The weather was good for the next few days, but Chu Xian had been busy suppressing news about the fields being set on fire. Having just recovered from a period of civil unrest, the other provinces and counties barely had enough food for themselves, much less enough to send to the capital.
Prince Hao instructed his men to bring food and grain from Beimin to Dongling. Beimin was considered the most powerful among the four nations, and the commoners would naturally calm down after hearing that Dongling had such assistance. Apart from this, he also rebuilt the seized land and gave them out to nearby villagers for free, causing them to become overjoyed. In an instant, what had been previously Shi Mo’s property had been divided up.
Shi Mo checked into an inn and smirked when he heard the news. That’s a good move, Pei Qianhao. There’s no way the villagers would still be upset after helping them and giving them free land, would they? There was only one more day left until the ice melted. Chu Linglong would sneak into the palace, while Shi Mo would fight Pei Qianhao to the death!
Everything seemed peaceful when night fell, and the lack of a breeze made it warmer than usual. Su Xi-er herself could feel her body continuing to warm up and recover after receiving the fuming treatment and continuing to drink medicine.
Pei Qianhao would snuggle with her when they slept, his large, warm palm over her stomach as he gently massaged it.
Su Xi-er enjoyed the warmth in his embrace, and she acted like a meek kitten as she snuggled against his chest. Pei Qianhao was tempted as he looked at her, but he stopped himself from doing anything else since she had yet to fully recover.
Su Xi-er was resting against his chest when her eyes snapped open. “A-Jing, I didn’t get my period this month. It’s always on time, but for this month…”
There could only be two reasons for this: she was pregnant, or her body couldn’t maintain a regular schedule. Seeing the worry in her eyes, Pei Qianhao reassured her as he stood up and got dressed before heading towards the exit. “I’ll get an imperial physician.”
Not long after, Du Ling entered the room with a bowl of soup in his hands. “Come taste this.”
“It’s already very late; why were you brewing soup at such an hour?” Su Xi-er got up and rested against the bed frame as she smiled at him.
“How did you know I did it?” Having previously felt that brewing soup was a woman’s job, Du Ling couldn’t hide his awkwardness.
Su Xi-er’s brows raised. “It was just a wild guess, but who would have guessed that you’d admit it.” She raised her hand to take the bowl from him.
“Try it. How is it?” Du Ling asked expectantly.
She had already had a bowl of soup in the morning, but Du Ling thought that it would be good for her to have another before bed.
He remembered what his mother told him when she was pregnant.
“Apart from your mother, your younger sibling will be the closest family you have. If it is a boy, you have to be strict and prevent him from straying down the wrong path. If it is a girl, you have to treat her like a princess.”
Du Ling remembered every single word his mother said to him.
Su Xi-er had a mouthful of the soup and smiled. “Not bad, it’s pretty good.” In truth, the soup itself was tasteless, and although she didn’t like things that were overly sweet, an entirely bland red bean soup wasn’t the best either.
Du Ling was satisfied with this. “Good. I can make this for you every day when you return to the Western Region.”
Suddenly, someone opened the door, and Pei Qianhao came in with the imperial physician that had previously examined Su Xi-er. Having heard everything that Du Ling had said, his expression was stormy, but he quickly adjusted it.
