TL: Hua
The little prince fell asleep not long after feeding. When Yin Yanjun walked into the side hall, the empress dowager was sitting beside the bed, watching over her little grandson, who had just fallen asleep.
Upon seeing her son enter, the Empress Dowager was startled. Mindful of her peacefully sleeping grandson on the bed, she lowered her voice and looked strangely at Yin Yanjun’s face: “Your Majesty, why did you suddenly decide to shave?” Having grown accustomed to her son with a beard, the Empress Dowager found him awkward to look at now.
Yin Yanjun calmly replied, “It was too much trouble, so I just shaved it all off when I trimmed it.”
“Come quickly and see your son.” The Empress Dowager no longer dwelled on the shaving matter. She beckoned Yin Yanjun closer: “The child is too small now to tell who he resembles, but since both you and Ah Qing are good-looking, my little grandson will surely be a beautiful child.”
Yin Yanjun’s gaze fell upon the sleeping little one. This was the child the young master had painstakingly given birth to for him. His heart swelled with joy, and his usual solemn detachment faded somewhat from his face: “Mother, he is a boy; he doesn’t need a pretty face.”
However, even if he didn’t need to be very pretty, the little cub’s reddish, wrinkled face looked somewhat… unbearable to behold. He feared the young master would dislike the child immensely upon seeing him.
Seeing the meaning in Yin Yanjun’s eyes, the Empress Dowager smiled: “Don’t overthink it; all babies are like this when they’re just born. And it’s rare for a baby to have such dark, thick hair right after birth. When the child grows up, he certainly won’t embarrass you.”
Yin Yanjun’s eyes held a hint of a smile: “Qingqing should be waking up. I’ll take the child over for him to see.”
Holding a baby was no easy task, especially a newborn like the little one. The Empress Dowager saw that Yin Yanjun’s way of holding the baby was truly awkward, so she eventually waved her hand and had the wet nurse bring the child to the young master’s bedside next door.
Perhaps sensing his father’s scent, the little one wiggled his small hands and slept more soundly. Yin Yanjun sat by the bed, looking at the sleeping father and son, his eyes overflowing with deep affection.
Wen Jing, who had been guarding the young master in the birthing room, now saw the little master, and the smile on his face hadn’t faded. He happily gazed at the little master’s sleeping face, wishing he could run out and cheer loudly.
Xu Yanqing slept until Shen period[mfn]3-5 PM[/mfn] before finally waking up. Winter days were short, so when he groggily opened his eyes, the room was already lit. He turned his head and saw a small baby placed on the inner side of the bed.
Before he even felt the slightest bit of fatherly affection, the disgust on young master Xu’s face was already evident. He had thought that with a beauty like the Taoist Master, the child born would also be a beautiful and delicate little baby.
The next second, Xu Yanqing somewhat doubtfully raised his hand and touched his own chubby face. Could it be that he was too ordinary-looking, thus dragging down the Taoist Master’s genetic level?
The little baby on the bed also woke up, half-opening his eyes, completely unaware of his father’s disdainful expression. He opened his mouth and excitedly cooed a couple of times.
Xu Yanqing’s abdominal wound still hurt badly. His round, wide eyes gazed at the little one with much struggle. He opened his mouth and said, “Stop calling out; you’re too noisy.”
The little one looked bewildered, glancing in the direction of the sound, but he stopped his “ah-ah-ah” babbling.
“Young master is awake!” Mu Yu, who was guarding nearby, heard the sound and looked up to see the father and son on the bed staring at each other.
Waving his hand, Mu Yu called a palace attendant: “Go report to the Emperor and tell him the young master is awake.”
After Mu Yu finished speaking with the palace attendant, he turned his head and saw his young master raising a finger to poke the little prince’s wrinkled face.
“Uh…” Indeed, he truly was his young master. After witnessing countless times of his young master teasing Ah Ning, Mu Yu now actually had a calm demeanor. So, was teasing his own cub more interesting for the young master?
—
The officials who had entered the Imperial Study to discuss matters, after paying their respects, looked up and discovered that the Emperor had actually shaved. They exchanged glances, shock evident in their eyes.
However, shock was just shock. The Emperor simply shaving was not a big deal. The group of officials naturally wouldn’t waste time on this matter and immediately turned to discuss serious matters.
But as they continued talking, these officials discovered something even stranger: the Emperor was distracted today.
Today should have been a day for a routine court assembly, but the Emperor had dismissed court this morning and called the ministers into the palace for a discussion after lunch, which was already odd. Yet, the Emperor was clearly absent-minded during the discussion.
This was unprecedented since the Emperor’s ascension. So, the ministers exchanged glances, and finally, Chief Grand Secretary Gao stepped forward: “Your Majesty seems troubled. Is your health unwell?”
Yin Yanjun calmly looked up. Just as he was about to speak, Wen Jing walked in from outside and whispered something into his ear.
“I caught a chill last night and indeed lack energy. Let’s stop here for today.” With that, Yin Yanjun calmly rose and walked out of the Imperial Study, leaving the ministers behind for the first time.
When Yin Yanjun rushed to the side hall, Imperial Physician Han was examining the young master’s pulse. Due to the “cesarean section,” there were many post-operative precautions, so Imperial Physician Han spoke while Qi Chen recorded.
The little cub was held by the wet nurse to be fed and then placed back on the young master’s bed. Listening to Imperial Physician Han’s voice, the little cub rubbed his small head back and forth in his swaddling clothes.
This scene, in the eyes of the salted fish, had a somewhat ugly-cute quality.
“Although his hair is quite thick and he’s likely not going to be bald when he grows up, he’s just too ugly like this.” The young master didn’t want to deceive himself; ugly-cute was still a form of ugliness, which couldn’t be refuted.
Yin Yanjun walked into the hall, just in time to hear the young master’s words, and a smile flickered in his eyes: “Imperial Mother said all newborn babies are like this. They’ll look much better after the redness on their face fades and they grow a bit more.”
“Will he really? What if he doesn’t change back? What if he becomes a little old man at a young age?” The young master furrowed his brow, raising his hand to poke the little cub’s swaddling clothes again. Without looking up at the Taoist Master, he continued, “If he really doesn’t grow to be handsome, he can’t call me ‘father.’ I can only accept him calling me ‘Older Brother.'”
The young master completely disregarded the idea of a lowered seniority. The little cub, nestled in his swaddling clothes, watched his “father” with half-open eyes, babbling happily to himself.
Imperial Physician Han had previously checked the young master’s abdominal wound, and there were no signs of bleeding. He left replacement medicine for Qi Chen and then retired to rest, planning to switch with Qi Chen tomorrow.
With the Emperor now in the side hall, Qi Chen and the others exchanged glances and quietly retreated outside the side hall.
“The little cub doesn’t resemble Taoist Master at all,” Xu Yanqing sighed regretfully. Then, he looked up, his gaze finally falling on the Taoist Master sitting by the bed.
His large eyes instantly became even brighter. The self-proclaimed “hooligan” young master was truly stunned. He raised his hand and crooked a finger at the Taoist Master.
As the Taoist Master slowly leaned closer, the young master rubbed his thumb back and forth on the Taoist Master’s clean chin: “Taoist Master, in this appearance, truly makes one unable to control their emotions.”
Indeed, even an immortal as pure as the bright moon in a clear breeze had moments of noble allure. This beauty, regardless of gender, was captivating. Xu Yanqing’s lips curved into a joyful smile. Anyway, the Taoist Master was his now.
Yin Yanjun’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and he shifted his body slightly. The young master’s thumb landed on his lips: “Are you happy now, Qingqing?” He had shaved not for his looks, but merely to please the young master. Naturally, he needed the young master to be happy.
Xu Yanqing’s eyes curved like crescent moons. He hooked the Taoist Master’s chin and whispered softly, “Of course I’m happy. If I still had any complaints about such a beauty as Taoist Master, wouldn’t I be too insensitive?”
The young master, who was usually rather dull when it came to matters of affection, was now expressing his feelings very directly. The smile in Yin Yanjun’s eyes deepened a little. He held the young master’s hand in his palm: “Does your belly still hurt?”
“With such a big incision on my belly, it’s impossible for it not to hurt,” the young master pouted unceremoniously, turning his head to glare indignantly at the self-amused little cub: “If this little cub isn’t obedient in the future, I will definitely give him countless beatings.”
Alright, the little prince’s dear father was already showing signs of being a strict parent. The little cub remained completely oblivious, playing and then suddenly calling out “yiyi.” The salted fish was too lazy to bother with him, so the little cub pouted and started crying.
The next second, the salted fish young master smelled a very unpleasant odor and quickly patted the Taoist Master’s hand: “It’s over, it’s over! Taoist Master, quickly have someone take this stinky cub away; he really stinks!”
The young master’s expression was truly one of immense pain. Yin Yanjun quickly raised his hand to pick up the little cub from the bed. Hearing the commotion, the wet nurse waiting outside quickly entered.
“Babies usually defecate within the first five hours after birth,” the Empress Dowager said, fully refreshed after her nap, walking into the side hall. She couldn’t help but laugh at the young master’s disgusted expression.
The wet nurse was very efficient, helping the little prince change his diaper, clean himself, and re-swaddle him. The Empress Dowager raised her hand to embrace her little grandson and couldn’t help but look up at Yin Yanjun: “Has Your Majesty given the child a name?”
Xu Yanqing was always very casual. Before the birth, he kept calling him “little bean,” and now that he was born, “little bean” turned into “little cub.” Such informal names were harmless for private use, but as this was the emperor’s first child, he needed a name to be recorded in the family registry.
Yin Yanjun gently squeezed the young master’s soft finger pad and calmly said, “Let’s call him Yin Yuanchen.”
“Chen means precious jade and noble,” the Empress Dowager said, gently rocking the little prince in her arms. “It’s a good name. Our little prince now has a name, Yuanchen. Our little prince is called Yin Yuanchen.”
Xu Yanqing raised an eyebrow. The name wasn’t that important anyway. The little cub was so tiny now that he couldn’t appreciate whether a name sounded good or not. So, in his heart, the young master continued to call him “little cub.”
However, for the Empress Dowager to ask casually and for the Taoist Master to answer so readily, it seemed he had secretly been pondering the little cub’s name for a long time.
He couldn’t help but raise his hand and pinch the Taoist Master’s fingerpad in return. The salted fish young master’s face was full of playful teasing: “How long have you been thinking about this name for the little cub?”
Yin Yanjun was a bit embarrassed. Under the young master’s fervent gaze, he slowly began, “It started when we were staying in Xu Family Village.”
When he was briefly staying in Xu Family Village, Yin Yanjun had ordered Wen Jing to find many ancient texts, precisely to choose a suitable name for the child from them. He selected single characters, filling four or five sheets of paper, and in the end, he settled on the character “Chen.”
It was truly captivating. Xu Yanqing already particularly loved the Taoist Master’s embarrassed demeanor when teased by him. Now that the Taoist Master had shaved his beard and showed such bashfulness on his face, it made his little heart pound even more.
The Empress Dowager secretly glanced at the two of them and couldn’t help but curve her lips, continuing to gently sway the little cub in her arms.
On the first night after giving birth, Xu Yanqing was uncomfortable and only drank a bowl of nourishing soup before going to sleep. The little cub was initially coaxed to sleep by the wet nurse but soon woke up crying. The three wet nurses took turns, but nothing worked.
Finally, having no other choice, the wet nurse bravely brought the little prince into the side hall.
The young master was already asleep. Yin Yanjun took the little cub from the wet nurse’s arms. The whimpering, endlessly crying little cub, still sobbing in his imperial father’s embrace, had teary, half-open eyes.
Taking a soft cloth to wipe away the little cub’s tears, Yin Yanjun coaxed him for a while and then placed the little cub in the bed.
Perhaps sensing his father’s scent, the little cub whimpered twice and stopped his continuous sobbing.
Due to the abdominal wound, the young master’s sleeping posture was unusually still at night, so he didn’t touch the little cub inside. Even when the wet nurse came at night to feed the little cub, she didn’t wake the sleeping young master.
This continued for four or five days. Xu Yanqing had grown accustomed to waking up to a happy little baby looking at him.
The abdominal wound, thanks to the imperial secret medicine, healed quickly. At the very least, the young master could slowly get out of bed and walk a few laps with the Taoist Master’s help.
However, the young master didn’t make it easy for Yin Yanjun the first time he got out of bed after his wound healed. The freshly healed wound already had a dull ache, and any slight movement would clearly cause him discomfort.
Yin Yanjun, without relying on any other servants, patiently helped the young master get out of bed bit by bit, gently wiping away the tears that welled up on the young master’s face due to the pain.
Recalling these moments, Xu Yanqing’s lips couldn’t help but curve slightly. He sat up on the bed and reached out to poke the little cub whose eyes sparkled like black grapes: “You seem to have changed a bit, not as ugly as before.”
The little cub was entirely swaddled, so he wasn’t as agile as his father. He swayed back and forth from his father’s poking, thinking his father was playing with him, and so he giggled happily.
A cub only four or five days old naturally had no teeth, so when he smiled, his mouth opened wide, looking both silly and adorable, truly heart-melting.
Mu Yu cheerfully entered with a basin of water to attend to his young master’s washing. Hearing the young master’s words, he couldn’t help but laugh: “Our little prince’s appearance is considered top-notch among newborns. He must take after you, young master.”
Xu Yanqing rested his chin on his hand, still hoping the little cub would resemble the Taoist Master more. That way, perhaps if the little cub ever acted mischievously in the future, he could go easier on him for the sake of that face.
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Obrigada pela tradução 💞🥰😘