Su Yushan pursed her red lips slightly, seemingly unwilling to be disturbed. "If it's not related to the child, then let's talk about it after I wake up! I'm so sleepy!"

So now all she cares about is the child? Doesn't his business matter? Hongli felt utterly defeated, but he still stuck to his own opinion.

"It's very important, we have to say it now, we can't wait."

Su Yushan gave a soft "oh," then snuggled deeper into the covers. Hongli, not caring whether she was truly sleepy or feigning sleep, continued, "Last night I went to Lanzhao Courtyard, intending to just pretend and stay with her for the night, but she said Mother was urging us to have a legitimate son, so I..."

At this point, Hongli paused, carefully observing her reaction. He saw that her expression was normal, her eyes were still closed, her thick, curled eyelashes spread out like small fans, and her delicate eyebrows did not even furrow.

Feeling guilty, Hongli continued, "I then shared a room with her."

After saying this, he waited for Su Yushan to open her eyes, expecting her accusations and reproaches. However, she groggily opened her eyes, glanced at him, then lazily closed them again, softly replying:

"Okay, sure."

"..."

During this time, Hongli thought of countless possibilities. She might cry, fake a smile, or ignore him with red eyes, but he never expected that she would actually say yes!

What does this word mean? He was completely puzzled. "Yushan, are you even listening to me? I said it was about me and the Fujin..."

"I heard you, you want a legitimate son. I understand. Is there anything else? If not, I'm going to sleep!"

He never wanted to disturb her, but this time, Hongli was unsure of what to do, so he simply pulled her up, made her sit down, and wrapped her in a blanket.

"Don't sleep, Su Yushan. Open your eyes and look at me. I'm telling you this very seriously, so you have to listen carefully."

Even though Su Yushan has a good temper, she can be grumpy when she wakes up, especially when she's sleeping soundly and gets disturbed. It really annoys her!

The large blanket wrapped her up completely, leaving only her head exposed. She struggled to keep from collapsing, impatiently opening her eyes and complaining:

"You're so annoying! Next time you're asleep, I'll drag you out of bed and see how you feel."

"I had no choice. If I kept these things to myself, I was afraid you would suffer later, so I wanted to tell you in advance."

Hongli stared at her intently. Su Yushan pouted and glared at him, "Why didn't you say it at noon? Why did you have to say it while I was sleeping?"

"I didn't want to spoil your birthday celebration, so I planned to talk about it tomorrow. But Ya Tang was so talkative. I was afraid you would overthink things and think I was deliberately hiding something from you, so I wanted to explain."

So that's what it was all about! Su Yushan chuckled, "That Ya Tang deliberately gossiped in front of me, just to see me get angry. I didn't fall for her tricks. Instead, I turned the tables on her and made her turn green with anger!"

"Oh?" Hongli asked curiously, "What did you say to her?"

"She was just praising how brave you were in the tent! She didn't get a chance to experience it, so of course she's annoyed." Su Yushan chuckled, seemingly treating the matter as just a contest and not paying attention to what Ya Tang had actually said.

Seeing this, Hongli became even more uneasy. He didn't even know how to defend himself. "No matter what difficulties I have, I have not been able to make my heart and soul belong to you alone. Yushan, I have let you down and failed to live up to your feelings."

After listening silently, Su Yushan lowered her eyes and sighed softly. Then she tried to curve her lips into a smile and looked up at him. "Ever since I returned to the capital and decided to stay in the manor, I have been prepared that you will not belong to me alone."

"But back then you still harbored resentment towards me and hadn't fully given me your heart. Now that we've reconciled and you're willing to accept me again, I haven't been able to give you my one and only. You... really won't resent me?"

"Do you resent it?" Su Yushan didn't answer, her gaze gradually becoming deep. "I once longed for a pure and devoted life, and I struggled with myself for it, restraining myself and doubting myself. However, I have my principles, and you have your difficulties. We tormented each other for so long, but in the end, we still couldn't distinguish right from wrong."

After weathering so many storms and hardships, I choose to make peace with myself, to neither make things difficult for myself nor for you. After all, life is full of disappointments, and to survive in this world, one must find that point of balance.

At this point, Hongli truly understood that her not crying or making a fuss was not because she didn't care, but because she had compromised with these complicated rules; she had sharp edges in her heart, but had become worldly-wise.

She didn't want to say much, deliberately appearing relaxed, precisely because she didn't want to reopen old wounds, lest the stubborn blood in her bones flow out again.

Meeting her feigned indifference, Hongli felt as if his heart had been shattered. He couldn't help but pull her into his arms. He wanted to say something, but found that anything he said would be superfluous.

"Rules are just for show, and the eldest son is what Father and Mother want. The only ones I value most are you and our child."

After saying this, he released her, gazed at her, and slowly leaned closer. Just as he was about to touch her, her cherry lips pursed slightly, as if she were about to shift her position.

This subtle change made Hongli's heartstrings twitch, because the day after his wedding to his wife, he came to see Yushan, but she avoided his kiss. At that time, he told her that he would not kiss any other woman except her.

Today, Yu Shan said she wouldn't dwell on this matter anymore, but Hong Li still harbored some concerns, which is why he tested her with a kiss. If she flinched again, it would prove that she still had reservations.

His mind in turmoil, he held his breath and continued to approach.

Su Yushan was perfectly aware of the meaning behind his kiss. Hongli was incredibly perceptive and understood her very well. If she were to pull away at this moment, he would still feel guilty, and another rift would appear between them.

Having already agreed to reconcile with himself, Su Yushan was no longer willing to be coy. She lowered her eyes, did not flinch, and let his lips cover hers.

At the moment their lips met, Hongli was overwhelmed with emotions. He appreciated her understanding, felt sorry for her forbearance, and was also deeply remorseful. In his heart, he hoped that his wife could conceive a son as soon as possible. Once they had a legitimate son, they could break the difficult situation that had plagued all three of them.

This time, Hongli did not bully her. He kissed her sincerely for a while before letting her go, because at this moment he was full of tenderness for her and had no ulterior motives.

The two then embraced, without saying a word, quietly feeling each other's heartbeats.

Remembering his last words, Su Yushan couldn't help but ask, "You said you care a lot about our child, but the baby is already five months old and doesn't even have a proper name yet. We can only call him 'Bao'er' (baby). Is it really that hard to come up with a name?"

Upon hearing this, Hongli's eyes flickered slightly, and his smile became somewhat unnatural. "Father has not yet made a decision. Let's wait a little longer."

"Why the delay?" Su Yushan couldn't help but think of a possibility. "Is it because the child is born out of wedlock, and the Emperor doesn't like him, so he's unwilling to name him?"