TL: Hua
Chapter 57
After court, Yin Yanjun went directly to the side hall. The little cub was currently in his cradle, entertaining himself after feeding, while Xu Yanqing sat beside him, happily eating a bun.
After drinking nourishing soups for several days straight, Xu Yanqing had reached the point where the mere sight of soup made him nauseous. Fortunately, Aunt Zhao knew the young master’s foodie nature and specifically visited Hanliang Palace to ask what he wanted to eat.
“Taoist master, come and try this. Aunt Zhao made her specialty steamed buns with preserved vegetables and pork belly today.” The foodie young master’s face was practically overflowing with grease from eating.
Yin Yanjun bent down, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped away the grease from the young master’s face. “Your body is still weak right now. Eat fewer buns with preserved vegetables.”
“Mm-hmm, I know,” the young master blinked slowly and nodded obediently, diligently following medical advice. He quickly finished the remaining half of the bun in his hand, then reached out to pull Yin Yanjun to sit down, pushing all the remaining buns with preserved vegetables and pork belly towards Yin Yanjun. He then obediently drank the chicken congee in front of him.
Yin Yanjun unhurriedly ate the bun. “Imperial mother has sent an imperial decree to Marquis Wu’an’s residence. Madam Wu’an should be coming to the palace today to visit you.”
After drinking a bowl of hot congee, Xu Yanqing felt warm all over, and his stomach didn’t hurt as much. He nodded upon hearing this. “Although we sent a message to Father and Mother as soon as the little cub was born, I’m afraid they are still worried.”
As winter approached, various matters concerning snow disaster prevention needed to be arranged as quickly as possible. Therefore, after Yin Yanjun finished his early meal and spent some time with the young master in Hanliang Palace, Wen Jing invited him to the Imperial Study.
The weather was getting colder by the day. Xu Yanqing’s reclining chair was covered with a thick blanket, making it soft and very comfortable to lie on.
Mu Yu pushed the little prince’s cradle in front of his young master. Since the young master looked bored anyway, it was better to play with the little prince to pass the time.
Xu Yanqing stared at the little cub in the cradle, his face full of confusion. “I heard that most newborns just sleep all the time. Why is he so energetic?”
“Children are different from one another, and the little prince just woke up, so he’s full of energy. Perhaps he’ll fall asleep again after playing for a bit,” Mu Yu chuckled as he looked at the little prince in the cradle. In terms of spirit and energy, the little prince definitely took after the emperor. If he were like his young master, he’d probably sleep all day and night.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yanqing slowly sat up from the reclining chair, brought his fluffy head close to the cradle, stared at the little cub with his big, watery eyes, and then playfully poked the cradle. The cradle rocked slightly.
The little cub nestled in the cradle played with his father for a while, and sure enough, he yawned widely, slowly closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
Alright, Xu Yanqing returned to his reclining chair with diminished interest, wrapped himself in a small blanket, and continued reading his novel.
Children spend all day eating and sleeping. At this moment, Xu Yanqing no longer disliked the cub for being too energetic. To prevent the cub from getting noisy when he woke up, he simply waved his hand and told Mu Yu to take the cub inside to sleep.
When the Empress Dowager entered with Lady Su, she saw the salted fish young master alone in the reclining chair, flipping through a novel, occasionally stroking his chin, looking utterly absorbed.
“Cough, cough, cough…” Lady Su covertly glanced at the Empress Dowager’s expression. Thinking of the emperor’s dignified and noble demeanor and then looking at her silly son’s lazy posture, Lady Su inexplicably felt an urge to raise her hand and hit him.
The languid young master seemed to receive some special signal. The next moment, he decisively put down the novel and obediently sat up from the reclining chair, raising his face with a chuckle: “Your Majesty, Mother, you’re here!”
Since the Empress Dowager was standing there, Lady Su didn’t feel comfortable pulling her silly son’s ear and scolding him. She could only force a smile and pretend to be gentle. “How many times have I told you to stand properly when you stand and sit properly when you sit? This child just never remembers.”
The Empress Dowager smiled knowingly and sat down in a chair with Lady Su. “Ah Qing has always had this temperament. In Hanliang Palace, it’s either the emperor or Ah Qing, so naturally, he does whatever makes him comfortable.”
The Empress Dowager was worried that Lady Su might have something to say to the young master and would feel uncomfortable speaking if she remained seated. Therefore, she chatted for a while, then excused herself, citing fatigue, and returned to Yunhe Palace to rest.
In reality, it was indeed so. The Empress Dowager had resided deep in the palace for many years without showing herself, nor had she ever issued an imperial decree summoning any noblewoman to the palace for conversation. Therefore, the last time Lady Su saw the Empress Dowager was before the emperor ascended the throne.
She was really restrained. Only when the Empress Dowager left did Lady Su finally relax. She reached out and touched her silly son’s chubby cheek. “When you sent a message through the eunuch that you had safely given birth to the child, your father and I were still not very at ease. Now that I see you well, my heart finally doesn’t have to be constantly hanging.”
“Mother.” The young master playfully rubbed his face against Lady Su’s hand. The reason he hadn’t allowed his father and mother to enter the palace before was because his abdominal wound hadn’t healed yet. He was afraid they would be sad to see it.
So, it wasn’t until four or five days later, when the wound gradually healed, that he dared to let them enter the palace.
“You have a child of your own now; how are you still like a little child?” Lady Su naturally understood her silly son’s intentions. A glimmer of tears subtly flashed in her gentle eyes. She didn’t make a fuss about wanting to see her son’s abdominal wound, fearing she wouldn’t be able to hold back her tears in front of him. She could only reach out and pinch her son’s cheek again.
Xu Yanqing opened his arms and embraced Lady Su, gently patting her back with one hand. “Don’t worry, Mother, I’m fine now!”
In his previous life, Xu Yanqing’s family ties were difficult. In this life, he cherished not only his hard-won life but also his hard-won parents and family ties. He couldn’t bear to see Lady Su shed tears for him, nor could he bear to see his father and older brother constantly worried about him.
“It’s good that you’re alright, it’s good that you’re alright,” Lady Su tilted her head slightly to prevent the warm tears from falling. After a moment, she finally released her son. “By the way, where’s the child?”
“Sleeping inside. All he does is eat and sleep, and he looks ugly. I’m afraid Mother will be sad to see him,” Xu Yanqing couldn’t help but click his tongue, deeply sighing.
Reaching out to gently poke her son’s face, Lady Su chuckled, “I’m afraid the little prince’s boundless energy will give you a headache. Right now, children are growing their bodies, so eating and sleeping more is a good thing.”
Xu Yanqing was always informal in front of Lady Su, lying back down like a boneless person and saying, “I’m so envious. I also want to just lie around, eat, drink, and sleep.”
“What’s the difference between your life in the palace and a child in swaddling clothes? I’m afraid you don’t even have the skill to coax a child.” Lady Su smiled helplessly, gently patting her son’s arm. “Your abdominal wound has healed now. I specifically asked Doctor Qi, and he said that now is a good time for your body to recover. You absolutely must not be as lazy as before. Walk more and move more every day, and your body will recover better.”
“Sigh, before having a child, I had to walk around every day, and after having a child, I still have to do all sorts of body recovery exercises every day. Mother, it must have been truly hard for you to carry both me and my older brother,” the salted fish young master sighed dramatically, finally bringing a smile to Lady Su’s face.
These words were not Xu Yanqing deliberately trying to please Lady Su. After having a child with a C-section, Xu Yanqing still didn’t understand the joy of women carrying a child for ten months and becoming a mother.
But he understood the hardship involved, so in his heart, he had slowly reconciled with himself and with his mother from his previous life.
His mother was not a good mother, and perhaps he was not a good son. Living again, Xu Yanqing didn’t want those memories from his previous life to affect his current life anymore.
When Yin Yanjun entered Hanliang Palace with Marquis Wu’an and Xu Xianzhi, the little cub, who had been in a deep sleep, finally woke up. The wet nurse fed the little prince milk and then brought him before everyone.
Lady Su took the little prince from the wet nurse’s arms, raised a finger to tease him twice, and the little prince laughed happily. His appearance was very pleasing. Lady Su glared at her son, dissatisfied, and playfully chided, “The little prince looks absolutely beautiful. How could you, as his father, say your own son is ugly?”
The despondent salted fish blinked innocently, then pulled Yin Yanjun, who had walked to his side. “But the little cub was really ugly when he was just born, right, Taoist master!”
Yin Yanjun indulged him with a nod, a faint smile gracing his handsome brows. “You’re right.”
Lady Su glared at her son, then looked at the emperor, who was spoiling her son completely. She turned her head, holding the little prince, and spoke to Marquis Wu’an, “Marquis, look, doesn’t the little prince look like Ah Qing when he was little?”
Marquis Wu’an, who was secretly doting on the little prince, was suddenly mentioned. He awkwardly leaned closer to his wife, his gaze falling on the little prince’s pink and adorable little face. He scrutinized it quite seriously, then shook his head with some frustration. “Not like Ah Qing. His brow, however, is very similar to His Majesty’s.”
The little prince had grown a bit in the past few days. His wrinkled face had become smooth and delicate. Except for his round eyes, which were very much like the young master’s, everything else seemed to be growing in the mold of his imperial father.
Xu Xianzhi also secretly leaned in, feeling the same as his father. Although he didn’t get a little nephew who looked exactly like his younger brother, the little prince was his younger brother’s hard-won little cub, so he naturally doted on him immensely.
The little prince laughed so happily while being teased by his maternal grandfather and grandmother. Soon after, his little head began to turn left and right, and when he spotted his imperial father, he started babbling again.
Lady Su smiled at the sight and gently handed the little prince to the emperor.
Yin Yanjun’s expression remained as calm and distant as ever, but Lady Su clearly saw that he held the child with great familiarity. The little prince immediately settled down in his imperial father’s embrace.
Xu Yanqing watched with his eyes curved into crescents. As he had expected, the Taoist master was definitely a very competent father, which meant he could openly continue his salted fish life.
Lady Su immediately shot him a cold glare. The salted fish instantly sat up straight, feigning a vibrant and energetic appearance.
Although the little prince adored his imperial father, he clearly preferred his salted fish father. After being placed back in the cradle by his imperial father, he started babbling again, staring at his other father.
Xu Yanqing pulled out his hair tie and dangled it back and forth in front of the little cub’s eyes. The cub, swaddled and unable to move his limbs, followed the hair tie with his big, watery eyes, turning them left and right.
Lady Su had personally made many small clothes for children, using the softest fabric. They were smooth and plain, without any patterns, and looked very comfortable.
“After some time, don’t swaddle the little prince anymore. It’s not good for a child’s body.” Lady Su handed the small clothes to Mu Yu, telling him to put them away.
The family had lunch in the palace while the little prince was fed milk and fell asleep again. Xu Yanqing took a nap with him, and then Marquis Wu’an’s family finally left the palace.
When Xu Yanqing woke up, the Taoist master was sleeping beside him with his eyes closed, and the little cub was soundly asleep in his cradle.
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