Chapter 51 Willingness

Zhuang Dongqing slept soundly, and when she opened her eyes again, it was already completely dark.

"Have you had enough sleep?"

As soon as I moved, a voice asked in my ear.

Zhuang Dongqing paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, Cen Yan."

Has the other person woken up yet?

Zhuang Dongqing yawned, and then felt a hand gently scoop up her hair that had been pressed down.

"Do you want to sleep a little longer?"

"Are you still hungry? Shall we get up and eat?"

Zhuang Dongqing blinked and looked at Cen Yan. The two were snuggled together, the blankets were warm and cozy, but Cen Yan looked clear-headed, as if he had been awake for a long time.

"Let's eat."

After saying that, she realized that she was holding Cen Yan as if she were holding a doll.

"..."

Zhuang Dongqing quietly withdrew her hand, "I'm not a very quiet sleeper."

"Know."

Honestly, there's no need for Liu Fu to tuck him in when he wakes up in the middle of the night.

Zhuang Dongqing: "If you wake up and remember, you can push me away."

Cen Yan was taken aback by what he heard. He looked at Zhuang Dongqing and saw that the person in his arms had tears welling up from yawning, and the tip of her nose was red. She looked pitiful, which made Cen Yan laugh.

Zhuang Dongqing discovered that he was guarding him.

Without saying much, he sat up, pulled Zhuang Dongqing up to wake her up, and said calmly,

"Know."

"I woke up, but I wanted to stay awake for a while, so I didn't get up and just rested with my eyes closed."

Zhuang Dongqing, unsuspecting, simply replied, "Oh, oh."

Liu Fu has returned to his hometown. Liu Fu usually takes care of Zhuang Dongqing's daily life. Now that his personal servant is gone, Cen Yan has already put his outer garment on him and tied the belt at his waist by the time Zhuang Dongqing realized this.

Zhuang Dongqing blinked and stared blankly at Cen Yan.

After the other tie was fastened, Zhuang Dongqing whispered a reminder, "You haven't put on your coat yet."

Yes, Cen Yan was only wearing underwear when she was getting ready.

"Shouldn't we take good care of the young master first?"

Zhuang Dongqing was a little embarrassed, "...I can do it myself."

She reached out to take over Cen Yan's work, but as soon as she touched him, she heard a voice say, "Let go."

Actions speak louder than words; as soon as Cen Yan spoke, he immediately let go.

"..."

After putting on his coat, Cen Yan looked up and said, "Weren't you pleased when you saw me busy with this and that in the middle of the night? Why are you so embarrassed now?"

Zhuang Dongqing looked away, "It's different again."

"What's the difference? Are you thinking you got a good deal in bed and want to get it back outside of bed?"

"..."

Zhuang Dongqing: "No."

He mumbled, "I'm too sleepy in the middle of the night to move."

That's because objective conditions don't allow it, not because of subjective factors!

Cen Yan laughed, and Zhuang Dongqing belatedly realized that the other party was teasing her.

Seeing that things were going well, Cen Yan told Zhuang Dongqing to put on his outer trousers, leaving the last tie for him to fix himself. As he dressed, he said, "What difference do you think there is between you now and midnight?"

"When you first moved into the east wing, Liufu repeatedly told me that you were confused when you first woke up, and that I should never let you do anything on your own." He paused, then said slowly, "You tripped and fell while dressing yourself at home. Liufu wasn't wrong about that, was he?"

"..."

Yes, that's true.

When Zhuang Dongqing first arrived, the Hanfu was complicated, with layers upon layers of clothing, and there were even more clothes for winter.

At the time, he wasn't used to having someone serve him personally. When he woke up, he fumbled around and put on his clothes. Then, as soon as he took a step, he rolled on the ground, which terrified Liu Fu.

After that, Zhuang Dongqing lost her right to dress herself.

"I wasn't very skilled back then," he said in a very low voice.

But they underestimated Cen Yan's hearing; he heard every single word clearly.

Zhuang Dongqing: "I can try to do it myself in the future."

You can't always be waited on; that would make you seem useless.

Although it's not very useful right now.

Cen Yan: "Let's talk about it after you give birth. You can't afford to fall now."

"Oh, so you're doing this for..."

Zhuang Dongqing understood.

But Cen Yan denied it, saying, "No, that's not it."

"It doesn't matter whether it's there or not."

"I'd like to."

Zhuang Dongqing was stunned.

Cen Yan finished dressing and reached out to him, "Come on, let's go back to the east wing for dinner."

"Oh, oh oh."

He was pulled up by Cen Yan and walked all the way back to the east wing. Cen Yan held his hand the whole way and never let go.

Zhuang Dongqing's mind cleared up after walking for a while.

I couldn't help but look at their intertwined fingers.

Their fingers are intertwined.

They seemed very close.

The words Cen Yan had said that he was willing resurfaced in my mind.

What's the meaning?

Would you rather serve me? Or would you rather take care of him?

Is it the same even without this child?

Zhuang Dongqing's CPU burned out.

He rubbed his ears, feeling that the words were ambiguous, but then he pondered them and realized that they probably didn't mean what he thought they meant.

Hmm.

He rubbed his ears again and went to the east wing. The aroma of food in the air attracted Zhuang Dongqing's attention.

*

After dinner, while having a late-night snack, Cen Yan told Zhuang Dongqing about the arrival of the old princess and the Dowager Princess Tao.

"No rush, there's still some time."

Zhuang Dongqing hesitated, "Then I..."

"Just do it the same way. I'll assign Liu Qi to you when the time comes, and he'll handle anything that comes up."

Zhuang Dongqing was taken aback and looked at Liu Qi. Liu Qi obviously thought this was for the best. He glanced over and replied, "The manor will definitely be busy then, so it's only right that I stay."

Zhuang Dongqing poked at the lotus seeds in the bowl with her spoon, and hesitated, "Can I keep them?"

But Cen Yan countered, "What's wrong with it?"

"..."

Oh, this.

Cen Yan: "You're carrying my eldest child, who would dare to kick you out?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just... will you tell the Dowager and the others about my situation when the time comes?"

Cen Yan: "No."

Zhuang Dongqing breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't want so many people to know, because it was rather strange.

Even if the world can accept it, to some extent, subconsciously, he still doesn't want too many people to know that he is different.

Cen Yan cut off Zhuang Dongqing's distracting thoughts, "I still call the shots at the Prince's Mansion. As for them... you'll know once you meet them. Anyway, they're only staying for a while, and you won't have much interaction with them."

Zhuang Dongqing inexplicably thought of the wicked mother-in-law in TV dramas, touched her nose, and whispered, "Won't she care about our relationship?"

But Cen Yan looked at her with a smile and asked, "What's our relationship?"

Zhuang Dongqing's mind went blank for a moment from laughing.

Cen Yan: "Go ahead and ask."

"I never intended to hide it."

His preferences will be known sooner or later; it's only a matter of time.

"If you know, you know. What else could it be?"

Ah, is that how it's argued?

Zhuang Dongqing's mind was foggy.

Seeing that Cen Yan spoke with certainty, they didn't press the matter further.

Cen Yan is always thorough in handling matters. If he says there's nothing wrong, then there must be nothing wrong. He still trusts Zhuang Dongqing to that extent.

The night was settled as usual.

*

The next morning, it was Cen Yan who dressed Zhuang Dongqing in her clothes again.

In a daze, Zhuang Dongqing stared at Cen Yan's face and saw that he moved quickly and efficiently, and... there was nothing he was unwilling about.

My mind is a little foggy.

How should I put it, it seems like he's being served by the head of the Prince's mansion, doesn't it?

Changing the perspective makes it even harder to think straight.

Fortunately, Liu Fu returned before noon, preventing Zhuang Dongqing from having another embarrassing opportunity.

"I broke my leg, but it's not a big problem. I left some silver with me, thinking that you were still a bit confused, and now that your health is different, you can't be without someone, so I rushed back."

The Six Blessings Way.

He received praise from Cen Yan, who said, "Your page is a very honest man."

Zhuang Dongqing corrected, "It's my younger brother."

"Yes, young master has a discerning eye."

After looking at Liu Fu carefully for a while, he said, "I'll have Hao San take a look and see if he can teach me some martial arts."

Liu Fu is still young, he can be taught.

Liu Qi noted it down.

However, that will have to wait until after the child is born. Right now, Zhuang Dongqing can't live without Liufu.

After having lunch with Zhuang Dongqing, Cen Yan went to Dali Temple in the afternoon.

When Zhuang Dongqing woke up from his afternoon nap, he found that Cen Yan was gone. Rubbing his eyes, he vaguely wondered if Cen Yan had saved the time for him this morning.

This thought was terrible, and as soon as it crossed Zhuang Dongqing's mind, he quickly shook his head.

Don't take yourself too seriously.

It would be good enough if Cen Yan could keep herself healthy until after giving birth; anything more would be unrealistic.

but,

Liu Fu: "The prince has always been very good to the young master. He provides everything for the east wing. Compared to when we were in the manor, I can't believe we can receive so many things and monthly allowances every month now."

Zhuang Dongqing thought for a moment, "But he's been quite kind to the people in the Prince's mansion, hasn't he?"

Liu Fu agreed, "That's true. Outside, I only heard how fierce and unapproachable the prince was. But once he entered the palace, he was actually more lenient with his servants than in many other mansions."

"really."

*

The turmoil in the Yuan family lasted for some time.

Fearing that something might happen to Zhuang Dongqing, he wasn't allowed to leave the manor during this time. He was a carefree person, and if he wasn't allowed to leave, he would just play in the manor by himself. When summer came, he would water the flowers, hunt birds, and so on. Zhuang Dongqing was very interested in these things and spent every day in the garden.

That's good too. The foundation is gradually being built up. Master Zhao said it's time to get some exercise.

The imperial court dealt with a number of officials, taking advantage of a mistake made by the Yuan family, and thus uprooted the main branch of the family that existed in the previous dynasty. Within three generations, all were more or less affected.

Cen Yan only focuses on doing his job, regardless of whether the outside world praises or criticizes him.

The Third Prince reacted quickly, and later not only cooperated in finding fault with the Yuan family, but also volunteered to thoroughly investigate the Yuan family's treason.

His willingness to share the Emperor's burdens naturally led him to the forefront of court intrigues, causing many veteran officials to turn their criticism against him.

Once the turmoil subsides, His Majesty's birthday and the Longevity Festival will be approaching.

The Imperial Concubine and Imperial Concubine Tao are almost in the capital.

Ever since she received the news that day, Liu Qi has been packing.

In the end, it was decided that the Dowager Consort would stay in the West Wing, while the Dowager Consort Tao was placed in another courtyard, separated by the East Wing, which served as a buffer and provided some distance between them.

I took off another layer of clothing.

Zhuang Dongqing's lower abdomen swelled up slightly.

He couldn't tell if it was a visible pregnancy or weight gain.

But as Cen Yan touched this curve, he inexplicably felt a more tangible connection to this new life.

Before they knew it, the day arrived for the Dowager Consort and Dowager Consort Tao to enter the capital.

Cen Yan took a leave of absence and went to pick him up personally.

When asked if he wanted to go, Zhuang Dongqing said he didn't want to and should continue sleeping.

After hesitating for a long time, Zhuang Dongqing decided that people should still be polite, so he rubbed his eyes and got up.

It was too early; I barely ate any breakfast.

He climbed into the carriage and continued sleeping.

After waking up, he realized what was happening and asked Liu Qi, "Are we picking up the Dowager and the others in the carriage?"

"Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

Cen Yan rode a horse today; if he hadn't been with him, they wouldn't have needed a carriage at all.

Liu Qi didn't speak, but Cen Yan, who came in halfway, said, "No."

His tone was calm.

Zhuang Dongqing didn't understand how the people in the Prince's Mansion got along, so she didn't ask any more questions.

As they arrived at the city gate, Zhuang Dongqing noticed that the carriage was moving very slowly, wondering if it was for his sake.

Upon arriving at the agreed location, we waited for an hour.

But the Empress Dowager was nowhere to be seen.

The carriage arrived, but it was the old maid who accompanied the Empress Dowager who stepped down.

Granny Ge was an old servant of the Dowager Consort. After getting out of the carriage, she bowed to Cen Yan before speaking.

"May Your Highness be well."

"Upon hearing that the princess is pregnant, the Dowager Consort is concerned and has already gone to the capital ahead of time."

"This old woman will accompany the prince to the residence of the princess and her husband to fetch the Dowager Consort."

Liu Fu overheard this and told Zhuang Dongqing the exact same thing.

Zhuang Dongqing was stunned.

"no……"

"Didn't we agree to pick her up here today?"

Why didn't you say so sooner?

Zhuang Dongqing's eyes widened.

Liu Fu then said, "Yes, the prince asked the same question. They said that the messenger was not timely in delivering the message, and the prince dismissed them on the spot."

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

Zhuang Dongqing: "Is something wrong, Princess? Or is this pregnancy dangerous?"

After saying that, she added, "I didn't mean to curse her, it's just that she entered the capital so early, did something happen?"

Liu Fu, true to his reputation as a skilled intelligence gatherer, muttered, "The prince asked about it too."

"The old woman said that the Imperial Concubine had a dream that contained some bad omens, so she left first."

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

No, even if they're not your biological children, can't you at least pretend?

They really don't even bother to pretend!

Liu Fu: "Shall I go out and take another look?"

Zhuang Dongqing squeezed Liu Fu's hand, "Investigate further and report back!"

This trip did bring some other surprises, but they weren't exactly good news.

Because Tao Taifei was not among those listed.

Zhuang Dongqing: "?!"

Is this some kind of absurd thing? It's only early in the morning.

Liu Fu: "It is said that the Dowager Consort and Dowager Consort Tao have never gotten along well. When they set off from their fiefdom, the Third Prince, oh, that is, the Prince's third brother, kept Dowager Consort Tao for a day, and the two of them went their separate ways."

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

Well, sometimes you can't help but be convinced.

To say it would fall apart would be an understatement for Zhuang Dongqing.

Liu Qi had already gotten out of the car with Cen Yan. When they first arrived, Cen Yan only told him to sit and wait, saying that he could go out when people arrived. But now... Zhuang Dongqing couldn't very well go out either.

"Is His Highness... alright?"

"Do you look unwell?"

This is what Luk Fook wants to say.

Liu Fu shook his head, "I can't tell!"

Zhuang Dongqing thought this answer was very reasonable.

Okay.

The rest of the team turned around and headed back to Beijing.

Zhuang Dongqing thought they would go all the way to the princess's residence.

No, it stopped halfway.

Cen Yan lifted the carriage curtain and called to him, "Get down and have breakfast."

"ah?"

Zhuang Dongqing was stunned.

He followed Liu Fu off the carriage.

They spotted a group of people who stopped right in front of a restaurant.

He was about to say forget it, but then he saw that Liu Qi had already gone inside to order food, so he shut up again.

Zhuang Dongqing couldn't tell whether Cen Yan was happy or not, and whispered, "Aren't we going to pick up the Dowager Consort?"

"Go ahead, eat first, then go."

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

Cen Yan asked him instead, "Aren't you hungry? You usually only wake up at this time."

Zhuang Dongqing dared not speak.

But his stomach, quite fittingly, growled.

Cen Yan smiled.

Zhuang Dongqing's eyes darted around. "...A little, I guess."

The main reason was that when they were in the capital, Zhuang Dongqing was still asleep. After leaving the city, she didn't know when they would stop or meet the Empress Dowager, so she refrained from touching the pastries.

I'm afraid he'll just start eating when someone else arrives, and he'll be in a panic, which would be very impolite.

I never expected that they were so much better than them.

"Just a little?"

Zhuang Dongqing fell silent, glared at Cen Yan, and Cen Yan's smile widened, "Alright, young master is just a little hungry."

"Hao San and I were really hungry. We got up so early that many people didn't even have time to eat breakfast."

Zhuang Dongqing whispered, "I saw you eat a whole bowl of noodles."

"Yes, I've eaten. I'm hungry after all that fuss. Young master, would you mind keeping me company and having some more?"

Zhuang Dongqing: "Okay, okay."

Cen Yan smiled and glanced inside the restaurant. Liu Qi then gestured to them.

"They're gone."

Cen Yan led Zhuang Dongqing inside.

Zhuang Dongqing felt something was off and wanted to turn around to look at the carriage of the Dowager and the others. Just as he moved his head, he heard Cen Yan ask him, "Would you like porridge or soy milk?"

"Porridge!"

"OK."

Upon entering, we sat down in the lobby, where Liu Qi busied himself preparing breakfast, which was already laid out on the table.

Cen Yan placed a steamer of buns in front of him, "Try it."

Zhuang Dongqing picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and her eyes lit up: "Delicious!"

The beef filling includes diced bamboo shoots, and the dough is soft and thin. With one bite, you can see the red oil gushing out.

Cen Yan rested his face on one hand and smiled, "Then eat more, there's no rush."

The sunlight fell perfectly on Cen Yan, and he smiled beautifully.

Seeing that he didn't touch his chopsticks, Zhuang Dongqing paused for a moment, then lowered her head and drank her porridge.

Well, actually, I just brought him here for breakfast!

Zhuang Dongqing raised her eyes a few times, but Cen Yan didn't move. Feeling uneasy, she said, "You should eat something too."

"These pan-fried dumplings are quite delicious too."

They must have had a long and arduous journey, and since the other party was on horseback, it was impossible for them not to be able to eat.

But Cen Yan asked him, "Which one?"

There were several filled pastries on the table.

Zhuang Dongqing picked it up. "This one."

After saying that, Cen Yan lowered his head and took a bite with his chopsticks.

"..."

The remaining half of the fried dumplings suddenly became quite awkward.

Zhuang Dongqing stood there blankly, propping his hand up. Cen Yan said, "Right away."

After saying that, he took a second bite and took the whole thing in.

After finishing his meal, he smiled at Zhuang Dongqing and said, "Hmm, it was quite delicious."

"..."

Damn it, don't smile so beautifully!

Zhuang Dongqing lowered his head in a fluster, hastily shoveled the porridge into his mouth, and after taking a couple of sips, he suddenly remembered that the chopsticks had also been touched by Cen Yan's lips.

He rubbed his ear, then buried his head in his food and didn't look up again.