Chapter 892 Deep Mother-Son Bond (Second Update)

"Are you about to give birth?" Xiao Heng asked.

Princess Xinyang looked down at her belly and sighed, "I should have given birth long ago, but I just won't come out."

The delivery was ten days later than the nanny had calculated, and the doctor would come to check her pulse every day; her pulse was still considered normal.

Xiao Heng roughly understood why his aunt hadn't mentioned his brother to his mother. His mother's pregnancy had been difficult, and if she rushed over to find Shangguan Qing, the bumpy journey could have resulted in the death of both mother and child.

People always need a long time to process bad news, but they can adapt to good news very quickly.

For Xiao Heng and Shangguan Qing, this soon-to-be-added little brother or sister is a blessing; for Princess Xinyang, it is also a son who has been lost and found again.

Knowing that the two had much to say, Xiao Heng stood up and said to Yu Jin, "Aunt Yu Jin, there is still some luggage in the carriage."

Yu Jin understood and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll have someone move it right away."

“I’ll go too.” Xiao Heng and Yu Jin walked out together.

The door to the house was open, and large, fluffy snowflakes fell in a flurry, turning the entire yard into a white expanse.

Princess Xinyang was not used to getting too close to men, but Shangguan Qing was her own flesh and blood, someone she wanted to get close to even though she had to overcome her psychological barriers.

When Xiao Heng was in the room, she restrained herself and dared not show too much emotion, otherwise Xiao Heng would feel that she was being unfair to him, which was not what she wanted.

Actually, she was just worried and confused. Shangguan Qing had suffered too much, and Xiao Heng felt that it was only right for anyone to take care of him.

Princess Xinyang looked at Shangguan Qing, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Mother, may I sit here?"

She was referring to the spot where Xiao Heng had just sat, which was closer to Shangguan Qing.

"Ah, okay." Shangguan Qing agreed hesitantly, but after glancing at her unsteady body, he quickly realized, "Let me sit here!"

Princess Xinyang smiled.

Princess Xinyang was a beauty favored by time; the Crown Princess was strikingly beautiful, while she was more like a blue lotus blooming on the Tianshan Mountains.

Elegant, composed, and refined.

Shangguan Qing suddenly had a whimsical idea: in the future, when he looks for a wife, he will choose someone like his mother.

However, it seems there's no chance anymore.

Princess Xinyang stared intently at her son, unable to get enough of looking at him.

She had so much to say to her son, but when the words came to her lips, she didn't know how to begin.

He wasn't the only one who was nervous.

He worried that Princess Xinyang wouldn't like a son like him, and Princess Xinyang was also worried that he wouldn't like her, the mother who had never raised him for a single day.

"You..." Princess Xinyang opened her mouth, trying to find a topic to talk about, "By the way, why didn't Jiaojiao come back with you?"

Shangguan Qing said, "The war is still raging in Jin, so she can't come back for the time being. But don't worry, the most dangerous period has passed, and the imperial army is now poised for victory. She will be fine."

Moreover, ever since the Gu family army arrived, that Gu Changqing has hardly sent the little girl to the front lines.

Her main responsibilities included guarding Quyang City and treating wounded soldiers.

Of course, this is also a very difficult task, after all, human life is at stake and every life is precious.

Princess Xinyang was slightly relieved: "Then, did you run into Long Yi?"

Shangguan Qing said, "I didn't run into him. Aheng said he left. He only left after sending Aheng back to the heart of Yan from the border."

It seems that Long Yi and A Heng have met before.

Too.

Having spent so many years together, the person Long Yi can't let go of the most is probably Aheng.

He will definitely say goodbye to Ah Heng before he goes to find his own answers.

However, she once thought that Long Yi's answer lay in the Yan Kingdom.

Now it seems that it was somewhere else entirely.

Shangguan Qing didn't know much about Long Yi, only that he was a bodyguard by the princess's side, watched Xiao Heng grow up, and seemed to have some background. Now he was going to find his past.

Princess Xinyang then asked, "Are you married?"

This is a topic that no parent in the world can avoid.

Wait a minute, you asked everyone, but why didn't you ask my dad?

Shangguan Qing truthfully replied, "I am not married."

Princess Xinyang, remembering that he had been poisoned for years, assumed he had no interest in marriage. She changed the subject and asked, "Has your poison been cured?"

This is of utmost importance. I was so focused on my son that I forgot about the most crucial thing.

"It's done," Shangguan Qing said with a smile.

Princess Xinyang asked in confusion, "When was it resolved? Didn't the Imperial Preceptor's Hall say they couldn't resolve it?"

It must be said that a mother's intuition is powerful.

Shangguan Qing had anticipated her question and, following his prepared lines, said, "There is a kind of purple herb whose roots can be used to extract a very potent poison. Out of a hundred people, only one can withstand it. For someone like me who doesn't know martial arts, the chances of survival are even lower. But once you get through it, all injuries and poisons can be cured without medicine."

Princess Xinyang's heart leaped at the mention of such a ruthless method.

“This kind of purple gromwell is very rare. Fortunately, the Han family of Yan State had planted a purple gromwell garden on the border. After the imperial army captured the Han family, they also confiscated their purple gromwell garden. I thought that since I was going to die anyway, I might as well give it a try. I almost didn’t make it back to see you alive.”

As he spoke, he grabbed Princess Xinyang's wrist with a pitiful expression, "The poison from the purple gromwell root is incredibly potent; I was in excruciating pain for days..."

The more details there are in a story, the more trustworthy it becomes.

The truth and the falsehood, the reality and the illusion, combined with his coquettish manner, actually made people believe it.

Princess Xinyang was so happy by her son's sudden affection that she was completely overwhelmed.

"Have you thought about what if Mother doesn't believe you? Mother isn't so easily fooled; she's very smart."

"I have my own way of doing things."

It seems the desired effect has been achieved.

His mother was so immersed in the joy of spending time with her son that she lost her sense of judgment and skepticism.

But in fact, even he himself couldn't say whether he got close to his mother to achieve his goal, or whether he originally wanted to be close to her.

Princess Xinyang raised her other hand and held her son's hand tightly. Her emotions, which had finally calmed down, were once again broken by his plight.

"You've suffered."

She choked up as she said, "From now on, Mom will never let you suffer again."

"Mmm." He nodded, gently pressing his cheek against Princess Xinyang's hand. "Mother loves me the most, much better than my bratty brother! My bratty brother only knows how to annoy me!"

Princess Xinyang burst into tears.

...

After nightfall, the mother and her two children ate dinner in a side room.

Princess Xinyang smiled and looked at Shangguan Qing opposite her, saying, "Aheng said you don't eat fennel, so I told the cooks not to add any spices. Try it and see if it suits your taste."

Shangguan Qing had long lost his appetite and had been forcing himself to eat these days, or receiving intravenous fluids from the accompanying physician.

But looking at the table full of exquisite and delicious dishes, he still picked up his chopsticks and tasted each dish.

"Is it delicious?" Princess Xinyang asked with a smile, pretending not to see his forced swallowing.

"It's delicious," Shangguan Qing said. "It suits my taste better than the food from Yan State."

Princess Xinyang smiled gently: "Even if it's delicious, you can't eat too much. It's late at night, and eating too much can easily cause indigestion."

Shangguan Qing paused with his chopsticks, a lump formed in his throat, and something welled up in his heart, but he remained expressionless and hummed, "Fine, I'll eat less then."

I couldn't eat anymore.

Every bite was torture.

Xiao Heng looked at him, then at Princess Xinyang, and said to Shangguan Qing, "You just ate so many candied hawthorns, do you still have room in your stomach? Don't overeat."

Princess Xinyang hurriedly said, "Why didn't you say you ate the candied hawthorns sooner? Then stop eating them now."

"Oh." Shangguan Qing gave her a deep look, then lowered his eyes and put down his chopsticks.

Xiao Heng said, "Brother... still needs to return to Yan."

Princess Xinyang's hands, hidden beneath her wide sleeves, tightened, and she struggled to suppress the urge to burst into tears.

She looked at the two brothers, a slight surprise on her face: "Really? Qing'er isn't staying in Zhao Kingdom?"

Xiao Heng sighed inwardly and continued to play along with them: "My brother and I have discussed it, and we don't need to switch our identities back."

Princess Xinyang's throat tightened, she smiled, and asked, "When do we set off?"

Xiao Heng said, "There's fighting at the border, and the King of Yan has just suffered a stroke. There's no one in the court to take charge. Brother, you need to go back as soon as possible. Maybe in the next couple of days?"

Princess Xinyang held vegetables in her right hand, while her left fingernails dug deeply into her palm.

She looked at Shangguan Qing with lingering reluctance, her eyes involuntarily reddening: "Will you come back to see your mother?"

Shangguan Qing said with a smile, "Of course I will, right, little brother?"

Xiao Heng: "Mm."

I will dress up as you and come back to visit my mother.

Princess Xinyang's tears fell with a soft thud.

Shangguan Qing looked at her with restraint, wanting to say something but holding back.

Princess Xinyang wiped away her tears, her eyes red and swollen, and said, "I didn't expect you to leave so soon after you came back. Mother will go pack your things. Yujin!"

"Eh."

Yu Jin lifted the curtain and entered, helping Princess Xinyang up from the chair.

Princess Xinyang left the side hall and walked through the long corridor.

After turning the corner, she finally couldn't hold back any longer. In the midst of the swirling snow, she covered her face with her hands and cried, her whole body trembling.

...

Inside the room, Xiao Heng looked helplessly at Shangguan Qing: "Mother has figured it out."

Shangguan Qing said in a low voice, "I know."

Xiao Heng asked, "Are you still leaving?"

Shangguan Qing's expression was calm. Every step he took was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a decision he had made from the beginning: "I cannot die in front of her. I want her to remember me... as I am alive."

"He is a living son."

"Instead of a corpse that can never be awakened in her arms."

"That will be a nightmare she can't shake off."

Baby: Daddy, if you don't hurry, my baby will be gone.

(End of this chapter)