TL: Hua
Perhaps his heart had long been in disarray, but he was always reserved and knew how to conceal himself, even from his own perception.
When the young master looked up at him, his dark eyes were exceptionally clear, so clear that Yin Yanjun felt a slight awkwardness and helplessness.
Xu Yanqing didn’t take it seriously; he himself would occasionally space out during lectures in the past, so he generously explained everything again.
After finishing his explanation this time, he turned his head to look at Taoist Master Xuanchen. His mouth felt a little dry from talking so much, so Xu Yanqing unconsciously licked his lips: “Taoist Master, did you understand it this time?”
Yin Yanjun nodded, raised his hand, and poured a cup of warm water, offering it to the young master: “Have some water.”
Taoist Master Xuanchen truly was an expert at saving a salted fish. His meticulous care made Xu Yanqing a little flustered. Had he been taking the Taoist Master’s efforts for granted lately?
However, Taoist Master Xuanchen’s dignified and composed demeanor gave no clues, so the salted fish persisted for three seconds before giving up decisively. He was not good at reading people’s expressions, so he chose to play dead.
While the young master’s gaze fell upon him, Yin Yanjun lowered his eyes, holding a thin brush and meticulously outlining characters on the wooden blocks.
He didn’t look up. After a while, the young master had already shifted his gaze away from him. Only then did Yin Yanjun look up. The young master seemed tired now, sitting opposite him, propping his face with his hand, dozing off.
However, sleeping while kneeling was uncomfortable, so the young master changed his posture, tossing and turning but finding no comfort.
“If Young Master is tired, go rest for a bit. I’ll call you when all the characters are written,” the Taoist Master’s clear and gentle voice sounded in his ears.
The salted fish decisively abandoned the uncomfortable meditation cushion and nestled into the reclining chair. He also pulled up the small blanket covering him, making sure he was well covered to prevent his cold symptoms from worsening; otherwise, Mu Yu would keep nagging him.
Yin Yanjun worked quickly. In no time, he finished writing all the characters on the wooden blocks. Wen Jing knocked on the door and brought in the memorials from this period.
Placing the memorial on the desk, Yin Yanjun lowered his head to review it. With the senior officials of the Secretariat sitting in the capital and Prince Huai temporarily serving as regent, there won’t be too many problems.
However, for some important memorials, even Prince Huai dared not make arbitrary decisions. They could only be sent quickly by horse to Xu Family Village for the Emperor to decide and then quickly sent back to the capital.
Prince Huai had always been accustomed to his own free will. Now, being inexplicably placed in this regent position by the Emperor, he was unhappy everywhere.
When Yin Yuancheng finally returned to the capital, he was met not only by servants of the Grand Princess but also by a personal attendant of Prince Huai.
Handing the reins to the servant beside him, Yin Yuancheng frowned slightly and walked towards the Grand Princess’s Mansion.
“Mother, I’m back.” As he reached the main hall, he saw his mother having tea face-to-face with Prince Huai.
Prince Huai was quite well-behaved in front of the Grand Princess. After all, even His Majesty respected his elder sister greatly, so how dare a younger, illegitimate brother be presumptuous in front of his legitimate elder sister?
“Alright, the person you were waiting for is back. I won’t listen to your nonsense anymore.” The Grand Princess’s dignified and elegant face showed a hint of fatigue. She placed her teacup on the table and got up to leave.
Yin Yuancheng bowed to Prince Huai: “Yuancheng greets the Prince.”
Prince Huai quickly walked over and pulled up the bowing Yin Yuancheng: “Yuancheng, quickly come sit down and talk about what’s going on.”
His demeanor was as if he considered the Grand Princess’s residence his own prince mansion. After pouring tea and water for Yin Yuancheng, he finally revealed his purpose for the day: “Yuancheng, why didn’t His Majesty return with you?” Yin Yuancheng seemed to have guessed Prince Huai’s intention. He had been on a long journey and was exhausted by now, so he directly handed over the letter His Majesty had written to Prince Huai: “His Majesty has important matters at hand and may not be able to return to the capital for now, but His Majesty seems to have other instructions for Your Highness.”
As soon as Yin Yuancheng handed over the letter, Prince Huai could no longer sit still. He quickly rose and left the Grand Princess’s residence. That very day, cries of “Oh heavens, oh earth” echoed from Prince Huai’s study.
Consequently, in the following days, Prince Huai could only diligently and without complaint report to the Grand Secretariat on time.
After his duties, he would forcibly drag Yin Yuancheng to a wine shop to drink, trying to pry some information out of Yin Yuancheng. Unfortunately, the rascal personally trained by His Majesty had very tight lips.
Prince Huai returned sadly, dreaming of His Majesty’s swift return to the capital.
Meanwhile, Yin Yanjun himself had just finished reviewing a stack of memorials. Wen Jing took the memorials and left. The salted fish on the reclining chair also groggily opened his eyes.
“Awake?” Yin Yanjun slowly walked over and pulled back the quilt tightly wrapped around the young master: “Wrapped so tightly, aren’t you afraid of getting hot?”
The salted fish, not yet hot, blinked: “I dreamed I was tied up.” And in his dream, he was an even more listless salted fish than in reality, not even knowing how to escape when kidnapped, so he stayed tied up until he woke up.
That was truly a tragic dream. Yin Yanjun raised a finger and rubbed the young master’s cheek, which had marks from the reclining chair, then very naturally pulled his hand back: “Get up and walk a couple of steps. I’ve finished all those wooden blocks.”
The salted fish lazily got up, wanting to stretch. He looked down at his slightly protruding belly and forcibly changed his stretch into an arm exercise.
His demeanor was truly amusing. Yin Yanjun’s gaze towards the young master held a gentle warmth.
Much more awake, the salted fish knelt on the meditation cushion, gathered all the written wooden blocks in front of him, then skillfully assembled them. Finally, he presented them to Yin Yanjun, teaching him how to use this peculiar calendar.
Yin Yanjun was indeed very interested in the oddly shaped calendar. The young master was clearly a very intelligent fellow; if not for his lazy personality, he would certainly have found a place in court.
However, it was clear that the young master had no ambition for prominence, and the Marquis of Wu’an’s residence was enough to support him in his idleness.
“Young Master is very clever,” Yin Yanjun said, reaching out to fiddle with the wooden blocks that could rotate flexibly inside the wooden box.
“Does Taoist Master like this little gadget?” Xu Yanqing’s eyes held a hint of playful amusement, then he very generously said, “Then I’ll give this to Taoist Master.”
Although, this thing was originally made for Taoist Master Xuanchen anyway.
Yin Yanjun suddenly looked up at the exquisitely beautiful young master, whose eyes were curved into a smile. He sat quietly at the desk, his usually solemn and composed face now showing a faint smile.
Xu Yanqing propped his chin, thinking, it’s truly a shame. Everything about Taoist Master in this state perfectly suits his taste, but unfortunately, the other party is the emperor of Daliang. He and the lazy salted fish are destined not to be on the same path.
The lazy salted fish lamented the loss of such a perfectly suitable potential partner and ate an extra bun for dinner.
Qi Chen took his pulse as usual: “The fetus in the young master’s belly is currently growing, which is why the young master’s appetite has greatly increased. However, at present, it’s all within a controllable range, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
Yin Yanjun nodded with satisfaction. It was good that there were no problems, though the young master’s appetite was indeed exceptionally good today.
After the young master had digested his food while sitting in the chair for a while, he gently coaxed the other to stroll around the courtyard. This time, Yin Yanjun, fearing the young master would try to slack off again, directly held the young master’s hand. His eyelashes, however, trembled slightly, showing a hint of imperceptible embarrassment.
The salted fish was preoccupied with thinking of an excuse to walk fewer steps today and naturally didn’t notice the subtle change in Yin Yanjun’s expression.
Qi Chen held a cup of warm water mixed with fruit jam, sipping it idly. Mu Yu had gone to the kitchen to boil water; he still needed to prepare a bath for his young master later!
Beside him sat only the calm and composed Taoist Wen Jing, who hadn’t uttered a single word for a long time. Qi Chen turned to look and saw Wen Jing sitting there in a daze, lost in thought.
Qi Chen raised his hand and waved it in front of Wen Jing: “Taoist Master Wen Jing, what are you thinking about, so lost in thought?”
Wen Jing was startled by Qi Chen’s sudden voice, then looked at Qi Chen with a bewildered expression: “…Young Doctor Qi just said that Young Master Xu is pregnant?”
For a moment, Wen Jing even wondered if there was something wrong with his ears to hear such a shocking statement from Young Doctor Qi. But then he remembered that night when he had arrived late at Qingling Mountain and, acting on a momentary private impulse, let Young Master Xu enter His Majesty’s room. Then he began to hesitate.
He didn’t know what he was hesitating about. Young Master Xu was clearly a man, and how could a man become pregnant? So, he must have misheard. Perhaps Young Master Xu was just sick, which was why he moved to Xu Family Village to recuperate.
However, His Majesty’s decision to stay in Xu Family Village became difficult to explain. At first, he thought His Majesty had fallen in love with Young Master Xu, but now, looking at the way His Majesty and Young Master Xu interacted, although it was close, it probably hadn’t reached that level of deep intimacy.
If His Majesty stayed in Xu Family Village for three to five days for this reason, it could be explained, but now His Majesty showed no intention of leaving, which made it a bit difficult to guess.
Seeing Wen Jing’s desperate, collapsed expression, Qi Chen nodded very calmly: “What? Are you just finding out now?”
Qi Chen pondered for a moment: “That shouldn’t be right. Your Taoist Master is an expert in medicine himself. He knew about the young master carrying his child a long time ago. Why didn’t he reveal a single word to you?”
As the emperor’s personal eunuch, Wen Jing felt so sad he almost wanted to cry. He was no longer the emperor’s most trusted servant; His Majesty hadn’t even told him about such a significant matter as having a little prince. He was so upset.
However, Wen Jing’s heart was still somewhat complicated. The poison in His Majesty’s body prevented him from touching any women, and even His Majesty himself had prepared to select an heir from among the imperial clan’s children. How did Young Master Xu become pregnant with the imperial fetus despite being a man?
Finally, after thinking for a long time, Wen Jing secretly felt emotional, thinking perhaps it was because Young Master Xu had extraordinary abilities!
In the evening, Yin Yanjun sat at his desk transcribing scriptures, while Wen Jing knelt silently before the desk, grinding ink. He hesitantly lifted his head, then suddenly lowered it again.
Yin Yanjun dipped his brush in ink and continued writing: “If you have something to ask, ask away. Why are you so hesitant today?”
Wen Jing knelt rigidly before the desk: “Today… Young Doctor Qi said that Young Master Xu is pregnant with the imperial fetus?”
“Young Doctor Qi would only tell you that Young Master Xu is pregnant with my child.” Having finished writing the scripture, Yin Yanjun waited for the ink to dry, then lifted the paper and placed it in the wooden box beside him.
A hint of undisguised joy appeared in Wen Jing’s eyes: “So, Young Master Xu is indeed pregnant with Your Majesty’s child?”
“Recently, there have been more memorials sent from the capital. If I am tied up with other matters, you should find an opportunity to stay by his side.” Yin Yanjun didn’t answer Wen Jing’s question but simply raised his hand to take the memorials from the desk. It seemed Prince Huai had been pressed too hard by him, even sending such trivial matters to his desk.
Wen Jing nodded eagerly, every word filled with uncontrollable excitement: “Yes, this servant obeys.” Having a little prince, he was naturally overjoyed and wished he could go and stand guard by Young Master Xu’s side immediately, awaiting the birth of the little prince.
“Young Master moved from the capital to Xu Family Village to nurture the fetus, living a life of seclusion. He certainly doesn’t want too many people to know about his pregnancy. Even if you are to stay by his side, you must be discreet.” Yin Yanjun frowned slightly. As a man, carrying and giving birth to a child would surely be a considerable pressure on the young master. Wen Jing was a clever man. Having served Yin Yanjun for so many years, he naturally understood the emperor’s intentions perfectly: “Yes, Your Majesty, this servant understands.”
Their Majesty had suffered alone for half his life, never having even a confidant by his side, let alone a child. Now that Young Master Xu was pregnant, whether it was a little prince or princess, he felt he could die without regret. Why would he be talkative and annoy Young Master Xu?
Would Young Master Xu be annoyed about being pregnant as a man? In reality, the salted fish, aside from feeling he couldn’t fulfill the role of a father and his aversion to father-son relationships, simply didn’t care to think too much about anything else.
After all, the little bean was already in his belly. Instead of dwelling on pointless thoughts, it would be much more comfortable for the salted fish to just lie down and sleep.
The second time the weather was sunny, Xu Yanqing was coaxed by Mu Yu to drink a bowl of ginger-sugar water, and only then did he contentedly allow Mu Yu to move his reclining chair back outside.
Although he was also lying down indoors, the salted fish preferred staring at the clouds in the sky and basking in the warm sun.
However, today was an exception. Usually, Mu Yu would help Aunt Li with the kitchen chores, feed the chicks, and then sit under the eaves, watching over his young master.
But today, there was one more person sitting under the eaves. Their gaze would occasionally fall on him. The salted fish reluctantly opened his eyes to look. It was Wen Jing, the attendant who served Taoist Master Xuanchen.
The other party’s gaze held no malice, so the salted fish was too lazy to bother. He pulled up the small blanket covering him and lazily swayed in the reclining chair.
Young Master Xu lay languidly, and Wen Jing couldn’t approach to curry favor. So, he pulled the simple-minded Mu Yu beside him to chat quietly.
Mu Yu was naturally pure-hearted and never assumed malice from others. Plus, Wen Jing was a very smart person, so he soon extracted a lot of information regarding Young Master Xu’s preferences from Mu Yu.
Thinking about the key points he had just gathered, Wen Jing already had an idea. Young Master Xu liked reading strange storybooks, so he would immediately order someone to find them; Young Master Xu liked lying down, so he would find craftsmen to make more exquisite and comfortable reclining chairs; Young Master Xu had a strong appetite—that was even simpler. The imperial palace housed the best chefs in the world, so he could ask His Majesty for permission to have an imperial chef stationed in the courtyard.
Mu Yu didn’t notice Wen Jing’s sudden distraction. His attention was entirely on his young master. Suddenly, he stood up and pattered over to Xu Yanqing: “Young master, you seem to have grown taller?” He felt that the young master’s clothes seemed a little shorter than before.
Xu Yanqing wasn’t asleep at the moment; he was staring at the sky with open eyes. Hearing this, he gave Mu Yu a look that said, “You’re so boring,” then perfunctorily blinked his eyes: “Perhaps it’s because I’ve gotten fatter, so my clothes got stretched shorter!”
Mu Yu, however, firmly believed that his young master must have grown taller and even pulled over Wen Jing, who was watching the show: “Taoist Master Wen Jing, come and see, I think Young Master has grown taller.”
Wen Jing chuckled, “Indeed, I’ve heard that some people grow during pregnancy. Perhaps Young Master really has grown taller.”
The lazy salted fish, who had no particular desire for height, glanced at Wen Jing, then nodded boredly at the foolish Mu Yu: “Oh, well, maybe I did grow a little bit.”
“Why are you all gathered together? What are you talking about?” Qi Chen mysteriously emerged from the room, holding a long silk ribbon, though its purpose was unclear.
Mu Yu: “We’re talking about Young Master growing taller.” In the past, his young master was much shorter than the prince of Marquis Wu’an, so he would get particularly excited every time he grew a little. Now that he was pregnant, he had no interest in growing taller at all.
Xu Yanqing wasn’t interested, but Qi Chen eagerly rushed over, insisting that Xu Yanqing stand up and compare heights with him: “Just once, just once. We used to be about the same height. If we compare, we’ll know if Young Master has grown taller.”
Under Qi Chen’s expectant gaze, the lazy salted fish reluctantly stood up back-to-back with him. Qi Chen excitedly called Mu Yu to measure their heads. Mu Yu went up to measure, then excitedly exclaimed, “Young Master really has grown taller! He’s even a bit taller than Young Doctor Qi now!”
After comparing heights, the salted fish curled back into his reclining chair, but Qi Chen’s face was crestfallen: “Oh, why don’t I also grow taller?” Young Doctor Qi was full of resentment.
“Find a man, get pregnant with his child, and maybe you’ll grow taller,” Xu Yanqing said, rubbing his chin. Was this his personal experience speaking? Qi Chen’s face showed fear, and he waved his hands repeatedly. That scene was too beautiful for him to even imagine: “Forget it, I think my current height is just fine.” As for having children, please, banish that thought from his mind.
Wen Jing immediately looked at Xu Yanqing’s expression cautiously, fearing that Young Master Xu would be uncomfortable hearing that. Who knew Young Master Xu was not angry at all but instead gave Qi Chen some suggestions with great interest: “Then you can buy a milk-producing cow. Drinking a glass of milk every day may help you grow taller.”
Qi Chen thought for a moment, “That’s a good idea. We could raise a dairy cow. After all, you need to nourish your body.”
The salted fish politely declined, “I don’t drink milk; it makes me sick.” He really disliked anything with a strong, fishy smell.
Mu Yu nodded emphatically, “Exactly, exactly! Young Master can’t drink milk.”
Xu Yanqing blinked. He was allergic to milk in his previous life, and he didn’t expect his current body to also be unable to drink milk. What a coincidence!
Wen Jing, who was standing by, silently made a mental note: Young Master Xu can’t drink milk. I must pay more attention to this in the future. Perhaps the little prince will inherit this trait from Young Master Xu and also be unable to drink milk!
“Then never mind. It’s not worth buying a whole cow just for me to drink from. They’re stinky and a lot of trouble to take care of.” Qi Chen tugged at the silk ribbon in his hand, finally remembering what he was supposed to do.
He had Xu Yanqing, who was lying on the reclining chair, sit up slightly, then took the long silk ribbon and measured around the widest part of Xu Yanqing’s abdomen, making a mark.
“Young Doctor Qi, what are you doing?” Wen Jing asked curiously.
Qi Chen held up the silk ribbon for him to see and explained, “Logically speaking, a man’s body cannot conceive. Even if it did, the fetus wouldn’t be sustained. But now, Young Master’s fetus is already five months old, which proves that his body, like a woman’s, has a place to nurture a child. However, a man’s body is ultimately not as robust as a woman’s, so we need to pay extra attention to the size of the fetus.”
Qi Chen’s words were quite vague. As a Taoist Master, Wen Jing was a monastic and perhaps a bit thin-skinned.
“If the fetus grows too large, it will increase the risk of difficult labor. Now that the young master has passed the morning sickness phase and has a big appetite, we need to be careful about how much extra food we feed him beyond his three meals a day.” Everyone in the room had seen Xu Yanqing’s morning sickness, and now they desperately wanted him to eat more, so Qi Chen felt he had to make things clear in advance.
Mu Yu nodded repeatedly, “Good, I’ll keep a close eye on the young master and won’t let him eat indiscriminately.” Compared to the little young master in the young master’s belly, Mu Yu felt his own young master was more important. If the little young master was a bit thin, then so be it. They could supplement him after he was born.
Wen Jing naturally understood this principle and nodded very carefully. He thought of Aunt Li, who served in the kitchen, and felt that bringing a cook from the palace was definitely feasible, and it would be even better if they could also bring a midwife.
However, this courtyard seemed a bit small and might not be able to accommodate so many people. So, after everyone dispersed, Wen Jing went and knocked on the emperor’s door.
“Your Majesty, Young Master Xu is now burdened with children. Should we send a cook and a midwife from the capital?” Wen Jing knelt before the desk.
The memorials sent today were about the same amount as yesterday, presumably because Prince Huai was afraid of angering the emperor, so he wisely knew when to stop.
Emperor Yanjun, engrossed in reviewing the memorials on his desk, didn’t even lift his head. “I’ve already asked the Grand Princess to find people. You don’t need to worry about this matter.”
Wen Jing breathed a sigh of relief. He had been so worried that he’d lost his composure. The emperor had abandoned state affairs to stay long-term in Xu Family Village for Young Master Xu’s sake, so he would surely arrange everything for Young Master Xu meticulously.
The Grand Princess, who had received the Emperor’s secret letter, was somewhat puzzled; thus, she quickly sent a maid to summon her son, who was busy in his study.
“Before you returned to the capital, did His Majesty give you any other instructions?” The Grand Princess’s noble brows furrowed slightly.
Yin Yuancheng’s tired eyes widened: Mother, why are you also starting to interrogate me, both openly and subtly?
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