Chapter 93 The First Time in Bed After Many Days
After Emperor Zhaoheng arrived at Kunning Palace, the Empress instructed her trusted nanny to bring the little princess from the side hall.
The somber look on Emperor Zhaoheng's face melted away the moment he saw his daughter's rosy smile.
He reached out his large hand and carefully took the soft bundle from the old woman's arms, his movements incredibly gentle.
Little Yuanzhao opened his big, dark eyes and looked curiously at the face in front of him. Suddenly, he grinned and let out a "giggle" laugh.
"Yuan Zhao smiled! She recognizes me!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes sparkled with the satisfaction of becoming a father for the first time. He lowered his head and gently rubbed his nose against his daughter's soft cheek, making the little one laugh even louder and wave her little hands wildly.
The Empress watched with a gentle smile.
"Your Majesty, look at Yongning's eyebrows and eyes, her smile—she truly resembles you so much! She'll definitely be a beautiful woman who brings peace and prosperity to the nation just by looking at her."
Emperor Zhaoheng was even more delighted to hear this.
However, at this tender moment between father and daughter, Emperor Zhaoheng suddenly felt a heat on his chest. Looking down, he saw a dark wet stain on his bright yellow dragon robe!
It turns out that it was Xiao Yuanzhao who unceremoniously rewarded his father with a body full of his own urine!
"oops!"
The palace servants nearby were terrified and hurriedly knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "This servant deserves to die! This servant failed to keep a close eye on the princess!"
Emperor Zhaoheng was only stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter and waving his hand dismissively: "It's alright! It's alright! My Yongning is truly amazing!"
"Quickly, quickly carry the princess to clean her up, so she doesn't catch a cold."
He carefully handed his still giggling daughter to the trembling nanny beside him, his face full of doting affection, without a trace of anger.
The Empress stepped forward at the opportune moment.
"Your Majesty, please go to the inner room to change. I have had some clean everyday clothes prepared for you."
Emperor Zhaoheng nodded and, led by Feng Shunxiang, walked into the inner chamber.
The inner room was warm, and the palace servants respectfully withdrew after bringing out clean everyday clothes.
Emperor Zhaoheng was about to change his clothes when the Empress followed him in and gestured for Feng Shunxiang to leave as well.
"Your Majesty, I will assist you in changing your clothes."
The Empress stepped forward and naturally untied Emperor Zhaoheng's belt.
Emperor Zhaoheng stood, allowing the Empress to serve him.
He suddenly remembered something.
"Is Yuan Zhao's 100-day celebration approaching? I'm thinking of holding the grandest 100-day celebration for her, so that the whole world can celebrate the joy of the birth of my eldest daughter!"
The Empress was bending down to adjust the ties of his inner robe when she heard this, her movements paused almost imperceptibly, and then she looked up with a look of realization on her face.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I almost forgot about it. If you don't mention it, Yuan Zhao's 100-day celebration is just around the corner."
However, a moment of hesitation crossed Emperor Zhaoheng's mind.
As the legal mother who personally raised Princess Yongning, the princess's 100-day celebration should have been the most important event in Kunning Palace. How could the Empress have almost forgotten?
He pondered for a moment before speaking, "The Empress is frail, and taking care of an infant as young as Yuan Zhao is extremely tiring and exhausting, requiring her constant care day and night."
"If you feel it's too much work, perhaps... we could send Yuan Zhao back to Yongle Palace so her birth mother can take care of her?"
The Empress fastened her belt, her smile unchanged: "Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."
"Although Yongning is young, she is full of energy. Even with eight nannies and wet nurses taking turns to care for her, I sometimes find it quite difficult to keep up with her health."
She paused, then her tone became even more sincere.
"However... I was thinking that Consort Jin is weak after giving birth and needs to take good care of herself so that she can have children for the royal family. If Yongning is sent back to her side, she will surely be happy, but it will inevitably take up a lot of her time and energy to take care of her."
"I have plenty of staff here, and it's quiet. It would be better to let my sister recuperate in peace and give the Emperor another child as soon as possible. This is just a small thing I, as the Empress, can do for the Emperor and my sister."
Her words were always considerate of the Emperor and his heirs, demonstrating her virtuous character.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at her gentle eyes and reached out to gently hold the empress's slender hand as she was adjusting his clothes.
"The Empress is virtuous and always thinks of me and the imperial heirs. I... am blessed to have such a virtuous wife."
The Empress then placed her other hand on the back of Emperor Zhaoheng's hand, tilted her head slightly, and looked at him with genuine affection in her eyes.
"To be able to marry the Emperor and become his wife is the greatest blessing of my life."
She coughed softly, her body seemingly unable to support her weight, and leaned forward slightly, gently resting her forehead against Emperor Zhaoheng's broad chest.
Emperor Zhaoheng raised his hand and put it around her shoulder, gently patting her back.
When Emperor Zhaoheng and the Empress came out of the inner room, little Yuanzhao had been cleaned up and brought back to them, but his little face showed obvious signs of sleepiness, and his little head was nodding.
Although Emperor Zhaoheng was reluctant to part with her, he thought that his daughter needed to rest, so he had the nanny take her away and coax her to sleep.
The emperor and empress moved to the warm pavilion for their evening meal.
The Empress carefully served Emperor Zhaoheng food and chatted about trivial matters in the palace and interesting stories about Yongning.
Halfway through dinner, Granny Sun, who served the Empress, quietly entered and whispered a few words in the Empress's ear.
Although her voice was soft, Emperor Zhaoheng could hear it clearly.
"...It's been cold lately, and the palace servants temporarily assigned to guard the area around Kunning Palace have been working quite hard. Now that everything is settled...could we remove them?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaoheng casually asked, "Guards? Why are additional guards being deployed near Kunning Palace?"
The Empress did not answer immediately, so Granny Sun stepped forward and respectfully curtsied to Emperor Zhaoheng.
"Your Majesty, a few days ago, Consort Jin visited the Princess and left something behind when she departed."
"When I went to return it, I saw from afar... that His Highness Prince Duan stopped the Imperial Concubine, as if they were talking. I was too far away to see the Imperial Concubine's expression, but I could tell that the two of them were standing... not far apart."
Granny Sun paused, then added anxiously, "I thought that since the Imperial Concubine is of such high status, she often visits Kunning Palace. Although the palace roads are always busy, there are some quieter corners."
"This servant was worried about Your Highness's safety, so I spoke up and reported it to Her Majesty the Empress. Your Highness is considerate of the Consort, so she specially arranged for more people to guard the area, just to be on the safe side, and to prevent anything from... offending Her Highness the Consort."
It's Prince Duan again!
Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze gradually turned cold. He looked at Granny Sun and said in a deep voice:
"You just said that you didn't see Consort Jin's expression clearly? Then how can you be sure that she was stopped by Prince Duan?"
His voice was deep and carried an invisible pressure.
Granny Sun was taken aback by the question and stammered, "This...this servant is foolish. But...but Prince Duan is an outsider."
"Her Highness the Imperial Concubine is a concubine in the harem. If the Prince hadn't intervened, why would she have stopped to talk with him? That's just what I think..."
"Alright," the Empress said gently, glancing at Granny Sun.
"His Majesty was just asking casually, why are you so nervous?"
"Your Highness, the Imperial Concubine has always been composed and courteous in her actions. She must have already informed His Majesty of this matter. Your Majesty, don't you agree?"
Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes darkened further.
Narcissus was never mentioned!
The empress seemed oblivious to the emperor's silence, and casually chatted as if recalling something amusing.
"Speaking of which, I have heard that His Highness Prince Duan is quite popular among the noble ladies in the capital."
"Although he already has a princess consort, he is young, handsome, and has a refined literary talent. No wonder he can attract the hearts of young girls..."
Emperor Zhaoheng fell silent. Prince Duan was indeed young, seven years younger than him...
She looked at the emperor beside her, her voice filled with admiration.
"However, the sisters in the harem all know that no man in the world can compare to the Emperor's imperial demeanor. No amount of flattery from Prince Duan could match it."
She touched on the subject briefly, as if it were just a casual remark, and then naturally changed the subject, mentioning a kind of warm jade sent by the Imperial Household Department, which was warm to the touch and would be perfect for making a small jade lock for Yongning.
However, the Empress's seemingly unintentional words left a mark on Emperor Zhaoheng's heart.
He remained outwardly calm and continued eating, but his eyes grew increasingly deep and unfathomable.
——
A few days later, Emperor Zhaoheng arrived at Yongle Palace.
As night fell, the candlelight flickered.
This time, he didn't make Shui Xian put in much effort. After the two of them bathed in the evening, Emperor Zhaoheng didn't say much. He simply reached out and pulled Shui Xian into his arms with an irresistible force.
Including the months before pregnancy, the couple had been apart for almost half a year.
Like rain after a long drought, we are deeply grateful for the blessings bestowed upon us.
After giving birth, Shui Xian underwent several months of careful recuperation, with Pei Jichuan examining her pulse and treating her daily.
She was able to withstand the rain and wind as early as half a month ago.
The curtains hung low, and a warm fragrance wafted through the air.
The man was unusually silent tonight. Her tenderness could not win his coaxing; all that remained was endless conquest, like the fiercest general, using his gleaming silver sword to claim the city.
Narcissus took the initiative to press her soft, sweaty cheek against his rough fingertips. His palms were hotter than the air, like a piece of hot coal, burning her cheek.
"Your Majesty...please be gentle..."
He had brought tears to her eyes, and she looked at him with teary eyes.
"Xian'er..."
Emperor Zhaoheng leaned down and sealed her lips with his, lingering tenderly for a long time before asking in a hoarse voice in her ear:
"Are you feeling unwell? If so... tell me."
Narcissus gently shook her head; she was experiencing a different kind of distress...
Moreover, she was certain that if she told Emperor Zhaoheng, she would only receive an even more outrageous retaliation from him.
Outside the carved windows stood the silent, towering palace walls.
Just as the bright moon on the horizon climbed halfway up the sky on the clouds, all things in the world fell silent.
Narcissus covered her eyes with the back of her hand and regulated her breathing.
Her hand was held tightly by Emperor Zhaoheng, who kissed it.
"Xian'er...though I am already thirty, I can still satisfy you..."
Narcissus: ? ? ?
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