On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Yi had not been to the palace for several days.

With Zhao Shuyu and Consort Zhou keeping an eye on things, everything remained calm and peaceful.

Nangong Xiong was the same; he spent his days reviewing official documents and checking the auspicious dates, placing his hopes on Nangong Jin.

Little did he know that, given Nangong Jin's personality, if he were to actually capture the capital, his reign as emperor would be over.

The North Garden of the Prince's Mansion has been unusually quiet these past few days.

Lin Yi temporarily handed over all his affairs to a few trusted officials, and Lin An and Qiangzi helped with household matters, while he stayed in Beiyuan to accompany Consort Hui.

It wasn't that he had nothing else to do, but Consort Hui's belly was getting bigger every day, and she was having trouble walking, so he was worried about her.

Even though Zhang Ma brought meals to his room every day and Hong Cui took care of him, Lin Yi still felt uneasy.

Ultimately, there wasn't much affection between the two, far less than that between Nangong Min, Mi Mi, and others, but the child in her belly was her own.

It is also the foundation for the Lin family's future.

Lin Yi had no doubt about Consort Hui's genes; there must be a reason why she was able to raise such a powerful child like Nangong Jin in the original book.

It is currently afternoon.

Consort Hui lay sprawled on the bed, her hand supporting her waist, her eyes and brows full of smiles as she gazed at the powerful man before her, and said tenderly, "Your Highness, you don't need to stay by my side all the time. I'm not made of paper."

Lin Yi sat on the edge of the bed peeling oranges for her and said, "Your belly is so much bigger than Min'er's back then, it looks like you're carrying a cow."

Consort Hui laughed and scolded him: "How annoying! What do you mean by 'pregnant with a cow'? You can't even tell right from wrong when you speak."

"What I mean is that a normal person's belly isn't that big."

Lin Yi did find this matter strange.

When Nangong Min was pregnant with Chengye, her belly was big, but not to this extent.

Consort Hui is now out of breath after walking just a few steps, and she's carrying a calf in her belly.

Consort Hui tucked the pillow back a little to make herself more comfortable: "Doctor Li came to see me a few days ago and said I have twins."

Lin Yi was taken aback.

"Huh? Two kids?"

"Yes." Consort Hui nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "Doctor Li confirmed it after taking her pulse twice. He said there are two fetuses in her womb, and the pulses are distinct."

Lin Yi remained silent for a while, then suddenly laughed.

"That's great? Hahahaha." Lin Yi laughed and touched Consort Hui's belly.

This surprised her: "Is His Highness happy?"

"Of course I'm happy! Two came at once, what a steal!"

Consort Hui was amused by his words and reached out to pat his arm: "What do you mean by making a profit? It's not like we're doing business."

"Wouldn't that be a win?" Lin Yi sat cross-legged on the bed, took Hui Fei's hand, and asked, "Do you think it could be a boy and a girl? Twins?"

"No one can say for sure. Even Dr. Li can't say for sure."

"Who cares? Whether it's a boy or a girl, they're all my offspring." Lin Yi said matter-of-factly, tucking Hui Fei's stray hair behind her ear. "You're truly a great contributor to our Lin family! How are you feeling? Does your back still hurt?"

"It's okay during the day, but I can't turn over in bed at night because my stomach feels uncomfortable from the pressure. And these two kids are really active; they kick around all night, which keeps me from sleeping well."

"Naughty." Lin Yi placed his hand on her stomach and indeed felt something moving inside.

One stroke, two strokes, very powerful.

"Hey, my son kicked me, and he kicked me really hard."

Consort Hui watched as the large hand moved back and forth across her stomach, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

When Nangong Jin was pregnant in the palace, Nangong Xiong had visited several times, but never before had he placed his hand on hers and earnestly felt her like Lin Yi had.

Many times, he would only ask one question, "What did the imperial physician say?" and then leave under the pretext of being busy with official business.

She was quite happy at the time, feeling fortunate that the emperor could take time out of his busy schedule to visit her.

But now I realize that the prince is also very busy, but he can put aside all his affairs to spend time with her.

This disparity made Consort Hui feel both happy and disappointed, as if she had wasted the first half of her life.

Lin Yi noticed a change in her expression and asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"

Consort Hui shook her head: "It's nothing, I just feel that I haven't lived in vain this life."

"Why are you saying such discouraging things?" Lin Yi gently tapped her forehead. "How old are you to be thinking about this lifetime? You have a long life ahead of you."

Consort Hui hissed, covered her forehead, and glared at him fiercely, but the corners of her mouth were still turned up.

At this moment, Hongcui brought in a bowl of chicken soup. Seeing the two of them flirting like this, she quickly put down the bowl and retreated.

Lin Yi called out to her, "Hongcui, don't run away, come here."

Hongcui stopped, her movements somewhat hesitant: "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

"How have you been eating these past few days, young lady? Are there any dietary restrictions?"

"Your Highness, the young lady has a good appetite, but she doesn't really like porridge, finding it bland. She's been craving sweets these past few days, so I had the kitchen make some extra osmanthus cake and the like."

"You can't just eat sweets all the time." Lin Yi looked at Consort Hui. "You need to drink more soup to nourish your body. After you give birth, you can eat whatever you want, but you have to endure it for now."

Consort Hui snorted, "Hmph, you're even more long-winded than those midwives."

"I'm doing this for your own good."

"Alright, alright, I'll drink it, okay?" Consort Hui picked up the chicken soup and sipped it slowly.

Lin Yi looked at her, secretly calculating in his mind.

Since they are twins, we need to be careful.

Consort Hui was already considered an older mother, and given that she had been drugged and damaged in the past, the risks of giving birth to two children were even higher than for the average person.

Yang Siyu and Hongcui had already arranged for midwives, but now the situation has changed, and they need to prepare more.

"Red and green".

"exist."

"Go tell Zhang Ma to find two more midwives. This time it's not one child, it's two, so we need someone to handle any emergencies. Also, have Lin An invite all the imperial physicians who served the princess during her childbirth last time. Make sure they are all well protected."

"Yes, this servant will take care of it right away."

Hongcui went out.

Consort Hui put down her bowl, looked at Lin Yi, and said with emotion, "Your Highness, wouldn't this break the rules of etiquette? How can I compare to the Princess?"

"Stop calling me Your Highness, it makes it sound like we're miles apart."

Consort Hui was taken aback: "Then what should I be called?"

"Whatever you like, you can call me by my name."

"Lin..." She blushed as soon as she uttered the word, pursed her lips, and lowered her head.

Lin Yi smiled and stood up, walked to the table, poured himself a glass of water, and said, "Alright, alright, don't push yourself. Take it slow. I'm going out for a walk. You rest first, I'll come back later. Don't worry about etiquette, Min'er is sensible and won't fuss over such things."

"Um."

Lin Yi left the main house and stood under the eaves.

The winter sun shone in the yard, the two pine trees were still green, and the fallen leaves on the ground had been swept clean.

The matter of the twins could not be made public, because Consort Hui's identity was a secret to begin with. If the news were to leak out, a whole series of events would be impossible to contain.

Therefore, after these two children are born, their household registration, status, and future arrangements all need to be planned in advance.

But that's all for later. Right now, the most important thing is to ensure she gives birth to the child safely.

Lin Yi walked around the yard twice with his hands behind his back, then looked up at the sky.

Time flies! Spring is just around the corner.

……

The next morning, guests arrived at Beiyuan.

Nangong Min led Shishi, carrying a bamboo basket filled with twenty or thirty oranges, which were bright yellow and quite large.

When Zhang Ma saw her in the courtyard, she quickly went to greet her: "The Princess Consort has arrived!"

"Don't bother, Aunt Zhang, I just came to sit for a while." Nangong Min smiled and handed the basket to Shishi. "Yesterday, the Prince said that Consort Hui likes to eat oranges. Perfect timing, these are some tributes from merchants in the south. They're quite sweet. Let Miss Su have a taste."

"Alright, alright, Your Highness, please come in!"

Nangong Min entered the main room.

Consort Hui was leaning against the bed, looking at a small garment that Hongcui had made for the child.

Hearing the noise, she looked up and saw that it was Nangong Min. She immediately didn't know where to put the things in her hands.

"Sister... Princess."