After Disguising As A Woman To Marry The Foolish Prince, I Became Pregnant - Chapter 7

He Tianyun was well-fed and well-cared for; he spent his days jumping and running about, possessing such excellent physical fitness and a surplus of inexhaustible strength that the arms he wrapped around Zhu Man tightened progressively, nearly costing Zhu Man half his life.

With labored breath, Zhu Man coaxed him, “First… first let go, we’ll go… go back together.”

Only then did He Tianyun release his grip, standing up happily as he said, “Go back!”

Zhu Man breathed a sigh of relief and took He Tianyun’s hand, saying, “Let’s go back and bathe first, look at the state you’re in.”

Having said that, he turned to look at Mother Du: “Let’s go.”

Mother Du had not expected him to actually manage to persuade He Tianyun, and she was somewhat surprised. “The Prince truly likes the Princess Consort.”

Hearing this, Zhu Man gave a small smile and explained, “He is just like a child; children are the best at taking an inch when given an ell. The more you give in to him, the harder he is to talk to.”

Mother Du offered a helpless smile in response.

She was ostensibly the person in charge of caring for He Tianyun, but she was still a servant after all. If the Prince wanted to do something, she could try to persuade him for a bit, but if the Prince truly set his heart on doing it, she had no authority to say no.

Zhu Man understood this logic as well, so he did not say much more, leading He Tianyun toward the direction of the East Courtyard.

Seeing this, Hua Jian hurriedly followed, but her limping gait quickly caught the attention of others. Mother Du asked, “What happened here?”

The question turned Hua Jian’s face pale, and she stood with her mouth open for a long time without saying a word.

Seeing her reaction—which practically had the words “Something is wrong” carved onto her face—Zhu Man couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly. He stepped in to explain, “I thought the Prince wanted to go up to find something, so I let Hua Jian go up to take a look. She wasn’t careful and fell down.”

Mother Du shook her head. “Why are you, a little girl, learning to climb trees? If something like this happens again, just go call for someone.” As she spoke, she gestured for a maid to come over. “You support her and take her to see Physician Xu; make sure she hasn’t injured her bones.”

Hua Jian wanted to say something more, but Zhu Man shot her a meaningful look, signaling her not to say too much. She had no choice but to swallow her words and allowed herself to be supported away to see the doctor, looking quite reluctant.

Zhu Man, meanwhile, followed He Tianyun back to the East Courtyard.

Once they reached a bright area, Mother Du suddenly asked him strangely, “Princess, what happened here?”

Zhu Man saw her pointing behind him and remembered that Hua Jian had stepped on him earlier. He could only put on a puzzled expression, walked to the mirror to take a look, and found there was no obvious mark. Thus, he shook his head and said, “I have no impression of it; perhaps I brushed against something just now.”

Mother Du was still a bit confused, but He Tianyun was already beside them taking off his clothes. Because he couldn’t undo his waist belt, he was losing his temper, so she had to turn her attention toward him.

Zhu Man felt relieved and added, “Then I shall return to the West Courtyard first.”

He was about to leave when he was grabbed by He Tianyun.

Mother Du said helplessly, “The Princess promised just now to sleep with the Prince; it seems the Prince is unwilling to let you go now.”

Zhu Man was choked for words, but he also knew there was no use trying to reason with a fool, so he said, “I need to go bathe. You also be good and bathe. When you come out after washing, you will see me.”

He Tianyun did not let go. “Really?”

“Really,” Zhu Man said, amused. “Wash slowly, you must wash yourself clean.”

Only then did He Tianyun release his hand and happily went to bathe.

Seeing this, Mother Du also breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Since Hua Jian is not here, I will arrange for another…”

“No need,” Zhu Man hurriedly refused. “I am not used to others serving me.”

Mother Du could only say, “At least let them…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Zhu Man had already dashed off like a gust of wind.

Zhu Man, of course, didn’t mind being served; he simply wanted to stop by the garden to retrieve his bundle and, at the same time, slightly restore that room he had torn apart. Therefore, after getting his things, he immediately got busy. When the maid knocked on the door, he was in the middle of hanging the hooks back onto the bed.

He hurriedly hung the hooks properly, stuffed the bundle into the quilt, and then sat down on the bed, saying, “Come in.”

The maid pushed the door open and entered, performing a salutation. “The Governess sent me to prepare hot water for the Princess.”

Zhu Man nodded. “Go ahead.” After saying that, he stood up and sat at the dressing table, using his body to block the jewelry box that had been rummaged through and left in a mess.

By the time he finished bathing and returned to the East Courtyard, He Tianyun had already finished washing and was losing his temper with Mother Du because he couldn’t find him.

“Didn’t I say I was going to bathe? What’s the rush?” Zhu Man walked over and reached out to give his face a pinch. “Am I not…”

Before he could finish, he was suddenly embraced by He Tianyun. In a state of confusion, he was lifted up—the kind of lift where his waist was clamped and he was forcibly hoisted into the air.

Zhu Man nearly had the air squeezed out of him.

Fortunately, He Tianyun only held him for a moment before setting him down and pulling him toward the bed.

Zhu Man lay down beside him and said with a smile, “Are you happy now?”

He Tianyun happily squeezed toward him, and that handsome face was instantly magnified in front of Zhu Man, causing Zhu Man’s heart to skip a beat.

“Princess,” He Tianyun called out to him cheerfully. “Sleep.”

Zhu Man nodded. “Then close your eyes.”

He Tianyun immediately closed his eyes.

Mother Du had originally intended to coax him to sleep, but she was surprised to see him being so well-behaved today. She then seemed to think of something and smiled. “Then, shall we still light the soul-soothing incense?”

Zhu Man hesitated for a moment and asked, “What happens if we don’t light it?”

Mother Du explained, “That soul-soothing incense was specially commissioned by Her Ladyship. It is more effective than ordinary ones; once lit, one falls asleep very quickly. There are side effects, however—the sleep is too deep, making it difficult to wake up. It is usually lit when the Prince refuses to sleep. Once lit, no one can remain in the room.”

Zhu Man fell silent. How was this any different from a knockout drug?

He sighed. “Leave it for now. If he refuses to sleep properly, I’ll light it then. No need for anyone to stay.”

Mother Du acknowledged this and went out.

Once the person had left, only then did Zhu Man let out a faint sigh.

This Prince’s Manor was full of loopholes; it wouldn’t be difficult to run away. However, delaying them from searching for him would be troublesome. Having failed to escape this time, there might not be such a good opportunity next time.

As he was fretting over this, he felt his hand hidden under the quilt being touched, so he turned his head and asked, “What is it?”

He Tianyun did not answer, but instead squeezed further toward him.

Zhu Man had no choice but to yield a bit of space, but as a result, He Tianyun squeezed toward him again.

No matter how large the bed was, it couldn’t withstand He Tianyun’s squeezing. Zhu Man was already lying on the very edge; if he moved any further, he would fall off. He could only say, “Sleep a bit further over.”

He Tianyun gave no reaction.

Helpless, Zhu Man could only remain squeezed like this with him, saying, “Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

This time, the response he received was an arm wrapping around him.

Zhu Man was somewhat unsure if this was a coincidence or if He Tianyun was truly embracing him. He tentatively called his name: “He Tianyun?”

He Tianyun’s arm tightened even more, drawing the person directly into his chest as he called out very softly, “Princess.”

His voice was very light, and unlike his usual slow, sluggish tone, it sounded more like a sigh. It left Zhu Man momentarily stunned. “Hmm?”

But in the next second, He Tianyun laughed again—that same silly, simple-minded laugh—as he tilted his head to rest against Zhu Man’s shoulder while laughing.

Zhu Man was helpless. He finally understood a little why Mother Du wanted to light the soul-soothing incense for this Prince; at the rate he was tossing and turning, who knew how long it would take for him to sleep.

Should he just go and light the incense?

He pushed the man away, preparing to get up to light the incense, but the hand He Tianyun had released quickly wound around him again. It was tighter than before, as if he intended to imprison Zhu Man within his arms.

It was only then that Zhu Man discovered the Prince had a very pleasant scent on him, like pine resin mixed with a bit of soul-soothing incense and a hint of the scent of sugar cakes—both sweet and warm.

“Did you sneak something to eat just now?” Zhu Man asked casually, raising a hand to push at the person on top of him.

But He Tianyun did not let go; he continued to hold him obstinately. The harder Zhu Man struggled, the greater his strength became. Fearing the man might squeeze him to death, Zhu Man had no choice but to give up his struggle, asking in a soft voice, “What’s wrong?”

He Tianyun buried his face into Zhu Man’s neck and shoulder, saying in a very small voice, “Princess, don’t leave.”

The voice was muffled and carried a hint of grievance, which instantly struck a chord in Zhu Man’s heart. Thus, he smiled and comforted him, “I am only going to light some incense. I’ll be back immediately after lighting it. It will be very quick, okay?”

He Tianyun still did not let go, merely repeating those words: “Don’t leave.”

Zhu Man was somewhat helpless, so he could only say, “Fine, I won’t leave. Don’t hold me so tight, it’s uncomfortable.”

He Tianyun still didn’t release him, saying, “Don’t leave.”

He mentioned it over and over; even after being comforted, it was no use. Zhu Man began to suspect if he had misinterpreted things.

He suddenly thought of what had happened tonight.

When he was talking to Hua Jian this morning, how much had He Tianyun actually heard, and how much did he understand? It was hard to say. He had always felt that He Tianyun probably didn’t understand, but… what if that was just his own wishful thinking? What if He Tianyun could actually understand?

Rumors outside all said that He Tianyun was dim-witted and would hit people or destroy things; it sounded as if he only knew how to go mad. Yet, after coming to the Prince’s Manor, Zhu Man had not seen him do anything particularly excessive; he was very close to both Mother Du and himself.

From Mother Du’s perspective, He Tianyun was more like an ignorant child, but that “ignorance” was merely Mother Du’s impression. If one truly treated He Tianyun as a child… children understand a great deal.

If he truly could comprehend certain things, then perhaps he really had understood the conversation between him and Hua Jian. In that case, the events of the evening… could they have been done by He Tianyun on purpose?