Chapter 83 – The daily life of my family of three.
Zhao Qi, who had previously agonized over names for the little fairy, had to come up with a new name for the little fairy boy. He browsed through various books, seeking inspiration from poetry and songs, and scribbled down every name he could think of in his clumsy handwriting.
That night, the family of three was enjoying a harmonious moment together. Xiao Shiqing was reviewing documents; Mengmeng lay in the cradle, stretching his chubby hands in an effort to grab his father’s dangling long hair; Zhao Qi stood beside the cradle, muttering, “Mengmeng, what kind of name should your father give you? Do you want something more imposing or something more elegant?”
Xiao Shiqing interjected, “Whether it’s imposing or elegant, it’s all fine.”
Zhao Qi grinned and said, “An imposing name could be ‘Aotian’ or ‘Ritian,’ while an elegant one could be ‘Zihao’ or ‘Zixuan.'”
Knowing Zhao Qi was joking, Xiao Shiqing nodded along, “Good names.”
“Hahaha, that won’t do,” Zhao Qi laughed first, “If we really named him ‘Aotian,’ I’d definitely end up laughing during the official ceremonies.” What if calling his son made him laugh out loud, eventually turning into ‘Aotian Swan’?
“Yah—” Mengmeng cooed and wiggled his hands and feet energetically.
Zhao Qi found it amusing, holding Mengmeng’s thick little feet and gently squeezing them. Mengmeng, probably tickled, twisted around in the cradle, shoving his tiny fists into his toothless mouth.
“You shouldn’t suck your thumb, Mengmeng.” Zhao Qi took his son’s hand out and gently rubbed his forehead with his nose.
Xiao Shiqing closed the documents and hugged Zhao Qi from behind, both of them looking down at the child. “Has he grown tired of playing?”
Zhao Qi replied confidently, “If having children isn’t about playing, then it would be meaningless.”
“I’m not saying you can’t play,” Xiao Shiqing said casually, “Just a reminder that he isn’t the only one you can play with.”
Zhao Qi glanced at Xiao Shiqing and said quietly, “Forget it, we don’t even know who will end up playing with whom.”
Xiao Shiqing smiled, “The Emperor seems quite self-aware.”
Zhao Qi was proud, “That’s my greatest strength.”
While they were talking, Mengmeng had quieted down, gazing at his parents with his deep, dark eyes. His eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, much like Xiao Shiqing’s. He was still too small to tell who he looked like apart from his eyes, though his skin was as fair as Zhao Qi’s.
“He’s been awake for a while,” Zhao Qi said, “Why isn’t he sleeping yet?”
Xiao Shiqing responded, “He had already slept for six hours before he woke up.”
“Children just eat and sleep, sleep and eat,” Zhao Qi said, cradling Mengmeng in his arms and gently patting him, “Mengmeng, go to sleep quickly. You can get a good rest now, but in the future, you’ll have to wake up with the rooster, and even when the dogs are asleep, you won’t be able to sleep. You’ll be like an old ox dragging the country along…”
Xiao Shiqing chuckled, “Although princes should be carefully educated, it’s not as bad as you say.”
“Can Mengmeng wake up later than the rooster?”
“Occasionally.”
It was indeed quite harsh, but Zhao Qi couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother, don’t be too strict. Otherwise, when we’re old and catch a slight cold or something, and Mengmeng unhesitatingly lets the doctor give up on treatment, we’d have nowhere to cry.”
“…” Even Xiao Shiqing was sometimes very curious about where Zhao Qi learned such strange ideas.
As Zhao Qi coaxed Mengmeng to sleep, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration. “It is said that a child’s name reflects their parents’ expectations for them. My expectation is for Mengmeng to be able to sleep in naturally. How about naming him ‘Zhao Shui’ or ‘Zhao Jue’? What do you think, Brother?”
Xiao Shiqing was silent for a moment before saying, “Why not ‘Zhao Mian’?”
“Zhao… Mian?” Zhao Qi exclaimed, “That’s a good one!”
Thus, Mengmeng’s full name was decided rather “rashly” and entered the royal family’s genealogy.
Zhao Qi had been lying in bed for nearly half a month, receiving meticulous care. His vitality had recovered by about seventy to eighty percent, but he had not yet adjusted his habit of feeling his stomach. He would still subconsciously reach down to touch it, only to remember he no longer had a large belly.
One day, while Mei Dai was coming to check his pulse, Xiao Shiqing was meeting with Xu Qiu. Zhao Qi seized the opportunity and subtly asked, “I’ve recently been feeling a vague pain in my chest. Is this normal?”
“Pain?” Mei Dai asked. “May I ask Your Majesty what kind of pain you’re experiencing?”
Zhao Qi covered his face with his hand and said weakly, “It feels like something is about to come out.”
“Something?”
Zhao Qi grew angry and slammed the table. “Are you a divine doctor, or am I? How can I know what it is if it hasn’t come out yet!”
Mei Dai quickly knelt and said, “Your Majesty, calm down. This humble one has never encountered such a situation while assisting with childbirth for men, so I dared to ask.”
Zhao Qi felt a glimmer of hope. “Oh? Others don’t have this problem? Are you sure?”
Mei Dai nodded.
Zhao Qi let out a heavy sigh of relief. It was fortunate that the situation he feared wouldn’t happen; otherwise, he might not be able to be a man again in the future.
— Wait a minute.
Zhao Qi scrutinized Mei Dai suspiciously and said sternly, “Tell me, are you Mei Dai or Mei Chuan!”
Mei Dai was taken aback. “Your Majesty?”
Zhao Qi grabbed Mei Dai by the collar, fuming, “You’re Mei Chuan, aren’t you? You’re trying to deceive me again, making me let down my guard so that when I’m caught off guard… well, you can succeed in your prank. Do you think I’ll fall for it again? Naive!”
Mei Dai looked bewildered. “No, Your Majesty, I am really Mei Dai!”
The two brothers looked almost identical, so who would believe otherwise? “Prove it to me!”
Mei Dai looked like he wanted to cry but couldn’t. “How, how should I prove it… Your Majesty, my elder brother is currently drying medicine in the pharmacy, and there are guards watching him all the time. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may summon him to see for yourself.”
Zhao Qi stared into Mei Dai’s eyes and, seeing that he didn’t seem to be lying, decided to believe him for now. It seemed that the discomfort in his chest was also a psychological factor. Tsk, all because of Xiao Shiqing, bringing up this topic for no reason and making him almost develop a “phantom limb.”
Zhao Qi snorted. “Don’t blame me for being fierce; it’s your brother who’s too detestable. I have to be on guard.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Mei Dai said helplessly, “Your Majesty is not fierce at all. It’s all my elder brother’s fault.”
Looking at Mei Dai’s face, Zhao Qi suddenly remembered why he always thought Mengmeng was a princess. Besides deceiving him about the delivery, Mei Chuan had also claimed he had supernatural abilities, able to tell the baby’s gender just by looking at the pregnant belly. He was adamant that Zhao Qi was expecting a daughter. At that time, Zhao Qi was contemplating aborting the child, feeling very disturbed, and inexplicably misled by this quack doctor, who then successfully misled others as well.
This memory made Mei Chuan’s life, which was already in danger, even worse. Zhao Qi clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, “Good, very good. I will make him suffer a fate worse than death!”
Mei Dai opened his mouth but wisely chose to remain silent.
Zhao Qi thought about his son’s name and then began considering a hundred ways to make Mei Chuan suffer. When Xiao Shiqing learned about this, he suggested, “Just kill him.”
“There’s no need for that,” Zhao Qi said. “His crimes don’t warrant death, and I don’t need his head. What I want is his dignity as a man!”
Xiao Shiqing casually said, “Then castrate him.”
Zhao Qi felt inferior. “… You’re even more ruthless than my brother.”
Xiao Shiqing smiled, “If you want to repay him in kind, I have a method.”
Soon after, Xiao Shiqing, on the pretext of celebrating the safety of the emperor and prince, generously rewarded everyone. All the palace maids, eunuchs, and doctors who served Zhao Qi received rewards, including Mei Chuan—Xiao Shiqing gifted him a beauty from the Eastern Isles.
The beauty was as stunning as a celestial being, gentle and lovely, with a smile that could topple cities and kingdoms. Even heroes were no match for her charm, and Mei Chuan quickly immersed himself in the bliss of her company.
On a dark and windy night, Mei Chuan finally decided to indulge in the beauty. The atmosphere was filled with tenderness, and everything seemed perfect. Just as Mei Chuan was about to begin, the beauty in his arms suddenly turned into a cold-faced, bleeding… Fu Zi.
After a scream, Mei Chuan withered, and he did not recover for the next two years. Even his skilled brother could do nothing to help.
Zhao Qi felt immensely satisfied with the revenge, laughing and rolling on the bed. Afterward, he went to Xiao Shiqing, embracing him affectionately. “Brother, you’re so wicked!”
“Do you like it?”
“Yes,” Zhao Qi said, kissing Xiao Shiqing on the face. “I like you for ten thousand years.”
After the kiss, Zhao Qi tried to leave but was pulled back into Xiao Shiqing’s embrace.
“Your Majesty kissed the wrong place,” Xiao Shiqing said, placing his index finger on his lips. “Kiss here.”
Zhao Qi generously leaned in and gave him a peck. Initially intending to keep it light, Xiao Shiqing supported the back of his head and deepened the kiss.
Though they had already had a child, Zhao Qi’s limited experience was not much better than a novice’s. While kissing and hugging was fine, he was completely overwhelmed when Xiao Shiqing became intimate with him in an adult way.
He had never been good at breathing during prolonged kisses and soon found himself short of breath, collapsing onto the soft bed.
With his wrists held above his head and surrounded by familiar masculine scents, Zhao Qi didn’t know how long Xiao Shiqing kissed him. When their lips parted, his eyes were dazed, and Xiao Shiqing’s breath was also ragged, with his deep eyes showing unmasked desire.
Zhao Qi blushed and called out, “Brother?”
Xiao Shiqing covered Zhao Qi’s eyes with his hand. “Don’t look at me.”
“Eh?”
“Keep looking, and I won’t be able to hold back.”
“…” Zhao Qi, being a man himself, naturally understood what Xiao Shiqing was struggling with. To be honest, he wasn’t completely opposed to it. When he was still a straight man, he might have had psychological barriers about this matter, but now that he was more open-minded, he looked forward to more intimate contact with Xiao Shiqing and doing happy things together.
Zhao Qi tentatively said, “Then don’t hold back.”
Xiao Shiqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and his gaze grew deeper, almost drowning Zhao Qi in its intensity.
Not receiving a response, Zhao Qi anxiously urged, “Doesn’t Brother want it?”
Of course, he wanted it. As long as he was with Zhao Qi, he was always thinking about it.
Xiao Shiqing smiled slightly, “Does Your Majesty want it?”
Zhao Qi nodded.
“It seems Your Majesty has developed a taste for it.”
Zhao Qi protested, “Brother!”
“Even if you want it, you have to endure,” Xiao Shiqing said with a light laugh. “You’ve just had a child.”
Zhao Qi knew Xiao Shiqing was doing it for his own good, but he still felt a little disappointed. “… As expected of Brother, you really can endure.”
Xiao Shiqing said slowly, “Enduring now, you can make it up to me later.”
When Mengmeng was about to turn one month old, Zhao Qi moved back to the palace from Xuchun Garden. It had been over half a year since his southern tour and departure from the palace. The palace was still much the same, though there were some minor changes. For example, the peach blossom forest that had once been in full bloom was now a bare expanse, and the palace that used to be inhabited was now empty.
Xiao Shiqing was planning a grand celebration for the prince’s full month and had specifically summoned the Minister of Rites to handle the arrangements.
After returning from the southern tour, the emperor fell ill and stayed in Xuchun Garden to recover. When he finally returned to the palace, there was a new little prince. The officials were dumbfounded. Despite their confusion, they dared not speak up or ask questions; they could only shamelessly congratulate the emperor on the birth of the prince.
The Minister of Rites said, “Your Majesty, according to the rites of Dajing, when the prince turns one month old, you and the Empress should personally go to the ancestral temple and light the eternal lamp for the prince.”
Zhao Qi replied, “But I don’t have an Empress.”
“If the legitimate Empress is absent, the prince’s biological mother can take her place,” the Minister of Rites said cautiously. “May I ask, will the prince’s biological mother be present?”
Zhao Qi looked at Xiao Shiqing with meaningful eyes and asked, “What does the Prime Minister think? Can the little prince’s mother attend?”
Xiao Shiqing smiled and replied, “She can.”
T/N: There is plenty more where that came from, so stay tuned! And stay healthy! Straighten your posture, so some stretches and drink some water before continuing hehe~
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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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