The King's Mate - Part 1: Banyue

Chapter 31

I couldn't help myself xDDDDD I swear I'm trying but some of you guys are enabling me and it's not good for my uploading schedule.... actually I think I can hear it crying in the corner... one of you guys is going to have to take responsibility for this and I think I know who it is lmao

_____________________________________________________________________________

It was worse than Xie Lian had expected.

It was even worse than Shi QingXuan had expected.

Everything had started to go downhill a few weeks after Shi QingXuan had announced the news of Xie Lian's pregnancy. At first, things had been fine, just like they had been during the pregnancy with Ruoye, and it took Hua Cheng's keen eye and protectiveness to even realise there had been an issue rather early on.

Xie Lian himself had of course been aware that he was feeling rather fatigued, no matter how much he slept and rested, but he'd always managed to not let it bother his daily routine too much. It was only because Hua Cheng had noticed the bit of sluggishness Xie Lian hadn't been able to hide that he'd even gone to talk about it to Shi QingXuan.

Unexpectedly, Shi QingXuan confirmed that it could indeed have to do with his pregnancy, and thus he'd told Xie Lian to take it easy when he needed to, and not push himself. Of course, Xie Lian himself grew a little more worried upon hearing that and listened to the doctor's advice.

Shortly afterwards, the baby started kicking, which elated Xie Lian to no end. Because if there was one thing he'd learned during his last pregnancy, it was the fact that a kicking baby was a healthy baby. Though he did notice that the kicks seemed to be a little weaker than the ones Ruoye had put him through. At first, he thought he'd imagined it because Ruoye's pregnancy had been a few years ago already, but of course Hua Cheng noticed it as well, and once he brought it up, Xie Lian went to see Shi QingXuan about the issue.

However, he hadn't even managed to explain the reason for his visit when Xie Lian got a rather intense dizzy spell and fainted in the doctor's office. Xie Lian had blamed it on the heat when he came to, but Shi QingXuan wasn't having any of his explanations and ordered him to stay in the infirmary from that point onward. Xie Lian understood why he thought it necessary, too. After all, if he'd fainted and fallen on the way to the infirmary, nobody would have been there to catch him like Shi QingXuan had done, and who knew what terrible consequences that could have had. It was why Xie Lian didn't protest the order and went to the room reserved for the king as soon as the doctor was done checking him over.

The doctor's order didn't confine him to bed as long as someone was with Xie Lian whenever he got up, so it was only natural that Hua Cheng came to stay with him whenever he could get away from his duties. For the times he had to spend working, he made sure that either Feng Xin, General XuanZhen or Pei Ming were with Xie Lian and made sure he didn't accidentally hurt himself.

Xie Lian preferred to have Feng Xin's assigned to him if he was honest. He was the easiest to get along with, and he had a son only slightly older than Ruoye, so of course they had a lot to talk about. After all, it was really amazing how different children could turn out to be.

While Ruoye was a little on the wild side, she was always well-behaved when it mattered and had a kind soul. Whereas Cuocuo was... well, Xie Lian certainly hadn't forgotten the short time he'd spent with the boy and got bitten for his troubles. It seemed that despite Feng Xin's best efforts, Cuocuo got a kick out of disobeying his father, and started trouble wherever he went. He apparently enjoyed playing pranks on unassuming vendors and even had been taken into custody by the city guards several times already. From what Feng Xin was telling him, Cuocuo was growing up to be a real menace, and it pained Feng Xin that he was unable to set him on the right track.