Chapter 246 Casual Chats Between Husband and Wife
As night fell over the Forbidden City, the Jingren Palace, which had been silent for many years, was once again illuminated with warm candlelight.
After dinner, Hongzhao and the Empress sat facing each other on the chaise longue and chatted. Hongzhao's belly, nearly six months along, was no longer small. Therefore, Fucha Yingjun needed to use a pillow behind her to support herself and prevent her back from aching.
Hongzhao bent down and leaned closer, first carefully placing his hand on the baby's head. A six-month-old baby is already moving, and Hongzhao had experienced this before. However, the little one was probably sleepy today, and after waiting for a long time, there was no reaction at all.
Hongzhao was not in a hurry. He still looked at his son with anticipation and hope, and put his ear to his stomach as if he wanted to hear what his son had to say.
Yes, son.
He had already chosen the gender when he used the fertility pill. Now, the child in Yingjun's belly is his first child, and also his eldest son.
The candlelight in the hall wasn't particularly bright, but its warm glow illuminated Fucha Yingjun's gentle face. She leaned against the bed, looking down with a smile as her husband earnestly muttered something to the child in her womb.
"This child is only six months old, how could he understand what Your Majesty is saying?" Fucha Yingjun assumed that the Emperor loved the child so much that he didn't know how to show his love, which was why he could chat with an unborn child.
But Hongzhao had his own ideas. After all, he could hear everything when he was in his mother's womb, and this child was also a product of the system, so maybe he could be the same. Even if they weren't, it would always be good to do some prenatal education.
His voice softened considerably, and his dark, bright eyes looked up at Fucha Yingjun as he bent over, like a deep pool filled with scattered starlight—"My child is naturally different from others. Things are gradually getting back on track. I will spend more time with you and the child, and read some books to enlighten the child."
Previously, people only talked about starting education at three or five years old, but I've never heard of starting education for a child who is still six months pregnant.
Although Fucha Yingjun felt that the Emperor was joking with her, she didn't stop him in the end. After all, why should she turn down more time with her husband?
“Very well, Your Majesty, what books would you like our children to study? Your Majesty, I have prepared them and am waiting for you.”
Hongzhao sat up straight, his hands not leaving the Empress's round belly, but gently rubbing it—"I'm thinking... there's no need to prepare anything else. I have a book on military strategy. Father Emperor used that book to teach me. Now I'll read it to our child."
As he said this, the relaxed smile on his face gradually faded, and a hint of melancholy appeared in his eyes—"If Father Emperor were still here, I don't know how happy he would be to see this child grow up day by day. He had been saying that he would give our child a name, but he broke his promise in the end."
His voice grew softer and softer as he spoke, filled with regret.
Fucha Yingjun naturally knew how deep the affection between the Emperor and the late Emperor was. It had only been two months before she could see a hint of a smile on his face. Before that, he was always tense, and seeing him from afar made her heart ache.
She raised her hand and gently patted the Emperor's back as if soothing a child. Now that she was pregnant, she exuded an even more reassuring aura. She softened her voice and said slowly, "After the child is born, we will take him to pay our respects at Father Emperor's altar. Father Emperor in heaven will be happy to see this."
Hongzhao closed his eyes, buried his head in the crook of her neck, took a deep breath, and then nodded slowly without saying anything.
"Are you getting used to living in Jingren Palace? If there's anything you don't like, just tell me, and I'll have them change it."
Hearing the Emperor say this, Fucha Yingjun shrank her neck and gently nudged him, her smile growing even sweeter. "That's wonderful. The Emperor ordered the pepper walls to be painted, making them warm and festive. There's nothing wrong with that."
Hongzhao nodded. "That's good. Yingjun, just focus on your delivery. I've prepared everything else for you. You and your third sister-in-law are on good terms, so why don't you spend more time together these next few days? In a couple of days, I'm thinking of having your third brother leave the palace to establish his own residence. It won't be as convenient for us to live together now if he comes back to the palace then."
"What title does the Emperor intend to bestow upon Third Brother?" Fucha Yingjun asked.
Hongzhao thought about it for a while, and he had struggled with this for some time before making a decision. "When Father Emperor was alive, he thought that we should first confer the title of Beile, and then confer the title of Junwang when we made some achievements or reached the appropriate age. But I have thought about it for a long time and I still think it would be better to confer the title of Junwang directly."
Since it concerns members of the royal family, it is both a matter of state and a family matter, so there is no harm in talking to Fucha more.
Hongzhao changed his posture and sat up straight. Seeing that Yingjun was struggling to support herself, he took the initiative to sit behind her so that she could lean on him. He gently massaged her waist and said slowly, "Putting aside everything else, asking Third Brother to make achievements is like asking him to die. It's difficult for him and also difficult for me. Why make things harder for yourself?"
"After a while, we'll have him work with Jiu Si and Fu Yu, give him a job with a good title, and let him get some experience."
"Furthermore, Third Brother has always been good to me and values brotherhood. Even disregarding everything else, he deserves high praise for this. Jiang Gege is currently awaiting childbirth at the residence of the Noble Consort Jing, and it won't be long before she gives birth. After she gives birth, she can go back to the Prince's Mansion with Third Brother, which will save him from looking so listless and dispirited every day."
Hongshi's dejected state stemmed from a variety of reasons, but since Yingjun was pregnant, he didn't dwell on these unlucky omens.
The only daughter of the Third Prince Hongshi and his wife Huiyi, Hua'er, passed away just half a month ago. That frail and sickly little niece ultimately could not survive the autumn of this year.
Although she was her third brother's only daughter, Hongzhao had only seen her a few times and couldn't even remember what she looked like. After all, this child couldn't stand the slightest breeze; she would get sick if exposed to wind. Occasionally, when Hongzhao went to visit his brother, he would visit her, but eight out of ten times she was too sick to see anyone.
"Looking at the situation now, I always think back to when my third brother and sister-in-law first got married. Back then, they were always smiling from ear to ear, their eyes and brows brimming with affection. Unlike now, when they sit facing each other, all they do is shed tears and sigh."
Speaking of this, Fucha Yingjun also felt quite sad. She had seen her third sister-in-law crying her eyes out for the past two weeks. Now that she was pregnant, the thought of it was heartbreaking.
"Then I'll have my third sister-in-law come over to talk to me these next two days, and I'll also invite the princess to come and try to persuade her. My third sister-in-law is very distressed. She told me secretly twice before that she knew Hua'er couldn't be kept, but she didn't expect it to be so fast. The little baby who was smiling at her in her arms just the day before is now separated from her by death."
Hongzhao was the one who could truly understand and empathize with these words. After all, his closest relative had just passed away, and he could fully comprehend the emotional journey of the deceased. While his sister-in-law could at least cry for a few days and pour out her grievances, he was different.
He only had one night to recover, all thanks to his mother's help in arranging things beforehand.
Hearing Yingjun's words, he sighed softly, "Then let's posthumously confer an honor upon this child, so that Third Sister-in-law can have some peace of mind."
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