Chapter 47: Fetal Movement

Chapter 47: Fetal Movement

The tyrant, with his vast wealth and arrogance, didn't even consider the so-called "family fortune" of the distinguished Princess of Southern Chu worth mentioning. After he rendered Lu Zhao flat speechless, an eerie silence finally fell among the four.

Lu Zhao quietly turned his head, flashed a smile at his imperial brother, then pointed at his own head and then at the tyrant's, silently expressing concern for his sister-in-law's mental well-being.

To be honest, it had been a long time since she had seen a woman this "confident" in front of her imperial brother.

Emperor Lu sighed softly, shaking his head slightly towards Zhao, then played along with the tyrant's intention, complimenting: "Ah Zhao, your sister-in-law is right, his family indeed possesses wealth that could rival countries..."

Seeing the pride on his imperial brother's face, reminiscent of a young gigolo kept by a noblewoman in the capital, Lu Zhao felt a sudden pang of distress: "Brother, our family doesn't lack for money, and I've even been saving expenses these days! I made even ten fewer new dresses this month than last!"

Yet, his new sister-in-law, as if deliberately opposing him, wrapped her arm around his imperial brother's side again and scoffed disdainfully: "Ten dresses? That's nothing. I once had hundreds of dresses made in one go for your brother."

These words shocked the unsuspecting Ji Shangshu, who was unaware of Emperor Lu's private hobby of cross-dressing, causing him to widen his eyes in astonishment.

He sneaked a peek at the elegant and refined Emperor, finding it hard to imagine that such a divine figure had once suffered such trials at the hands of this "common shrew". The thought of a sovereign being "forced" into cross-dressing was a bitterness and humiliation beyond the comprehension of ordinary folks like him.

Lu Changping watched as Ji Shangshu, full of literary grace, hesitated to speak, his gaze shifting from pity to admiration, then from admiration to an inability to bear looking directly...

The young tyrant's jealous remark was made in the heat of the moment, but from now on, he feared he would lose all dignity when facing the court officials.

Zhao was also frightened by these words, attempting to seek confirmation from her imperial brother: "Brother... is this true?"

In front of Xie Xuan Yuan, Emperor Lu couldn't deny it. He helplessly nodded and then, taking the hand of the capricious tyrant, gently tried to persuade him:

"It wasn't surprising that Ah Zhao first inquired about the matter... I've said it before, with so many dresses hanging there, even if you change several times a day, it would take half a year to wear them all. It's better to alter them and give them to those in need. I know you're not short of money, but no matter how much you have, it shouldn't be wasted like this."

The Empress Dowager's lecture seemed to embody the virtues of a wise and frugal wife and mother, but to Princess Zhao Yun and Minister Ji, it sounded like she was flaunting her love life unknowingly.

Witnessing his brother, who had never been lucky in love for over twenty years, suddenly become affectionate and compliant towards his pregnant wife, Lu Zhao Ping also smartly shifted his attitude.

Even though his sister-in-law was somewhat fierce and liked to argue, she was ultimately his brother's true love. Once they conspired to deceive her into entering the Lu household, it wouldn't be too late to gradually teach her the palace's etiquette...

Having realized this, Lu Zhao Ping's face broke into a radiant smile again. Stealing a glance at her sister-in-law's still slender and tall figure during pregnancy, she tentatively suggested:

"Since brother is reluctant to waste, how about... giving some dresses to sister-in-law to wear? I see that sister-in-law has a spirited and elegant demeanor, standing tall among women, surely brother's clothes would fit her perfectly."

Unexpectedly, his little sister-in-law, dressed in the pure innocence of moonlight, immediately shook her head in refusal...

Xie Xuan Yuan had to dress as a woman to go out today out of sheer necessity, and had it not been for the constant company of the Empress Dowager, the awkwardness and turmoil he felt would have driven him mad.

He thought wearing women's clothes once would be enough, but to his surprise, the Empress Dowager's sister actually believed he was a woman and dared to suggest he continue wearing women's clothes!

At this point, he could no longer tolerate it and fiercely removed the hood covering his face, his domineering attitude undisguised: "Wearing women's clothes does not define one's gender. This is true for your brother and for me as well. But let's make one thing clear. Even if I am not a woman, your brother can only belong to me."

After such a harsh declaration, Xie Xuan Yuan had no further hope of fostering a good relationship with the Empress Dowager's sister.

The tyrant, who lost his mother at a young age and suffered through prison, became even more sharp-edged. Deciding to be with the Empress Dowager, he had already secretly resolved to be ready to fight against the whole world.

If the Empress Dowager of Beiwai tried to plant confidants in the palace and harm the Empress Dowager, he would use thunderous methods to massacre her faction; if the hypocritical Emperor of Nanchu lusted after the role of godfather to his unborn child, he would staunchly maintain his distance from that lecher; if the Empress Dowager's sister harbored prejudice against him for being a man, he would find an opportunity to elope with the Empress Dowager...

When he revealed his male identity just now, the tyrant was already prepared for battle. If the Empress Dowager's family began to vehemently oppose, he would fight back relentlessly.

However, strangely enough, even though it seemed like a confrontation was imminent, the Empress Dowager beside him remained unusually calm, showing no intention of stepping in to mediate.

And then, after a moment of silence, the Empress Dowager's sister named "Ah Zhao" suddenly exclaimed, "Oh?" and then called out with an unexpected delight:

"Emperor... Brother, why didn't you tell me earlier that my sister-in-law is a man? It turns out that the stories I read aren't all made up—two men can genuinely fall in love and even have a child together! Look at sister-in-law; isn't she pregnant now?"

In his leisure, Lu Zhao's favorite pastime was reading romance stories collected from the folk.

Initially, he would only read common and clichéd tales like "The Poor Scholar and His Beautiful Fox Spirit," but later, somehow, a palace maid responsible for acquiring these stories smuggled in some innovative tales about male-male romances.

Tired of the usual scholar-beauty love stories, Lu Zhao was instantly captivated by the exciting titles. So, he began to secretly stay up late, hidden in his sleeping quarters, reading stories like "The Prince and His Enemy Nation's Prince" and "The Cold Senior Brother and His Dark Junior Brother: The Untold Stories" behind his emperor brother and Brother Ji's backs.

Lu Zhao glanced at his stunningly beautiful "sister-in-law" with rosy lips and white teeth, and then at his brother, whose tender gaze was as gentle as a stream flowing through peach blossoms, and felt more than ever that these two were a match made in heaven.

At their initial meeting, Lu Zhao was worried about his brother's lover being fierce and difficult to get along with, potentially causing future conflicts. But now, understanding the reasons behind his sister-in-law's seemingly prickly behavior, he no longer harbored such concerns.

Based on Princess Zhao Yun's years of experience reading exquisite love stories, this little sister-in-law was the spitting image of the "tsundere uke" often depicted in those tales, with a cold exterior but a warm heart.

Despite his brother's harmless and ethereal beauty, when pitted against his sister-in-law, who possessed the beauty of a venomous serpent but blushed unknowingly when speaking, the sister-in-law might actually be at a slight disadvantage in their covert battles.

With these thoughts, Lu Zhao couldn't help but admire his pregnant sister-in-law, who, undeterred, dragged the emperor around the city.

Having witnessed such a beautiful love story come to life, unlike those in the stories he read aimed at tearing lovers apart, Lu Zhao, filled with satisfaction and joy, offered his support:

"Seeing Brother and sister-in-law so in love makes me, as a sister, very happy. Since it's mutual affection, Brother, when do you plan to formally welcome sister-in-law into our family?"

Lu Changping turned his head to catch the astonished expression on the tyrant's face, explaining with some difficulty, "Actually... Brother has already married your sister-in-law, and now they are almost five months pregnant."

Secretary Ji, who had been quietly listening, hesitated several times before deciding to pretend he hadn't heard anything. This would leave some freedom for his current superior and future brother-in-law to manage family affairs, making it easier for him to ask for Zhao's hand in marriage later.

Emperor Lu was already aware of Zhao's collection of peculiar stories, knowing well that his sister was open to all sorts of unusual marital pairings. Therefore, he didn't intervene when the tyrant impulsively revealed his gender.

But the situation was entirely different on the tyrant's end.

Xie Xuan now felt that the entire imperial consort Lu's family was indescribably odd.

The brother dressed as a woman and started flirting with him not long after they met. The sister, upon hearing that her brother had found her a male sister-in-law, accepted the fact without any hesitation or struggle and even enthusiastically pushed for their marriage.

There were no strange glances as if looking at a monster, nor were there any earth-shattering domestic conflicts. Everything seemed natural and logical.

In this relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, Xie Xuan Yuan found himself unwittingly letting down his guard. With a cold snort, he didn't deny the fact that he had married into the Lu family but quickly added a qualifier for himself:

"Don't be too smug. It's not that I married your brother, but rather your brother actively married me. It's only for the sake of convenience in address that I allow you to call me 'sister-in-law' in private. If there are others present in the future, don't expect me to agree."

What surprised the tyrant even more was that Lu Zhao Ping actually agreed readily, even adding, "Rest assured, sister-in-law."

The tyrant thought his usual attitude was "cold and heartless," but the peculiar thing about the Lu siblings was that the more "cold and heartless" he was, the more gentle and accommodating their attitudes became.

In the end, he himself felt too embarrassed to continue making things difficult for the siblings...

With his heart suddenly lightened, his body relaxed, and breathing a sigh of relief, Xie Xuan Yuan was about to suggest they find a place to rest and have a good talk when he felt a series of noticeable thumps and twitches in his belly.

This sensation was utterly foreign, as if a stranger he couldn't control was kicking the inside of his stomach. Startled by this feeling, his first thought was whether he had eaten something bad that led to this strange illness.

He nervously covered his stomach, his face a mix of shock and helplessness.

Author's note:

Sorry for the long wait. Today turned into a slow update, and the promise of a six-day completion couldn't be met, so we're settling for three. Maybe there'll be another three tomorrow to make up for what wasn't updated in time.

Truly sorry, there will be a red envelope giveaway for this chapter.