After taking a fragrant petal bath, Xingxing felt much more comfortable. She changed into clean clothes and put on a thick cloak, and all her previous discomfort disappeared.
"Go lie down on the bed. It's snowing outside. Be careful not to catch a cold." The Empress carefully helped Xingxing up.
"Mother, I am not that fragile. I don't need to be supported when I walk. I was a little uncomfortable just now, but I am fine now." Xingxing even tried to turn around twice. She did not feel weak in the legs or have abdominal pain. She was quite energetic.
It seems she's in great health and doesn't have any of the symptoms of menstruation. As long as she avoids eating cold foods and dresses warmly, she'll be fine.
"You can't take your youth for granted and not take things seriously. You still need to rest properly, lest you accidentally develop a chronic illness." The Empress firmly pressed her down onto the bed.
Xingxing sighed helplessly and quickly got out of bed again. "Mother, if I want to lie down, I should go back to my own room. How can I lie here with you? If Father comes, he will say that I don't know the rules."
"Your father's mind is always on politics, and he rarely comes to the inner palace. How would he know you're here with me?" The Empress smiled irritably.
The Emperor and Empress had always had a good relationship. The Empress was ten years younger than the Emperor, and she was beautiful and gentle, which was exactly the type of woman the Emperor liked. The Empress appeared gentle and unassuming, yet she was able to keep the other concubines in check. How could the Emperor not love her more and more?
Aside from the emperor visiting the palace on the first and fifteenth of each month, he would often come at other times as well. However, the empress had difficulty conceiving. For the first few years after entering the palace, her belly remained flat, and it was only after several years that she finally became pregnant with a princess.
After that, she was unable to conceive again. The emperor and empress had tried their best, but they were quite helpless. As the empress grew older, they feared that she would only have the eldest princess as her child.
The Empress was deeply troubled, feeling sorry for the Emperor. He had always hoped that she could give birth to a prince as intelligent and blessed as Long'er, so that he could inherit the throne in the future. In the end, she had failed to live up to the Emperor's expectations.
"Mother, what's wrong?" Xingxing asked, noticing the Empress's sudden sorrowful expression, as if she were deeply saddened.
"It's nothing, Mother. She's just thinking about some unhappy things. It's my fault for dwelling on it. I shouldn't have thought about it so much." Although the Empress tried her best to smile, Xingxing felt bad seeing how forced her smile was.
"Mother, I will take good care of you from now on, so you don't need to worry too much." The Empress's thoughts were written all over her face, and Xingxing, being a shrewd person, could naturally see through her thoughts. However, Xingxing had said these comforting words countless times, but the Empress still looked melancholy from time to time.
Xingxing was also helpless and didn't know what to say.
"Your father has always hoped that I could give birth to a prince for him, but unfortunately, your mother's womb is not fertile. Under your father's rule, the Great Jin Dynasty has finally achieved its current stability, but he is really not at ease handing it over to those princes." The subtext is that the existing princes are too mediocre and none of them are fit to be emperor.
Xingxing noticed this problem, but she didn't know what to say.
"Your father's health is sometimes good and sometimes bad, and your mother is very worried about him." The empress had deep feelings for the emperor, the kind of deep love a wife has for her husband.
Although she was cunning and resourceful, she was not malicious and had a soft nature. The emperor was her everything, and if that everything collapsed, she didn't know what the point of living would be.
"Things will sort themselves out in the end, nothing will go wrong." Nothing has happened yet, so there's really no need to worry unnecessarily. In any case, Xingxing doesn't want to overthink it.
"Alright, let's not talk about this upsetting stuff anymore. Your mother will take you back to your room to rest." The Empress quickly composed herself, called two palace maids over to help Xingxing, and followed them off happily.
The Empress stayed by Xingxing's side all day, showing her great care and concern. Xingxing, who was not sleepy at first, was coaxed to sleep by the Empress and slept until 11:00 a.m.
In the dead of winter, the body burns heat quickly. Xingxing started sleeping in the late afternoon and didn't get up for dinner, so she's starving now.
She mumbled as she sat up and stretched, her voice still a little slurred, "I'm hungry, quickly bring me food."
"I knew you'd wake up around this time. The meal is ready, so get up and eat." Zhu Lin had arrived at some point and was now sitting quietly at the table in the side room, waiting. Hearing the slight noise from inside, he knew that Xingxing had already woken up.
Upon hearing the young man's deep and pleasant voice, Xingxing perked up and was in a great mood. She slipped on her shoes and ran outside.
Zhu Lin had sent all the palace servants away. Qingyan and Qingluo hid on the roof beams, watching the princess rush out in a thin garment, and sighed helplessly in their hearts.
Fortunately, the prince consort reacted quickly, rushing into the inner room before the princess could go out, and picked up the cloak hanging to the side to put on her. "It's cold, put on some clothes before you come out, what if you catch a cold?"
"Will Brother Phosphorus feel sorry for you if you get cold?" Xingxing asked playfully, sticking out her tongue.
Zhu Lin led her by the hand to the outer room and sat down at the table. The meal had just been prepared and delivered by the imperial kitchen. Xingxing woke up just in time, and a small stove on the table kept the food warm.
As Zhu Lin served Xingxing rice, she whispered, "I'll not only feel sorry for you, but I'll also catch you and give you a good spanking so you'll learn your lesson and never dare to run around in just a thin shirt again."
“I’m a young lady, a princess of noble status, and I’m not young anymore. How dare you?” Xingxing protested angrily.
"This is a warning. Let's see if I dare to do it next time," Zhu Lin chuckled, teasing her on purpose.
"Don't think you can do whatever you want just because I can't beat you. I have bodyguards protecting me, and you can't just move against me as you please." As Xingxing spoke, she made a gesture, and the two female bodyguards hidden on the roof beams immediately jumped down.
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