In the spring of the year following the new emperor's ascension to the throne, Lin Qingwan gave birth to a prince.
Zhao Cong and Feng'er stood guard outside the door all night, but neither of them was happy when they heard it was a boy.
Feng'er looked at Zhu An, "Didn't you say it was a girl?"
Zhu An's eye twitched. "The pulse indicates a girl, but it's hard to say if things will turn out differently."
Zhao Cong glared at him directly, "Your position as head of the Imperial Medical Academy can be relinquished."
"No, no, no." Zhu An leaned closer and whispered, "This humble subject knows a little trick for having a daughter."
"Too late!"
Zhao Cong pushed him away, his face clearly showing his unwillingness to let Lin Qingwan give birth again.
He was heartbroken just listening to the agonizing night from outside, let alone how Lin Qingwan felt.
If he had known that childbirth would be so painful, he would have preferred not to have children at all; after all, Feng'er was enough.
Zhu An saw through the emperor's thoughts and suddenly said, "Ahem, when you were having sex with the empress every night, did you never think about having children?"
Zhao Cong was taken aback; he really hadn't thought of that.
He was so captivated by the feeling of being in her arms that he felt so close to her that only then did he feel less lonely and truly know that he had a family and someone he loved.
The feeling I had upon learning that Lin Qingwan was pregnant is indescribable.
At first, because the pregnancy was unstable, Zhu An didn't allow them to sleep together, but he couldn't sleep without Lin Qingwan, so he stayed by her side night after night.
Later, watching her gradually protruding belly and feeling the little one kicking his belly, Zhao Cong felt as satisfied and happy as when he was a child, having eaten a mouthful of candy.
In the days leading up to her delivery, Lin Qingwan experienced swollen feet and legs, frequent nighttime urination, and her belly pressing against her stomach, making it difficult to eat more than a few bites of food.
Zhao Cong hadn't attended court for a while. Every night, he would soak her feet and massage her legs, and at night he would hold a thin fur coat in his arms, afraid that she would catch a cold if she got up at night. The only thing that mattered was that she couldn't eat, and no one could do anything about it.
Lin Qingwan had long prepared for his ascension to the throne and the expansion of his harem, but she did not expect that her pregnancy would silence the court officials.
Whenever Zhao Cong took good care of her, he would always say, "If you're going to act, you have to do it right."
Later, Lin Qingwan couldn't help but tease him, "Who would actually create a child in a play?"
Zhao Cong, a grown man, had his ears turn bright red and was speechless.
Lin Qingwan couldn't resist and stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
He said pitifully, "You're pregnant, don't seduce me."
Lin Qingwan kissed him again, "You may take concubines."
Zhao Cong's lips tightened. "Try saying it again."
"Zhu Anke said that it can be done after seven months."
Lin Qingwan dared not mention the term "taking a concubine" again.
Seeing His Majesty standing there in a daze, the nanny assumed he hadn't yet recovered from his joy and reminded him, "Does Your Majesty wish to hold the little prince?"
Zhao Cong snapped out of his reverie, not even glancing at the baby in the swaddling clothes, and asked, "How is Wan'er?"
Before she could finish speaking, Mu Xue ran out with her hand covered in blood, crying out, "Imperial Physician Zhu, something terrible has happened! The Empress is bleeding uncontrollably..."
Zhao Cong's legs went weak and he was about to go in when the old nanny stopped him, saying, "Your Majesty, you mustn't."
"The foul, bloody energy inside will clash..."
Before she could finish speaking, the old woman was pushed to the ground. "Get out! She is my Empress, there to continue my lineage, not tainted blood!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Qingwan forced a smile.
It turns out that the hardships she endured for fifteen years were truly to accumulate good fortune so that she could meet Zhao Cong.
In just one year, she almost forgot the pain and grievances she had once tried to forget but couldn't, as if they were things from a past life and could no longer shake her in the slightest.
"Wan'er." Zhao Cong held her hand tightly, his eyes red and his voice trembling, "Don't be afraid."
"Zhu An can cure anything."
Zhu An rolled up his sleeves. "That's true."
"His Majesty is so fond of Consort Wan for bearing your child, now it's your turn to help out."
Zhao Cong turned around and saw him take out that familiar set of syringes, and immediately began to undress.
Zhu An joked, "You're quite skilled at your job. In our world, Your Majesty's proactive contributions would at least earn you some bread and milk."
Zhao Cong lay down next to Lin Qingwan, ignoring the still-wet bloodstains on the bed, and put his arm down, saying, "Enough nonsense, hurry up and save her."
"Your Majesty." Lin Qingwan's heart softened terribly, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Zhao Cong kissed her cheek and said contentedly, "As long as I live, you will live as long as I live."
"To live in the same quilt, to die in the same grave."
"Something others can only envy."
Lin Qingwan's tears rolled down her cheeks.
Zhu An, spoiling the mood, said, "Your Majesty is mistaken. It is as long as I live, that you and the Empress will be husband and wife."
Zhao Cong was both amused and exasperated, but unable to refute him, he laughed and said, "You rascal."
*
When the young prince was two and a half years old, the empress gave birth to another daughter.
The emperor granted a general amnesty, and a three-day palace banquet was held. Even the crown ornament on the emperor's head was given to the princess to play with.
"Your Majesty will spoil her if you do this," Lin Qingwan advised countless times, but the Emperor would not listen.
"My darling can do whatever she wants."
As she spoke, the princess, perched on Zhao Cong's shoulders, cheerfully declared, "Giddy up!"
Zhao Cong ran and laughed, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Feng'er and the little prince were made to stand outside as punishment because they hadn't gone easy on the princess while playing with her. The princess wasn't even angry yet, but His Majesty was already displeased.
"Brother, why doesn't Father punish his sister?" the little prince asked, his face full of confusion.
Feng'er whispered in his ear, "Father is a doting father."
What is a "doting father"?
Feng'er felt that he wouldn't understand even if she explained, so she just said, "From now on, always give way to your sister and give her all the good things first, so that Father won't punish us."
"Especially when playing games, you can't beat your sister, remember that?"
The young prince, still somewhat bewildered, said, "I'll remember what my brother said."
"good."
As soon as Feng'er finished speaking, Mu Xue brought out some freshly made snacks from the small kitchen, saying, "Your Highnesses, please get up."
Feng'er smiled and said, "My mother loves me the most."
The young prince was unhappy. "My mother dotes on my brother, my father dotes on my sister, but nobody dotes on me..."
Seeing that the little one was about to cry, Feng'er hugged him and gave him a kiss, saying, "Brother loves you."
"So, our family of five is now a circle."
The little prince didn't understand, but as long as someone loved him, that was enough, so he chuckled along with his brother.
A few more years passed.
The same scene unfolded again, with the two brothers being punished by standing in the corner.
The second prince then asked, "Brother, why does Father love my sister so much?"
Feng'er has grown taller than Lin Qingwan. He patted his younger brother's head and said, "Because Mother didn't have a good life before she met Father. Her father didn't love her, her mother didn't care for her, and even her own brothers bullied her."
"So Father's doting on his younger sister is essentially a way of hoping to raise Mother all over again."
The second prince seemed to understand but not quite, "Mother has grown up, how can we raise her again?"
Feng'er smiled and said, "Father has gone to great lengths to raise me, making up for the love he didn't receive in his childhood. Now he wants Mother to truly be reborn as well."
"Brother, I still don't understand."
Of course you don't understand, because the love your father and mother gave you was never lacking.
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