"A-Li? Where are you?"
Bai Qian's lips twitched as she resisted the temptation to smile.
"A-Li, stop hiding." Came Ye Hua's rather exasperated call, and behind her, the lump in her blanket shifted. Knowing fully well that her son had ducked into her chambers and right into bed beside her to avoid being kidnapped away by Ye Hua for a whole day of lessons, Bai Qian could only feign ignorance as she continued to read the mortal play scroll that Ye Hua had given her not too long ago, pretending to be unknowing of A-Li's presence in the room as she held the scroll, resting her arm on her pillow.
"You do know your father will still end up finding you and sending you to your teachers and tutors, don't you, A-Li?" Bai Qian chuckled under her breath, her free hand resting against her abdomen, and A-Li mumbled unhappily as he shifted closer to her under the blanket, "But Mother, I just want to stay here with you!" "Then-" Bai Qian was interrupted by her door being rather abruptly flung open, and Ye Hua looked slightly more pissed off than usual as his eyes narrowed beyond Bai Qian and directly at the lump under the blanket behind her, "A-Li."
"Ye Hua." Bai Qian's eyes were full of admonishment as she met his annoyed gaze, and she held his gaze for a moment, before she blinked purposefully, in a manner that was clearly asking him to calm down. Understanding what Bai Qian meant, Ye Hua softened slightly, his expression losing its tension as he walked over to the bedside, kissing her lips gently before he pulled the covers away from A-Li, scolding his son in a lighter tone, "Riceball, how clever of you to come to your mother to hide away from me."
"...Father..." A-Li's lips formed a pout as he whined, and Bai Qian lifted her son onto her lap with a smile, "I mean...you did send him away for three days, Ye Hua. It's too soon to send him away again." "I went years without seeing my mother." Ye Hua stated pointedly, his eyebrows raised, but Bai Qian raised her eyebrows back in return, "And I will not allow any of my children to be raised the way you were. You had a terrible childhood, Ye Hua, and no one should have been put through that."
"..." Ye Hua smiled, for he knew from the reddening of her cheeks that Bai Qian had only blurted all of that in front of A-Li to support her argument, and he leant forward, allowing himself a little smirk as her cheeks went brighter, "Qian Qian...sending A-Li away for an excursion is not the same as my spending of years in isolation. In fact, I rather thought he might enjoy it, since it'll be a trip to his Uncle Mo Yuan-"
"Uncle Mo Yuan?!" A-Li jumped into his father's arms at once, completely forgetting that he had been attempting to hide from him just moments ago when it meant he would be separated from his mother, "I want to go!" "I knew you would." Ye Hua chuckled, and a maid entered the room silently, a package already in hand as she bowed, "Your Highness, the things that you asked to be packed up for his little Highness are already here." "Is Tian Shu ready?" Ye Hua placed A-Li on the floor, standing up as he questioned the maid, and Tian Shu's voice was heard from outside the doors, "Your Highness, I am ready."
"Very well then. Escort the Little Prince to Kun Lun mountains, make sure he is received personally by High God Mo Yuan before you leave the premises." Ye Hua ordered, and both Tian Shu and the maid bowed, before they left the Hall of Beautiful Youths with A-Li, who gave his mother a farewell kiss before he ran out of the room with Tian Shu.
"Aaaand...you sent him away again." Bai Qian gave a snort of laughter, and Ye Hua gave her a grin as he sat down on the bed beside her again, "I have my ways, Qian Qian. Besides, you can't have him here every day. The secret would be out in less than two days' time if you did." "A-Li wouldn't know, this is his first sibling." Bai Qian retorted, but her hand rested on her abdomen nonetheless, and Ye Hua covered his hand over hers, his arms wrapped around her waist as he intertwined their fingers, "It's getting a bit bigger, isn't it?"
Three months had passed since they first found out, and although many subjects were confused as to why Ye Hua and Bai Qian had yet to inherit the throne, not many had dared to voice it out. And the few that had decided to voice their questions had all received rather indirect answers. Di Jun had played quite the part of keeping the rest quiet, for every time someone was about to voice their thoughts, he would turn those intimidating blue eyes onto them with a sort of unnerving calmness as he remarked, "How terrible a Heavenly Lord I must be, for you to be thus anxious for the Crown Prince to take over."
"It's barely visible." Bai Qian leaned into his chest, and it was true. There were hardly any visible traits about her abdomen, and almost nothing could give her away, except for the fact that her abdomen was harder than before, or breakfast, where Bai Qian would occasionally throw up everything she had eaten before midday into a chamber pot Nai Nai had prepared.
"Well, even if it isn't, someone will notice that both of you keep putting your palms on Gugu's belly." Came a voice from the doorway, and Feng Jiu stood there with an arched eyebrow, "Gugu, Cheng Yu asked me out for tea, and also asked if you'd like to go for tea." "Is Lian Song not busy courting her?" Bai Qian rose to her feet with a laugh, and Feng Jiu made a neutral face that most certainly didn't suit her, "He's playing chess with Di Jun, and presumably eating some of the cakes I sent over for Di Jun as well." The last part was finished with a scowl, and Bai Qian knew that Feng Jiu was in no good mood at the moment.
But even knowing that her niece was displeased, Bai Qian turned around briefly, her gaze matching Ye Hua's as she gave a questioning look. And as always, Ye Hua understood her thoughts at once, and he gave her a smile and a small nod, "Go ahead, Qian Qian. I have some matters on hand I need to settle, anyway." "I'll see you tonight." Bai Qian gave him a gentle peck on his lips, and within seconds, she was gone, having been dragged away by Feng Jiu, no doubt.
And Nai Nai could swear that even as she left with Bai Qian, she heard a rather audible sigh come from inside the room.
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"Your Highness! I didn't think that you would come!" Cheng Yu, who had been expecting that the Crown Prince would not have let his wife come for what would likely turn into gossip central, was rather surprised when Feng Jiu turned up at her living quarters, dragging along a figure in white. "Why so?" Bai Qian asked curiously as she sat down by the table that was laid full of food, and Cheng Yu came up with a reason almost at once, "I did think that you would be awfully busy...but it is absolutely an honour to have you over for tea. Although the snacks I prepared are rather humble, I must say, and I'm very sorry if it doesn't suit your taste-"
"You flatter me, Cheng Yu," Bai Qian laughed upon seeing the girl busy herself with a flask of wine, "I do not mind humble foods. Or have you forgotten that I was born in Qing Qiu, and have lived there for most of my life?" "Oh, of course! Silly me." Cheng Yu smiled at the Crown Princess, who picked up a cup of chrysanthemum wine, "And my dear Feng Jiu, do help yourself." "Mmhmm." Feng Jiu had already helped herself to a pot of wine, pouring the clear liquid into a cup as she downed a second one, and Bai Qian sipped cautiously from the cup. It was refreshing, but even as it burned in her chest, Bai Qian placed the cup down, wary that the alcohol was stronger than normal wine.
"This is good wine, Cheng Yu, where'd you get it from?" Feng Jiu asked before Bai Qian could, and a flush creeped up her neck as she took another swig of alcohol, surprising both Bai Qian and Cheng Yu. "Xiao Jiu, it's only midday. Slow down on the wine." Bai Qian reached to take Feng Jiu's cup, while Cheng Yu merely rolled her eyes, "Lian Song gave it to me. I didn't bother asking him."
"Gugu...let me drink one more cup..." Feng Jiu whined, her tails waving behind her as she tried her charm on Bai Qian, but the Crown Princess merely took the cup from her niece and downed it in a shot, "Enough, Feng Jiu. And that charm doesn't work on me; how many times do I have to say that?" "Many more." Feng Jiu stared at a plate of cakes glumly, and even as she bit into one, she dropped it down almost at once and hissed at the plate, as though the cakes had attacked her, "What are these cakes made of, and where did you get them from, Cheng Yu?"
"They're green bean cakes, I think. And I got them from Lian Song. He said that Chong Lin had been walking away with it, and he intercepted it before Chong Lin could do anything with it." Cheng Yu blinked in astonishment at her friend's violent reaction, "Why'd you ask?"
For a moment, all was still, and Bai Qian had a sense of foreboding that something was about to happen as she watched Feng Jiu's eyes suddenly clearing up their fogginess as her niece seemingly managed to put two and two together as well. And a great "something" happened indeed.
Feng Jiu rose angrily, almost turning the table over as she did, her expression livid and cleared of any drunk traces, and she crushed the green bean cake in her fingers as she exploded in a cry of disbelief, "I made green bean cakes for Di Jun! This cannot be a coincidence- whatever would my green bean cakes be doing with Chong Lin and Lian Song!?"
"Xiao Jiu!" Bai Qian's hand shot out in a flash as she attempted to catch Feng Jiu, but her fingers brushed by Feng Jiu's wrist as the younger fox took off into a sprint towards Tai Chen Palace. "I probably should've checked where Lian Song got them from." Cheng Yu muttered, already moving towards the doors that had almost been flung off their hinges, and Bai Qian gave a sigh as she ran out of Cheng Yu's hall as well, chasing after her niece.
How had an afternoon tea turned into this?
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"Xiao Jiu!" Bai Qian arrived at Tai Chen Palace just in time, for her niece had just marched into the courtyard and towards the gardens that Di Jun and Lian Song were in. "Xiao Jiu, you can't just storm in there like that!" Bai Qian managed to catch hold of Feng Jiu's forearm, and Feng Jiu struggled against her aunt's iron grip, albeit knowing that she couldn't beat Bai Qian's strength, "I spent hours making the cakes, Gugu! And Lian Song took them all?! And Di Jun wouldn't have gotten a single bite of them!"
"But still...calm down, Feng Jiu." Bai Qian didn't realise how out of breath she was until she saw Cheng Yu gasping for air and fanning herself beside them. And yet, as if on cue, the two deities strolled out from inside the gardens, and Bai Qian's eyes widened as she tried to clap a hand over Feng Jiu's mouth. "Crown Princess Bai Qian? How may I help you?" Di Jun asked dryly, his eyes skimming down Bai Qian slightly, before he raised his eyebrows towards the hand that closed Feng Jiu's wrist.
But Feng Jiu took no notice as she glared at Chong Lin, forgetting wholly about her manners while she snapped at him, "Lord Chong Lin, may I ask where you got the green bean cakes that you gave to the Third Prince from?" "Your Highness...I got them from the kitchens...?" Chong Lin was puzzled, and Feng Jiu gave a snort, evidently in disbelief, "That isn't true. I made them-"
"No, I asked for them to be made." Di Jun interrupted, and Feng Jiu ignored his sentence with a dismissing huff, "And I made them! So-" "Xiao Bai, the kitchen maids made them. The entire box of the cakes you made are with me." Di Jun interjected again, and Feng Jiu blinked, as though she hadn't heard him clearly, "W-what?"
"I think there's been a misunderstanding, Feng Jiu." Lian Song chuckled, waving his folded fan like a baton, "The cakes you made are in the hall. Di Jun tried one of them, and had another sent to the kitchen for the maids to replicate. But when the maids did it, it wasn't quite the same. So Di Jun had Chong Lin dispose of them. But I thought that that'd be wasteful, since they were perfectly normal. So I rescued them."
"Oh." Feng Jiu was now a deep crimson, matching her red birthmark, and Bai Qian wondered how her niece could still possibly be standing there stock still after all the humiliation. Feng Jiu had always been the kind that turned red at the slightest bit of humiliation.
But she had thought too much, after all. Because Feng Jiu had sprinted off again, this time presumably in the direction of Bai Qian's Hall of Beautiful Youths in the Xi Wu Palace, and Bai Qian gave a chuckle as she bowed, "Do pardon our disruption, Di Jun. We'll take our leave now."
And even as Bai Qian turned to leave, Di Jun merely raised his eyebrows, before he spoke solemnly, "Crown Princess, I have a piece of advice for you, regarding the Zhao Ren Princess."
"Oh?" Bai Qian turned around, meeting Di Jun's gaze, hoping he might have some big information on Xuan Nü and Su Jin's collusion, but the ancient deity just brushed his gaze across her abdomen, before he spoke two words in a simple tone:
"Be careful."
And Bai Qian, who had never heard Di Jun give such a warning to anyone before, arched her own eyebrows in worry, before she forced on a smile, despite her heart racing from the warning, "Thank you for the advice, Di Jun."
And she turned and left quickly, heading towards Xi Wu Palace, where Ye Hua sat in his study, while pondering over the same thing repeatedly:
What did "Be careful." mean???
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A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! I kinda ran out of ideas about the confrontation, and this chapter was purely for some break just before I start on the conflict that's brewing away...that's right, it's Su Jin and Xuan Nü's collusion.
You'll see a fair bit of them the next chapter :)))
Love y'all ❤️❤️❤️
Z, out.