Extra (6)
In the third year of Yuanping, court and countryside were stable, and all under Heaven was peaceful and orderly.
Emperor Huai entrusted all affairs of state to the newly appointed Prime Minister Nie Siran, while matters of martial/military office were left to Marquis Dingxiang Bai Qingyu.
With these arrangements made, Emperor Huai and Emperor Yuan set out on an imperial progress southward, attended only by kin and personal guards.
As their party traveled south, the former Six Kingdoms were now all territories of the Kingdom of Lu, divided into eleven cities and seventy-two counties. The officials who had passed the civil examinations in recent years were assigned to govern them. Those who demonstrated outstanding local governance would be transferred back to Ye Jing for more important appointment at the end of their term.
Their procession moved slowly this entire way. Every time they passed through a city, they would remain a few days to rest, personally verifying the local governor’s ability and standard of governance. If problems were discovered, then where they were minor, they would be corrected, and where they were serious, the official would be dismissed.
Three months later, the party arrived at the seaside.
A great ship was moored by the shore. Clan Leader Jiang stood waiting on the coast with a number of Jiang clansmen. The moment Lu Rongshen stepped down from the carriage, he was stunned by the sight of the great ship before him.
“Wow, Clan Leader Jiang, was this ship built by your people?”
Clan Leader Jiang smiled. “Indeed. Goods are scarce at sea. Building ships is a necessity of life.”
“Where are the two Your Majesties?” Clan Leader Jiang asked.
Su Ruhe walked over, his tone still slow and mild as ever. “Their Majesties will be here shortly.”
This place had once been territory of the Kingdom of Chu. After returning here, Chu Yuan had brought Lu Ronghuai and Lu Duoyu first to the temple where he had once lived, then spent another two days at his late mother’s traveling palace.
Not long after, the sound of hoofbeats came from afar.
When everyone turned to look, they saw two tall, fine horses with glossy black coats come bounding forward. Lu Ronghuai and Chu Yuan rode side by side, and Lu Duoyu sat in front of Lu Ronghuai. The child, now five years old, had grown much taller, the baby fat on his face long since faded, and every line of his brows and eyes was delicately refined.
“Great-Grandfather, Imperial Uncle, Little Uncle, Aunt Qing.” Seated on horseback, the little fellow sweetly called out to every one of them in turn.
“Ai, ai, ai, Your Highness, slower now.” The clan chief smiled broadly and lifted him down from the horse.
Lu Ronghuai and Chu Yuan came forward hand in hand. Everyone hurried to bow, only to be stopped by Chu Yuan’s voice.
“There are no outsiders here. Everyone may be more at ease. There is no need for formalities.”
Standing on the shore, Lu Rongshen waved to them. “Come aboard quickly. I have been waiting long enough.”
Lu Rongshen had never before ridden so large a ship, and after boarding he was extraordinarily excited. Regrettably, that excitement did not last long, for he soon became seasick.
Lu Ronghuai mocked him without mercy. “You were the one clamoring to come. Yet once you came, you turned into this half-dead state. Had I known earlier, I ought to have left you behind in Ye Jing.”
Lu Rongshen lay on the bed, his head spinning, and his face deathly pale. Hearing this, he wished to snap back, yet he was too dizzy to muster the strength, and his voice came out no louder than the whine of a mosquito.
“Third sister-in-law is also seasick. Why did you not leave Third Sister-in-law behind in Ye Jing?”
Though both of them had already ascended the throne, in private they still kept their former forms of address.
Lu Ronghuai tipped up his chin, his manner as unrestrained as it was gentle. “Ah-Yuan cannot bear to part from me, not even for half a day. Besides, his seasickness has already eased a good deal. It is nothing like you, collapsed on the bed like a salted fish.”
Lu Rongshen looked expressionlessly at his third brother. “If I remember correctly, this southern tour was originally Third Sister-in-law’s journey alone. It was Third Brother who clung on like dog-skin plaster...”
“Speak one word more, and I will dispatch a ship this instant to send you back to Ye Jing.”
Lu Rongshen: “...”
Lu Rongshen was indignant. In his mother consort’s eyes now, there was only Little Fish and no son such as himself. Every time he went to her palace, she would lecture him once. It had not been easy to slip out of the capital to enjoy himself for a time, and he refused to go back.
Once he had been put in his place, Lu Ronghuai left with satisfaction, his hands behind his back, and returned to his own room.
Chu Yuan was reclining against the cushioned couch, reading. Seeing him return with a smile on his face, he could not help smiling as well. “You are already a father, yet you still go and bully your own younger brother. Is Your Majesty not afraid Little Fish will laugh at you?”
Lu Ronghuai went forward, his tall frame pressing close, and insisted on squeezing together with Chu Yuan on the same daybed.
He reached out to encircle Chu Yuan’s waist, one long leg pressing over as well, forcefully enclosing him within his arms. “That sly little rascal has laughed at me plenty. Hmph.”
Chu Yuan was held so tightly that, hearing this, he could only laugh helplessly.
No one quite knew what to make of this father and son. They were forever testing one another in wit and strength. Though Lu Duoyu was still young, he had already begun to play small tricks on his father. One must not be misled by his age. When it came to coaxing or deceiving others, he had one method after another. Lu Ronghuai, caught off guard, had even been tricked by the child once or twice.
The two often vied with one another in secret. Chu Yuan had spoken of it several times, all to no effect, and in the end, he no longer troubled himself over it.
“Do you feel any better?” Lu Ronghuai stroked his cheek, and a trace of heartache flashed through his eyes. “You have grown thinner.”
“I am all right. Has Eighth Brother improved at all?”
Lu Ronghuai leaned over and stole a fragrant kiss, then said leisurely, “There is no matter. He is quite well like this. It saves him from being as noisy as he was a few days ago.”
Chu Yuan laughed. “Elder Brother and Qingyu were already unwilling for you to bring the two of them out. If they are not properly looked after, how does Your Majesty intend to soothe the hearts of those two important ministers?”
His meaning was that they must take proper care of Su Ruhe and Lu Rongshen, lest the two ministers remaining in Ye Jing to steady the court grow displeased and cast aside their duties to pursue them directly.
Lu Ronghuai gave a soft laugh. “I merely said one thing in passing. They were the ones who wished to come. If Nie Siran and Bai Qingyu were truly unwilling, why were they not a little firmer and keep them behind in Ye Jing?”
“What can be done? It is likely that neither of them expected that their Emperor Huai had long since already rattled the abacus beads above their heads, arranging a pile of tasks for them so that they could not leave even if they wished to.” Chu Yuan held back his laughter, his clear and clean eyes meeting Lu Ronghuai’s dark gaze.
A faint smile curved Lu Ronghuai’s lips. “And what of it? With us gone, it is just as well to give them a chance to temper themselves.”
When it came to shamelessness, Chu Yuan knew that he was no match for Lu Ronghuai. His smiling eyes curved brightly as he brought up another matter. “Father and Ah-Die have already reached the island?”
Lu Ronghuai nodded.
At the start of the year, Nie Xuxing and Jiang Ni had once more begun traveling throughout the rivers and mountains. When Jiang Ni learned through correspondence with Chu Yuan that they would be visiting the sea island where the Jiang clan lived, he too set out and arrived there ahead of them.
Back then, in order to avoid disaster, the Jiang clan had deliberately gone farther afield when selecting a livable sea island. As a result, they remained at sea for a full month before finally arriving at this beautiful island of fine scenery.
Standing at the bow of the ship, Chu Yuan and Lu Ronghuai looked at Nie Xuxing and Jiang Ni waving to them from the shore. Then his gaze turned to the island behind them, lush with greenery, and little by little a trace of emotion stirred in his eyes.
This was the place where his mother had been born.
When he stepped onto the island’s soil, the soft sand beneath his feet reminded him that he had truly come here. He drew in a deep breath, pressing back the heat in his eyes, and followed the others forward.
The year they had ascended the throne, the Jiang clansmen had already moved back to Ye Jing. In the three years since, no trace of habitation remained here. Fortunately, Nie Xuxing and Jiang Ni had arrived a step earlier and cleaned out several houses, making them suitable for lodging.
“Ah-Yuan, this house is the very one Xiao You once lived in. Afterward, once he left here, this house continued to be kept as it was and no one else was allowed to live in it.” Holding Chu Yuan’s hand, Jiang Ni led him to a small house.
Chu Yuan’s gaze fell upon the small house before him. It stood in a fine position, quiet and clean, with flower beds planted all around it. At the upper left corner there also grew a luxuriant island tree, its leaves spreading from the high crown above and casting this little house beneath its shade.
Following his gaze, Jiang Ni looked toward that tree as well. He let out a long, faint sigh. In his eyes were both melancholy and remembrance. “In the past, Xiao You liked most to sit beneath the tree and read. His nature was quiet, just like yours. Once seated, he would remain there the whole day.”
Lu Ronghuai glanced sidelong at Chu Yuan. Seeing his spirit wandering and the endless longing in his eyes, he took Lu Duoyu by the hand and said of his own accord, “I will take him to look around elsewhere.”
He left this little space to Chu Yuan and Jiang Ni. The dead had already gone. Here was the only place left where the past could still be remembered. Lu Ronghuai did not wish to disturb them, and so he brought Lu Duoyu away from the little courtyard.
Lu Duoyu walked obediently, yet kept turning back to look at Chu Yuan.
Two large hands picked him up. Lu Ronghuai lifted a hand and lightly flicked his forehead. “Watch the road. That is my wife. You had best look less.”
Lu Duoyu: “...”
Lu Duoyu puffed out his cheeks, his rosy little mouth pursed as he accused his shameless father with his eyes.
“Why are you looking at me? Do you not have a wife yourself? Oh, I forgot, you do not.” Lu Ronghuai looked at his five-year-old son with sympathy and even shook his head in pity.
Lu Duoyu: “???”
Could you at least behave like a proper father?
He was only a child of five. Where was he supposed to get a wife?
Father was truly hateful!
Before they had gone far, they spotted Nie Xuxing speaking with Clan Leader Jiang. Lu Duoyu’s eyes lit up at once, and he hurriedly called over, “Great-Grandfather, Little Fish misses you so much.”
The moment Nie Xuxing turned and saw Lu Duoyu smiling so sweetly it struck straight into the heart, he at once reached out to take him into his arms.
“Ai yo yo, Great-Grandfather misses Little Fish as well. We have not seen one another for over half a year, and Little Fish has grown all the more adorable.”
“Is Great-Grandfather tired? Little Fish can get down and walk by himself.” Lu Duoyu said with touching consideration.
Nie Xuxing could not bear to let go at all and smiled. “Not tired. Little Fish is very light. Great-Grandfather can carry you.”
“Great-Grandfather is so wonderful. Little Fish likes Great-Grandfather the most.”
Lu Duoyu smiled in pure delight, hugging Nie Xuxing’s neck and cuddling him warmly for quite some time. Lu Ronghuai could not endure the sticky fondness of that little rascal, nor could he stand that little rascal opening his mouth and pouring out coaxing words so readily.
He gave the little rascal a cold laugh, then stepped toward Clan Leader Jiang. “I trouble Clan Leader to lead the way and show us around near the village.”
“Very well. Your Majesty, this way, please.” Clan Leader Jiang extended a hand ahead of them. On this return to the island, he had brought with him only two Jiang disciples, and at present those two disciples were not by his side.
“Jiang Xiao is accompanying Prince Jing and Lord Su around the island, while Jiang Qing is helping in the kitchen.” As the three walked forward, Clan Leader Jiang explained of his own accord.
Lu Ronghuai inclined his head.
Clan Leader Jiang said, “This time Your Majesty has come out to sea during the southern tour. Might there be other important matters besides?”
Lu Ronghuai said, “This time, first, I came to accompany Ah-Yuan back to his old homeland. He has always wished to come here and see it. Second, I have heard that the kingdoms over the sea are rich in goods and produce. I mean to go and see them. If it proves possible, perhaps agreements may be made and trade opened.”
This idea had taken root in his mind long ago. It was only because affairs of state had been too busy before that he had never found the right opportunity to go south.
Clan Leader Jiang was not at all surprised by this. Lu Ronghuai possessed grand ambitions and bold designs. It was only a matter of sooner or later before he opened up lands overseas.
“Very good. Then this old man shall accompany Your Majesty there. This old man is fairly familiar with several of the sea kingdoms nearby and can introduce Your Majesty to them, offering a little meager strength.”
“That would be most excellent. Then I must trouble Clan Leader.”
“Your Majesty is too courteous. Had it not been for Your Majesty’s protection, I fear the Jiang clansmen would still be surviving upon this island, cut off from the world and living in dread.” Clan Leader Jiang smiled as he spoke.
At this moment, they had just happened to walk to a quiet place. Pointing ahead, Clan Leader Jiang said, “This is the back mountain of the village. The scenery is quite fine. Once one climbs higher, one may behold the magnificence of the sea. Would Your Majesty care to step forward and have a look?”
Before Lu Ronghuai could speak, a person suddenly came bursting out from the woods ahead in panicked confusion.
Jiang Xiao had plainly not expected to meet others here. His face turned several shades paler, his lips moved twice, and he hurriedly stopped in place.
“Th-this commoner greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy ten thousand blessings.” Jiang Xiao dropped to his knees, his words hurrying out in a flustered rush.
“You are already so grown, yet you still act in such a panicked manner. What has happened?” Clan Leader Jiang asked with a frown.
Jiang Xiao swallowed. He dared not raise his head. The shadow of having once been interrogated by Lu Ronghuai still lingered over him. Pressing himself to the ground, he said in a trembling voice, “Clan Leader, Prince Jing and Lord Su are, are at the back mountain...”
Clan Leader Jiang’s brows knit more tightly. “What of their being at the back mountain? Speak your words to the end.”
Jiang Xiao’s scalp went numb, and cold sweat even dripped down. When he spoke again, his voice already held the sound of tears. “When Prince Jing and Lord Su walked into the hills, it seemed they were thirsty. This disciple failed to keep watch for just a moment, and then Their Highnesses, they... they drank the spring water from the back mountain.”
Clan Leader Jiang stared blankly at first. Once he understood, however, his voice abruptly rose. “What?!”
This was the first time Nie Xuxing had ever seen this old clan leader react so strongly. He guessed that there must be something unusual about that spring water and at once said, “Is there some problem with the spring water of the back mountain?”
Clan Leader Jiang’s face turned from green to white. Seeing Lu Ronghuai and Nie Xuxing both looking at him, those words seemed to stick in his throat, and not one sentence would come out.
For a time, awkwardness, nervousness, and embarrassment flickered across his face one after another. Lu Ronghuai and Nie Xuxing exchanged a look, and Nie Xuxing took the initiative to say, “Clan Leader, do not be anxious. Let us first go over and see the situation.”
“Xiao Xiao, lead the way ahead,” Nie Xuxing instructed.
With his soul no longer quite attached to his body, Jiang Xiao climbed up from the ground. After glancing once at the clan leader, he turned and ran ahead with lowered head.
The entire party followed after him and before long arrived at that mountain spring.
When they got there, Lu Rongshen and Su Ruhe were seated upon the grass, discussing a certain plant around which they had gathered.
Su Ruhe spoke slowly. “This is tiger-palm vine. It may treat intestinal obstruction and stagnation.”
Lu Rongshen was astonished. “How do you recognize it?”
Su Ruhe pressed his lips together, seeming a little embarrassed. “It is recorded in Father’s medical books. I have seen it before in his cabinet of medicinal herbs.”
At once a teasing smile spread across Lu Rongshen’s face. “Since Honorable Lord Su married into the Nie family, you have learned no small number of things from Divine Physician Jiang after all.”
Everyone: “?”
No matter how one looked at it, the two of them did not appear as though anything were wrong.
Lu Duoyu looked left and right. Seeing that none of the adults spoke, he raised his little head and called over, “Imperial Uncle, Little Uncle, we are here.”
At Lu Duoyu’s call, the two of them both turned in surprise.
“Why have all of you come here? Where is my Third Sister-in-law?” Lu Rongshen stood up, brushed fallen leaves from his robe hem, and stepped toward them.
Neither Lu Ronghuai nor Nie Xuxing spoke. Instead, Clan Leader Jiang nervously stepped forward. “May the two of you step aside a moment for a few words?”
“Ah?” Lu Rongshen pointed to himself and Su Ruhe. “The two of us?”
“Precisely so. Your Highness and Lord Su, this way, please.” Clan Leader Jiang led the two of them over to that narrow mountain spring.
Inwardly, Clan Leader Jiang had already composed the words he meant to say. A kindly smile appeared on his face as he asked, “Just now Xiao Xiao came and said that Your Highness and Lord Su drank from this spring?”
Su Ruhe looked at Clan Leader Jiang, then lowered his gaze to the spring water and lingered there a moment before looking back to him once more. “Mm, but is there a problem with this spring water?”
Lu Rongshen’s nature was simple, and he did not think so deeply as Su Ruhe. Cheerfully, he said, “Lord Su and I happened to pass this place and were just thirsty, so we tasted this mountain spring. Its water is sweet and cool, and quenches thirst wonderfully.”
The corner of Clan Leader Jiang’s mouth twitched imperceptibly, yet his smile did not change. His voice only grew more kindly. “Forgive this old man’s impropriety, but may I dare ask how many mouthfuls Your Highness drank?”
Lu Rongshen thought for a moment. “Seven or eight, I suppose. Is that not so, Lord Su?”
Su Ruhe nodded calmly, then asked again, “Is there some problem?”
Clan Leader Jiang nearly blacked out on the spot.
Forcing a smile, he said, “Ha ha, none at all. It is only that the spring water here is cold in nature, and if too much is drunk, it may cause an upset stomach. This old man was worried that if Your Highness and Lord Su drank too much, it might be bad for the body, and so I especially came to ask.”
“Oh, no matter. In the imperial palace, I have even drunk iced water before, much colder than this. Clan Leader need not worry.”
Clan Leader Jiang laughed awkwardly. “Yes, yes, what Your Highness says is true.”
Su Ruhe felt that Clan Leader Jiang’s expression at present was rather strange. Yet no matter how he asked, Clan Leader Jiang only said that nothing was wrong, making it seem as though he himself had thought too much.
At night, after supper had been eaten, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
After coaxing Lu Duoyu to sleep, Chu Yuan softly closed the door behind him and turned to return to the main hall.
The square table inside the room was filled with people. Clan Leader Jiang, Nie Xuxing, and Jiang Ni were all present. Chu Yuan walked over, and Lu Ronghuai took his hand, drawing him down to sit close at his side.
“Why have Eighth Brother and Ruhe not come?” he asked softly, still unaware of the matter at the back mountain.
Lu Ronghuai explained it briefly, and only then did Chu Yuan understand that the matter they meant to discuss tonight concerned the two of them.
Jiang Ni spoke first. “So, Rongshen and Xiao Su both drank that spring water?”
Clan Leader Jiang nodded and supported his forehead with a sigh. “And they drank quite a good deal.”
Even the corner of Jiang Ni’s mouth twitched twice.
Seeing that both of them were reacting in so unusual a manner, the curiosity stirred during the daytime only deepened in Nie Xuxing. Smiling, he asked, “What in the end is wrong? Why are both of you acting so strangely?”
Clan Leader Jiang still regretted it deeply. “Of all things, it was such a small spring eye, yet how was it that Prince Jing happened to notice it? Ai.”
Curving his lips, Chu Yuan deliberately said, “If Clan Leader still refuses to speak, I shall go drink a few mouthfuls of spring water myself. I wish to see just what is so unusual about it.”
Clan Leader Jiang gave a dry laugh. “You may drink. Drink as you please. Even if you drink it dry, nothing will happen.”
Chu Yuan: “?”
How was it that the others could not drink it, while he could?
Jiang Ni said, “Enough. The Jiang clan has now already returned to a normal life. Clan Leader, let us tell them after all.”
Clan Leader Jiang hesitated for a moment, then in the end nodded his consent.
Jiang Ni considered for a while, seeming not to know from where he ought to begin. He looked toward Lu Ronghuai. “Does Your Majesty still remember the matter from shortly after your ascension, when Little Fish was invested as Crown Prince?”
How could Lu Ronghuai possibly fail to remember?
When the investiture was first proposed, there had been no small number of voices in opposition.
Although he had once publicly declared Lu Duoyu’s identity, he still could not avoid all those criticisms.
They had never seen Lu Duoyu and thus did not know how greatly he resembled Lu Ronghuai and Chu Yuan. They only knew that the two reigning Emperors were both men, and that men could not bear children. The child’s origins were uncertain, and for him to inherit the great line would, in the end, not convince the people.
At that time, the Jiang clansmen were in the midst of settling in Ye Jing. Lu Ronghuai had granted them a great tract of estate land and looked after them thoughtfully. The Jiang clansmen were grateful to the two of them. By happy chance, within the clan there was a married husband-and-husband pair who had wed half a year earlier and, not long after, one of them became pregnant.
Back then, the discussion throughout court and countryside over the Crown Prince was too loud. It was only after that husband pair appeared together in public that the matter at last subsided.
The people of Ye Jing saw that pregnant man, and once they learned he was a member of the Jiang clan and of the same clan as the present Emperor Yuan, with the same cinnabar mark between the brows, they finally confirmed the truth that Jiang men, too, could indeed carry children. Only then did they gradually believe that the Crown Prince was indeed born of Emperor Yuan and Emperor Huai.
Jiang Ni said, “That Jiang men can become pregnant has, since that day, become something everyone knows. Yet, Your Majesty, have you ever noticed that whether it be Siran, Little Fish, or the young children born within the clan these past three years, none of them bears the mark of the Jiang clan upon the brow?”
Lu Ronghuai looked toward the cinnabar mark between Chu Yuan’s brows and was taken aback.
Chu Yuan’s mark was red as a blood lotus, while Jiang Ni’s mark was pale as peach blossom. Originally they had only known that this was because one of them came from the direct line of the Jiang clan while the other came from a collateral branch, and thus there was some difference in the depth of the markings.
Judging from this now, however, there seemed to be another hidden truth.
Clan Leader Jiang’s voice fell like muffled thunder. “The Jiang clan’s ancestors were not born with such a special constitution from the beginning.”
Jiang Ni said, “That is right. Our ancestors migrated as a whole clan overseas and settled here. Only later did they come to possess such unusual bodies.”
Lu Ronghuai and Chu Yuan were both people of rare intelligence. Almost the instant Jiang Ni’s words fell, they understood together and spoke at the same time. “It has to do with that spring?”
Clan Leader Jiang said, “Precisely so.”
Jiang Ni added, “At first, no one noticed anything unusual. It was only later that men within the clan fell in love... In any case, that spring water is extraordinarily strange. For generations, no one in the clan has been able to discover the reason for it. Everyone has guarded this secret to the death, and after settling ashore, we intended all the more to let this secret rot in our hearts.”
Yet matters had not gone according to their wishes. On this journey, no one had expected that no sooner had they arrived upon the island than Lu Rongshen and Su Ruhe would mistakenly drink that spring water.
After pondering a moment, Chu Yuan hesitantly said, “Ah-Die means that if a man drinks the spring water, then he will...”
Jiang Ni understood what he meant and, with certainty, spoke the latter half of the sentence. “Then his bodily constitution will change, and it is possible that he may become pregnant.”
Nie Xuxing: “...”
Chu Yuan: “...”
Lu Ronghuai: “...”
An uncanny silence fell over the main hall.
Lu Ronghuai’s eyes stirred slightly, but his expression otherwise remained as usual. “So Lu Duoyu and the others never drank the spring water, and that is why they do not bear the unique mark of the Jiang clan on the brow.”
No mark meant they could not become pregnant.
Clan Leader Jiang said, “Exactly so.”
Chu Yuan asked, “Is there any method to undo it?”
Clan Leader Jiang and Jiang Ni both shook their heads together.
“But when Mother gave birth to me, he was still at the traveling palace and had not yet returned here. Why, then, do I bear the mark upon my brow?” Chu Yuan asked, thinking of his own circumstances. Even in his clear and gentle voice there still lingered confusion.
Clan Leader Jiang said, “When Xiao You left, he took away a bottle of spring water. This old man guesses that not long after you were born, Xiao You fed you the spring water.”
Jiang Ni said, “Ah-Yuan belongs to the direct line of our ancestors. Perhaps because of the influence of the bloodline, your mark is much deeper than ours of the collateral branches. It has been so in every generation. Moreover, if a child is born within the clan, by the established rule each child is given a small mouthful of spring water.”
Clan Leader Jiang said, “Once the spring water is given, a mark will grow upon the brow within no more than a month. Of course, not every child will bear the mark. The chance is only about half a tenth.”
The two of them spoke one sentence after another, leaving the others unable to speak at all.
After a long while, Nie Xuxing, who had remained silent the whole time, suddenly said, “Who is going to explain this matter to Prince Jing and Xiao Su?”
Everyone looked at one another.
Then together they said, “I am not going.”
After Lu Ronghuai had recovered from the first shock, his thin lips curved in a smile, and there was a gleam in his eyes that plainly meant he was looking forward to the spectacle. “Clan Leader also said just now that although the spring water is special, the likelihood of pregnancy is only half. There is no need to worry so greatly.”
“Besides, Elder Brother and Qingyu are not here. Even if the two of them wished to bear one, they could not.”
In secret, Chu Yuan stepped on Lu Ronghuai’s foot, telling him to close his mouth.
Jiang Ni and Nie Xuxing exchanged a look, both inwardly uneasy.
It should also be noted that Prince Jing and Marquis Dingxiang had long since been married, and Nie Siran had married Su Ruhe two years earlier. They cherished Su Ruhe as though he were their own son and placed no importance on offspring, and so they had never spoken to the two children of such matters. At present, Nie Siran was holding the court steady, and naturally they must take proper care of Xiao Su. Yet this matter...
Jiang Ni said, “Forget it. Clan Leader already warned those two children today. Let us also refrain from speaking for now, lest it affect their spirits.”
The journey back would still take several months. Better to avoid this as an excuse for the present and let those two children enjoy their sightseeing in happiness. Once they returned to Ye Jing, it would not be too late to tell them then.
Once everything had been discussed, they all returned to their rooms, cloaked in moonlight.
Afterward, everyone pretended that nothing had happened, and the daily itinerary remained very full. It was only that after this day, Lu Rongshen and Su Ruhe discovered that the way Chu Yuan and the others looked at them seemed somehow different than before, and the smiles on their faces also seemed strangely peculiar.
That inexplicable atmosphere continued for several months, right up until they returned to Ye Jing.
After returning to the capital, everyone seemed much more normal, and life returned once again to the way it had always been. Each day, Su Ruhe went to court as usual, and after court he returned to the residence together with Nie Siran.
Lu Rongshen spent each day at the residence eating and drinking, or else going out for amusement, then returning to Prince Jing’s residence before sunset.
Two months later, however, both of them discovered something terrifying.
Their bellies had grown round.
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
The grand extra chapters of the whole work end here. After this, I will write a few more extra chapters for the two side pairings. Thank you, everyone, for all the support you have given all this time.
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