As the weather gradually got warmer, Yunqing began to lose her appetite.
Some of the dishes were a bit too strong in flavor, and she even gagged. Seeing her drooping face, Xie Rang's anxiety, which he had barely managed to calm down, surged up again. Several batches of chefs were changed in the palace before they finally managed to make food that she could eat.
Yun Qing was always composed and serene; it was rare to see her so haggard, even during the worst years of the dynasty. Xie Rang's brows furrowed tightly, and for a moment, the palace servants serving him could only keep their tails between their legs, afraid of upsetting the emperor.
Yun Qing finished the medicine in one gulp, and thankfully she didn't feel nauseous this time. Suddenly, she seemed to sense something, her eyes relaxed, and she called out, "Xie Rang, come here."
"Grand Tutor." Xie Rang hadn't been sleeping well these past few days, his voice hoarse and urgent. He looked at Yun Qing, scrutinizing her carefully. "Are you feeling unwell again?"
Yun Qingwen shook her head gently: "No."
A smile played on her lips as she took Xie Rang's hand and placed it on her stomach, whispering, "Look, she's moving."
The system was practically a cheating device; not only could it monitor her physical condition at all times, but it could also detect her gender. So, she and Xie Rang already knew that this was a little princess.
Perhaps hearing her mother's words, the baby in her womb responded very politely. As soon as Xie Rang's hand touched it, he felt a very subtle ripple coming from under his palm, like a small fish casually blowing a bubble, which then popped open.
Yun Qing was almost five months pregnant. This was the first time Xie Rang had felt the existence of life so clearly. It was also the child connected to him by blood, growing little by little.
A feeling that is hard to describe.
Xie Rang stood frozen in place, at a loss for words: "A-Qing...she..."
It was rare to see Xie Rang lose his composure, which allowed Yun Qing to find some familiar traces of him in his actions, and her smile deepened: "Isn't this a good thing? It shows that she likes you as her father."
Yunqing had seen Xie Rang's childhood in that dream and knew where his indifference to family came from. Although she never brought it up, she still wanted him to establish some new connections through this child.
The past is the past, and the future is the future.
He shouldn't be trapped in the past forever.
"Hmm." Xie Rang blinked, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside him. He suddenly felt that the last trace of regret from his youth was gradually being soothed, but he still felt sorry for Yun Qing. "Grand Tutor, shall we raise her as our heir from now on?"
"Hmm?" Yun Qing sensed a deeper meaning in his words, "You want her to be the empress?"
"Yes." Xie Rang nodded. "One is enough. I'll take care of the previous dynasty. I'll pave the way for her."
Yun Qing thought either way was fine, and besides, she trusted Xie Rang's abilities: "Okay."
The baby in her womb had no idea of the high hopes placed upon it.
Now that the conversation had come to this point, Yunqing decided to ask, "Have you decided on a name for her yet?"
"No." Xie Rang shook his head honestly. "Let the Grand Tutor be the one to give the title, and I'll think of the honorific."
“That works too.” Yun Qing took this matter very seriously. It was good for her and Xie Rang to divide the work. She patted Xie Rang’s hand and smiled, “You have to take good care of her, otherwise she will blame you when she grows up.”
Xie Rang replied with a serious expression, "Hmm."
After drinking the anti-nausea medicine, Yunqing was in good spirits all day. The baby seemed eager to make his presence felt, moving around every now and then and providing plenty of interaction.
However, moving Yunqing around too much would make her uncomfortable. Xie Rang tried to hold back, but couldn't. Finally, he discussed with his son, "Don't move her, your mother is uncomfortable."
Or perhaps it's more accurate to describe it as a unilateral command, since Xie Rang's tone didn't sound particularly gentle.
Compared to his child, the Grand Tutor was definitely more important, and Xie Rang's heart was firmly on the same scale.
Yun Qing: ...
For a moment, I didn't know whether I should call him naive.
But perhaps because she was really frightened, the movements in her belly gradually quieted down.
Yun Qing was both amused and exasperated: "You scared her."
Xie Rang: "Mm."
Admitting mistakes, but not correcting them.
Before going to bed that night, Xie Rang gently massaged Yun Qing's hands and feet to prevent pregnancy-related aches and pains.
The whole set of actions took quite a while, but Xie Rang remained patient throughout. Yun Qing's thoughts drifted as she realized that she was probably the first person to be served like this by His Majesty the Emperor.
"If future historians were to see this, they would probably marvel that His Majesty had no authority whatsoever before me." Yun Qing chuckled at the thought of the expressions historians would have on his face. "Oh, and what about Li Cui? I wonder if he'll be reprimanded."
After they had seen what Cui Li had written last time, they recorded everything else truthfully. Yun Qing would occasionally glance at it and felt that this was something that would leave future historians at a loss.
Xie Rang didn't care: "What do future generations' opinions have to do with us? They only need to see that the Grand Tutor and I are a couple."
Xie Rang had done quite a few unconventional things, but he was being extremely cautious about this matter, wanting both recognition and reputation.
You can't silence public opinion; as long as there's some approval, that's fine.
"To be honest, I'd really like to see their expressions."
Yun Qing felt a little regretful, but this regret was not enough to bother her.
"No more talking, go to sleep."
Xie Rang now values the imperial physician's advice more than anyone else. He used to stay up late occasionally, but now he doesn't dare to do so at all. He goes to bed with Yun Qing on time and always feels at ease holding her in his arms.
"Um."
After developing a healthy sleep schedule, Yun Qing no longer has any trouble sleeping. What worries her more is Xie Rang not being able to sleep, but she probably doesn't have to worry about that today.
Just as Yunqing had expected, she slept very soundly.
After the hottest period of the year passed, her discomfort quickly disappeared.
As the weather grew cooler, it became unsuitable to stay at the imperial palace. They chose a sunny day to return to the palace, and some preparations needed to be made.
All the palace servants who were to serve her were thoroughly screened, and their mouths had to be kept absolutely shut. Yun Qing would be taken away by the system to give birth, and this matter was only revealed to Li Yun Shu. No one else was allowed to tell her.
Bad rumors can sow the seeds of trouble, so we must cover them up tightly to prevent them from becoming evidence to attack Yunqing.
At the same time, after much deliberation, Yun Qing finalized the name for her child.
“Call her Ciying, thank you Ciying.”
Yun Qing wrote the name on the paper, handed it to Xie Rang, and explained its meaning: "Mountains do not refuse dust, rivers do not refuse fullness. Since you are an empress, you should have a grand name."
This child is the system's next host, and Yun Qing is not worried that she will not be able to live up to the name.
“It sounds beautiful.” Xie Rang sincerely agreed. He pulled Yun Qing into his arms and kissed her lips passionately. “I’ve also thought of a title for her. Xi He.”
Princess Xihe.
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