Путешествие безумки по династии Сун

Глава 118

Xingchen nodded and replied, "No problem. Even if she's nothing to you, I'll do whatever Xiaojie asks me to do."

Leng Jie smiled brightly at Xing Chen, then turned and called out towards the door:

"Qing'er! Come in quickly!"

Everyone looked towards the doorway, where a delicate, graceful figure entered. With light, lotus-like steps, she glided gracefully towards the desk. A charming smile remained on her face as she bowed slightly to the group and greeted them warmly:

"This servant greets Your Highness and the other officials!"

"No, don't call us 'sirs.' We're not much older than you." Xingyue immediately waved her hand, deliberately teasing, "Besides, you're my sister-in-law, I'm too busy trying to curry favor with you!" Then she turned to Yangtian and asked, "Right? Husband!"

“Yes! Sister Qing’er should call me Big Brother and her Sister-in-law.” Yang Tian would never disobey his wife.

Qing'er looked at Xiao Jie, a little bewildered. Xiao Jie smiled at her, took her hand, and said:

"Qing'er, didn't I tell you this already? I've always considered you my little sister. Tomorrow I'll take you back to the Prime Minister's residence to pay your respects to our parents. From now on, you'll be called Leng Qing'er."

Qing'er stared wide-eyed at Leng Jie in disbelief, and cried out in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty..."

"Call me 'sister'!" Leng Jie interrupted Qing'er and sternly ordered.

"Yes! Sister!" Qing'er exclaimed involuntarily.

"Oh! Good boy!" Leng Jie responded with a smile. She then pointed to Yang Tian and Xing Yue and instructed, "Call them Big Brother and Big Sister-in-law!"

"Hello, elder brother! Hello, elder sister-in-law!" Qing'er greeted obediently.

"Sigh! Sigh!" Yang Tian and Xing Yue replied at the same time. "I think we shouldn't wait until tomorrow. Let Qing'er come home with me to see her parents right away!"

Xingyue said somewhat impatiently. Ever since Madam Leng learned that Xiaojie was pregnant, she had been constantly nagging Xingyue to hurry up and give her a grandson to play with. Xingyue was worried about this. She thought that now that there was Qing'er in the family, her mother-in-law would definitely not focus all her energy on having a grandson.

She finally had a home again! And she had a father, a mother, and a loving older sister and brother and sister-in-law! Qing'er's eyes reddened, and tears of happiness and emotion welled up instantly. Leng Jie reached out and put her arm around Qing'er's slender shoulder, pulling her in front of Xing Chen and introducing her:

"Qing'er, this is Brother Duanmu."

"Hello, Brother Duanmu!" Qing'er called out in a clear voice. When she saw Xingchen's handsome face, a shy smile immediately appeared on her round face.

"Hmm!" Xingchen responded faintly.

Leng Jie continued, "Qing'er, from now on you will follow Brother Duanmu and diligently learn various skills from him. After my girls' school starts next year, you can come back and be their teacher."

"Yes, sister!" Qing'er smiled and bowed to Xingchen, saying, "Qing'er thanks Brother Duanmu. Please give me your guidance!"

"Miss Qing'er, you're too kind! You're Xiao Jie's sister, so you're my sister too."

"Alright! You two are going to be working together for a year, so stop dawdling like this!" Xingyue got up and pulled Qing'er to sit next to her.

After Qing'er sat down, she suddenly looked troubled and asked:

"Empress, if I leave with Brother Duanmu, what will happen to Sister Ling'er?"

“Isn’t my senior brother helping her with her treatment? She should be recovering quite well, right?” Leng Jie asked rhetorically. After a pause, she continued, “I met her father, General Ye, at the victory celebration yesterday. I heard that her heartless senior brother actually redeemed himself in this war, though he died in the final battle. I think her inner turmoil should be resolved by now. Once she’s fully recovered, I will personally take her home and explain to her family what happened in the palace back then.”

"Her spirits had been much better, but after she learned about her senior brother from Yuan Zheng, she became agitated and fell ill again," Qing'er said worriedly.

"Don't worry, Qing'er, with my senior brother helping her heal, she'll be fine. Besides, her heartache stems from her family; she can only resolve her inner conflict by returning to them. You should go and do your own things too," Leng Jie comforted Qing'er, holding her hand. Then she added:

"Alright, go and get ready. You'll be going home with your brother and sister-in-law to see our parents soon!"

"Okay! Then Qing'er will go first." Qing'er obediently bowed to the people sitting there and left.

"Xiao Jie, aren't you coming back with us? Your mother has been worrying about you every day, afraid that you haven't eaten well or dressed warmly enough," Xingyue asked as soon as Qing'er stepped out the door.

"Please tell my mother that she can come to the palace to stay anytime she misses me. I really don't have time to go out and see her right now," Leng Jie replied helplessly.

"What are you busy with? The affairs of the Dark Division are basically all handled by us now. The harem is empty now, and Eunuch Fu is in charge, so you don't need to worry about it at all!" Xingyue complained unconvinced.

"My dear brother, can't you control your wife? Don't forget I'm your own sister, and right now I'm a poor pregnant woman!"

“Xingyue, Xiaojie has been traveling all over the world these past few years, it’s time for her to rest for a while. Don’t complain. I’ll help you out more.” For the first time, Yang Tian sided with his sister. Leng Jie couldn’t help but wink at Xingyue.

Xingyue glared angrily at Yangtian, then called out to Xingchen in a coquettish tone:

"Brother, are you just going to stand by and watch those two siblings gang up on your sister?"

"Alright, Xingyue, stop fooling around. Xiaojie really shouldn't be overworking right now. When you're pregnant, I'll share your burden, okay?" Xingchen said with a smile, trying to soothe her.

"No, I'd rather do more!" Xingyue quickly waved her hand and replied.

"Wife! What are you saying? What do you mean by 'I'd rather do more work'?" Yang Tian asked dangerously.

"No, it's nothing. I just said it offhand," Xingyue replied hastily. She pulled Xiaojie's hand and stood up, saying, "Xiaojie, I have some private things to say to you. Let's go to your room and talk."

Then, regardless of whether Xiaojie agreed or not, he dragged her out of the study.

Leng Yangtian was left staring blankly at her retreating figure, his eyes wide. It wasn't until Xingchen stood up and patted his shoulder that he snapped out of his daze and asked:

"Brother, what did Xingyue mean by what she just said?"

Patting Yang Tian on the shoulder, Xing Chen said apologetically, "My mother left us because of a difficult childbirth, so childbirth has always been a shadow over Xing Yue. Yang Tian, please don't blame Xing Yue for this. I will try to persuade her."

"So that's how it is! No wonder Mother's face turns deathly pale every time she mentions children." Yang Tian sighed inwardly. He shook his head and said, "But why didn't she tell me? If she was afraid, I wouldn't have forced her to have children."

Xingchen suddenly looked up, staring at Yangtian in astonishment. He was the only son of the Leng family; he wasn't going to force Xingyue to have a child. Did he intend to find someone else to have one with?

Seeing Xingchen's confusion, Yangtian smiled and explained:

"Brother, don't be so surprised. Although I am the only son in our Leng family, we still have Xiao Jie, don't we? Besides, Xiao Jie is now pregnant, so the Leng family bloodline continues."

"You won't find another woman to have a child with? Will your parents agree?" Xingchen asked incredulously.

“If you come to our house and see my parents’ relationship, you’ll understand. They’re not the kind of people who would force their daughter-in-law for the sake of their grandson,” Yang Tian said with a smile.

“I know your family members are all very nice. I can see that from Xiaojie,” Xingchen said sincerely.

"Why don't you come back with us to meet my parents later, brother? Xinyue and I have been married for over a year, and we haven't invited you and your father to our home to meet us. This has always been a thorn in Xingyue's side!" Yang Tian took the opportunity to invite her.

“Okay! I should also go and visit my uncle and aunt.” Xingchen readily agreed.

——————————————————

"Xiao Jie, you have to help me this time," Xingyue pleaded as soon as she entered the room.

"I've been helping you for over a year, what more do you want?" Leng Jie asked casually.

Xingyue peeked out the door to make sure Yangtian hadn't followed her. Only then did she close the door and blurt out urgently, in a rapid-fire manner:

"You don't know, these past few days, Mother has been constantly talking about having a child. Yesterday, she even asked me to give Yangtian some tonic, saying she was worried he might have kidney problems."

"Pfft!" Leng Jie couldn't help but laugh. She never expected her parents to be so funny. One was teaching her son-in-law how to serve his daughter, and the other was teaching his daughter-in-law how to deal with her son.

Xingyue thought Xiaojie was laughing at her, and shook her hand in protest, saying:

"Don't laugh. You have no idea, I almost fainted from fright. What if Mom and Yangtian found out I've been taking birth control pills? Would they be angry? Xiaojie, sister, you're so smart, think of something for me!"

"What can I do? Why don't you just have a child for my brother? Tell me, what woman doesn't want to have children? I really don't understand what you're afraid of," Leng Jie said with a helpless sigh, shaking her head.

"I don't want to have children, I just won't. I don't care, if you don't come up with a solution for me, I'll tell Mom and Yangtian about the contraceptive methods you taught me." Xingyue started to act spoiled.

“Go ahead and tell them! I already have one anyway. Let’s see if they believe you.” Leng Jie smiled, unfazed by the threat. She paused, then asked casually:

"If you tell me why you don't want to have children, perhaps I can help you."

Upon hearing that Xiaojie wanted to help, Xingyue blurted out:

"That's just how scared I am! My mother died because of a difficult childbirth."

"You're not going to have children because of this?" Leng Jie asked, staring at her in astonishment.

"I don't want my child to be born without a mother's love!" Xingyue replied earnestly.

“If that’s the case, then you can rest assured.” Leng Jie assured him, half-laughing and half-crying, “With me here, I guarantee you’ll have a smooth delivery.”

"You guarantee it?" Xingyue seemed surprised that Xiaojie would speak so confidently, and asked in a daze.

Leng Jie nodded affirmatively in response:

"I promise! Don't forget I'm the junior sister of the Divine Healer. If I couldn't even perform birth rebirth, I would have been expelled from the sect by my master long ago."

Xingyue was somewhat tempted; in fact, she also longed to have a child with Yangtian. However, the thought of a child being born without a mother made her afraid to think about it further. She looked at Xiaojie with confusion, wondering whether she should trust her.

“Don’t worry, childbirth isn’t as scary as you think. Look at my mother, she gave birth to my brother and me and she was fine, wasn’t she? And I’m going to give birth in a few months too! To be honest, when I gave you the birth control prescription, it was entirely because you were still young and not ready for childbirth. But now you’re an adult, you can have children without any worries.” Leng Jie patiently comforted her, “Besides, a woman who doesn’t have children will always have some regrets in her life. After all, a child is the crystallization of two people’s love!”

"The fruit of love?" Xingyue repeatedly savored Xiaojie's words. Suddenly, her confused gaze cleared.

Leng Jie knew she had figured it out, and held her hand, saying:

"Don't rush to conclusions. Regardless of your final decision, you have to stop taking that medication. Because taking too much of it is harmful to your health. Haven't you heard that every medicine has some degree of toxicity? If you want to use contraception in the future, you'll have to use the other methods I've taught you."

Seeing Xingyue's emotions soften little by little, Leng Jie couldn't help but think to herself, "Brother, don't forget my contribution when you have a child!"

——————————————————

After seeing Yang Tian, Xing Yue, Xing Chen, and Qing'er off, Leng Jie hurried to the Imperial Study to meet Xuan Yuan as agreed. As soon as she arrived at the entrance, her keen senses alerted her to something amiss. The guards who had knelt and shouted "Long live the Empress!" the previous two days were now merely bowing. She smiled and nodded to them as usual, but quickened her pace, practically rushing into the Imperial Study. Just as she entered, she overheard Eunuch Fu anxiously asking:

"Your Majesty, are all the servants in the palace really going to be dismissed?"

"What happened?" Leng Jie asked.

"Xiao Jie! Slow down!" Xuan Yuan suddenly looked up at the door, flew over to meet her, and reached out to support Xiao Jie, reminding her with concern.

Xiao Jie shook her head and sighed:

"Please! I'm just pregnant, not some seventy or eighty-year-old. Do you have to be so nervous?"

"Of course we should be nervous! The heir to Jinghe is living inside your belly!" Eunuch Fu replied on behalf of his master.

Leng Jieyou looked up at Xuanyuan and asked in confusion, "What's going on? What crown prince? The child isn't even formed yet. We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl, or if it's intelligent or stupid. How did this get brought up with the crown prince?"

"Your Majesty! His Majesty announced several imperial edicts at the morning court session today..." Eunuch Fu recounted the entire event from beginning to end.

Xuanyuan watched Xiaojie's expression intently. He noticed that apart from a slight furrowing of her brow when the topic of children came up, Xiaojie seemed to agree with everything else. Especially when the topic of abolishing the kneeling ceremony came up, a satisfied smile clearly appeared on her lips. Seeing that smile, Xuanyuan felt extremely pleased.

"Thank you, Xuanyuan! But in the future, if something like this happens, could you please let me know beforehand so I can be mentally prepared?" Xiaojie said emotionally, leaning happily against Xuanyuan.

Gently stroking Xiao Jie's hair, which was casually draped over her back, Xuan Yuan replied tenderly:

"Alright! From now on, I'll discuss everything with my wife before making any decisions."

"Yes, I know you're afraid they'll use the threat of having children to force you to take a concubine. But don't worry, as long as you're unwilling, they won't be able to get past me." Leng Jie looked up at Xuan Yuan's phoenix eyes and said earnestly:

"As for the matter of the crown prince, let's not mention it again. I don't want our child to bear such a heavy burden before he's even born. Let's wait until he grows up and see what he wants. It would be best if he's willing to inherit your responsibilities, but if not, we can't force him. Didn't the Imperial Uncle already take the Crown Prince's two children away for education? If our children are like you and don't like these responsibilities, then when Yi'er comes of age, you can pass the throne to him. Then our family can go to Wuyou Valley and live a carefree life!"

"Xiao Jie!" Seeing the longing in Xiao Jie's eyes, Xuan Yuan excitedly hugged his wife tightly. Wasn't that the future he had always dreamed of?

"What happened when Eunuch Fu said to dismiss the palace servants?" Xiao Jie turned around and asked Eunuch Fu.