The news from the capital was slightly delayed, and the news of Prince Rui's safe return was still en route.
Their father had fallen off a cliff and his fate was unknown, while their mother, having given birth prematurely and with great difficulty, was severely weakened. The people of the capital lamented, "This child has come at an inauspicious time! The household is likely too distraught to even hold a post-natal celebration for him."
To everyone's surprise, Emperor Changwu issued a decree, not only bestowing the name Yao upon the child but also dispatching over fifty palace attendants to Prince Rui's mansion to manage the imperial grandson's post-natal celebration.
This was unprecedented among imperial grandsons and would normally have stirred envy and jealousy. However, under the current circumstances, no one paid him any mind.
Without his father's protection, who knew what kind of life awaited him? He might end up as an impoverished member of the imperial clan.
"Two hundred tables of food for three consecutive days? Hmph, does His Majesty fear that the little one's fortune is too thin to bear such joy?" the Empress, tapping the gift list in her hand, mused. "Very well, since His Majesty places such importance on the little darling, I, of course, cannot be stingy. Someone, open the treasury and add that two-meter-tall red coral tree."
"Your Majesty, won't this gift be too extravagant? Prince Rui and his wife have been ungrateful and have openly opposed His Highness the Crown Prince many times."
"They are gone now. Dwelling on such matters would only make me seem ungenerous. Go and do as I've said." What could be more celebratory than the removal of Prince Rui, that thorn in her side, from the root?
That coral tree was certainly worth every bit of the cost.
Consort Jian was also generous. She leisurely picked a candied fruit and popped it into her mouth. "This post-natal celebration is too meager. Add another thirty percent."
Si Tu Yan was dead. What good would it do for a small child to gain the Emperor's favor? Could the Emperor possibly bypass his sons and pass the throne to a nursling? Moreover, the child was premature; who knew how many days he would live.
With the royal family leading the way, those sending gifts, while crowding Prince Rui's mansion, also filled several storehouses to the brim.
Unfortunately, no one in the mansion appreciated it.
The birth of Si Tu Yao had nearly exhausted Lu Nian Fu's strength. If not for the thousand-year-old ginseng sustaining her, she surely wouldn't have held on. After three days, she showed no signs of recovery. Despite the continuous administration of various tonics, she remained in a precarious state.
The embroidered patterns on the canopy gradually blurred, and Lu Nian Fu's thoughts drifted further away.
Recalling the scene of her death in her previous life, she suddenly felt that although this life had not been long, it had been fulfilling.
Having been reborn, she had deep familial connections. She had resolved misunderstandings with her mother and protected Qing Ya. She had preserved her father's family fortune and even got Xiao Fei admitted to the Imperial College.
More importantly, she had met her soulmate and had a lovely child with him.
Her life had been so blissfully happy that it had blurred the tragic memories of her past life. She had even become less driven to seek revenge. Rather than personally slaying Si Tu Jue, she was unwilling to let her A Yan confront him. Her A Yan was wise and valiant, a master strategist in the army and a skilled investigator in the Dali Temple. He could shine in any field, so why should he be entangled with a sinister and ruthless person like Si Tu Jue?
Speaking of her child, although Yao'er had come out a month early, his size was quite befitting her pre-pregnancy nutritional intake. He was as plump and fair as a full-term baby, eating and sleeping well, a remarkably fuss-free child. Qing Ya and the others, perhaps fearing she might harm herself, had people guarding her bedside constantly and often brought the child to her.
These foolish girls, how little they knew that she was still holding onto the last sliver of hope for her A Yan's return and was unwilling to give up so easily.
Ji Jin had said that A Yan had an antidote pill on him.
As long as he wasn't poisoned, what was a fall from a cliff? What was falling into water? Her hero was invincible.