In the end, Mo Qinghuan pleaded with Mu Yanming to let the culprits go, but Mu Yanming told her,
"Huan'er, the emperor won't spare them. They've committed the crime of treason. You understand the gravity of this."
Mo Qinghuan nodded and said nothing more.
After everything had settled, she followed Mu Yanming back to the Regent's Mansion. Only then did she notice that the plaque of the Regent's Mansion had been taken down.
"What's this..."
Mu Yanming raised his head and let out a long sigh.
"All of this has finally come to an end!"
She was half - embraced in his arms. On that day, she learned that Lu Zixiu had actually been in the service of the current emperor all along. It was Lu Zixiu who had killed those previous court officials.
After Mu Yefeng ascended the throne, the position of the empress remained vacant. There was no suitable candidate at the moment. Moreover, with the new emperor just taking the throne and a mess of affairs to deal with, the matter of selecting concubines was put on hold.
However, no one knew that Bai Ke led a group of people to secretly send a woman into the palace one night. This woman was none other than Yang Suxin. She was granted the rank of imperial concubine upon entering the palace, which was quite a great honor.
Mo Qinghuan often thought that there was nothing great about being the emperor or the empress. One had to be constantly mindful of their status. Especially the empress, who couldn't show the slightest bit of jealousy or envy! If there was really no other choice, being a concubine wasn't so bad. One could enjoy the emperor's favor for a lifetime. Even if it couldn't last a lifetime, having a child to rely on would ensure a life of wealth and ease.
A few months later, Mo Qinghuan's body became increasingly clumsy. She needed someone to help her even when standing or sitting, not to mention lying down. Often, once she lay down, she couldn't get up on her own, and she also couldn't lie down by herself.
Mu Yanming had resigned from his position as the regent and stayed with her in the mansion every day.
One day, a message came from the General Ningyuan's Mansion saying that Zhao Yiyi had given birth to a baby boy. Mu Yanming took her there to visit.
This was the first time Mu Yanming had seen a newborn baby. It was all wrinkled and ugly! But General Ningyuan wouldn't allow anyone to say so. He'd get angry with whoever dared to.
After they returned to the mansion, the chief of the imperial medical bureau found Mu Yanming. No one knew what they talked about, but Mu Yanming's face changed when he came back. He just stared at Mo Qinghuan without saying a word.
"What's wrong?"
Mu Yanming held her hand. "Don't be afraid, Huan'er. Your husband will always be by your side."
She was completely confused by Mu Yanming's behavior, and he never told her what had happened in the end.
Two more months passed, and it was time for her to give birth. Mo Qinghuan's legs and feet were so swollen that she couldn't walk at all. When she stood up and looked down, she couldn't even see her own feet.
However, Mu Yanming still accompanied her for a walk around the mansion every day without fail. No matter how uncomfortable she was, they still walked two laps.
Finally, the day of delivery arrived. Mu Yanming stood outside the door, listening to Mo Qinghuan's stifled groans from inside. His palms were full of sticky sweat, and he paced back and forth anxiously outside.
The midwife was an experienced woman who had delivered many imperial concubines. She taught Mo Qinghuan again and again how to breathe and how to exert force. But Mo Qinghuan already knew all this. Moreover, she knew that this delivery would be extremely difficult. Twins were more dangerous!
She adjusted her breathing, drank the ginseng soup that Dan'er handed to her to keep her strength up, and with a great effort, she heard the midwife's surprised voice.
"Congratulations, Princess. It's a young heir."
Mo Qinghuan knew it would be easier from now on, so she finally let out a sigh of relief.
When Dan'er carried the cleaned - up young heir to show Mu Yanming, the sound of Mo Qinghuan suddenly stopped inside the room. He was so scared that he rushed directly into the delivery room.
The midwife sighed that the regent didn't even take a look at the young heir and just rushed to the princess's bedside. He was really extremely nervous about the princess.
He held Mo Qinghuan's hand. His eyes were blood - red and seemed moist. He said in a low voice, "No more giving birth! You scared this king to death."
Mo Qinghuan forced a smile and comforted him, "This is how it is when giving birth. And I'm willing to bear it."
Mu Yanming closed his eyes and placed his hand on her face. Mo Qinghuan suddenly felt something wet dripping on the back of her hand.
Touched as she was, the pain came again. But after the first child was born, the second one came quickly. She was really out of strength and fainted.
Mu Yanming stayed by her bedside all the time. It was not until the emperor came in person to congratulate them that he came back to his senses and went out to greet him.
"Congratulations, Brother Wang. Sister - in - law has given birth to a son and a daughter. She has really worked hard. She should be heavily rewarded."
Mu Yanming just waved his hand indifferently. "As long as she's safe, that's better than anything."
...
Five years later.
In the fief of Xinyang.
Mo Qinghuan was sitting on the swing in the yard. There were several letters beside her. One was from Zhao Yiyi, one from Concubine Li, one was unsigned, and surprisingly, one was from Gu Qing.
She opened them one by one. Without exception, they were all letters of gratitude. She shook her head with a smile.
When she opened the unsigned letter, a face suddenly flashed through her mind. After reading the letter, she pursed her lips. She had never known about Lu Zixiu's feelings for her, let alone when those feelings had started...
Mu Yanming walked over with the two little ones. She put the letters away and gave them to Huan'er to keep. Then she got up and walked towards them.
Before she even got close, her daughter complained.
"Mother, Mu Chengxi bullied me!"
"Mother, I didn't. It was clearly Mu Chengyuan who said yesterday that she asked me to supervise her weight - loss, but today she ate so much. I hadn't even said a single word to her, and she got angry! Father can testify!"
The two kids both looked up at their father.
Mu Yanming just squatted down and picked up his daughter.
"What weight - loss? Father can afford to support you! Even if you never get married in your life, Father can still support you."
Mo Qinghuan reached out and stroked her son's head. "See? The so - called weight - loss is just her whim. Only you take it seriously."
Mu Chengxi snorted and grabbed the sword that Mu Yanming had specially made for him and went to practice sword - fighting. He looked as cold and resolute as his father.
And Mu Chengyuan nestled in Mu Yanming's arms and acted coquettishly.
Looking at this scene in front of her, Mo Qinghuan suddenly felt a surge of emotion. What would Mu Yanming be like if she hadn't traveled to this world? There should be another woman who would bear children for him, be intimate with him, and whisper sweet nothings to each other.
Thinking of how Mu Yanming had been like a child, sticking to her every day since he had resigned from his position as the regent, she found it funny but also very sweet.
One day later, Mu Yanming suddenly received a letter. It was from A Tahuan. Mo Qinghuan actually wanted to know what was written in it, but Mu Yanming burned the letter right in front of her. Naturally, she never found out what the content was.
Days passed by like this. Dan'er and Bai Ke got married. Shuang'er said she wanted to go to Lizhou, which was Lu Zixiu's hometown. She never came back after that, but Mo Qinghuan knew she was safe, so she didn't dwell on it.
One late night, Mo Qinghuan had a dream. When she woke up, she saw Mu Yanming lying beside her. It was raining outside. She moved, and Mu Yanming instinctively hugged her tightly.
She nestled into his arms and couldn't help but think. Although she had occupied someone else's body and lived a new life, having a husband like him, her life was finally complete.