Chapter 41 So beautiful!
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, it was the one-month celebration of the Crown Prince's eldest son, Xiao Chengyu. According to custom, when a prince or grandson of the emperor reaches one month old, the palace must hold a celebratory ceremony.
On this day, the Eastern Palace was newly decorated and filled with joy. Since it was a family banquet, there was no grand feast for the officials; only the Emperor, Empress, close relatives of the imperial family, and the concubines of the Eastern Palace were present.
Inside the main hall of Changchun Palace, everything had already been arranged. The Emperor sat on the throne, with Crown Prince Xiao Jingzhan sitting beside him. Although his expression was calm, the joy and pride between his brows were hard to conceal.
Inside the hall, the concubines of the Eastern Palace were already seated according to their rank. Crown Princess Li sat in the position closest to the Emperor and Empress, her makeup impeccable, a smile on her face, though the smile did not reach her eyes.
Consort Zhang and the other concubines also attended in their finest attire, but their eyes kept glancing towards the palace gate, revealing a hint of barely perceptible tension, curiosity, and even a secret expectation.
For the past month, Su Jingyu has been recuperating in the Liuli Pavilion. They only sent her congratulatory gifts as required, but they haven't seen her once. In private, some whispers inevitably arose. Childbirth is like passing through the gates of hell for a woman; even if she recovers well, her figure and appearance will inevitably be damaged, and her complexion will be much worse than before.
They all harbored some thoughts, wanting to see how the extremely favored Consort Su fared after giving birth. Would she still be able to hold onto the Crown Prince's heart as firmly as before?
"Your Highness has arrived—Consort Su has arrived—" the eunuch's loud announcement rang out.
The hall fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes turned to the hall entrance.
Crown Prince Xiao Jingzhan had already risen first and quickly went to the door to greet them. Under everyone's gaze, Su Jingyu, carrying the swaddled baby, slowly entered.
The moment she stepped into the palace, it seemed as if a radiant light flowed, and the entire hall seemed to brighten up!
She was dressed in a crimson brocade palace gown embroidered with gold butterflies, which made her skin appear even whiter and more radiant, giving her a more voluptuous and beautiful appearance than before her pregnancy! Her waist was still as slender as when she was a young girl, and her figure was exquisitely proportioned, exuding a mature and charming allure.
Her hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with a newly bestowed gold and kingfisher feather hairpin by the Crown Prince, its tassels swaying and radiant. Her face showed no signs of weariness; on the contrary, the prospect of motherhood gave her a soft glow, and her eyes, as they moved, possessed a captivating languor and charm that added to her purity—she was breathtakingly beautiful!
She doesn't look like a woman who has just given birth at all! She is clearly more beautiful than before, as radiant as a peony in full bloom!
A few gasps echoed faintly in the hall. The women of the Eastern Palace clenched their handkerchiefs tightly, their eyes filled with disbelief and jealousy. The other concubines also paled; their secret expectations vanished instantly, leaving only bitterness and helplessness. How could... someone become so beautiful after giving birth?!
The Crown Princess Li's smile froze for a moment, her fingertips digging deeply into her palms to maintain her composure. Her heart was filled with utter shock; this Su woman… was simply a monster!
From the moment Su Jingyu appeared, Crown Prince Xiao Jingzhan's gaze never left her. He naturally reached out, one hand firmly supporting her waist, the other protecting her side, his gesture intimate and tender, as if she were fragile glass. When he looked down at her, the tenderness and pride in his eyes were almost overflowing, completely devoid of his usual coldness.
The Emperor and Empress's eyes lit up. The Empress smiled and beckoned, "Quick, bring my precious grandson here so I can see him!"
Su Jingyu gracefully bowed in greeting, her posture elegant and composed. Xiao Jingzhan helped her up, and they stepped forward together.
The wet nurse brought the little prince to the Emperor and Empress. The little fellow was dressed in a bright red silk swaddling clothes embroidered with a hundred children, chubby and fair-skinned, his big, dark eyes curiously looking around, not at all shy. He had inherited his parents' excellent looks, with handsome features and a rosy little mouth. When he saw the Emperor and Empress, he grinned with his toothless little mouth, babbling and laughing, waving his arms and legs, extremely lively and adorable.
"Oh my! My dear grandson!" The emperor was overjoyed, reaching out to tease the child, his love for him growing stronger with each glance. "Look at those eyebrows, that spirit, exactly like Zhan'er when he was little! No, even stronger and more cheerful than Zhan'er!"
The Empress was overjoyed, taking the child in her arms and calling him her darling, "This child is so adorable! Look at how clever he is, he'll definitely be more successful than his father!"
The Emperor and Empress's affection for their eldest grandson was evident. The entire palace of relatives also stepped forward to join in the praise, their voices ringing out in admiration.
"Your Highness has a full forehead and a square jaw, a sign of great wealth and nobility!"
"Your Highness possesses the bearing of a dragon and the grace of a phoenix; you are destined to become a pillar of the nation!"
"Your Highness is so blessed to have given birth to such a fine son for His Highness the Crown Prince!"
All the glory and attention were focused on the family of three standing hand in hand. His Highness the Crown Prince was handsome and extraordinary, Consort Su was stunningly beautiful, and the grandson was intelligent and adorable, creating a perfect and enviable scene.
The other concubines in the Eastern Palace were completely relegated to the background. Watching the Crown Prince's meticulous care for Su Jingyu, listening to the Emperor and Empress's lavish praise of their grandson, and then comparing it to their own desolation, they felt a mix of emotions. Their last shred of hope—that Su Jingyu might "lose favor" because of her childbirth—was shattered by reality.
Crown Princess Li lowered her eyes and drank her tea, burying all her emotions deep in her heart.
After the hustle and bustle of the full-moon celebration subsided, tranquility returned to the Glazed Pavilion. The wet nurse carried the well-fed and now soundly asleep Xiao Chengyu to a side hall. Inside the inner hall, red candles burned brightly, leaving only Crown Prince Xiao Jingzhan and Su Jingyu.
The palace servants had already discreetly withdrawn and closed the palace doors.
After taking a bath and changing her clothes, Su Jingyu sat in front of the dressing table wearing a soft cherry-red silk nightgown, letting Yun Shu wring out her long hair.
Thanks to the nourishment of the spiritual spring, she recovered extremely quickly after childbirth, regaining eighty or ninety percent of her figure. In fact, because she had become a little plumper, her skin was even more radiant and translucent, glowing with a pearly luster under the candlelight. The languid charm of a new mother in her eyes was even more captivating.
Xiao Jingzhan waved Yun Shu away, took the soft cotton cloth himself, and stood behind her, gently wiping her cascading black hair. His movements were incredibly gentle, his fingertips occasionally brushing against her sensitive neck, bringing a slight shiver.
His tall figure and focused eyes were reflected in the bronze mirror. He had drunk some wine today, and his phoenix eyes were deeper than usual, with a faint red tinge at the corners. His gaze lingered intensely on her snow-white nape and rounded shoulders, as if it were tangible.
Su Jingyu could clearly see the undisguised, almost bursting desire in his eyes in the mirror. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her heart beat a little faster.
She knew perfectly well what he craved. Such a long period of abstinence was undoubtedly a tremendous torment for a man as vigorous as him. Moreover, he had always been... insatiable in his demands of her.
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