Hearing the rumors outside about the intelligence of the child, Yang Mengchen was caught between laughter and tears.
Long Xuanmo was dead serious, "The child of Jiujiu and I will naturally be unparalleled in intelligence, incomparable to anyone in the world!"
Ever since they had a little baby, Long Xuanmo had become even more like a child. Yang Mengchen was used to this and couldn’t be bothered with the proud father-to-be.
During a rare day of leisure, the ladies gathered in the Crown Prince Mansion’s garden for casual conversation, while the men played chess, savored tea, or sparred nearby, and the children played together.
"Jiujiu, how come your belly looks bigger than ours?" Lu Ningshuang asked, surprised and doubtful.
She was six months pregnant, Princess Kangqin was seven months, and Jiujiu was not even five months along, yet her belly was about the same size as theirs.
Everyone looked at Yang Mengchen’s belly, then at Princess Kangqin’s and Lu Ningshuang’s. Indeed, Yang Mengchen’s belly seemed quite big.
"Is Chenchen carrying twins?" Lady Xiao, who had given birth to a pair of twins herself, felt that Chenchen’s belly was like hers at the same stage.
Long Jingxi nodded, "I also believe the third sister-in-law might be carrying twins."
"With Lady Xiao and Xixi both saying it’s twins, it’s surely twins. I will soon have two great-grandsons or great-granddaughters, and it would be best if they were dragon-phoenix twins, hahaha!" The Empress Dowager said with a smile beaming from her eyes.
Since finding out about Yang Mengchen’s pregnancy, the Empress Dowager had moved to the Crown Prince Mansion under the pretext of looking after the grandson’s wife and the child, but in reality, she didn’t want to stay in the boring palace.
The Empress also wanted to come, but after seeing the Emperor’s wistful eyes, she had to stay to keep him company.
Yang Mengchen smiled quietly. In the initial dream, there were two chubby babies, and lately, she had a feeling about it too.
"Jiujiu, give birth to two sons, and I, along with my older brother, will quickly have two daughters, so they can marry your sons," Meng Jinghui suddenly ran over and said.
Prince De and Meng Jinghui brought their personal Guards rushing to Dong Chu, only to find that Long Xuanmo had arranged everything properly. Yang Mengchen was surrounded by countless experts for protection, and the two of them, reassured, prepared to return to their country after Yang Mengchen gave birth. Of course, they relayed the good news and their intentions to Emperor Xuanwen.
Emperor Xuanwen and others were thrilled to receive the secret letters, not only agreeing to let them stay but also sending large quantities of tonics, medicinal herbs, and baby essentials.
Meng Jinghui had sharp ears; he had just heard the ladies suggesting Yang Mengchen might be carrying twins and immediately came over to express his intentions.
Once, he had an epiphany and told his older brother that he wanted to become in-laws with Jiujiu. Since Jiujiu was extremely intelligent and talented, the children she taught would definitely be very clever and smart, ensuring his grandchildren would be the same.
But his older brother said, if anyone should form a marriage alliance, it should be his own children; it wasn’t his turn at all. He regretted speaking too soon. If he had known, he wouldn’t have told his brother, who wouldn’t have gotten the idea otherwise.
Now that Jiujiu was pregnant with twins, there was no need to compete with his older brother anymore—one for each of them, perfect.
Yang Mengchen was torn between laughter and tears; the children weren’t even born yet, and Fifth Brother Jinghui was already thinking about it, especially since Jinghui himself had no children yet, which was quite unreliable.
Meng Jinghui lightheartedly persuaded, "Jiujiu, you certainly wouldn’t like a lad younger than your daughter as a son-in-law, so you better give birth to two sons, and then my older brother and I won’t need to fight over them."
"None of my children will be marrying into your families." Long Xuanmo strode over and sat next to Yang Mengchen, glaring fiercely at Meng Jinghui.
Meng Jingqi was up to no good, and if he became in-laws with Meng Jingqi, wouldn’t it be asking for trouble?
Prince De, who came later, also wished to form a marriage alliance with Jiujiu. Unfortunately, given the difference in their generations and him not having any grandchildren (Prince De was several years older than Meng Jingqi), he had to abandon this idea. However, he thought having a marriage alliance with Jiujiu through his nephew’s children would be fine as well. Hearing Long Xuanmo’s words, his eyes widened, "Why not form a marriage alliance?"
"Exactly, why not form a marriage alliance?" Meng Jinghui also questioned Long Xuanmo. freёweɓnovel_com
Long Xuanmo ignored him.
Although most people present knew about the entanglement between Yang Mengchen and Meng Jingqi, no one spoke of it. However, Meng Jinghui’s words had reminded them of it.
"The distance is too great," Nangong Lingfei said with a grin. "If your daughters marry over here, they definitely won’t be able to return even once."
Meng Jinghui didn’t care in the least, "If they can’t return, then they can’t. As long as Jiujiu looks after them, we’re at ease."
Yang Mengchen was speechless. Was Fifth brother Jinghui being too irresponsible towards his own daughter?
Luo Jingyao curled his lips, "Wishful thinking! So many of us are waiting to form a marriage alliance with Jiujiu, you’d better just stand by the side!" He turned to look at Yang Mengchen, "Jiujiu, you should just have two daughters. Any of our few young lads will be at your disposal to choose as sons-in-law. Rest assured, our Luo family will take good care of them."
The members of the Luo family nodded and voiced their agreement in unison.
"Jiujiu, us too. You can pick anyone from our sons as well," Nangong Lingfei and Situ Wenzheng almost said in unison.
Aside from Long Jingxi, who had given birth to a daughter, each of the families had sons. Princess Kangqin and Lu Ningshuang were also expecting sons. No wonder so many were pinning their hopes on Yang Mengchen.
Long Xuanmo’s face darkened, "I’m not giving her to any family!" His daughter hadn’t even been born yet, and these people were already trying to snatch her away, which was really annoying.
Seeing her precious great-granddaughter so sought after naturally pleased the Empress Dowager, but she felt they should wait until she was thirteen or fourteen years old at least. The great-granddaughter had not even been born yet, and besides, even if she were born, the Empress Dowager herself wouldn’t have enough time to dote on her. Everyone else was already scheming to snatch her away, which was truly improper. No, she had to discuss this with Momo and Jiujiu later. They had to establish rules: her great-granddaughter must be at least eighteen before leaving for another household.
Long Xuanmo had no idea what the Empress Dowager was thinking, nor did he care about the clamoring of Nangong Lingfei and the others. He just held his beloved wife’s hand tightly, his gaze fixated on her belly. His eyes were filled with worry and tension.
Considering the usual complications of twin pregnancies on top of Lady Xiao and the Imperial Older Sister’s birth experiences, he was well aware of the dangers. Although Ah Jiu’s medical skill was extraordinary, there was a saying that healers couldn’t heal themselves. What would he do if something went wrong?
Just thinking about that scenario caused Long Xuanmo to break out in a cold sweat uncontrollably. No! He absolutely wouldn’t allow that situation to occur!
Sensing Long Xuanmo’s hand trembling slightly while holding her own, Yang Mengchen became suspicious. Turning to look at him, she saw his furrowed brows and the profound gaze fixed on her belly. After a moment of contemplation, she guessed what he was thinking. Feeling both amused and touched, she planned to reassure him later.
The children playing nearby, upon hearing the adults discussing the baby in Yang Mengchen’s belly, ran over one after another. Some claimed it would be a younger brother; others insisted on a sister, arguing so fiercely that their faces turned red without giving in to each other.
The adults just watched and did not stop them, even bursting into laughter.
The Emperor and Empress were so overjoyed upon hearing that Yang Mengchen might be carrying twins that they sent gifts upon gifts to the Crown Prince Mansion.
Although it was a happy occasion, everyone agreed to keep it a secret until the children were born, to prevent certain individuals from disturbing Yang Mengchen’s peace.
After handling the affairs of the eight cities, Prince Kangqin rushed back to the capital ten days before the festival. After reporting to the Emperor, he visited the Princess Mansion. Seeing his wife and son looking rosy and healthy, he felt immensely grateful to Yang Mengchen and, after dinner, moved back to the Prince Qin Mansion with his wife and son.
Thanks to the efforts of the Emperor and his subjects over this period, the court and the country were clear and bright, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Consequently, this year’s Spring Festival was particularly lively.
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