Wen Mingyu’s mind went blank upon hearing this, and his entire person was bewildered.
When he received the news, his initial reaction was not one of joy but rather one of startling astonishment, accompanied by a surreal feeling that he was dreaming.Wasn’t it a false pregnancy?He always thought it was a false pregnancy.
Sitting beside him, Mu Zhan was even more shocked. He didn’t seem to believe it. “Diagnose carefully again. Don’t make any mistakes.”
The imperial physician was momentarily taken aback. After all, typically at this moment, a father would uncontrollably be overjoyed. However, it was also understandable. They had made a mistake years ago, and it was normal that His Majesty was cautious, not wanting to have anempty joyagain.
After examining his pulse in turn and carefully discussing the diagnosis, a number of physicians delivered the exact result—he was pregnant.
This matter could be said to be unmistakable.
Mu Zhan issued an order for the imperial physician to devise a plan to soothe the fetus and must guarantee the empress’s health and well-being. He waved his hand, letting them retire.
Only Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan remained in the hall.
Both of them tried to recall it. Three months ago, when was it? Didn’t they both were…eh.
“Dragon throne!”
Wen Mingyu abruptly yelled. That time, it was on the dragon throne! It just so happened to be his heat that time, and they were so eager to do it that they didn’t take any precautions at all. And During that period, the chance of getting pregnant was high, so they instantly hit the jackpot.
Mu Zhan’s expression didn’t change much, but there was a clear emotional uptick in his eyes. He was slightly chagrined. “It’s my fault.”
Wen Mingyu heard this and found it a little strange. “Why say it’s your fault? This is something between the two of us. I-I also…couldn’t control myself.”
He sounded a little guilty when he spoke, and his ears turned red.
Smiling, Mu Zhan pinched his ears.
Wen Mingyu dodged a bit but also went to pinch him. Mu Zhan didn’t evade and even hug his waist, making it easier for him to move.
Although the imperial physicians confirmed it, Wen Mingyu was still a little dazed. He was unable to accept this huge change at once. He subconsciously touched his belly.
“There really is a baby here then, ah. I don’t know if it’s a boy or girl.”
“Both are good.”
Whether they were a prince or a princess, they would be pampered and nurtured just the same.
Mu Zhan also placed his hand on Wen Mingyu’s belly through the clothes. He felt an inexplicable and subtle emotion stirring in his heart.
…Was he really going to be a father emperor?
Wen Mingyu and Mu Zhan exchanged glances and suddenly broke into a smile. Because this feeling was just too familiar, like deja vu—after all, they were falsely pregnant before, making thisreal onealmost feel like their second child—or perhaps even a third. Still, what happened in the past could also be regarded as an experience. They wouldn’t be panicked too much now, and in a way, it could be considered preparation.
The arrival of the baby, although somehow unexpected and outside of their short-term plan, they had already given it some thought and consideration after their crowning. So when it finally arrived, they were taken aback, but they also gradually came to terms with it and began making arrangements.
Wen Mingyu pondered for a while before shaking his head, saying, “No need. I’ve already adjusted to my work now. I can work efficiently, and the workload is not too demanding. I can manage.”
He paused for a moment, and fearing that Mu Zhan would still not feel at ease, added, “The imperial physician said that my pulse is stable, and we will regularly check the pulse hereon. If anything unusual happens, it’s not too late for me to take sick leave. I have only been working for three months now, and it will be unreasonable to take a long sick leave right away.”
Mu Zhan nodded, agreeing with his reasoning. He didn’t insist that he stay in Taiji Hall to nurture the baby, with the imperial heir as his priority. After all, while the child was theirs, they have only just learned about its existence and have not had any emotional bond yet. What he valued the most was Wen Mingyu, and his priority was naturally Wen Mingyu’s opinions and well-being.
“Always pay attention to your body and don’t push yourself too hard.”
Wen Mingyu flashed a smile and nodded. “Don’t worry, I know.”
But thinking about it, the little one in his belly was verily resilient. It arrived when he was busy with his duties at work, yet it was still well without any issues. The baby is very lucky.
Suddenly becoming pregnant, life had drastically changed, yet some aspects of life were still just as usual, with just a few additional things to pay attention to.
Wen Mingyu continued his ancient days’ version of work as usual.
Thankfully, the problem of morning sickness was not very serious. Wen Mingyu could suppress it by consuming something sour, and there was also a medicine for pregnancy prescribed by the imperial physician, which would ease the discomfort of the symptoms without interfering with his daily life.
Wen Mingyu sometimes touched his belly involuntarily, but other times it was the same as before; nothing seemed to have changed.
He worked calmly and seriously, not lagging behind in the slightest. Rather, his efficiency increased, which sparked Wei Chen’s competitive spirit and caused him to compete secretly.
During their break time, he nonchalantly picked up a green, sour fruit and bit into it, even munching with great pleasure. This caused Wei Chen to feel so sour that his teeth went soft just by looking at him. Wrinkling his face, he stared at Wen Mingyu as if he were staring at a nonhuman being.
The other colleagues admired him as well. After trying one, someone even shivered at its sharp tanginess.
Because of this, everyone branched out the topic to peculiar foods. Some they had tried, and others they had only read about in books. Those that smelled bad but tasted delicious; things that looked pitch-black yet were incredibly sweet; or dishes where you only sip the juice and discard the flesh…the variety of peculiarities was endless, and it seemed that Wen Mingyu’s fondness for sour fruits was very commonplace.
One colleague even confessed his love of stinky tofu, expressing that there was a strange fragrance hidden in the stinkiness, yet he could not resist eating it. He said that once you start eating it, you can’t stop. But since he had to go work in the palace, he couldn’t risk bringing the strange smell, so he could only indulge in his days off. He described it so vividly: crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside, with a rich fragrance intensified by chili and garlic sauce. It was so delicious that it made others swallow their tongues.
His sparkling eyes made the surrounding people crave and salivate. They even agreed to go try it together on their next day off.
Wen Mingyu observed as everyone huddled together, which was a far cry from their often solemn and serious demeanor; it felt so down-to-earth that he couldn’t help but picture in his mind the scene of a few officials standing in front of a street stall in their regular clothes, each holding a bowl of green and black stinky tofu and devouring it with gusto. He wanted to laugh. It was too cute.
Still, he couldn’t deny it. He also wanted to taste it too, ah! He hasn’t tried it before!
Wen Mingyu gulped down his saliva. He really wanted to eat it, but it was better to return first and ask the imperial physician if he could eat it. Wuu.
The group chatted for a little while before quickly going back to work.
Not long after that, Mu Zhan came over. The officials inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.Thank goodnessHis Majesty came at this time. If it had been earlier, they would have been caught slacking off.
The crowd bowed respectfully and waited for His Majesty to say the purpose of his visit.
But Mu Zhan wasn’t there for any work reason. He was simply there to check on Wen Mingyu’s condition. At the end of the day, he still didn’t feel at ease. Fortunately, Wen Mingyu was an official and was close by; he could find excuses to wander over.
Wen Mingyu himself was oblivious, though, and like others, thought Mu Zhan had some kind of decree to issue.
Mu Zhan’s eyes flashed with some helplessness.
Wei Chen was responsible for recording the Emperor’s daily activities. Whenever the emperor appeared, his gaze would involuntarily drift over to pay attention to what the emperor was doing.
Then he realized that His Majesty was looking at Editor Wen again, and he was glancing at him even more than before.
Wei Chen’s hand itched, wanting to pen everything down, but the empress wouldn’t allow it, and the emperor listened to the empress. It was frustrating.
Wei Chen pursed his lips and puffed up his little cheeks like a steamed bun, completely unaware of how childish he looked.
Because Mu Zhan wandered around from time to time, the Hanlin officials were under a lot of pressure, but their work efficiency skyrocketed. However, at the same time, the issue of hair loss had become more severe. There was a hair crisis.
At this time, at an angle not easily noticed by others, Wen Mingyu inclined his head and secretly dry-heaved, his face looking somewhat pale.
Mu Zhan suddenly said in a deep voice. “Wen Mingyu, come with this one.”
And just like that, he casually whisked the person away.
The others left behind couldn’t help but guess what the emperor was calling someone over for. It couldn’t be because of dissatisfaction? Wanted to punish Wen Mingyu? During this period together, everyone had some good impressions towards these outstanding newcomers who work hard and strive for progress. They didn’t want anything to happen to them.
But Wei Chen remained calm and unworried. “It’s fine.”
Their colleague asked, “How are you so sure?”
Wei Chen smugly declared. “Based on my brilliant deduction!”
The colleague: “…”
He took his words back. Not every newcomer was cute; this one was downright exasperating!
But none of them could have imagined that in reality, His Majesty had called the man over simply to let him rest openly and without disturbance.
Mu Zhan first let Wen Mingyu eat something to alleviate his nausea from morning sickness, making his stomach feel a little better. Since learning of his pregnancy, Mu Zhan had ordered to always have these things available so that Wen Mingyu could eat them anytime and anywhere.
Mu Zhan then placed his warm hand gently on Wen Mingyu’s belly and softly stroked it. He used the warmth of his palm to ease his discomfort.
During pregnancy, people would become drowsy.
Wen Mingyu originally wanted to help draft the imperial edict but ended up being pressed down by Mu Zhan on the long couch and ordered to sleep.
He was wrapped in Mu Zhan’s outer robe, which formed a simple nest around him. Wen Mingyu curled up and lay inside like a cooked shrimp. Surrounded by the familiar scent of wine, it brought him a sense of peace. It wasn’t long before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Mu Zhan gazed at him for a while, hooked up his long, flowing hair, and put it back on the couch before turning around to deal with state affairs. He even drafted a decree in Wen Mingyu’s handwriting, creating an excuse for him to stay here reasonably.
Wen Mingyu thought he would squint for a moment but did not expect that by the time he opened his eyes again, half an hour had already passed.
With a jolt, he climbed up from the long couch, his hands propped up on the soft mattress, his face looking dazed and confused, apparently not fully awake.
Mu Zhan heard the commotion and looked over, only to see Wen Mingyu clutching his robes tightly. His slightly disheveled hair draped over his shoulders and chest, his lapels slightly open. The fruity and wine scents blended together, becoming completely indistinguishable.
Mu Zhan got up and walked straight towards him as he asked in a warm voice, “Not sleeping anymore?”
Wen Mingyu sluggishly shook his head, but his body stiffened unnaturally, as if he didn’t dare to move.
Mu Zhan sensed something off, thinking he was unwell. He frowned. “What’s wrong? Where are you uncomfortable?”
In truth, it could not be entirely called uncomfortable, but rather a difficult and embarrassing situation. Just like his false pregnancy, his chest had become overly sensitive and unbearable of any contact. When he moved too abruptly just now, the fabric had brushed against him, leaving him feeling difficult and choosing not to dare move again.
Wen Mingyu whispered, “… I’m fine.”
With his expression, how could Mu Zhan possibly believe he was fine like this?. He walked up to the long couch and crouched down. He looked at Wen Mingyu from below. His gaze was so gentle it was almost unbelievable. No one could have expected seeing such an expression on the face of a tyrant.
In this lowered position, Mu Zhan seemed to cast aside his identity. He appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary person hoping for his lover to be honest with him.
Mu Zhan’s always icy voice softened, revealing a rare gentleness. “Don’t hide things from me, okay? I will worry.”
Mu Zhan’s lowered position required him to look up at Wen Mingyu. The start contrast made it seem as if Wen Mingyu was the one in control, but in reality, there was no way to escape from their position. There was no way to hide from Mu Zhan his embarrassed face.
Lowering or tilting his head was useless. Unless he turned his back, that would be too great a movement, and Wen Mingyu found it a little excessive.
Left with no choice, he opened his mouth to speak, but this kind of truth made it difficult to say it out loud. When he finally managed to get the words out, his voice unconsciously quieted down.
But Mu Zhan was close enough to hear it.
He froze for a moment, then suddenly understood. A trace of dark light flicked in his eyes.
His gaze dropped, and he was quiet for two seconds. Then Mu Zhan looked up, reached out, and took hold of Wen Mingyu’s hand. Slowly, one by one, he slid his fingers between Wen Mingyu’s, interlocking their fingers firmly. The two were so close; their hands seemed on the verge of touching lips.
His palms were burning hot, like a flame had been ignited, and a faint sheen of sweat appeared.
Mu Zhan gazed intently at him and whispered, “This is something I’ve learned about. Let me help you, okay?”
The voice was very gentle, as if afraid of scaring people away if they were not careful.
Wen Mingyu, having taken off his crown and black shoes to nap earlier, was now only wearing white socks on his feet. The socks had loosened as he slept and were hanging slightly off his ankles. After a messy sleep, at this time, hearing Mu Zhan’s words, he couldn’t control his toes from curling up unnoticeably.
His ears hidden between his hair also turned red, and he instinctively wanted to retreat and hide, but Mu Zhan tightly clasped his hand, as if he had already anticipated this response. He grabbed his hand while he was unguarded just now. The deep, dark eyes locked onto his, leaving him no room to retreat.
Wen Mingyu was stared at with such an intense gaze that his face flushed, turning a shade of crimson. He looked just like a small animal that had fallen into a trap. Trembling, helpless, and pitiful. But no matter how much the prey trembled, the hunter could never let him go. Rather, he only tightened his grip, holding the poor creature firmly in his palm.
ChiFu: Merry Christmas! Really terribly sorry for my long absence! I can’t depend on my laptop now that it’s unresponsive most of the days, or every day… anyway! I’m really excited for the new year! Because! Hopefully, with the very nice specs of a new laptop to start the year… TT