Chapter 54.2

When Yaoniang woke up again, she was still in the carriage.

Only then did she realize that she had fainted. When she looked down at her clothes, they were neat and there was nothing wrong with it. It was obvious that she had been cleaned up.

Jin Wang laid beside her, his eyes half-closed, as if asleep.

She sat up and saw that Jin Wang was not awake. She went to the side and poured herself a cup of tea.

Yaoniang was a little worried. Xiaobao was carried into the carriage behind them by Fucheng. She guessed that it was already afternoon, and she didn't know how Xiaobao was. Was he crying? Was he hungry?

The more she thought about it, the more the fire burned in her heart. They were on the road and there was nothing for the baby to eat. He shouldn’t have started bawling from hunger right?

She looked at Jin Wang again. Seeing that he was still asleep, Yaoniang cautiously approached the window and tried to open it.

They were still travelling on the road as expected, surrounded by a few guards riding their tall horses next to the carriage. Yaoniang tried not to think about whether the movements in the carriage just now were heard. She struggled to think of a way to ask about Xiaobao.

She blushed and hesitated, but the guards near the carriage had already noticed her.

The movements in the carriage from before were somewhat heard from the outside. Her gentle and charming cry tickled their hearts, but no one dared not mention anything. Now that a stunning face appeared by the window, the depiction in their minds was complete.

One of the guards leaned over and asked, "Lady, what are your orders?"

This was an honorific title. The concubines of Jin Wang have no official status but were generally called ladies. This lady was different from the others because she was a widow. But the young guard thought that if such a beauty was given to him, let alone a widow, even if she was a toxic woman, he would still hold her like the treasure of his palm.

Yaoniang had no idea how she should phrase her question. How was she supposed to ask whether her son needed breastfeeding?

Seeing her jade face turn crimson and her timid look, the guard knew what she wanted to ask. He cleared her throat and said: "Just now, Eunuch Fu sent a message. Lady does not need to worry about the child."

Yaoniang nodded hurriedly, said thank you in a low voice, and lowered the curtains of the carriage.

The guard looked at the lowered carriage curtain and felt a sense of loss in his heart.

Yaoniang turned her head to see Jin Wang looking at her faintly, his face a bit cold. She also realized that she was not conforming to propriety just then. She hurried past him because she was afraid that Jin Wang would be angry with her.

Jin Wang snorted coldly, and Yaoniang cautiously snuggled up next to him. She didn't dare to speak any flattery, but her behaviour showed her intent.

Seeing such a coquettish and timid Yaoniang, Jin Wang couldn't get angry. He couldn't show his pettiness and how he couldn't bear to see her talking to other men. He thought to himself that tomorrow, he would throw that guard far away. To vent his anger, he kneaded her perky towers.

In the carriage behind Jin Wang and Yaoniang’s, Fucheng held Xiaobao in one hand. With a small silver spoon in the other hand, he scooped some coarse gruel from the bowl and fed it into the infant’s mouth.

The people that Jin Wang brought along this time were all big and rough men. It wouldn’t be appropriate to let the boorish guards take care of the baby. If they caused the baby to wail and cry, Nanny Su would feel distressed and whine at Jin Wang. In the end, Fucheng could only condescend himself to babysitting Xiaobao.

Ever since Jin Wang was entrusted with his own vassal state, Fucheng worked with one master above him and tens of thousands of men below him. When would he need to work and serve others? But he was used to serving Jin Wang every day and as a servant, his job was to serve people. Although his actions were a little clumsy at first, he was still competent.

"Stinky little bastard, even you know that rice is fragrant and shit is stinky. When has your Grandpa Fu ever needed to take care of a baby? You should count yourself blessed!" Although Fucheng’s words were rough, his actions were light and considerate. He feared that the silver spoon would accidentally stab the child in the mouth, especially since they were in a moving carriage.

How could Xiaobao understand this? All he knew was that he was hungry and that somebody was feeding him, so he behaved himself as he sat in Fucheng's lap. When Fucheng’s silver spoon came over, he would open his small mouth cooperatively. The food was delicious, and he was as happy as a clam.

Now that he was no longer hungry, he stopped eating as eagerly as before. A chubby paw reached out and rubbed against Fucheng, who then scolded him for it. Xiaobao didn’t seem to realize or understand but gave him a toothless smile. 

How could Fucheng get angry at a baby? He simply shook his head when he saw it, poked his little nose with his finger, and said, "Look at your lovely little self. If only your mother could give birth to his highness a plump and lovely baby like you. Then, not only would your Grandpa Fu feed you, you can even ride on Grandpa Fu’s head to poop and pee. Your mother would also gain a better standing.”

Xiaobao knew that Fucheng was talking to him. He blinked his eyes and opened his mouth, looking all curious and innocent. Fucheng laughed, "Why is Grandpa Fu even telling you all this? You can't even understand anything!"

Of course, Xiaobao could understand it. If he was a real baby, he wouldn’t be able to understand it, but he was not.

He lived for twenty years in his previous life. Ever since he was young, Xiaobao grew up in a medicine jar. He always thought that he had a congenital disease, but later, he learned there was another reason for his illness.

Father Emperor only had him as a son. He knew that he had no mother ever since he was a child.

When Xiaobao was very young, he was curious about what his mother was like. He asked his father, but he never said anything. People who knew his mother also kept their lips firmly shut. No matter how he asked, they didn't tell him anything. Later, after Xiaobao grew up, he secretly investigated and found out that his mother was already dead a long time ago.

His mother was merely a little concubine of his father. She was gone when he was only over a year old. As for how she died, all Xiaobao knew was that she died fighting for favour in the rear courtyard. Xiaobao was a little skeptical of this result. Ever since he could remember, his father had a pure heart with few desires, like an ascetic monk. There were very few concubines around him. As for the few that he had, they were like decorations.

Regarding this matter, the court would make some noise every once in a while, but his Father Emperor had a fist of iron. No one in the court dared to disobey him. As for himself, the sickly crown prince, he sat securely in his position until his hollowed-out body could no longer support him.

Before he died, Xiaobao finally learned why his body was like this. It wasn't a congenital disease. He was poisoned when he was very young.

At that time, his mother had died. He escaped by luck, but his body was damaged.

To maintain his broken body, his father had searched for famous doctors and magical medicines and exhausted all his efforts. Yet, he could only save him for 20 years. By the time his oil was exhausted and the lamp was dry, his father had pinned his hope on ghosts and gods. Monks and Taoists ran rampant in the palace and the atmosphere was foul.

Actually, Xiaobao had wished to tell his father to have another prince. But as he looked at his father’s temples that had turned white and his cold face like ten-thousand-year-old ice, he couldn’t say a word.

In the end, Xiaobao died under golden light with sounds of scripture chanting in the background. He thought he was about to ascend to paradise. Yet when he opened his eyes, he saw a much younger version of his father looking at himself with disgust.

Xiaobao was weak ever since he was young. He couldn't run or jump like ordinary children, he could only spend his leisure time reading books. He knew astronomy and geography, but he also read a lot of rural tales and folk stories.

He thought to himself: Did he have a rebirth?

He actually experienced a rebirth! He came back to the time when he was only a few months old and saw a much younger Father Emperor. There was also the old tortoise Fucheng at a younger age and a person who he suspected to be his mother.

But his mother was not the concubine of Father Emperor. Others called her Nanny Su and he was also not the son of Father Emperor. Apparently, he was the child of his mother and a street vendor.

After using his mind for so long, Xiaobao's small body was already very tired. Lying in Fucheng’s arms, he stretched out his small arms and legs to block the spoonful of gruel that Fucheng tried to feed him. His little face showed a look of disgust.

Fucheng laughed and scolded, "You little whelp is quite clever. Ok, I won’t feed you anymore." 

Xiaobao flipped over and yawned.

He’ll figure out everything eventually. Since God had allowed him to live again, he must take good care of his mother and no longer let his Father Emperor be lonely for a lifetime.

Although Emperor Jin'an had never told him, Xiaobao could see that his heart was as quiet as still water under his coldness. Maybe his mother was not as insignificant as others say, but was the unforgettable past of his father?

With this thought in mind, Xiaobao fell asleep.

Fucheng wanted to laugh and scold him again but seemed to be afraid of waking him up. Instead, he carefully placed Xiaobao on the soft couch next to him.

Mini theatre:

Xiaobao: I turned out to be the child of my mother and an itinerant peddler? ! Could it be that my father in my past life had raised his son in vain? (⊙_⊙)

Jin Wang: →. → Domineering President Face

Yaoniang: (⊙_⊙) I don’t know anything.