Penglai.

The sounds inside the house never stopped all night.

Chu Changning, in pain, cursed Yan Beimo repeatedly, from the Yan family's ancestors to the young brats, wishing he were right beside her so she could bite him to death.

Xiao Yan stood in the courtyard all night, his body was almost stiff, and he felt cold all over.

He listened as the princess's cursing gradually subsided, and a sense of unease crept into his heart.

The other guards also stood in the courtyard, talking and praying all at once.

As dawn broke, a ray of morning light pierced through the thin mist, and the midwife's joyful voice suddenly echoed throughout the courtyard.

"It's born! It's born! It's a little boy."

The people standing outside heard the sudden sound and instantly came to their senses, feeling both surprised and delighted.

Xiao Yan's heart, which had been pounding, instantly calmed down.

"Miss, how is Miss?"

But then, the midwife's suspicious voice came from inside.

Why aren't you crying?

The little baby stared at her with its dark eyes, showing no sign of crying; upon closer inspection, there was even a hint of disdain.

The midwife felt a chill run down her spine from the stare of a little child, and slapped him on the bottom.

The little baby obligingly burst into tears.

Tao Zhi quickly wrapped the baby in swaddling clothes, handed the child to Chu Changning on the bed, and smiled.

"Congratulations, Princess, on the birth of your son."

Chu Changning was too tired. She glanced weakly at the child, said with disdain, "He's as ugly as his father," and then fell asleep exhausted.

Taozhi was overjoyed; the late emperor and empress finally had an heir.

She placed the child next to the princess, handed the reward money to the midwives and doctors, and after clarifying all the follow-up matters, she dismissed them.

"Go back, everyone."

After the midwife and doctor left the room, they were knocked unconscious by the guards outside.

Xiao Yan forced the medicine that he had prepared beforehand to them through their mouths, took out the reward money, and then ordered someone to send the midwife and doctor back to their original place.

They acted prudently and did not reveal their identities outside. After taking this drug, these people will not remember what happened last night.

"Secretly place a silver ingot in each of their homes; no one would refuse such a windfall."

After losing their memory, holding a reward in their hand would arouse suspicion, but picking up a silver ingot would not.

"yes."

inside the house.

Tao Zhi wiped Chu Changning's body, changed his clothes, and changed the bedding before waiting by his side.

She stared at the child curiously for a few moments. The child wasn't afraid of strangers at all and stared back at her, but after a while, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

She didn't dare touch it and asked the guards outside to boil water.

After waking up from a nap, Chu Changning felt much better. Water had been prepared in the bathtub, and she immediately went to wash herself and change into clean clothes.

Taozhi brewed her some medicine to replenish her qi and blood, which helped her regulate her body.

Xiao Yan would bring her medicinal soup and tonics every day to help her recover her strength as quickly as possible.

Within a few days, Chu Changning's spirits improved considerably.

That day, Taozhi helped her wash up and dried her wet hair. She glanced curiously at the baby in the cradle and asked, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Princess, such a big child must be in a lot of pain."

Chu Changning paused for a moment. He usually felt so full during sex that it was no easy feat to give birth to such a big child.

Thinking of this, she felt an urge to slap the culprit to death.

"You'll understand when you get married and have children."

Taozhi, being easily embarrassed, blushed.

Chu Changning saw it through the bronze mirror and couldn't help but tease her.

"Taozhi, do you have someone you like? I'll arrange it for you and make sure you have a grand and glorious wedding."

When Taozhi was asked this question, she couldn't help but recall the scene on the bed that day, the first time she had been so close to a man.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she murmured something.

"No."

Chu Changning chuckled and teased, "What are you shy about? Have you taken a fancy to Xiao Yan? Let me tell you."

Taozhi's face instantly turned as red as her bottom, and she wanted to run away.

But she was still combing the princess's hair and serving her, so she couldn't leave.

She couldn't help feeling extremely uncomfortable all over.

Seeing her expression, Chu Changning stopped teasing her.

"If you find someone you love in the future, just tell me, and I'll prepare a generous dowry for your wedding."

"This servant wants to serve the princess for the rest of her life and never get married."

Chu Changning laughed, "That won't do, that would be enslaving people."

The children were all breastfed, and Chu Changning felt a warm glow in her heart, looking at the children with great joy.

Peach Blossom felt sorry for the princess and sometimes complained.

If she lived in the palace, there would be wet nurses; the princess wouldn't need to work so hard.

Chu Changning didn't feel anything was wrong; with Taozhi's help, she wasn't that tired.

What's more, she never even touched a man in her past life, and now she's pregnant with a child in this one—it's just too unbelievable.

Sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night and couldn't help but check carefully to see if she had really given birth to a child.

Xiao Yan and his group of secret guards were all grown men who had never served a baby before. The child was too fragile, so they could only look at him from a distance and did not dare to hold him. There was a difference between ruler and subject.

Chu Changning wasn't very disciplined. Once she had a child, she treated it like a toy, often holding the baby with a smile and playing with it, and even inviting them to tease and play with it.

Taozhi was afraid that she would misbehave with the child, so she watched over her carefully every day.

"Princess, shouldn't we name the child?"

Chu Changning had just finished eating. He glanced at the sleeping baby in the cradle and pondered for a while.

"What should I call you?"

Taozhi dared not speak. This was the princess's precious young master; how could they be allowed to give him a name so casually?

Chu Changning stroked his chin and said, "This child is very quiet. Is his name An'an?"

Peach branch, "---"

Chu Changning shook his head, thought for a while, and still didn't know what to call him, so he calmly said.

"Let's call him A-Yu for now, his nickname."

May she not be like her father, a hypocrite with sweet words but a treacherous heart. May her child live a warm and happy life, as bright and upright as a beautiful jade.

“I don’t have a household registration right now, and this child is also an unregistered resident. I’ll think of a name for him later.”

At this point, Taozhi couldn't help but ask a question.

"This is the child of the princess and the lord, shouldn't we—"

Before she could finish speaking, Chu Changning interrupted her.

“He wants to be a cheap father, let him have a child with another woman. This is my child, he doesn’t need to know.”

Taozhi felt that this was against morality, and thinking about how the princess was raising the child alone, she couldn't help but feel sad. If the late empress were still alive, the princess would never have to suffer like this.

As the two were talking, the sleeping child suddenly burst into tears.

Chu Changning rushed over to see, and held the child in her arms to comfort her.

Taozhi quickly tidied up the bedding and, fearing she would get tired, carried it for her.

"Taozhi, does this child look like me?"

Chu Changning has been getting increasingly frustrated with this child lately. How come he's starting to resemble that scoundrel more and more?

Taozhi looked at it carefully for a few moments and said suspiciously, "It's so small, you can't tell, can you?"

"Take a closer look. None of the eyes or nose look like mine."

Peach branch, "---"