Married To The Cruel Crown Prince

Sheng Li returned to the lotus residence and apologized to Ying Lili to make her wait.

"What happened? Is everything good in the palace?" Ying Lili asked.

Sheng Li refrained from telling her about Nianzu. "I had to put a stamp on an important document," he lied to her and removed the fur overcoat.

"Sheng Li, I am craving something sour. I want to eat tangerines." Ying Lili said with a glint in her eyes. Sheng Li hummed and walked out of the chamber to ask Court Lady Xu to bring tangerines for Ying Lili.

He returned to the chamber and found Ying Lili was near the window. She had opened it and was looking at the sky. It was covered in dark clouds.

"Lili, you will catch a cold. The wind is too cold to bear," Sheng Li walked to her. He was ready to close the window when Ying Lili told him not to do so.

"I am bored sitting inside for so many weeks. In the palace, so many restrictions were put on me. I want to enjoy my time here," Ying Lili told Sheng Li. "If I stay inside all the time, my body may get lazier with time. I want the babies to feel what their mother feels at the moment." Her eyes gleamed with indescribable happiness as she put her hand over her belly.

Sheng Li took off the fur overcoat and put it around Ying Lili, who tilted her head. Sheng Li back hugged her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Forgive your husband to put so many restrictions on you." He grasped her hands which were on her belly and kissed her cheek.

Ying Lili looked out of the giant window and saw the hilltop which was covered in clouds. Her cheeks fanned with the cold breeze and she closed her eyes. "After our babies are born safely, I will take you to the market. Your expected delivery time is in the mid-summer time," Sheng Li said.

"But we will go as commoners," Ying Lili said.

"Of course," Sheng Li agreed with her.

"Promise?" She raised her pinky finger. Sheng Li raised his hand too and scooped his pinky finger with hers before joining their thumbs.

"Promise."

They pulled their hands back and Ying Lili turned to him. Her hands wrapped around him and her face rested on his chest. "Ahh, I almost forgot about," she lifted her head, "your wound which is yet to heal."

Sheng Li placed his hand on the back of her head and pushed her face gently on his chest. "It doesn't hurt much. The medicine worked faster here," Sheng Li replied and kissed the top of her head.

"Court Lady Xu is here. Forgive me for intruding," she humbly said and lowered her head. She had the small basket in her hand, filled with fresh tangerines.

Sheng Li and Ying Lili pulled away when Sheng Li told her to keep them on the round table. Court Lady Xu nodded and after placing the basket on the table, she left the chamber.

Sheng Li turned to Ying Lili and hooked the fur overcoat on her neck. He went ahead and carried a chair near her. Making her sit on it, he brought another chair and carried the basket as well.

He settled on the chair beside Ying Lili and opened the basket. A small plate was inside the basket which he took out. Ying Lili held it and placed it on her lap.

"Let me help you in peeling them," Ying Lili out-stretched her hands, but he refused her.

"Stay still and enjoy the picturesque beauty," Sheng Li told her and started to peel the tangerines for her. He took the first clove of tangerine, took out the two seeds, and brought it near Ying Lili's mouth. She opened her mouth and took the tangerine inside her mouth. She chewed it while Sheng Li put the seeds on the plate.

He continued to feed the tangerines to her. She took one clove from him and pushed it inside his mouth. "Eat," she said and he took it in. He felt a tinge of sweetness mixed with sourness. Ying Lili must have liked it.

Ying Lili ate four tangerines when her stomach got full. Sheng Li put the basket aside along with the small plate and rested his back on the chair.

Ying Lili tilted her head and it rested on his shoulder. Her fingers intertwined with his. "You give me warmth, Sheng Li," she said. "When you were away, I made every sort of excuse to go to the top of the Imperial Fu Gates, from where I looked for you. Last day, Brother Wanxi met me when you were away for a while. He told me that you were guilty of not being able to change Empress Dowager."

"I was," Sheng Li admitted, "but not anymore. You feel guilty when you are unable to stand to the expectations of the person before you. I would say I was upset for not being able to save the mother of a child."

"I saw how devastated you looked when Empress Dowager said mean words to you. You still bury many things inside you. During pregnancy, a woman becomes stronger, Sheng Li. She knows that for her baby, she has to. I learned this from my mother-in-law," she affirmed and lifted her head. They peered into each other's eyes, " who remained stronger for you. So, it won't worry me if you tell me what you feel. Last day, I didn't ask you much because I wanted to give you time. However, now, I want to know."

Sheng Li caressed her hand and smiled. "Lili, it doesn't matter anymore. I have a woman in my life, whose love is enough to shoo away all the negative feelings from my life. I never experienced a mother's love, but when you held my hand, and gave me the shoulder, I felt everything. A woman's love— I felt it, experienced it. Her words did hurt for a while, but not anymore."

He knocked his forehead against hers. "I found everything in you, so I don't seek for any other love anymore," he affirmed.