After a long while, she finally came to her senses. Her cheeks were flushed, and her breathing was slightly erratic. Her eyes were misty, round and innocent, and her fair, porcelain - like skin was marked in many places.
Was it because the ground - heating in the Liuyun Pavilion was too hot? She was a bit worried, but thankfully he had been very careful.
Just as he finished tidying up the clothes of the pregnant woman beside him, he heard her say in a low voice, "I want to give the baby a nickname!"
"Sure, I'll follow your lead," he said, planting a loving kiss on her temple. "Do you have a good idea?"
Song Jinyu looked at him excitedly. "Let's call the baby Yuanbao! Like a gold ingot!"
"Then the baby will never lack money in their life!"
He looked at her helplessly. He had thought she had changed, but her impulsive nature was still there. "Do you lack money now?"
Zhongli Mingye felt that he had never treated Song Jinyu badly. The entire Prince Yu's Mansion was hers.
"Once, I spent several months' worth of my monthly allowance on some purple ginseng roots..." Her father had been an honest official. Although they had some land, their life was just that of an ordinary noble family, far from the luxury of the He Mansion in the past.
Recalling the past, Song Jinyu smiled. "Then, I was invited by you to the mansion for dinner, and I left all the ginseng for you!"
Really? "If I had known it was several months' worth of your allowance, I would have..."
"Would have what?" Return it to her?
"Asked for a few more roots!"
In return, he got a gentle punch from her. "Humph..." How dare he laugh! Zhongli Mingye took her hand and whispered in her ear, "I'm willing to give you the entire Great Xia Dynasty."
Her beautiful eyes fluttered, and she pinched his slender waist hard. "I don't want it... Don't expect me to work hard!"
Because she was pregnant, her emotions were more volatile. Zhongli Mingye asked Xing Jian to train Micao carefully so that she could take charge of the affairs of the mansion.
"Don't let the princess do any work... Make sure the midwives, wet - nurses, and others are reliable..."
"Also..." He suddenly remembered something. "Send Qingfeng to Tianmen Mountain..."
If there was anyone he could trust, it was the people from Tianmen Mountain!
After making these arrangements, Zhongli Mingye went to the palace. Today, the emperor had suddenly enfeoffed Zhongli Wenyao as the Prince He.
A prince?
The court was in an uproar. It was natural for a prince to be enfeoffed as a prince, but usually it was after a prince had come of age or made military achievements.
Even Zhongli Mingye had only been enfeoffed as a prince after making great contributions.
The emperor's move was bound to disappoint the Prince Yu. But Zhongli Mingye didn't care about such things. He didn't care about a baby.
Zhongli Mingye had full control over Concubine Qin's every move, but there was the matter of Empress Dowager Ming.
When Ming Ruyi learned that Empress Dowager Ming had proposed that the emperor enfeoff Zhongli Wenyao as the Prince He, she immediately sensed that things were going wrong.
After rushing into the palace in a hurry, she found that the empress dowager was just worried about him.
"Mother, why are you being so naive again!"
"Ruyi, how can you talk to your mother like this? If that little prince ascends the throne in the future, you could be the regent king! And who knows, you might go even further..." Empress Dowager Ming took it for granted.
Ming Ruyi was extremely disappointed. His mother was thinking too simply. "You underestimate Zhongli Mingye too much!"
In fact, Zhongli Mingye had arranged everything in the court perfectly. Most of the important official positions had already been filled with his people.
The Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of War, except for the prime minister, the court was almost under Zhongli Mingye's control. Why didn't he fight anymore?
Because everything was already in Zhongli Mingye's pocket.
Empress Dowager Ming slumped into a chair, unable to believe it. "Then why did the emperor...?" Enfeoff Zhongli Wenyao as the Prince He?
Ming Ruyi didn't elaborate further. He just told the empress dowager to be more careful. Otherwise, Zhongli Mingye might take action. Thinking of the Prince Yu, Ming Ruyi knew very well that he would show no mercy to anyone, except her.
If Song Jinyu hadn't been pregnant, the emperor might not have been able to hold onto his throne for long. That was why the emperor had been hesitant to establish a crown prince, fearing that Zhongli Mingye would force him to become the retired emperor.
"The prime minister Ling is really quick in his actions," Zhongli Mingye told Yu Nianbai to be patient. Just secretly collect evidence and wait for the right opportunity.
The court was too quiet. Without any disturbances, the villains couldn't show their true colors. It was really boring.
Lying beside the sleeping pregnant Song Jinyu, his eyes were dark and unfathomable.
Was Prime Minister Ling really that outstanding in his political achievements and flawless?
When Song Jinyu woke up, Zhongli Mingye was nowhere to be seen. Today was the birthday of the Minister of Works.
She didn't really want to go at first, but she felt bored staying at home all day. So she decided to go out for a walk. By the time she arrived at the banquet, it was already quite late.
Thankfully, the banquet hadn't started yet. As the Princess of Prince Yu, Song Jinyu's status had risen, and many officials and their wives didn't dare to show any disrespect.
Except for Prime Minister Ling and his second wife, Wang.
After Mrs. Ling went crazy, Prime Minister Ling had promoted his second concubine to be his second wife. So it was this newly - favored Mrs. Wang who had come to the Minister of Works' mansion to celebrate his birthday.
Zhongli Mingye carefully helped her in. Mrs. Wang's eyes fell on her bulging belly, and she showed a hint of disdain.
"Your Highness, this is your first child... It's right to be cautious."
Madam Leng, the hostess of the Minister of Works' mansion, had received instructions from her husband early on. "You must take good care of the Princess of Prince Yu."
Immediately, she led some maids and servants to greet Song Jinyu.
The other ladies were also very sensible. They knew that Song Jinyu was a very important person. Zhongli Mingye's eyes were always on Song Jinyu until she was seated safely.
Then he strolled over to the men's table.
Although Mrs. Wang was the second wife of the prime minister, she was still young. She was the illegitimate daughter of a minor official in the capital. Because of her beauty, she had been selected to be a concubine in the prime minister's mansion.
She was very good at flattering people on a daily basis. Knowing that Prime Minister Ling was on bad terms with Prince Yu, she now had a lot of negative comments about the Princess of Prince Yu.
However, Mrs. Wang was really short - sighted.
"Your Highness looks really good. Although you're pregnant, it seems that only your belly has grown bigger." After saying that, she gently wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief and added, "It's better to have more people in the mansion. Otherwise, it will seem too empty."
"In our prime minister's mansion, the family is very prosperous."
Song Jinyu gave her a cold look and didn't respond. Instead, she gracefully served her some food, choosing the dishes that she usually liked.
Micao rolled her eyes. This woman was really asking for trouble! Even if Prime Minister Ling and Prince Yu were on bad terms, she shouldn't have offended the princess in public.
This Mrs. Wang really had a petty - minded attitude. The other ladies couldn't stand it either. Madam Leng, the hostess, accompanied Song Jinyu with a smiling face and prepared some pastries for her.
"Everyone in the capital knows that Prince Yu is very kind to his wife... Just now, His Highness specifically instructed not to serve Your Highness anything too sweet."
"This lotus cake is only slightly sweet. Please try it..."
Several ladies also shared some of their experiences during childbirth, and Song Jinyu nodded in agreement.
Mrs. Wang was left out, feeling very uncomfortable. She had to drink a glass of wine to cover up her embarrassment. On the other side, when Zhongli Mingye heard about this, he sneered immediately. "The prime minister's mansion really has a lot of talented people. I wonder why his wife didn't come today?"
Prime Minister Ling didn't know what had happened at the women's table. He just said, "My wife is seriously ill... Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern."
"No wonder you brought your concubine out..."
As soon as these words were said, the officials at the table immediately understood. Concubines were not supposed to attend such formal occasions. Prime Minister Ling was always known for his integrity. This...
"Your Highness is overthinking. Mrs. Wang is my second wife."
"But just now, I saw her behaving rudely. I originally thought she was a concubine. I didn't expect she was your second wife. I was being rude!" This sarcasm made all the officials present understand that Mrs. Wang must have done something wrong and offended the princess.
The Prince Yu, who loved his wife dearly, actually embarrassed the prime minister in public.
For a moment, everyone looked at each other in dismay. Prime Minister Ling's face turned red and then white, and he didn't say a word.
He cursed Mrs. Wang in his heart.