Pregnant Salted Fish Chapter 59

Posted by April Fox, ? Views, Released on July 14, 2025

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TL: Hua

Yin Yanjun slowly raised his hand and placed it on Xu Yanqing’s, habitually kneading the young master’s soft palm. “Are you bored staying in the Imperial Study?”

“Not at all; after all, Taoist master is quite the sight to behold when handling state affairs,” Xu Yanqing playfully raised an eyebrow, a lively and bright smile donning his exquisite face.

After ten months of pregnancy, the young master’s height seemed to have grown a little more. Young Imperial Doctor Qi ruthlessly teased him about a second growth spurt. Xu Yanqing, with his lazy attitude, took it as Qi Chen’s envy and jealousy of his increased height.

Currently, Xu Yanqing was wearing the winter clothes that had just arrived from the Imperial Garment Bureau. Since winter had only recently begun, the brocade robes were not overly thick.

Mu Yu had quietly retreated at some point. Yin Yanjun gently pulled a chair and sat beside the young master, still holding the storybook the young master had been reading.

The dignified and authoritative emperor opened the storybook in his hand and slowly began to read. The content of the storybook was a bit melodramatic and taboo beyond worldly conventions, but when read slowly by Yin Yanjun, it took on a nuanced and indefinable charm.

Xu Yanqing lazily nestled back into the reclining chair, propping his chin, his gaze intensely fixed on Taoist master’s handsome and ethereal face. Indeed, although he usually had a lazy attitude, his taste was very sharp and precise, which was why he could find a beauty like Taoist master.

Yin Yanjun’s eyelashes fluttered gently. It seemed that no matter how much time passed, the young master’s intense gaze still stirred a strange flutter in him. His earlobes faintly flushed, yet he didn’t stop speaking, continuing to slowly narrate the story from the book.

Xu Yanqing accompanied Taoist master to the Imperial Study for five consecutive days. During this time, a few individual officials had seen the young master behind the screen and couldn’t help but secretly ponder that the emperor indeed seemed to have fallen in love; otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought the pregnant noble to the Imperial Study.

Xu Yanqing, who had already given birth to the little cub, did not know the thoughts of those officials. He had spent these past few days very carefree and happy. Taoist master’s bookshelf contained quite a few strange storybooks, which bore faint traces of dust from being cleaned.

Xu Yanqing guessed that those storybooks had probably been placed in the Imperial Study a long time ago, but Taoist master hadn’t discovered them and therefore hadn’t ordered the palace attendants to dispose of them. Now, it had unexpectedly fulfilled the salted fish young master’s deep obsession with storybooks.

Yin Yanjun indulged the young master, his handsome eyes filled with gentle affection. The officials couldn’t clearly see the expression on the emperor’s face, but the lingering atmosphere was unmistakable, needing no words.

A few days later, the ministers once again heard the sound of a rattle drum in the Imperial Study, as if someone was coaxing a child behind the screen, with occasional cooing sounds from the child.

The ministers looked bewildered, only to see the emperor’s expression remain as normal. However, after that, the emperor openly brought the child out from behind the screen.

The soft and tender little child was adorable, but due to his young age, he mostly spent his time soundly asleep in the cradle.

Only once or twice did a group of ministers see the child fussing, and the emperor merely glanced at him indifferently, then put down his official duties and turned to pick up the child from the cradle.

All the ministers remarked that the emperor held the child with great seriousness and familiarity, appearing even gentler than those who already had children and grandchildren at home.

The child was too young to tell if he resembled the emperor just by looking at him, but he clearly seemed very attached to the emperor. He had just been fussing in the cradle, but as soon as he was in the emperor’s arms, he quieted down within moments. His chubby little hands clutched the emperor’s robe, and he slept even more soundly than before.

The noble behind the screen never showed any intention of coming out to soothe the child, simply letting the child cling to the emperor.

Thus, the news of the emperor having an imperial heir spread like wildfire throughout the court. As for the identity of the noble by the emperor’s side, very few people knew the truth.

Just as the court officials were speculating about the noble’s identity, Xu Yanqing had already begun pulling Mu Yu and Qi Chen to pack his belongings for leaving the palace.

Of course, the salted fish young master naturally wouldn’t lift a finger to pack his luggage. He merely pulled Qi Chen to sit beside the wooden box and helped the palace attendants fold clothes.

Neither of the two could fold clothes properly. They either left them crooked and messy or folded them in an unsightly manner, which angered the honest Mu Yu, who directly shooed them aside to stay put obediently.

Learning that Young Master Xu was moving back to Marquis Wu’an’s residence, Yin Yuancheng had sent a message to the palace two days prior, saying that after Xu Yanqing returned to the marquis’s residence, they would all go to the estate to play together.

Yin Yuancheng was currently engaged to Miss Chu and had been extremely busy recently. Now that he finally had some free time, it was a good opportunity for them to gather.

Holding a cup of hot tea, the salted fish young master took sips idly, looking very relaxed.

Qi Chen sipped his tea while secretly glancing at the young master calmly seated in the chair. After holding back for a long time, he finally couldn’t help but ask, “Are you really moving back to Marquis Wu’an’s residence?”

“What’s wrong?” The salted fish young master indifferently looked up at Qi Chen. “Marquis Wu’an’s residence is my home. Why are you getting worked up about me going back to my own home?”

“Then what did the emperor say?” Qi Chen’s expression was a bit conflicted. “And do you plan to take the little prince with you or leave him in the palace?”

“Of course, he’ll stay in the palace,” Xu Yanqing replied without hesitation. “The little cub is very close to his imperial father now!”

“So when do you plan to return to the palace?”

“Hmm.” Xu Yanqing set down his teacup, raised a hand to stroke his chin, his eyes sparkling. “There’s no rush for that. I need to go home and enjoy some peace and quiet for a while first.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Chen simply rolled his eyes. “You, young master Xu, have the nerve to talk about peace and quiet? You’ve been living such a carefree life in Hanliang Palace every day. Where has it been anything but peaceful?”

The salted fish young master felt no shame. “The little cub clings to me all day; of course, it’s not peaceful.”

Alright then, as long as Young Master Xu is happy. Qi Chen expressed his deep admiration.

There was a pile of the young master’s clothes at Marquis Wu’an’s residence, so Mu Yu didn’t pack much luggage. By the time Yin Yanjun returned from court, the salted fish young master was already nestled in a reclining chair, dozing off.

Yin Yanjun tiptoed over and gently pulled back the quilt that covered the young master’s head, revealing the still-drowsy and swaying young master underneath.

Slightly cool fingers rested on the young master’s head. Xu Yanqing wasn’t startled awake; instead, he habitually rubbed against Yin Yanjun’s fingers.

The reclining chair swayed for a long time before finally coming to a stop. The young master lying on it had already fallen into a deep sleep.

In Hanliang Palace, there were two medium-sized wooden boxes containing the luggage Mu Yu had packed. Most of them were new clothes recently sent by the Imperial Garment Bureau. The fabric looked ordinary, but it was the finest material from Yin Yanjun’s personal collection.

Yin Yanjun specifically had Wen Jing retrieve the keys and take out those fabrics, making several fashionable winter outfits for both the young master and the Empress Dowager.

The young master slept soundly in the reclining chair, and the little cub was being looked after by his wet nurse in the side hall. Yin Yanjun took a quick look when he came. Now that he had nothing to do, he took a book and sat beside the young master to read it slowly.

That book was a storybook the young master had been reading recently, not one found by Wen Jing in the palace, but one that Qi Chen had brought back when he returned home some time ago.

To catch the young master’s eye, the content of those storybooks was naturally extraordinary. Yin Yanjun’s expression remained as cool and detached as ever; even when reading plots that defied human ethics in the storybook, it didn’t stir a single emotion in him.

So, when the salted fish young master woke up from his dream, he saw the Taoist master holding the storybook, slowly flipping through it, looking exceptionally relaxed and comfortable.

“You’re awake.” Just as the salted fish young master opened his eyes, Yin Yanjun had already put down the storybook and slowly raised his head towards the young master.

Waking up after a nap in winter felt a little cold. Xu Yanqing couldn’t help but pull the quilt closer to cover himself.

This was a problem Yin Yanjun only discovered after winter set in: the young master liked to tightly cover his head when sleeping in winter.

No matter how light and warm the quilt on the imperial bed was, Yin Yanjun still worried that the young master might not be able to breathe.

So, he often woke up at night to help pull the quilt down, preventing it from covering the young master’s face.

However, it was clear that this habit of the young master’s was difficult to change. Even though Yin Yanjun had corrected him many times, every time the young master fell asleep, he would immediately pull the quilt open and burrow into it.

Later, Yin Yanjun got used to it and no longer forced the young master to show his face from under the quilt. Instead, he had the young master sleep on his side, with one arm gently around the young master’s waist. This way, the young master was almost entirely nestled in his arms, naturally not thinking of pulling the quilt.

Drowsily opening his eyes and glancing at Yin Yanjun, Xu Yanqing took Yin Yanjun’s hand, which was placed beside him, and habitually tucked it into his embrace. He then slowly slid his other hand into Yin Yanjun’s sleeve.

A hint of a smile touched Yin Yanjun’s eyes. He pulled the young master closer and whispered a few words. After a long while, the young master finally became much more energized and sat up crookedly in the reclining chair.

Xu Yanqing reached up and touched the Taoist master’s chin. It felt a little rough; short stubble had grown out again, though not as noticeable as before.

His previously drowsy eyes immediately lit up. Xu Yanqing suddenly stood up from the reclining chair and ran to the washroom to fetch the Taoist master’s usual full set of shaving tools. Then he pattered back out of the washroom.

Xu Yanqing pulled Yin Yanjun, who was sitting beside the reclining chair, to his feet and had him sit down in a chair in front of the mirror.

All the shaving tools were laid out in a row on the table. The young master excitedly pointed at them and asked, “Which one should I use first?”

In his previous life, Xu Yanqing didn’t have much body hair, so even in college, he hadn’t used a razor much. After transmigrating, he hadn’t seen anyone shave for so long, so he was quite curious.

There was a row of small blades on the table, some looking particularly sharp. Xu Yanqing, though excited, couldn’t help but feel a little apprehensive holding them, fearing he might cut the Taoist master’s immortal-like face.

“You have to apply hot water first before you can use these blades,” Yin Yanjun said, his gaze on the young master exceptionally warm. Seeing the young master’s fumbling appearance, he couldn’t help but smile slightly.

After the young master fumbled for a while, Yin Yanjun finally pointed out the correct method.

Xu Yanqing suddenly realized and quickly carried the basin to pour hot water.

It was already winter, and although it wasn’t yet time to use charcoal fires, there was already a stove lit in the side hall specifically for boiling water, as the little prince might need hot water at any moment.

In a hurry, Xu Yanqing poured the hot water, refused all help from the palace servants, and then painstakingly carried the basin all the way back to the bedchamber.