The sky was turning a pale white as dawn broke.
Lu Qingwan stirred groggily, her eyes still closed, when the memories of the previous night assaulted her, flushing her cheeks with shame.
Forcing herself to selectively forget, Lu Qingwan blinked, a little dazed, "Having a child? Am I hallucinating, or does he really want one?"
Her gaze drifted to her lower abdomen, and Lu Qingwan smiled gently, "Having a child like Si Fengwu, doesn't seem so bad either!"
"Does the Princess Consort truly wish to bear children for this king?"
A voice filled with surprise startled Lu Qingwan. She looked up to see Si Fengwu, clad in loose casual wear, strolling leisurely towards her.
Lu Qingwan, flustered, shrunk further into the quilt. "It's this late, why are you still here?"
"I haven't officially ascended the throne yet, why must I go to the Hall of Heavenly Purity every day to listen to the ministers drone on?" Si Fengwu said, reaching for a nearby robe as if to help Lu Qingwan dress, but asked, "Shall we get up, or sleep a little longer?"
"Let's get up, I've slept enough." Lu Qingwan sat up lazily. She was already wearing a shift dress, which tightly hugged her exquisite figure, naturally concealing any shameful marks.
Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Lu Qingwan stretched out her arms for Si Fengwu to help her dress, asking, "Why the sudden thought of having a child?"
Si Fengwu's heart tightened, but he maintained a calm facade. "It is inevitable that there will be a child between us. Otherwise, the words spoken in court the day before yesterday would not cease. Moreover, this king also desires a child who carries the blood of both of us."
After a jumble of disjointed explanations, Si Fengwu cautiously asked, "Princess Consort, are you willing to bear children for this king?"
"Why wouldn't I be willing?" Wrapped snugly in soft clothing, Lu Qingwan shuffled to the edge of the dragon couch. "Didn't I tell you before that having children too young is bad for the body? Now my age is about right. If you want to have them, let's have them. However, the effect of your medicine lasts for half a year, so even if we have a child, it will have to be after the new year. It's perfect, I can use this time to recuperate. Around this time next year, we can have a little princess or prince. Happy?"
The thought of seeing Si Fengwu as a child made Lu Qingwan unable to help but happily wiggle her toes.
The latter knelt on one knee, putting on her shoes and socks, nodding repeatedly in excitement, "I am looking forward to it. The thought of a child in this world carrying our shared blood fills this king with immense anticipation."
His expression showed more than just anticipation; it was as if the matter was far from being settled, yet his eyes were already red with emotion.
Lu Qingwan couldn't help but touch his beautiful eyes and laugh at him, "Such ambition! You're already this excited just talking about it. If I actually have one, how excited will you be?"
Si Fengwu rested his head on her lap, gazing into her eyes without speaking, but his expression clearly showed he was exceedingly happy. Lu Qingwan's heart softened, and she pinched his face as if it were dough, asking, "Are you busy today?"
"The matters I've arranged will take a considerable amount of time to process. These few days are not busy. Why, do you have plans?"
"Didn't we agree to help the Samsara Hall train soldiers? We've finished the war, so shouldn't we start selecting a few capable trainers to fulfill our promise?" When she agreed to Madam Zi Yi's request, they were still in Da Qin. Now, almost a year after returning to the new dynasty, Lu Qingwan felt a pang of guilt thinking about the resources of the Samsara Hall she had used over the past year.
Si Fengwu didn't say much, casually replying, "Certainly. It just so happens that I need to inspect the new capital's garrison forces. I'll handle this matter then. Will you accompany me?"
"I won't," Lu Qingwan flicked her sleeves and walked towards the washstand with satisfaction. "Didn't I promise Elder Wen that I would visit Princess Ru Ge? Since I have some free time, I'll go see her today."
No one knew what Princess Ru Ge had experienced in the brothel. However, Si Fengwu was someone she had once admired, and appearing before Ru Ge at this time would undoubtedly provoke her. Therefore, Si Fengwu pondered for a moment and no longer insisted on Lu Qingwan accompanying him. He simply said, "I've learned about the cause and consequence of Ru Ge's incident. In the end, it was her own ill intentions that led her to be exploited. If you can cure her, do so. If not, don't force it. We are indebted to the Wen family, but we do not owe Ru Ge."
Lu Qingwan's washing actions paused slightly. "You know everything?" Back then, when the Chi family, Ru Ge, and the Southern Prince's mansion had successively encountered trouble, Lu Qingwan had thoroughly investigated the specific details of each incident to prevent further harm. It was only when investigating Ru Ge's case that she discovered Ru Ge had been living peacefully in the southern region. As soon as people from the Wu'an Palace told her that Lu Qingwan intended to harm Si Fengwu, Ru Ge had left the Southern Governor's Mansion without a second thought. If she hadn't been captured by people from the Wu'an Palace in the southern region, she would have even gone to Da Qin to accuse Lu Qingwan to Si Fengwu. Although she had been deceived, if she hadn't harbored such deep prejudice against Lu Qingwan, the people from the Wu'an Palace could not have succeeded so easily. Ru Ge's current predicament was almost entirely her own doing. Lu Qingwan's willingness to treat her with some kindness was solely due to Elder Wen's significant help to her and Si Fengwu. To put it bluntly, the Wen family still had high value, and she did not want to dishearten Elder Wen while she and Si Fengwu had not yet firmly established themselves. If it weren't for Elder Wen, she wouldn't even spare two handfuls of soil for a woman who openly coveted her man, even if she died in front of Lu Qingwan.
Si Fengwu was even more indifferent than Lu Qingwan. "Elder Wen is Elder Wen, and Ru Ge is Ru Ge. I sent people to investigate. Ru Ge is not sick at all. She is using the incident at the brothel to deliberately make Elder Wen and the old madam feel guilty, so that the two elders will obey her every word. Think of a way to make her behave, and stop troubling the elders."
Even though Lu Qingwan had always disliked Ru Ge, she never imagined Ru Ge would be so manipulative. After a moment of thought, she nodded. "I know what to do. Don't return to the palace too early tonight. Head to Buye Continent on the way. Yun Ying and Shen Tangzhou should have arrived. We can discuss dealing with the Lin family's trading firm together."
Si Fengwu subconsciously agreed, but then realized something was amiss. He hurried after her, "Are you, not planning to have breakfast again?"
Lu Qingwan shrunk her shoulders guiltily and looked back at him with a somewhat foolish expression. "How about we go out together to Half-Moon Pavilion for breakfast, and then go our separate ways?"
Hearing this, Si Fengwu's mouth twitched. He immediately called out, "Li Su, come in and help the Princess Consort with her hair. Li Yang, prepare the carriage, we're leaving the palace."
Lu Qingwan silently pouted like a duck's beak and said nothing more. Her mouth was not meant to speak today.