Su Zhiruan woke up to find her belly much lighter. The midwives in the palace had been well-prepared and handled everything efficiently. Aside from feeling a bit tired, she felt no discomfort.
The wet nurse held the baby to show her, placing him beside her, "Lady, I have brought the Little Crown Prince to you."
"Just place him beside me." Su Zhiruan looked curiously at her child, a tiny baby scented with the smell of milk.
Perhaps because he was so small, his eyes were not yet open. His tiny little hands were clenched together, tucked quietly in his swaddle.
She cautiously leaned closer and her child, after ten months in her womb, seemed to have a psychic and blood bond with her, making a soft sound and sleeping even more soundly.
Shen Qi entered the chamber and saw this tender scene; his heart melted completely. He walked in quietly and washed his hands before he approached Su Zhiruan and the baby.
The Empress Dowager also tiptoed in, washed her hands and gestured to Su Zhiruan before she finally looked lovingly at the child.
Shen Qi, a man of more than six feet tall with regal stature, commanded awe and respect in the court. He was the revered monarch throughout the kingdom, but now, holding a small child in his arms, he suddenly became clumsy, like a father seeing his child for the first time.
"You've learned well!" The Empress Dowager said energetically, watching the Emperor hold the child. Then she turned, laughing joyfully, to tell Su Zhiruan about the recent events, "These past days, the Emperor has been learning from the wet nurse how to hold a child. The wet nurse was almost scared silly, her work faltered, and finally, the Emperor asked me for advice, which really is a rare event in the palace."
"I am glad that the Crown Prince is so dearly loved by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager," Su Zhiruan said, smiling quietly as she watched the interaction between Shen Qi and the child, a natural closeness between father and son, the child feeling the love from his blood relatives.
"Speaking of which, we haven't yet named the child. This generation in the royal lineage is the 'Xing' generation; you should discuss and decide on a name for the Prince," the Empress Dowager mentioned.
"Ruanruan can think of one name; she carried him for ten months. Whatever name, it will be good," Shen Qi suggested Su Zhiruan should name the baby, he then hugged the child and looked at the Empress Dowager's eager eyes before handing the child over to her.
Su Zhiruan had no specific ideas; certainly, the Crown Prince's name had to be meaningful. She couldn't come up with anything on the spot that would match the names Shen Qi had previously thought of. Once, while in the Imperial Study Room, she saw the names written on Shen Qi's desk, all good names. She looked at the child, who was still sleeping soundly, then looked up and said, "Let the Emperor decide; if there's a good one, let's settle on it."
Right now, Shen Qi felt as if he were submerged in a huge jar of sweetness. He looked at Su Zhiruan with eyes full of love. Without much thought, he looked at the child and slowly said, "The child, who Ruanruan painstakingly carried for ten months, follows the 'Xing' generation. Why not call him Shen Xingzhi, taking a character from Ruanruan's name?"
"Shen Xingzhi, prudent in actions. The Emperor has indeed chosen a great name," Su Zhiruan extended her finger to Little Shen Xingzhi's side, and the tiny hand clutched her finger firmly, warmth meeting warmth.
Mother and son connected by heart.
Thus, the name Shen Xingzhi was decided upon.
As days went by, during a whole summer, the four of them lived at the palace as if they were just an ordinary family, warm, happy, yet fulfilling.
The Empress Dowager was very fond of the Little Crown Prince, and to not disturb the young couple's growing relationship, she happily helped look after the Little Crown Prince, continuously preparing various suitable dishes for the postpartum period.
Throughout the entire postpartum period, Su Zhiruan only had to nurse the Little Crown Prince and play with him; she didn't have to worry about anything else.
As for Shen Qi, she could feel that their bond had become even more stable.
Since the child's arrival, he had become much steadier and loved her more dearly and tenderly.
Previously, when Su Zhiruan was a palace maid, Shen Qi's image in everyone's eyes was that of a cold, aloof "god" who was esteemed and unapproachable, who could handle all official duties efficiently. Living each day, he seemed like a precisely set puppet, diligently attending to his tasks, never slackening even at court, making ministers extremely cautious.
However, during this period, the ministers could feel that the aloof god gradually stepped down from his pedestal, showing genuine human warmth.
Even one day, when the ministers attended court and performed their rites, they suddenly realized that the Emperor was holding the Crown Prince in his arms, causing almost all the ministers to gasp.
Later, when Su Zhiruan listened to Little Fuzi vividly describing it, she could even picture the scene where the ministers lost their composure entirely, all profoundly shocked.
Little Fuzi, seeing Su Zhiruan smile, continued to gesture enthusiastically as she narrated, "Lady, you wouldn't know, His Majesty was all smiles. After reporting ended, His Majesty held the Little Crown Prince and seriously introduced him to all the lords. Those usually old-fashioned lords, who quarrel incessantly at court, lined up to bow to the Little Crown Prince after the introduction. The scene was truly humorous! Oh Lady! I had to make a great effort to hold back, or I might not have kept my head!"
Su Zhiruan, sitting on a swing eating grapes, also finished listening with a smile brightening her eyes and face.
"Where is His Majesty now? And the Crown Prince?" Curious and amused, she thought of going to see the child again.
"The Crown Prince is sleeping in the room; he just turned over a while ago, and Empress Dowager praised him for a long time, and now he has fallen asleep again." Little Fuzi pondered and felt that time truly flew as it had been nearly three months. "His Majesty said he would come to see you, but since I've arrived, I don't know where he has gone?"
The three months passed in the blink of an eye, and Su Zhiruan personally witnessed the child's growth. The wrinkled baby that once lay in swaddling clothes had become a plump and lovable child who could even roll over, resembling Shen Qi through and through.
As she was speaking, Su Zhiruan heard the salute of the palace maid at the door—Shen Qi had arrived.
The palace maid initially sought to help him remove his cloak, but Shen Qi dodged it, frowned slightly, and undid his cloak himself, saying, "You may leave now."
The palace maids, with their eyes lowered, hurried away.
Upon seeing them leave, Shen Qi immediately stepped forward and embraced Su Zhiruan, his smile full of contentment, as if he was encircling her whole being like a large bear.
"Why are you smiling so happily?" Su Zhiruan tried to pull his hands away but failed, and resigned herself to his embrace.
Shen Qi leaned close to her ear, his voice deep and hoarse, "Ruanruan, it's been three months..."