Now, Yao Yuzhi is very clingy, following Yao Youqing around without leaving her side. It wasn't until Song Shi arrived that he stopped following so closely, but he still stayed close behind them.
Song had already learned from Li Dou that Cui Hao had fabricated a lie, so she naturally wouldn't expose him. She just smiled when Yao Yuzhi wasn't paying attention and whispered in Yao Youqing's ear, "Look how nervous your father is. Even if it's not for anything else, you should try to really get pregnant so that he can hold his grandson as soon as possible."
Yao Youqing blushed, pursed her lips and nodded, her mind involuntarily recalling Wei Hong's "efforts" just now.
Madam Song assumed she was just shy and didn't bring it up again, instead smilingly discussing Qiongyu and Li Dou's marriage with her.
The two sat on a large rock covered with thick cushions, chatting and laughing. Their little cutie, who had come out for some fresh air, circled around their feet, running here and there. Yao Yuzhi, with her white hair and beard, stood a few steps away watching them, her eyes filled with a loving smile.
Wei Hong hadn't forgotten that his son had argued with him and hit him in the room earlier. His face remained sullen. When he looked away, he inadvertently saw the little cutie squatting on the other side.
The little cutie squatted for a while and then left, leaving a pile of dirt on the ground. Wei Hong's mind raced, and before anyone else could notice, he stepped forward to block it. He then called over a servant: "Go and call Grand Tutor Yao. Tell him I have something to discuss with him."
The servant agreed and immediately went to deliver the message to Yao Yuzhi.
Yao Yuzhi was puzzled, but she still came over and asked as she approached, "Why does Your Highness want to see me...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stepped on something soft and squishy.
Looking down, I saw it was a pile of dog poop.
He cried out and hurriedly dodged, but it was too late. Realizing something, he looked up at Wei Hong and saw him grinning at him, revealing a few white teeth: "It's alright now."
Chapter 120 Awakening [Second Update]
Even though Yao Yuzhi didn't want to cause any conflict with Wei Hong because her daughter had married him, she almost lost her temper at this moment.
This kid is, after all, the son of Emperor Gaozong, a prince of the highest rank, and over twenty years old! How could he... how could he trick his father-in-law into stepping in dog poop? Is he an idiot?
He was about to reprimand her when he heard Wei Hong say in a low voice, "Ning'er is pregnant, don't scare her."
Yao Yuzhi swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She glanced in Yao Youqing's direction and saw that she had looked over because of his soft exclamation. She was now looking at them with a worried expression, as if she was afraid that they would have some kind of argument.
Yao Yuzhi forced a smile and comforted Yao Youqing, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. You have a good chat with Madam Li, and I'll talk to the Prince."
Wei Hong nodded and smiled at Yao Youqing, saying, "It's alright, don't worry."
Yao Youqing then looked away with some skepticism and continued talking to Madam Song.
Wei Hong was very pleased with his successful scheme. He was especially happy to see Yao Yuzhi's face turn ashen but she had to endure it. He suddenly felt that living together like this wasn't so bad. He could annoy her every now and then, which made him quite happy.
However, when he saw Yao Yuzhi's face turn pale with anger, and she was clutching her chest and struggling to breathe, he couldn't help but worry.
Is this old man really that easily angered? If he gets really upset and something bad happens to him, Ning'er will be furious.
Just then, Yao Yuzhi swayed and looked like she was about to fall.
Wei Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly reached out to help.
The old man, who was about to collapse, was helped up. As he regained his balance, he raised the foot that had stepped in dog poop and stomped hard on the old man's foot.
Wei Hong let out a low cry and almost threw him away, but he grabbed her arm tightly.
"Ning'er is pregnant, don't scare her."
That old scoundrel actually repeated exactly what he had just said to him!
Yao Youqing was startled again and craned her neck to look over: "Father, Your Highness, are you... really alright?"
"fine."
The two spoke in unison, their faces seemingly calm but actually turbulent beneath.
Knowing that the two did not get along and that they might cause trouble even if they were together, Madam Song said to them, "Your Highness and Lord Yao may go about their other business. I will stay here with the Princess and make sure nothing happens to her."
With her watching over them, both of them felt at ease. Besides, they had both gotten their shoes covered in dog poop, so they had to change them. They didn't insist anymore, nodded, and left. As soon as they reached the fork in the road, they snorted at each other and walked in opposite directions.
Seeing them separate, Yao Youqing felt more at ease and discussed the matter of Qiongyu and Li Dou with Song Shi.
Li Dou originally planned to get married after the war ended, because the previous situation was unfavorable to Wei Hong, and as Wei Hong's accompanying military doctor, he was always by his side, which was also very dangerous. If something really happened to him on the battlefield, he was afraid that it would ruin Qiong Yu's life.
But now the situation is stable, and as long as no major problems arise, Wei Hong's victory is a foregone conclusion, so there is no point in dragging it out any longer.
"I've checked the auspicious dates. The tenth of next month and the eighth of the third month next year are both good days."
"I was thinking of preparing more and setting their wedding date for March next year, but that kid Douzi, we were in a hurry for him to get married before, but he kept dragging his feet and refused. Now he doesn't even want to wait a few months. When I asked him to choose a date, he hesitated and told me that he wanted to marry Qiongyu before the end of the year, which is next month, isn't it?"
“His master and I would like him to marry his new wife as soon as possible, but the timing is indeed a bit rushed, and we are afraid that we will neglect Qiongyu.”
As Song spoke, she glanced at Yao Youqing's expression, fearing that Yao Youqing might not want Qiongyu to get married so hastily.
Qiongyu was, after all, her personal maid, who had followed her all the way from the capital.
Moreover, the Yao family has few descendants. Yao Youqing has no brothers or sisters now. Qiongyu, the maid who has accompanied her since childhood, has a sisterly bond with her.
Moreover, Wei Hong is about to ascend the throne as emperor, and she, as the princess, will become the empress, so Qiongyu's value will naturally rise accordingly.
Those who secretly laughed at them for marrying their adopted son-like apprentice to a maid are now filled with regret, wishing they could marry Qiongyu themselves.
When Yao Youqing first married into Shangchuan from the capital, she had a very good impression of Li Dou and thought he was someone she could entrust her life to.
Since he and Qiongyu were in love, there was nothing wrong with getting married sooner. So he smiled and said, "What's the rush? They've already gotten engaged. My aunt has made all the necessary preparations, and so have I. We just need to choose a date to hold the wedding."
"In that case, it's the same whether it's next month or next year."
He then took Song's hand and said solemnly and earnestly, "I believe that neither Dr. Dou nor your uncle and aunt will neglect Qiongyu."
"Of course!"
Song also grasped her hand in return, and said firmly.
With the wedding date set, Madam Song was eager to go back and tell Li Dou the good news. She accompanied him for a stroll in the garden for a while before returning home.
Yao Youqing hadn't had a good rest these past few days, and her nap at noon wasn't very restful either. After waking up, she was kept up by Wei Hong for quite a while, and now she was exhausted. She went back to her room and fell asleep again soon after.
After changing his shoes, Wei Hong met with a few people in the front yard and discussed some recent military affairs. He didn't return until evening, and on the way, he ran into Yao Yuzhi, who was also heading to the main courtyard.
In the afternoon, Yao Youqing invited him to have dinner together that evening. He saw that it was almost time, so he headed over, only to bump into Wei Hong.
The two, whose relationship had just eased, were brought back to square one by a pile of dog poop today. They couldn't stand each other and, even though they were walking the same road, they kept at least two arm's lengths apart. Neither of them was willing to greet the other first, and they walked silently to the main courtyard.
When they arrived, Zhou's mother said that Yao Youqing was still asleep and asked them to wait a moment while she went to wake her up.
Mr. Yao quickly stopped her, saying, "No need, no need. Let her sleep a little longer. Pregnancy makes women lethargic and sleepy. If we wake her up now, she won't have an appetite. She'll eat properly when she wakes up and gets hungry."
"Remember to keep the food warm on the stove so she can have something hot whenever she wants. I'm going back now. I'll eat dinner in the yard by myself, so don't worry about me. When she gets up, tell her I'll come see her again tomorrow."
Wei Hong scoffed, "Nobody wants to bother with you."
Yao Yuzhi glared at her and retorted, "My daughter has the right to tell me what to do!"
Wei Hong: "..."
Although he was unhappy, he couldn't really refute that statement, so he could only watch helplessly as the man walked away arrogantly, while he returned to his room with a belly full of resentment.
Yao Yuzhi thought Yao Youqing was sleepy because she was pregnant, but Wei Hong knew that she hadn't slept well for the past few days because she was worried about Yao Yuzhi, and that's why she felt so tired after finding him.
He tiptoed into the room and lifted the curtain to see the girl fast asleep. Perhaps because the room was warm from the burning charcoal brazier, half of her leg was sticking out of the brocade quilt, her slender ankle and delicate feet as white as jade.
Wei Hong recalled the way she breathed and moaned softly in his arms that afternoon. His lower abdomen felt slightly warm. He ran his fingertips along her ankles, then slipped them into her trouser legs and gently stroked them.
The soft, delicate touch on his fingertips was irresistible.
He leaned down and gently kissed her calf, then pushed her trouser leg up a little. His lips and tongue traveled upwards, and just as he was about to kiss the back of her knee, the girl stirred slightly, as if she were waking up.
He didn't stop, his tongue touching her skin again, but Yao Youqing, who was lying on the bed, suddenly woke up and kicked him in the face with a scream.
Wei Hong was caught off guard and was kicked right in the nose, crying out in pain as he fell to the ground.
Hearing the commotion, Yao Youqing quickly lifted the bed curtains and walked over barefoot, anxiously asking, "Your Highness, are you alright?"
Wei Hong covered his nose and waved his hand, saying, "It's nothing."
After saying that, he noticed that she wasn't wearing shoes, so he stood up despite the soreness in his nose and pulled her back to sit on the bed.
Yao Youqing looked at his face carefully and saw that apart from his nose being a little red, there was nothing else wrong, so she was relieved.
Wei Hong pinched the bridge of his nose, and after recovering, asked, "Why did you kick me just now? Were you having a nightmare?"
The girl shook her head: "No, I... I was half asleep, and I thought it was another toad jumping onto my foot."
Wei Hong: "..."
Chapter 121: Identity Revealed [First Update]
Behind the screen at the porridge stall, a masked man was carefully checking and transcribing accounts at a table. A mischievous child walked around the screen, grabbed a lump of mud when no one was looking, muttered "stinky mute" under his breath, and then threw the mud at the man.
A few days ago, when he was pulling the braids of the girl next door, this mute saw him. The deaf and mute thing kicked him in the butt, causing him to fall headfirst into a mud puddle and eat a mouthful of mud.
He complained to his parents that the mute girl was bullying him, but they didn't believe him at all. They even said that she was a servant of the princess and told him not to provoke her.
Unable to swallow this insult, the child took advantage of a moment when no one was looking and threw mud at the mute man.
Anyway, this person can't speak or hear. He threw it away from a distance and ran away. He didn't even know who threw it, so naturally he couldn't complain to the princess.
The child had a good plan. After throwing the mud, he hid behind the screen, but after standing there for a long time, he saw no movement at all.
Thinking he hadn't hit him, he peeked around cautiously, only to find that the person who had just been sitting there writing was gone.
The little boy looked bewildered, scratched his head, and turned back. The masked mute appeared right in front of him, suddenly moving closer and removing the mask to reveal a狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face covered in terrible scars, with bulging eyes and a snarling expression. The little boy screamed in terror, fell to the ground with a thud, and then scrambled to his feet, crying and running away.
Liancheng snorted coldly, put the mask back on, and returned behind the screen to continue transcribing the accounts.
A middle-aged man who often came to help came over with a pot of hot tea, poured him a cup of water, and then picked up an ink stick to grind ink with practiced ease. While grinding the ink, he asked, "Young master, are you not planning to leave yet? How long do you intend to stay here?"
Although his voice was still very soft, his tone was not as relaxed and casual as before, and it carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
He had previously advised the young master to leave, but the young master kept delaying. Having followed him for so long, he could tell that the young master wanted to wait for the Princess of Qin to return so he could see her one last time. After leaving Daliang this time, they might never return, and it would be difficult for him to see that woman who held a special place in his heart again.
But so what if this woman is special? She's already married, and to the King of Qin no less.
"You wouldn't be thinking of kidnapping Princess Qin to our Southern Yan, would you?"
He said in a low voice.
"Not to mention that the King of Qin lost and found his Queen Consort, whom he cherished like his own eyes, wishing he could stay by her side every step of the way."
"Even if you manage to find a loophole and take her away, given Princess Qin's personality, she would rather die than stay by your side."
He explained the pros and cons in one breath, leaving Liancheng no room for illusion.