Yue Er was practically at a loss whether to cry or laugh.
"You went to get an Imperial Physician, how did you end up bumping into my Imperial Brother?"
"If you bumped into him, you bumped into him, but why tell him about my situation!"
"But for such a trivial matter, there’s really no need to make such a fuss, right?"
Shih Shaoling looked very serious.
"What, you think... this is a trivial matter?"
He was so nervous he could hardly bear it, okay?
Though they were still young, they’d been married for some time after all.
Their life as a couple was wonderful, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t looking forward to a family of three.
So... Shih Shaoling, now finally a father, was overwhelmed with excitement.
How could this be a small matter? This was bigger than the heavens!
Yue Er was a bit speechless and chuckled.
"Alright, alright, it’s a big deal, it’s a huge deal, are you satisfied now?"
Only then did Shih Shaoling breathe a sigh of relief.
"Then you rest for now, I have to go out for a bit!"
"What do you need to go do now?!"
Yue Er, holding her belly, suddenly became a bit sentimental.
Seeing her rare display of girlish coyness, Shih Shaoling’s heart softened, but...
He still rubbed her hair and smiled gently.
"There’s an important matter in the front courtyard that needs handling!"
"I’ll accompany you once it’s done, alright?"
Yue Er came to her senses, feeling a bit embarrassed about her sudden clinginess, and quickly nodded.
"Alright!"
...
Watching Shih Shaoling stride out the door, Yue Er finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She slumped onto the couch and couldn’t help but yawn.
"Ying Luo, I’m sleepy!"
Even though it was early morning, and she had just gotten up, she still felt tired.
Ying Luo looked a bit worried, but said.
"Then rest a while, and I’ll go to the kitchen to make sure they prepare some appetizers for you, so you can eat once you wake up!"
Lackluster, Yue Er nodded.
"Go on!"
Then she got into bed, rolled over, and fell asleep immediately.
Before sleeping, she still lamented in her heart.
No wonder she’d been feeling nauseous and tired lately.
She was really quite oblivious not to notice.
If her mother were around, who knows how much she would have nagged.
As for her Imperial Brother...
Would he still come?
Before she could figure it out, she fell asleep.
...
The moment Shih Shaoling left Yue Er’s place, his face darkened as if it could grind ink.
That Lv Zhaoliang really had a lion’s heart, daring to block the gate of the Princess’s Mansion, good!
He slightly narrowed his eyes, a hint of a cold smile like thousand-year-old ice tugged at his lips.
"I originally intended to let you off on behalf of the Fuguo Duke’s Mansion!"
"Didn’t expect you to be so ungrateful, don’t blame me then!"
In fact, he already noticed something was amiss when he went to get Yue Er an Imperial Physician.
But the situation was too urgent then, even if he noticed, he hadn’t the time to handle it, so he chose to play dumb.
He thought: If you leave before I return from the palace, I can overlook it.
But what angered him.
When he returned from the palace, he was still there, and had moved from the front courtyard to the back courtyard.
Apparently, having failed at the front, he intended to break in through the back.
How ridiculous, this was the Princess’s Mansion.
If Yue Er cried assassin, even if the Imperial Forest Army mistakenly killed a hundred people, no one would speak out against it.
Others would avoid it, but that fool dared to charge in recklessly.
Gnashing his teeth, Shih Shaoling strode quickly, passing through the garden in the backyard to the rear gate of the Princess’s Mansion.
That place was always heavily guarded, with idle people strictly not allowed near.
But these were Hidden Guards, they wouldn’t show themselves to frighten anyone unless they confirmed danger, which they would then handle.
Thus, on the surface, it looked like any ordinary mansion.
As Shih Shaoling reached the petite, delicately carved lacquer gate of the backyard, two Hidden Guards descended from above, kneeling before him.
"Prince Consort!" they said in hushed tones.
Shih Shaoling slightly nodded, also speaking softly a few instructions.
The two guards exchanged looks, nodded in understanding, and swiftly retreated.
Shih Shaoling personally opened the lacquer gate, took two steps out, and upon careful inspection, indeed saw someone hiding behind a tree by the roadside not far off.
His gaze suddenly turned cold.
"Truly unwilling to give up!"
He had always heard of Lv Zhaoliang’s past doings.
Overlooking them was merely for the sake of the bigger picture, to avoid tearing the matter too ugly.
But now that he had bullied his way into the Princess’s Mansion, one couldn’t blame him for being ruthless.