Chapter 172 Yuwen Hao's Suffering Ends in Happiness

Inside the Sizheng Hall, Yuwen Hao had been settled on a soft couch and was being carefully looked after by the imperial physician. Cheng'an and Ning'er had also been hastily taken over by their wet nurses and were standing anxiously to one side.

Yuwen Che gently set Su Luoxue down. The moment her feet touched the ground, Su Luoxue immediately knelt down and tightly embraced her two children, her voice still trembling with fear: "Cheng'an, Ning'er... are you alright? Were you scared?"

Cheng'an and Ning'er obediently hugged her back, resting their little heads on her shoulders, and comforted her in their childish voices: "Mother, we're alright."

Cheng'an pointed to Yuwen Hao on the bed, her little face filled with worry, "But... Brother Hao'er seems to be in a lot of pain."

Su Luoxue kissed the foreheads of the two children before getting up and walking to the bedside, softly calling out, "Hao'er..."

As soon as Yuwen Hao saw her, he immediately reached out his small hands and hugged her waist tightly, burying his face in her chest and calling out in a tearful voice, "Mother... Mother..."

Su Luoxue felt heartbroken and gently patted his back, her voice so tender it could melt your heart: "It's alright, don't be afraid anymore... it's all over now. From now on, your mother will love you and treat you like her own son."

"You should also treat your mother as your own mother, okay? If you have any grievances, things you like, or things you want to do, you can tell your mother. You can also act like Cheng'an and Ning'er, and even... throw a little tantrum. Your mother won't blame you."

Yuwen Hao nodded vigorously in her arms, tears soaking her clothes, and choked out, "Mother... I really thought I would never see you again today... This morning... I came to the Sizheng Hall to find you, hoping you would teach me how to play chess..."

Yuwen Che gestured for all the palace servants and imperial physicians to leave. He walked over, picked up Cheng'an and Ning'er, one in each arm, and sat on the edge of the bed. Looking at Su Luoxue and Yuwen Hao embracing, he remained silent for a moment before speaking to Yuwen Hao:

"Hao'er, from now on... Father will care more about you and spend more time with you."

Su Luoxue held Yuwen Hao in her arms and comforted him, "Okay, Mother will teach you to play chess. Whatever you want to learn or do in the future, Mother will do as you please and accompany you, okay?"

Yuwen Hao looked up, his face streaked with tears. His eyes, so similar to Yuwen Che's, were filled with grievance and confusion. He sobbed as he asked the question that had been hidden deep in his heart:

"Mother...why...why am I not your biological child? If I were your child...wouldn't...wouldn't I be less sad..."

These words were like a fine needle, unexpectedly piercing the softest spot in Su Luoxue's heart.

She cradled her son's small face in her hands, gently wiping away his tears with her fingertips, her gaze clear and sincere, telling him clearly:

"Hao'er, listen to me, none of that matters. Really, none of it matters at all."

She pulled him back into her arms, her voice carrying a comforting strength: "Whether you are my biological son or not, from this day forward, you are my child."

"Just like Cheng'an and Ning'er, you are the apple of your mother's eye. Your mother will love you, cherish you, protect you, and treat you as her own flesh and blood. You trust your mother, okay?"

In her warm and firm embrace, Yuwen Hao nodded vigorously, his little hands tightening around Su Luoxue, and he choked out, "Yes... Hao'er believes in Mother..."

Seeing their mother and brother embracing, Cheng'an and Ning'er wriggled off their father's arms, climbed onto the soft couch, and pounced on Yuwen Hao from either side, hugging him tightly.

"Brother Hao'er! That's great! You're alright!" Cheng'an rubbed her little face against his arm.

Ning'er mimicked in her childish voice, "Brother is alright!"

Yuwen Hao looked at his younger brother and sister nestled beside him and nodded gently, his voice still a little hoarse: "Yes... I'm fine now, Cheng'an and Ning'er, don't worry."

Looking at the three children huddled together, Su Luoxue's eyes welled up with tears of relief.

She bent down and carefully wiped away the tears on Yuwen Hao's face with a handkerchief, saying softly, "Alright, stop crying. Hao'er needs to rest now and recover."

She paused, looked at Yuwen Che, and then promised Yuwen Hao, "Once you're feeling better, your mother will have your father teach you swordsmanship, okay?"

Yuwen Hao's eyes lit up instantly, and he nodded vigorously: "Okay!"

Looking into his eldest son's expectant eyes, Yuwen Che was filled with mixed emotions. Under Su Luoxue's expectant gaze, he took the initiative for the first time to pick up Yuwen Hao's small body and hold him in his arms.

This hug came far too late.

Yuwen Che looked down at the child in his arms who resembled him in appearance:

"Hao'er, in the past... it was your father's fault. From now on, your father will try his best to make it up to you. If there's anything you want, anything you want to learn, or anything you've been wronged about, you can tell your father... okay?"

Yuwen Hao was held in his father's arms, feeling the unfamiliar yet long-awaited warmth and solidity. The grievances he had been holding back surged up like a flood breaking through a dam.

He reached out his little hands and hugged Yuwen Che's neck tightly, burying his face in his shoulder, his small body trembling slightly from suppressed sobs.

"Father..." His voice was muffled.

With a heavy nasal tone and suppressed sadness, she said, "I thought... I thought you really hated me, didn't like Hao'er..."

He raised his tear-filled face and sobbed, "When the Empress Dowager... when she sent me back to the palace... she said... she said you were busy with official duties... and told me... not to cry, not to make a fuss, to be good... and not to annoy you..."

He became more and more aggrieved as he spoke, and large tears rolled down his cheeks: "But...but after I came back, I saw how good you were to Cheng'an and Ning'er...you would hold them, play with them, and make toys for them...Father, Hao'er also wants...I want you to treat me like that..."

This tearful outpouring was like a dull knife, cutting into Yuwen Che's heart again and again.

Only then did he truly realize how much harm and anxiety his past indifference and alienation had caused to this young child.

He gently patted Hao'er's back: "It's your father's fault... Your father was wrong. Your father doesn't hate Hao'er, and he won't in the future."

"You are Father's son, just like Cheng'an and Ning'er. Father will hold you, play with you, teach you swordsmanship, and make you toys... okay?"

Yuwen Hao nodded vigorously in his arms, choking back tears as he replied, "Mmm... okay..."

Seeing their father holding their brother, Cheng'an and Ning'er immediately squeezed over, reaching out their little hands to grab the hem of Yuwen Che's dragon robe, their little faces looking up expectantly:

"Father, hug Cheng'an!"

"Father, Ning'er wants a hug too!"

Yuwen Che has always spoiled his two children, whom his beloved wife had given birth to with great difficulty, without any principles. Looking at their longing little faces, his heart instantly melts.

He adjusted his posture and simply pulled all three children into his broad arms: "Good, good! Father will hold you, hold you all! Hold my Cheng'an, Ning'er, and Hao'er!"

In an instant, his arms were filled to the brim with three soft little ones. Cheng'an and Ning'er nestled contentedly in his familiar embrace, giggling happily.

As Yuwen Hao was also embraced by Yuwen Che, an unprecedented sense of warmth and security of acceptance welled up in his heart, making him unable to help but slightly raise the corners of his mouth.

Su Luoxue stood to the side, watching this rare, heartwarming scene of the father and his three sons, her eyes filled with a contented smile. She quietly turned and walked outside the hall, whispering an instruction to Li Dehai, who was waiting there:

"Li Dehai, go and prepare the meal. Tell the imperial kitchen to make several dishes that Prince An likes... Remember, make them light, as he has just recovered and needs careful recuperation."