On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

As evening fell, the lights in the North Garden came on, and Yang Siyu pushed open the door and came in carrying pear soup.

When Zhang Ma saw her in the yard, she quickly went to greet her and took the bowl, her attitude was very warm.

"Your Highness is here! The young lady has just finished eating and is embroidering something in her room."

"Let me do it." Yang Siyu didn't let her take it and carried it into the main room himself.

The room was warm, with a charcoal brazier burning inside.

Consort Hui leaned against the soft couch, a thin blanket covering her legs, intently embroidering a small bellyband.

However, her embroidery skills were very rough; the stitches were crooked and twisted, and the stitches even got knotted halfway through.

Yang Siyu sat down on the chair by the couch, placed the pear soup on the small table, looked at the undergarment in Consort Hui's hand, and chuckled: "Hehehe, how come your stitches are still so rough?"

Consort Hui glanced at her sideways: "If you can embroider, then do it yourself!"

Yang Siyu took the bib, picked up a thread from the sewing basket, threaded a needle, and began to embroider.

Her hands were steady, and her needlework was even. After a few stitches, the half-dead little lotus flower immediately took shape.

Consort Hui tilted her head to look at her hand and said softly, "Back in the palace, I always wanted to beat you."

Yang Siyu didn't look up: "Win what?"

"I wanted to win at everything! Embroidery, painting, playing the zither, dressing, being favored." Consort Hui touched her belly, her voice carrying an indescribable meaning. "Now that I think about it, I don't know what I should have won."

Yang Siyu stopped the needlework and looked up at her: "Even if you win against me, what then? Can you become the empress? Look at Zhao Shuyu now."

Consort Hui's lips twitched, but she didn't reply.

Indeed, Zhao Shuyu has now completely turned into a toothless tiger, and she needs Lin Yi's approval for everything.

Thinking about it this way, choosing to join Lin Yi first was truly the right choice.

"Yes, that woman must be in a terrible state right now!"

"Hehehe." Yang Siyu smiled.

Then Consort Hui laughed along, "Hahahaha, I really wish Lin Yi could monopolize her in Kunning Palace! It would be a way for me to vent my anger."

How do you know he didn't?

"Huh?" Consort Hui's mouth dropped open. "No way, Lin Yi really did that?"

Yang Siyu continued embroidering the bellyband, saying, "I'm not sure either, but Zhao Shuyu is Nangong Xiong's first wife. How could the Prince let go of this sense of conquest?"

"That's true, I'm not being monopolized by him either."

"You were practically throwing yourself at me, do you think I didn't know?"

"What do you mean by paying me? It was Nangong Xiong who forced me... Sigh, never mind, let's not talk about it anymore. It's fine as it is now."

Consort Hui has come to a complete understanding, and she only smiles whenever the past is mentioned.

She leaned back on the soft couch, one hand resting on her stomach, the other reaching for the chestnut cake on the small table.

She tried to reach it twice but couldn't, so Yang Siyu reached out and handed her the plate.

Consort Hui took a bite of chestnut cake and said, "I keep dreaming about things from the past lately, and I feel uneasy when I wake up."

Yang Siyu placed the embroidered bellyband beside her and asked, "Are you worried that the child will be born without a proper status?"

Consort Hui nodded as she chewed her food: "That's right, who knows how the Prince will treat us, mother and son..."

"You know better than I do what the prince is; he never fails to keep his promises."

Consort Hui defended herself, saying, "It's not that I don't believe him."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"I'm worried that he has too much to do and won't be able to manage everything."

Yang Siyu picked up the pear soup, took a sip, and put down the bowl: "Let me tell you, the Prince made a point of visiting my courtyard today and told me to come and see you more often. The fact that he thought of this shows that he cares about you and the child, so you don't need to worry about these things."

Consort Hui turned her head to look at her, and suddenly there was something in her eyes.

It wasn't doubt, but more like an intuition between women.

Lin Yi and Yang Siyu...it shouldn't be, right?

Yang Siyu looked at Consort Hui again, then turned and beckoned Hongcui to come in.

"Red and green".

"Your Majesty is here!" Hongcui stood at the door.

Yang Siyu said, "Is there enough charcoal in Beiyuan? It's cold at night, don't let your young ladies catch a cold."

"That's enough, that's enough! Right now, all the charcoal in the whole prefecture is being supplied to us."

"Have you found a midwife yet?"

"We found two, both from the Zhang family in the west of the city. They have plenty of experience in midwifery. The prince should also have some arrangements."

Yang Siyu nodded: "Yes, prepare a few more, just in case. Don't worry about the money; if you need more, just come to me. Miss Su is too old to have children, so we can't be careless."

"Yes, I will go find it tomorrow."

Consort Hui chewed on chestnut cake, watching Yang Siyu and Hongcui make arrangements one by one, and felt a warm feeling in her heart.

She was indeed better at doing things than I was, so it wasn't unfair that I lost to her in the palace back then.

But it's no longer a matter of winning or losing.

"Sister Yang."

Yang Siyu turned to look at her.

"Please embroider that little tiger on the left side of the bib."

Yang Siyu picked up the bellyband and looked at it: "Is it embroidered with a tiger?"

"Yes, I want to embroider a little tiger for my child."

"Are you sure it's a tiger? Not a cat?"

"tiger!"

"Alright."

Yang Siyu smiled faintly, picked up her needle and thread again, and bent down to embroider a tiger on the bib.

She embroidered two stitches and then frowned.

"Your fabric is too thin. You need to put on a base layer first when embroidering a tiger head, otherwise the thread will show through."

"Then go ahead and hit me."

"Alright, alright, I'm practically becoming your maid."

"Hehehehe."

Two women who had once schemed against each other in the harem now sat there, one embroidering and the other looking at the embroidery, chatting idly.

As darkness fell outside the window, Zhang Ma came in, lit the lamp, and added a basin of charcoal.

……

In the evening, after finishing her household affairs, Nangong Min returned to her main room and was suddenly stunned when she opened the door.

Lin Yi was lying on the bed, one hand on his side and the other hand protecting Cheng Ye's belly.

The little guy was lying on his dad's stomach, his cheek pressed against it, his mouth slightly open, fast asleep.

Saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth, leaving a wet stain on Lin Yi's clothes.

Lin Yi closed his eyes and breathed evenly, as if he were asleep.

Shishi leaned over from the side and whispered in Nangong Min's ear.

"Your Highness, the Prince has been here for a while now."

Nangong Min asked in a low voice, "When did you arrive?"

"About an hour ago. After the prince arrived, he went to see the young master first. The young master had just woken up and was in good spirits. When he saw the prince, he reached out to be held. The prince picked him up, and the young master climbed all over him and even tugged at the prince's ear several times."

Nangong Min's lips curled into a smile: "Really? You even pulled my ear?"

"Hmm! You're pulling really hard. The prince just pretends to be asleep and doesn't open his eyes. No matter how much the young master pulls, he won't budge. Later, the young master got tired of it and just lay down on his stomach to sleep."

Nangong Min tiptoed to the bedside, sat down on the edge of the bed, and looked at her son lying there. She wanted to reach out and touch his head, but she was afraid of waking him up.

Finally, I just used a handkerchief to wipe the little guy's drool.

"Min'er." Lin Yi suddenly spoke, startling her.

"Husband, are you still awake?"

"No." Lin Yi opened one eye to look at her. "This kid pulled my ear today. Tell me, did you teach him to do that?"

Nangong Min was immediately embarrassed: "What? When have I ever pulled your ear?"

"That's what Mimi taught her!" Lin Yi opened his other eye as well. "Just wait until I teach her a lesson!"

"Hehehe, my husband is talking nonsense again. Which girl in this manor would dare to disrespect the prince? They tremble when they speak, let alone pull his ear!" Nangong Min couldn't help but laugh out loud and reached out to punch his shoulder.

Lin Yi grabbed her wrist and pulled hard.

"Oh dear!" Nangong Min rushed over and lay on his chest, with her and her son each occupying one side.

Lin Chengye was startled by the noise, grunted, then put his little fist in his mouth and smacked it twice before going back to sleep.

"This kid's gotten heavier again." Lin Yi lifted his son up, letting his head rest on his shoulder.

Nangong Min lay on his other side, tilting her head to look at her son.

"Where did you eat today?"

"With my mother."

"What did you eat?"

"Pear soup." Nangong Min paused for a moment, then added, "My mother asked me to bring you a bowl too; it's keeping it warm in the kitchen."

Lin Yi didn't respond to that.

The room fell silent.

Shishi gently closed the door from the outside.

Nangong Min's hair was spread across Lin Yi's chest, and the strands brushed against his chin, tickling him.

Hmm, my husband has a faint smell of orange peel on him, probably from when he went to the east courtyard this afternoon.

She didn't ask any questions or think much about it. She simply nuzzled her face against his shoulder, closed her eyes, and quickly fell asleep.