"Father and brother are here. Please invite them in."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the little eunuch ran out and soon saw two voices entering the main hall. The person in front had already started speaking loudly.
"Ling'er, Ling'er, where is my little grandson? Where is my little grandson?"
Hailing, carrying the kitten, and Mingzhu descended the high platform together. By the time Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng entered the hall, they had already come down. Hailing and Mingzhu bowed to Ji Cong together.
"Greetings, Father."
"Get up, get up," Ji Cong gestured for Hai Ling to stand up, then looked at the kitten in Hai Ling's arms and couldn't help but beam with joy: "Is this my little grandson?"
"Yes, his name is Little Cat."
"Little cat, how can you call it little cat? It should be called little tiger or little leopard."
Ji Cong was immediately displeased upon hearing the name "Little Cat." As a fierce general, he naturally hoped that his son would be named something like "Tiger" or "Leopard," not "Little Cat," which sounded so weak.
Hai Ling smiled without answering, and gently handed her son to his maternal grandfather. This time, the little cat didn't move, which showed that he liked his grandfather quite a bit.
When Ji Cong saw the soft, white, and tender little guy in his arms, he didn't know where to put his hands and feet. How could this child be so soft and tender? No wonder Ling'er called him Little Kitten. He really was as cute as a kitten. Although his face was small, he already had delicate features. You could tell at a glance that he would definitely grow up to be a handsome fellow.
Ji Cong laughed heartily, like thunder, but the kitten remained motionless, sleeping even more soundly, which pleased Ji Cong.
"Don't let his nickname 'Little Cat' fool you, he's got guts. He can withstand a crushing weight without flinching. Good, good, he'll definitely be a formidable character when he grows up."
Hai Ling sighed. What kind of thinking does this father have? The little kitten is in a good sleeping phase right now, how could it understand the concept of remaining calm under immense pressure? But it's been twisted in his mouth.
Ji Cong held the little guy for a while, but then felt like he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. This soft little guy left him at a loss. It would have been more convenient to use a knife or sword. He was too clumsy to handle the delicate kitten, so he handed him over to Hai Ling after a while.
Seeing that Ji Shaocheng hadn't spoken and his eyes were fixed on the kitten, Hailing seemed to want to hold it, but seeing how small the kitten was, she didn't dare to. Hailing picked up the kitten and handed it to Ji Shaocheng, smiling as she spoke.
"Brother, you should give it a try too. Just think of it as practice. Soon you'll be able to hold your own son."
Upon hearing Hai Ling's words, Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng knew that she knew about Mingzhu's pregnancy, and Ji Cong smiled even more happily.
"I never thought that I, Ji Cong, would live to see this day. I have fought on the battlefield for decades, but I have never been happier than I am now. My children have children of their own. How can I not be happy?"
Hailin and Nalan Mingzhu smiled at each other, creating a warm atmosphere in the main hall of Liuyue Palace.
It was already noon when Hailing gave the order to have the eunuchs prepare a banquet. At noon, Ji Cong, Ji Shaocheng, and Mingzhu were invited to dine in the palace.
Meanwhile, the kitten was being teased and played with by Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng. Fortunately, the kitten was not angry and accepted them completely, as if it knew that Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng were its family. This made Mingzhu a little jealous, and she pouted and protested in dissatisfaction.
"Why won't the kitten let me hold it, but insists on holding Daddy and Shaocheng?"
Ji Cong smiled and said, "This shows that the kitten is a real man and doesn't like being hugged by women. We are all men."
Not only Mingzhu, but even Hailing was speechless. The kitten, who was less than a month old, had become a real man. Only Ji Cong could say such a thing.
The midday banquet was lively and joyful. Ye Lingfeng knew that Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng were coming to visit Hailing, so he left the space for the family and did not come over. After the meal, Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng stayed a while longer before taking their leave of Liuyue Palace.
Nalan Mingzhu also left the palace with them. Before leaving, Hailing held Nalan Mingzhu's hand and gave her several pieces of advice, telling her what to pay attention to and what not to eat. Mingzhu agreed to everything. Finally, the group left the palace.
Hailin got up early in the morning and was tired by now. Since she had just given birth, she couldn't overexert herself. So she carried the kitten into her bedroom, fed the kitten, and then went to sleep with her son.
After she fell asleep, Ye Lingfeng took a moment to come back, sat by the bedside and watched the mother and son for a while before leaving again to attend to state affairs in the study.
At dawn, the second blood transfusion was performed. This time, the little kitten pouted but did not cry. The Empress Dowager's complexion recovered, and the second blood transfusion was performed smoothly. After the blood transfusion, Ye Lingfeng's spirits were obviously much better than before. He held Hai Ling's hand and talked a lot in the palace.
When the Empress gave birth to a son, the whole country rejoiced. All the noblewomen in the court prepared to go to the palace to congratulate the Empress, but Hailing blocked them all. Then she issued an imperial decree that the Empress would hold a full-month celebration banquet for the little prince, and invited all the noblewomen to come to the palace to attend.
Upon receiving this decree, all the noblewomen received their orders.
Hai Ling did this because the Emperor's Ice Jade Cold Poison would be cured when the kitten turned one month old, and everyone would be happy. Only then would she be in the mood to hold a full moon banquet. Otherwise, who would be in the mood to summon those noble ladies? Furthermore, only when the Emperor recovered could she focus on dealing with Xi Xiu, who was lurking in the shadows. Currently, Xi Xiu's whereabouts were still unknown. If Ye Lingfeng's poison was not cured, Xi Xiu would definitely harm her and the kitten if she sneaked into the palace. Therefore, Hai Ling insisted on not seeing those noble ladies to prevent west Xiu from infiltrating.
Time flies, and the palace is quiet and peaceful. Many subordinates are lying in ambush around Liuyue Palace and Lanqing Hall to prevent Xixiu from entering the palace and harming them.
Fortunately, the woman never appeared.
Five days later, this will be Ye Lingfeng's last blood exchange. Seven blood exchanges in total. If the Ice Jade Cold Poison does not flare up after tonight's blood exchange, then the Ice Jade Cold Poison will be cured. If it flares up again, it means that they have not succeeded in curing the Ice Jade Cold Poison this time. Therefore, everyone is extremely nervous.
After the blood transfusion, the Empress Dowager's face was as white as paper, and her body swayed precariously. Although only seven days had passed, she had lost a lot of weight. Every time Ye Lingfeng saw his mother in this state, he felt heartbroken. Several times he even wanted to stop the blood transfusion, but the Empress Dowager wouldn't let him have his way and insisted on the transfusion. Although the Empress Dowager was thin, she was still in good spirits. Her bright and alert eyes were fixed on Ye Lingfeng, waiting to see if his cold poison would flare up.
One hour, two hours passed, and night deepened, but the Ice Jade Cold Poison did not flare up, and Ye Lingfeng remained calm.
Only then did everyone confirm that Ye Lingfeng's Ice Jade Cold Poison was truly cured. The Ice Jade Cold Poison that had plagued him for more than 20 years was finally cured, thanks to his mother and son, Xiao Mao'er. Their blood gave him a new life.
Ye Lingfeng calmly walked up to the Empress Dowager and took her hand: "Mother, thank you. You gave me a second life."
She gave birth to him the first time, and although she didn't take good care of him, she gave him a second life. So he was very grateful to his mother and would take good care of her for the rest of his life.
"Ye, Mother is very happy, truly happy. My heart is finally not so painful anymore."
The Empress Dowager spoke with a smile, but after saying this, her body went limp and she fell to one side. Ye Lingfeng was shocked and cried out, "Mother, Mother!"
Shen Ruoxuan quickly stepped forward, took the Empress Dowager's pulse, and then gave her a pill. He looked at Ye Lingfeng and said, "The Empress Dowager will be fine. She just lost too much blood due to seven consecutive days of blood draws, which made her weak and caused her to faint. She will be fine after taking good care of her blood in the coming days."
“Alright,” Ye Lingfeng picked up the Empress Dowager and carried her to Lanqing Palace.
He stayed in Lanqing Palace for a while to take care of his mother before getting up. He instructed Granny Qingzhu to take good care of his mother and assigned Shizhu and others to protect her. Only then did he feel a little relieved. He then led two of his men to Liuyue Palace. However, this time, he was stopped at the gate of Liuyue Palace.
The two maids, Shi Mei and Shi Lan, along with several palace maids from Liuyue Palace, blocked Ye Lingfeng from entering the bedchamber.
Shi Mei forced herself to speak: "Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress has decreed that no one is allowed to enter the imperial bedchamber."
Upon hearing this, Ye Lingfeng's expression darkened slightly, and his deep eyes revealed his understanding. It seemed that the reckoning had finally come. Ling'er hadn't held a grudge against him earlier not because she forgave him, but because he was poisoned by the Ice Jade Cold Poison and she couldn't bear to make things difficult for him anymore. Now that his Ice Jade Cold Poison had been cured, she had come to settle the score.
"Get out of the way."