Widowed for Five Years, the Widow is Pregnant with the Emperor’s Child

Chapter 211

The doors opened from the inside, and the midwife came out holding a swaddled baby, her face full of smiles. "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! Her Majesty the Empress has given birth to a little princess. Both mother and daughter are safe and well!"

The little princess that Emperor Jingxuan had been longing for was finally born!

He glanced at his daughter wrapped in swaddling clothes, suppressing the joy of becoming a father, and pressed, "Where is my wife? Why don't I hear her voice?"

Remembering the cases he had learned about from imperial physicians and books over the past few months—about women dying from difficult labor, stepping through the gates of hell and never opening their eyes again—Emperor Jingxuan felt waves of panic.

The midwife replied, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. After giving birth to the princess, she fainted from exhaustion, but her noble body is unharmed!"

Emperor Jingxuan was still not at ease. He immediately stepped into the delivery room and went to the bedside.

The smell of blood in the room had not yet dissipated, mixed with the scent of ginseng soup, thick and pungent. Yue Ya was leaning over the bed, wiping Yun Wan's forehead.

Having just gone through childbirth, Yun Wan's eyes were tightly closed. Her normally rosy complexion was now as pale as paper. Sweat had soaked her hair and neck as she slept weakly.

"Let me do it."

With a dull ache in his heart, Emperor Jingxuan took the hot towel from Yue Ya's hands and gently wiped the sweat from Yun Wan's face.

Outside the room, the midwife held the baby while being surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.

Sui stood on his tiptoes to look at his newborn sister, his eyes full of joy. "It's a sister. Little Treasure is a sister."

He looked at the tiny bundle in the swaddling clothes, beyond excited.

He had a sister!

Sui couldn't suppress his happiness, the corners of his mouth turning up wildly.

Although his sister was red and wrinkled like a newborn monkey in the royal zoo, in his eyes, she was the most beautiful sister in the whole world!

"Why isn't my sister making a sound?" Sui touched his sister's tightly clenched little fist and asked worriedly.

He had heard it just now; his sister's cries were loud and clear, sounding very healthy.

The midwife explained with a smile, "The little princess cried herself to sleep. The wind is strong outside, so this servant must take the princess back inside."

Sui hurriedly said, "I'll go too."

His imperial father was taking care of his mother, so he had to take good care of his sister. When his mother woke up, she would be able to see his sister.

........

Yun Wan slept for six hours. When she woke up, she found herself back in her familiar bedchamber. The faint scent of ambergris reached her nose, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she met Emperor Jingxuan's concerned gaze.

"My wife is awake."

Yun Wan's body was still weak, but she smiled at him. "Where is the baby?"

She scanned her surroundings but didn't see the newborn little one.

Emperor Jingxuan helped her sit up and adjusted her into a comfortable position. "Before you woke up, the wet nurse took her away to feed her."

"Is it a girl?"

Yun Wan asked with an uncertain tone. She vaguely remembered hearing the midwife say it was a little princess before she passed out.

Emperor Jingxuan thought of his newborn daughter, his brow relaxing. "It is a girl."

He ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‍held Yun Wan's hand, his deep voice laced with thick tenderness. "You gave me a little princess. You've worked hard, my wife."

He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then ordered the palace servants to bring the baby in.

A moment later, the wet nurse came in carrying the tightly swaddled baby and carefully placed her next to Yun Wan.

Smelling a familiar and intimate scent, the tiny bundle waved her fists, wriggled her body toward Yun Wan, and cooed softly.

Seeing the daughter she had given birth to clearly for the first time, Yun Wan's heart completely melted.

She reached out and gently held her daughter's tiny hand, a loving and gentle smile blooming on her face. This was her daughter.

Lightly touching her daughter's cheek, Yun Wan said, "She is a bit smaller and thinner than Sui was when he was born."

Emperor Jingxuan raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You still remember?"

He still hadn't held his daughter yet, fearing that his rough hands might accidentally hurt the baby.

The soft little bundle was only the size of his two palms, seeming to have no bones at all, incredibly fragile.

"Of course, Sui was about this big back then."

Yun Wan opened her hands to gesture the size, her eyes filled with the soft light of motherhood.

Emperor Jingxuan looked at the mother and daughter close together. His eyes grew slightly hot, and his heart was filled with happiness and contentment. "Thank you for giving me a son and a daughter."

"Our daughter looks like you. She will definitely be extremely beautiful when she grows up, the most beautiful little girl in the world."

Yun Wan looked down at her daughter, who had not yet lost her red marks and was wrinkled all over, and chuckled helplessly.

Her eyes weren't even open, and her features hadn't unfolded yet. How could he tell she looked like her?

"Have you thought of a name for our daughter, husband?" she asked with a smile.

She had chosen their son's name, which was kept after he officially returned to his ancestry. She decided to leave their daughter's name to Emperor Jingxuan, letting him decide.

When his extended index finger was grasped by the little princess, Emperor Jingxuan instantly stiffened, not daring to move.

Hearing her words, he nodded gently. "Zhao, as in the morning sun. Cheng Zhao. Our daughter's name will follow the 'Cheng' generational character, just like her brothers."

"She was born at dawn when the sun rose. I hope her life will be as brilliant as the sunlight, full of youthful vitality. Her title will be 'Mingyang'. What do you think, my wife?"

Yun Wan nodded. "Cheng Zhao, Mingyang. Very good."

Her hopes for their daughter were the same as Emperor Jingxuan's.

Her daughter would grow up surrounded by the love and care of her parents and brother.

She wouldn't be like her mother, who lost her own mother at a young age and suffered endless bullying.

Emperor Jingxuan's brows and eyes were flying with radiant delight. "I will make her the most noble girl in Great Qi."

As long as he was alive, he would do his utmost to protect the mother and her children, keeping them safe and worry-free.

Having received her approval, Emperor Jingxuan ordered an edict to be drafted to announce it to the world.

On the ninth day of the fourth month in the fifteenth year of Jingxuan, the Empress safely gave birth to a princess. The Emperor bestowed the name Cheng Zhao and the title Mingyang. From then on, Great Qi had a Princess Mingyang, who gathered the love of thousands upon herself.

"I still think Little Treasure sounds better. A tiny little treasure."

Sui sat on a low stool, shaking a rattle drum to tease his sister in the cradle, and asked earnestly, "Right? Little Treasure?"

"Eeya~"

Little Mingyang kicked her legs and made a sound, her round eyes following the rattle drum.

Sui was excited and said to Yun Wan, who was sitting her confinement behind the screen, "Mother, look! Little Treasure agrees with me!"

Sure enough, his sister preferred the nickname given by her older brother.

Emperor Jingxuan chuckled without saying a word, too lazy to pour cold water on his son. Anyway, his daughter's formal name and title were chosen by him, her father.

Newborns change every day. In just a few days, Little Princess Mingyang became fair and tender, her features unfolding to reveal a delicate and bright appearance. Everyone who saw her couldn't bear to let her go, wanting to take her home and raise her themselves.

When Pei Qian and the Third Prince saw her for the first time, they couldn't help but sigh in admiration, "Our sister is so beautiful. Her eyes are like grapes."

Inheriting her parents' best features, the little princess had big watery eyes, chubby cheeks, and a body that was white and soft. She was ridiculously beautiful.

Even Pei Qian, who was usually insensitive to beauty, couldn't help but look at her a few more times.

Being stared at by different people, the little princess wasn't afraid. She opened her little mouth in a grin, revealing her pink gums.

Pei Qian was thrilled. "My sister seems to be smiling at me. Can I touch her face?"

Sui ruthlessly refused, "No, your hands aren't clean. You'll hurt Little Treasure."

"Besides, she is my sister."

Pei Qian: "Your sister is my sister!"

Sui: .........

"If you want a sister, ask my aunt to give birth to one for you."

Hearing this, Pei Qian's eyes lit up. After returning home, he pestered Princess Yongshou to give birth to a beautiful and cute little sister just like Mingyang. Without a doubt, he ended up getting a beating.

The next day, clutching his rear end, he shook his head in dismay and said, "Forget it. If it turns out to be a little brother, it's not like we can stuff him back in, right?"

Besides, his mother said she was afraid of giving birth to a little sister as dark as a lump of coal, just like him.

Pei Qian felt wronged. His tan was from the sun; it was clearly a sign of masculinity.

........

A month later, at Mingyang's one-month milestone banquet, the highly favored little princess made her first public appearance.

At Emperor Jingxuan's request, Yun Wan underwent a double postpartum confinement period, so she did not make an appearance at the banquet.

The master of ceremonies carefully shaved the little princess's hair. The collected lanugo hair would be made into a baby hair calligraphy brush and stored away in Emperor Jingxuan's private treasury as a cherished keepsake.

The one-month-old Mingyang stayed in her imperial father's arms the entire time. She was well-behaved and curious, her large round eyes darting about as she babbled in baby language, not showing the slightest bit of stage fright.

Sui followed behind them. While exchanging pleasantries with the adults, he constantly kept an eye on his little sister resting in his imperial father's arms.

His imperial father could be heavy-handed, and Sui knew very well just how unreliable the man could be when it came to looking after children.

He was afraid that if his imperial father was careless for even a moment, he might drop his sister. His sister was incredibly fragile.

However, Sui was overthinking it. After more than a month of adjustment and practice, Emperor Jingxuan had already easily mastered the technique of holding a baby, understanding exactly what kind of posture was suitable for a one-month-old infant.

Furthermore, little Mingyang was a baby with quite a temper. If she was even slightly displeased, she would protest, just like at this very moment.

Emperor Jingxuan was conversing with someone and momentarily neglected little Mingyang in his arms. Suddenly, he felt a dampness at his collar. He looked down to see that the little one had spit up milk.

The lively atmosphere came to an abrupt halt. The wet nurses felt a surge of tension in their hearts, and the crowd collectively drew a slight breath as they saw the patch of milk stains on Emperor Jingxuan's chest.

Who would have expected that Emperor Jingxuan would break into a wide smile and laugh heartily, "Hahaha, my little princess knows how to spit up milk now!"

Everyone: ..........

In June, the weather gradually grew hotter. Having finally completed a full two months of postpartum confinement, Yun Wan could no longer bear it. She got out of bed and took a thorough bath.

After two months of careful nourishment, Yun Wan's figure had recovered. Her skin was as fine and white as porcelain, without the slightest flaw. Her only discomfort was the occasional engorgement and pain in her chest, and she could no longer wear her previous undergarments because they could no longer contain her.

Seeing her frown in pain and appear worried, Nanny Zhong, who had been specially serving Yun Wan since her pregnancy, explained, "Your Ladyship, this is perfectly normal. Once this servant helps massage and clear the blockage for you, it will no longer hurt."

Since ancient times, children of wealthy and noble families were not breastfed by their mothers. Wet nurses were arranged even before they were born. Naturally, Sui and little Mingyang were also fed by wet nurses.

However, when Yun Wan was pregnant with Sui, she had been constantly on edge and her emotional state was poor. Therefore, after giving birth to Sui, she did not produce any milk and never experienced this engorgement and pain.

Now, she was well-cared for. From her pregnancy up until now, she consumed nourishing foods every day, especially over the past two months, which resulted in her producing milk.

Receiving Yun Wan's consent, Nanny Zhong bent down and prepared to unfasten the buttons of her collar, but just then, Emperor Jingxuan arrived.

"Where does it hurt, my wife?"

There was some distance from the palace doors to the inner chamber, but he had clearly heard Nanny Zhong's words and immediately became worried.

Yun Wan bit her lip, finding it too embarrassing to speak of.

Nanny Zhong did not dare to hide the truth and softly informed him, "Her Ladyship is... experiencing breast engorgement."

What breast engorgement meant was naturally literal and required no further explanation.

Hearing this, his dark eyes instantly fell upon Yun Wan's full chest, his gaze deepening.

After her bath, she was only wearing her sleepwear. The thin, lotus-root-colored fabric wrapped around her exquisite curves, and the frog fasteners at her collar were loose, allowing a glimpse of her luminous white skin.

"How can this be relieved?" Emperor Jingxuan asked, his lips moving while his gaze remained fixed.

Sensing the ambiguous atmosphere between her masters, Nanny Zhong kept her explanation concise, "One simply needs to use both hands to gently massage and knead the area to help clear the blockage for Her Ladyship."

Emperor Jingxuan gave a hum of acknowledgment. "You explain it. I will do it."

Understanding the situation perfectly, Nanny Zhong lowered her head. "...Yes."

She verbally described the technique. Emperor Jingxuan memorized it earnestly with a serious expression, leaving only the person in question, Yun Wan, sitting there on pins and needles.

Once he had memorized it, Nanny Zhong led the palace servants out, thoughtfully closing the doors behind them.

Emperor Jingxuan washed his hands thoroughly and wiped away the water droplets.

Yun Wan was half-leaning on the soft couch. Seeing him walk toward her, she could not help but sit up straight.

She pursed her lips and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Perhaps it would be better to let Nanny Zhong do it."

Even though she was already a mother of two children and the two of them had shared plenty of wild nights together, Yun Wan still felt an uncontrollable sense of shyness when she thought about what was about to happen, clutching her collar tightly.

Emperor Jingxuan's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, but he quickly pressed them into a straight line. With a cool and confident expression, he said, "I have learned how to do it. Trust me, my wife. I absolutely will not hurt you."

"You just need to relax."

Hearing this, Yun Wan felt even less reassured.

Emperor Jingxuan, however, did not give her a chance to hesitate. He slowly bent his knees and sat beside her, wrapping one arm around her waist.

He gently stroked the soft flesh covering her slender waist.

The ticklish sensation at her waist instantly diverted Yun Wan's attention. In a split second, she felt a chill on her front. She instinctively reached out to cover herself, but her hand was blocked.

Emperor Jingxuan withdrew the hand from her waist and clasped the hand she had raised in defense. With his other hand, he pinched the bottom hem of her garment and brought it to her lips.

"My wife, bite down on this."

Stimulated by the cold air and his intense gaze, Yun Wan's chest heaved heavily. She held the hem of her clothes between her lips, her slender neck tilting back to form a beautiful arc.

Suddenly trembling, she forcefully gripped his shoulders, her pearly white teeth biting into the fabric in her mouth. Her cheeks and the tips of her ears blushed a furious red.

Seeing this, Emperor Jingxuan stopped the movements of his hands. "Does it hurt?"

Yun Wan shook her head with difficulty. It did not hurt, but it was incredibly unbearable.

Her mature body, which had long tasted the pleasures of intimacy, had been deprived for several months. Being teased like this now was very difficult to endure.

Of course, she was not the only one suffering at this moment. Fine sweat appeared on Emperor Jingxuan's forehead, and a look of restraint showed between his brows.

After a dozen or so strokes, a faint milky scent permeated the air. Milky white liquid revealed itself before his eyes, slowly trickling down like morning dew that had gathered to a certain point.

Emperor Jingxuan's eyes darkened instantly, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"I am thirsty. Please help me out, my wife."

As his words fell, he lowered his head and took it into his mouth.

Gulp, gulp.

The sounds of heavy suckling and swallowing were exceptionally clear in the quiet, spacious night.

Emperor Jingxuan was like a starving man who had walked under the scorching sun for days, eagerly feasting upon the sweet nectar before him that belonged to him and him alone.

His daughter had several dedicated wet nurses to feed her, so her rations were more than sufficient.

Therefore, the notion of competing with his daughter for her food simply did not exist.

All of this belonged to him.

As the sweet nectar flowed down his throat, quenching his temporary thirst, Emperor Jingxuan raised his head:

"Do not fret, my wife. There is still the other side."

.........