Dance Of The Dragons
Chapter 291 : Xie Jianyu’s Pain (4)

Chapter 291: Chapter 291 : Xie Jianyu’s Pain (4)

Lady Song’s heart soared with joy upon hearing the news of her son-in-law’s return to the Heavenly Realm.

On the very day of Xie Jianyu’s arrival, Lady Song was eager to visit him, but her husband gently took her aside for a private conversation. He spoke to her in his softest voice, his eyes filled with concern.

"Dear, you should not bother His Majesty too much."

Zhang Zhiyuan’s words dampened Lady Song’s joyful mood a great deal.

"And why not?" She asked while putting both hands against her waist in defiance.

"The Crown Prince is busy," Zhang Zhiyuan said while emphasizing the word "busy".

"He is not the same as other omegas who can sit back as soon as they become pregnant."

Lady Song sucked in a lungful of air, her chest heaving with indignation.

What an insult!

"Zhang Zhiyuan!" She called out, her voice trembling with disdain. "Are you saying that I only sat around when I was pregnant with Fengxi???"

What began as a well-intentioned piece of advice quickly spiraled into a long and groveling apology from Zhang Zhiyuan.

Nevertheless, Lady Song agreed to leave Fuxi Palace before lunchtime arrived.

And yet, once Lady Song was alone with Xie Jianyu, she forgot all about her husband. She hovered around Xie Jianyu like a protective mother hen while the latter carried out his duties as the crown prince of the empire.

"Little Xie, ah... You need to eat more. Look at you, you are so pale..."

Lady Song shoved a plate of fragrant persimmon cake in Xie Jianyu’s direction.

"Yes, Mother-in-law."

Xie Jianyu nibbled on a persimmon cake while he wrote a report for the Heavenly Emperor.

Lady Song returned a moment later. She took Xie Jianyu’s arm and pulled him out of the study.

"Little Xie, ah... Don’t stay inside the work chamber the entire time. You need to breathe in a lot of fresh air."

"Yes, Mother-in-law."

Xie Jianyu went to relax in the garden while reading official letters that came in during his absence.

"..."

Lady Song was speechless.

She had never met a more hardworking omega in her life.

"Little Xie, ah... You need to bundle up. Don’t catch a cold."

"Yes, Mother-in-law."

Lady Song squeezed Xie Jianyu’s shoulder affectionately. Once she ran out of things to say, she looked around in a conspicuous manner.

Her curious attitude caught Xie Jianyu’s attention.

"Mother-in-law, who are you looking for?" Xie Jianyu asked.

"Oh, no one, no one..."

Lady Song rose to her feet.

"Little Xie, I am going to check the lunch preparation for a little bit."

Instead of going to the kitchen, the Longjing Palace Mistress looked for Mingyu.

Following Qingyun’s departure, Mingyu became extremely busy. She ran around from early morning to late at night to tend to her master. Xie Jianyu did not approve of her ways.

"Mingyu, I am pregnant, not an invalid," Xie Jianyu reminded the young woman. "I am more than capable of taking care of myself."

That was what the Crown Prince said, but he was suffering a lot from severe pregnancy symptoms.

When Lady Song found her, Mingyu was rushing past the corridor with a basin of cold water to alleviate Xie Jianyu’s hot flashes during the day.

"Mingyu, aiyah, you should not run around like that. You are going to startle the baby!"

"Yes, Your Highness. Excuse me, Your Highness," Mingyu slowed down abruptly, almost appearing as if she were gliding on the floor.

Lady Song took her elbow and asked in a low voice, "Mingyu, I haven’t seen the, uh, Shuiran Palace Mistress around."

Not that she enjoyed their interaction so far. She simply could not help being curious.

"Do you know anything?"

Mingyu flashed the elder woman a polite smile. Palace maids like her were not allowed to reveal their masters’ private matters, no matter how trivial. Lady Song was the Crown Prince’s mother-in-law, but she was still a person of Longjing Palace.

"Your Highness, I am unfortunately not well-informed about Lord Xie’s absence," she said with a touch of regret.

"Ah."

Xie Jianshen was probably busy.

This was her good chance to get on her son-in-law’s good side.

Lady Song had a broad grin plastered across her face, but Mingyu was unable to share her happiness.

Xie Jianyu was nowhere to be seen when they returned to the seating area in the garden. They found him huddled in a corner, bent over a jar, his shoulders heaving as he vomited again.

"Master...!"

Xie Jianyu straightened his posture and pressed a wet cloth against his lips.

"I can’t take it anymore," he said, resentment simmering in his eyes like slowly boiling water. "Mingyu, get me anything. I am sick of vomiting every day."

"Aiyah, Little Xie, how can you take random medicine so carelessly???" Lady Song exclaimed.

"Mingyu, come with me. We need to find Physician Han. He will know what to do."

Xie Jianyu did not express any objection, so Mingyu found herself accompanying her master’s mother-in-law to the Golden Dragon Palace to fetch Lady Song’s physician of choice.

Physician Han had just returned from a grueling visit to a high-profile client outside of the palace. He was exhausted, but he still gathered his things together to accompany Lady Song back to Fuxi Palace.

Mingyu fidgeted with her hands as she waited next to the cloud carriage near the palace gate.

A moment later, another cloud carriage landed in front of theirs. The door opened, and a familiar man emerged.

"Mingyu...?"

The maid raised her head and widened her eyes when she heard the familiar voice.

Xie Jianshen stood in front of her with an unknown expression.

"Y-Your Highness!"

Mingyu shook when she came face-to-face with Xie Jianshen. Although Xie Jianshen did not do anything to her directly, she still feared him greatly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I... Master is nauseous the entire time, so Lady Song came here to find Physician Han."

Xie Jianshen’s lips curled up in a sneer. He flicked his sleeves with a flourish and turned away from Mingyu. The maid bowed her head out of respect.

A moment later, she heard his voice. It was low and even, but she could detect a hint of concern in it.

"Sour plum soup," the man said. "Once a day, every morning after breakfast."

"Oh," Mingyu said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Xie Jianshen turned his head slightly and gave her a sidelong glance. His eyes were dark and unreadable.

"Ask the kitchen chef for the recipe," he said.