Wei Luo slept for a day and a night.

When she woke up the next day, her body had already been cleaned and she had been changed into a cleaning sleeping robe. The first glimmer of dawn was peaking through the window and there was a smear of light turquoise at the horizon. She could faintly hear the sound of a palace servant moving around. Wei Luo turned her eyes to see a palace servant wearing a pink jacket and skirt closing the window.

When the servant turned her head and saw that Wei Luo had woken up, she hurriedly saluted and said, "Your Highness, are you wake?"

Wei Luo didn't recognize her. She was probably one of Zhao Yang Hall's servant girls. She asked, "What time is it?"

The palace servant responded, "7 AM."

After the window was closed, the hall was very quiet. The palace servant saw that Wei Luo was looking around the room and knew that she was looking for someone, so she explained, "Prince Jing watched over you the entire night. He recently heard that Her Majesty has woken up, so he went to see her. He'll probably be back soon. The little heir is sleeping in the side chamber and he's being watched over by a wet nurse. If the princess consort wants to see the little heir, this servant can bring him over."

Wei Luo nodded, "Bring him over for me to see." Since the baby had been born, she only had time to glance at him. She hadn't properly seen what little watermelon looked like yet. Although he was a bit ugly, he was still her son. She wouldn't dislike of him.

The palace servant stepped forward, helped Wei Luo sit up, placed a large red pillow embroidered with gold and silver thread behind Wei Luo's back, and added, "Your Highness, are you hungry? You should eat something first."

Wei Luo shook her head, "Bring over my baby first."

It wouldn't be good for the palace servant to go against Wei Luo's words. She went to the side chamber to bring the baby over.

Little watermelon was wrapped in red swaddling clothes that were embroidered with lotus flowers. He had just finished drinking milk and hadn't fallen back asleep yet, so his eyes were wide open. When the palace servant put him in Wei Luo's arms, Wei Luo quietly sounded her surprise. It had only been a day and he already seemed not as ugly as yesterday. Wei Luo used her fingers to touch his face. It felt soft and plump. He was only a small ball, but he had tormented her quite a bit yesterday.

Little watermelon met her gaze and opened his mouth to babble.

No wonder Zhao Jie had said their baby looked like her. His black and bright eyes seemed as if they had been made from the same mold as hers and looked like pools of deep water that was so clear you could see the bottom of them. Wei Luo touched his eyebrows and also touched his nose and mouth. The more she looked, the more she cherished him. So, this was the little fellow that had stayed in her belly for ten moons. Wei Luo said, "Little watermelon, I'm your mother. Do you remember?"

Little watermelon blinked and looked at her in confusion for a moment before he opened his small mouth and wrinkled his nose to let out a wide yawn.

Wei Luo found his action funny. She copied what she had seen Liang Yu Rong do by lightly patting his back to coax him into sleeping. It only took a few moments before the little fellow fell asleep. He was obediently curled up in Wei Luo's arms with his eyes closed and not fussing at all.

The palace servant took an extra few glimpses out of curiosity. When the wet nurse had taken the little heir away last night, he had looked very pitiful as he cried and fussed. Why did he stop crying as soon as the princess consort was holding him? Could it be that a mother and child really did have a mutual sensitivity and connection with each other?

After the palace servant looked at them for a while, she tried to persuade Wei Luo, "Your Highness, you just woke up. You shouldn't exert yourself too much. This servant can return the little heir to the side chamber. Do you want to eat something?"

Wei Luo tucked in the baby's swaddling clothes. She felt reluctant to send him away, so she said, "I want to hold him for a little longer."

The palace servant couldn't successful persuade her. Put into a difficult position, she could only leave the room to ask someone to inform Prince Jing. However, just as she stepped past the doorway, she saw Prince Jing in front of her. He was wearing a sky blue robe with a circular embroidery design in dark thread.

"This servant greets Your Highness, Prince Jing."

Zhao Jie lifted his feet up as he crossed the doorway. He didn't acknowledge the palace servant and directly went towards the inner room in the hall.

Wei Luo was currently holding the baby and sitting against the head of the bed. Her head was lowered as she carefully looked over little watermelon. She stretched her hand out to touch his eyelashes. As she fondled him admiringly, she resembled a young girl that had gotten a new toy.

As soon as Zhao Jie saw this, he stopped walking, stayed behind the eight-panel red sandalwood divider that was painted with joyful magpies, and quietly looked at them. However, after some time had passed, Wei Luo still didn't notice him. She kept quietly teasing the child in her arms. Her lips were curved into a soft and sweet smile. She had never shown such a gentle and satisfied expression in front of Zhao Jie.

Zhao Jie started to feel slightly jealous. He placed his hand by his mouth and quietly coughed.

Wei Luo raised her head and finally noticed that he was here.

Right after Zhao Jie had taken a step forward, she placed her forefinger on her lips and shushed him. "Be quieter, little watermelon just fell asleep."

Zhao Jie, "..."

She had only recently gotten this son and she had already forgotten to care about her husband.

Zhao Jie sat down on the bed, looked at his son that was peacefully sleeping, and asked, "I heard from the palace servant that you haven't eaten yet after you work up. Why not? I'll have the cooks prepare some dishes. You should at least eat some of the food once it's ready."

Wei Luo's was finally willing to look away from little watermelon. Her gaze landed on Zhao Jie.

"I'm not that hungry... I heard that you went to see imperial mother. How is she? Is she okay?"

Zhao Jie nodded, took the baby from Wei Luo's arms, and handed him over to the nearby palace servant. "Bring him back to the side chamber."

When he looked back at Wei Luo, he saw that she looked very reluctant to part with their son, but she didn't say anything. He said, "Imperial mother wasn't injured. Her body is just somewhat weak. The imperial physician said she'd be fine after resting a few days. As for you, stay at Zhao Yang Hall and properly recuperate here. We'll go back home once your body is recovered."

Wei Luo had just given birth, so it would be unsuitable for her to travel. Empress Chen was willing to let her stay at Zhao Yang Hall for the traditional one-month confinement period following childbirth. This showed that Empress Chen treasured her dearly.

Wei Luo asked, "Then, where will imperial mother be staying?" She couldn't cause the empress to have nowhere to go.

Zhao Jie paused before saying, "Yang Xin Hall."

Yang Xin Hall was the emperor's bedroom. It wouldn't be inappropriate for Empress Chen to stay there. There probably wasn't anything that Emperor Chong Zhen wished more for than this opportunity.

Wei Luo was silent for a bit before she quietly said, "Oh." She thought of what she had seen before she had started giving birth. Emperor Chong had rushed into the fire without regard for his life. Wei Luo had to admit that she had been very shocked. Emperor Chong Zhen valued Empress Chen more than his own life. Exactly, how much did he love her? Since he loved her so much, why did he abandon Empress Chen to favor only Noble Consort Ning? Would Empress Chen forgive him? Wei Luo couldn't figure out the answers to these questions, so she stopped letting her imagination run wild.

She said, "Why did Bao He Hall catch on fire? Did they figure out what happened?"

Zhao Jie said, "Imperial mother had dismissed all of the palace servants and guards at the entrance. Although she hadn't discovered the hidden guards, the fire had spread too quickly. By the time they noticed, it was already too late."

The implication was the Empress Chen had single-mindedly sought death. She had planned and prepared everything by herself. It wasn't related to anyone else.

Even thought he knew this, Emperor Chong Zhen was still determined to investigate the palace servants and guards that had been stationed at Bao He Hall to vent his anger.

Wei Luo leaned against her pillow and didn't say anything.

Fortunately, this lifetime was different. Empress Chen had been rescued and hadn't been burnt to ashes in the sea of fire, so that even her bones weren't left behind for the emperor.

A short while later, a palace servant walked into the room while carrying a vermillion tray that was painted with a sunflower pattern. She placed the tray down on a square table that was inlayed with gold and decorated with spirals that was near the head of the bed. She briefly saluted before withdrawing from the room.

Zhao Jie picked up the bowl of pigeon and reishi mushroom soup, scooped a spoonful of soup, blew on it to cool it down, and brought the spoon to Wei Luo's lips, "Here, take a sip."

Pigeon meat could help wounds heal and recover injuries completely. When it was cooked in soup, it was even more effective. Wei Luo also wanted to quickly recover, so she obediently drank the soup. After she finished drinking the soup, she ate some of the small, side dishes. Zhao Jie had handfed all of this food to her. Relying on the fact that she had recently given outstanding service, Wei Luo didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed. After eating, she comfortably lied back down on the bed. She didn't dare to move around too much. Her lower body hurt too much when she did.

A while later, her eyes turned and she looked as if she wanted to say something. Her fingers dug into Zhao Jie's palm and scratched it.

Zhao Jie's thin lips lightly smiled and he asked, "What's wrong?"

Wei Luo whispered, "I want..."

All humans need to go the bathroom and she had lied on this bed for a day and night without leaving. Zhao Jie clearly knew what she was referring to, but he deliberately pretended to not know. He quietly said, "Oh, what do you want?"

Wei Luo's face turned red and she glared at him. She didn't say another word and only directly looked at him.

When Zhao Jie had finally teased her enough, he chuckled, lifted her up from the bed, and carried her to the bathroom at the back of the hall.

Zhao Jie placed her on the wooden container and asked her, "Do you need to me take off your pants?"

Wei Luo bit her lip and said, "No need." Then, she pushed him towards the outside.

Zhao Jie didn't resist and walked to behind the divider to wait.

---

During the first three days, Wei Luo couldn't leave the bed by herself. She had her meals while sitting in the bed and everything was done by Zhao Jie. He even helped her with changing her clothes and going to the bathroom. At the beginning, she was thin-skinned and would blush with embarrassment every time Zhao Jie teased her.

But now, she had lost her sensitivity. When Zhao Jie said teasing remarks, she would either glare at him with her limpid and glossy eyes or pinch the soft part of his flesh and say, "You're not allowed to mention this."

Empress Chen had recently visited her a few times to tell her she could peacefully stay here for her one month confinement period after childbirth. During those visits, Empress Chen seemed liked she wasn't in a good mood. So, Wei Luo would have a palace servant bring Zhao Xi over after they exchanged a few words. A faint smile appeared on Empress Chen's face whenever she saw Zhao Xi.

After many days of feeding, little Zhao Xi has already lost his ugliness. Not only was he no longer ugly, the little fellow now had a beautifully, exquisite appearance. With his rosy cheeks and white skin, he resembled a crystal-like white jade dumpling and was very lovable. Zhao Xi liked to laugh and wasn't afraid of strangers at all. Whenever anyone played with him, his giggles could be heard from a far distance. All of the palace servants, whether it was servant girls or mamas, liked him.

Empress Chen treated him like a piece of her heart. He was her favorite person. It made sense. She had been looking forward to having a grandson for many years. How could she not cherish him?

Logically, Zhao Jie should be very happy to have such a lovable child. However, his mood hadn't been good lately. It was probably because all of Wei Luo's attention had been focused on little watermelon. She didn't have any time to care about Zhao Jie. There were times when Zhao Jie had stood in front of her for a long without her noticing his presence. She was too focused on playing with little watermelon.

As each day passed, Zhao Jie's expression became worse and worse.

On the day when little watermelon was one month old, Emperor Chong had arranged for his one-month-old birthday celebration to be held in the palace and invited the imperial court's civil and military officers to the celebration. The occasion was quite grand.

Little Zhao Xi was too young to understand what was happening. He only knew to cuddle with Wei Luo and monopolize her bosom and arms. He would occasionally blink, stick his tongue out, and yawn. His expressions were plentiful and fun to look at.

During the banquet, Wei Luo held him in her arms and was reluctant to let him go. After the banquet ended, they returned to Zhao Yang Hall and Wei Luo personally gave Zhao Xi his bath. Afterwards, she placed him down on an arhat-style rattan bed with a red sandalwood frame and carefully wrapped him up in swaddling clothes.

Wei Luo's body had recovered pretty well during the past month. Perhaps, it was because she had gotten out of bed and walked around every day. Her waistline had slimmed down very quickly. There wasn't any difference between her and a teenage girl that hadn't given birth.

Her cheeks had become sharp again and her skin continued to be white and soft. If little watermelon didn't resemble her so much, people wouldn't be able to tell that she was someone who had recently given birth.

At this time, Wei Luo's eyelashes were lowered. She wasn't experienced with putting on the swaddling clothes and little watermelon was acting naughty. One moment he was kicking, the next moment he was stretching his arm. His playing around caused Wei Luo to not be able to put on his swaddling clothes for a long time. Fortunately, there was a heater in the room, so he wasn't in danger of catching a cold.

Surprisingly, Wei Luo wasn't annoyed. She helplessly touched Zhao Xi's little nose and said, "Stop moving. If you keep moving around, mother will be angry."

Zhao Xi's long eyelashes fluttered as he blinked. When he looked at Wei Luo, it seemed as if he could understand her words.

Wei Luo quickly finished wrapping Zhao Xi in the swaddling clothes. She lowered her head, kissed Zhao Xi's forehead, and praised him, "So obedient."

On the side, Zhao Jie sneered as he watched them.

As soon as Wei Luo raised her head, she saw Zhao Jie's long face and couldn't feeling surprised. She asked, "What's wrong?"

Zhao Jie said, "Imperial mother also likes him a lot. How about giving him to her and letting her raise him instead?"

Wei Luo's eyes immediately widen. She instinctively said, "No." He was her child. She felt that she didn't even have enough time to spend with him and spoil him. How could she bear to give him to someone else?

Zhao Jie silently looked at her. His expression was very ugly.

Wei Luo finally realized there was something wrong. She left Zhao Xi on the arhat bed and sat down across from Zhao Jie. "Are you upset?"

Zhao Jie lowered his eyes and looked at her in askance. A while later, he said, "You tell me. How many days have you given me the cold shoulder?"

Uhhh. Wei Luo awkwardly fidgeted with her fingers. She finally understood why his expression had looked so bad. But, she hadn't treated him coldly. She had just slightly liked little watermelon too much... What mother wouldn't love her son? Wei Luo felt as if she was being unjustly treated, but it wouldn't be good for her express this feeling. After all, Zhao Jie needed to be comforted more than her.

Thus, she said, "I didn't give you the cold shoulder. You're so much older than little watermelon. You can take care of yourself, but little watermelon can't, so I have to care of him. Besides, you were the one that said, 'I don't like children. I only like this child because of you.' Do you not like little watermelon anymore? Are you really going to be jealous over him?"

The words, "I'm jealous", was clearly written on Zhao Jie's normally expressionless face.

It was only now that Wei Luo realized how petty men could be. She wrapped her arms around Zhao Jie's arm and raised her head to look at him. "Then, what do I have to do so that you won't give him to imperial mother? Little watermelon is my son. I want to raise him myself."

Zhao Jie's black eyes turned and landed on Wei Luo's body.

His prolonged stare made Wei Luo feel goosebumps rising on her body. She almost called out, "big brother" to beg him to stop.

He finally moved. He raised his hand and tapped his own cheek. His beautiful, deep voice said, "Kiss me."

So, he had minded when she had recently kissed Zhao Xi's forehead. Wei Luo pursed her lips. It wasn't like she hadn't kissed him before, so she held onto his neck and sincerely kissed his cheek with her small mouth. In order to curry favor with him, after she kissed his cheek, she slowly moved her lips to his mouth as she fluttered her eyelashes. She licked his lips and teeth to open them.

Wei Luo raised her eyes to secretly look at him and saw Zhao Jie's lowered eyes looking at her. His pupils were pitch-black and he wasn't showing any reaction.

Wei Luo closed her eyes to temper herself and rushed into his mouth. Because she had the intention of pleasing him, it was a very lingering kiss.

A moment later, Zhao Jie turned himself over to press her down, seized control, and besieged her mouth.

...

A long time later, Zhao Jie finally let go Wei Luo's mouth, but he stayed in the same position with his face touching hers. They were very close as he hoarsely said, "In the future, you're not allowed to only show affection towards little watermelon."

Wei Luo's tongue had become numb from his sucking. Her eyes were watery and she was quietly gasping.

Zhao Jie bit her ear and added, "You have to show that you love me too."

Wei Luo's cheeks turned red and she slowly nodded.

---

A month later, Wei Luo and Zhao Jie moved out of Zhao Yang Hall and brought little watermelon with them as they returned home.

After the three of them left, Zhao Yang Hall instantly became a lonelier and colder place.

Empress Chen moved back to Zhao Yang Hall after Emperor Chong Zhen lost his reason to keep her in his hall.