Chapter 141

The Imperial Physician beamed with joy: "Thank you, Her Highness the Heir Apparent's Consort."

"No," Rong Yuan said.

"The reward baskets won't do."

Rong Yuan and Rong Juan spoke at the same time. Qin Bi looked helplessly at the two of them; neither spoke as fast as the Imperial Physician, who had already offered his thanks. She troubled them so often; did she mean for her words to carry no weight?!

Actually, it was fine; her words could indeed carry no weight.

"Saving them for my little brother," Rong Yuan said, reluctant to part with them.

Rong Juan was also unwilling, but he did not refuse Qin Bi's request.

They got up and went to the courtyard. The Heir Apparent Rong had the little round-faced child select baskets. He rejected the well-proportioned ones, the large ones, the ones with smooth branches, and the sturdy ones. After much picking and choosing, he selected over twenty baskets.

"They are yours," Rong Juan said generously.

The Imperial Physicians: "..."

It was truly no easy task!

One by one, they quickly carried away two or three baskets, all new ones. They fiddled with them, beaming with joy. Seeing the Heir Apparent Rong's bad temper and the little round-faced child standing beside him watching, the Imperial Physicians grabbed their baskets and hurried away.

The Heir Apparent Rong smiled irritably. Qin Bi went to wash up, while Rong Yuan followed Rong Juan away.

When the little round-faced child was washed clean and brought back, Qin Bi had changed into a fresh dress. She was somewhat exhausted. The old woman made up the bed, and Qin Bi and Rong Yuan climbed in to sleep, while Rong Juan sat by the bedside keeping watch.

Lady Jiang came over from the Marquis Qin Yan's residence. Qin Bi was not yet awake, so Lady Jiang returned.

The kitchen prepared a spirit-plant chicken and bought a fish, neither very large. They stewed chicken soup and fish soup. When dinner time arrived, Rong Juan returned to the bedroom; both adults and children were sleeping soundly.

"Your Highness, what about dinner?"

"Keep it warm," Rong Juan said.

The kitchen kept it simmering over a low fire. Prince Rong called Rong Juan to the front courtyard. By the time he returned, it was already dark. The children in the bedroom were still sleeping soundly. Since the little one was out of the question, Rong Juan called Qin Bi to wake up.

Qin Bi opened her eyes. Rong Juan's heart skipped a beat; her exhausted appearance reminded him of the listlessness seen when lifespan was damaged. Suppressing his unease, Rong Juan took a warm towel to wipe Qin Bi's face.

"Get up and eat something," Rong Juan said gently. "Eat first, then sleep."

Qin Bi nodded: "What did they make?"

Rong Juan tossed the towel into the water basin. The maid went to carry it away, moving very quietly to avoid making noise. Qin Bi glanced outside; it was already dark, and the bedroom was not cold.

"They stewed a spirit-plant chicken," Rong Juan said, pulling the quilt over Qin Bi to keep her from catching a chill. "And there is a red-scaled fish."

The red-scaled fish was different from ordinary fish; it was delicious, with few bones, almost no fish bones at all, and the soup was especially savory. Qin Bi turned to look at the sleeping Rong Yuan. The little one loved red-scaled fish the most, and the fish contained a trace of spiritual energy, beneficial for cultivators.

"I'll wake Rong Yuan," Qin Bi said, her eyes bright. She very much wanted to wake the child but feared Rong Juan would scold her.

Rong Juan smiled warmly: "Wake him then. I was originally going to save it for him to eat after he had slept enough."

"The fish soup just stewed is delicious," Qin Bi said, shaking the little round-faced child. "Rong Yuan, get up and eat something good."

The child, not having slept enough, sat up in a daze.

The maid brought another basin of warm water. Rong Juan soaked a fresh towel, wrung it out, and held the little round-faced child in his arms to wipe his face. The child was very well-behaved. Rong Juan had personally raised the child since birth. The child perked up as soon as his face was wiped with the warm towel.

Rong Yuan asked in a milky voice: "What is good to eat?"

Qin Bi smiled and said: "Your father said there is spirit-plant chicken and red-scaled fish."

The little round-faced child immediately became happy, looking forward to the meal.

The maid carried the water basin away. Rong Juan said: "Bring dinner to the bedroom."

The stewed chicken and fish were brought over quickly and placed on the table. Rong Juan ladled a bowl of mushroom stewed chicken and a bowl of stewed fish. Qin Bi and the little round-faced child had just woken up, their bodies warm, and waited on the side.

Rong Juan picked out a chicken wing bone for the child, and the child took it to eat.

Rong Juan fed Qin Bi a spoonful of fish soup. Qin Bi swallowed: "It's delicious."

Rong Yuan immediately looked up. "Delicious!" Rong Juan scooped a spoonful to feed the child. The child's eyes lit up, and he also said: "Delicious."

Rong Juan was born with an aura of killing intent. He was a powerful minister of Great Yan and also a god of slaughter. His handsomeness carried a cold severity. At this moment, that sharp expression melted into a fine tenderness.

Qin Bi had a small appetite; she ate a little fish, drank half a bowl of soup, and stopped.

The little round-faced child, however, was a little glutton. He leisurely ate more than half of the spirit-plant chicken and a good amount of the fish as well. When the little one was full, Rong Juan sent Qin Bi and the little round-faced child to sleep.

Rong Yuan flopped down and immediately began snoring loudly again. Qin Bi was also exhausted and fell asleep quickly.

Rong Juan reached out to tuck the quilt in, then got up and went to the study to eat. He also listened to Lin Yao and Guard Yan report on the situation in the small space of the Demon Beast Realm. It was very late before Rong Juan returned to the bedroom.

Early the next morning, Rong Juan did not call Rong Yuan to attend court with him.

Rong Yuan was still too young, only a little over half a year old. If Qin Bi were not accompanying him, the child should not be sent to the small space of the Demon Beast Realm for tempering so early. Nor should Qin Bi go, as she was pregnant.

The Heir Apparent's courtyard was very quiet. Qin Bi and the little round-faced child slept soundly, waking only at noon.

Qin Bi and Rong Yuan could enjoy the treatment of sleeping until they were full, but Qin Tang and the others could not. They moved, collected, organized, and counted the items brought back, working busily for several days in a row.

During this period, the collection teams sent out by other families also returned one after another.

The great cultivation families had larger harvests. Although this was a world dominated by fortune and luck, strength was still required. If one could not open the other small spaces of the Demon Beast Realm, even with good luck, one could not collect much.

After all, the teleportation array transported to a small space of the Demon Beast Realm that was nearly depleted.

Qin Lang, having some free time, came over to chat with Qin Bi. Lady Jiang came along as well. Since Qin Bi married, Lady Jiang and Qin Lang had visited the Rong Wang Fu the most, their relationship growing closer.

"The Cui family, the He family, and the Jiang family all had good harvests," Qin Lang listed, then said proudly: "But none of them gathered as many baskets as we did. It's a pity about that new small space of the Demon Beast Realm earlier; the items collected couldn't be brought out."

Lady Jiang, having heard the news, said dissatisfied: "What is going on with Qin He? She usually has such backbone; how can she still cling to the small space of the Demon Beast Realm opened by others, insisting it was she who opened it?"

Qin Bi actually knew the reason and smiled: "There are many things that go smoothly. Whenever something involves a bit of good luck, she thinks it is her doing. If you tell her Qin He didn't open it, she won't think that way."

"But she clearly wasn't in the same team as you," Lady Jiang said, choked with anger. "Just because of Qin He's troublemaking, that new small space of the Demon Beast Realm is gone. If this happened in our Jiang family, she would be made to kneel in the ancestral hall and have half her spiritual power stripped."

Qin Lang obviously understood this was impossible in the Marquis Qin Yan's residence: "It is not easy for our Marquis residence to produce a promising descendant."

Qin He had good fortune; the Marquis Qin Yan's residence would not punish her too severely.

They stopped discussing the matter. Lady Jiang beamed and said: "Qin Bi, this time the Rong Wang Fu has accumulated quite a substantial foundation for your child."

Thinking of the number of willow branches they had whittled, Qin Bi couldn't help but smile lightly. The baskets should be enough.