; did that mean Yan Hongtian was not angry?

A Small General of the Imperial Guard ran over in a hurry and looked anxiously into the room. Yan Hongtian nodded slightly, and Xiao Yu walked to the door. The Small General whispered a few words, and a flash of surprise crossed Xiao Yu's eyes.

Returning to the inner room, Xiao Yu knelt halfway and whispered a few words into Yan Hongtian's ear. Yan Hongtian's sword-like brows lifted slightly; his black eyes were cold at first, then carried a bit of interest.

What matter could make Yan Hongtian have such an expression? Xiao Yu had just glanced at her quietly; could it be that something had happened, and it was related to her? Qingfeng guessed in her heart. Yan Hongtian suddenly stood up, "I have stayed at the villa for some days now; I will return to the Palace later. You prepare yourself; I will send someone to pick you up in three days."

Leaving behind these words, Yan Hongtian left again, only this time his footsteps were even more hurried. While Qingfeng secretly breathed a sigh of relief, she also felt a bit lost; she had to go back eventually. The plum trees outside the courtyard had formed flower buds; they should be very beautiful when they bloomed. It was a pity she would not have the chance to see them this year. Her gaze swept over the dazzling Golden Yazi on the table, and Qingfeng sighed faintly. This gift was very precious, but also very hot to handle.

Ming Ze was guarding outside the courtyard. Seeing Yan Hongtian's hurried footsteps, he guessed that the Emperor was probably about to leave, so he ordered the Small General behind him to prepare the carriage. Ming Ze stepped forward to meet him and followed closely behind. Yan Hongtian walked two steps, then suddenly stopped. He turned back abruptly, his black eyes fixed on Ming Ze. Ming Ze was slightly startled but not panicked, standing with his head lowered.

"Your name is Ming Ze?"

The deep voice sounded above his head. Ming Ze felt a shock in his heart, then replied, "Yes."

"Ming Jian's younger brother?"

After a brief silence, Ming Ze replied in a low voice, "Yes."

"From today on, protecting Consort Qing and the Little Prince is your duty."

(End of chapter)