ATNCF: Chapter 126 Relocating the Capital (Part Three)

 After the Emperor and Empress moved to Luoyang, the families of the officials were still in Chang'an and the remaining offices began to move eastward gradually. It was expected that the relocation would be complete by the end of April the following year.

During this period, many officials had to travel between the two places to handle affairs.

As December approached, the weather grew colder by the day, and Pei Ji became increasingly busy.

For the past two years, due to turmoil in the country, foreign envoys had not visited the capital, and local officials had not presented themselves to the Emperor. Now that stability and prosperity were returning, the year-end court ceremonies were reinstated. Along with this, many year-end rituals were also scheduled.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple were constantly coming and going, making the palace extremely busy.

Despite the busyness, Pei Ji never forgot to attend to Li Zhi's daily needs.

He left early and returned late every day, with hardly a moment to catch his breath. Yet, whenever he returned to the sleeping quarters, the first thing he did was inquire about Li Zhi's day, especially about her medication. He seemed never quite reassured and tirelessly asked if she had taken her medicine on time and if it caused any discomfort.

Li Zhi laughed at how he was more anxious about the medication than she, the one who was actually pregnant. He explained that since the child was not growing in his belly, he couldn't know how she and the baby were faring, so he had to repeatedly check to be at ease.

Even the palace servants had grown accustomed to the Emperor's constant concern for the Empress, helping to supervise her daily routine. This left Li Zhi with no chance to delay taking her medicine, even when she dreaded its bitterness.

One evening, just as Li Zhi returned to her quarters from the Six Bureaus, Qing Zhi brought a steaming bowl of medicine.

Li Zhi's expression immediately turned sour, and she reached out to push the bowl away in disgust.

For some reason, her pregnancy reactions had been delayed, only appearing after the third month. Recently, she had started experiencing nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and drowsiness. Moreover, it seemed the imperial physicians had adjusted the prescription, making the originally bitter medicine even more sour and astringent, causing her great discomfort.

"Your Majesty, this is the medicine to stabilize the pregnancy. Yesterday, this servant was unable to persuade Your Majesty and had to secretly pour out half a bowl. Today, Your Majesty must drink it all without leaving a drop." Qing Zhi, now less reserved than before, stood firm despite Li Zhi's refusal.

Li Zhi removed her snow-covered cloak and changed from her heavy cotton clothes to a loose indoor robe, covering her mouth as she shook her head. "I can't do it. The smell alone makes me nauseous. How can I drink it? I think my pregnancy is quite stable, so there's no need for the medicine."

"Your Majesty, this is personally supervised by Qing Zhi." Chun Yue, exchanging glances with Qing Zhi, also joined in persuading her. "Besides, it's His Majesty's heartfelt concern. If His Majesty finds out Your Majesty doesn't want to take the medicine, His Majesty will surely worry."

Li Zhi turned and headed into the inner room, saying, "Then just don't let him find out."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a familiar, displeased voice came from outside: "Don't let who find out?"

Startled, Li Zhi quickly poked her head out to see Chun Yue and Qing Zhi curtsying. It turned out Pei Ji had just returned.

He had clearly heard what she said earlier and walked towards her with disapproval, making his usually stern and serious face come to life.

"Sanlang, I-I was just talking casually..." Li Zhi, knowing she was in the wrong, immediately softened her tone.

For once, Pei Ji did not greet her warmly. Instead, he stood before her with a stern expression, not sitting down but instead scrutinizing her with his dark eyes until she couldn't help but show a pitiful look. Only then did he purse his lips and adjust her slightly open collar.

"I've already told you, it's winter now. You must keep warm. If you catch a cold, even the imperial physicians will be helpless, and you'll be the one to suffer."

Li Zhi gently brushed her fingertips over the back of his hand, with a hint of tentative affection, murmuring, "But the kang is heated, it's not cold at all..."

Pei Ji's expression hardened, and he glared at her without hesitation: "The door is still open. What if the cold air from outside comes in?"

He seemed genuinely angry, taking the bowl of medicine directly from Qing Zhi's hands and handing it to her, his face stern. "If I hadn't come back to check on you, I'm afraid you wouldn't have even taken the medicine."

Li Zhi, rarely resembling a child, sat cautiously on the couch, glancing at him with trepidation, not daring to say much. She pinched her nose and brought her lips to the bowl, drinking the medicine in one gulp with his hand supporting it.

Without the sense of smell, the bitterness of the medicine was reduced by half, but as it went down her throat and into her stomach, it still caused her brows to furrow.

"Sanlang..." Her eyes watery, she looked at him, one hand still caressing her slightly swollen belly, as if reminding him of her pregnancy.

Pei Ji remained silent, turning to stand by the screen to change clothes.

Seeing this, Li Zhi gestured to the others to leave with a look, then got up and walked over to him. Without a word, she helped him take off his outer garments.

Her soft skin seemed to inadvertently brush against his neck, and her damp apricot eyes glanced at him.

"Sanlang," she tiptoed, tilting her head to bring her lips close to his ear, "don't be mad at me."

Pei Ji gritted his teeth, trying hard not to look at her, but her subtle touch softened him, causing the seriousness he had just stabilized to crumble.

"I'm not mad," he turned his face away, trying to keep her warm breath away from his lips, but his hand instinctively rested on her waist.

Encouraged by this, Li Zhi sneakily smiled when he wasn't looking, taking advantage of the situation to lean in and kiss his ear, saying with a hint of grievance, "Why are you mad? That medicine was so bitter, and I still feel its bitterness now. Yet, you're not willing to give me any sweets."

Pei Ji softened considerably at her gentle kiss.

After a moment's pause, he reluctantly embraced her, lowering his head to kiss her lips, saying, "The physician said sweets are too sweet, and you should eat less of them, as they're not good for you. How could I bear to let you endure this bitterness?"

Li Zhi leaned softly against his chest, her arm around his neck, rubbing against him bit by bit, murmuring, "Why are you so reluctant? Just now, you were so stern with me, scaring both me and the child."

Pei Ji looked at her with a mixture of grievance and reproach, finally unable to hold back a smile. "Alright, alright, I was wrong just now. I shouldn't have treated you like that."

He lowered his head to stroke her cheek, feeling somewhat guilty and regretful about the physician's warning that women might experience emotional changes during pregnancy, becoming sensitive, fragile, and easily irritable.

Regardless, he shouldn't have been cold to her, especially now, when her emotions were changing. She needed to be cared for even more.

"Li Niang, I'm sorry," he leaned down to kiss her forehead, "I didn't understand your difficulties. I'm sorry."

This time, it was Li Zhi who felt a bit embarrassed.

She understood that her reluctance to take the medicine earlier was wrong. But as her pregnancy progressed, she sometimes found it difficult to control her emotions.

She had never been childish, but lately, she had developed some childish tendencies that she couldn't seem to shake off.

"Sanlang, it's not all your fault."

Pei Ji hugged her, gently patting her back, patiently saying, "Li Niang, bitter medicine is good for the body. There's no medicine that tastes good. I don't want you to suffer, but your body is different from that of an ordinary young woman. It has been injured before, and even though it has healed, it may still have residual effects. The physician said that a woman's pregnancy and postpartum period are crucial times. If well-maintained, it's a great opportunity to completely remove past ailments. But if there's any slip-up, not only will it cause other illnesses, but it may also trigger the old ailments. I can't bear your suffering, so I hope you can safely pass this time without any mishaps. Can you understand my intentions?"

Li Zhi looked at him hesitantly, carefully pondering his words. Gradually, a warmth surged in her heart, and even the lingering sour bitterness in her mouth seemed less repulsive.

"Sanlang," she hugged him tightly, softly saying, "I understand. You truly have my best interests at heart. I will try my best to take all the medicine from now on and take good care of myself."

As she spoke, she paused for a moment before continuing, "I want to live well and grow old with you in the future."

Suddenly, a pang hit Pei Ji's heart as he thought of his estranged father and mother.

"Yeah," his voice sounded choked with emotion, "we'll grow old together."

The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat heavy.

Li Zhi squirmed in his arms as if she had finally remembered something important, and reached out to help him undress. For a moment, his outer garments were removed, leaving only his undergarments. She suddenly grinned mischievously, snatching clean clothes from the rack and refusing to let him dress.

"Li Niang." Pei Ji couldn't help but be amused by her childish antics, shaking his head and laughing as he tried to take the clothes back.

But she didn't give him a chance, holding the clothes tightly to her chest and skillfully dodging his attempts.

Pregnant as she was, he didn't dare to force her, so he had to follow her cautiously. However, she was very cunning, taking advantage of his caution. Every time he was about to touch the clothes, she would cleverly evade him, moving back and forth, seemingly playing with an invisible thread in her hand.

Finally, Pei Ji ran out of patience and stopped playing along. He strode forward, directly embracing her, pressing her against his chest, and whispered, "Since you don't want me to dress, then I won't. I think it's more convenient to go without clothes."

With the clothes still in her arms, Li Zhi turned to speak, but before she could, he kissed her.

The kiss left her feeling a little dizzy, and the clothes in her hands slipped down bit by bit.

Pei Ji simply pulled the clothes out and tossed them aside, then turned her around to face him, kissing her while leading her towards the inner room.

Her clothes were gradually stripped off, falling to the ground, mingling with his pile of clothes.

In a haze, she heard him speak.

"Tomorrow, I'll ask the imperial physician to prescribe a tonic for me, and we'll take it together."

She gazed at him dazedly, taking a while to process his words.

"But, you've taken so much medicine since childhood, I don't want you to go through those days again."

He smiled, gently stroking her face to reassure her.

"It's okay. I'm used to this little suffering, it's nothing."

"Moreover, since we're going to grow old together, I naturally need to take care of my body better."

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