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T/N: Thank you patrons for sponsoring this chapter part.
This is the last chapter for ChongFei Manual’s main story. It feels kind of sad to finish this story after nine and a half months of translating, but I’m excited to start translating other novels. Chapter 169 and 170 is a side story about Li Song in Wei Luo’s past life. Chapter 171 is an epilogue to the main story and goes back to Wei Luo and Zhao Jie.
Title: ChongFei Manual
Chapter: 168.1 out of 171
Wei Luo slept for a day and a night.
When she woke up the next day, her body had already been cleaned and she had been changed into a cleaning sleeping robe. The first glimmer of dawn was peaking through the window and there was a smear of light turquoise at the horizon. She could faintly hear the sound of a palace servant moving around. Wei Luo turned her eyes to see a palace servant wearing a pink jacket and skirt closing the window.
When the servant turned her head and saw that Wei Luo had woken up, she hurriedly saluted and said, “Your Highness, are you wake?”
Wei Luo didn’t recognize her. She was probably one of Zhao Yang Hall’s servant girls. She asked, “What time is it?”
The palace servant responded, “7 AM.”
After the window was closed, the hall was very quiet. The palace servant saw that Wei Luo was looking around the room and knew that she was looking for someone, so she explained, “Prince Jing watched over you the entire night. He recently heard that Her Majesty has woken up, so he went to see her. He’ll probably be back soon. The little heir is sleeping in the side chamber and he’s being watched over by a wet nurse. If the princess consort wants to see the little heir, this servant can bring him over.”
Wei Luo nodded, “Bring him over for me to see.” Since the baby had been born, she only had time to glance at him. She hadn’t properly seen what little watermelon looked like yet. Although he was a bit ugly, he was still her son. She wouldn't dislike of him.
The palace servant stepped forward, helped Wei Luo sit up, placed a large red pillow embroidered with gold and silver thread behind Wei Luo’s back, and added, “Your Highness, are you hungry? You should eat something first.”
Wei Luo shook her head, “Bring over my baby first.”
It wouldn’t be good for the palace servant to go against Wei Luo’s words. She went to the side chamber to bring the baby over.
Little watermelon was wrapped in red swaddling clothes that were embroidered with lotus flowers. He had just finished drinking milk and hadn’t fallen back asleep yet, so his eyes were wide open. When the palace servant put him in Wei Luo’s arms, Wei Luo quietly sounded her surprise. It had only been a day and he already seemed not as ugly as yesterday. Wei Luo used her fingers to touch his face. It felt soft and plump. He was only a small ball, but he had tormented her quite a bit yesterday.
Little watermelon met her gaze and opened his mouth to babble.
No wonder Zhao Jie had said their baby looked like her. His black and bright eyes seemed as if they had been made from the same mold as hers and looked like pools of deep water that was so clear you could see the bottom of them. Wei Luo touched his eyebrows and also touched his nose and mouth. The more she looked, the more she cherished him. So, this was the little fellow that had stayed in her belly for ten moons. Wei Luo said, “Little watermelon, I’m your mother. Do you remember?”
Little watermelon blinked and looked at her in confusion for a moment before he opened his small mouth and wrinkled his nose to let out a wide yawn.
Wei Luo found his action funny. She copied what she had seen Liang Yu Rong do by lightly patting his back to coax him into sleeping. It only took a few moments before the little fellow fell asleep. He was obediently curled up in Wei Luo’s arms with his eyes closed and not fussing at all.
The palace servant took an extra few glimpses out of curiosity. When the wet nurse had taken the little heir away last night, he had looked very pitiful as he cried and fussed. Why did he stop crying as soon as the princess consort was holding him? Could it be that a mother and child really did have a mutual sensitivity and connection with each other?
After the palace servant looked at them for a while, she tried to persuade Wei Luo, “Your Highness, you just woke up. You shouldn’t exert yourself too much. This servant can return the little heir to the side chamber. Do you want to eat something?”
Wei Luo tucked in the baby’s swaddling clothes. She felt reluctant to send him away, so she said, “I want to hold him for a little longer.”
The palace servant couldn’t successful persuade her. Put into a difficult position, she could only leave the room to ask someone to inform Prince Jing. However, just as she stepped past the doorway, she saw Prince Jing in front of her. He was wearing a sky blue robe with a circular embroidery design in dark thread.
“This servant greets Your Highness, Prince Jing.”
Zhao Jie lifted his feet up as he crossed the doorway. He didn’t acknowledge the palace servant and directly went towards the inner room in the hall.
Wei Luo was currently holding the baby and sitting against the head of the bed. Her head was lowered as she carefully looked over little watermelon. She stretched her hand out to touch his eyelashes. As she fondled him admiringly, she resembled a young girl that had gotten a new toy.
As soon as Zhao Jie saw this, he stopped walking, stayed behind the eight-panel red sandalwood divider that was painted with joyful magpies, and quietly looked at them. However, after some time had passed, Wei Luo still didn’t notice him. She kept quietly teasing the child in her arms. Her lips were curved into a soft and sweet smile. She had never shown such a gentle and satisfied expression in front of Zhao Jie.
Zhao Jie started to feel slightly jealous. He placed his hand by his mouth and quietly coughed.
Wei Luo raised her head and finally noticed that he was here.
Right after Zhao Jie had taken a step forward, she placed her forefinger on her lips and shushed him. “Be quieter, little watermelon just fell asleep.”
Zhao Jie, “…”
She had only recently gotten this son and she had already forgotten to care about her husband.
Zhao Jie sat down on the bed, looked at his son that was peacefully sleeping, and asked, “I heard from the palace servant that you haven’t eaten yet after you work up. Why not? I’ll have the cooks prepare some dishes. You should at least eat some of the food once it’s ready.”
Wei Luo’s was finally willing to look away from little watermelon. Her gaze landed on Zhao Jie.
“I’m not that hungry… I heard that you went to see imperial mother. How is she? Is she okay?”
Zhao Jie nodded, took the baby from Wei Luo’s arms, and handed him over to the nearby palace servant. “Bring him back to the side chamber.”
When he looked back at Wei Luo, he saw that she looked very reluctant to part with their son, but she didn’t say anything. He said, “Imperial mother wasn’t injured. Her body is just somewhat weak. The imperial physician said she’d be fine after resting a few days. As for you, stay at Zhao Yang Hall and properly recuperate here. We’ll go back home once your body is recovered.”
Wei Luo had just given birth, so it would be unsuitable for her to travel. Empress Chen was willing to let her stay at Zhao Yang Hall for the traditional one-month confinement period following childbirth. This showed that Empress Chen treasured her dearly.
Wei Luo asked, “Then, where will imperial mother be staying?” She couldn’t cause the empress to have nowhere to go.