The Royal’s Little Lady

T/N: Surprise gift of Valentine’s Day xD! Enjoy~

Xiao Heng had already received a report about the things she said, but when the words came out of her mouth, the impression was naturally different.

 

For a long time, he stared at Gu Sui’er’s pointed belly without any words.

 

“What’s wrong?” She raised her eyes and looked at him with a gentle smile. It was as if she totally didn’t understand that her words seemed strange.

 

“It’s nothing.” Xiao Heng lifted his hand to grip hers and placed them against her belly, rubbing up and down gently.

 

She was born with a fragile and slender body. Even now, when she was about to give birth, her arms and wrists were still delicate. He couldn’t dare to imagine what she had to actually go through in the countryside before.

 

Abortion soup, bleeding, surviving by a fluke.

 

Xiao Heng felt stuffy. After a while, he took a deep breath, held Gu Sui’er’s delicate wrist, and said in a hoarse voice, “It’s a great blessing.”

 

************************

 

Since Gu Sui’er was about to give birth in almost half a month, she didn’t need to go out and pay her respects to the Old Madam now. Apart from strolling in the yard of TingZhu Courtyard every day, she would hide in her room and do embroidering discreetly.

 

It was not for her little tadpole or Xiao Jin or anyone else in the residence but, for Xiao Heng.

 

It wasn’t until the incident with Jiang Zheng was brought up that she suddenly realized she had embroidered something for everyone so as to curry some favor with them. However, she had never once embroidered anything for Xiao Heng.

[T/N: Poor XH… She forgot him again….]

 

So, instead of embroidering a handkerchief, she decided to embroider a pouch for him. She would give her all to embroider a pouch in hopes that he would wear it at his waist.

 

She embroidered the pouch stitch by stitch meticulously, using up all her proficiency to express her longing and hopes into this tiny pouch through her needle and thread. She merely hoped that he would like and wear it.

 

After the needlework was finally over, she bit the thread with her teeth and tied an elaborate knot at the end. Picking the pouch, she scrutinized it over and over; the more she looked at it, the more she liked it.

 

Looking at the bright sun outside, she deduced that Xiao Heng would not be able to come back for a short while now. She didn’t know what was going on with him recently. Perhaps he was very busy as he often returned very late.

 

As she had already completed embroidering the pouch and wanted to seek someone else’s opinion, she thought of the Old Madam. She didn’t need to pay respects to her these days, so hadn’t met the old lady for two or three days. After all, she had been feeling a little uneasy about it so she just decided to go over anyway.

 

Coming to the Old Madam’s courtyard, Gu Sui’er greeted the her respectfully. But before she could overcome her shame and bring out the pouch, she heard the Madam talking to the old lady and discovered that a distinguished guest had come to the residence.

 

This distinguished guest was the third Prince. Now, the eldest Young Master and Xiao Heng were accompanying him.

 

“The third Prince has always been a filial child. He said that he specifically came over to greet the Old Madam.” The Madam said with a smile.

 

On the basis of seniority, the third Prince had to call her grandaunt so coming over to greet her wasn’t unusual.

 

The Old Madam was happy to hear it: “It’s been a long time since I saw ZhiJin. He came at the right time too. I had wanted to ask about the time he went out to invite that famous master. Even though I asked ZhaoYang before, she was unable to say anything about it. Now I can just ask him…”

 

The eldest and the second Young Madam were also present in the room. When they heard her words, they wisely asked to be excused.

 

Although they were all family, the visitor was a prince in the end. It was always better for them, the womenfolk of this family, to avoid outsiders. Gu Sui’er also understood this, so naturally, it was impossible for her to stay behind. She hurriedly followed the two Young Madams out.

 

She imagined why nothing like this happened when she hadn’t come out for a long time. As soon as she stepped out of TingZhu Courtyard, someone from the Imperial family arrived, making her feel uncomfortable.

 

Only Xiao Jin did not evade. Instead, she said with a smile: “Brother ZhiJin is coming? I haven’t seen him for a long time!”

 

Xiao Xu had also come out with the two Young Madams so when she saw that Xiao Jin didn’t come out, she actually felt a little regretful. Furthermore, she even regretted that it was too late to go back. She curled her lips inwardly and muttered in a low voice, “She’s calling him ‘Brother ZhiJin’ so dearly; as if they are very close siblings when in reality, they are distantly related cousins!”

 

The two Young Madams had always known that Xiao Xu and Xiao Jin didn’t like each other much. Their own husbands were born of the same mother as Xiao Jin so they handled her matters more gently than when they faced Xiao Xu. At this moment, they just dismissed her words with a laugh and attempted to placate her: “Ah Jin gets along well with the third Prince. We should let them talk. Let’s go, Sister-in-law will make you some turtle jelly1Turtle jelly [龟苓膏] – Turtle powder, or guilinggao, is a jelly-like Chinese medicine, also sold as a dessert. It was traditionally made from the gao, or paste of the plastron (bottom shell) from the turtle Cuora trifasciata (golden coin turtle / 金錢龜) and a variety of herbal products, in particular, smilax glabra (china root / tufuling / 土伏苓). Turtle jelly is said to possess multiple health-related benefits such as clearing toxicants from the blood, protecting the liver, minimizing the effects of damp-heat, improving skin disorders and nourishing yin. today, we had tried it before.”

 

Xiao Xu beamed when she heard her words.

 

The eldest Young Madam naturally also wanted to pull Gu Sui’er along, but the latter quickly thanked her and expressed that she wanted to go back to rest.

 

The two Young Madams didn’t force it, so with Nanny An and a maid’s support, Gu Sui’er went forward to walk through the moon gate and reach TingZhu Courtyard.

 

Walking till the side of the flowerbeds, Gu Sui’er inevitably felt a little weary. Just then, she noticed a long hallway and decided to take a break there. Nanny An hurriedly instructed the accompanying maid to brush the stool placed there and lay a cloak on it.

 

It was also a coincidence that as soon as she sat there, she heard the sound of several people walking closer.

 

She assumed that it was the few women who returned after leaving, so she stood up to greet them with some difficulty. However, she surprisingly heard the voice of a man.

 

It was too late to hide or avoid them at this point.

 

The eldest Young Master and Xiao Heng walked around the willow rockery and appeared from behind. Apart from them, there was also an unfamiliar man.

 

She had a vague feeling of déjà vu after seeing that man so she took a closer look and hastily lowered her head.

 

Seeing her here, Xiao Heng’s brows furrowed slightly but he didn’t say anything.

 

Without having any other option, she braced herself and stepped forward to greet the eldest Young Master.

 

Xiao Heng explained in a low voice, “This is the third Prince. Come over and greet him.”

 

Gu Sui’er had somewhat guessed that this man should be the third Prince, the distinguished guest who had come to visit today. Furthermore, she also knew that this third Prince was Princess ZhaoYang’s elder brother born of the same mother. Lowering her head, she bit her lips in apprehension as she stepped forward to greet him fearfully: “Greetings, third Prince.”

 

Because of her apprehension, her voice had turned softer and a slight tinge of chill was added to it.

 

After it was over, Xiao Heng instructed in his usual indifferent tone, “Nanny An, support the Young Mistress back to TingZhu Courtyard.”

 

After he finished speaking, he said to the third Prince and the eldest Young Master, “Let’s go to the lake.”

 

But unexpectedly, since the three Prince set his eyes on Gu Sui’er, they didn’t move. He just stared straight at her.

 

Seeing this, Xiao Heng raised his eyebrows and stared at the third Prince coldly.

 

Gu Sui’er was his concubine, his woman.

 

No matter what, the third Prince couldn’t stare at Gu Sui’er like that.

 

Soon, the eldest Young Master also noticed the third Prince’s weird behavior. He coughed, trying to pull him out of his stupor: “Third Prince?”

 

However, the third Prince stared straight at Gu Sui’er. It was as if he had not heard the eldest Young Master’s reminder at all.

 

At this time, Gu Sui’er also discovered that the situation was fishy. She constantly felt that this person’s eyes were a bit odd. After taking a look at him with her panic-stricken eyes, she quickly gripped Nanny An’s hand and turned to leave.

 

Several frames of memory suddenly exploded in the third Prince’s mind.

 

If anyone were to say he wasn’t sure before, now he was totally convinced that he had recognized her.

 

Beside the dusty road and the willow-leaf-covered green courtyard wall, a young and slender girl carefully walked past with a bucket. Some drops of the water in the bucket splashed around as she raised her eyes and glanced at him discreetly.

 

It was this pair of clearly contrasted black and white eyes filled with mist and timidness like a little rabbit that made him hear the sound of flowers blooming.

 

Although he could not remember many things from that night, he clearly remembered these tear-filled eyes as they looked at him fearfully and shyly in the darkness.

 

He even clearly remembered her long black hair messily strewn on the pillow along with their incessant movements. He also remembered the feeling of falling on top of her body, with a feeling of overwhelming satisfaction nibbling away at his bones after the sweaty exercise.

 

“It’s you?”

 

When the third Prince saw her leave, his expression changed but when he saw the astonishingly large belly, there were even greater waves in his heart. He was so shocked that he couldn’t control himself.

 

“Who is she? Why is she here?” He impatiently asked Xiao Heng.

 

“This is my concubine, Gu-shi.” Even though they were close friends from childhood till now, it did not mean that Xiao Heng was willing to give a detailed description of his concubine to him.

 

In fact, his complexion had already turned unsightly at this moment.

 

No man wanted his friend to stare at his woman like that.

 

“Your concubine? How could she become your concubine? She— Isn’t she the girl from the inn at the foot of XuShan?”

 

The third Prince had a tremendous reaction to Xiao Heng’s words. His eyes when he stared at Xiao Heng with practically burning with rage.

 

He looked like a man whose woman had been snatched by his friend.

 

“She is my concubine and she is pregnant with my child.” Xiao Heng’s face at this time was comparable to ten thousand years of ice. Anyone who saw him could tell that he was extremely annoyed.

 

“No, she’s mine… She and I…” The abrupt discovery made the third Prince unable to react for a while. He intended to say something, but he couldn’t say it. In the midst of his shock, he suddenly seemed to have understood something as he looked at the standing some distance away from him.

 

She had a big belly and she looked like she was about to give birth anytime now.

 

The third Prince was only two years older than Xiao Heng, but his Princess Consort and his concubines had already bore him two sons and a daughter.

 

So he was somewhat experienced in this aspect.

 

Judging from the time the child was conceived…. Was it that time? Cou—could it be his?

 

The third Prince’s complexion turned as ugly as a pig’s liver. He strode over and directly overtook Gu Sui’er.

 

“Tell me– What’s actually going on? Why are you here? How did you become his concubine? I went back to find you, so why did you leave that inn?”

 

Gu Sui’er had already gone a long way with Nanny An’s support. However, she was suddenly overtaken by this honorable third Prince and questioned by him. Utterly baffled, she stared at him blankly before ultimately having no choice but to appeal for help from Xiao Heng through her eyes.

 

Xiao Heng walked over with a sullen face and directly inserted himself between the third Prince and Gu Sui’er, hiding her behind himself.

 

“Third Prince, what are you doing?”

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1Turtle jelly [龟苓膏] – Turtle powder, or guilinggao, is a jelly-like Chinese medicine, also sold as a dessert. It was traditionally made from the gao, or paste of the plastron (bottom shell) from the turtle Cuora trifasciata (golden coin turtle / 金錢龜) and a variety of herbal products, in particular, smilax glabra (china root / tufuling / 土伏苓). Turtle jelly is said to possess multiple health-related benefits such as clearing toxicants from the blood, protecting the liver, minimizing the effects of damp-heat, improving skin disorders and nourishing yin.