On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The delivery room was filled with the faint scent of mugwort. Qingwen, lying on the carved bed, looked as pale as paper, but the tenderness in her eyes could not be concealed.

Lin Zhen held the swaddling clothes carefully, half-crouching with his knees against the edge of the bed, fearing that any loud movement would wake the little life in his arms.

The baby in the cradle had a wrinkled face and was trying hard to squeeze his eyes, his pink lips were moving unconsciously, which made his heart soften.

"All newborn babies are like this." Lin Zhen's fingertips gently stroked the baby's tightly closed eyelashes, and suddenly looked up at Qingwen, with a doting smile on the corner of his lips.

"Look at how strong his brow bones are. Even though his eyes are not open, they look just like the crescent shape when you smile. When he grows up, he will definitely be a handsome man that the noble ladies of the capital will chase after."

Qingwen was half leaning against a soft, goose-yellow satin pillow. Upon hearing this, a blush crossed her frail face: "My husband is coaxing me again."

She tried to straighten herself up, but she couldn't bear to take her eyes off the child. "He doesn't look like me at all. He looks more like a steamed dumpling just out of the oven." Even though she said that, there was a soft light in her eyes like water.

Seeing this, Lin Zhen hurriedly wrapped the quilt around her shoulders tighter. His fingertips touched the red rope around her wrist—it was the peace knot he had tied this morning, with a tiny jade bell dangling from the end. "Don't look too much. The midwife said you need to rest."

Qingwen was amused and chuckled, but her wound was involved, and she couldn't help frowning.

Lin Zhen hurriedly reached out to tighten the brocade quilt embroidered with lotus flowers for her. His fingertips touched her cold wrist, and his heart tightened again.

At this moment, the baby suddenly made a "baby" sound, and its pink little fist happened to hit the back of Qingwen's hand.

"He's saying hello to you. Look at his energy, he'll definitely be an expert at wielding swords and guns when he grows up." Lin Zhen smiled and pushed the child into Qingwen's arms. The swaddling clothes rubbed against her moon-white inner garment, causing the tips of her ears to feel hot.

Qingwen, a new mother, was stiff all over, but she carefully retracted her arms, fearing that using too much force would hurt the child.

The baby's soft body pressed against her heart, making her eyes suddenly warm. "Husband, do you think...will he like riding horses in the future?"

"Of course I like it." Lin Zhen reached out to smooth her messy hair. "When he turns one year old, I will have someone make a small bow and arrow and teach him archery myself. If he thinks the stirrups are too high, let him ride the docile pony in the mansion first."

The tips of their noses were almost touching as they looked at the child's unconsciously moving lips. The candlelight flickered slightly in the shadow cast by the eyelashes, turning the tenderness of the moment into honey.

Lin Zhen suddenly paused, his eyes falling on the child's wriggling mouth. "But the most important thing right now is to give our precious son a good name."

Qingwen looked up at him, the warm light of the candle reflected in her eyes: "I don't understand these things, I will leave it to my husband to decide."

She gently stroked the child's flushed face with her fingertips, and suddenly remembered something. "Why don't we wait until Sister Qingxia and Sister Ningfei's child is born, and then we can discuss it together? Last time at the palace banquet, she said she wanted to give the child a name with the character 禾 (He) next to it, saying it symbolizes a good harvest."

Just as Lin Zhen was about to speak, the carved wooden door suddenly creaked open.

Zhang Li, wearing a purple long dress with a lotus pattern, the gold embroidery on the hem gleaming in the candlelight, laughed and shouted before even entering the room, "Great! We're out here running around in circles, and you're here chatting privately!"

Behind her followed Yue Wu, who was wearing a green shirt and plain skirt, with a snow-white fox fur coat draped over her shoulders, and holding a vermilion lacquered food box in her arms.

Shangguan Wan'er was the last to enter. The picture of a hundred children embroidered on the hem of her light pink silk skirt was faintly visible as she walked.

She was holding a brocade box in her hands. As soon as she stepped into the room, she saw Qingwen struggling to stand up and salute. She hurried forward and held her down, "Sister, lie down quickly. You just gave birth. Don't strain your back."

Her fingertips touched Qingwen's cold forehead, and she turned to the maid behind her and ordered, "Go add more charcoal to the stove and stew another bowl of ginseng soup."

"Look at this little one, he's so handsome." Zhang Li came to the bed and gently poked the baby's face with her fingertips, causing the child to frown. "He will definitely be a little troublemaker in the future. I wonder how many young ladies he will charm."

Zhang Li opened the food box, revealing freshly steamed yam cakes. The sweet aroma mixed with the scent of mugwort filled the room. "I asked the kitchen to make some light snacks. Sister, eat some while it's hot. It'll help you replenish your body."

Qingwen looked at Zhang Li's distressed face and felt very uncomfortable for a moment.

I remember when Zhang Li came into the house last year, I was against her and made fun of her in every way.

Now I am in this gentle place, being cared for so carefully.

Her throat choked, and just as she was about to speak, the midwife came in from outside and gently reminded her, "Madam, you have just given birth, so you shouldn't be too stressed. It's better for you to rest early."

Seeing this, Lin Zhen gently picked up the child and handed it to the wet nurse waiting by the side.

Qingwen looked in the direction where the cradle was being carried away, her eyes full of reluctance, but she could not resist the tide of fatigue.

Shangguan Wan'er tucked in the quilt for her, her fingertips brushing through her sweat-soaked hair. "Go to sleep peacefully. The child is in the next room, and the wet nurse is watching over him."

When everyone walked out of the delivery room, the moon was already high in the sky.

Peach petals floated into the corridor with the evening breeze and landed on Zhang Li's purple skirt.

She suddenly remembered something and grabbed Lin Zhen's sleeve: "My husband hasn't named the child yet! You can't always call him Little Master, right?"

Lin Zhen looked at the full moon in the sky and thought of the gentle starlight reflected in Qingwen's eyes when she was holding the child just now.

He suddenly stopped, took out a jade pendant with a swimming dragon from his sleeve, and after a long moment of contemplation, he said, "How about calling him Cheng Yu? Cheng means the blessing of heaven, and Yu means blazing brightness. May he have a smooth life, illuminating the world like a spark."

Zhang Li muttered the name softly, and suddenly smiled and said, "What a good name!"

Shangguan Wan'er gazed at the warm light streaming from the distant delivery room and suddenly murmured, "The peach tree is young and tender, its blossoms radiant. The child is getting married, and he is a good match for his family."

She turned to look at Lin Zhen, "Chengyu was born when the peach blossoms were in full bloom, which corresponds to the beautiful meaning of the Book of Songs."

The night wind blew, and the peach blossoms on the tree fell.

Lin Zhen looked at the faces of his wives and concubines illuminated by the moonlight, and suddenly felt that the spring in the Regent's Palace was a little warmer than in previous years.

The vague cry of a baby could be heard in the distance, the coaxing voice of the wet nurse mixed with the sound of the night watchman's clapper, weaving a gentle net in the silent night.

He suddenly understood that this was probably what the so-called peaceful days were like.

Suddenly, Shangguan Wan'er looked troubled and asked, "My husband, what will happen to little Chengyu in the future? Do you want him to inherit the palace?"

At this point, everyone was silent.

After all, Qingwen was not the mistress of the house, but she gave birth to a little boy.

Lin Zhen chuckled and shook his head: "What good is there in inheriting a broken palace? It would be better to let her learn more from Li'er and become a shrewd businessman."