The joy of becoming a father for the first time dispelled the fatigue of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's long journey, and a long-lost smile finally appeared on his handsome face.
On his journey back to the capital from the Western Regions, he traveled as fast as he could, and finally made it back to the Jinling Imperial Palace just in time for the birth of his two sons, returning to the side of Empress Liu Shujun and Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo.
call--
Chen Huai'an let out a long sigh, calmed his excited emotions, and then casually lifted the cloak covering his head.
Only at this moment did the palace maids and eunuchs outside Kunning Palace recover from their shock and kneel down to kowtow to Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, shouting, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"No need for formalities, rise!"
Chen Huai'an immediately gestured for everyone to rise and dispense with formalities. He also took the initiative to approach his mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun, and greeted her, saying, "Empress, I have returned!"
Um!
Having weathered many storms and seen many grand occasions, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun was quite shocked and moved by her son Chen Huai'an's return, but she did not show her emotions on her face.
She simply said to Chen Huai'an, "Son, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Then, Xu Ruoyun waved her hand and said, "Let's go see Shujun first. I think the person she and the child most want to see right now is Your Majesty!"
"Yes, Mother!"
Chen Huai'an bowed slightly to his mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun, and then strode into Kunning Palace.
As soon as he entered, the palace maids and midwives recognized him as the Emperor and made to kneel before Chen Huai'an. However, Chen Huai'an stopped them with gestures and body language, signaling them to step back. He then quietly entered the inner hall of Kunning Palace.
At this moment, Empress Liu Shujun, who had just given birth, was lying on the phoenix couch made of golden nanmu wood in the palace.
Beside Liu Shujun lay a baby wrapped in a silk swaddle blanket. This baby was Chen Huai'an's eldest son, the future Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.
The hall was brightly lit and the candlelight flickered.
From Chen Huai'an's vantage point, he could see Empress Liu Shujun's profile, which appeared somewhat pale. She was turning to the side, her face full of affection as she gently stroked the infant prince in his swaddling clothes.
Upon seeing this, Chen Huai'an was taken aback, feeling as if something deep inside him had stabbed him.
I finally have an heir!
yes!
Before transmigrating, Chen Huai'an was a single man, and even after being reborn into the Great Xin Dynasty, he still had no children (not because he was infertile, but because the circumstances did not allow it).
In other words, Chen Huai'an, who has lived two lives, has lived for nearly fifty years (half before and half after the time travel), and this is the first time he has become a father.
Despite having the "Born to be an Emperor" system, Chen Huai'an was still just an ordinary person with emotions and desires. When he became a father for the first time, he was not immune to these emotions and his eyes were always filled with tears.
call--
He took a few deep breaths to compose himself before taking firm steps toward Empress Liu Shujun and his young prince on the imperial bed.
"Qiuju, you, you ask the midwife if it's time to breastfeed the little prince—"
On the phoenix bed, Empress Liu Shujun, radiating maternal glow and with all her attention focused on the exquisitely beautiful little prince in his swaddling clothes, was completely unaware of Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's arrival.
She continued weakly, "Qiuju, ask the midwife, how should I breastfeed the little prince?"
Suddenly, a pair of warm, thick hands grasped Liu Shujun's slender hands tightly without warning, and a unique warmth instantly spread from her fingertips throughout her body.
A gentle voice sounded in my ear: "Shujun, you've worked so hard!"
Whoosh!
The next moment, Liu Shujun on the phoenix bed was struck as if by lightning, and seemed to have forgotten how to breathe.
Then, she slowly raised her head, and the incredulous look in her phoenix eyes met the firm yet gentle gaze looking down at her.
Finally, Liu Shujun could no longer hold back her tears, and crystal-clear teardrops streamed down her face.
She raised her other slender hand and instinctively covered her mouth, trying her best to control herself from crying out loud.
Chen Huai'an quietly squatted down beside Liu Shujun, holding her boneless little hand tightly while gazing at her with tender and affectionate eyes.
After a long while, Liu Shujun finally recovered from her feelings of being moved, shocked, and complicated. She tried to sit up and greet Chen Huai'an, but ultimately failed because she was too weak and exhausted.
She said apologetically, "Your Majesty, I—"
Chen Huai'an patted her shoulder understandingly and said half-jokingly, "Shujun, we're an old married couple now, and there are no outsiders present, so let's skip these formalities!"
"I'm late, you've had a long journey!"
Waaaaah—
At this moment, Liu Shujun could no longer hold back her sobs and began to cry softly. All her grievances and sorrows were fully vented and released in that instant.
Chen Huai'an's words, "You've worked hard," made Liu Shujun feel that everything she had suffered and endured was worthwhile!
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Liu Shujun leaned down and whispered gently to the infant prince in his swaddling clothes, "My son, quickly open your eyes and see who's here?"
"It's Father Emperor!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the little prince, whose eyes had been tightly closed in his swaddling clothes, opened his big eyes as if he had understood his mother's words, and looked at Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an outside the phoenix bed.
She even blinked her big, watery eyes at Chen Huai'an, and her lips curled into a slight smile.
At that moment, even Chen Huai'an, who thought he had long since cultivated a heart of stone, couldn't help but feel overjoyed and his heart flutter at his son's slight smile.
Even tough guys have a soft side!
Inside the Kunning Palace, the warm reunion of this family of three did not last long.
Despite how much Empress Liu Shujun, who had just given birth, longed for the Emperor to stay with her and the little prince;
However, as the Empress of the Tang Dynasty, the ruler of the imperial palace, she could not selfishly leave the Emperor behind.
Because Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo is due to give birth in the next day or two (she doesn't know yet that the Imperial Noble Consort has already given birth), she must be eagerly hoping that the Emperor can be by her side.
The news that Consort Yue Qiluo's father, the valiant Khan of the Uyghur Khanate, had sacrificed his life to preserve the prestige and glory of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions had already reached Nanjing.
This made Liu Shujun, who was like a sister to Yue Qiluo, feel extremely sorry for her younger sister;
Therefore, even though she was extremely reluctant at this moment, she still managed to appear as magnanimous as possible and said, "Your Majesty, my mother and child are safe and well."
"But the Imperial Noble Consort is probably still in the midst of a tense labor and delivery."
As she spoke, Liu Shujun forced a smile and said, "I think that if Your Majesty could move to Fengyi Palace to accompany Sister Qiluo right now, she would definitely not be so nervous, and she would certainly feel happy and touched;"
"Your Majesty, I am already aware of what has happened in the Uyghur Khanate of the Western Regions. At this time, my sister Qiluo must be more eager to see Your Majesty than ever before."
"So, Your Majesty, please move to Fengyi Palace now, and come to see your concubine and son again tomorrow!"
Hearing Liu Shujun's words moved Chen Huai'an even more.
Indeed, Chen Huai'an felt guilty towards Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo for sacrificing his life to preserve the prestige and glory of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions.
In any case, the valiant Khan was the father of the Imperial Noble Consort and the maternal grandfather of the young prince.
For both personal and professional reasons, he should move to Fengyi Palace at this time.
Seeing that Empress Liu Shujun was so understanding, Chen Huai'an didn't stand on ceremony. Instead, he nodded firmly and promised, "In that case, you should rest and recuperate well in Kunning Palace."
"I will come to visit you and my son again first thing tomorrow morning!"
After saying that, Chen Huai'an suddenly lowered his head and kissed Liu Shujun's smooth forehead, then kissed the baby prince's pink cheeks in his swaddling clothes, before leaving Kunning Palace with a few glances back.
As soon as he stepped out, he immediately beckoned the palace maids and midwives waiting outside to enter the inner palace and take good care of the Empress.
Then, he said to his mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun, "Empress, I am preparing to move to Fengyi Palace to see Qiluo and the child. You, on your side..."
Chen Huai'an hesitated, but his mother, Empress Xu Ruoyun, understood and waved her hand, saying, "Alright, you go to Fengyi Palace first. I'll go see Shujun and my eldest grandson."
"When I return to Fengyi Palace, you will wait for me there. I have something to say to you!"
"Yes, Mother!"
Soon, Chen Huai'an, surrounded by Xiao Po and his group of Imperial Guards, headed straight for Fengyi Palace in a grand procession.
Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun also adjusted her breathing to enter Kunning Palace in the best possible condition.
Before she even went inside, her voice arrived first: "Shujun, Shujun, how are you? Where is my eldest grandson? Let me see him quickly..."
At the same time, inside the Phoenix Palace.
Consort Yue Qiluo, who had just given birth to a prince for Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an, looked to be in much better condition than Empress Liu Shujun.
Perhaps it's related to the fact that Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo practiced martial arts from a young age, resulting in better physical fitness!
She could even sit up on the bed, leaning against the pillows, holding the little prince in her arms, gently rocking him while whispering sweet nothings to him.
Just as Liu Shujun had predicted, after her father died for his country and she had just become a mother, Yue Qiluo's only close relatives in the world were her husband, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an, and the little prince in her arms.
At that moment, she unexpectedly began to miss everything about her Uyghur hometown.
I miss the sweetness of the wine from my hometown, the fragrance of the grass on the pastures, the carefree days of galloping on horseback, I miss...
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Just then, the voice of the eunuch on duty suddenly came from outside Fengyi Palace.
For a moment, Consort Yue Qiluo, who was on the bed, even thought that she was hallucinating. Wasn't the emperor supposed to be inspecting the construction of the new capital of the Tang Dynasty in Chang'an?
It wasn't until the palace maids, eunuchs, and Imperial Guards on duty outside the Phoenix Palace shouted "Long live the Emperor!" that Yue Qiluo, lying on the bed inside the palace, finally believed that it really was the Emperor!
The next moment, the palace gates of Fengyi Palace were pushed open from the outside, and along with a gust of cold wind came the figure that Yue Qiluo had been longing for day and night.
Chen Huai'an quickly approached Yue Qiluo and said to her gently, "Qiluo, I'm late. You've had a long journey!"
A simple sentence was enough to make Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo unable to hold back her tears any longer; large tears fell like a river bursting its banks.
Then, holding the infant prince in her arms, Yue Qiluo threw herself into Chen Huai'an's embrace without a care in the world, venting all the grievances and sorrows that had been weighing on her heart for so long.
The family of three embraced each other in silence.
That night, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an neither stayed in Fengyi Palace to accompany Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo, nor returned to Kunning Palace to accompany Empress Liu Shujun.
After waiting in Fengyi Palace to meet his mother, Xu Ruoyun, Yue Qiluo, and another grandson of the emperor, he was summoned to Cining Palace by his mother, Xu Ruoyun, for questioning.
While Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an was away from the capital on his personal expedition, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun in the inner palace seemed to have heard some rumors.
Therefore, when the mother and son met alone, Empress Dowager Xu Ruoyun asked directly, "My son, I heard that you issued an edict in the Western Regions, posthumously conferring upon the valiant Khan of the Uyghur Khanate the title of Western King of the Tang Dynasty, and promising that his descendants would inherit the title of Western King."
Is this true?
Um?
Upon hearing this, Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow, his gaze becoming wary and complex.
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and replied, "Mother, it is indeed so!"
Xu Ruoyun continued, "So, you're saying that you'll let the prince born to Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo inherit the title of Western King left by the valiant Khan?"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded again.
Xu Ruoyun continued, "Then the prince born to Shujun, could he be the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty?"
Um!
Chen Huai'an nodded again.
Although he didn't understand why his mother asked that question;
But this is indeed what he was thinking!
"My son, you're so foolish!"
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