New Year's Eve

"The Princess Consort loves me too much. There's nothing I can do but treat her twice as well."

Ye Muchen realized then that Si Yunqi was showing off to him.

He had probably been waiting ages for Ye Muchen to bring it up. Heh~

"It truly feels wonderful to have the Princess Consort care for me. What do you think, Crown Prince?" Si Yunqi seemed to remember only then that Ye Muchen had neither a wife nor concubines in the Eastern Palace, and said regretfully, "I forgot. You haven't married yet, Crown Prince, so you wouldn't be able to understand the feeling."

Ye Muchen: "..." I want to hit someone.

"I hear Her Majesty the Empress is looking at candidates for your crown princess. Has anyone caught your eye?"

Ye Muchen bitterly regretted his loose tongue and having opened his mouth.

Could someone tell him how Si Yunqi had become like this?

The ministers, palace maids, and eunuchs who had witnessed everything in the hall were also speechless, and even more incredulous.

Still, they all praised him. "The Princess Consort of Anbei is truly skillful. You are fortunate, Your Highness."

"Yes, indeed."

After the emperor arrived, he inevitably went through the same thing. Seeing Si Yunqi's smug expression, he threw a teacup straight at him.

"Si Yunqi! That's enough." He was acting as though no one else had a wife.

Later, he would have the empress make him one too.

At the Prince of Anbei's residence, the servants were trembling with fear because their Princess Consort was determined to cook with her own hands, and nothing they said could dissuade her.

Xiao He watched Yan Wanning bustling about in the kitchen and said earnestly, "Princess Consort, let's go back to your room. You're still pregnant."

"No, I want to make my husband a bowl of soup myself."

"Then could you follow my instructions?" Xiao He had no choice but to take a step back. Since she couldn't stop her, she would at least try to keep the Princess Consort away from anything dangerous.

Yan Wanning nodded and agreed without hesitation.

"What kind of soup would you like to make for the Prince, Princess Consort?"

Yan Wanning thought for a moment. "I want to make my husband chicken soup with mushrooms."

"All right, I'll go prepare the ingredients. The people who went shopping this morning happened to buy some dried mushrooms, just right for soup."

"Then what should I do?" Eager to get started, Yan Wanning reached for the cleaver on the chopping board. Xiao He hurriedly stopped her. "Princess Consort, you can tend the fire here."

"All... all right."

Yan Wanning reluctantly withdrew the hand she had reached out and went over to the stove. She watched the fire-tending old woman adding wood, getting the fire blazing so easily.

Yan Wanning immediately felt that she could do it too.

"Princess Consort?" Seeing her eyes light up, the old woman felt a chill run down her spine.

"Go do something else. I'll tend the fire."

The old woman was sent aside, and Yan Wanning picked up firewood and started stuffing it into the stove. The old woman stopped her. "Princess Consort, don't put so much wood in at once. Wait until it has mostly burned before adding more."

"Oh, oh." Her fair, delicate hand pulled out the wood she had just put in, and she suddenly let out a soft hiss. Both the old woman and Xiao He, who had come in carrying the dried mushrooms, jumped in fright.

Xiao He put down what she was holding, took Yan Wanning's hand, and asked, "What happened, Princess Consort?"

Yan Wanning shook her head. "It's nothing. A splinter on the wood pricked my hand."

"Princess Consort, please let this old servant do it," the old woman said.

"All right."

Xiao He felt quite a headache coming on as she wiped the bead of blood from her hand with an embroidered handkerchief. "Princess Consort, let me take you back to your room. Look, there are dangers everywhere in the kitchen. I know you want to make soup for the Prince, but if you finish the soup and end up hurting yourself..."

"Would the Prince be happy drinking it?"

"Then... let's go back."

Yan Wanning sighed. Her husband had been busy running around, and it had been hard on him, so she had wanted to make him some soup to warm him up.

Yan Wanning looked at the kitchen with reluctance, then trudged out with difficulty.

She comforted herself. "Never mind. If I can't cook, I'll make clothes instead."

Tonight was New Year's Eve, and the dining hall was already filled with a variety of steaming dishes. Yet on this day for family reunions, only Yan Wanning was home, waiting for Si Yunqi to return, and she felt a pang of melancholy.

"Are you thinking about the Old Princess Dowager, Princess Consort?" Xiao He draped a cloak over her shoulders.

"Mm. I wonder if Grandmother has eaten dinner."

"The Old Princess Dowager must be missing you and the Prince too."

When Si Yunqi came in beneath the moonlight, he saw his little wife sitting at the table with a worried look. He strode over, picked her up, and asked, "What are you worried about, my wife?"

Yan Wanning's alarm turned to delight. "You're finally back, husband."

It was late at night. After their New Year's Eve dinner, Yan Wanning wanted to pull Si Yunqi along to stay up for the New Year, only for him to carry her to the bed and fool around.

"No, I want to watch the fireworks."

Yan Wanning held back his handsome face as he leaned close and puffed out her cheeks. "I'm still pregnant. The physician said we can't."

Si Yunqi moved her hand aside and unerringly captured those tempting cherry lips. In a husky voice, he said, "I'll take you to see the fireworks. The physician said we could after three months."

"I'll be careful not to hurt you or the child."

Before she could react, he turned her over and embraced her from behind. Yan Wanning let out a soft moan, her beautiful eyes misting over. He grasped her chin, and his warm, thin lips covered hers, drawing her down to sink into it with him.

His movements were neither too rough nor too gentle, leaving her both comfortable and unable to bear it.