The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan-Chapter 688 - 686 Extra 10: Long-Lost Smile (Second Update)

Jinwu and the guards watched their Khan walk toward the Hall of Diligent Governance, only to helplessly see him pass it by.

The guards exchanged glances.

Was something amiss between the Khan and the Queen?

Leading the Khan to be so distraught.

The guards didn’t dare speak up to remind the Khan, so they pushed Jinwu forward.

After all, he’d been with the Khan the longest and his wife was the Queen’s personal maid; naturally, he had more authority than them.

Jinwu pointed at them, cleared his throat, and reminded aloud, "Khan, the Hall of Diligent Governance is here."

Yelu Yan then snapped out of it, realizing he’d already walked past the Hall, so he turned and went back.

Just as the guards were about to follow him to the Hall, the Khan instead started walking toward the exit of the Imperial Palace.

Was he leaving the palace?

Yelu Yan led the guards out of the Imperial Palace, rode his horse all the way to Xuanyi Pavilion.

Tia saw Yelu Yan standing outside and knew Li Xianyun was feeling unwell again.

During these days of Li Xianyun’s pregnancy, Yelu Yan had visited Xuanyi Pavilion many times.

Caring so much for his wife was a good thing.

But there was nothing she could do.

Pregnancy meant no medication could be used; the hardships had to be endured by her alone.

Moreover, although Li Xianyun had learned medicine from her, over the years she had surpassed her teacher and became even more skilled.

If there were a way, Li Xianyun would have used it.

After Tia finished attending to a patient, she came out from the consultation room.

The two went to a farther courtyard.

Tia asked her son, "Xianxian, is she still vomiting severely?"

Yelu Yan hmmed and frowned deeply, "Recently, it’s become especially severe. Her neck is swollen with blood, covered with dots the size of pinpoints. Is there any way to ease her suffering? Seeing her vomit this severely every day is distressing my heart..."

His eyes reddened slightly, and he couldn’t continue.

It was too painful to speak further.

He seldom felt as helpless as he did now.

Tia said, "Ayan, as I’ve told you before, pregnant women can’t take medications, and I have no solution for morning sickness."

Yelu Yan sighed deeply, "Then how long is this going to last?"

"It depends," Tia said. "Every woman’s body is different. Some women never vomit during pregnancy, some start from the very beginning and continue until the child is born. But most women stop vomiting after the fourth or fifth month of pregnancy."

Tia’s words did not comfort Yelu Yan; instead, it deepened his worries.

Yelu Yan didn’t linger and left hastily.

Tia watched her son’s tall and robust figure disappear, her eyebrows knitting together.

Morning sickness was nothing compared to the pain and difficulty of childbirth; her son would be heartbroken for his wife then.

Yelu Yan rushed back to the Khan Palace, and as soon as he entered the inner chamber, he heard Li Xianyun retching.

He quickly walked in and saw Li Xianyun bent over a spittoon, her body tensed as she retched with all her might.

Youlan was soothing her back.

Yelu Yan hurried over.

Youlan stepped aside.

Yelu Yan gently stroked Li Xianyun’s back.

Through her tear-blurred eyes, Li Xianyun saw Yelu Yan, but she was too occupied with her retching to bother about him.

After she had vomited thoroughly and rinsed her mouth, she looked at Yelu Yan, "Husband, how come you returned so quickly?"

"I’ve finished handling official business, so I came back earlier," Yelu Yan said.

Li Xianyun lightly hummed, wrapped her arms around Yelu Yan’s neck and waist, pressed her head against his stomach and said tenderly, "Hold me."

Yelu Yan felt his heart melting, sat on the edge of the bed, leaned against the headboard, and hugged Li Xianyun gently, patting her softly.

Just like patting a small baby.

Youlan and the other maids hurried out to the outer room, giving the two of them ample space to be alone.

Yelu Yan gently stroked Li Xianyun’s hair, turned his head to look at her cheeks, which had become increasingly lovely due to her fatigue, and said, "Xianxian, you have suffered."

"Just hoping the child will be born soon," Li Xianyun murmured.

...

Entering the fourth month of pregnancy, Li Xianyun’s morning sickness had significantly lessened, and later on, it disappeared completely.

Li Xianyun could finally eat well and sleep well, and her belly had visibly grown,

but with her loose clothing, it was still not very noticeable.

Her body felt much better, and Li Xianyun’s mood had also improved a lot, returning to her previous gentle and virtuous demeanor.

Yelu Yan then had time to handle official affairs, but he still spent most of his time with Li Xianyun, often taking her out for leisure and sending various rare and antique gifts her way.

Li Xianyun used her free time to make clothes for the child.

Actually, there were quite a lot of clothes for newborns, as Yaduo and the imperial relatives and nobility had sent some, and Qiu Qianyun had also made many clothes and had them delivered.

But there were no clothes for when the child was slightly older.

Li Xianyun then made clothes appropriate for different ages and seasons of the child.

With her nimble hands and artistic soul, the clothes she made were both exquisite and beautiful.

Yelu Yan, upon returning to the Khan Palace from the court, saw Li Xianyun and a few maids sitting under a cluster of pagoda trees, sewing.

It being summer, it was cooler outside than inside the house.

The large area of shade and the cool breeze made sitting in the courtyard extremely comfortable.

These maids had been with Li Xianyun for a while and were lively spirits; their conversations were quite entertaining.

Li Xianyun watched them teasing each other about their embroidery, joking and laughing, clearly enjoying themselves immensely.

She always had a serene disposition, but she was lively and adorable too.

Yelu Yan watched Li Xianyun fondly; it had been a long time since he’d seen her so happy due to her severe morning sickness.

Seeing her long-missed smile, Yelu Yan instantly felt relieved.

Seeing her happy made him happy.

A maid noticed Yelu Yan’s arrival, quickly knelt on the ground, and bent her arm in a salute.

Yelu Yan’s gaze remained on Li Xianyun as he said softly, "Rise."

The maids stood up, picked up their sewing baskets, and retreated.

In the cool shade, it was just Yelu Yan and Li Xianyun, one standing, the other sitting.

Yelu Yan walked over to Li Xianyun, embraced her in his arms, and looked down at her with a smile, "Xianxian, have you been sitting for a long time? Shall I accompany you for a walk around?"

"That would be nice," Li Xianyun said as she stood up.

Pregnant women need to walk more and bask in the sun, as it is beneficial for the child.

Yelu Yan, holding Li Xianyun’s still slender waist, slowly walked under the pagoda trees.

Li Xianyun had a beautiful figure, shapely and delicate, and despite being pregnant, from behind she still looked like an unmarried maiden.

Pink mimosa flowers bloomed profusely on the branches, some too ripe and falling onto the cobblestone path, adding charm to the mundane cobblestones.

The couple leaned on each other as they walked along the path, admiring the scenery around them, smelling the faint scent of flowers and grass, watching tiny green and blue dragonflies flitting among the leaves.

Everything was perfectly beautiful, just as one would wish it to be.