Chapter 84: Extra 1 Part 1
On the day of Chu Yanheng’s fourth birthday banquet, he stood before Chu Yi with his head held high and asked in a milky voice, “Daddy, why do I have to wear so many clothes today?”
Chu Yi squatted down, pinched Chu Yanheng’s cheek, and said softly, “Today is our Shun’er’s birthday. Don’t you remember?”
Chu Yanheng’s eyes suddenly lit up like stars, but in an instant, his brows furrowed, his small brow wrinkling. Seeing this, Chu Yi asked softly, “Is Shun’er not willing to celebrate his birthday?”
Chu Yanheng shook his head and stepped forward to hug Chu Yi. “Daddy, Father-Emperor will definitely want Shun’er to be sensible later, not to eat too much, not to play too much, and not to doze off. I also have to show my crown prince’s demeanor in front of that group of uncles… But Shun’er just wants to sleep and eat delicious food!”
Chu Yi gently caressed the small lump of his son in his arms and couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
Chu Yanheng’s ears were very sharp. He immediately raised his hand to reprimand Chu Yi, “Daddy, you’re not allowed to laugh at Shun’er!”
Chu Yi immediately put on a straight face. He caught a glimpse of a figure outside the window and thought it must be Sheng Qianheng.
He gently tapped Chu Yanheng’s mouth and said, “Your father-emperor is here. What should you call me?”
Chu Yanheng pouted. “I have to call Daddy Father-Empress~”
Chu Yi nodded.
Only after Sheng Qianheng had stepped into the bedchamber did Chu Yi slowly stand up.
But in a moment, he felt his vision go black, and his whole body went soft.
Sheng Qianheng immediately stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Chu Yi’s waist, holding him in his embrace. His brows were tightly furrowed. “Did you hold Chu Yanheng again? He’s already four years old and very heavy! Don’t tire yourself out by holding him on a daily basis!”
Chu Yi supported himself on Sheng Qianheng’s chest. Only after he had recovered did he reply, “It’s fine. I was just a little dizzy when I stood up just now. Don’t make a fuss.”
Chu Yanheng was tripped by his own father-emperor. He fell to the floor, crossed his arms, and looked up at his father-emperor and father-empress, sighing deeply.
He shouted at the top of his lungs, “Father-Emperor, you always can’t see Shun’er. You only care about Father-Empress!”
Sheng Qianheng looked down at Chu Yanheng, who was sitting on the floor, and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Your father-empress suffered a lot to give birth to you. You have to take care of your father-emperor, do you know?”
Chu Yanheng supported himself on the ground with both hands, dragged his thick clothes, and stood up. He kicked Sheng Qianheng and snorted.
Only then did he tug on Chu Yi’s sleeve and ask, “Father-Empress, what’s wrong with you? Are you dizzy?”
Chu Yi called for Lianfang and ordered her to fetch a basin of water. He took the prepared towel on the side and wiped Chu Yanheng’s chubby little hands.
Chu Yanheng usually only liked to see Chu Yi and was at odds with Sheng Qianheng, competing with him for Chu Yi’s attention everywhere.
Sheng Qianheng stood on the side, looked at Chu Yanheng’s small expression, and smiled helplessly. Had he given birth to a love rival for himself?
After everything was ready, the three of them went to the birthday banquet together.
That night, Chu Yi drank a lot of wine and was slightly drunk. He leaned against Sheng Qianheng’s shoulder and murmured, “Shun’er is already four in the blink of an eye~”
Sheng Qianheng caressed Chu Yi’s cheek. Seeing that he was already unsteady, he picked him up in his arms.
It was late spring. A gentle breeze blew, and the moonlight was like water, spilling on the cobblestone path of the imperial garden. The flower buds on the branches swayed in the night wind, and a faint floral fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose.
Chu Yi rested his head on Sheng Qianheng’s shoulder. After finding the most comfortable position, he slowly said, “A-Heng, are you not willing to form a permanent mark with me? It’s been three years, and you’ve never formed a permanent mark with me…”
Sheng Qianheng pressed his lips together, not knowing how to reply.
The matter of Chu Yi’s difficult labor back then was like a knife that had been fiercely stabbed into his heart, unable to be pulled out.
When Chu Yanheng was not yet a year old, he would have nightmares every night. In his dream, the bedding was soaked in blood when Chu Yi was giving birth, and his face grew paler and paler, and in the end…
Every night when he woke up with a start, he would unconsciously reach out to check Chu Yi’s breathing. Only after confirming that he was fine would Sheng Qianheng hold him tightly in his embrace and continue to sleep.
These years, he had been ordering the Imperial Hospital to develop a medicine that could ensure that forming a permanent mark would not cause Chu Yi to get pregnant.
The pregnancy rate of a complete permanent mark was extremely high. He was not willing to take this risk again…
He leaned down and kissed Chu Yi’s forehead lightly, whispering, “Why, was it that I didn’t serve our A-Yi well during his Rain and Dew Period?”
Chu Yi slowly looked up, his fingertips playing with Sheng Qianheng’s Adam’s apple. “Why are you not willing to form a permanent mark with me?”
Sheng Qianheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.
But how could Chu Yanheng keep up? He had been running all the way and had almost fallen. He had no choice but to call out, “Father-Emperor, slow down! Shun’er can’t keep up!”
Sheng Qianheng turned to look at Chu Yanheng, who had fallen behind, and instructed Lianfang, “Lianfang, you take the Crown Prince back to the Eastern Palace to sleep.”
Chu Yanheng was not willing. He wanted to sleep with his father-empress!
But just as he ran in front of Sheng Qianheng, Sheng Qianheng said sharply, “If you don’t go back to the Eastern Palace today, you’ll be punished to copy books tomorrow, and you’re not allowed to see your father-empress!”
Chu Yanheng pinched his hand, took Lianfang’s hand with a wronged expression, and went back to the Eastern Palace.
In his daze, Chu Yi seemed to hear Sheng Qianheng scolding his son. He tugged on his earlobe and said, “He’s still young. Don’t scold him!”
Sheng Qianheng carried Chu Yi toward the bedchamber. His nose was filled with the scent of Chu Yi’s xìnxiāng mixed with a faint scent of wine~
His Passion Tide Period was already approaching, and he could barely hold it in.
He pushed the door open with one hand, placed Chu Yi on the bed, and was about to get up and pour a cup of tea.
But he never expected that Chu Yi would be tugging on his lapels and refusing to let go.
Although Chu Yi was drunk, his thoughts were still clear. These past few years, every time he had taken the initiative, Sheng Qianheng had seemed to be avoiding him.
Could it be that the childbirth back then had left a shadow on him? But he had only had a slightly difficult labor.
He didn’t know what Sheng Qianheng was avoiding. Today, he had to get to the bottom of it.
Chu Yi’s hand tugged on Sheng Qianheng’s lapels, and then he let his body fall backward.
Fearing that Chu Yi would get hurt, Sheng Qianheng immediately reached out to support his lower back and head. When the two of them were lying on the bed, there was almost no space between them.
Chu Yi raised his head slightly and kissed Sheng Qianheng’s lips. “Nianqing, why are you always unwilling to form a permanent mark with me? Are you tired of me? That’s right. I’m already thirty-four. I’m much older than you after all…”
Sheng Qianheng immediately shook his head and retorted, “Brother, don’t think like that.”
Chu Yi released his xìnxiāng and, with the help of the alcohol, made a fuss. “But you always pull out when we’re about to form a permanent mark. Why? Are you not thinking of divorcing me, this Empress, in the future?”
Sheng Qianheng coughed. He covered his nose slightly to block Chu Yi’s xìnxiāng and said, “A-Yi, believe me. In this lifetime, I will only have you as my Empress!”
“Then you have to form a permanent mark with me today!” Chu Yi tugged on Sheng Qianheng’s sash and continued, “Shun’er is already four years old, and we, a married couple, have not yet formed a permanent mark. It’s not right!”
Sheng Qianheng wanted to push away Chu Yi’s hand but was dazed by his xìnxiāng. He only felt his throat was dry, and his blood was surging…
These years, Chu Yi had become more and more skilled in using his xìnxiāng, which had caused Sheng Qianheng a lot of suffering.
By the time Sheng Qianheng came back to his senses, most of his clothes had already been stripped off.
He looked into Chu Yi’s eyes and said, “A-Yi, you mustn’t…”
Chu Yi opened his mouth and gently shook Sheng Qianheng’s Adam’s apple, his tongue lightly brushing past. “Nianqing, are you really not willing to form a permanent mark with me?”
Sheng Qianheng only felt a lot of sweat break out on his neck, and his breathing grew heavier…
Seeing that Sheng Qianheng was distracted, Chu Yi pushed him onto the mattress and straddled his waist.
