Chapter 1416 - 769: Becoming a Mother (Double Release 2-in-1)

Once New Year's Eve had passed, heaven and earth greeted a brand‑new festive air.

At the first faint gleam of dawn, Dragon Tail City shed its old face and donned a bustling, prosperous one.

Along long streets and short alleys, every household had pasted fresh peach charms and bright spring couplets over their door lintels; incense curled from within, drifting straight up toward the sky, praying for abundance and peace in the new year. On the main avenue, passersby stepped over the shredded paper left by spent firecrackers, exchanging "may you prosper" as they went. Even when a scuffle flared up on the road, bystanders hurried to intervene—on such a big holiday, what a bad thing it would be to let it escalate.

Of all the new year's scenes, the first day of the year was the most saturated with festivity.

Set high in the city, overlooking the whole of Dragon Tail, the Annan Royal Mansion too was magnificent today. Its gates stood wide, the fresh vermilion lacquer gleaming brilliantly in the sunlight; the plaque hanging over the entrance had been carefully polished; red silk and colorful lanterns were hung densely in rows under the eaves. Servants and maids of the inner and outer courtyards had changed early into new clothes; novelty of the festival lit every face as they moved briskly about their duties—sweeping and dusting, changing furnishings, preparing banquets… all was in meticulous order.

Before the hour of Chen, high officials, military generals, and Qin Family clan members had already arrived to pay New Year calls. Qin Qingluo, dressed today in a season‑appropriate dark red auspicious robe, received guests in the main hall, accepting their congratulations and occasionally replying with a few brief words. She held herself with austere authority; every move still that of the Prince of Annan who ruled the Southern Border.

Only on closer look could one see that her brows were more weighted than usual, a trace of weariness in her eyes, as if she had not slept soundly the previous night.

Once matters of business were handled, she dismissed the attendants and stood alone before the study window, watching the busy servants in the courtyard and listening to the faint clamor coming from the direction of the city walls. She did not move for a long time. Maids cautiously brought in freshly brewed tea and several delicate pastries; she barely wetted her lips before waving for them to be taken away.

What had happened last night, ordinary people had no way of knowing…

"Qin Qingluo, I'll spend ten years helping you become emperor, in exchange for you swallowing your anger and humiliation today."

The words still echoed by her ears. That person was skilled at playing on people's hearts, knew her aspirations, and knew her temperament even better.

Hands folded behind her back, alone, she stood there for a long time as if recalling something, then murmured to herself:

"One who bears the filth of the state is called the lord of the altars and soil. One who bears the nation's ill‑omen is king under heaven."

...…

Yin Weiyin had not rested the previous night. Cultivators have no need, as ordinary folk do, to sink into dreams and deep sleep. They say, when qi is full one feels no hunger; when spirit is full one feels no need for sleep. Even with days of sleepless practice, one's vigor remains as usual; thus when the night grows quiet, it is often the time for meditation and seeking the Dao.

All the more so when there is a joyful matter such as Little Miss being with child—how could she possibly sleep?

All the way from Dragon and Tiger into the Southern Border, although Chen Yi was utterly steeped in himself, Miss Lin had, after all, shared in the dew and rain. And with his insatiable nature, even if it was only dew and rain, for Little Miss's body it was more than enough. So many days had passed and she herself had not taught this young lady any Immortal Techniques, yet still there had been no sign of pregnancy. She had even thought he was like some Pixiu with a mouth and no anus, where everything went in but nothing came out.

"Before, I even thought her belly wasn't doing its part."

Yin Weiyin faced the morning light, lightly rolling up her sleeves, talking to herself.

Now it seemed, it was doing its part after all.

Don't give her anything openly; secretly, reward her with something.

As for now—the time was about right; she ought to go take a look.

Yin Weiyin had not hurried to see her last night, not because she didn't want to confirm it, but because of Chen Yi. He was now far too wary of her, suspicious at the slightest breeze or stirring. More importantly, Little Miss's pregnancy was not only within her expectations; it could even be said that from the moment she brought Little Miss to Dragon and Tiger Mountain, this was what she had been engineering. A snake in the grass, ash on the line, the pulse buried a thousand li away—today it had come to fruition.

Yin Weiyin rose and went to the courtyard where Lin Wanxiao lived to visit. Crossing the long, continuous covered walkways, she reached the outer edge of the yard.

Xiuhe was carefully watching the medicine pot over the brazier in the outer room. Seeing someone approach, she hurriedly stood. Yin Weiyin waved a hand, indicating there was no need to come greet her. Xiuhe hesitated a little, but did not obstruct her—she only turned back inside to call Lin Wanxiao.

"…Let her come in…"

Even without Lin Wanxiao's words, Yin Weiyin had already pushed the door open, passing Xiuhe and going straight into the bedchamber.

Lin Wanxiao was still lying on the couch. Her complexion was somewhat better than last night's, though still a bit pale. Yin Weiyin gazed at her for a moment; Little Miss herself hesitated for a moment, wanting to speak but stopping.

"Not going to call me Sister Yin?" The female crown said with a hint of a smile.

"You…" Lin Wanxiao forced out a single word. She wanted to say the female crown was pressing her too hard, yet didn't know how to continue. Her heart was in a tangled mess.

After a long pause, she turned her face aside and said, "It's you who got me into this state…"

"Heh. Your legs grow on your own body. If you'd truly wanted to die of old age in Cui Mansion, I couldn't have taken you away."

There was no need to argue too much with this young lady. Yin Weiyin then said:

"If that makes you feel better, then blame me more."

There was no apology in the words; rather, they carried a certain bullying arrogance.

Only Lin Wanxiao no longer had the energy to dig deeper. After she struggled up and sat leaning against the headboard, she lowered her head; her eyes were somewhat dazed and unfocused.

"How is your mood?"

Yin Weiyin asked as she slowly approached.

"…Good? Is this even something that counts as good?" Lin Wanxiao shook her head. She picked up the embroidery she had shown Chen Yi last night and stared at that lopsided orchid. "I don't know."

As the words fell on her ears, Yin Weiyin smiled, feeling that everything was within her grasp…

"Let me take a look for you."

Lin Wanxiao responded with a soft "mm," her gaze still resting on that orchid. She could no longer clearly remember what she had said last night; she only remembered that he had been just as hard and unyielding as ever, devoid of human warmth—that even a mis‑stitched flower he insisted on keeping by his side. The more she thought on it, the more lost she felt.

Yin Weiyin came to the side of the couch, cast a glance at Little Miss's chest that at a glance looked like it would make life hard for the child, then placed three fingers on her wrist.

"Indeed… you are with child."

"…Mm."

Lin Wanxiao set down her handkerchief, her gaze dropping to her abdomen. Only now, belatedly, did she feel a kind of strangeness—someone like her, actually carrying his child…

Yin Weiyin gently began to stroke Lin Wanxiao's belly, as though she could already feel the life within. Her eyes held a restrained excitement.

Lin Wanxiao's gaze was distant, as if something precious had been lost.

"…I'm going to be a mother." "I'm going to be a mother!"

The two women almost spoke in unison.

Lin Wanxiao fell silent for a moment, then quickly raised her head and glanced at Yin Weiyin, shocked, shy, and angry all at once.

The female crown slightly furrowed her brows, lifted her eyes to look back, and said calmly:

"In the coming days, you must rest and nourish yourself well."

"…What did you just say?"

"I told you to rest and nourish yourself."

"I mean what you said before that." Lin Wanxiao's originally pale face flushed with a trace of irritated red. "That's not yours—what kind of mother are you supposed to be?"

Yin Weiyin arched her brows; she hadn't expected the usually demure little lady to react like this. So even a rabbit, once cornered, will bite.

Lin Wanxiao's chest rose and fell. Since she'd risen that morning she'd been ill at ease, unsettled on her seat. She did not know how to face him, how to face herself, or this tiny life in her belly. Yet after Yin Weiyin said that sentence, the heart that had been vague and uncomprehending about the life she carried suddenly gave a heavy thump. In that instant she realized with absolute clarity: this was her own flesh and blood…

Seeing this, Yin Weiyin smiled faintly, withdrew her hand from Lin Wanxiao's abdomen, and said coolly: "Don't be unreasonable. Even if the child is merely passed on to my knee, I will still be this child's legitimate mother."

Lin Wanxiao faltered, her fingertips trembling. After so many years of widowhood, and always being at odds with Chen Yi, she had almost forgotten this point.

Being a concubine at least came with a formal status. Yet now, by Chen Yi's side, she was utterly nameless and without position, nothing more than an outside mistress.

Children born to a mistress could not inherit the family property, could not be entered into the clan genealogy, could not be included in ancestral temple rites. Their status was only slightly higher than that of slaves. Only when passed under the legitimate mother's knee could they be regarded as members of the family.

For a moment Lin Wanxiao didn't even think about what property Chen Yi actually had that could be inherited, whether there was a genealogy, whether there was an ancestral temple. Only the rites she had once studied surfaced in her mind.

Yin Weiyin gathered her sleeves and said nothing, merely watched her with a faint smile.

No one knew how long had passed; after quite a while, the little lady's lips trembled slightly, and she murmured in a low voice:

"Sister Yin… just now, just now it was… it was a moment's temper on my part, don't… don't take it to heart…"

A subtle light came into the female crown's eyes; Lin Wanxiao had, after all, lowered her head.

If she couldn't get Chen Yi to heel, she could certainly manage this little lady.

This little lady was indeed a woman of the deep boudoir, with hardly any understanding of Chen Yi. Now, although Chen Yi was living together with Lin Wanxiao in the Prince Mansion, even under the same roof there was not much real communication.

Yin Weiyin could see that clearly; otherwise why would he have gone scurrying off to find her?

Thinking of this, Yin Weiyin magnanimously said: "I won't hold it against you. I merely meant to give you a slight reminder. You and I usually treat each other as sisters and speak frankly. I have never regarded you as some nameless, positionless outside mistress. Besides, we Taoists do not distinguish honor from lowliness. For now, you must focus on resting well. Even if I am the legitimate mother, you are the birth mother. Don't brood too much."

Heaven did not necessarily answer to human wishes. Though she was ninety percent certain, perhaps this child would not really be passed under her knee. Even so, she still first tucked that title of legitimate mother into her bosom, treating it as an amulet.

"...Mm."

Yin Weiyin thought for a moment more, then added:

"If he comes to see you, don't say that I was here."

"Mm."

Lin Wanxiao answered somewhat wearily, then slowly reclined back from her propped-up position against the couch, her fingertips rubbing at the unfinished embroidery, lost in thoughts unknown.

......

The night had passed. On the morning of the first day of the New Year, the Prince Mansion was once again busy from top to bottom, but there was not much that Chen Yi himself had to do.

His current identity was still that of the mansion's concubine; many affairs did not require him to show his face. And too much had happened the previous night—only now could he finally breathe out.

Last night… he had somewhat soothed Qin Qingluo.

Rather than soothing, it was half coercion, half consolation. Chen Yi recalled the details of the previous night.

He had originally wanted to spend more time with the Prince and Princess before leaving Western Jin, but now that he looked, those in greatest need of his company were not them, but instead the long-neglected Lin Wanxiao.

So after breakfast, Chen Yi returned to the courtyard.

After Yin Weiyin left, Lin Wanxiao had gone back to sleep. Her complexion was better than the night before, but still pale.

He sat at the bedside and looked at her for a while, tucked the corner of her quilt, then took up from beside her pillow the handkerchief embroidered with orchids she had shown him the previous night. He carefully examined those somewhat "mistakenly embroidered" orchids, stroked the silk threads with his fingertips, fell silent for a moment, then gently put it back.

Xiuhe entered carrying medicinal broth. Chen Yi told her to set it outside so it would not fumigate Lin Wanxiao, and he went out as well, asking a few questions about when Lin Wanxiao had gone to sleep the previous night.

Xiuhe gave a rough account, then said worriedly: "Master, please don't agitate her. Madam was doing perfectly well back in the Capital City. She first went to Dragon and Tiger Mountain with Immortal Lady Yin, then came to the Southern Border. It's not been easy for Madam."

Chen Yi nodded slightly. Speaking of it, if not for Yin Weiyin, Lin Wanxiao would not have gone to Dragon and Tiger Mountain, still less come to the Southern Border. With her naturally jealous temperament, he had no idea what she'd been thinking.

Still, he was in fact somewhat obliged and grateful. If not for Yin Weiyin, he might have waited until after returning to the Capital City before going to see that little lady. As for whether to take her away or not, he would certainly have just taken her regardless and only thought about the rest later. Yet by then Lin Wanxiao would surely have been even more neglected than she was today.

After all, before this little lady was pregnant, he had hardly spared her any concern.

To speak of it, back when there were no children, he had vaguely wanted one, had imagined scenes of a family of three with the Little Fox. But the Little Fox had been fortunate earlier and never got pregnant; later she learned to cultivate like Yin Weiyin, and could likewise dissolve the essence, becoming glazed and Pure. As for Min Ning, Consort Dong, and the like, they all had Martial Arts Cultivation and could also expel it.

Only the little lady knew nothing at all, a purely ordinary mortal woman.

At that moment Lin Wanxiao slowly woke.

At her first sight of Chen Yi, she seemed dazed for an instant, and said abruptly:

"Just now… Miss Yin was here."