Upon receiving the news of Emperor Jianwu's death, Liu Heng immediately returned to the palace.
After all the ministers of the second rank and above, as well as the imperial relatives, had arrived, Grand Secretary Chen read the imperial edict in public. Everyone knelt and wept together, supporting Liu Heng's ascension to the throne.
Subsequently, Liu Heng, dressed in mourning clothes, mourned as the successor in front of the coffin of the deceased emperor and presided over the funeral ceremony with the support of the court officials.
Meanwhile, the Hanlin Academy was also studying and discussing the posthumous title of the deceased emperor and the reign title and era name of the new emperor.
On the day of Dingmao in the third month, the late emperor was buried at Yuanling Mausoleum. He was given the temple name Xianzong and the posthumous title of Emperor Shengzu Guanglie. Liu Heng formally ascended the throne in the main hall, established the state name Fengyuan, and granted a general amnesty.
Even though she was heavily pregnant, Lin Yuqiao still had to kneel before the spirits. Every day she looked forward to giving birth soon, but the baby was born peacefully and steadily.
After Liu Heng ascended the throne, at the end of March of the first year of Fengyuan, the patient third prince was finally born in Yanqing Palace amidst his mother's eager anticipation.
After the grand investiture of the imperial harem, Lin Yuqiao was promoted to Noble Consort, Jiang Pin to Consort Ning, Baili and Chen to Zhaoyi, Han Shiyi to Ronghua, and the rest to Xiaoyi, Liangdi, and Liangyuan. Even Zhen'er and Ji'er were promoted to Cairen under the Empress's patronage.
Currently, Lin Yuqiao is recovering from childbirth with Li's help.
"You're such a lucky child. It's so good to be in confinement now. It will be much more uncomfortable when it gets hotter later."
After feeding her a bowl of black chicken soup, Li helped tuck the blanket around her.
"I feel really uncomfortable now, Mom, I'm so hot."
Covered tightly by the blankets, Lin Yuqiao wiped the sweat from her forehead. The kang (heated brick bed) was heated, the windows were tightly closed, and even though it was springtime, she felt utterly nauseous.
"Make sure you're properly covered up. Postpartum care is the most important thing for women."
Lin Yuqiao lay down helplessly, watching Li Shi sitting at the foot of the bed with a loving expression. She was looking at Li Shi, but Li Shi was looking at the cradle under the bed.
Inside the stroller, a chubby baby wrapped in a red swaddle was fast asleep after drinking milk.
Although Lin Yuqiao had a large bust, she had no milk. After a painful ordeal, including taking medication and getting massages, she still didn't produce colostrum, leaving her feeling helpless. She felt that breastfeeding her child herself was the only way to show complete maternal love.
How could there be no milk? After suffering a lot, it was still ineffective. She had no choice but to give up the idea of breastfeeding. Looking at the two plump white breasts on her chest, she felt like she had wasted her life.
Fortunately, the father is wealthy, and the little boy has four wet nurses, so he never goes hungry. And importantly, he's not picky about food. Basically, he'll eat whoever provides milk; he's a good boy and can be fed by any of the wet nurses.
“Our Third Prince is truly blessed. He was born only after His Majesty ascended the throne. He is indeed the Emperor’s first son.”
Lin Yuqiao, not wanting to be left out, grabbed Li's sleeve, trying to make her look at her. After hearing Li's words, she puffed out her cheeks and laughed, quite pleased with herself.
"That's right, don't you even know who gave birth to Mengmeng?"
The chubby little boy, nicknamed Mengmeng, stayed in his mother's womb for almost ten months. He was fair-skinned and plump, and his birth was quick, only causing Lin Yuqiao half a day of pain.
Before giving birth, she was so scared that she kept telling herself to have only one child and practice good prenatal care. But after the birth, although the process was painful, it ended quickly, which made her feel incredibly confident and like she could have five more!
"Don't be so smug. Now that you've been made a Noble Consort, the eyes of the entire harem are on you. Take good care of the Third Prince and don't bring trouble upon yourself."
Fearing that she might become reckless after having a son, Li immediately began to remind her.
"I know, I've got it figured out."
After being glared at by Li, Lin Yuqiao yawned and comforted her.
Liu Heng has already made Liu Kang the crown prince, and he has been staying in the Eastern Palace and has not returned with him.
With the Crown Prince's position secure, her son still young, and the Empress renowned for her virtue, she had no reason to be arrogant.
"Why does the prince have to be called Mengmeng? Has His Majesty agreed to this?"
Lady Li was never quite satisfied with the Third Prince's childhood name.
In her opinion, either give her a nickname that's easy to raise, or wait until she turns one year old to give her a more prestigious formal name. She couldn't understand why her daughter wanted such a name.
Lin Yuqiao closed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. She had already decided on the name Mengmeng, regardless of whether it was a boy or a girl, as soon as she found out she was pregnant.
She loved this name in her past life, and now she can finally use it.
Liu Heng wasn't entirely satisfied with her taste either, but he eventually gave in after being pestered by her sweet talk and pleading.
"Mengmeng sounds so cute, so adorable!"
Not understanding what she was muttering, Li touched her daughter's plumper cheeks and went to look at her little grandson.
Only after learning that Lin Yuqiao had reached her one-month milestone did Mrs. Li feel relieved enough to return home.
Lin Yuqiao was finally able to wash herself thoroughly, feeling as if a layer of skin had been washed off her body.
After she finished bathing, Granny Jiang secretly gave her a bottle of pre-prepared pills.
Hearing the name "Vaginal Tightening Pill" made her blush and her heart race. Like a thief, she waited until everyone else had left before using it herself.
Both the usage and the posture have a slightly embarrassing play feel to them. I just hope it will really have a miraculous effect.
Pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum confinement, plus Liu Heng's business trip—it's been over a year, and he's actually made it through it all. Lin Yuqiao has to admire his willpower. However, is it really a good thing for a man in his prime to be so celibate?
If Liu Heng hadn't behaved so normally in bed with her before, she would have suspected he might be gay. As for bisexuality or something, that seemed unlikely.
She shook her head, trying to dismiss the increasingly wild speculation in her mind. She still firmly believed that Liu Heng was someone who could control his lower body exceptionally well.
When Liu Heng came to her Yanqing Palace again, it was already the third day after the full moon.
"Is he that busy? He's been born for so long, and Mengmeng hasn't even had a proper look at what his dad looks like yet."
Lin Yuqiao carefully held the chubby little boy in her arms, shaking his arm as if to slap Liu Heng.
After Jiang Mama and the others finished their greetings and left, no one stopped her anymore, and Lin Yuqiao was finally able to hug her son freely.
Normally, Granny Jiang kept a close eye on her. Every time she held the child, she would give her a long lecture and stay close by her side, as if she were a stepmother.
Hearing her complaints, Liu Heng chuckled. He had lost even more weight since registering his marriage.
He's busy, he really is.
He had to consolidate all the power in the court, stabilize the old officials, place his confidants in important positions, guard against his unruly brothers, and deal with the mess left by the late emperor.
Yingchuan and Hongnong are still not stable. There are many corrupt officials and incompetent people holding positions without doing their jobs. Natural disasters have weakened the country and impoverished the people. He must solve and rectify these problems one by one.
After waiting for so many years, Liu Heng has finally ascended to the throne. He is now focused on working hard to make great strides and wishing he had twelve more hours in each day.
With a multitude of thoughts swirling in his mind, Liu Heng turned around and saw Lin Yuqiao awkwardly holding the child, seemingly about to let go and drop the child. The scene was dangerous, and his heart skipped a beat.
"It's been so long, how come you still don't know how to hold a baby?"
Holding his son carefully in his arms, Liu Heng frowned as he looked at her.
This mother is so unreliable!
"No way, that's the correct posture!"
Lin Yuqiao refused to admit it, biting her lower lip and glaring at him, her cheeks puffing out involuntarily. She looked like an angry hamster.
How could she not hold her own child properly? Even if she fell, she wouldn't drop the child.
After holding him for a while, Liu Heng put his son in the stroller and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The child was so soft, it felt like he could break him if he squeezed him too hard. He didn't dare to use any force when he picked him up, nor did he dare to change his position, for fear of hurting him.
"Isn't Mengmeng so well-behaved?"
After this interruption, Lin Yuqiao's initial resentment at Liu Heng not being able to see her son during her postpartum period disappeared.
All she could see was her chubby, fair-skinned son. She squatted by the stroller, eager to share all the good things about her son with his father.
Lin Yuqiao gently stroked Mengmeng's face with her finger. The baby pouted and looked at her with a tearful expression, which completely melted her heart.
Liu Heng was pulled by her clothes and bent down. Looking at Mengmeng's clenched little fist, he felt his heart soften as if it were covered with a thick layer of soft cotton.
“You should learn from the wet nurse. Look how she holds the baby. She’s the mother herself, and she can’t even hold the baby properly.”
The son is very well-behaved, but his mother is a worry.
Liu Heng pulled Lin Yuqiao up from the stroller and sat her down on the tatami mat next to them, lecturing her with a hint of disdain while watching the child.
When Granny Jiang criticized her, she could still think that Granny Jiang was too meddlesome. Now that Liu Heng was also complaining about her, Lin Yuqiao finally admitted in her heart that her posture was indeed not so reassuring.
"I know! How could I possibly drop Mengmeng!"
She used to think that a mother holding her child was instinctive, and that she should just follow her instincts. Now she has finally abandoned that theory. Perhaps her instincts have malfunctioned a bit. She has made up her mind to learn the proper posture, so that she won't seem like a stepmother who would abuse her child.
After a while, Mengmeng closed his eyes and fell asleep peacefully. Lin Yuqiao couldn't bear to watch him for a while longer before calling the nanny to take him away.
After washing up, the two lay on the couch, and the tent was once again divided into their own little world.
"Ziping, why didn't you come to see Mengmeng before? Did you think he was ugly back then?"
Holding Liu Heng's arm, Lin Yuqiao suddenly remembered this possibility and asked him earnestly while leaning on his shoulder.
"How is that possible!"
Only she would ask such a strange question. Liu Heng realized that he had now gotten used to her unconventional way of thinking, which was always different from that of ordinary people.
Lin Yuqiao found it funny when she recalled how Mengmeng looked when she first met Li Shi.
"When Mengmeng was born, I was shocked when I saw her. How could she be so ugly! She was all red and wrinkled, like a little monkey."
How disappointed she was at that time! She never imagined that she herself was good-looking, her husband was good-looking, and her brother was good-looking, yet their child would not resemble either her parents or her uncle, and would be so ugly that it left a deep impression.
She only came to terms with reality after waking up. Touching her son's soft, almost transparent little hand, a feeling of wanting to give him the whole world welled up in her heart.
She was secretly moved; a mother doesn't dislike her son for being ugly. Only the power of maternal love could help her overcome her obsession with appearance.
A few days later, Mengmeng became fair and tender, like a little dumpling, so cute that it melted everyone's heart. All her worry and wasted feelings were for nothing.
As Lin Yuqiao vividly described her psychological journey, Liu Heng couldn't help but smile.
Holding his precious baby in his arms, his nostrils filled with her warm fragrance, Liu Heng closed his eyes in relief.
Since the late emperor passed away, he has not had a proper rest. He is always so busy that he has no time to eat or sleep, as if something is chasing him from behind.
After ascending the throne, his status changed once again, and he finally reached the pinnacle of his life. It was thought that he had long been prepared for the loneliness at the top, but after actually experiencing it, he still felt a void in his heart, as if something was missing.
Even after he arrived here, she remained the same, giving him a sense of déjà vu. His world had undergone a dramatic transformation, but she remained in her own world.
Knowing that someone is always waiting for you, opening up her world to welcome you in at any time, makes Liu Heng feel very at ease, and the emptiness in his heart is finally filled.
He may have thousands of mansions, but only here with her is the place where he can find joy.
After talking for a while, Lin Yuqiao suddenly realized that the person next to her hadn't spoken for a long time. She leaned closer to listen carefully and saw that Liu Heng's breathing was steady; he must be asleep!
So much for the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder"! We haven't had sex in over a year, and he actually slept with me... slept with me...
With a helpless groan, Lin Yuqiao lay back down.
It seems she won't have a chance to test whether the pills work or not tonight.
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