Chapter 150: The Crown Prince’s Consideration

Chapter 150: The Crown Prince's Considerations

"The baby in mommy's tummy?" This puzzled Zhou Chen.

A Man nodded, making the red ribbons on her pigtails wiggle.

"Mommy seems to have a baby in her tummy. A Man wants a little sister."

Though A Yuan’s pregnancy was kept secret from the household, A Man, a three-and-a-half-year-old who was always running around the estate, had overheard A Yuan and Chun Tao talking.

"I don't know either."

Zhou Chen shook his head. His mother had only given birth to him, and none of the other ladies in the Eastern Palace had children. Zhou Chen had never known what it was like to have siblings.

A Man's head drooped. "Alright."

Hating to see the little girl look so disappointed, Zhou Chen reached out and tugged gently on her pigtail. "Want me to ask my mom for you? Maybe she knows?"

"Okay!" A Man suddenly lifted her head, nodding eagerly, and didn’t forget to sweetly thank him.

"You're the best, big brother!"

This made Zhou Chen blush. His usually proud face turned pink.

......

"Mmm... A Man is nice too."

When Zhou Chen returned to the Eastern Palace to find the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince was also present.

"Father, Mother."

The Young Prince gave a proper bow, and the Crown Prince raised his hand approvingly. "Rise."

Though it hadn't been long since their son began martial training under Xie Zheng, he already looked stronger.

The Crown Princess affectionately pulled her son into her embrace. Zhou Chen felt a little uncomfortable, but thinking of his question, he leaned into his mother's arms and obediently let her cuddle him.

It was the first time the mother and son had been so close. After giving his cheeks a few playful pinches, the Crown Princess paused.

"Chen'er, are you in some kind of trouble?"

Like bullying A Man?

She didn't voice the latter thought, but her suspicion remained strong.

Even the Crown Prince looked curious, mentally drafting apologies to Xie Zheng and Wei Xun in his mind.

Though Zhou Chen was precocious, he was still just a child.

He looked at his mother, his small face solemn. "Mother, do you know how to tell if the baby in mommy's tummy is a boy or girl?"

"What?"

The Crown Princess gasped. She never expected her son to ask such a thing.

Where would he have even seen a pregnant woman?

And he normally showed no interest in such things.

Unless… someone had asked him to inquire. And that someone had to be A Man.

The Crown Princess and the Crown Prince locked eyes, their faces growing solemn.

The Crown Princess dismissed the servants around her and asked her son, "Did A Man ask you to ask this?"

Zhou Chen glanced at his mother’s expression, getting a bad feeling. He clenched his fists and said stubbornly, "I wanted to know for myself."

"Hmm." The kid was being defensive, and the Crown Princess knew she wouldn’t get anything out of him.

She let go and leaned back in her chair.

"They say cravings can tell you something—sour means a boy, spicy means a girl—but it's not always right."

"Or you can look at the shape of the belly. Pointed is a boy, round is a girl."

The Crown Princess rattled off several old wives’ tales, and Zhou Chen silently memorized them before politely excusing himself.

As soon as their son left, the Crown Princess quickly speculated to the Crown Prince, "Chen'er stays at the General’s all day. He doesn't see anyone else—is someone at the General’s place expecting?"

Actually, she wanted to ask if A Yuan was pregnant, but since A Yuan hadn’t married yet, that kind of talk could ruin her.

The Crown Prince frowned, tapping his knuckles on the table. "I’ll send people to check."

Compared to the Crown Princess, the Prince had bigger concerns.

And if it really was A Yuan who was pregnant, he probably already knew the father.

The Eastern Palace spies moved fast. They had answers within the hour.

When he heard that A Yuan was once again carrying Wei Xun’s child, the Prince’s frown eased.

"Your Highness?" The Crown Princess was puzzled.

Why is this good news?

The Crown Prince chuckled, a knowing glint in his eye. "Do you know what the tightest bond there is in this world?"

She didn’t understand why he was asking, but thought for a moment before replying, "What could be stronger than family ties?"

"That’s blood," the Crown Prince shook his head. "But for two people with no connection, the strongest link is marriage."

Especially in court politics, where families rise and fall together.

Wei Xun and Xie Zheng—one a civil official, one a general—are the most in-demand men at court.

He had been worried about how to win Xie Zheng over, but now that A Yuan was carrying Wei Xun’s child, if they could be married, Xie Zheng and Wei Xun would shift from bitter enemies to family—and he would gain another powerful ally.

The Crown Prince was already on his feet, ignoring the Crown Princess’s confusion. "I'll speak with Mother Empress."

A Yuan, of course, knew nothing of this. She vomited constantly, looking gaunt.

......

Hui Gu, worried sick about her, tried different recipes every day, but A Yuan could hardly keep anything down. Still, seeing her aunt’s anxious face, she made herself choke some down.

A Man sat beside his mother, watching what she could stomach.

Most of what A Yuan ate came back up, so there was no pattern to spot.

After days of watching, A Man was no closer to an answer.

She and Zhou Chen squatted in the backyard training yard, poking ant holes in the ground with little wooden sticks.

"Auntie Crown Princess was wrong. Mom doesn't like sour or spicy food."

So is it a little brother or a little sister?

A Man frowned, scrunching her eyebrows. Really, she didn’t want anything else anymore.

Mom was feeling so awful—she just wanted her to be okay.

Wei Xun felt the same way.

He did want this child, but seeing A Yuan in such pain, all he felt was concern for her.

Still, he couldn’t understand A Yuan’s thinking. She had been the one to suggest ending the pregnancy, yet she hadn’t done anything about it.

"My lord," Chang Yuan volunteered, "should I try to get some information from Chun Tao?"

Wei Xun shook his head. "Not yet. Send over that hundred-year-old ginseng from the storeroom."

If it were just Chun Tao with A Yuan, it would be easier, but now that Hui Gu is there too, Chang Yuan wouldn’t get any information easily.

So they needed to give Hui Gu and Zhou Yan something else to do.

"Where is Marquis Xiao now?"

"He's already passed Jizhou and should arrive the day after tomorrow."

"Hmm." Wei Xun nodded. "Get his rooms ready in advance. Don’t let Marquis Xiao feel neglected."

"Yes."

......

Xiao Ce had pushed hard on the journey, traveling from the Shu region to the capital in less than a month.

When he arrived in the city, he was dust-covered. If people didn’t know who he was, they might mistake him for a common mercenary.

"Marquis."

Chang Yuan came forward to meet him. Xiao Ce dismounted and tossed the reins to a servant, skipping the formalities as he asked urgently, "Where is Dan Yang?"

Since receiving Wei Xun’s letter, he’d been worried sick. The letter didn’t say much, so Xiao Ce only knew there was news of Dan Yang, not where she was. Now, seeing Chang Yuan, he just wanted to go to her.

"At Lord Zhou’s house."

"Lord Zhou... Zhou Yan?"

Though Xiao Ce had never met Zhou Yan, he thought well of him because of what happened in Junzhou.

"Did he save Dan Yang?"

Chang Yuan faltered, avoiding his eyes. "You’ll see when we get there."