Thus, a strange scene unfolded in the Prince's Mansion: His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince personally ground the candied fruit into a paste, mixed it into the dark brown abortion medicine, and fed it spoonful by spoonful to Shen Weiwan, who was curled up in the brocade quilt, and coaxed her in a low voice: "Be good, Weiwei, drink this medicine so that the baby can grow strong."
Shen Weiwan drank it reluctantly, but pointed out the window: "I want to eat the fruit from the pomegranate tree in the corner of the yard, and I want it now!" It was only late spring, and the pomegranate tree had just produced green fruits as big as finger joints. Looking at her bright and expectant eyes, Xiao Yu had to bring a ladder and climb up to pick the smallest one himself.
Shen Weiwan took a bite, and her facial features wrinkled up in pain, but she still stared at him: "It's all your fault! It must be because you didn't fertilize the tree enough on weekdays that it produced such a sour fruit!"
Xiao Yu came down from the ladder, rubbing his aching waist and sighing: "Yes, yes, it's all my fault."
When it was time to go to bed at night, Shen Weiwan suddenly sat up and grabbed Xiao Yu's sleeve and refused to let go: "I can't sleep!"
"But what's wrong with you?" Xiao Yu immediately turned on the light, his eyes full of concern.
"It's all your fault!" Shen Weiwan hummed, "I'm so upset, tell me a story!"
"Okay, what's the story?"
"Tell me about how you cheated people when you were a kid!"
Xiao Yu was at a loss for words and could only make up a few funny stories from his childhood. However, the more Chen Weiwan listened, the more dissatisfied she became: "You must be hiding something! Why didn't you mention the time when you splashed water in the Imperial Garden to tease the young master of the Taifu family?"
"That's because I was young and ignorant..."
"You lied to me!" Shen Weiwan grabbed the embroidered pillow and threw it at him, "You made me so upset that I couldn't sleep!"
Xiao Yu had no choice but to hold her in his arms and pat her gently: "Okay, okay, I'll write down all my 'glorious deeds' in a booklet for you to see tomorrow. Now go to sleep." Shen Weiwan then lay down, but pointed outside the window: "Did you hear that? There's a cat meowing! It must be the wild cat you tricked me into calling. It's making me restless!"
Xiao Yu had no choice but to get up and chase the cat away. When he came back, he saw Shen Weiwan was already fast asleep with a sly smile on her lips. He couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. When he tucked the quilt for her, his fingertips brushed across her slightly swollen eyelids, and his heart softened.
The next morning, Xiao Yu was wearing his stone-blue court robes. Chen Weiwan held her waist and frowned beside him: "This color is so gray, it hurts my eyes! Change it to red!"
Xiao Yu froze. "Red court robes are only worn during grand court meetings..."
"I don't care!" Chen Weiwan put her hands on her hips, "If you don't change, I will take a sedan chair to the Golden Palace and let the whole court judge the matter!"
Finally, the Seventh Prince had no choice but to change into a bright red court robe embroidered with golden dragons to attend court. The vibrant red stood out against the bright yellow glazed tiles. The Emperor, observing his son's festive attire, clapped his hands and smiled, "Why are you wearing such bright clothes today, Yu'er?"
Xiao Yu blushed and mumbled, "I'm having morning sickness and prefer bright colors..."
The entire court was so exhausted from stifling laughter that it hurt inside. The Imperial Censor's beard was trembling non-stop, but the Emperor laughed out loud and said, "So that's how it is! It's settled! From now on, you will wear a red robe to court every day. The important thing is to please the prince's wife!"
Xiao Yu left the court with tears in his eyes. As soon as he entered the mansion, he saw Shen Weiwan holding a watermelon and chewing it, juicy and dripping. Seeing him come back, she immediately shouted: "Xiao Yu! Why did you come back so late? I'm hungry!"
Xiao Yu looked at the watermelon in her hand and said anxiously, "Weiwei, if a pregnant woman eats something cold, it can cause miscarriage..."
"It's you who's at fault again!" Shen Weiwan threw the watermelon away. "If you don't get some hot food over here quickly, I'll soak all the copies of The Art of War in your study in a vinegar jar!"
Xiao Yu quickly asked the kitchen to stew hot soup, cooled it and fed it to her, but Shen Weiwan suddenly pointed behind him: "Ah! There are bugs!"
Xiao Yu turned around suddenly, but saw nothing. When he turned back again, Shen Weiwan had poured a spoonful of hot soup into his sleeve, which made him shiver.
"Shen Weiwan!"
"Who told you to give me morning sickness!" She made a face. "This is called repaying evil with evil. It's only natural!"
The servants of the Prince's Mansion watched as His Highness the Seventh Prince was being misled by his master, yet their faces remained doting. They all jokingly said behind his back, "Our Highness has become a 'human punching bag', taking all the beatings and scoldings and still having to smile along." Chun Tao smiled at the old housekeeper, "Look, the young lady's morning sickness is really making things difficult for us. When the young master is born, I'm afraid the Prince's Mansion will be turned upside down."
The old butler stroked his beard and smiled, his eyes curved. "Let her be. As long as the Seventh Prince is happy to accept it, we will be happy to see it."
Shen Weiwan looked at Xiao Yu's helpless and indulgent look, her heart was filled with honey, and she frowned deliberately: "Xiao Yu, I want to eat sour food again, the kind that can make your teeth fall out!"
Xiao Yu sighed, but still asked gently: "Okay, what do you want to eat?"
Shen Weiwan blinked, pointed at his face and smiled slyly: "I want to eat your expression at the moment, it looks so sour!"
Xiao Yu was stunned at first, then burst into laughter and pinched her cheek: "You little rascal, you even forgot to cheat me when you have morning sickness."
Shen Weiwan nestled proudly into his arms, listening to the laughter that shook his chest. The sunlight from outside streamed in through the carved window lattices, casting their shadows on the blue bricks in a warm and playful way. The daily routine of morning sickness, a "troublesome husband" in the Prince's mansion, had only just begun, and the Seventh Prince's "sweet tribulation" was about to spiral into a more chaotic state. Everyone in the mansion knew that the days ahead would be filled with laughter.
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