When Xie Qingyu was invited to a side hall, Zhao Xiheng was reading a storybook and eating sour apricots and fried fruit.

She was engrossed in watching and didn't even look up.

The story is about a scholar who has secretly pledged his life to a noblewoman and they plan to elope with his money. The scholar plans to return home in glory after passing the imperial examination. At this moment, the noblewoman's childhood fiancé runs out and tries to take her away from the scholar.

Although the writing is melodramatic and overly sentimental, it's captivating. Zhao Xiheng hopes the young woman and her fiancé will be together, since the scholar is really useless, but he's good at living off women, coaxing the young woman to sell her jewelry to support his search for a soulmate, and even wanting to elope with him. However, whenever the young woman encounters danger, he's always the first to run away, justifying it with the saying: "A wise man doesn't stand under a dangerous wall."

Zhao Xiheng touched her still flat belly, clicked her tongue, and said with a sigh, "My child, if you're a girl, never let her follow this young lady's example. Let me tell you, this scholar is a scoundrel. Although he's handsome and knows how to sweet-talk, who knows if he'll pass the imperial examinations or not, he'll definitely change his mind in the future. If he had any feelings at all, he would definitely marry her after passing the examinations. What's the point of this illegitimate marriage?"

She was a little worried. If it really was a daughter, she would definitely inherit her beauty and come from a wealthy and powerful family. There was no guarantee that some bad guys wouldn't try to seduce her daughter. The more Zhao Xiheng thought about it, the more anxious she became. She couldn't even eat sour apricots and dried fruit.

He paced around the house, starting to worry unnecessarily.

"What is the lady thinking about?" the maid asked.

"It's nothing." Zhao Xiheng waved her hand. Even if she told these maids about it, there was nothing they could do.

She subconsciously touched the back of her head. The spot where she had bumped herself a few days ago had stopped bleeding and scabbed over. It still ached occasionally, but the doctor said it would get better after some rest.

"Madam, your uncle has arrived! Would you like to see him?"

Zhao Xiheng didn't realize who her maternal uncle was for a moment. "What maternal uncle?" There was no maternal uncle in the mansion. Her father hadn't given her a brother either.

"Your elder brother, that Mr. Xie," the maid said shyly and hesitantly.

My uncle is really handsome, kind, and has a nice voice.

When her former fiancé suddenly became her brother, Zhao Xiheng thought for a moment and knew who was behind it. No one but Wei Li could have done such a thing.

But she didn't correct everyone's way of addressing him. Uncle is Uncle. It's good to be an older brother. Let Xie Qingyu give up his idea of ​​getting married and having children as soon as possible.

She slapped her forehead, and Xie Qingyu's handsome face appeared before her eyes. "Yes, please... please ask Uncle to wait a moment. I'll change my clothes and then I'll go."

Standing behind Xie Qingyu, Xiao Tao felt weak all over and her legs were trembling. She couldn't help but imagine the scene of her meeting Zhao Xiheng again. She and His Highness had not seen each other for a year since their last parting.

Your Highness must have grown taller and become even more beautiful. I wonder if that scoundrel Wei Li treats her well or if she has suffered any injustice.

Why is this mansion so empty? Is there no one to serve His Highness? How will His Highness manage to get by?

Li Qinglong helped Xiao Tao steady herself.

Zhao Xiheng is still very young, only a little over a month and a half pregnant. The manor is short-handed and large, so the snow is hard to clear. If she falls or gets hurt, it could be serious. Therefore, she doesn't go out often.

If she were to go out, she would be wrapped up tightly like a ball, with maids surrounding her to prevent any accidents.

As soon as she came in from outside, her face was completely covered, and Xiao Tao didn't recognize her at first.

As soon as Zhao Xiheng took off her cloak, Xiao Tao burst into tears. She immediately rushed over and hugged her tightly, "Your Highness, Your Highness, I missed you so much! Your Highness, why have you lost weight? Your Highness, why do you look so haggard? Waaaaah!"

Zhao Xiheng patted her on the back, surprised to see her here again.

Her emotions fluctuated greatly after becoming pregnant, and she couldn't help but shed tears. "I'm fine, are you doing okay out there? It's so cold, why did you come along?"

The maid quickly urged her to sit down and talk.

Xiao Tao stopped crying, but seeing that Zhao Xiheng's tears were unstoppable, she couldn't help but feel sad. Their princess had suffered so much in the palace before, but she had never really cried. Now that she was crying so hard that she was almost a tearful mess, she must have suffered some injustice. Heaven have mercy, she wondered what kind of suffering she had endured.

Zhao Xiheng was crying sadly when she suddenly felt a spasm in her stomach. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and lean against a pillar to dry heave.

The maids hurriedly handed her a spittoon to rinse her mouth, and then gave her a sour apricot.

The doctor had advised them that morning sickness is common around the forty-day mark of pregnancy, and told them to be prepared at all times. Perhaps the lady's emotions were too volatile today, which triggered her morning sickness.

Several people also felt sorry for Zhao Xiheng, whose wife was pregnant, but their lord was not at home and could not be with her.

Xie Qingyu leaned closer anxiously and asked how she was feeling. "Since you're not comfortable staying in Pingzhou, why don't you come with me to Yongzhou? The water and soil there are good, and it's a great place to live."

"How did they take care of you? You used to be very healthy."

Xiao Tao also held Zhao Xiheng's hand, looking at her with expectant eyes.

Zhao Xiheng, with tears welling up in her eyes, held a sour apricot in her mouth. She stopped crying and spitting it out. "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, brother. I haven't been feeling well lately."

Xie Qingyu felt a chill run down his spine, as if a gust of wind had been blown out of his heart. The servants in the manor called him "Uncle," but now A-Dan called him "Brother." "I...I don't deserve to be called 'Brother' by A-Dan."

Zhao Xiheng shook her head. She could tell that Xie Qingyu hadn't given up on her. If he had, he wouldn't have taken advantage of the chaos to come looking for her and try to take her away. "Since you've arranged the marriage for A-Dan, then you're A-Dan's brother for life. It's perfectly fine for you to call him 'brother' when you're young."

"Your Highness, let's go to Yongzhou. Look at this mansion, where is there any human warmth? How can they take good care of you? Your Highness's health is already so poor," Xiao Tao also advised.

What's the use of having a magnificent mansion if the care is inadequate? Look how thin His Highness's face is.

Zhao Xiheng coughed lightly, her cheeks slightly flushed, and twisted her fingers together on her knee. "It's normal, nothing to worry about."

She's usually quite thick-skinned, but if you ask her to say she's pregnant, she suddenly becomes a little shy like a young girl.

Zhao Xiheng blushed and said that this was a normal phenomenon. Xie Qingyu's vision went black and her fingers gripped the corner of the table tightly.

What's normal? What's normal that makes Ah-Dan blush? What's normal that makes you vomit?

The answer was obvious, but he opened his mouth and found himself speechless.

After a long while, he finally found his voice, which was slightly heavy, "A-Dan, are you...?"

Zhao Xiheng nodded, "Yes, brother is going to be an uncle."

Xie Qingyu nearly fainted.

He was always too late.

A-Dan was willing to bear children for Wei Li, which must mean she liked him very much.

"What about Pingzhou now?"

"I'm fine, I'm safe, brother, don't worry."

I understand, I understand. Pingzhou is fine, and so is Wei Li. He's probably secretly watching him from some corner right now, like he's watching a monkey.

He said that the reason why he had been able to travel so smoothly was that, given Wei Li's petty and narrow-minded nature, how could he not have hindered him at all?

So this was where he was waiting. Wei Li had used the child to ensnare A-Dan, and wasn't worried at all that he would abduct her. Truly, truly a brilliant plan and scheme!

He moved his lips, finally managing a stiff, painful smile. "Congratulations. I'll definitely prepare a big gift when the baby is born."

"Thank you, brother." Zhao Xiheng nodded, recalling the storybook she had just read, about a young lady from a noble family being deceived by a poor scholar with sweet words.

She asked with a hint of eagerness, "Brother, has your uncle urged you to get married?"

Xie Qingyu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. He was already twenty-two, the only son in three generations, so his father was naturally anxious. But why was A-Dan asking this? Did she intend to play matchmaker for him after rejecting him?

“Brother is getting old, he should choose a virtuous and beautiful wife to marry and have children.” Xie Qingyu is indeed very beautiful, and her future children will surely be beautiful as well. If he is interested, even if the two of them cannot become husband and wife, they can arrange a marriage between their children. “In the future, my sister-in-law and I can visit each other more often.”

She couldn't be too blunt, after all, she had just rejected him, and besides, doing something like that would be a bit inhuman.

However, Zhao Xiheng did not realize that she had gradually learned from Wei Li and was becoming worse than a beast.

Xie Qingyu's already pale face stiffened further, his hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves, but he knew Zhao Xiheng was right, and he nodded hesitantly, "I will consider it."

After a long pause, he added, "Little sister."

Xiao Tao was stunned by their back-and-forth exchange and couldn't say a word for a while.

What? You're going to be an uncle? What?

Your Highness is pregnant? Whose child is it?

She didn't even need to think; she knew it belonged to Wei Li.

Her Highness is going to have Wei Li's child? How painful and agonizing that must be!

Waaah, but I'm already pregnant, and an abortion would be even more harmful to my body. Besides, it seems like His Highness wants to keep the child.

She stared at Zhao Xiheng's belly for a long while, then squatted down, pressed her ear to it, and asked through teary eyes, "Your Highness, how old is the baby? Have you thought of a name? Are the baby clothes ready? Did the doctor say it's a boy or a girl?"

Regardless of who the child's father is, he is His Highness's child, and his little darling.

Zhao Xiheng was dizzy from the series of questions and felt that she was an incompetent mother. She pinched her earlobe and said, "I don't know anything about this."

"If your father and mother knew they were going to become maternal grandparents, they would have made these preparations long ago."

Zhao Xiheng thought that when Wei Li returned, they must offer three sticks of incense to their parents' memorial tablets and tell them that Adan was going to have a baby.

It was the third day that Xie Qingyu stayed at the mansion.

Zhao Xiheng kept him there not only out of hospitality, but also because the young girl was no longer the same as before. She was afraid that he would leak Wei Li's information to Liu Huan and others, which could endanger Wei Li, so she kept him confined to the mansion and prevented him from leaving.

Xie Qingyu thought about this matter at night and couldn't help but feel sad. Suddenly, she heard the sounds of soldiers and armor clashing, as well as the sound of orderly footsteps. Then, the whole mansion became lively.

The crunching sound of footsteps on the snow continued, and someone shouted, "Our lord has returned victorious!"