Xue Rucheng would probably never know just how many creative curses his prized student's wife had hurled at him over these five short days. If every curse in this world came true, he would have transformed into every creature that flies in the sky, runs on land, and swims in the water during this period.
Chu Chu had thought Xiao Jin Yu would finally rest after leaving the Imperial Examination Hall. But the moment his sedan chair passed through the gates of Prince An Manor, he directed the bearers to carry him straight to the Hall of Ten Admonishments.
When Xiao Jin Yu returned to One Heart Garden, his face still bore unconcealable exhaustion, yet clear delight shone between his brows. Before Chu Chu could help him to bed, he pulled her onto his lap, gently stroking her still-flat abdomen. "Chu Chu... Tan Zhang has been captured."
Chu Chu's eyes lit up as she wrapped her arms around Xiao Jin Yu's neck, where the wounds hadn't fully healed. "Really?"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded gently. "Tan Zhang tried to disguise himself and hide, but his nature is hard to change. Unwilling to endure hardship, he actually went to dine at Lianli Restaurant, thinking no one would recognize him at a newly opened establishment. But Feng Yi spotted him and had that chef with exceptional knife skills tie him up and deliver him here..."
Chu Chu clapped her hands repeatedly. "Feng Yi is amazing! Even more capable than Big Brother!"
Xiao Jin Yu's smile deepened. "You can't call him Big Brother anymore."
Chu Chu stared blankly. "Why not?"
"According to seniority now... he should address you as Seventh Aunt."
"Ah?" Chu Chu blinked, pursed her lips, and after thinking for a while, whispered in Xiao Jin Yu's ear, "So... did Prince of Wu Commandery take a liking to him, or did the Emperor?"
"...Chu Chu, besides having nephews, I also have nieces..."
"Oh..."
Xiao Jin Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he smoothed her hair. "The Emperor has decreed the marriage between Princess Changning and Wu Jiang. The wedding will take place at month's end... Wu Jiang insists on staying at the Royal Mansion, and Xiang'er is willing to move here too. I have no objections, but are you willing?"
"Absolutely!" Chu Chu's eyes sparkled with excitement. "More people are better! Our home is too big - it needs more people to be lively!"
"Let's agree first... Xiang'er is quite timid. You mustn't frighten her with stories about dead people..."
Chu Chu looked at Xiao Jin Yu with a playful smile. "If you promise to keep your word, then I promise not to scare her."
Xiao Jin Yu smiled wryly. "When have I ever broken my promise?"
Chu Chu pouted. "You said after handling the Imperial Examination Hall case, you'd delegate all matters and recuperate at home with me... But the moment we entered our home, you went off to handle another case!"
"It wasn't handling a case... I was convening them for discussions to delegate all the cases." Watching Chu Chu's returning smile, Xiao Jin Yu felt both amused and exasperated. "I don't want our child to be born knowing how to call me a liar..."
He truly believed she was capable of such a thing.
"That won't happen! I'll tell them every day that their father is a good person, a truly good person!"
"Hmm... I'll be home every day to hear you say it."
"Deal!"
Chu Chu had originally intended to prepare something for this niece she hadn't met before the wedding. But within two days of returning to the Royal Mansion, she began vomiting severely. She couldn't keep proper meals down, craving only sour plums and jujubes all day long. She'd grow so drowsy she could fall asleep just sitting in a chair, her small face turning sallow with constant lethargy. In less than half a month, she became bedridden, her entire body having visibly slimmed down.Every time Ye Qianqiu came to check on her, he would calmly say everything was normal, yet Xiao Jinyu remained terribly worried. He stayed by Chu Chu's side without leaving for a moment, tirelessly attending to her from head to toe each day with inexplicable energy. He even specially invited Feng Yi to cook for her.
Feng Yi, upon seeing Chu Chu, beamed with joy and repeatedly said the child was giving its mother a hard time, surely indicating it was a boy.
Xiao Jinyu had no mind to ponder whether it was a girl or a boy. Occasionally, when Chu Chu was so exhausted she became disoriented and nestled in his arms complaining of discomfort, his heart ached so much he considered asking Ye Qianqiu to prescribe medicine—even if it meant losing the child, he couldn't bear to see her suffer.
But whenever Chu Chu felt slightly better, she would smile and have him touch her belly, asking if it had grown a little rounder. Each time he saw her expectant expression, it completely dispelled the thought from his mind.
Chu Chu had rarely taken medicine since childhood and couldn't stand the bitter, astringent prenatal tonic she had to drink daily. Yet Ye Qianqiu warned that due to the long, bumpy carriage rides and several frights she experienced in her first month of pregnancy, the child could be lost at any time if she didn't take the medicine regularly. Though Chu Chu obediently complied, Xiao Jinyu couldn't bear to let her endure the hardship, so he always added a spoonful of sugar to the medicine, personally fed it to her, and then brought various sweet treats to coax her.
It wasn't until mid-April, when Chu Chu regained her energy, ate and slept normally, and her complexion became rosy again, that Xiao Jinyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he feel as if his frightened soul had returned to his body and realized how utterly exhausted he was.
At night, Xiao Jinyu leaned against the headboard reviewing accumulated urgent documents, while Chu Chu nestled beside him, quietly watching.
Some matters he could delegate, but others he had to handle personally. As long as he wasn't overly tired, Chu Chu didn't truly stop him.
Even so, Wu Jiang, Jing Yi, and the others were so busy they complained incessantly, yet they willingly bore the workload.
Only after Xiao Jinyu finished reading the last document did Chu Chu nuzzle against his waist coquettishly and say, "Wang Ye, today the princess sent a set of little clothes for our child—she made them herself, and they're so lovely!"
Xiao Jinyu chuckled softly and nodded, gently stroking her back.
Ever since Chu Chu improved, Xiao Xiang often came to chat with her. Born in the same year as Chu Chu, Xiao Xiang was gentle and introverted, usually quiet in the Royal Mansion, but she had endless conversations with Chu Chu. She especially loved listening to Chu Chu tell her stories from the "Legends of the Nine Great Arresters of Six Doors," and Xiao Jinyu was happy to let the two spend time together.
"Wang Ye, I'd like to give the princess something in return."
"Hmm..." Xiao Jinyu slowly lay down and gently closed his eyes. "Anything but a corpse will do..."
OpenNovel