Chapter 202 Bone and Blood

Lu Hao thought he had misheard for a moment. He lowered his head and looked at Meng Yan, who was leaning against his chest. He couldn't help but hesitate and said, "Yan'er, what did you just say? What... happiness?"

Meng Yan looked up, her fair cheeks tinged with a blush, and in the afterglow of the fireworks, she looked like a lotus. She pinched Lu Haozhi's face and smiled gently, "Why are you pretending to be stupid?" Then she lowered her eyes and smiled, "I'm pregnant!"

Lu Haozhi couldn't believe his ears at first. Looking at Meng Yan, who was smiling with lowered eyebrows and extremely charming, he suddenly realized something. His heart was like the night sky, as if countless fireworks exploded. Joy surged like a tide, swallowing him whole.

He twitched his lips but failed to smile. He suddenly grasped Meng Yan's shoulders with his two big hands and asked in a trembling voice, "Yan'er...are you serious? You, you are not trying to cheer me up, are you?"

Meng Yan rolled her eyes at him and said angrily, "Would I use something like this to coax you?" Before she could finish her sentence, her eyebrows suddenly raised, her eyes widened, and she raised her fists and punched Lu Haozhi's chest twice, scolding, "Before, when we were pregnant, you kept asking me for a child. Now that we are pregnant, you are acting like this again... I won't give birth to a child for you... Hmm..."

Before she could finish her words, Lu Haozhi interrupted her.

Lu Haozhi suddenly hugged her in his arms, and his watery lips pressed tightly against her tender red lips.

Meng Yan was caught off guard and struggled slightly, but was held firmly in Lu Haozhi's arms.

His arms were as hard as iron, his big hands clasped the back of her head, and he sucked and crushed her lips wantonly.

Such a rough kiss...

But she could feel Lu Haozhi's ecstasy from the bottom of his heart...

She softened her posture and entangled with him.

After a long while, all the fireworks in the sky had died out, and only the dim light from the palace lanterns remained in the courtyard. The two of them separated.

Meng Yan panted softly, her cheeks flushed, and she laughed softly, "With so many people watching, you're not ashamed."

"We are all personal servants, there is nothing to be ashamed of!"

Lu Haozhi spoke in a hoarse voice, his words full of excitement.

"Yan'er, I... I'm happy. I'm so happy! You really gave me a great New Year's gift!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly picked up Meng Yan and carried her horizontally, laughing loudly, and strode into the room.

Back in the main room, Lu Haozhi carefully placed Meng Yan on the kang and even took off her embroidered shoes with his own hands.

Meng Yan felt something was wrong and was about to speak out to stop him, but Lu Haozhi did it swiftly and quickly, then pulled over the thick felt piled on the kang to cover her.

Meng Yan's face flushed, and she whispered, "This is a servant's job. Your Majesty, please don't do this."

Lu Haozhi raised his head and smiled at her, his eyes bright and sparkling, "I just want to serve you."

Taking advantage of this moment, Rong An brought his disciple Xiao Tang over, knelt down and kowtowed to the two men, congratulating them with a beaming face and asking for a reward. "Your servant and your disciple have the audacity to come and kowtow to the Emperor and the Empress and congratulate them! Your servant has always said that the Empress is a blessed person and that there will be news of children sooner or later. The Emperor is in his prime, full of vigor and vitality, so the Empress will surely be pregnant."

It must be said that the chief steward's eloquence was truly remarkable. His words not only congratulated the imperial concubine, but also praised the emperor in a roundabout way.

There are few men in the world who would not love to hear that their beloved woman is pregnant.

Although Rong An is only half a man now, he still understands this principle very well.

Lu Haozhi was indeed elated. He smiled and said loudly, "I am delighted that the Imperial Concubine is pregnant. Reward, I want to give her a huge reward! All the palace maids in Tishun Hall will have their monthly salary doubled this month, and will also receive a piece of brocade!"

For a moment, Tishun Hall was filled with joy, and everyone came to express their gratitude.

The favorite concubine's pregnancy was a major joyous occasion in the otherwise tedious palace life of these palace servants. When the master prospered, the servants could share in the glory. The emperor was pleased, less anxious, and occasionally, he would bestow rewards upon them.

Lu Haozhi sat with Meng Yan, scratching his head with joy. He looked at Meng Yan, wanting to hug her but not daring to touch her, and was at a loss as to what to do.

Meng Yan looked at him like this, chuckled, and said softly, "It's not the first time, and you're still acting like a fool."

She spoke in a very low voice, and only the two of them could hear her.

Lu Haozhi laughed and sighed, "How can this be the same? It's just that I lost one before, so this one seems even more precious. Yan'er, this time... this time I will be extremely careful and will definitely protect this child."

Meng Yan raised her eyebrows slightly and glared at him, "In this case, Your Majesty must agree to one thing for me."

Lu Haozhi looked at the smile on her face, and suddenly felt a little uneasy, but he nodded and said, "You say, I agree to it."

Meng Yan said softly, "From today on, Your Majesty, please give up the most unacceptable thing until I give birth to a baby safely."

The thing I can't quit the most...

Lu Haozhi took a breath. Of course he knew what Yan'er was referring to!

The ten months of pregnancy, the birth, and the confinement period, all in all, took a year...

Can he... can he really do it...

Yan'er ignored him for almost a year, and now they have finally reconciled, but he hasn't been happy for even two days, because he has to continue to be a monk.

Meng Yan looked at the uncertain expression on his face, raised her head slightly, and smiled sweetly, "Your Majesty, can't you do it? You just said you had to be extremely careful, but it turns out you were just bragging..."

Lu Haozhi felt the blood rushing to his head as he listened to her teasing words. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I promise you, for one year!"

He is a supreme ruler, who can endure what ordinary people cannot endure, and what ordinary people cannot achieve. Of course, this little thing... will pass if he endures it...

Oh, he actually made an appointment with her. Is it really that painful not to do that?

He was gritting his teeth, as if he was forcing him to go through fire and water.

Meng Yan smiled deliberately and said, "Okay, it will be for one year. The emperor has promised me, and I will never joke."

Lu Haozhi suddenly felt that he had dug a hole for himself. He sat down next to Meng Yan and coughed. "Um, Yan'er, I vaguely remember that during the first three months when the fetus was unstable, it was indeed impossible to have the baby. But after the first three months, when the fetus is stable, there will be no problem. So, how about we discuss it again..."

Meng Yan smiled faintly. "Your Majesty just said something, and now he seems to be going back on his word? He's about to become a father, and yet he's acting like this. Is he trying to teach this little one to go back on his word in the future?"

Lu Haozhi was so frustrated by these words that he couldn't utter a single word. Like a defeated rooster, he said sullenly, "You're right. I'll listen to you."

Meng Yan looked at his drooping head and whispered with a smile, "Your Majesty, I'm not trying to be mean or to give you a hard time. It's just that in my previous life... the child was inexplicably lost. Who knows if it was because I didn't do something right? I really don't want to go through this again. This child, as Your Majesty said, must be kept."

After hearing these words, Lu Haozhi realized that his previous smug behavior was inappropriate.

Yes, he is going to be a father, how can he ignore the safety of her and her child just for the sake of his own little pleasure?

Lu Haozhi's unhappiness instantly vanished. He held her hand, nodded, and sighed, "You're right, I lost my composure." He raised his hand and gently stroked Meng Yan's lower abdomen, "There's no movement inside."

Meng Yan lowered her head and smiled faintly, "I've calculated the situation, and the Manchus have only been together for a little over a month. What kind of movement could there be?" She then added softly, "It's just that I don't know if it's that one..."

Lu Haozhi raised his head, his dark, deep eyes fixed on hers. He brushed away the hair that had fallen from her temples and said in a deep voice, "I have a feeling that the child had lost his way, and now he has finally returned home."

Meng Yan felt a little sore in her nose, and she unconsciously covered her face with her hands, with crystal clear drops of water dripping from between her fingers.

Lu Haozhi patted her head and whispered in her ear with a smile, "Silly girl, it's a happy day, a happy event, why are you crying? When the child is born, regardless of whether it's a boy or a girl, I will personally teach him to read and write, and teach him martial arts, riding and archery. Our child will definitely be the most outstanding child in the Great Zhou."

Meng Yan nodded and wiped her eyes.

Ruizhu watched from the side and quickly wrung out a towel from the copper basin and handed it over.

Meng Yan took it, wiped her face, and then smiled. She asked the palace maids to go to the small kitchen to bring the prepared dishes and put them on the kang table in the main room.

The small banquet at Tishun Hall has just begun.

Meng Yan did not prepare many dishes today, but the dishes on the kang table were all Lu Haozhi's favorites. There were small gold-painted celadon bowls and ivory-wrapped gold chopsticks on both sides. By the window was a red blood coral tree in a white jade basin that Lu Haozhi had sent earlier. Silver charcoal was burning in a copper basin on the ground. Big red window grilles with the words "Fu Lu Shou Xi" were pasted on the tiles. The room was truly warm and cozy.

Lu Haozhi was naturally in high spirits as his beloved woman was pregnant with his child. Although he had already drunk a few cups at the palace banquet, he still ordered Rong An to get some pine flower wine from the imperial cellar and drank ten cups in a row.

Meng Yan was pregnant and could not drink alcohol, so she only had sweet soup to accompany him. She smiled as she saw that the emperor was already a little tipsy, but thinking that today was a festive day and there was such a happy event, she did not spoil his fun and try to persuade him.

Lu Haozhi ate a piece of braised lamb and said with a smile, "I will go to tell my mother the good news in person tomorrow morning. She has been looking forward to having a grandson for many years and will definitely be very happy."

Meng Yan nodded with a smile, recalling her past life. Despite all her outrageous behavior, the Empress Dowager was still overjoyed when news of her pregnancy broke. She sent a pair of red gold longevity locks and vowed before the Bodhisattva, lighting sea lanterns and observing a long fast, hoping to bless her and her child with safety. In this life, she would never disappoint this old lady again.

Lu Haozhi was in a very good mood. He imagined with her how he would teach the child to learn this and that after he was born. Suddenly, he remembered something and smiled at Meng Yan, "Speaking of the child, Doukou has become more and more mischievous. The other day, when I went to pay my respects to the Queen Mother, she told me that she was pestering people to teach her how to ride a pony and learn archery. The female teacher had just started the "Great Learning", but she got a copy of "The Art of War" from somewhere and threw it aside. She keeps asking the teacher about the book. She doesn't behave like a girl at all!"

Meng Yan was shocked and couldn't help but say, "But she's only five years old. Even if it's New Year's Day, she's only six! How can she understand what the Art of War says?"

Lu Haozhi smiled, "I said so too, but from what my mother said, this girl is very quick to understand things. Her teacher, Madam Su, came to ask for your advice, and she asked me what I thought."

Meng Yan put down her cup and chopsticks and looked at Lu Haozhi, "What does the emperor say?"

Lu Haozhi smiled and said, "Let her be. Since she has such talent, it wouldn't be a bad idea for her to study hard. However, she still needs to learn the Four Books and Five Classics thoroughly. After all, they all talk about how to behave in society and how to gain knowledge through the study of things." At this point, he suddenly became a little sad. "This child takes after her father. If my eldest brother were still alive, she would definitely be a rare military talent..."

Meng Yan knew in her heart that Prince Yi's early death was a huge blow to Empress Dowager Jiang and Lu Haozhi.

Putting aside this identity, they are just mother and son, and their family love is no different from that of ordinary people in the world.

She thought of the baby still in her belly. This child not only meant that there would be a successor to Lu Haozhi's kingdom and he would no longer be constrained by others in matters of offspring, but also that there would be another relative in the world who was related to him by blood.

Meng Yan didn't say much, but smiled at him and said softly, "Your Majesty, I believe that Doukou will grow up to be a graceful and extraordinary woman."

Lu Haozhi understood what she meant. It was useless to be melancholy. Now, raising Prince Yi, the orphan, well would be the greatest comfort to him if he were still alive in heaven.

He smiled, "I think so too. What are those vulgar people saying to me? It's better to teach the princess more about virtue, speech, appearance and merit, so that she won't have trouble choosing a husband in the future. Humph, my daughter, the dignified Princess of the Great Zhou, is the only one who can look down on others! But there's just one thing. She's been having a wild time with that little study companion in Shoukang Palace every day, giving my mother a headache. It's okay for the princess, I can tolerate her! But if the little girl from the Liu family follows her example, won't the Liu family blame us in the future?"

Meng Yan really didn't know what to say now.

After the meal, the palace maids cleared away the leftovers and brought scented tea for rinsing the mouth. Meng Yan felt extremely sleepy and thought it was due to fatigue from pregnancy. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was already four o'clock in the morning. She hurriedly ordered hot water to be brought and washed up, then went to bed with Lu Haozhi.

When I woke up the next day, it was almost noon.

Meng Yan sat up from the bed and saw no sign of Lu Haozhi. She knew that he had gone to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to receive New Year's Day congratulations from all the civil and military officials. After that, he had to pay homage to the late emperor. After that, he would go to Shoukang Palace to wish the empress dowager a happy new year. He was very busy all day, so she didn't ask much.

Lu Haozhi had no free time, but she was quite free during her pregnancy. She casually ate some milk porridge for breakfast, then went to the main room to watch the palace maids find all kinds of silk fabrics and draw on them with powder. She was thinking about what kind of small clothes to make for the child.

As they were discussing, they suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps in the courtyard. Rong An walked in, bowing with a smile on his face. "Greetings, Your Majesty. The Emperor has sent a servant to bring over a golden nanmu bathtub. Please take a look, Your Majesty."

Meng Yan was a little surprised, "Why give this to me during the New Year?"

Rong An replied, "The Emperor said it was prepared for the young prince's third day bath."

Meng Yan opened her almond-shaped eyes wide. Is Lu Haozhi so impatient?

The first day of the Lunar New Year is the day for friends and family to greet each other and wish each other a happy new year.

Meng Changyuan was alone in the Duke's Mansion. His mother died early, his sister was in the palace, and his father had been traveling around the world for the past few years and no one knew where he was now. He was not married, so he was all alone guarding the huge Duke's Mansion.

Just when he was feeling bored, Ding Anbo happened to send him an invitation, inviting him to his house for a banquet and a play. So he packed up and set off.

When they arrived at the mansion, Ding'an Bo invited him to the brothel and into a side room, where a small banquet was set up. He said, "Brother Meng, please take a seat. I'll go downstairs to meet a few guests and will be back soon."

Meng Changyuan sat alone in the room, which faced north, with its doors and windows wide open. Outside was a fence, and further down was the stage. From this high vantage point, the view was excellent, and he could see everything clearly.

Today, the Earl of Ding'an invited the largest opera troupe in the capital, and they performed a martial arts drama called "Burning Pei Yuanqing", which was very much to Meng Changyuan's liking.

He was watching with great interest when he heard the door creak behind him and the sound of a skirt dragging on the ground. He thought it was the maid from the mansion coming to change the tea and did not turn around.

But then a gentle voice was heard, "Brother Meng, how are you?"

Meng Changyuan was slightly startled, and when he turned around, it was Zheng Fangchu!