Huo Xiaolong's belly gradually became visible, and the three children, Huo Kaixuan, Liu Buhui, and Siman, spent their days taking care of their aunt.

Cen Ang and He Yi are sometimes too busy to keep an eye on their daughter, so they ask the younger generation to watch over her, especially to prevent her from running around and playing.

But now that she can openly slack off, even a sharp sword can't stop her.

Li Jian, leading Shen Qinghe, watched as Huo Xiaolong, carrying Huo Kaixuan, went to the tree to pick apricots. Her lips parted slightly, and she spoke coldly to the man behind her:

"After the Emperor's legitimate son is born, I will definitely teach him with all my heart, and he must never be like my master, like this..."

He was being ridiculous, but he couldn't say it because of his position.

"You can't bear to part with it."

Shen Qinghe spoke softly behind her, and squeezed her hand.

He knew his wife too well. She wasn't unkind or cold to people; rather, she reserved all her patience and tenderness for Huo Xiaolong.

Later, Shen Qinghe learned about Huo Panlijian's childhood and felt even more sorry for him.

A beggar child who has come this far has relied on the current emperor; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to give her life with a sharp sword.

"Oh, Auntie, you can't climb the tree. My mom will scold me if she sees you. Why don't you come down?"

"No, I want something sour."

"How about I have the aunt from the Imperial Kitchen make it for you?"

"I just want to eat the apricots from the tree."

Liu Buhui watched as Siman was taken up by Huo Xiaolong, and then she happily went to the harem to find Lan Tingche.

With his elders gone, no one can control Huo Xiaolong, but his uncle can.

"Uncle, Auntie went to climb the tree again."

Lan Tingche was fiddling with the abacus, calculating the military pay of the southwestern garrison. Don't be fooled by our Empress Lan's daily embroidery and zither playing at home; she is, after all, a prince with a proper official position and real power.

"She won't listen to you?"

The man's narrow eyes looked at Liu Buhui, and even the child was envious. Buhui looked down at her own firm belly, then at her uncle's outstanding and slender figure, and felt a little tempted.

His dad is quite good-looking, and his mom is not bad either, so why is he so round?

He also admired Lu Wangji's style, saying that it was good-looking and had a lot of style.

“She wouldn’t listen, and she even took Siman up there. Uncle, you should go to the Imperial Garden to check on her.”

Lan Tingche closed the ledger and walked with Liu Buhui toward the Imperial Garden.

The man walked steadily, while the chubby little boy in front of him skipped and hopped.

Lan Tingche thought that if Long'er's child was born, it would surely be as adorable as Bu Hui.

He never imagined he would become a father, and when he ran away from home, he didn't even think about the future.

Now, I have everything.

"Long'er," the man called to the young woman in the tree.

"Brother Tingche, these apricots are really sour, do you want some? They're really good."

The aloof man smiled at her, and for some reason, he felt happy just seeing Long'er.

"I won't eat. Get down and be good."

"Make some more."

Huo Xiaolong watched as Lan Tingche opened her arms to him, gesturing for her to jump into his embrace, but she wasn't willing.

I haven't had my fill yet; my cravings have become quite strange since I got pregnant.

Lan Tingche wanted to be domineering, but he couldn't bring himself to be so when faced with Long'er's pouty face.

Seeing her like this, he only wanted to be endlessly forgiving.

He's also a very responsible male mother.

"Then I'm going down, Tingche-ge."

She still called him Tingche-ge, just like before. After they got married, apart from sharing a bed with him every day, there wasn't much difference.

Aside from being able to openly and legitimately call Huo Shuwen "Dad" and make him angry.

A pleasant fragrance wafted from her bosom, the scent that Long'er loved most. It must have been a gentle fragrance that Sister Fen'e had prepared for her.

"Are you sleepy? Do you want to go back and get some sleep?"

Since my wife got pregnant, she sleeps a lot. She doesn't feel uncomfortable, but she can eat and drink a lot, and she's gained weight.

Losing exercise will naturally lead to weight gain.

Lan Tingche didn't think it was bad. Sometimes he thought that Long'er would be cute if he was round and chubby.

"Not sleepy, I feel energetic today."

"Your belly is getting bigger and bigger, so you should be more careful in the future. If you really want to eat apricots, I'll go pick some for you."

“I just feel bored staying at home all day. My sister-in-law always looks at me like a normal pregnant woman and won’t let me do anything.”

That's right. Even the time Huo Xiaolong went out to run wild each day was when Hou Xiangxiang was busy at the Imperial Hospital.

Needless to say, Da Ni'er pushed aside the grass and was practically sleeping between Lan Tingche and Huo Xiaolong.

He carries two prairie knives every day.

"Let me tell you, on the grasslands, when the king's favorite concubine's child is about to be born, assassins will come one after another. Although you don't have a concubine, and your child wasn't born to the empress, it's no different."

"From now on, the child in your belly will be the Emperor of Great Yan. I will stand guard for you, and you just need to eat and drink quietly, okay?"

"Also, I heard from the little girl that you people in the Central Plains have prenatal education. Please don't kill people in front of your children, okay?"

Huo Xiaolong held the snack in his hand, watching Da Ni'er's chattering little mouth, unsure of what to say.

You asked me how I was doing?

Sisters?

ah?

We're both equally bad, why are you asking me?

"Da Ni'er, can you go back to sleep? Long'er and I are going to bed."

In the end, it was Lan Tingche who drove the person out.

"I'm just pregnant, not disabled."

"They're worried about you."

It wasn't just nervousness; Huo Xiaocheng had been crying a lot these past few days. The thought of his wife suffering and his sister continuing the ordeal made him feel terrible.

"Tingche, what do you think we should do to raise the child after he's born?"

“I’ll teach him martial arts, and you can teach him to read. You have nice handwriting.”

Huo Xiaolong, who was getting ready for his lunch break, touched his bulging belly, still feeling somewhat curious.

Here, she herself gave birth to a life.

This is her blood relation, her blood relative.

"I'm out of luck when it comes to reading books. Didn't you see that Li Jian has already prepared a whole bunch of books?"

"Then what are you going to do?"

“I taught him…how to love his mother as much as I do.”

These words made Huo Xiaolong laugh heartily, his laughter filled with a mixture of delight and shyness.

"It's so good to have you."

Long'er grasped the man's hand in return. In her previous life, she had never experienced love, and she didn't know how to love someone, nor how to build a family and spend her life with someone who was not related to her by blood.

But now she knows that there aren't so many scheming and backstabbing plots. In fact, for Lan Tingche, even the best things in the world—power—are not as important as Huo Xiaolong.

What if Lan Tingche doesn't listen?

Huo Xiaolong had never thought about this question.

What if Lan Tingche plots to usurp the throne?

She thought she would lock him up, have a child with him, and use a spell on him so that he would eventually beg her to love him, and in the end, he would only know how to love her for the rest of his life.

You and I are two scourges. Just because you pretend to be nice doesn't mean you really are.

Okay, that's settled then. You and I will just torment each other for the rest of our lives.