Qingyin curiously observed the figure in the distance, whose build had become much more robust and whose back seemed vaguely familiar, and asked uncertainly, "Duan Heng?"
"Hmm." Duan Heng turned around, revealing his handsome face, which was darker than before, to Qingyin.
"Is it really you? I heard you won a battle? Did you just get back?" The young woman, now a new mother, chattered on and on.
"Um."
The young man stood there obediently, his eyes no longer shining as they had before. He seemed to have become silent, like a sword sheathed.
Qingyin was secretly amazed. What kind of major event had turned the young man into what he was now? He looked like a handsome man who had been wounded in battle, both handsome and pitiful. If he had been like this from the beginning, Qingyin really wouldn't have minded playing around with this man.
But now, she won't.
The girl spoke for a long time, and the man listened for a long time. After a long period of time, Heng finally heard the voice from the bottom of his heart ask, "Are you... doing well?"
The few words were barely audible, almost as soft as a mosquito's buzz at the end.
However, Qingyin had already guessed the man's meaning from the first few words. She raised her beautiful chin and gently touched her belly: "Okay, I'm pregnant now. The imperial physician said it's twins. Your Majesty is very nervous. I'm here to see Your Majesty... Oh, Father Emperor, if you have important business, I'll wait for you in the side hall."
Qingyin, who was used to calling men by their names, suddenly realized that her husband was the man's father, and she reluctantly changed her address.
"Alright." Duan Heng smiled and walked into the East Pole Hall.
Inside the Dongji Hall, the fragrance of dragon's birthday incense was slowly burning.
Emperor Yongqing looked at the prince who had returned from the battlefield, the one he had rejected as emperor, and his eyes flickered slightly. "You're back."
"Um."
Duan Heng said respectfully.
“I know you like Consort Xian,” Emperor Yongqing said calmly, his emotions unreadable.
Duan Heng looked up in astonishment. He didn't know why his father was bringing this up. He murmured, "Father, I..."
"You don't need to say anything, I understand."
"The Noble Consort Xian possesses the most captivating beauty in the world, and I understand why you admire her."
"But Aheng, you are my most beloved son. Consort Xian is not only your mother, but also your savior. Do you understand?"
Through Emperor Yongqing's deep, serious gaze, Duan Heng seemed to understand something.
"I see."
Emperor Yongqing refuted him.
No, you don't understand yet.
"I know that my sons all have various ambitions, and I also know about your actions, Duan Heng. I want you to protect Consort Xian and her child firmly, to be by her side as a sharp knife and a sharp weapon. I want her child to ascend the throne. Can you do it?"
Emperor Yongqing quietly observed his fourth son, a man both unfamiliar and familiar. His face, similar to his own yet younger, clearly showed that he was old and no longer young. He no longer had as much time to accompany his beloved concubines and children as they grew up, so he had to prepare for their future in advance.
A dignified and serious gaze fell upon Duan Heng.
Duan Heng suddenly felt it was absurd that his father, his imperial father, was asking him, from a man's perspective, to take on the responsibility of protecting and caring for the woman who could be considered his mother.
But since it was Qingyin, he felt it was normal.
Even his heart warmed because of this entrustment; he was looking forward to having him in Ahua's children and in Ahua's future.
"Okay," Duan Heng replied without hesitation.
Two fathers and sons, who are similar yet dissimilar, reached some kind of agreement.
Duan Heng left again, but this time with joy.
Meanwhile, in the side courtyard, Qingyin saw in the system task list that the Genshin Impact task speed had reached ninety percent.
Qingyin was curious about what Duan Heng and the emperor had discussed that made them almost complete their mission.
Emperor Yongqing strode into the room. "My beloved concubine, why have you come to see me in person?"
"I miss you, is that not allowed?" the girl said sweetly.
Emperor Yongqing's expression softened as he was coaxed, and his gaze towards Qingyin was gentler than water. "Good, of course, I also miss my beloved concubine."
In the spring of the forty-eighth year of the Yongqing reign, the Emperor's beloved Consort Xian gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, named Duanxi, the Ninth Prince, and Fuqi, the Sixth Princess. The Emperor was overjoyed and exempted the Consort Xian from taxes for three years as a blessing for the birth of the auspicious twins.
In the summer of the fifty-sixth year of Yongqing, the twins were already lively boys and girls who could run and jump. The two intelligent children inherited seventy percent of Qingyin's beauty and were favored by the emperor and their mother. Because of their good looks, they were surprisingly not often looked at with malice in the palace.
In the same year, in August, Duan Heng secretly wielded the butcher's knife in the battle for the throne, making the situation even more chaotic, with the support of Emperor Yongqing.
In December, the battle for the throne among the adult princes came to an end. The crown prince was deposed, and all the adult princes were imprisoned in their residences, leaving only the fourth prince.
Just when everyone thought the position of Crown Prince would go to the Fourth Prince, Emperor Yongqing issued an imperial edict appointing Duan Xi as Crown Prince.
Everyone was shocked, some even thinking that His Majesty had gone mad. The Ninth Prince was indeed clever, but he was still a child. Since His Majesty had adult princes, why did he not appoint the older prince but instead appoint the younger one? Wasn't he afraid of angering the grown-up Fourth Prince and causing him to harm his younger brother?
Believe it or not, I'm not afraid at all.
Since he was named Crown Prince, people have noticed that the usually aloof Fourth Prince has actually shown some genuine smiles on his face. He even goes to court with his younger brother and is surprisingly friendly, unlike his usual cold and ruthless self.
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