On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was evening again.

After Lin Yi finished his meal at Beiyuan, he asked Hongcui to clear away the dishes.

Consort Hui sat on the bed, slowly peeling an orange in her hand. She hadn't finished the basket of oranges that Nangong Min had sent her a few days ago.

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

The windows were closed, so the cold wind from outside couldn't get in.

Lin Yi took off his outer robe and sat down on the bed, leaning against the pillows.

Consort Hui shifted her body to make room for him.

How are you feeling today?

Consort Hui handed him half of the peeled orange: "It's alright, but my back aches."

"I'm not eating, you eat."

"I can't finish these, could you please eat some for me? It would be a waste to leave such good oranges uneaten."

"What a joke, when did you start being so frugal?" Lin Yi laughed as he took the piece, broke off a slice, and popped it into his mouth.

Hmm, it's quite sweet.

The two of them leaned against each other, chatting idly.

"Your Highness."

"Um?"

"What exactly is this mahjong you're talking about? Hongcui said everyone in the manor is playing it now."

"It's a card game, played by four people sitting together. I'll teach you after you've recovered from giving birth."

"Alright." Consort Hui smiled, then remained silent for a moment before speaking again, "Your Highness, when I was in the palace..."

"They're talking about the past again."

"No, I just wanted to tell you something." Consort Hui held the orange peel in her hand, her head lowered. "In the past, Nangong Xiong... he never said these kinds of things to me. Every time he came to see me, he would just ask what the imperial physician said, how many months old the baby was, and not to eat anything indiscriminately. Then he would leave."

Lin Yi didn't interrupt, he just listened.

"Sometimes he wouldn't come even once a month, and when he did, he'd just sit for a while, have a cup of tea, and leave. Let alone... let alone holding hands."

Lin Yi said, "That kind of person isn't worth your time."

"I don't care about him anymore. I stopped hating him a long time ago, and I don't miss him anymore." Consort Hui turned to look at Lin Yi. "I just feel... things are fine now."

Lin Yi looked into her eyes.

This woman has been through too much.

Her husband's indifference, her son's disability and betrayal, the empress's framing, and even her faked death later on.

She is now pregnant with two children and hiding in the Prince's mansion.

Anyone else would have collapsed long ago.

But she didn't. On the contrary, she lived a down-to-earth life and became more and more at ease.

Lin Yi took her hand.

Consort Hui's hands were a little cold, with slender fingertips and indistinct knuckles.

Lin Yi's hands were very large, and they quickly enveloped her entire hand.

"I'll hold your hand from now on."

Consort Hui didn't speak, but she squeezed her hand back tightly, and the two of them leaned against the headboard hand in hand.

The room was quiet, with only the occasional soft crackling of the charcoal brazier.

After a long while, Consort Hui finally spoke again.

"Your Highness, have you thought about... what to do in the future?"

"What? What should we do?"

"My identity... I'm already dead outside. What will happen to the child after he's born? I can't hide him forever."

Lin Yi had indeed been thinking about this matter.

"I've already thought it through. I'll change your name. You won't be called Consort Hui anymore, and your surname won't be Su either."

Consort Hui was taken aback: "What's it called?"

"I'll give you a new identity. To outsiders, you'll be said to be a member of the Prince's Mansion, from out of town. Only a few people in the manor will know your true identity; it won't get out."

"But……"

"No buts." Lin Yi squeezed her hand. "After the baby is born and you've recovered, I'll give you the title of concubine. From now on, you'll be a proper mistress in the manor, with guards accompanying you when you go out. You can go wherever you want, and you won't have to hide anymore. You can live a good life in the sunlight."

Consort Hui was stunned.

Concubine.

Those two words were too heavy for her.

She used to be the emperor's woman, but she died.

Later, she became Lin Yi's woman, but she never officially became his girlfriend.

Ultimately, she didn't dare to think about these things, because her situation was too special, and she was already lucky to have a place to stay.

But Lin Yi said he would give her to his concubine.

"Your Highness...are you serious?"

When have I ever lied to you?

Consort Hui's eyes immediately reddened, and she quickly turned her face away.

But Lin Yi had already seen it. He didn't say anything to comfort her, but just held her hand even tighter.

"Alright, stop crying. Pregnant women shouldn't cry; it's bad for the baby."

"I didn't cry..." Consort Hui sniffed, her voice muffled, "I just... never thought this day would come."

"There are many good days ahead."

Consort Hui turned around and leaned on his shoulder.

Her belly was so big that it was a little awkward to lean against the railing, but she didn't care.

"Your Highness."

"Um?"

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. You're my woman. If I'm not good to you, who else should I be good to?"

Consort Hui smiled, but then choked up again.

Lin Yi reached out and patted her on the back: "Go to sleep, you have things to do tomorrow."

"Um."

Consort Hui closed her eyes, her hands still clenched.

……

The next morning, Lin Yi didn't leave in a hurry.

Consort Hui woke up later than him, turned over, and found that there was nothing beside her.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Lin Yi sitting by the window drinking tea.

She propped herself up on her elbows and murmured, "Your Highness, you're up so early?"

"Hmm, I can't sleep." Lin Yi put down his teacup, walked over, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"Extremely good."

Hongcui brought in the water for washing her face.

"Girl, you can wash up now."

"Okay." Hongcui wet the towel and wiped Consort Hui's face.

Then he had her wash her hands and mouth. After everything was tidied up, Lin Yi helped her up and walked to the dressing table.

In ancient times, women with a bit of money and social status were required to wear makeup every day, as a sign of respect for themselves and their families.

So no matter how big Consort Hui's belly was, she persisted.

Lin Yi stood behind her, looking at her, and said, "Have you thought about the name yourself?"

Consort Hui was taken aback, staring at Lin Yi in the mirror: "Is it about what Your Highness said yesterday about changing my name?"

"Yes, your original surname can't be used anymore. The character 'Su' is too easily associated with certain things. I plan to give you a new surname and a new given name, and we'll use the new one on all official documents and household registrations from now on."

Consort Hui thought for a moment and said, "Then what does Your Highness think would be a good name?"

Do you have any ideas of your own?

Consort Hui shook her head: "I'm not very good at naming things..."

Lin Yi leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment before saying, "How about the surname Shen, Shen Yueqing? What do you think?"

"Shen Yueqing..." Consort Hui repeated it twice, then nodded and smiled, "It sounds nice."

"Then it's settled. From now on, you'll be known as Shen Yueqing, from Jiangnan. As for your background, I'll have Lin An make up a story; you don't need to worry about it."

"it is good."

That's settled.

Lin Yi then asked, "What about the child's name? Have you thought about it?"

"How dare I choose the child's name? It was His Highness who decided on it."

"I can decide, but we'll have to wait until the babies are born to see if they're boys or girls." Lin Yi thought for a moment, "If they're both boys, we'll name them Lin Chengzhao and Lin Chengming. If they're both girls... you can name them."

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, there were specific rules for naming children, and the head of the family usually chose the name.

However, Lin Yi gave the opportunity to name the girl to Consort Hui, which delighted her: "Very well, I thank Your Highness for your kindness, oh no, I thank my husband..."

These two words were completely unfamiliar to Consort Hui.

The two talked for a while longer when Zhang Ma came in from outside and said that Doctor Li had arrived.

Lin Yi said, "Let him in."

Doctor Li carried his medicine box into the room, first bowed to Lin Yi, then squatted down by the dressing table to take Consort Hui's pulse. He took her pulse for a while, then switched to his other hand to take her pulse again before stopping and getting up.

"Your Highness, the Lady's pulse is generally stable, and both fetuses are healthy. However..."

"Just what?"

"But the girl still needs to exercise more these few days to make the delivery of the baby more stable. Lying down or sitting all the time is not good."

Lin Yi chuckled and patted Consort Hui's shoulder: "Did you hear that? The doctor told you to move around more, you lazybones!"

"Tch!" Consort Hui rolled her eyes.