Holding his blood-related son, his eyes suddenly moistened. He glanced at his wife still sleeping on the bed and asked the midwife: “Is the wet nurse ready?”
“Chief Lin found several from the street and is considering who to keep. He’ll bring someone soon.”
“Take the young master to the next room and take good care of him.”
Ye Hui didn’t know how long she had been unconscious. As her consciousness gradually awakened, she instinctively touched her belly as usual, but finding it flat, she suddenly broke out in a cold sweat: “The child!” She cried out and opened her eyes.
“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, the child is fine.” A low voice sounded in Ye Hui’s ear, and a warm hand caressed her face, bringing her out of her shock.
She looked for a long time, slowly regaining her senses, wanting to ask her husband when he returned, if Second Brother Qin was well, and how the war with the Turks went. But her throat was too painful to speak.
“Don’t worry, my wife. Second Junior Brother is fine. We defeated the Turks.”
Mochi brought a bowl of red date and pork rib soup. Huangfu Zeduan held her leaning against him, took the soup bowl, and fed her spoonful by spoonful. Looking at her overly pale face, he felt even more distressed: “My wife, you’ve suffered today. It’s my fault for not returning in time.”
The slight grievance in Ye Hui’s heart was dissolved by his tenderness. She swallowed the soup: “I want to see the child.” Her voice was hoarse, apparently damaged from screaming all night. Mochi, remembering how close she was to death last night, suddenly felt her nose go sour and turned away to wipe her tears.
Huangfu Zeduan’s eyes were full of pain. He wiped the soup from her lips with his sleeve and told Mochi standing nearby: “Have the wet nurse bring the child.”
The wet nurse was a dignified woman in her twenties. The matchmaker had brought five or six women, but Chief Lin, worried about potential spies, didn’t dare keep them. Finally, through a recommendation from a household servant, they hired a relative who had just given birth.
Ye Hui took the child from the wet nurse’s hands, with Huangfu Zeduan carefully supporting from below. She looked at the child, feeling both joy and a bit of disappointment: “Husband, why doesn’t the child look like you?”
The child was sleeping, so it was hard to tell whose eyes he had, but his forehead and lips were very much like his mother’s. She frowned: “Aren’t sons supposed to look like their fathers?”
Worried that her son might be as delicate as herself, Huangfu Zeduan pointed at the child’s nose: “Look, the son’s nose is exactly like mine, and his eyes will be too once he opens them. My wife, what’s wrong with the child looking like you? You’re beautiful and adorable.”
Ye Hui shook her head: “Men should be fierce. Being cute means having no ambition.” She believed cute men were prone to preening and attracting attention, lacking drive.
Huangfu Zeduan laughed: “Our son will definitely be extraordinary. Don’t worry, my wife.”
Ye Hui thought about it. Huangfu Zeduan was a prince of Yingtang Kingdom, of noble blood, so her son’s intelligence would certainly be good. With proper guidance, he would surely succeed. Huangfu Zeduan knew what she was thinking and smiled silently.
“Have you chosen a name?” Ye Hui was somewhat worried. As a little prince, the name would likely be decreed by the child’s grandfather, which made her feel uneasy about not being able to name her own child.
“How about Hengting?” He had considered many names, but was frustrated when the imperial envoy brought a name, stripping him of naming rights. However, Hengting wasn’t a bad name.
“Hengting, Huangfu Hengting?” Ye Hui murmured, looking up: “Hengting is good, very meaningful.” Ting referred to the imperial court, and for a royal child, such a name carried high expectations.
“If you like it, that’s good.” He looked down, knowing his wife and child were his most precious treasures. For his family, he would drive away the Turks and claim the throne.
Ye Hui continued gazing at the child’s face. Unlike most newborns, her son had smooth skin, dense hair, long eyelashes, and rosy lips, exuding a milky scent. She couldn’t help but kiss him, but this woke the child, who began crying. She panicked, trying to soothe him.
“Wet nurse, the child might be hungry. Should I feed him?” The wet nurse outside heard the crying and asked.
Ye Hui opened her clothing to let the child nurse.
Having heard his mother’s heartbeat and voice in the womb for thirty-six weeks, the child felt an unbreakable connection.
The child sensed the familiar scent and kept sucking. However, due to excessive blood loss during childbirth, Ye Hui had little milk. After a while, the child couldn’t feed and started crying again. Ye Hui reluctantly handed him to the wet nurse: “Take Hengting back to the room. Make sure to show him to me daily. By the way, what’s your name?”
“I’m A Yuan from the Dong family.”
“You may go. Take good care of the young master,” Huangfu Zeduan said impatiently, wanting to be alone with his wife.
When the room was empty, he laid her on the bed and lay beside her, embracing her: “Rest well. Don’t worry about anything. Tenth and Eleventh are trustworthy. If there’s anything, just instruct them.”
She knew who he meant and looked at him with a puzzled expression: “What exactly is the background of those two guards? I asked their names, and they said they have the compound surname Huangfu. They’re not your relatives, are they?
You’re so exhausted from last night, go to sleep quickly!” He gently patted her back: “Once we drive away the Turks and return to the imperial capital, I will be honest with you. Now, take care of your health.”
Ye Hui fell asleep peacefully. …
Sitting in confinement during July and August was very painful. The weather was terribly hot, and she couldn’t open the windows. The room was like a steamer. Ye Hui couldn’t bear it and stripped completely. Mo Qi, worried she might catch a cold, draped a satin robe over her.
The summer heat was unbearable, especially when unable to bathe or open windows. When Huangfu Zeduan was not home, fearing she would feel suffocated, he found a famous qin player from the city who sat behind a screen in the outer hall and played music for her. He also had Facai bring in opera performers to sing local drum operas.
After a month of enduring, the first thing she did was take a bath, soaking for a long time in the bathroom made of white marble, adding hot water when it cooled, and only leaving after soaking thoroughly.
Changing into a white silk dress, she returned to the bedroom. The reflection in the rhombus mirror showed a face slightly fuller than before, with a thicker waist. She realized she needed to exercise to regain her figure; if she continued gaining weight, her husbands would surely complain.
“Grandmother, the master said he won’t return to the mansion tonight for city defense and you shouldn’t wait for him,” Old Eleven relayed through the screen.
“I understand. Did you find out about the thing I asked?” Ye Hui put down the rhombus mirror and asked about her concern.
“This subordinate heard that Young Master Qin led a group of disciples to the Western Regions for business about half a month ago. He won’t return for several months. Don’t worry, Grandmother. Young Master Qin is highly skilled in martial arts and can handle anything.”
Doing business in the Western Regions? She didn’t believe a word, but military secrets were not something she could know.
Given his previous mission leading disciples to infiltrate the Turkic camp and behead an enemy general, this mission was likely not so simple.
Damn, her men were really busy.
