Crown Prince's Concubine [Completed]

C100. End of Main Story.

Chapter 100

As dawn broke, casting a soft glow through the gauze curtains, Zhao Heng stirred from her slumber. The canopy was lowered, blocking out the candlelight, and the soft bed had been moved to the side of the bed, where Li Wenjian lay fast asleep.

The midwife had warned that Zhao Heng's exertion during childbirth would leave her exhausted and that it might take some time for her to fully awaken. She had suggested that Li Wenjian retire to the adjoining chamber for a bath and some rest. However, Li Wenjian refused to leave, loathing the anxiety of waiting in another room.

He had even insisted on entering the birthing chamber, and the palace maids, unable to dissuade him, had reluctantly followed. He had stayed in the bedchamber, eating and sleeping, fulfilling his promise to remain by her side, never leaving her even for a moment.

At the break of dawn, Li Wenjian heard a stir from within the canopy, and his eyes shot open. He instinctively sat up, rushed to the bed, and lifted the canopy, hanging it on the golden hook.

Bathed in the golden candlelight, Zhao Heng's eyes fluttered open, and she suddenly felt a warm, broad hand gently caress the back of her cool hand.

Zhao Heng turned her hand over and clasped his.

Li Wenjian leaned down and kissed her forehead, his touch soft and lingering. After a long while, he pulled away, his forehead pressed against her cheek, breathing slightly heavily. Zhao Heng heard him whisper with joy, "Ah Heng, thank you."

Zhao Heng opened her eyes and met his gaze, the corners of her lips lifting into a gentle smile. "Thank you for what?"

"For being safe."

"For your hard work in bearing our child."

"Ah Heng, you have no idea how agonizing those six hours were for me, waiting outside the birthing chamber."

Zhao Heng chuckled, leaned in, and gently kissed his cheek, saying, "I saw Grandma coming to take me, and then I heard you calling my name, so Grandma let me go with you."

“It’s wonderful to see you again,” Li Wenjian said as he gazed at her, slowly wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

Zhao Heng looked a bit tired, her pale face showing a hint of weakness. Li Wenjian was afraid she might be hungry, so he got up to put on a robe and bring some food. After they had eaten, the nanny brought the baby over.

She looked at the baby in the nanny’s arms, who was wrinkled and squished, with his features all squeezed together and barely recognizable. Zhao Heng looked at her son's face in the swaddle and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

They say that a son resembles his mother, but she hoped that her son would be like Li Wenjian. She wanted to see what he looked like as a child.

*

On the day Zhao Heng finished her postpartum confinement, An Xuzhi came to celebrate with a gift.

"Has the name for the prince been chosen?" An Xuzhi asked as he held the baby, his posture stiff, as if he were holding a beloved sword like a general.

Zhao Heng stood beside him, looking at the baby's face and smiled, "It was chosen by the Emperor, his name is Ziyuan, nicknamed Youyou."

"Youyou." An Xuzhi repeated the name a few times, looking at the baby with particular tenderness.

After a while, Li Junning and the others also arrived, all eager to hold him. An Xuzhi handed the baby over to them.

An Xuzhi had official duties and couldn't stay long, so he left after a brief sit down to say goodbye.