After Disguising As A Woman To Marry The Foolish Prince, I Became Pregnant - Chapter 6

He Tianyun clearly had no intention of answering Zhu Man. Instead, in the moment Zhu Man was dazed, he reached out and pinched his face.

Zhu Man’s eyes instantly curved into a smile, and he pinched He Tianyun’s face in return, asking, “Why did you come over?”

“To sleep together,” He Tianyun said. “I couldn’t find you.”

Zhu Man felt a bit helpless. “I am your Princess, that’s true, but we don’t necessarily have to sleep together.”

Hearing this, He Tianyun curled his lip, looking thoroughly displeased.

Zhu Man knew that reasoning with him was likely a lost cause, so he stopped arguing. He got out of bed and called out, “Hua Jian.”

Hua Jian immediately ran inside. Seeing that Zhu Man was indeed fine, she smiled and asked, “Miss, do you want to wash your face?”

Zhu Man shook his head and asked, “Where is Nanny Du?”

Hua Jian replied, “She went to the front courtyard. She said things were sent from the Palace, and mentioned that if you woke up, you could go take a look as well.”

Zhu Man gave a soft “Mm” in response. “Then let’s go see.”

As he spoke, he put on his outer robe to head out. At that moment, He Tianyun also got off the bed and ran over to grab him, saying, “From the Palace. Mother Consort.”

So, Zhu Man took him along.

At first, he thought the items sent from the Palace would be some food and a bit of jewelry at most. However, when he stepped into the front hall and saw several large chests sitting on the ground, he was genuinely stunned. “All of these were sent from the Palace?”

Hearing his voice, everyone in the front hall bowed. Du Pingniang walked over and explained, “There are things for the Prince, and also for the Princess.”

Zhu Man was somewhat surprised. “For me?”

Du Pingniang nodded and explained, “Originally, you would have received a gift during today’s palace visit, but because the Prince delayed things, Her Highness the Noble Consort sent people to deliver them. There are also items for the Princess to take back for tomorrow’s return visit to your family home—gold, silver, jade, silks, and medicinal herbs. Everything is here.”

Zhu Man was staggered by this overwhelming display of wealth.

His monthly allowance wasn’t much, and the person managing the household back home was his stepmother. While she wouldn’t go as far as mistreating him in such matters, it was absolutely impossible for him to spend any extra money.

If it weren’t for the fact that his sister was still waiting for him, he would have shamelessly considered the possibility of continuing to be this Princess.

He took a few more glances before reluctantly withdrawing his gaze, saying, “Don’t take them. Leave it all here.”

Du Pingniang smiled and said, “It is better to take them. By bringing these back, Lord Zhu will know the Princess is living well in the Prince’s Manor and can be at peace.”

As soon as she said this, Zhu Man frowned very slightly, and his tone cooled a few degrees. “My father is a man of noble character; he doesn’t care about such things.”

Du Pingniang immediately realized she had mispoken and changed her tune. “They can also be given to other family members. Doesn’t the Princess have an older brother? There are many styles in here suitable for men, as well as two fox furs of excellent quality, perfect for making winter clothes.”

These words struck a chord with Zhu Man.

If it were his sister, she would indeed bring some things back for him.

Thus, he actually walked over to look, picking out a bracelet, two golden step-shake hairpins, and two quite delicate jade pendants, intending to give them to his sister.

Seeing that he had only picked out styles used by women, Du Pingniang was puzzled. “Princess, this is…”

“To give to my future sister-in-law,” Zhu Man lied casually. “My brother has reached the age to marry, so this will serve as a bit of a marriage gift for him.”

Du Pingniang smiled at this. “This little bit isn’t enough. Later, I will draw up a gift list, and the Princess can take it all back. Has the Eldest Young Master settled on a family yet?”

Zhu Man quickly waved his hand. “Not yet.”

Du Pingniang laughed. “That’s no matter. Next time you enter the Palace, the Princess can certainly mention it to Her Highness, and she can help choose a good match.”

Zhu Man’s expression stiffened. He hadn’t expected that while no one cared about his marriage at home, he would run into this at the Prince’s Manor.

“No… there’s no need,” Zhu Man gave a dry laugh. “My brother might have his own ideas. There’s no rush.”

Du Pingniang dropped the subject and turned to organize the gift list.

Zhu Man breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to head back with the items. Just as he turned around, he was pulled by He Tianyun. His hand suddenly felt empty; the two step-shakers he had picked out were now in He Tianyun’s hands.

“Do you like them?” Zhu Man asked him.

He Tianyun waved the hairpins at him, and the dangling jade beads clattered and jingled.

Zhu Man understood; he was likely attracted by the noise and sparkle.

However, in the next moment, He Tianyun raised his hand and tucked the two hairpins into Zhu Man’s hair, saying, “Pretty.”

Zhu Man froze.

Seeing that Zhu Man wasn’t responding, He Tianyun reached out and pulled him, shaking him gently. “Princess.”

Zhu Man snapped out of it and smiled at him. “Not as pretty as you.”

Clearly happy to be praised, He Tianyun stuffed the jade pendants he had just taken back into Zhu Man’s hand. Then, he ran over to the items sent by the Noble Consort, grabbed a handful of things, and brought back a palmful of pearls for Zhu Man—each one large and perfectly round.

Standing nearby, Du Pingniang said, “I will have someone turn these pearls into earrings.”

Zhu Man handed the pearls to her, asked what was for dinner, and returned to his courtyard.

Seeing the things Zhu Man brought back, Hua Jian understood. “These are for the Young Lady? Is it alright to take them?”

While she was still worrying, Zhu Man had already dumped everything from his jewelry box into a bundle. After dumping it, he turned to rummage through the drawers, taking everything valuable or portable—he didn’t even spare the gold hooks hanging the bed curtains. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a looting.

Consequently, Hua Jian’s worry turned into shock. “Won’t the Noble Consort be truly angry like this?”

“What is there to be angry about over this little bit of money?” Zhu Man said while packing the bundle. “Manman’s dowry is quite a lot, and my share of the family property hasn’t been divided yet. If the Noble Consort is truly heartbroken, she can go ask my father for it herself. Besides, these were originally meant for Manman. If we run out of money on the road, we can pawn them for silver.”

Hua Jian said no more. She helped pack the items Zhu Man brought into the bundle and waited for nightfall.

The Zhu household had many people and children, so it was never quiet at night. But the Prince Zhao Manor was different; there were few people here to begin with. Once the sun set, everywhere became extremely silent.

After eating dinner and bathing, Zhu Man waited a while longer. Once it was deeper into the night, he picked up the bundle and sneaked out of the West Court with Hua Jian.

He had assumed that once night fell, the Manor would at least have some people patrolling for appearance’s sake, so he walked very carefully. But after walking for a distance, he realized that far from patrols, even the guards stationed during the day were gone.

He knew the security was lax, but he hadn’t expected it to be this scattered.

Thus, what was supposed to be a tense escape instantly turned into a stroll through a garden.

The two arrived beneath a tree. Zhu Man tilted his chin toward Hua Jian. “You go up first.”

Hearing this, Hua Jian immediately shook her head. “I’ll keep watch for you down here.”

Zhu Man was speechless. “Could you even get up without me helping from below?”

Hua Jian wanted to say she could, but after trying, she found she really couldn’t.

The branches weren’t particularly high, but she was short and lacked experience. Getting up would take considerable effort, and they couldn’t afford to waste that much time.

Hua Jian could only say, “Then I’ll go to the other side to catch you.”

Zhu Man didn’t bother mocking her. He bent over and braced his hands on his knees to act as a stool, saying, “Get up.”

Hua Jian let out an “Ah.” “Step on you to get up? No, that won’t do!”

Zhu Man frowned. “Hurry up, stop talking. Someone could pass by at any moment.”

The fact that the garden was so empty was a disadvantage; there was no cover. If this were like the Zhu residence with scattered rockeries, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Hua Jian also understood this logic, so she obediently scrambled up the tree.

The tree was actually very easy to climb. Even a novice like her made it up in a few moves once she had the extra height, but only after getting up did she realize it was a bit high. The trunk was also somewhat far from the perimeter wall; she had to scoot over.

Trembling, she looked down at Zhu Man, who was preparing to climb. “Young… Young Master, I’m scared.”

Zhu Man: “…What’s there to be scared of at this height? If you fall, you’ll just twist something at most. Don’t worry, just don’t look down and you won’t be afraid. Move over.”

Hearing him say this, Hua Jian took a deep breath and carefully scooted her bottom toward the wall.

Just as she finally moved close enough and was preparing to climb over, an exclamation from Zhu Man came from below. It startled her so much she shivered, slipped straight off the tree, and let out an “Ah!” of her own.

Zhu Man was stunned by the person who had suddenly appeared. It took several heartbeats before Hua Jian’s cry snapped him back to his senses. He quickly pushed past the person to help Hua Jian. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine.” Seeing the person who had suddenly appeared, Hua Jian’s face went white with fear. “Pri… Pri… Prince…”

He Tianyun walked over, pointed at Hua Jian, and started laughing sillily. “Fell down, fell down.”

Zhu Man glared at him helplessly. “And you’re still laughing!”

He Tianyun wasn’t afraid of being scolded. Instead, he pointed at Zhu Man and continued to laugh. “Angry, the Princess is angry.”

Zhu Man was both annoyed and amused. He didn’t bother with him further and looked at Hua Jian’s leg, which she wasn’t standing on straight. “Are you hurt?”

Hua Jian nodded. “I… I think I twisted it.” She lowered her voice. “What do we do? The Prince saw us.”

“So he saw us.” Zhu Man was helpless. “It’s better than being seen by anyone else. Let’s go back first.”

Hua Jian was stunned. “Just go back?”

“What else?” Zhu Man said. “Are you going to climb out right in front of him? And with that leg of yours, can you even climb?”

Hua Jian lowered her head guiltily.

If she hadn’t been so slow, the Young Master would have climbed out long ago. Now, he was being dragged down by her.

“It’s fine, let’s go.” Zhu Man supported her and walked to He Tianyun’s side, saying crossly, “You’re going back too.”

But He Tianyun was unwilling. He walked under the tree and looked up at the top, looking as if he wanted to try climbing it himself.

Zhu Man immediately had a bad premonition. “What do you want to do?”

As soon as he spoke, He Tianyun grabbed the tree trunk and began kicking his feet against it. He looked like a cicada clinging to a tree, especially since he really started shouting about wanting to go up as he climbed.

He had a loud voice; this shouting could probably be heard by half the Manor. Cold sweat broke out on Hua Jian, and she grabbed Zhu Man anxiously. “Young Master, let’s go back quickly!”

“Go back for what?” Zhu Man glanced at her, reached out to take the bundle from her shoulder, and tossed it into a dark corner, using the plants and flowers to hide it. Only then did he return. “If you go back now and run into someone, how will you explain?”

Just as he finished speaking, Du Pingniang and Pan Fu rushed over, with several guards following behind them.

Zhu Man nodded to them.

Du Pingniang walked over and bowed. “Princess, the Prince is…?”

“Playing.” Zhu Man didn’t say much, merely tilting his chin in He Tianyun’s direction.

He Tianyun was currently hugging the tree and working hard to climb up. He had just figured out the trick and had climbed halfway. Just as Du Pingniang looked over, he slipped, fell from the tree, and landed right on his bottom. He was so angry he slapped the tree.

Zhu Man was instantly amused by his actions.

Du Pingniang, however, was incredibly distressed and rushed over to help him. “My Prince, what are you doing now?”

Seeing Nanny Du, He Tianyun immediately grabbed her hand and acted spoiled. “Want to go up.”

In anyone else, it might have raised suspicions as to why this thought had suddenly occurred to him. But He Tianyun had always been like this. Du Pingniang merely coaxed him, “It’s so dark, it’s easy to fall. How about we come back when it’s light?”

He Tianyun sat on the ground and kicked his legs. “Want to go up! Want to go up!”

Du Pingniang looked troubled. After a moment’s thought, she turned to the people she had brought and said, “Light the lamps. Have two people carry the Prince up.”

Hearing “light the lamps,” Zhu Man knew things were about to go bad. He quickly stepped forward to stop them. “Let’s forget it.”

Du Pingniang was a bit helpless. “The Prince is stubborn. If we don’t let him climb, I’m afraid he won’t stop.”

Zhu Man thought for a moment and looked at He Tianyun; he had to find something else to distract him.

He Tianyun looked at him as well.

Zhu Man walked over, crouched down in front of him, and asked, “Don’t you want to sleep together with me anymore?”

Hearing this, He Tianyun turned to look at him.

Zhu Man continued, “If we go back and sleep now, when we wake up tomorrow, we can go out and play together, okay?”

He Tianyun still hugged the tree, refusing to let go.

Zhu Man continued, “If you go up now, I won’t sleep with you.”

Only then did He Tianyun let go. He grabbed Zhu Man’s hand and pointed to the tree. “Together.”

“No, you’ll get hurt. If you get hurt, it will hurt, just like here.” Zhu Man spoke while pointing to the bandage still on He Tianyun’s hand. “So you can’t climb anymore. Be good.”

He Tianyun was clearly still displeased. Zhu Man had no choice but to say, “If you don’t listen, I won’t play with you ever again.”

“No!” He Tianyun suddenly hugged Zhu Man. “You are the Princess, you can’t!”