Chapter 173 I Won't Let Go
Jiang Yingli had no choice but to give the child to the wet nurse, and she didn't forget to touch his face: "Lin'er, be good, mother will be back soon."
Seeing that she seemed reluctant to leave, Xiao Chenglan simply grabbed her wrist and pulled her away.
His movements were somewhat forceful, and Jiang Yingli subconsciously struggled a few times, but was pulled even tighter.
"Your Majesty, I am in pain..."
Xiao Chenglan paused and finally let go of his hand.
Jiang Yingli rubbed her wrist bones and did not forget to glance in the direction of the wet nurse.
Xiao Chenglan held her shoulders, pulled her into his arms, pinched her chin with his tiger's mouth, and lifted her face.
Jiang Yingli was forced to look up at him: "What does Your Majesty want to say?" she asked in confusion.
Xiao Chenglan looked down at her, his narrow and deep eyes filled with gloom. He didn't speak for a long time, then suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips.
"Um... Your Majesty..."
Maybe it had been too long since they had kissed like this, Jiang Yingli almost forgot how to breathe.
She almost collapsed in Xiao Chenglan's arms due to lack of oxygen, and patted his chest with all her might.
Xiao Chenglan let go of her, supported her lower back, and rubbed her bright lips with his fingertips. He moved closer to her, feeling her rapid and hot breathing, and rubbed her cheek with the tip of his nose.
"The coronation ceremony will be held soon. You can try on the dress tomorrow. If it doesn't fit, you can always have it altered."
Jiang Yingli thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, forget it."
Xiao Chenglan was slightly stunned: "What do you mean?"
"The ceremony is complicated, and we have to go to the ancestral temple to pay our respects. It will take almost a whole day, and I can't hold my child in my arms. I'm worried. Anyway, I'm already the queen, so let's talk about the ceremony later."
"I have asked the Ministry of Rites to reduce those complicated formalities. It will only take half a day at most. Lin'er has a wet nurse to take care of him, so why should he be unable to get away for half a day? He is not as fragile as you think. There are no less than a hundred people serving him. Is there anything else that can happen?" Xiao Chenglan spoke quickly.
Jiang Yingli looked at Xiao Chenglan who suddenly became stern, thought for a while, and felt a little aggrieved. She reached out and put her arms around his waist.
"But if I don't look after Lin'er, I will be very sad."
Xiao Chenglan felt the embrace he hadn't felt for so long, and his heart trembled slightly. He immediately hugged her back. He placed his chin on the top of her head, stroking it gently with a hint of attachment.
He lowered his eyelashes into a line, hiding the loneliness and anxiety in his eyes, and sighed slightly.
"Okay, I promise you, we'll talk about it later."
A sharp cry was heard outside. Jiang Yingli seemed to wake up from a nightmare. She hurriedly pushed Xiao Chenglan away and went to the wet nurse.
"What happened to Lin'er?"
The sudden withdrawal caused Xiao Chenglan's hands to freeze for a few breaths before they fell to his sides. He clenched his knuckles tightly and walked towards Lin'er.
Jiang Yingli held Xiao Chenan in her arms, rocking him gently and coaxing him.
"Don't be afraid, Lin'er. Mother is here. Be good—"
Xiao Chenglan forced a smile and reached out to hold Xiao Chen'an's helpless little hand: "Father is here too, don't cry, Lin'er."
After a while of soft coaxing, Xiao Chen'an finally calmed down. His big, dark eyes darted around, landing on Jiang Yingli and Xiao Chenglan, and he started giggling again, waving his arms and legs in his swaddling clothes.
Jiang Yingli held him for a while, but her arms felt a little sore, so she put Lin'er back on the couch.
She had already bathed and was wearing a plain white nightgown. Her long black hair was tucked behind her ears. She lay on her side beside Lin'er, her fingertips gently stroking his eyebrows and nose, and she looked at him with eyes full of love, so much love that there was no room for anything else in her eyes.
Xiao Chenglan stood outside the tent and watched the scene quietly.
The light of the candle fell on Jiang Yingli, making her look more gentle and full of maternal love.
After six years of companionship, she has really grown up.
No longer the little girl who depended on her for everything, she became a mother who could provide shelter for others.
But he can't seem to learn to let go.
He couldn't stand this silent neglect, and every second felt like a knife cutting his heart.
"His Majesty."
Xiao Chenglan suddenly regained his composure and looked at Jiang Yingli, who was staring at him. "Li'er, what's wrong?"
"Your Majesty, would you like to stay tonight?"
Xiao Chenglan felt as if he had heard wrongly. He lifted the thin gauze curtain and walked inside in three or two steps. His tall figure stood in front of the couch, and the shadow he cast submerged Jiang Yingli in darkness.
"What do you mean by staying?" He looked at her, his voice tense.
Is there anywhere else he can go?
Jiang Yingli smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you can rest here at night. But Lin'er cries at night, which makes Your Majesty unable to sleep well. Your Majesty has to attend court early in the morning. This is why I moved back to Zhaohua Palace. Your Majesty, why don't you rest in Changyang Palace?"
She actually persuaded him to return to Changyang Palace.
A little night breeze squeezed in through the tiny crack in the window frame. It didn't even flicker the candle flame, but it made Xiao Chenglan feel cold all over.
After a long silence, his hoarse and cold voice sounded again.
"I'm tired, go to sleep."
The moon was hanging in the middle of the sky, the birds had stopped singing, and only the sound of light breathing could be heard in the quiet tent.
Xiao Chenglan closed his eyes, deep fatigue enveloping his whole body, but he found it difficult to fall asleep.
In the silent and cold night, he heard a slight noise beside him and suddenly opened his eyes.
Jiang Yingli stood up again, but this time she didn't look at Lin'er, but set her eyes on him.
Then, in the dim moonlight, he saw her stretching her arm towards him.
The next second, the quilt that had been pushed up to his waist due to his irritability was pulled up and gently covered his chest and shoulders.
Xiao Chenglan's mind was in turmoil. He suddenly grabbed Jiang Yingli's wrist and called her in a hoarse voice.
"Pear."
Jiang Yingli woke up in the middle of the night, but was not fully awake. She lay down as Xiao Chenglan pulled her wrist, resting her head on his arm, hugging his waist and mumbling something in a daze.
"Your Majesty is already such a grown man, but you still don't cover yourself properly with a blanket. I'll be heartbroken if you catch a cold..."
In the darkness, Xiao Chenglan listened to her gradually even breathing, his heart trembling, and there were tiny ripples of light and shadow in his dark eyes.
He kissed her forehead, and his restless heart was finally comforted, enough to support his body to gradually warm up in this dark night.
"I knew it, how could you not love me."
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