Chapter 696: Emperor and Empress (Part 4)

Chapter 696: Emperor and Empress (Part 4)

"One day, I'll bring my son here for all of you to meet," BaiLi Hongxuan said, seemingly uninterested in giving the ministers much time to ask questions, as he waved his hand dismissively.

"If there's no further business, court is adjourned. I'm going to see my son."

"..."

The moment the Emperor left, the ministers burst into heated discussion.

Jinghai Marquis couldn't help but join in the gossip. He had always thought of the Emperor as a steady man, never expecting such a bombshell.

Who would have thought, who would have thought? He had nearly started believing the rumors circulating among the people that the current Emperor had a preference for men.

Otherwise, how could he have gone over a decade without touching a woman?

Jinghai Marquis hurried back to his estate as soon as court was dismissed, eager to share this juicy news with his wife.

However, upon returning, he felt the atmosphere was different today.

"My lord, the young mistress has returned!" The servant he stopped replied with great excitement.

Hearing that his daughter, who had been sent away for a year, had returned, Jinghai Marquis, despite his age, nearly leapt for joy. Forgetting all formalities, he rushed inside.

But he didn't find his daughter in the main hall. After frantically asking around, he hurried toward her courtyard.

When he reached Xiao Feiyan's courtyard, before even entering, he heard a commotion coming from inside.

He burst in excitedly, but upon entering, instead of seeing his daughter, he saw the Emperor, whom he had just seen at court.

To his astonishment, the Emperor was cradling a child in his arms.

"Your Majesty, why are you here?" Despite his usual composure, Jinghai Marquis was at a loss.

BaiLi Hongxuan smiled gently, like a clear breeze and bright moon: "Father-in-law, I'm here to see Feiyan and our child."

"..."

"Father-in-law, why aren't you saying anything?"

"..."

Jinghai Marquis's mind reeled, almost unable to process the situation.

What? The Emperor's child is in their Jinghai Marquis estate? No, the person who bore the Emperor's child is Feiyan?

What in heaven's name is happening?

Finding himself at the center of the scandal, Jinghai Marquis nearly fainted.

The Marchioness rushed out from the room. Seeing his stunned expression, she quickly approached.

"Marquis... cough..."

Xiao Feiyan also came out. She had been sent away on official business, but her figure was slightly fuller than before, giving her a new, radiant beauty.

"Father..."

She felt a bit guilty.

She had given birth to the child without telling anyone, and she wondered if her father would dare to confront the Emperor.

As it turned out, Xiao Feiyan had worried too much. Her father wasn't that daring, but he was just having a hard time accepting that his daughter had given birth to a son for the Emperor without any explanation.

She stepped forward to steady her father, guiding him into the house, and slowly explained what had happened.

Although she had now given birth to the Emperor's child, she still had no intention of entering the palace. She had already agreed with the Emperor to keep the news under wraps and continue her official duties.

After all, she wasn't the type to raise children.

And over the years, she had never changed her mind about being an official.

The child was quite cute, but as she had seen from Yue'er's Xie Xiaobao when he was young, even Yue'er sometimes found it exhausting when he got rowdy.

As for whether her father would consent, she wasn't sure, but she knew that since her mother had already agreed, her father was halfway there.

Seeing the shocked expressions of the people who had just returned to the Jinghai Marquis Mansion, Xiao Feiyan felt a bit guilty but couldn't help reminiscing about a few years ago.

When she was in her teens, just entering the officialdom, she charged forward almost entirely driven by passion, completely unaware that she had always been under secret protection.

It wasn't until she was once attacked and several experts suddenly appeared to protect her that she was stunned.

But before she could inquire further, they all vanished again.

After she returned, she also had people investigate, but there was no trace, so she realized that someone had always been secretly protecting her.

Though she didn't know who it was, she couldn't help but feel a wave of gratitude.

Later, as she grew older, at the age of twenty-four, while investigating a case, she inadvertently confiscated a collection of erotic books.

Xiao Feiyan immediately blushed with embarrassment, but the criminal had left many notes in the erotic books, forcing her to stay up all night sifting through them to find any evidence of his crimes.

This reading opened her eyes to a new world.

Reflecting on her usual solitary life, she finally realized that she needed a companion.

If she never got married, wouldn't that mean she would never have been with a man?

Wasn't she being too hard on herself?

By this time, Xiao Feiyan was no longer a teenage girl and had become much more open-minded about such matters. Moreover, she herself enjoyed admiring handsome men, but she had the desire without the boldness, and somewhat didn't want to commit to a future together.

But she never expected that an accident would lead her to actually pounce on a handsome man.

When she woke up, she found that this handsome man was actually the Emperor, and she was so scared that she almost flew from the bed to the ceiling.

It was over, it was over! She had just had too much to drink, how could she have slept with the Emperor! And she had pounced on him while shouting that she wanted a handsome man!

Now it was all over!

Xiao Feiyan's thoughts were in complete disarray, and just as she was about to run away, BaiLi Hongxuan woke up.

Instead of the shock or anger Xiao Feiyan had imagined, the man smiled slightly: "Official Xiao, aren't you going to take responsibility?"

"..."

Xiao Feiyan really wanted to nod.

But how could she dare to do that?

Moreover, with her character, how could Xiao Feiyan do something as irresponsible as abandoning someone after a fling?

What happened next was something she didn’t want to talk about again.

She had originally thought the Emperor was a capricious tyrant, but who knew he turned out to be a captivating enigma, constantly chasing her to take responsibility.

As time went on, sparks flew, and Xiao Feiyan couldn’t resist his charm.

They hardly ever clashed; their personalities were surprisingly compatible.

Over time, Xiao Feiyan grew quite content with their arrangement.

Once, BaiLi Hongxuan hinted whether she would consider entering the palace, but after she firmly refused, he never brought it up again.

If life could just go on like this, it wouldn’t be so bad. She could fulfill her dreams, not have to marry, and still have a handsome man by her side in private.

Sometimes, he even helped her vent her frustrations at work.

But as the saying goes, you can’t walk by the river without getting your feet wet. When she found out she was pregnant, she nearly choked on her drink.

But she never once considered not keeping the child.

After all... She was growing fonder of BaiLi Hongxuan.

She felt capable and had made all the necessary preparations to take on the responsibility of raising a child.

Thus, BaiLi Yongye, nicknamed Xiao Baobao, was born.

The folks at the Jinghai Marquis Mansion were stunned, but Xiao Feiyan was no longer young and naive. Plus, BaiLi Hongxuan had a special status, so they had to quickly accept the reality and help the two keep it a secret.

After all, they had watched their daughter excel in her career over the years and couldn’t bear to see her confined to the palace.

So, even though BaiLi Hongxuan and Xiao Feiyan had a child, they kept their relationship under wraps, hiding it from all of Yanjing and the entire Dasheng.

One day, as usual, BaiLi Hongxuan was reviewing memorials in the imperial study when Changxing suddenly appeared before him.

"Your Majesty, Hua San Gongzi has returned to the capital."

"Oh? He’s back from his travels?" BaiLi Hongxuan looked up with interest, but Changxing’s expression was odd.

"Yes, Hua San Gongzi has returned to the Hua residence. I heard he plans to present the Dasheng Geography to Your Majesty, but..."

Changxing cautiously watched the Emperor's expression: "I heard from Aunt Fang Fei, who’s close to Lady Xiao, that she used to sneak peeks at Hua San Gongzi and asked if she should go see him this time..."