"Baby... be a good one... don't let your mother suffer!"
Zhongli Mingye stared seriously at Song Jinyu's still-flat belly, looking extremely nervous.
"Pfft!"
Song Jinyu burst out laughing and flopped onto the bed. "You're so silly! How could he possibly hear you?"
"Be careful..." Seeing her collapse onto the quilt, he panicked and grabbed her. The surprise had come so suddenly that he was completely flustered, no longer his usual calm self.
She nestled comfortably in his arms. "You've been running back and forth these days. It must have taken a toll on your body." Zhongli Mingye felt more and more regretful as he thought about it.
He had calculated everything, but this one thing had slipped his mind. To be precise, everything about Zhongli Mingye had changed since he met Song Jinyu.
Thankfully, the deviation wasn't too great, and now he had the overall situation under control.
But when it came to this child, his phoenix eyes turned slightly cold.
If anyone in the palace dared to cause trouble, don't blame him for being ruthless!
However, he kept looking back and forth at Song Jinyu. He hadn't even had a few bites of the "meat" yet, and now he couldn't. His gaze made her shiver.
Song Jinyu glared back at him, her beautiful eyes filled with joy. "My lord, you'd better go and attend to your business!" She wanted to think carefully about some prescriptions suitable for prenatal care.
At this moment, she truly understood the happiness her sister-in-law had spoken of.
But Zhongli Mingye warned her, "The mansion doctor will take care of everything. We also need to prepare a midwife."
"Find someone honest and reliable."
What business did he have to attend to? The most urgent thing now was to take care of his woman and child. As for state affairs? His father, the emperor, could handle them.
Thinking of this, Zhongli Mingye felt it necessary to go to the palace.
So, the most powerful Yu Prince in the Great Xia Dynasty "absented from court"!!! Of course, he used the excuse of being seriously injured in the battle of Yanqiu and asked for a three - month leave.
Song Jinyu stared at him blankly. Could things be done like this? A dignified prince not going to court but staying at home to watch her prepare for childbirth!
"The most important thing for me now is to accompany you during your prenatal care!" Zhongli Mingye took her hand and sat down with her. He picked up a fruit from the table and fed it to the little pregnant woman. "The imperial doctor said you must keep a happy mind and body."
"I've thought it over and over..." He pinched her slightly plump cheeks. "I'll feel at ease only by your side."
Oh no. The emperor must be scolding Zhongli Mingye in his heart. Although Song Jinyu longed to be with him day and night,
wasn't it a bit strange to do this?
"You only had porridge for breakfast. Did you have the egg pancake?"
"..."
Song Jinyu looked at him uneasily. Although she was used to being taken care of by him, now that Zhongli Mingye had taken a personal leave to take care of her daily life,
she suddenly felt that her freedom was hopeless. "I don't want to eat..."
"Then I'll change the cook."
He arranged things on his own. Suddenly, he remembered the imperial doctor's instructions. "You should exercise more after meals..."
She looked at him strangely. "Okay..." What else could she say? She could only accept it gladly.
Since it was still early days, Zhongli Mingye didn't plan to let the people in the palace know this news.
So it wasn't until three full months later that the emperor, Concubine Shu and others in the palace got the news.
Naturally, the Zhongzhou Prince's Mansion also received the news. For a while, the news that the Yu Princess was pregnant made many unmarried daughters of the capital's officials have other thoughts.
Among them, Concubine Qing was the most active. She often went to Concubine Shu's palace to pay her respects, much more frequently than usual.
But Concubine Shu remained unmoved. "I don't really interfere in Ye'er's affairs in the inner house. It's naturally the princess who has the final say in his house."
Then Concubine Qing went to find the emperor.
Unfortunately, the emperor was infatuated with a new beauty he had somehow found some time ago, a woman hidden in the common people. Moreover, the emperor had changed his taste.
This time, he preferred to play a sneaky little game.
Concubine Qing's younger sister had just come of age. Originally, Concubine Qing's family was a sixth - rank official. Thanks to Concubine Qing giving birth to a princess, they had been promoted to the fifth rank.
Now, if her sister could marry into the Yu Prince's Mansion, then her father would get the support of the Yu Prince in the court.
Concubine Qing had a well - thought - out plan, but no one responded to her idea.
Instead, the news reached Concubine Qin's ears. She scoffed, "If a person has no shame, then they're invincible in the world!"
"Another one who's eager to be a side concubine."
Li Zixuan, Concubine Qing's younger sister, had once seen the grace of the Yu Prince with her sister. With her conditions, it would be a real high - climb to be a side concubine.
So she had set her mind on it. But no matter how hard her sister, Concubine Qing, tried, she couldn't catch the Yu Prince's eye.
These things spread in the palace. Concubine Qing was gradually becoming a laughingstock in others' eyes. Li Zixuan really couldn't sit still.
She had seen the glory and wealth of the palace. Her sister had entered the palace as a concubine. She had also dreamed of it, but unfortunately, the emperor was really old.
The Yu Prince was handsome and elegant. Although she had only seen him from afar a few times, she could tell that he was a peerless figure.
Li Zixuan had been coming in and out of the palace these days, deliberately showing up in Concubine Shu's palace.
Then she "accidentally" wandered to the Yu Prince's Mansion gate, hoping to meet Zhongli Mingye. But unfortunately...
Zhongli Mingye had locked the princess in the courtyard early on. The two of them stayed in the mansion every day, not going out at all.
He heard all these rumors, but he never let Song Jinyu know a single bit.
"Don't let her worry."
A calculating look flashed in his phoenix eyes. Concubine Qing, right? "Mr. Yu, now... your great revenge has been avenged... do you want to start a new family?"
Yu Nianbai pondered. "What does your highness mean?"
"What do you think of the second young lady of the Li family as your wife?" Yu Nianbai was almost forty years old, while Li Zixuan was only fifteen.
"Thank you, your highness!"
Under the arrangement of the Yu Prince, Yu Nianbai had already entered the court as an official. Although his rank was not high, he was lurking in the Ministry of Works, secretly waiting for an opportunity.
Now, there were people of the Yu Prince in all six ministries. Song Qinzhou was just waiting for the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue to retire. With the emperor's promotion,
Song Qinzhou would be the next Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.
"Are you awake?"
Song Jinyu opened her sleepy eyes and saw Zhongli Mingye sitting by the bed watching her. "What are you doing?"
"Looking at you!"
"What's so interesting about me?"
Zhongli Mingye helped her sit up. "The meat soup was just made. Have a bowl while it's hot."
"I've been eating and drinking every day... I've gained weight!"
"You're now two people. It's good to be a bit plump." He pinched her chubby cheeks and gently kissed her. "After dinner later, I'll accompany you for a walk."
"Okay!"
Zhongli Mingye was fiddling with the rewards sent from the palace. "These are the little clothes made by my mother herself."
"Ah... they're so delicate!"
Song Jinyu looked pleasantly surprised. Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn't been to the palace for several months. "I... I haven't been to the palace for some time. I wonder how my mother - in - law..."
"The palace is a complicated place. Mother doesn't want you to go there."
He didn't want Song Jinyu to hear those gossips, let alone worry about them. Concubine Shu had repeatedly reminded him that now Concubine Qin and Prime Minister Ling were ready to make a move. His temporary retreat was just a strategic move.