The Slender Waist-Chapter 765 - 546: Taking Root and Sprouting

The King entered the room, and Xiaoman immediately closed the door, extinguishing the lamp in the outer room as well.

Pei Mansion’s Deep Courtyard was engulfed in the dark night.

By the window, the silver moon cast a halo of light, making the whole room enchantingly beautiful.

In the interplay of light and shadow, figures intertwined, blurring into a dreamy haze...

Feng Yun was not fully conscious and did not clearly hear what Pei Jue said.

Faintly, two words reached her ears—child.

Child.

Her child.

Emotions seemed to ripple in an endless void, a sense of loss surging through her limbs, a vast emptiness that made her feel as if she was on the brink of an abyss.

Having nothing, a blank slate, she desperately wanted to fill it with something...

She trembled as she opened her eyes, her throat choking up.

"Child, my child..."

The robe lightly slipped off.

Pei Jue reached out and removed the White Jade Hairpin from her hair.

"It will happen."

From Huaxi to Xijing, a thousand miles apart.

They hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

At the moment of passion, he always had a way to make her immersed...

Today, Pei Jue seemed more intent on having a child; seeing her bewildered and lost, occasionally letting out a choked sob, he was utterly devoid of his usual patience, his grip forceful, everything intensified...

Feng Yun’s toes curled slightly, too late to retreat before he pulled her back.

He gentled a bit. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Like ants crawling, ticklish and gnawing.

Her vacant thoughts gradually drifted. When the void was completely filled, she felt buoyant, like a mist hovering over rivers and seas, slowly rising in his fiery heat like the sun, as if she would fly away at any moment...

"General, General..."

She would often call him randomly when she was dazed.

General.

King.

Mr. Pei.

Dog King.

Or even Pei Gou.

The different names represented her different experiences or moods.

At this moment, she was soft, like a little bird waiting to be fed.

Pei Jue’s gaze was deep, his dark pupils stern.

If Feng Yun were lucid enough, she would see clarity in the man’s eyes.

Not the madness of their usual joys, but rather like facing a battle, solemn, attacking and retreating in perfect measure, defeating enemies thoroughly yet effortlessly...

"Ah Pei..." Feng Yun softly murmured, lips slightly parted, unconsciously pushing him, "Enough, enough. Ah... no..." Suddenly, her eyes widened, looking at the man’s face.

A ferocious storm, pouring down heavily upon her.

A sweeping wave of solace came over her, and she involuntarily tightened her grip, clutching the blanket fiercely.

For a long while, until the tidal wave receded, that breath stuck in her throat finally burst out...

She seemed to choke, "Get out, you get out."

The man bowed his head, breathing heavily, his dark eyes intense.

His whole demeanor unusually calm compared to usual.

"Alright." As he was about to move, Feng Yun sharply inhaled, her nails digging into his shoulder, crying out in pain.

She softly pleaded him not to move.

Pei Jue: ...

His gaze heavy, he braced himself beside her, watching her.

Feng Yun steadied herself on his shoulder, pushing him.

"Slow down, slow down."

He still agreed, very cooperative.

But she quickly realized...

It won’t work.

After a long separation and their intense reunion, both were too lost in passion...

He couldn’t pull out.

Any slight movement, and she would be in pain.

Feng Yun felt a sense of collapse, "You’re doing this on purpose."

Pei Jue hoarsely replied, "Accidental."

"I don’t believe you."

"Seeing you ill, I put in some extra effort."

"What does my being ill have to do with it..."

"The remedy must be thorough."

"Pei Gou, you..."

Hearing her scold Pei Gou again, Pei Jue’s eyebrows slightly lifted.

It seemed her mind was a bit clearer now.

He placed his hand on her forehead, checking her temperature.

"Not so hot anymore. The remedy is effective."

Feng Yun, drenched in sweat, indeed felt much more comfortable, her mind not as heavy as before, and her lost consciousness gradually returning...

She pushed him, struggling to get down, "Move away, I feel awful."

"It’s your gluttony."

He bent down, his eyes piercing hers.

Seriously speaking lewdly.

"I entrusted my soul to you, yet you still won’t let go."

Feng Yun’s face flushed, her forehead sweating, "You try again."

He hummed softly, kindly getting up.

Feng Yun suddenly strained her neck, gasping, her scalp tingling, "Don’t."

Pei Jue groaned, his deep dark eyes staring helplessly, "I’m also in pain."

Feng Yun’s attention was all on that area, and she did not notice the flicker of amusement in his eyes.

"What to do, what can we do?"

Pei Jue firmly grasped her waist, deftly flipping her over, and securely placed her on top of him.

"Feeling any better?"

"No."

How could she feel better when it felt like something was taking root and sprouting in her stomach?

"Might as well castrate you."

Feng Yun wanted to cry but had no tears, her head rested on his shoulder while she gasped for breath, trembling badly.

Indescribable indignation and irritation, but she was indeed aware that it wasn’t all discomfort, but rather that unspeakable trembling that made her feel embarrassed.

Pei Jue felt the same, of course.

Completely immersed in the entanglement, as if he were about to melt her, how refreshing it was.

"Go to sleep." He said earnestly, looking at her blushing cheeks, lightly scraping with his thumb so she wouldn’t see his crooked thoughts: "Just relax and you’ll feel better."

Feng Yun helplessly clutched his sleeve and nodded, only to realize that his clothes were still neatly on, which made her look even more disheveled...

She closed her eyes in despair, growing even more anxious.

"Good girl, don’t be afraid." Pei Jue’s brows softened as he kissed her forehead, soothing her patiently, "You’re tired and too tense, just rest a bit and you’ll be fine."

The moment he moved, half of Feng Yun’s soul seemed to float to the heavens.

She was extremely frightened, knowing something was amiss and yet lacking the strength to argue, so she buried her face into his chest, closed her eyes, like a usually aloof cat that becomes tenderly compliant when petted by someone it likes...

-

Feng Yun was ill, and for several days afterward, she did not leave her room.

The next day Pei Yao came to visit her; the room was full of the smell of medicine, and her sister-in-law looked listless and weak.

"Take good care of yourself, don’t let it turn into a chronic illness."

Pei Yao felt very sorry for her.

Coming from far away and encountering such troubling matters, for a delicate sister-in-law like her, who had persevered in handling the late emperor’s funeral before collapsing, it was not easy...

Feng Yun met her concerned gaze, feeling a burning frustration inside...

Actually, having taken the medicine prescribed by the Imperial Physician and been fed numerous antidotes by Pei Jue, her fever had subsided the night before, and she was already much better.

She wasn’t spirited, simply because she hadn’t slept well due to being overwhelmed all night.

"Then I won’t send elder sister off."

"No need, no need, what for? We’re family, no need for formalities with me."

Pei Yao, with her straightforward nature, since her divorce from Ao Zheng, didn’t need to pretend to be reserved and gentle anymore, truly like a tigress from a general’s family, pulling Ayou and Azuo along while laughing and glancing back at her.

"In the next few days, many ladies and noblewomen will likely visit to inquire about your health, I will help you kindly refuse them all."

Given Pei Jue’s status in Dajin, with the Princess of Yonghuai ill, surely the princes and ministers would send their wives to visit her.

She guessed Feng Yun would be impatient with these affairs.

Feng Yun also smiled her thanks.

"Thank you, elder sister."

Pei Yao chuckled lightly, "I may not have much skill in other areas, but turning people away, that’s something I can do very well."

Feng Yun laughed spontaneously.

She thought of Ao Zheng.

Yes, he was someone whom Pei Yao had dismissed time and again.

After Pei Yao left, Feng Yun hadn’t even had breakfast and sighed deeply, wrapping herself in the quilt, and only then comfortably caught up on some sleep.

Waking up in the afternoon, she was greeted with good news.

The New Emperor was about to ascend the throne, and during the preparations for the coronation ceremony, someone suggested adding more territories to the Prince of Yonghuai.

At the same time, Imperial rewards of the Twelve Diadems and the Imperial Banner were granted.

Feng Yun was startled.

The Twelve Diadems, those were for the Emperor’s use.

The Imperial Banner was not meant for a subject either.

The royal family deliberated so long to give Feng Yun such unprecedented honors, not just as a thank-you for Pei Jue’s help in raising the Prince of Zhuangxian to the throne.

But because...

They had reached the peak of what could be granted or rewarded.

The New Emperor could offer what else to this Regent Prince who had unparalleled accomplishments?

The maids in the room did not think so complicated, completely unaware of what this would mean, and each felt honored by association.

"Our new sovereign is truly generous. Even before his coronation, he first thinks of how to reward the great king."

"The great king, bearing the Imperial Banner that only the Emperor could use, isn’t that tantamount to being on equal footing with the Emperor?"

"But it’s different, the Emperor’s rituals aren’t just about the Twelve Diadems and Imperial Banner, the Emperor is still supreme."

The few spoke in hushed voices.

Yet Feng Yun sharply reprimanded them.

"Don’t speak nonsense!"

She swept her gaze coldly over them.

"If I hear you discussing state affairs again, it’s ten beatings for each word, beaten to death if necessary."

The maids had never seen Feng Yun so furious, and were terribly frightened.

They immediately knelt to beg for mercy and repent ceaselessly.

Feng Yun said no more.

"Go bring water, I need to bathe."

The new Emperor, eager to grant rewards before his coronation, feared he might not ascend at all.

But these things, though the Emperor dared to bestow, subjects should not accept.

-

As the new Emperor ascended, West Capital City was not short of spectacle.

Feng Yun, however, shut her doors to visitors, not seeing guests nor leaving her home.

Meanwhile, Pei Jue was busy, frequently out early and returning late.

Yet even so, his enthusiasm did not wane a bit.

Perhaps due to their prolonged separation, his recent demands were extremely fierce, like a half-starved wolf, utterly reckless, as if eager to torment her to pieces...

Feng Yun let him be.

After all, she owed him over the years.

While she was idle in West Capital City, it might as well be a way to make it up to him.

On one side, the coronation ceremony was conducted with utmost urgency.

On the other, the intimate bliss seemed like a fish back in water.

Pei Jue was undistracted by anything, as calm as anyone in the politically turbulent West Capital City, and spoke not a word of state affairs when home.

Unexpectedly, on the day of the coronation, he gladly accepted the rewards given by the Emperor...

The Twelve Diadems, the Imperial Banner.

He truly became in the history of Dajin, the only one who could sit on equal terms with the Emperor.

-