Chapter 240 The Child Moves
From that day on, Concubine Zhao fell ill and stayed in bed for a whole month.
Every time in the middle of the night, he would sit up in shock and cry out, "Stop pouring me more, stop pouring me more."
"Mammy...Mammy, don't leave me."
Later, news spread in the palace that Concubine Zhao had gone insane because of Madam Kong's death.
Although Xiao Heng did not go to visit, he ordered the imperial physician to cure Zhaopin's illness.
Liu Yuetang spent another month peacefully.
Since the first snow fell, the Queen had exempted herself from the formalities of paying respects to the emperor. She slept until she woke up naturally every day and leisurely played the piano and painted in the palace.
Xiao Heng would take time out every day to invite Yue Gong and go out for a walk with her.
This feeling of peaceful and quiet life made her feel as if she was not in the deep palace.
Everything was so peaceful, almost scary.
Therefore, Liu Yuetang became more cautious. In addition to asking the palace servants to be cautious, she also opened a secret back door in the warm room in the bedroom.
In this way, if you encounter an emergency, you can escape easily.
On this day, heavy snow fell on the palace walls, and thick snow accumulated on the glazed tiles. Xiao Heng came with a memorial as usual.
After Zhou Defu put down the memorial, Liu Yuetang wanted to step forward to take off Xiao Heng's cloak, but he took two steps back and hurriedly stopped Liu Yuetang: "Don't come over, be careful or I will pass the cold air on to you."
"I'll come over and hug you after I warm myself up."
Liu Yuetang smiled tenderly and pursed her lips, saying, "Who said I want to hug you..."
Xiao Heng stood beside the charcoal fire and smiled: "Then... I want to hold you."
After making sure he was not cold, Xiao Heng sat down on the couch and tapped his knees with his slender fingers. "Come here and sit on my lap."
Liu Yuetang took light lotus steps and slowly sat on his lap, smiling sweetly, "I'm afraid that in a few months, the Emperor won't be able to hold me anymore."
Xiao Heng stroked her slightly bulging belly, looked up at Liu Yuetang's voluptuous figure and plump face, and nodded slightly: "Hmm...it seems that Miaomiao has gained a lot of weight recently."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuetang couldn't help but feel sad and turned away, "It's all the emperor's fault."
Xiao Heng was stunned for a moment, then raised his hand and touched her shoulder: "Why are you blaming me?"
Liu Yuetang said in a delicate voice, "The Emperor always asked the Imperial Kitchen to send me nourishing soup. Now that I've grown so plump, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to recover after giving birth."
Hearing this, Xiao Heng chuckled and held her in his arms. "No problem, Miaomiao is more charming when she is plump. I like her no matter what."
"Besides, even if Miaomiao gains another hundred pounds, I can still carry her."
Liu Yuetang chuckled: "If I gain another hundred pounds, I will be as swollen as a pig's head. By then, I'm afraid the emperor will be disgusted by the sight of my face."
"You! What are you doing with your wild thoughts all day long?"
Xiao Heng pinched Liu Yuetang's tender cheeks.
"Right now, the most important thing is to take care of the pregnancy and give birth to the child."
"Imperial Physician Shen told me yesterday that your due date is after mid-May next year. The summer heat in the Imperial Palace is unbearable, and your confinement will be very painful. So I thought, next year, we should simply go to the temporary palace to escape the summer heat, and leave in early May. That way... you can wait for your birth in the temporary palace."
Liu Yuetang was naturally happy.
During the confinement period, women are extremely weak and need to keep warm and avoid the wind to prevent the invasion of cold evil. Therefore, ice should not be placed in the palace to prevent the development of postpartum diseases.
From the end of May to June, it is the hottest time of the year, and one cannot bathe every day. If one were to recuperate in the palace after giving birth, one would probably be covered in sweat and develop a heat rash.
She raised her jade arms and wrapped them around Xiao Heng's neck, smiling sweetly: "Your Majesty treats me so well, I don't know how to thank you."
Xiao Heng pondered, "Then finish the unfinished painting, and have Miaomiao write a poem on it personally and give it to me."
Liu Yuetang nodded: "Okay! Then I will start painting right away, and Your Majesty, please review the memorial."
So the palace maids brought tables and chairs and placed them next to Xiao Heng.
After Liu Yuetang sat down, she saw that there was nothing on the table, so she asked Liu Zheng to bring a white-glazed vase, and then she picked up a few branches of freshly picked wintersweet and put them into the vase.
The golden petals contrast with the white bottle, which is very pleasing to the eye.
Seeing this, Xiao Heng smiled and asked, "I see Miaomiao always has flowers on her desk, but what's the point?"
Liu Yuetang's eyebrows and eyes were filled with smiles: "Because... there are wonderful things hidden in these objects. When I am out of inspiration, I can get some by looking at them."
Her fingertips gently stroked the golden wintersweet:
"Just like this wintersweet, when it blooms, it fills the room with fragrance. It is bright to look at and soothing to smell, adding a bit of interest to practicing calligraphy and painting."
Xiao Heng looked at the wintersweet on the table and felt relieved. "Miaomiao, this is a very good idea. When I return to the Qinzheng Palace, I will also order the palace maids to place a few flowers on the table every day."
Last winter, before Liu Yuetang became pregnant, she would often pick plum blossoms and place them in the Qinzheng Hall.
But this year, there were no endless stream of fresh flowers in the vases of the Qinzheng Hall.
The two men picked up their brushes, and the hall became quiet, with only the sound of memorials being dropped and the sound of falling snow outside the window.
The man in blue and white was working at his desk reviewing memorials, while the woman in lilac was painting with her eyes downcast.
Suddenly, they both raised their eyes at the same time, and their gazes met.
The dimples on her cheeks swirled slightly, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.
The room is filled with tenderness and affection.
After a long time, Xiao Heng's voice rang out from the hall: "Miaomiao, will you paint a picture for me every year from now on?"
Liu Yuetang paused slightly and looked up, only to see Xiao Heng staring straight at her, with a gentle moonlight between his brows.
"Okay!" Liu Yuetang smiled, her eyes full of tenderness.
"I will paint a picture for Your Majesty every year, until... I grow old and frail, and can no longer hold a brush."
"By the time Miaomiao is old and frail, I'm afraid I'll have already passed away."
"Your Majesty, please don't say such unlucky words!" Liu Yuetang scolded, "You will surely live a long and prosperous life, and always be by my side."
She lowered her head and chuckled softly, the amethyst tassels in her hair swaying gently. "When that time comes, I will paint the fine lines at the corners of His Majesty's eyes into the long scroll of time."
The corners of Xiao Heng's mouth slowly rose.
The greatest happiness in this world is to grow old with the one you love.
He had never fantasized about the future, but now he had a vision of gray hair in his mind.
He waved his hand: "Come here, take a break before painting."
Liu Yuetang's neck felt a little sore, so she put down her brush and walked towards Xiao Heng.
Xiao Heng patted his knees and said, "Lie on me and take a nap."
This was also Liu Yuetang's usual action. Recently, she often lay in Xiao Heng's arms and watched him review memorials, and fell asleep unknowingly.
And this time, Liu Yuetang closed her eyes again after a while.
Xiao Heng lowered his eyes and looked at Liu Yuetang's peaceful sleeping face, the smile on the corner of his mouth becoming more and more intense.
He raised his thumb and gently hooked the hair on her forehead: "I knew you were sleepy."
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yuetang stood up and stroked his belly in surprise.
Xiao Heng was startled by her action, and the brush slipped from his fingertips in an instant.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?"
Seeing her holding her belly and not saying anything, Xiao Heng's breathing became irregular: "Does your stomach hurt?"
"Someone! Go get the imperial physician!"
"No..." Liu Yuetang held Xiao Heng's hand.
She turned around and looked at him with a silly smile: "Your Majesty. The child... just moved."
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