"Come on, I don't like them. There's no need for you to be jealous of them," Mu Fengqie said, looking at Jing Xunchao's jealous expression. She found him incredibly cute in this state.
The palace was bustling that evening. Although the emperor's birthday celebration was organized in a hurry, it was by no means a small - scale event. It was extremely extravagant.
On this day in the capital, wherever the emperor went, the roads were decorated with colorful paintings, cloth, and other adornments, making them look resplendent. Everywhere was filled with singing and dancing. Civil and military officials from local governments had to set up incense burners and bow towards the capital to wish the emperor a long and prosperous life.
Mu Fengqie was a bit surprised at the surrounding decorations. She never expected the people in the palace to be so efficient. In just two days, they had prepared everything so comprehensively.
"Qie'er, go in first. And don't wander around in the main hall. Otherwise, I won't be able to find you when I come back," Jing Xunchao said uneasily, repeating his instructions over and over again.
"Okay, I know. You've said this many times. I won't wander around. I'll just wait for you in the main hall," she replied. She wasn't a child, after all. Was there really a need for him to be so worried?
"Alright, then I'll leave first." Regardless of their status, men and women had to enter the palace separately. So Jing Xunchao and Mu Fengqie couldn't enter together. They could only meet up after entering the palace.
Because of Mu Fengqie's multiple and highly - ranked identities, someone soon came to escort her in.
When Mu Fengqie entered the main hall, there weren't many people yet. Most of them were the female relatives of the royal family and nobility. As soon as she entered, she spotted A Ru. A Ru's belly was already showing, but it seemed much bigger than that of an ordinary pregnant woman.
"Sister, you're finally here. I've been so bored all alone," A Ru said cheerfully as she walked over and hugged Mu Fengqie's arm, acting coquettishly.
"Where's the prince?" Usually, he was very protective of A Ru and hardly left her side. But today, she didn't see him beside A Ru.
"He just left. He said the emperor had something to discuss with him. But he did leave someone to take care of me," A Ru replied.
Mu Fengqie glanced at the maid following A Ru. It was obvious at a glance that she was a martial artist.
"I think your belly is much bigger than that of a normal pregnant woman," Mu Fengqie said.
"It's all Yuan Yuhan's fault. He makes me eat a lot every day. He said it's the experience he heard from other ladies. He makes me follow those rules every day," A Ru said, sounding irritated.
"You don't know. He watches me more strictly than a jailer watches a prisoner," she added.
"He's just worried about you. After all, it's his first time being a father. He must be very nervous," Mu Fengqie said as she picked up A Ru's hand. The last time she had felt A Ru's pulse, the pregnancy might have been too early. But now...
"A Ru, have you asked the imperial doctor to check your well - being during pregnancy?" Mu Fengqie asked, looking at A Ru in surprise. She guessed A Ru hadn't. If A Ru had known about it, she would have told her immediately.
"No. What's wrong, sister? Is there something wrong with my baby?" A Ru asked nervously.
"Everything's fine. It's just that I really want to beat Yuan Yuhan up right now," Mu Fengqie said. A Ru was actually carrying twins! In this era, carrying twins was very dangerous, especially for a first - time pregnancy.
"What... what's going on?" A Ru was at a loss. Why did her sister suddenly want to hit someone?
"A Ru, don't you know you're carrying twins?" Mu Fengqie asked.
"Tw... twins?" A Ru's mind went blank. Did it mean there were two babies in her belly?
"Sister... I... I'm a bit scared," A Ru said, clutching Mu Fengqie's arm tightly. She felt safe only in this way.
"Don't worry. There's no need to be afraid. Your sister is here. I'll ensure you give birth to the babies safely," Mu Fengqie said. It seemed she had to find a time to have a serious talk with Yuan Yuhan.
Yuan Yuhan and Jing Xunchao came back together. When Yuan Yuhan entered, he saw A Ru and Mu Fengqie looking at him with resentful expressions.
Yuan Yuhan stopped in his tracks. He felt a chill down his back.
"A Ru, I'm back. How are you? Did anyone bully you?" Yuan Yuhan said with a big smile as he walked over to support A Ru.
"Humph, stay away from me. I don't want to see you," A Ru said, slapping Yuan Yuhan's hand away from her waist.
Yuan Yuhan was completely confused. He didn't know what had happened while he was away. He glanced at the maid behind A Ru, but the maid just kept her head down and didn't look at him.
It wasn't that she didn't want to tell the prince. It was because the princess had ordered her not to say a single word to the prince. Your subordinate didn't betray you, my lord. I was just forced by the princess's threat. Please take care of yourself, my lord.
"What happened?" Jing Xunchao stood beside Mu Fengqie and asked in a low voice.
"I just felt A Ru's pulse. Guess what?" Mu Fengqie replied.
"Is there something wrong with A Ru's baby?" Jing Xunchao asked. This shouldn't be the case. Yuan Yuhan valued A Ru and the baby in her belly more than anything. There shouldn't be any problems.
"The baby is fine. What I'm worried about now is A Ru. She's carrying twins," Mu Fengqie said, glaring angrily at Yuan Yuhan, who was following A Ru and trying to console her.
"Twins?" Jing Xunchao was shocked.
"Let me tell you, I can't stand Yuan Yuhan right now. This is A Ru's first pregnancy, and she's carrying twins. Do you know how dangerous this is?" If something went wrong, it could easily result in the death of all three, mother and two babies.
"Should we find a time to beat him up?" Jing Xunchao said. He also couldn't stand Yuan Yuhan now. Having a baby was one thing, but having two at once!
Jing Xunchao squinted at Yuan Yuhan in the distance, planning when to gather some people and give him a beating.
"I think we should do it tonight. There are so many people tonight. It'll be hard to find out who did it," Mu Fengqie said. They could just put a sack over his head and beat him up.
"I think it's a good idea. But even if we're found out, we don't have to be afraid. We can just beat him up again," Jing Xunchao said.
"Okay," Mu Fengqie replied.
Just then, Yuan Yuhan, who was taking care of A Ru, suddenly felt a chill on his back. He tightened his outer robe. Maybe it was getting cold. He'd add a few more clothes for A Ru when they got back.
"A Ru, try this grape. It's from a foreign country as a tribute. It's so sweet," Yuan Yuhan said.
The others in the main hall were a bit speechless when they saw Yuan Yuhan like this, but they were already used to it. When they saw the princess of the regent prince throwing a tantrum at the regent prince on the street, they had thought the regent prince would get angry and leave. But he didn't. Instead, they saw the regent prince chasing after her with a big smile on his face, shouting, "A Ru, I'm wrong. Don't be angry. Slow down..."