Chapter 63: The Truth About Luo People’s Reproduction

Chapter 63 The Truth Behind the Luo People's Pregnancy

Xiao Chen woke from his afternoon nap and leaned back on the couch, waiting for the drowsiness to pass. He had never been in the habit of napping before, but since becoming pregnant, shortly after lunch, he'd grow so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, feeling so lazy and fatigued he didn't want to move a muscle. In his past life, he had too many matters to handle personally and often resented this feeling of not being in control of his own energy. In this life, however, he no longer forced himself and would take a nap every afternoon.

Zhang Fu led the palace attendants to help him wash his hands and wipe his face. He only spoke when he saw Xiao Chen looked more refreshed:

"Your Majesty, the staff from the Imperial Garment Bureau are waiting outside the hall. Shall I summon them now?"

Xiao Chen’s belly had grown noticeably larger over the past month. After the seventh month, the baby would grow even faster, so it was necessary to prepare early.

"Call them in."

The head of the Imperial Garment Bureau was a female official. Upon entering, she kept her eyes downcast as she greeted him, not daring to glance around. Xiao Chen allowed Zhang Fu to help him up and waved off her formal greeting.

The female official stood up, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see His Majesty’s unusually swollen abdomen, which was more pronounced than when she had last taken his measurements. Though her mind was filled with speculation, Zhang Fu had already cautioned her, and she knew well the importance of keeping her mouth shut while serving in the palace. Thus, she did not utter a single unnecessary word during the measuring.

"Your Majesty, please extend your arms."

After the measurements were taken, Xiao Chen sat in an armchair nearby and casually picked up a teacup:

"Do you understand how the garments should be made?"

The female official immediately bowed and replied:

"Grand Steward has given instructions. This servant understands. Your Majesty, these are the newly presented fabric samples from Jiangnan. Do any catch your eye?"

Several palace maids behind her carried trays of fabric samples. Xiao Chen glanced at them. He was not particularly fussy about clothing and only paid attention to the colors. He pointed to a few dark-colored fabrics he usually wore, and the maids took note of each one. Seeing these choices, the female official knew His Majesty’s preferences had not changed. Just as she was about to have the trays removed, she suddenly heard His Majesty speak:

"Do you have any lighter colors?"

Xiao Chen suddenly recalled what Ling Yehan had said the day before:

"In my memory, the first time I ate meat that wasn’t spoiled was when you gave it to me. The first time I wore new clothes was when you bought them for me."

Ling Yehan couldn’t wear fine clothes in the army, and at court, he mostly wore court robes and casual attire. These days, Xiao Chen had noticed that he only had a few outfits that he rotated. A first-rank marquis lived even more frugally than a fifth-rank official.

The female official was taken aback for a moment, then quickly understood and said:

"Yes, Your Majesty. Please wait a moment."

In truth, since Xiao Chen ascended the throne, the Imperial Garment Bureau had become a very quiet place. After all, Xiao Chen had no consorts or concubines, and there were few imperial clansmen, most of whom were not usually in the capital. The bureau usually only needed to take measurements and make clothes for the emperor. Each time, the female official presented fabrics in the bright yellow reserved for the emperor, along with the dark-colored fabrics His Majesty usually wore. This time, however, His Majesty asked for lighter colors. *Was the palace about to get a consort?*

Soon, a batch of bright and vibrant fabric samples was presented. Xiao Chen took one look at the peach pink and cherry pink fabrics and knew the female official had misunderstood. He looked up, a hint of amusement in his eyes:

"These colors would be quite suitable for making clothes for the Marquis of Jingbian."

Only then did the female official realize that His Majesty intended to have clothes made for the marquis. She immediately had someone bring out another batch of fabrics. This time, Xiao Chen made his selections carefully, even feeling them. Finally, he chose two dark-colored cotton and linen fabrics for long robes with fitted cuffs for military wear, and two brocade fabrics reserved for imperial use for casual wear:

"For sleepwear, use the same fabric as mine."

The emperor’s sleepwear was bright yellow, a color historically reserved only for the emperor, the empress, and the crown prince. The female official felt she had stumbled upon a royal secret and didn’t dare raise her head, only repeatedly acknowledging the order.

"Also, make some clothes for a newborn. Be sure to select the finest materials. Zhang Fu, oversee this."

"Yes."

The female official's back was drenched in sweat by the time she left Zichen Hall. She sensed that something seemed amiss.

Shortly after the staff from the Imperial Garment Bureau left, a shadow guard came in to report:

"Your Majesty, the Marquis followed Commander-in-chief Xing to the villa and has already jumped over the wall and broken in."

Xiao Chen leisurely skimmed the froth from his teacup. Upon hearing this, Zhang Fu secretly glanced at the emperor’s expression. He worried the marquis might cause trouble again after just a few days of good behavior. He was truly starting to fear that man.

However, Xiao Chen did not seem angered by the news. He set down the teacup and leaned back in his chair:

"Yesterday, he was so restless in the palace, as if he had ants in his pants, unable to sit still for a moment. I knew he was up to something like this."

For the past two days, he'd expected Ling Yehan to bring up the matter of the Luo person, but he had surprisingly managed to hold back and say nothing. The moment he left the palace, he rushed off to see the man himself.

Zhang Fu kept his eyes downcast and did not dare speak.

At that moment, in the villa, Xing Fang was cornered by Ling Yehan against a wall.

Ling Yehan crossed his arms and looked at him:

"Commander-in-chief Xing, your alertness seems rather low."

Xing Fang felt like vomiting blood upon hearing this. If the emperor hadn’t instructed him not to deliberately avoid the Marquis of Jingbian, he wouldn’t have been discovered.

Ling Yehan had known him since their days in the army and was well aware of his capabilities. He suddenly said:

"His Majesty knew all along that I would come looking for the person inside, right?"

Xing Fang glanced at him, as if to say, "At least you have some self-awareness."

Ling Yehan entered the courtyard. He knew this place—it was Xiao Chen’s private villa outside the palace, a small three-courtyard residence. Though not large, it was exquisitely maintained, and the main gate of this villa was only a street away from the back door of Xing Fang’s residence.

As he entered the courtyard, he caught a strange fragrance, reminiscent of both flowers and fruit. He frowned slightly. The Luo person was housed in a side room of the main courtyard. He knocked, and a clear, gentle voice answered from within:

"Please come in."

The room was elegantly and tastefully furnished, clean and tidy. It seemed the person inside was being treated well. The man inside was wearing a moon-white robe of light satin, his waterfall of hair not tied up but simply bound at the nape of his neck with a silk ribbon. The wide sleeves and loose robe could not conceal his prominently rounded abdomen. Qing Li was not reclining on the couch but stood by the window, seemingly tending to a potted plant. His complexion seemed paler than when they first met, and his figure was slender. One might not have noticed the roundness of his belly if not for his profile. Qing Li glanced sideways as Ling Yehan entered. His voice was clear and pleasant, yet carried a lazy, weary tone:

"Might I ask which official has come today?"

Ling Yehan walked in without an invitation and sat directly in an armchair by the round table in the room:

"My name is Ling Yehan. Coincidentally, I had a brief encounter with you at Qinghui Ge a few days ago. The wine at Qinghui Ge is quite intoxicating."

Qing Li acted as if he hadn't heard and kept wiping the plant's leaves with a brocade cloth.

Ling Yehan turned to look at him:

"Qinghui Ge adds some aphrodisiac to the wine to ensure the guests enjoy themselves. However, I had someone investigate the wine from that day. Not only the wine from my private room, but all the wine served that day was mixed with *hujia* flowers. So, I had someone check the wine jars in the cellar. Sure enough, the wine in those jars had been laced with *hujia* flowers. Qinghui Ge is crowded and chaotic, making it difficult to investigate, but coincidentally, just before Qinghui Ge opened for business that evening, an errand boy who had been working there for a long time left the city at dawn. This person was conveniently found by me. Sir, should I bring him here for you to identify?

You were the one who tried to incapacitate all the guests at Qinghui Ge, weren’t you?"

Only then did Qing Li turn to look at him, but there was not a trace of guilt in his expression. Instead, his eyes held a disdainful look, as if those people were mere ants:

"You are a clever one. It seems someone detoxified you. Congratulations."

Ling Yehan stared intently at him:

"Why did you do it?"

Qing Li’s smile did not reach his eyes:

"Those who have seen my body must pay a price. However, I’ve recently been abstaining from meat and chanting Buddhist prayers, hoping for the well-being of an old friend I’ve never met, which is why I didn’t take all their lives. Otherwise, you might not be standing before me alive."

Ling Yehan saw such icy coldness in a person's eyes for the first time and did not doubt the truth of his words in the slightest.

"How did you enter Qinghui Pavilion? Weren't the Luo people already exterminated? Are there others besides you?"

Qing Li set down the silk handkerchief in his hand and walked slowly toward Ling Yehan. Supporting the small of his back, his long robe trailing on the ground, even with his altered physique, he still carried an air of graceful elegance.

"What? Is Your Honor also interested in the Luo people? I wonder if there might be someone of Luo descent by your side?"

Ling Yehan’s expression revealed no emotion, but the man before him did not seem intent on reading anything from his face. Instead, he supported the small of his back as he sat down, casually picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup of tea, and placed it in front of Ling Yehan before speaking:

"If there is someone like me, I hope Your Honor will have that person come to see me in person."

Ling Yehan realized that, after all this time, the man had revealed nothing useful. Given his condition, it was impossible to press him for answers—no wonder Xing Fang had made no attempt to stop him earlier. It seemed he had encountered many such polite deflections from this man over the past few days.

"You’d better be aware of your current situation."

Qing Li showed no concern. He poured himself a cup of tea, idly toying with the cup as he spoke slowly. His voice was soft and distant, as if murmuring to himself or deliberately speaking for Ling Yehan to hear:

"Since ancient times, men embody yang and women embody yin. Only through the union of yin and yang can life flourish. Yet the Luo people defy this natural law. For a man to carry children against heaven's way—how could there be no price?"

Ling Yehan’s heart tightened.

"What do you mean?"

But Qing Li slowly rose, supporting his waist and back. As his sleeve slid down his arm, Ling Yehan caught sight of what appeared to be a wound on his wrist, though he paid it no mind. Qing Li made his way steadily toward the bed in the inner room:

"For the Luo people, carrying children means sustaining the child with their own life force. The birth of the child marks the beginning of the father’s decline. In as little as three years, or at most five, the father will waste away and perish."