Ignoring the protests of those around him, Li Ji swept Hua Manman into his arms.

He was taking her back to the Prince Mansion to have Feihua Zhenren treat her injuries.

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to leave them with a sharp warning.

"This isn’t over."

Hua Qingqing stood at the door, watching helplessly as Prince Zhao carried Manman away.

Behind her, Xi Xiang whispered comfortingly.

"Jieyu, don’t worry too much. Princess Consort Zhao is blessed; she’ll surely be fine."

Hua Qingqing didn’t respond.

Just then, she heard Consort Liu inside the room whining coquettishly to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, did you see how Prince Zhao was acting just now? He dared to be so arrogant right in front of you. If you weren’t here with me, who knows how he would have bullied me."

Although the Emperor also felt that Li Ji’s behavior had been a bit audacious, he didn’t take it to heart and only replied nonchalantly.

"He’s still just a child."

Consort Liu was speechless.

Prince Zhao was already eighteen!

’How could an eighteen-year-old be considered a child?!’

No matter what she was grumbling inwardly, Consort Liu had to maintain her persona on the surface.

She leaned against the Emperor and said in a soft, delicate voice.

"After what happened today, Hua Jieyu must be terrified. Shouldn’t Your Majesty go and comfort her?"

After saying this, she hugged the Emperor’s arm tightly, putting on a pitiful act as if she couldn’t bear for him to leave.

Her disingenuous act clearly pleased the Emperor.

The Emperor chuckled and reached out to lift her chin.

"You are quite generous."

Consort Liu’s cheeks flushed, and she murmured, "Your Majesty doesn’t belong to me alone. Even if I don’t want to be generous, I have no choice."

The Emperor smiled. "Then I shall stay with you a while longer and go see Hua Jieyu later."

Consort Liu immediately beamed with joy and pulled the Emperor toward her residence, Lingxue Hall.

Outside the door, Hua Qingqing had already taken her leave.

She returned to the Moon Viewing Pavilion.

Xi Xiang watched her anxiously, afraid that she would be heartbroken over the Emperor’s affection for Consort Liu.

Hua Qingqing couldn’t help but laugh. "What’s with that look?"

Xi Xiang said cautiously.

"Consort Liu entered the palace relatively early, and she has a brother who serves in the court. I heard he’s highly trusted by the Saint, which is why the Saint dotes on her so much. You... you mustn’t take it to heart..."

Hua Qingqing said casually, "I’m used to it. You don’t need to worry."

Seeing her relaxed expression, it seemed she truly wasn’t upset.

Xi Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

Her Jieyu was a young lady who had been pampered at home. She should have married into a good family and lived a peaceful life. But now, she had to compete with a horde of women for the same man, and even when wronged, she couldn’t show her pain. It was a truly bitter existence.

In comparison, the Second Miss who married Prince Zhao was much happier.

No matter how cruel and terrifying Prince Zhao was said to be, at least he was undeniably good to the Second Miss.

Hua Qingqing dismissed everyone, leaving herself alone in the room.

She pushed up her sleeve, revealing a fair, slender forearm.

She opened her mouth and bit the outside of her forearm.

She controlled the force perfectly, not breaking the skin but leaving a red bite mark on her outer forearm.

To make the bite mark look more like it came from a dog, she deliberately used her hairpin to poke hard at the four red dots left by her canines, making them redder and deeper.

After doing all this, she lowered her sleeve, hiding the red bite mark.

Knowing the Emperor would likely visit that evening, Xi Xiang had specifically asked the Imperial Kitchen to prepare extra dishes.

However, they waited and waited until the food grew cold, but the Emperor still hadn’t arrived.

Xi Xiang started to grow anxious again.

"Could the Saint have been held up by something?"

Hua Qingqing knew in her heart that the Emperor was ensnared by Consort Liu’s charms.

She said nothing, casually took a few sips of soup, and had the servants clear away the dishes.

Xi Xiang was very worried. "You’re pregnant! How can you eat so little?"

Hua Qingqing said she had no appetite and didn’t want to eat.

She sat on the soft couch doing needlework, glancing toward the door from time to time.

Xi Xiang saw this and her heart ached for her even more.

She was just about to persuade Hua Jieyu to stop waiting, certain the Emperor wouldn’t be coming that night, when a shout suddenly rang out from outside.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Hua Qingqing immediately dropped her needlework and hurried out.

The first thing the Emperor saw when he looked at Hua Jieyu was the joy practically overflowing from her eyes.

As if exerting great effort to suppress a surge of emotion, she curtsied to the Emperor, her voice trembling slightly.

"This servant greets Your Majesty."

The Emperor helped her up and, noticing her fingers were ice-cold, couldn’t help but frown.

"Why are your hands so cold?"

He looked at Xi Xiang with displeasure and chided her.

"How are you all serving Hua Jieyu?"

Xi Xiang hurriedly knelt to beg for forgiveness.

Hua Qingqing gripped the Emperor’s hand tightly. Her eyes were slightly red-rimmed, but she kept a smile on her face.

"It’s nothing. Your Majesty, please don’t be angry over such a small matter. Just being able to see you is enough to make me content."

Seeing that her heart and eyes were filled with only him, the Emperor couldn’t help but be moved.

He sighed softly. "It is I who was late."

He didn’t explain why he was late, and Hua Qingqing didn’t press him for an answer.

She led the Emperor into the room.

The Emperor immediately spotted the sewing basket on the low couch and frowned. "It’s so late. Why are you still doing needlework?"

Hua Qingqing said shyly, "I thought Your Majesty might come tonight, so I did some needlework while I waited for you."

She picked up a pair of tiny shoes and held them up to the Emperor as if presenting a treasure.

"I made these little shoes for the baby. What do you think?"

Seeing her looking at him with sparkling eyes, the Emperor involuntarily softened his voice.

"They’re very cute, but you’re pregnant now and need to rest well. In the future, leave this kind of needlework to the people at the Clothing Bureau."

Hua Qingqing stroked the tiny shoes, her smile exceptionally gentle.

"How can things made by others compare to something I make myself?

I hope the first pair of shoes our baby wears after being born is one I made with my own hands."

Under the warm yellow candlelight, her gaze was like a spring breeze in March—warm, blowing right into the Emperor’s heart.

The Emperor involuntarily glanced at her belly, and his heart couldn’t help but fill with a little more anticipation for this unborn child.

Hua Qingqing asked, "Do you hope I give birth to a prince or a princess?"

Instead of answering, the Emperor asked back, "Do you hope for a prince or a princess yourself?"

Hua Qingqing replied, "I think a princess would be best. A sweet, soft little princess would be so cute and thoughtful."

The Emperor asked, "And what if it’s a prince?"

Hua Qingqing sighed. "Even though a prince isn’t as thoughtful as a little princess, what can I do once he’s born? I’ll just have to accept reality."

Seeing her reluctant act, the Emperor couldn’t help but laugh out loud.