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Chapter 213 Casual Chats Between Husband and Wife
The twelfth day of the first lunar month happened to be a rare day off.

Li Yi can finally sleep in and doesn't have to get up early to go on duty anymore.

The bedroom was warm and quiet. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the carved window lattice, casting dappled golden rays that illuminated the trails of floating dust particles. Only then did Li Yi slowly awaken.

He instinctively reached out to both sides, but only touched the slightly cool brocade quilt.

The tender embrace of Xian'er and Zuo Ling'er from last night has long since departed, leaving only the faint, lingering fragrance of their daughters on the bedsheets, silently recounting the enchanting afterglow of their passionate love.

Recalling the warmth of the red silk tent last night, the tender moments where their hair mingled, and the soul-stirring tenderness, a smile involuntarily crept onto Li Yi's lips.

Once upon a time, he was just an unknown, low-level schoolboy, living a bland and ascetic life like an ascetic.

At that time, he yearned to stand out from the crowd, and for the sake of future wealth and glory, he could endure a period of poverty and austerity.

Now, he is surrounded by power, wealth, and beauty, with beautiful wives and concubines in his arms. This dramatic change in his life, like heaven and earth, has only taken two short years.

Thinking of this, Li Yi felt a pang of self-reflection about whether he was "indulging in pleasure."

But it quickly vanished... After suffering for so long, what's wrong with indulging for a moment, indulging in the bedroom, or enjoying yourself?
This is nothing more than a well-deserved reward!
Moreover, he had never neglected his duties because of indulging in pleasures, so this was far from being considered debauched or indulging in extravagance.

Li Yi got up in a good mood and, with the careful assistance of his maid, completed his morning washing and dressing.

He stretched his shoulders and arms and casually asked, "What time is it now?"

"Reporting to Master, it is already six quarters past Chen Shi (7:45 AM)," the little maid replied respectfully, her head bowed.

It was only a little past eight o'clock... Li Yi nodded slightly. This time wasn't too late, but compared to usually having to get up at dawn or even early morning, it was already a rare late and sound sleep.

Especially during the months when the emperor personally led the expedition, he held the heavy responsibility of supervising the palace guards, and also had to assist in the expansion of the capital city and other miscellaneous tasks. He rarely got to sleep for three hours straight, and his body and mind were exhausted, like a taut bowstring.

Having finally managed to get a few days off, I should relax and rejuvenate. I should also take this opportunity to spend quality time with Fu Erniang to make up for the neglect I've caused my wife due to work.

After washing up, Li Yi walked briskly to the master bedroom.

Inside the room, Fu Erniang had only just gotten up. With Guo Shi's careful support, she was leaning against the soft couch by the window. Her pregnancy was quite heavy, making movement rather inconvenient.

Fu Erniang's black hair was not tied up; it was loosely held back with a jade hairpin. Her clean face was free of makeup, and under the morning light outside the window, it presented a holy and gentle glow.

Guo stood behind her, gently combing her hair with meticulous and focused movements.

"Husband is here?" A smile appeared on Fu Erniang's face. Guo Shi behind her also softly called out, "Ah Lang."

Li Yi sat down on a low stool nearby, gently took Fu Erniang's soft hand that was resting on her lap, and held it in his large hand, his eyes full of concern: "Did Jin Ding sleep well last night? How are you feeling this morning? Is there anything wrong with you?"

Fu Erniang smiled slightly, stroking her already very large pregnant belly. Her smile was gentle but tinged with weariness: "I'm sleeping a little better than the previous nights. It's just that the two little ones have become more and more active lately, kicking and thrashing around inside, as if they're practicing their martial arts."

It's practically a done deal that Fu Erniang is pregnant with twins. After all, she's quite far along in her pregnancy; you can tell just by looking at the fetal movements.

This situation brings both joy and worry. While twins are a rare and precious blessing, in this era, even for wealthy and powerful families, childbirth was a perilous ordeal for women. Single births were already extremely dangerous, with many women dying in the process; how much more so would giving birth to twins?

The burden on the mother, the unknown variables in the fetus's position, and many other risks are not simply a matter of "doubled".

Upon hearing this, Madam Guo comforted him, saying, "The child will surely be like Erlang, lively and strong. I've heard from the midwives that if the baby is active in the womb, it will save a lot of trouble during delivery. I'm just afraid the baby won't be active."

Fu Erniang nodded gently, her hand softly circling her belly. Her eyes held both anticipation and a hint of fear about the unknown—there was only a little over a month left until her due date.

As the baby in her womb grew heavier each day, every slight fetal movement filled her with anxiety and fear.

Li Yi saw through his wife's thoughts and comforted her by holding her slightly swollen hand: "Jin Ding, don't worry. We've made thorough preparations. I'll be with you on the day you give birth, and you'll be safe and sound."

His "thorough preparations" were not just a consolation. More than a month ago, Li Yi had already spent a large sum of money to hire three midwives who were quite famous in the vicinity of Kaifeng.

Now, those three experienced old women stay in the mansion day and night on duty. They work in three shifts, taking turns guarding the side room of the master bedroom for twelve hours a day, ready to be summoned at any time.

Moreover, Zuo Congqin, who was stationed outside the city, was also summoned back by Li Yi in case of emergency.

Although Zuo Congqin was just a Taoist priest and not a proper doctor, he was not proficient in women's medicine.

However, he has a broad knowledge of medicine and alchemy, and has also traveled extensively, so he may have a miraculous method at critical moments.

Moreover, having more help naturally means having more security.

Meanwhile, Empress Fu was equally concerned about her younger sister's impending childbirth. Several days ago, the palace dispatched a royal physician, an expert in prenatal care and pregnancy maintenance, to reside permanently at the Li residence.

The physician would take the patient's pulse and examine them every two days, and all their daily needs and prescriptions were prepared in advance, so that they could be ready for any eventuality.

After breakfast, seeing that Fu Erniang was in a good mood, Li Yi suggested, "It's a rare sunny day today, shall I accompany you for a walk in the back garden? The imperial physician also said that appropriate exercise is beneficial for a smooth delivery."

Upon hearing this, Fu Erniang's eyes lit up slightly, clearly showing her interest. But then she remembered something and gently reminded her, "Didn't my husband say yesterday that he was going to visit Zhao Kuangyin today?"

She certainly hoped her husband could spend more time with her, but she also didn't want to delay his important business because of her.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi shook his head slightly and said, "It's just a short visit to him, it doesn't matter whether it's early or late. The weather is so nice this morning, I'll stay home and keep you company. I'll go to the Zhao family after noon when you're taking a nap."

He said this so naturally, as if spending time with her was the most important thing today.

Upon hearing this, Fu Erniang felt a surge of tenderness in her heart, but she said aloud, "How can one visit someone's door in the afternoon... My husband isn't afraid people will think you're being impolite?"

Li Yi said half-jokingly, "Your husband is a general who commands troops and is also Zhao Kuangyin's superior. It is already a great honor for me to condescend to visit him. How could he dare to be dissatisfied? Others would go to great lengths to beg me to make a visit!"

Fu Erniang chuckled at Li Yi's feigned arrogance. She knew her husband wasn't an arrogant person; he was probably just teasing her.

She glared at him, her eyes flashing with a hint of reproach, and gave him a sharp look: "Very well, I understand. My husband has great influence and his reputation is known far and wide... I will obediently follow my husband's arrangements."

(End of this chapter)