Chapter 33 - I’ll Feed You

Listening to Mu Huai’s unkind tone of voice, Rong Xi felt as if she had lost her mind, and she felt regretful, blaming herself for not being more alert.

After returning to the palace, the love that Mu Huai had showered her with had made her forget etiquette. After all, he was Great Qi’s Crown prince, the future Son of Heaven, and she was just his concubine.

A husband and wife in the imperial family is different than the commoners’ husband and wife. All of the citizens were Mu Huai’s subjects, and she was his subject, not just his woman.

As his father, Zhuang Emperor could naturally call him Man Ya.

Her calling him that was her forgetting her place.

But in the future, she could secretly call him Man Ya in her heart.

As Rong Xi contemplated, she didn’t dare to look straight into Mu Huai’s eyes and could only stutter, “This…this concubine…”

Mu Huai’s clean and handsome face was expressionless, but the hand holding the woman’s soft hand had tightened a little. Rong Xi’s palms were sweating a little by this point. Mu Huai could feel the dampness in his palms, and he felt a little helpless.

In his past life, when he talked to his subjects, he was used to being cold and lofty, and the way he spoke carried the aura of a monarch, making people feel pressured.

When he spoke to Rong Xi, if he didn’t pay careful attention, his tone would unconsciously turn more solemn.

But this woman was already his liangdi, yet her personality was still so timid. The moment he was just a little harsher, she would be frightened out of her wits.

The Concubien Yu that Rong Xi had served before was rumored to be a domineering and arrogant master as well. How on earth did she serve Concubine Yu in the past? Mu Huai really couldn’t figure this out. On the other hand, he felt that before she becomes the Crown Princess Consort, he still had to teach her many things.

When the crowd of people returned to the Eastern Palace, the servants had already set up lunch in the hall. The dishes included rare delicacies such as grilled beef brisket, crystal cakes, eel soup, etc.

Watching the way Rong Xi eat as if she was a little kitten, it was clear she didn’t have much of an appetite. Mu Huai set down his chopsticks and looked at her. Before he could even say anything, that woman was already frightened to the point she choked.

Mu Huai’s face sank again, but when Rong Xi lightly coughed, his big hand gently patted her back.

He tried his best to control his tone of voice as he asked, “Did I scold you at all? Why are you so scared?”

The first half was spoken quite calmly, but the latter half was spoken with a heavier tone.

Rong Xi’s red-rimmed eyes looked at Mu Huai as she shook her head and replied in a small voice, “…It’s this concubine’s fault, not Husband’s.”

Even up until now, she was still deeply afraid of Mu Huai. Even being his concubine did not change this fact.

Mu Huai’s brows grew heavy, as he lowered his hand from her back. He finally felt that Confucius was right in saying that women were difficult to raise. Truly an accurate saying. Raising a woman was so troublesome; he couldn’t scold her nor hit her.

If he scolded her, tears would fill her eyes. If he touched her just a little, her delicate and sensitive skin would immediately turn red. Such a finicky woman was driving him to his grave.

Although that woman didn’t treat him disrespectfully due to his pet name, and he had regained his face back, Mu Huai still felt a little distressed inside. Mu Huai called for Dan Xiang and questioned her in a cold voice, “Which chef made this food?”

Before Dan Xiang could answer, Mu Huai’s gaze turned sharp as he continued, “Liangdi isn’t used to eating it, don’t let this person work anymore in the future.”

Dan Xiang blinked a couple times, then respectfully obeyed. Inside, however, she felt that although the Crown Prince had a surly temper, he treated Rong liangdi extremely well.

After Rong Xi finished the nerv-ewracking lunch, Mu Huai didn’t immediately leave the Eastern Palace, instead sending someone to call for an imperial physician. Last time, when the imperial physician came to look at Rong Xi, he was not by her side. Although he knew that there was nothing wrong with Rong Xi’s body, he still felt a little woried.

The imperial physician who came was the same youth as the one who took her pulse last time. He was wearing the standard imperial physician robes that was adorned with cranes. He wore a yan tou on his head, and he looked like an upright person.

Last time, because Mu Huai wasn’t present, a screen was set up in the hall to prevent any ill gossip. This young imperial physician didn’t see what Rong Xi looked like last time. This time, though he had only taken a quick glance, he was stunned into a standstill.

Although he quickly adjusted his expression and mood, Mu Huai had taken in his little actions and gave him a sharp look. The imperial physician only felt a heavy and dark aura winding around him, and he broke out into a cold sweat. He sighed deeply, this Crown Prince was really someone that couldn’t be ofended.

After he had taken Rong Xi’s pulse, the imperial physician spoke in a respectful tone, “Liangdi‘s condition is fine. The fetus is healthy, but Your Highness must be careful…before liangdi reaches the five-month mark, bedroom activities are prohibited.”

Mu Huai’s face didn’t change when he heard this, but Rong Xi felt very embarrassed.

Mu Huai glanced at the woman’s blushing face and ordered the imperial physician, “Take good care of liangdi. If she is able to safely give birth to the royal child, I will naturally heavily reward you. If something happens to the fetus, then you can just give up that head of yours.”

The Crown Prince’s terrible reputation preceded him, and he also extremely loved this liangdi who came from commoner roots. Before the young imperial physician came to the Eastern Palace today, he had already prepared himself. He was not at all surprised by the threatening words Mu Huai had just uttered.

After Mu Huai gestured to let the imperial physician leave, Rong Xi’s tender voice stopped him, “Imperial Physician, please wait a moment. Please take His Highness’s pulse as well.”

The imperial physician obeyed.

Mu Huai sat on the arhat bed as he raised an eyebrow and asked in a puzzled voice, “I’m not sick, there’s no need for him to take my pulse.”

Rong Xi walked to Mu Huai’s side and kneeled by his knees as she lifted his wrist and placed it on the desk. She gently explained to him in a concerned tone, “Your Highness is naturally without illness…however, Your Highness has been very business recently with government affairs, so it is inevitable that minor ailments may sprout. Let the imperial physician take a look so as to prevent it from growing into something seious.”

Seeing the woman earnestly gaze at him, Mu Huai didn’t reject her anymore.

When he was twenty-years-old, his body was very healthy and he was very strong due to practicing martial arts. Maybe it was because of this, that he didn’t really pay attention to his body in his past life. Although the imperial physicians were supposed to routinely check the emperor’s pulse, he had felt that it was unnecessary and thus abolished this practice.

Only until the year he ascended the throne did he discover that his body had some minor ailments. However, even then, he didn’t place much importance on it. Later on, he had felt dizzy after court had ended, and the imperial physician finally told him that he had to look after his body. But the him at that time felt it was strenuous to even just lift a longsword.

Having a second chance to live, with an extra woman by his side reminding him to take care of his body was quite a nice feeling. In this lifetime, he has Rong Xi, has a child. Therefore, he should take good care of his health and live a few dacdes longer.

Thinking of this, Mu Huai’s expression lightened up.

The imperial physician reported that his body was quite healthy but also added, “However, Your Highness’s inflamed kidney…although it’s a little serious, I can write a few anti-inflammatory prescriptions to help adjust the body’s condition.”

The words didn’t need to be spoken too clearly, Rong Xi and Mu Huai naturally knew what the imperial physician meant by saying this.1

Rong Xi’s face was so red, it looked like she was having a fever. This past month, Mu Huai had been living like a monk. Even though the two had used some other methods, he had yet to be fully satisfied. Maybe it’s because Mu Huai had overindulged himself in these types of activities before returning to the palace, Rong Xi also had no idea how long Mu Huai had been restraining himself. If he really had no plans to taken in other women, then he would have to stay abstinent for ten months or so.

For someone with such a big appetite like him, it was actually quite pitiful.

After the imperial physician left the Eastern Palace, Mu Huai felt Rong Xi was looking at him with a gaze full of pity. His sharp brows crinkled and he somewhat unhappily said, “Don’t use that type of gaze to look at me. After the child in your stomach comes out, I will have you repay your debts altogether…you won’t be able to avoid it.”

He grinded his teeth as he spat out the last word.

Rong Xi’s small frame laid across his knees, and she held back her embarrassment, “En…this concubine knows.”

Mu Huai had a sulky expression on his face. This woman had no idea that he had been abstinent for over a decade already. Seeing her laid across his knees, she personified the verse “spread across the lover’s legs, not pitiful at all”2. His stone-cold heart turned soft.

Mu Huai stretched his hand out to caress her reddened ear, and gently kneaded it as if he was teasing a kitten. Seeing her appearance become more and more pitiful, he picked up the woman and had her sat on his lap.

Dan Xiang had finished brewing the medicinal tonic for stabilizing the fetus and entered the hall right at this moment, not expecting to witness the two master’s romantic moments and hurriedly turned around. She hesitated on whether to bring the medicine in now or wait until the two master’s were done before bring int in.

Mu Huai saw Dan Xiang’s figure and smelled the bitter scent of the medicine. The woman in his embrace had also smelled the bitter medicine, and her brows wrinkled, extremely reluctant.

Mu Huai ordered Dan Xiang, “Bring the medicine in.”

Dan Xiang lowered her head and placed the medicine on the desk.

Just as Rong Xi was about to have Mu Huai let go of her so she could drink the medicine, she saw Mu Huai encircle an arm around her waist, and use his other to pick up the bowl of medicine and took a mouthful of the bitter medicine.

She was stunned and asked in a confused voice, “Husband…you…”

Mu Huai felt this medicine was really bitter and he frowned. His voice was placid as he answered, “I’ll feed you.”