December 1st, the 20th year of Zhenggan.
Today is the day that Li Qiji and his entourage return to the capital.
The military camp in Guantao County was bustling with activity!
"Big brother, are you sure you don't want to come back with us?" Guan Zhiyue asked Guan Chengzhuo, who was standing in the army camp waving goodbye to them.
Guan Chengzhuo nodded and said, "I will return to the capital after I have finished dealing with things here. I have already discussed it with the Emperor."
Guan Zhiyue glanced at Li Qiji, and seeing that he nodded, she understood.
The two boarded the carriage for the return journey, with Guan Zhiyue holding the little princess who was a little over two months old in her arms.
She kicked Li Qiji with her foot, then gestured towards the swaddled baby in her arms.
Then he asked, "Where did you go with the name I asked you to name the child last time?"
Li Qiji glanced at the baby in the swaddling clothes, his heart filled with many emotions. This child had caused his Yue'er so much suffering!
But deep down, he was secretly delighted, after all, it was his and Yue'er's child.
He still longed for his little darling, so when he faced this child, he felt lost and uncertain.
"Yue'er, what name do you want to name this child?" Li Qiji asked Guan Zhiyue.
Guan Zhiyue raised an eyebrow at Li Qiji, then said, "Don't you like our daughter?"
"Who said that?"
"Or are you saying you didn't even care about this matter?"
"Li Qiji, you've changed. Are you tired of me?"
Upon hearing this, Li Qiji immediately lost his composure and shouted that he was wronged!
Guan Zhiyue gently held the child, turned her face away, and ignored him.
Li Qiji was speechless and could only rack his brains to think of a name.
"How about we call her Jingyuan?"
"She fulfilled our dream of having a little girl, Yue'er. What do you think?"
She was conferred the title of Princess Dingguo.
"Her full name is Li Jingyuan, and her nickname is Yuanyuan, which means 'to fulfill a dream'."
Guan Zhiyue looked at Li Qiji, "Which one is the Yuan in Daming?"
"The 'yuan' in 'socialite'."
Guan Zhiyue muttered something to herself, then rolled her eyes at Li Qiji with satisfaction, letting him figure it out for himself.
Guan Zhiyue lowered her head to comfort the baby in swaddling clothes, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Yuanyuan, my dear Yuanyuan, I love you so much."
"Grow up quickly!"
As he spoke, he gently placed a kiss on her little face.
When Li Qiji saw this, his eyes were practically brimming with envy. He wanted his wife's kiss too, didn't he?
"Yue'er..." he called out affectionately.
"What's up?"
When Guan Zhiyue looked at him, she hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped. He suddenly didn't know what to say, afraid that Yue'er would laugh at him.
"It's okay, let me hold Yuanyuan for a while!" He said, stretching out his hand. Guan Zhiyue glanced at him and handed the child to him directly.
Then he said, "Here you go, don't fall, Yuanyuan is still so small!"
The carriage moved slowly. They had originally planned to drive, but Guan Zhiyue said it had been a long time since she had traveled by carriage.
Furthermore, I also wanted to take a stroll, so I chose a horse-drawn carriage as my mode of transportation.
The carriage where Li Qishang and his companion were was quite cozy, but unfortunately their children were all in the capital and they hadn't brought them along.
However, it's a happy and blissful thing that the two of them can enjoy their time together!
"I think my brother prefers girls more!" Xiao Tuantuan said with a smile.
Li Qishang responded to Xiao Tuantuan's words, "Anyway, I like any child born to Tuantuan."
"If I gave birth to a monster, would you still like it?"
At times like these, it's crucial to express your stance as quickly as possible. For example, Li Qishang did a great job!
"Of course I like them! How could I not like them? I love anything you give birth to, Tuantuan. They're all our flesh and blood, aren't they?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, that's really hard to understand!" Xiao Tuantuan looked at Li Qishang.
"Tuantuan, we have such a big bag of pearls, are you sure you don't want to share some with your sister-in-law?" Li Qishang asked.
Little Tuantuan stretched out her index finger and waved her hand, saying, "No, no, my sister has everything, she doesn't lack these things."
"Okay, okay, then I'll use it myself."
“When the time comes, make a set of pearl jewelry for each of the two children, and make one for yourself too. I think that should be enough,” Li Qishang suggested.
Little Tuantuan nodded vigorously and said, "My husband understands me best, but there's so much..."
We won't even use it all! We can give it to our two little ones as a treasured keepsake later.
“These pearls are large and solid; they are indeed a fine dowry item,” Li Qishang praised.
----
Time flew by, and as they traveled along, stopping and starting, the end of the year arrived.
They originally planned to rush back home for the New Year, but now it seems they no longer have that intention.
Because going back home for the New Year is also the kind of New Year without any sense of ceremony.
Guan Zhiyue's family was all there, but Li Qishang and his family were different; their children were all in the capital, and they had to hurry back to celebrate the New Year.
So the two of them broke away from Guan Zhiyue's group and rode fast horses toward the capital.
Rosamund Kwan and her group continued their journey, stopping frequently, wondering where they were headed.
We'll just spend the New Year somewhere, without rushing around or running around recklessly. It's always better to spend the New Year with the family than with those ministers.
Besides, everything has been arranged in the capital; the New Year banquet will proceed as normal.
The emperor was there to reward the civil and military officials, but this time, without him present, they could drink to their hearts' content.
"Mother, are we really going to spend the New Year away from home?" asked Li Jingsheng and his younger brothers.
They were all quite excited, surrounding Guan Zhiyue and shouting their names.
Guan Zhiyue's head was really throbbing from the noise. She looked sadly at the bunch of brats who were talking non-stop and said directly, "Li Qiji, you come here."
Li Qiji, who was originally taking a walk with Yuanyuan in his arms, heard his beloved wife's voice and exclaimed, "Good heavens!"
He stood up straight and walked over using both hands and feet. The princes around him looked at him as if they had seen a vengeful ghost, and they scattered like birds in an instant.
"My wife, what brings you here?"
"Didn't you tell your sons that we're spending Chinese New Year on the road this year? They all keep coming to ask me, it's driving me crazy."
Li Qiji reached out and patted Guan Zhiyue's head before saying, "This was my oversight. You wait here, I'll go teach them a lesson right now."
He then strode away without giving Guan Zhiyue any chance to react!
By the time Guan Zhiyue came to her senses, Li Qiji had already disappeared.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com