With Little Sugarbun in the family, the two battle - hardened men completely lost the austerity of the battlefield. They sat together, smiling as they watched the baby in the cradle.
"Brother, look! She's yawning. She's so cute. That little mouth is just adorable! She looks so much better than Zhi'er's dark - skinned self. How can she be so good - looking?"
Compared to the excitable Lu Hannian, Lu Hanchi was much calmer.
"Daughters are like this. They're different from those stinky boys. Daughters are fair - skinned and charming."
He gave a reserved smile, but his composure broke when his daughter opened her eyes and smiled at him. He immediately picked up his daughter and hugged her like the apple of his eye.
Lu Hannian didn't know what was on his brother's mind and quickly asked, "How do you know? You don't even like holding kids. Zhi'er is already six months old, and you've never held him. How do you know daughters are more charming than sons?"
Lu Hanchi dodged his eyes guiltily. After thinking for a while, he awkwardly laughed and said, "This... Well, of course I know. You're not often at home, but I am. I've held Ning'er in my arms as she grew up."
Saying this, Lu Hanchi straightened his back a bit. "Yes, I held Ning'er as she grew up. At that time, you didn't even know where you were playing in the mud. Even when you returned to the capital, how old were you and Ning'er? You couldn't carry her."
Lu Hannian pouted, full of dissatisfaction. He snatched Sugarbun away. "I was too young to carry her back then, but now I can. Let me hold her."
How could Lu Hanchi agree? "What are you talking about? That's my daughter!"
"You've held your sister. Can't I hold your daughter? I'll have a daughter myself later to make you envious!"
"Do you think it's easy to have a daughter in the Lu family? Be content with one in a generation!"
...
While the two brothers were bickering, Lu Wanning leaned against the Princess and smiled.
After talking with Lu Wanning, the Princess's mood improved a lot, and she no longer stayed in the Buddhist hall every day. She had let go. Her eldest brother's tragedy, her second brother's and her sister's affairs were not her fault. It wasn't worth sacrificing her happy family just because of these things and being sad all the time.
At least, there was Nanfeng in her natal family. He was her eldest brother's only son, and she would protect him.
Lu Hannian had only returned to the capital to report on his mission. He was supposed to return to Luocheng half a month later. But since the wedding of Sheng Jinyu and Lu Wanning was set for two months later, the Emperor graciously allowed Lu Hannian to stay in the capital until after Lu Wanning got married before leaving.
However, Zhi'er was too young, and it was inconvenient for Lady Shao to bring him here. So, they could only send wedding gifts.
Since it was the Crown Prince marrying the Crown Princess, even though it was in a hurry, the Imperial Household Department sent more people to arrange all the wedding affairs properly. The Prince of the South - Conquering's Mansion attached even more importance to it. They were marrying off the apple of their eye, so they spared no expense on the dowry. It had to be the best.
Of course, Lu Wanning only had to focus on preparing for her wedding.
However, the conversation with the Princess in the Buddhist hall had been imprinted in Lu Wanning's mind. She hoped for a lifetime with just one person, but would Sheng Jinyu do the same?
He was the Crown Prince, the future emperor. Since ancient times, which emperor had ever been single - minded? People talked about the current emperor's deep affection for the noble consort, but he just watched as the noble consort destroyed herself. He had showered her with all his favor in her lifetime, but in the end, it wasn't about choosing just one from the vast sea of beauties.
Would he give her what she wanted?
The white palace was huge and spacious. Lu Wanning wandered around alone, as if she could never reach the end. Everything was hazy.
In the distance, there were the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments and singing and dancing. The beautiful music and the voices of the beautiful women were heard, but Lu Wanning couldn't see anything clearly.
She walked forward step by step, out of breath and sweating all over, but was blocked by a boy.
Sheng Chenyi? Was it Sheng Chenyi? But the Sheng Chenyi in front of her looked only five or six years old, still innocent and not fully grown. He was small in stature, but from his face, it was obvious that he was the Crown Prince Brother she had called when she was a child.
When "Sheng Chenyi" saw her, he threw himself at her and cried sadly, "Mother, Mother..."
Mother? I'm not the empress. I'm clearly Lu Wanning.
Lu Wanning looked down at herself. She was wearing a gorgeous palace dress. When she reached up to touch her head, she felt a full head of jewelry. This didn't seem like her, but these hands were clearly hers, and so was her face.
"Sheng Chenyi" hugged Lu Wanning and cried heart - brokenly. "Mother, I feel so pained."
Lu Wanning reached out and touched his forehead. It was burning hot. He had a fever.
Even though she hated Sheng Chenyi to the core, this child crying so bitterly still made Lu Wanning feel pity. She squatted down and asked, "Do you have a fever?"
In the blink of an eye, "Sheng Chenyi" was so flushed from the fever that he collapsed limply into Lu Wanning's arms and passed out.
Lu Wanning was extremely anxious. She carried the child and stumbled all the way towards the magnificent palace hall.
Like being shrouded in clouds and mist, Lu Wanning could only see the scene in the palace hall clearly when she got closer. Inside and outside the door, there were colorful and graceful dancers in thin clothes, with wonderful figures. The whole place was resplendent, completely different from the desolate outside.
Lu Wanning rushed into the palace hall. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has a high fever. Please summon the imperial physician quickly..."
The man on the throne was embracing women on both sides. In his arms was a coquettish young girl, and beside him was a dignified woman, who was picking out washed grapes and feeding them to the man's mouth.
But the man wasn't the emperor. That face was clearly Sheng Jinyu's.
Lu Wanning staggered. Before she could react, the man wearing the beaded crown was clearly the emperor. How could he turn into Sheng Jinyu?
The woman beside Sheng Jinyu sneered and pointed at Lu Wanning. "Your Majesty, the Empress is complaining to you again under the pretext of the Crown Prince's illness."
The Empress? Did she mean her? She hadn't even had her wedding yet and wasn't even the Crown Princess. How could she become the empress? Judging from the situation, she seemed to be a neglected empress.
No, she was Princess Zhaoyang, the daughter of the Prince of the South - Conquering. How could she end up in such a situation?
Then she heard Sheng Jinyu lift his eyes indifferently. It was his usual cold look. He just glanced at Lu Wanning and the "Sheng Chenyi" in her arms and then curled his lips into a smile. "If the Crown Prince is no longer fit for the position, then don't let him be the Crown Prince. Pass it on to his younger brother."
Lu Wanning's eyes widened in shock. Although the child in her arms wasn't her own, she was still extremely shocked and heart - chilled. Would he hurt her and their child for the sake of others?
Yes, he had always been so cold. His tenderness only appeared in dreams, only when he asked for her hand in marriage in front of her father and mother.
So, what exactly was his feeling towards her?
The infant in her arms was clearly dying. Lu Wanning lowered her head and saw Lu Cheng's face.
"Chengcheng, Chengcheng, don't scare me, Chengcheng. You must, must be okay!"
Lu Wanning raised her head, glaring angrily. "Sheng Jinyu, how dare you!"
The woman burst out laughing and coquettishly said to Sheng Jinyu, "Your Majesty, the Empress is asking if you dare. Yes, Your Majesty, you don't dare. After all, the Empress is the daughter of the Prince of the South - Conquering and a princess personally bestowed by the late emperor!"
Lu Wanning was even more shocked. Her heart sank bit by bit. Was it because she was the daughter of the Prince of the South - Conquering that Sheng Jinyu married her and made her the empress?