A short night is hard to please! A stunningly handsome prince dotes on her exclusively.

Ninglu Palace —

Today, Song Yining is dressed in a light yellow gauze palace dress, with her hair styled in a ruyi-shaped bun, adorned with pearl hairpins, exuding an extremely elegant and refined air. She is lightly made up and is sitting upright on a huanghuali wood openwork rose chair, waiting for the emperor's arrival.

With her right hand gently stroking her belly, her eyes were filled with excitement and joy. She had thought it was just because of the hot weather that she had no appetite, but she never expected that she was pregnant with the emperor's child. Now that the six palaces were without a mistress, if she could give birth to the emperor's first prince, then the position of empress would surely be hers, Song Yining.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

The eunuch's voice was shrill and piercing. Song Yining hurriedly got up, straightened her clothes and hair ornaments, and maintained a gentle and considerate smile on her face.

Yuan Huaijun walked at a leisurely pace. He wore a white brocade robe with gold dragon patterns, a white jade crown, and his narrow phoenix eyes concealed his deep imperial thoughts.

Song Yining walked up to him, bent her knees, and curtsied, her voice clear and melodious.

"I see you, Your Majesty."

"No need for formalities!" This time, he didn't just raise his hand; instead, he bent down slightly and reached out to support her arm.

"Your Majesty, I...I am pregnant." Her eyes, as clear as autumn water, met the emperor's gaze, and a thin blush instantly rose on her cheeks.

"It is a great joy for the royal family that my beloved concubine is pregnant. You must take good care of yourself from now on. These formalities can be dispensed with from now on!" Yuan Huaijun's voice sounded slightly gentle and happy, but there was not much emotion in his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Song Yining was overjoyed. "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty. I will do my best to ensure the safe birth of our child, so that Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager can enjoy the joys of family life together."

He took Song Yining's wrist and slowly led her to sit down. He looked down at her belly and after a long while said, "Consort Ning, what did the imperial physician say?"

"Your Majesty, this morning I specially invited the head physician to come and see me. Head Physician Zhao said that I am a month pregnant and the pregnancy is very stable. He also said that the baby will be born strong and healthy."

"Hmm!" Yuan Huaijun nodded slightly. "Consort Ning, there is no sound of a child crying in the royal family yet, and I have no children. The imperial heir is the foundation of a country. If you can give birth to a prince for me this time, you will surely be a hero of the entire Yuanqi."

Upon hearing this, Song Yining's eyes shone with even greater excitement. Did His Majesty mean that if the child in her womb was a prince, wouldn't the position of Crown Prince be rightfully hers?

Thinking of this, she quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I dare not. I have been in the palace for three years and finally had this son. I will take good care of myself and continue to carry on the royal family."

"By imperial decree, Consort Ning is pregnant, a great joy for the royal family. She is hereby granted the regalia of a Noble Consort. From now on, all matters concerning Consort Ning's daily life and diet shall be handled in accordance with the regalia of a Noble Consort. All palace servants shall receive an additional six months' salary and shall serve Consort Ning well until she gives birth to a prince."

"Thank you Lord for your grace!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

The eunuchs and palace maids in the room immediately knelt down. His Majesty had rewarded Consort Ning with the honors due to a Noble Consort, and Consort Ning's unborn child was His Majesty's first prince. The Song family had been senior ministers for three generations. With the Empress's position vacant, everyone understood the relative importance of the position.

"Consort Ning, now that you are pregnant, you no longer need to visit the Empress Dowager's palace morning and evening to pay your respects. I have also sent people to announce this good news to the six palaces, and the Empress Dowager should know it now. From now on, you only need to take good care of the prince."

This must be the happiest she has been in the three years since she entered the palace. She has never seen His Majesty so considerate and attentive. Before even giving birth to a prince, she has already been granted the status of a Noble Consort. Apart from the late Emperor's Noble Consort Xuan, she is the second person in the Yuanqi Dynasty to have done this. If her son can be designated as the Crown Prince at birth like His Majesty, then she, Song Yining, will surely become the Empress of the world in the future.

Yuan Huaijun comforted her a few more times, told Song Yining to rest well, and then said that there were many government affairs to attend to and that he would go back to the Imperial Study first.

Outside Yongning Palace—

Before the three of them even reached the door, they heard a burst of laughter and cheerful chatter.

"Xiao Bao, come sit here with me."

Lou Xiaobao, his face flushed from playing, saw the gentle woman beckoning him and quickly and obediently ran to the edge of the bed. He grinned at Xin Mingwan, revealing his two cute little tiger teeth, and said adorably, "Grandma, baby is thirsty!"

Xin Mingwan was overjoyed at being called that. She held up a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from Lou Xiaobao's forehead and said to the nanny beside her, "Quickly! Pour some tea, don't let our little Bao get thirsty."

The palace maid beside her quickly brought over a teacup and carefully added some warm water.

"Xiao Bao! Grandma will feed you some water, okay?" Xin Mingwan took the teacup and gently held it to Lou Xiaobao's lips. He didn't stand on ceremony, opened his little mouth, and gulped down a big mouthful.

Xin Mingwan looked at the adorable little boy and couldn't help but adore him. Then she said to Granny Fangxing, "This little sixth child clearly said he was going to pay his respects, but it's almost time for the court session to end. He must be slacking off and not getting up!"

"Hehe~ Your Majesty, the Sixth Prince and the Princess both love to sleep in, and His Majesty and you have always indulged them. Why do you say the Prince is being lazy today?"

Xin Mingwan patted Lou Xiaobao's little head and said happily, "I just wanted to bring Xiaobao along to join in the fun since he came to the palace!"

"Grandma, Uncle Six is ​​playing~"

"Does Xiaobao want to play with Xiaoliu?"

"Mmm! Uncle plays~ Mommy plays~"

"Mother?"

"Mommy's so much fun!"

Xin Mingwan was somewhat taken aback. Wasn't it said that Xiao Bao's mother had died in childbirth? How come there's another mother?

"Mother!"

The three of them entered at the same time and bowed in unison to the Empress Dowager.

"My son, please see your mother!"

"My son, please see your mother!"

"Shenghan greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"

Xin Mingwan quickly raised her hand, her smile softening, and said gently, "No need for formalities! Please get up."

"Daddy!" Before Lou Shenghan could even stand up straight, Lou Xiaobao quickly rushed into his arms, his little hands tightly hugging his leg.

"Lou Xiaobao, did you cause any trouble in the Empress Dowager's palace today?"

Lou Xiaobao shook her head and said sweetly, "Baby, be good. Grandma is nice. Give the baby some to eat."

Lou Shenghan was stunned for a moment, and quickly explained to her son, "Xiaobao should call her Empress Dowager, not Grandma. That would be very disrespectful."

"Hehe~ There's no need to be so formal. When Xiao Bao calls me 'I' like this, I feel more like an ordinary family, with my children and grandchildren playing around me."

"Your Majesty, my son is young and does not know proper etiquette. He must have troubled Your Majesty."

"My little Bao is so well-behaved and clever, I love him dearly."

Yuan Huailie then spoke up, saying, "Mother, I have not come to pay my respects to you recently. Please forgive me."

"You silly child, it's only been a few days, why do you need to say forgiveness? You're being too formal! In a few days, I will host a banquet. Lie'er, you should bring that Miss Qin Er to the palace. Your mother wants to meet her."

"Yes, Queen Mother."