Chapter 333: Chapter 333: Dugu Chen Returns (4)
Dugu Chen gently patted the back of the woman in his arms and buried his head deeply into her hair, inhaling the familiar scent, forcibly holding back his tears.
Feng Xuxu let him hug her body tightly, she just sobbed and nodded fiercely, whispering his name softly, "Chen."
Wiping the tears from her eyes, Feng Xuxu looked up at him, he released his arms and gazed back at her, "My wife has lost weight."
Feng Xuxu, who had just stopped her tears, immediately filled with tears again at his murmur and said coquettishly, "Hateful." Then she hugged him with her hands.
"Hahaha, it’s fine as long as my wife is cute." He laughed looking at the woman in his arms and sighed silently, he had finally come back.
Bending over, he gently kissed Feng Xuxu, kissing her very tenderly, his large hand cradling her slightly fuller waist due to pregnancy.
Feng Xuxu closed her eyes, her body trembling slightly, she had always believed that he was still alive, and she had finally waited for him to return.
"Prince, princess, the water is ready." Lenglei’s voice abruptly sounded outside the hall, startling the kissing couple.
Feng Xuxu’s face flushed, she pushed him, "Go take a bath, then come back for some supper before resting."
Reluctantly looking at her rosy lips, he lightly tapped them with his finger, "I’ll let you off today, but you’ll have to make it up to me later." He teased with a mischievous smile, looking playfully at the person in his arms.
Feng Xuxu rolled her eyes and pointed at her belly, "You’ll have to ask them if they agree."
Dugu Chen laid his palm on her belly and with focused attention, he spoke to the baby inside, "I want to cherish your mother, do you agree?" As if the baby in her belly knew his dad had come back, it moved agreeably.
"It moved... it moved, my wife, it moved." He looked at Feng Xuxu excitedly, his hand still stroking her belly nonstop.
Feng Xuxu looked at him rolling her eyes unamusedly, "I didn’t move."
"Right, right, right, it wasn’t you, our child moved." He laughed foolishly, the fatigue from the journey completely vanishing in that moment.
Pushing away the hand on her belly, "Hurry and bathe, it’s getting late."
After laughing foolishly for a while, he finally withdrew his gaze, "My wife, you sleep first, I’ll be quick."
"I’ll wait for you."
"Good, obedient, I’ll come after I wash." He bent down and gently kissed her cheek, helped her into bed, covered her with the blanket, and watched as she closed her eyes before turning to go and wash up.
Hearing the sound of his footsteps, she quietly opened her eyes, watched his figure disappear into the bedroom, then closed her eyes with a smile, perhaps relaxed, she quickly fell asleep.
When Dugu Chen came back after washing up, he found the little woman already deeply asleep. Just as he was about to climb into bed to cuddle with his beloved, he noticed his hair still dripping, worried about chilling his wife, he stretched out his hand, grabbed his hair, and used his Inner Strength to dry it.
Only after his hair was dry did he lie down in bed, one hand embracing his wife and the other on her belly, gradually falling asleep.
Dugu Han had waited in the Imperial Study for most of the night and didn’t hear from either of them, feeling uneasy, he immediately called for his guard, Zhuisu.
"Go check on Prince Mei Residence and find out what’s happening but remember not to reveal your identity, and if it’s not possible, retreat immediately."
"As you command." Zhuisu turned and left, went to his bedroom to change into his night clothes, and headed straight for Prince Mei Residence.
Zhuisu watched the Prince Mei Residence from a nearby tree and noticed it was very quiet, other than the patrolling guards, there wasn’t a single sound. He was eager to investigate further, but afraid of alerting the Hidden Guards inside the residence; after pondering, he turned around and returned to the Imperial Palace.
"Your Majesty, the Prince Mei Residence is very quiet, and no abnormalities were discovered," Zhuisu reported with a bow, standing in front of the desk in the Imperial Study.
"You didn’t detect any suspicious activity?" Dugu Han asked with a frown. Could those people have vanished into thin air? Even a skirmish would take some time, and at the very least, someone should come out to send a message.
"No," Zhuisu shook his head after thinking for a moment.
Dugu Han, tired, rubbed his forehead and waved his hand dismissively at Zhuisu.
Zhuisu bowed and left the Imperial Study, then turned around to go back to sleep.
By the time it was fully light outside, the back courtyard was still peaceful and silent, even the birds perched on the trees outside the window were unusually quiet.
Buried in the blankets, Feng Xuxu opened her drowsy eyes, frowning. She felt as though something was pressing down on her and turned her head to see Dugu Chen smiling at her.
She blinked, and upon seeing Dugu Chen’s fresh face, she kissed him, then giggled at the stunned look on his face.
"It’s so good to have you back," she said with a mischievous smile, revealing her teeth as she reached out to stroke his gaunt face.
"Don’t worry, I won’t leave you again," he said softly with a smile in his eyes, speaking to her in bed.
By the time they got up, it was already noon. After eating, the two of them got into the carriage and headed towards the Imperial Palace.
"Chen, you know everything now, right?" Feng Xuxu asked tentatively while sitting in the carriage.
"Yes, I know." Dugu Chen raised an eyebrow, sneering inwardly. He hadn’t expected that the person who had harmed him would turn out to be his own brother.
Feng Xuxu looked at him, then turned her head away, quietly watching the scenery pass by outside the carriage.
"Your Majesty, Prince Mei and his princess have come to the Imperial Palace to pay their respects," Eunuch Shi, not wanting to disturb the emperor during the grant of honours, reluctantly came forward to report, completely unexpected that Prince Mei was still alive; he gritted his teeth and braced himself to report.
Upon hearing this, Dugu Han’s expression drastically changed, his phoenix eyes narrowed, his teeth clenched, and he glared fiercely at Eunuch Shi.
Xiu Yang was kneeling on the ground, preparing to receive the decree, when Eunuch Shi entered and whispered a few words in the emperor’s ear, the emperor’s face turned an iron blue, leaving him puzzled.
After a moment, he asked sternly, "Where are they now?"
Eunuch Shi replied tremblingly, "Just outside the hall."
"Summon them."
After hearing the command, Eunuch Shi hurried out, only allowing himself to breathe a sigh of relief once he reached the side hall.
"Announce Prince Mei and his princess to enter the hall." He then stood quietly to one side, waiting for Prince Mei and his princess to enter the side hall so he could lead them to see the emperor.
Eunuch Shi glanced up and saw the couple walking hand in hand into the side hall: "Prince Mei, princess, please."
