Chapter 73
After Concubine An's death, the people in the hunting ground were no longer in the mood for leisure. The Emperor ordered the return to the Imperial Palace and the preparations for Concubine An's funeral.
The Emperor and Empress, accompanied by the princes and princesses, returned to the palace. Li Wenjian and Zhao Heng took Li Nanxi to the Duke's Mansion to celebrate the old duke's birthday.
Sitting in the carriage, Li Nanxi leaned on Zhao Heng's lap and looked up at her. "For the old duke's birthday, what gift have you prepared?" She asked.
Zhao Heng was about to answer when Li Wenjian smoothly took over. "She doesn't need to prepare separately, I have prepared it," he said.
For the old duke's birthday, he naturally prepared a lavish gift, but since Zhao Heng was family, she didn't need to give one.
"That's a shame, the old duke won't be able to see your skills," Li Nanxi said happily, touching the velvet-covered hand warmer.
Zhao Heng smiled lightly.
In the evening, after several days of continuous snowfall, the snow finally stopped. The tiles were covered with thick white snow, and the melting snow dripped down the eaves and fell onto the luxurious carriage in front of the vermilion gate.
The attendants clearing the snow in front of the gate saw Li Wenjian's entourage and quickly leaned the brooms against the wall before hurrying inside to report.
In the main hall of the Duke's Mansion, Zhaoheng saw most of the duke's family members.
As she had expected, everyone in the Duke's Mansion was warm and gentle. She had not seen the duke during her previous rushed visit due to illness, but upon meeting him today, he was especially kind and friendly, holding her hand familiarly and speaking in a gentle tone.
"I knew you were a good child. No wonder Lang'er has been hiding you in the palace and not bringing you to see me," the old duke laughed.
Zhao Heng nodded towards Lian Zhou, who then presented a box to her.
Concealing a smile in her eyes, Zhao Heng opened the box with both hands and took out the crane cloak inside, presenting it to the old duke. "In the rush of time, I personally sewed this crane cloak for the old duke, wishing him good fortune, health, and longevity," she said.
The old duke unfolded the snow silk crane cloak, embroidered with the pattern of pine and crane, and edged with hundreds of tiny longevity characters in gold thread.
Despite his current status and access to rare treasures, the most precious gift was the thought behind it.
He couldn't stop smiling and said, "Zhao Heng, you have put in a lot of effort."
Zhao Heng said, "It's just that time was too rushed, so many places were not done meticulously enough. I hope you won't mind."
"I don't mind at all, I love it," the old duke said as he passed the cloak to a servant and instructed them to handle it carefully.
Meanwhile, Li Wenjian looked very puzzled.
He had seen her doing some small embroidery work in her free time before, some of which were the embroidered ribbons for that crane cloak, and some were hat brims adorned with fox fur.
Since he had never seen the finished products, he had thought they were small trinkets for Li Nanxi.
It turned out to be this magnificent crane cloak for the old duke.
The old duke, whose health was not good, couldn't sit for long and quickly showed signs of fatigue after a while.
Seeing his exhaustion, Zhao Heng stood up politely and said, "Old Duke, His Highness and I rushed back from the hunting ground and are a bit tired. We will come to pay our respects at Qingshan Residence later."
The old duke instantly noticed that she wasn't tired herself but was showing concern for his sitting discomfort. He smiled kindly and said, "Qingshan Residence has already been prepared. You two go back and rest first. We'll have dinner later."
An Yuanqing and Liu Shi immediately came forward to assist him. "Father, we'll take you back," An Yuanqing said.
"Alright." The old duke took An Yuanqing's hand and stood up. As he took a few steps, he looked at Li Nanxi, who was holding Zhao Heng's hand tightly, and at An Qinghan and the others. "Little Ba'er hasn't visited the Duke's Mansion much. Take her to play in the garden."
The sisters nodded lightly and coaxed Li Nanxi to go play in the yard.
After the servants led them to Qingshan Residence and set up the bed, they left. Once the door closed slightly, Li Wenjian pulled Zhao Heng to sit on his lap and playfully asked, "When did you make that crane cloak?"
"It's been a while. I didn't have much time, so I had to do bit by bit. It took me almost half a year," Zhao Heng replied as she fidgeted on his lap. Subconsciously, she raised her hand to circle his neck as their legs intertwined and swayed lightly in the air.
"Oh," Li Wenjian responded in a cool tone. Zhao Heng suddenly snapped back to reality and saw him turning his head, his deep black eyes staring intently at her.
"What's wrong? Are you unhappy that I made clothes for the Old Duke?" Her voice was soft and alluring, tinged with a hint of confusion.
"What about mine?" Li Wenjian tilted his head and asked her.
Zhao Heng was momentarily at a loss. She had never thought about making a crane cloak for Li Wenjian. She bit her lip and tried to sound casual to hide her guilt. "This was a birthday gift for the Old Duke. Your birthday is still far away... what's the rush?"
Li Wenjian counted on his fingers, "You spent almost half a year making Grandpa's crane cloak. I'm afraid you won't have time to make a crane cloak for my birthday gift."
"It's okay..." Zhaoheng twisted the belt in her hands and said softly, "I'll work on it faster, I will definitely make it in time."
"No need to rush, I'm not so unreasonable," Li Wenjian said meaningfully. "You don't have to make such a grand cloak for me, just make something lighter."
Zhao Heng glanced at him, furrowing her brows slightly. Her instinct told her that His Highness was not as reasonable in certain aspects.
"What do you want?" Zhao Heng asked.
Li Wenjian's lips curved into a knowing smile as he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Make me a set of intimate undergarments."
Zhao Heng's ears turned slightly red. "My sewing skills are quite ordinary, are you sure you're not bothered by that?"
"I'm not bothered," Li Wenjian bent down, looking at her intently as he replied.
Zhao Heng let out a soft "oh" and somewhat awkwardly said, "Alright, I'll make it for you."
Before she could finish speaking, Li Wenjian lowered his head, slipped an arm under her knees, and effortlessly lifted her into his arms. Startled, Zhao Heng pushed him lightly and asked, "What are you doing?"
Li Wenjian sat her on the edge of the bed and said nonchalantly, "To make clothes, you need to take measurements first."
Zhao Heng looked down at his hand resting on her belt and gently raised her finger to press on it. A faint smile appeared on her lips as mischievousness twinkled in her eyes. She playfully argued, "Why do you need to undress me to take your measurements?"
Li Wenjian remained silent and pursed his lips, gazing at her with a teasing smile in his eyes.
Seeing the mischievous gleam in her eyes growing, Li Wenjian didn't wait for her to speak. He embraced her slender waist and pressed his lips against hers, silencing her voice.
The moist kiss was long and lingering. In a daze, Zhao Heng raised her hand to wrap around his neck, responding with tenderness.
Zhao Heng enjoyed the feeling of kissing him. When it was gentle, it was as soft as a spring breeze brushing willows, causing ripples on the lake surface; when it was intense, it was as powerful as an avalanche, overwhelming and silent, as if it could engulf everything completely.
Though she was already quite skilled, Zhao Heng's eyelashes still trembled incessantly, and her breath faltered slightly.
With the man's fiery breath so close, his relentless kiss almost took her breath away. Zhao Heng struggled, wrapping her arms around his neck while his hands pressed against her lower back, pulling her closer and tighter.
Just as Zhao Heng thought her hands would surely not be idle this afternoon, the sound of a knock at the door interrupted them.
"Your Highness, Physician Xu is here to see you," a voice came from outside.
Li Wenjian immediately furrowed his brows, reluctant to let go of Zhao Heng. Her eyes widened as she gently bit his lower lip, causing a slight pain. The tug made Li Wenjian's frown deepen, and he quickly hushed Zhao Heng by pressing his tongue against her lips as a gentle reminder.
Only then did Zhao Heng release his lips.
Li Wenjian's tone was tinged with displeasure, but if Physician Xu was coming to report something, it meant that the Emperor's condition was not good. Rising from Zhaoheng, he bent down to kiss her forehead and said, "I'll go see Physician Xu first. You should rest for a while after the tiring journey today. Don't wait for me."
Zhao Heng's clothes were a mess. She lowered her head to tidy up and didn't even look at him. Softly, she said, "Okay."
It wasn't until she noticed his figure standing in front of her that she raised her head and looked at him. "Go on, don't keep Physician Xu waiting," she said softly.
Li Wenjian thought to himself, stirring up trouble again, what else could it be.
In the end, he didn't say anything, just nodded and quickly walked out.
Zhao Heng watched his back and felt really tired. Besides taking off her hairpin, she lay down on the bed for a while.
She slept unusually well, and it wasn't until Li Junning arrived at the Duke's mansion that Lian Zhou woke Zhao Heng up.
Zhao Heng changed her clothes and went out to meet Li Junning. She was two months pregnant now and suffering from severe morning sickness. She had to support a spittoon and vomited several times after sitting for a while.
"Pregnancy is really tough," Zhao Heng lightly patted her back, handing her some water to rinse her mouth. "Seeing you like this, I feel really sorry for you."
Li Junning finally recovered and her face was filled with a gentle smile as she said, "It is indeed hard, but knowing that this is the bloodline of my husband and me, continuing our lives together, I feel very happy."
She had just gotten married, in the midst of intense love and affection, her face radiant and enchanting.
"I thought you would complain about the hardship. Little Ba'er said that you used to cry for half a day even if bitten by an ant," Zhao Heng chuckled and covered her mouth.
Li Junning looked embarrassed as she lowered her head. "I vomited three or four times last night, feeling extremely uncomfortable. My husband also sighed, saying that I was suffering. I don't know what's wrong with me. As long as I think about giving birth to him in the future, watching him grow up, teaching him to walk and talk, seeing him get married and have children...I don't feel the hardship."
"Sister Ah Heng, when you have children, you will understand my feelings," Li Junning's voice became even softer.
A soft spot in Zhao Heng's heart was touched by Li Junning's words. She looked at her flat belly with gentle eyes.
"The talisman, have you used it?" Li Junning glanced around and, seeing no one, whispered to her.
Zhao Heng was slightly stunned, then blushed and shyly revealed a corner of the yellow talisman from her sleeve.
"Have you been wearing it?" Li Junning was surprised. "Then why hasn't it worked?"
Zhao Heng blushed, not speaking and keeping her head down.
Furrowing her brows, Li Junning guessed, "You've been in the palace for seven or eight months, you should have been pregnant by now. Is it...is there something wrong with the Crown Prince?"
Zhao Heng kept her head down and said there was no problem. But Li Junning whispered, "I've read medical books. If a couple can't have children, it's often because of the man. You must not cover up for him just because of his status...don't miss out on your own matters because of him."
Zhao Heng blushed so much that her face seemed about to bleed.
Before Li Junning could say anything, a female servant came to announce that the banquet was ready. The two of them stopped talking and proceeded to the main hall for the banquet.
When Li Wenjian came back from outside, he saw Zhao Heng's slightly flushed face and turned away to softly ask, "Is something wrong? Why is your face so red?"
Zhao Heng shook her head and said it was nothing. As she raised her head, she noticed that Li Wenjian's neck and ears were also reddened.
"Why is your face also red?" Zhao Heng asked.
Li Wenjian picked up a tea cup from the table, his voice so neutral that no emotions could be detected, "Is it? I don't think so."
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