The emperor thought that Xiao Jinghan was really a boor when it came to naming things. He wondered how Yi Qing had taken a fancy to him.
"I'll bestow a courtesy name on him when he comes of age," the emperor relented.
"Coming - of - age ceremony?" Xiao Jinghan was surprised. "The name I picked was for a daughter."
The emperor thought Xiao Jinghan was being short - sighted. "What if it's a son?"
Xiao Jinghan had never thought about it. He and Yi Qing had always wanted a daughter.
The queen was witnessing a birth for the first time. Due to her status, it was not convenient for her to get too close. While the emperor and Xiao Jinghan were waiting at the door, she stood in a pavilion a bit farther away.
"Why is there no sound?" the queen was worried.
She only knew that when other women gave birth, they would cry out in excruciating pain and the cries could be heard from afar. Was Yi Qing in trouble? There wasn't a single sound.
"Lady Xiao is enduring it, Your Majesty. Don't worry," Mu Yu tried to console her.
How could the queen not be worried? She realized that this was the first time she had ever worried about another woman.
The baby's cries and the dawn drumbeat sounded simultaneously.
The emperor and Xiao Jinghan both turned around and looked at the room.
"How is my wife?" Xiao Jinghan asked excitedly, looking at Gan Ermei who had just come out.
"Madam is fine," Gan Ermei was also extremely excited.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" the emperor finally had the chance to ask.
"A boy," Gan Ermei was so excited that she forgot about the proper etiquette.
Hearing that it was a boy, Xiao Jinghan's expression froze for a moment. He guessed Yi Qing would be disappointed.
"Reward them!" The emperor was overjoyed at once.
The queen then came over. "General Xiao is truly blessed."
But Xiao Jinghan was a bit troubled. How could he tell Baozi that the sister had turned into a brother when he got home?
After the maids had tidied up the room, Xiao Jinghan was allowed to enter. Yi Qing was extremely exhausted but still insisted on directing the maids.
"It's a boy," Xiao Jinghan brought the baby to Yi Qing's side. "What about the name?"
They hadn't prepared a name for a boy before. It was a bit sudden.
"He came so suddenly. Let's name him Xiao Ran," Yi Qing never liked to think about such things. She always just said whatever came to her mind.
Xiao Jinghan thought it was okay. "You're tired. Go to sleep quickly."
Yi Qing was really tired, but she still insisted on drinking the medicine before going to sleep. She had given birth prematurely, so taking care of her body was crucial.
The emperor and the queen stayed up all night. The emperor finally let out a sigh of relief when he knew Yi Qing was out of danger. If anything had happened to Yi Qing in the palace, he thought Xiao Jinghan would have turned the palace upside down.
The queen stood beside the emperor and bowed. The emperor stood still, and the two of them fell into an awkward silence.
"I'll stay in Jiaolan Palace tonight," the emperor spoke first.
The queen looked at the emperor in surprise, as if she hadn't reacted yet.
"Undress me," the emperor turned and walked into the room.
"Your Majesty's sudden stay took me by surprise. I'm not prepared," the queen followed the emperor, looking a bit flustered.
Whenever the emperor went to a concubine's palace to spend the night, he would always have the maids prepare in advance. This time, it happened so suddenly that no one was ready.
The emperor thought it was troublesome. "It's just a night's sleep. What do you need to prepare for?"
The queen had no choice but to undress the emperor. After she was done, she was about to leave.
"Where are you going, Queen?" the emperor asked as he saw the queen about to leave.
"I'll go to the side hall," the queen whispered, her hands in her sleeves nervously wringing.
She had been married to the emperor for many years, but they had never had a real conjugal relationship. Even when the emperor stayed in her palace, he would let her sleep in the side hall. The emperor's staying in Jiaolan Palace was just to maintain her status as the queen.
The emperor looked at the queen and pulled her hand. "You don't need to go to the side hall tonight."
The queen looked up in shock.
Seeing the shocked look on the queen's face, the emperor felt a twinge of guilt for no reason. For so many years, the queen had always been like this, protecting their reputations.
But he wouldn't explain. He was the emperor and didn't need to explain himself to anyone.
"Yes," the queen didn't say anything else.
It was already late in the morning, but Jiaolan Palace was still quiet. Deng Xiao came back to report, and he waited outside Jiaolan Palace for a long time.
The emperor had purged several ministers last night without giving any reasons, and no one dared to defend them.
Yi Qing didn't wake up until noon. She first checked on the baby and then ate something.
"You haven't slept all night?" Yi Qing asked, looking at Xiao Jinghan.
Xiao Jinghan smiled. "I'm not sleepy."
He didn't dare to sleep. He was worried that something might happen to Yi Qing when he wasn't watching.
"You're not made of iron," Yi Qing moved a bit. "Let's go back when it gets dark."
"Can you move now?" Xiao Jinghan was worried.
"I'm fine."
When it got dark, Xiao Jinghan took Yi Qing back to the general's mansion. Then he informed the Di and Cao families about Yi Qing giving birth, and also sent someone to pick up Xiao Duo.
Xiao Duo looked at the red - skinned baby and couldn't hide his disgust on his face. "Why isn't it a sister?"
Xiao Jinghan didn't know how to explain this. "It's also good to have a brother. You can ride horses together later, and you can teach him how to shoot arrows."
"What if there's only one horse and we both want to ride it?"
Xiao Jinghan thought that Baozi's ability to come up with difficult questions was almost as good as his mother's. "Dad has money. We can buy another one."
Xiao Duo tilted his head and looked at his father. He thought this wasn't about the horse. The problem was that it wasn't a sister.
Xiao Jinghan wondered why Baozi was so obsessed with having a sister. It seemed that he had to work harder in the future.
General Xiao had a son, and the emperor bestowed a lot of gifts. Everyone knew that it was because Xiao Jinghan had saved the emperor again, but the matter of Prince Nian couldn't be openly discussed, so the emperor used this as an excuse to reward him.
This time, the Di family didn't care about Xiao Jinghan anymore. They moved into the general's mansion to take care of Yi Qing during her confinement.
The Fan family also came to visit every day. Yi Qing was now the center of attention.
Everyone was busy around Yi Qing and Xiao Ran. Xiao Duo only stayed at home for two days and then went back to the academy. He thought there was nothing interesting about his brother.
"Xiao Duo, everyone likes your brother but not you," the kids in the academy teased Xiao Duo.
"Yeah, you got nothing, but the emperor bestowed so many things on your brother."
...
Xiao Duo felt the whip around his waist and lashed out without hesitation. That little brat was nothing. When he was born, his mother was only his. It was so much better than this little brat.
In the end, Lu Tianxun took Xiao Duo to the Xiao family. Usually, Xiao Duo just intimidated others, but this time he had beaten someone so badly that they couldn't get out of bed. There had to be an explanation.
"Can't the imperial - bestowed golden whip be used to beat people?" Xiao Jinghan looked at Lu Tianxun.
"After all, they're just kids," Lu Tianxun thought the logic wasn't right.
"Did he beat someone to death?"
"No."
"The golden whip can be used, and he didn't beat anyone to death. The emperor didn't set an age limit when he bestowed the golden whip. What's the problem?" Xiao Jinghan was confused.
Lu Tianxun thought to himself that he must be crazy to come and argue with Xiao Jinghan about such a thing. "After all, they're all Xiao Duo's classmates. It's a bit embarrassing."
"Face is a good thing. If they don't protect it well themselves and get beaten, but then blame others, what kind of logic is that?" Xiao Jinghan asked confidently.