SFL Chapter 22

From the very beginning, the Fourth Prince was aware of Su Qianhuan’s past engagement to Mu Yunfeng. However, when facing Mu Yunfeng, his third brother, the Fourth Prince felt an overwhelming sense of superiority.

The Empress had chosen a marital alliance with the Su family for Mu Yunfeng, but the Su family didn’t choose him as their legitimate Crown Prince and instead decided to support the Fourth Prince.

Su Qianhuan, as a daughter of the Su family, had directly humiliated Mu Yunfeng by running away from their marriage at the time, giving him no face at all.

In the Fourth Prince’s eyes, he appeared humble and remorseful on the surface, but deep down, he felt extremely proud.

Now that he had lost, Mu Yunfeng was crowned as the Crown Prince, and Su Qianhuan blamed him for everything, even admitting her regret.

Regret? Regretting marrying him, of all people?

This was the greatest insult to a man, and the Fourth Prince’s self-esteem couldn’t tolerate it.

He kept increasing the pressure on Su Qianhuan’s throat. Her breathing became increasingly difficult. Despite her lingering consciousness, her eyes were filled with fear when she looked at the Fourth Prince.

With a loud thud, Su Qianhuan collapsed to the ground. She desperately gasped for air, her survival instincts kicking in. The Fourth Prince, still showing restraint, despised Su Qianhuan even more and ordered, “Take the Princess back. Whether she’s free or busy, let her stay home and meditate on Buddhism. Don’t let her embarrass me by going outside.”

“No, cough, you can’t treat me like this…” Su Qianhuan instinctively clung to the Fourth Prince’s robe, attempting to tell him she was wrong. However, the Fourth Prince had lost all patience and walked away.

Su Qianhuan couldn’t comprehend how her life had spiraled into this situation. Her family couldn’t support her, and her husband had no regard for her status. She felt utterly lost.

In the nearby Third Prince’s mansion, Su Qianluo was busy making arrangements for the future of the Su family’s female relatives, while Mu Yunfeng stood by her side, subconsciously protecting her pregnant belly.

Su Qianluo’s belly was round and nearly ripe. Due to Mu Yunfeng becoming the Crown Prince, the child in Su Qianluo’s womb attracted significant attention.

The Emperor and Empress also held high expectations for this child. If Su Qianluo could give birth to a son in her first pregnancy, it would secure Mu Yunfeng’s position as Crown Prince.

Fortunately, Mu Yunfeng had been consoling Su Qianluo all along, which prevented her from feeling too much pressure, and the child in her belly had been stable until now.

As Su Qianluo was talking with Mu Yunfeng, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She instinctively bent over and cried out, “It hurts so much! Hurry, take me to the delivery room. I think I’m about to give birth!”

For Mu Yunfeng, this was the first time he encountered his wife giving birth, but he had undergone numerous simulation training sessions before. After a moment of blankness, he quickly lifted Su Qianluo and carried her to the delivery room.

During this time, Su Qianluo was in excruciating pain. She was sweating profusely, soaking her clothes. Once Mu Yunfeng placed her on the delivery bed, he was ushered out of the room by the midwives responsible for the delivery.

Helpless, Mu Yunfeng had no choice but to wait outside.

Separated by a wall, on one side were the suppressed cries of pain from the women, and on the other side stood a tall man who didn’t move a muscle.

Mu Yunfeng’s heart seemed to be divided in two, half as cold as ice and half as fiery as the sun, constantly tormented by anxiety. He knew that Su Qianluo would be fine, but the pain during childbirth was inevitable.

When Su Qianluo went into labor, the Third Prince’s residence sent someone to inform the Emperor and Empress, as they couldn’t easily leave the palace and had to anxiously wait inside.

However, with proper exercise during her pregnancy and a relatively small-sized baby, Su Qianluo’s delivery went smoothly under the experienced midwives’ care.

Mu Yunfeng had been standing there since noon until evening, without consuming any food or water. His lips were slightly cracked, and he stood still like a statue. He was so close to the delivery room that he heard the baby’s first cries and the midwives loudly proclaiming, “The Mother and child are safe!”

Instinctively, he wanted to enter the delivery room to see, but his vision darkened suddenly. He nearly fainted, his body feeling stiff and achy. Any slight movement caused pain.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess, and the little prince are all safe,” the person reported from the delivery room. The household steward of the royal palace happily went to give them money for celebrating.

In no time, a wet nurse carrying a bright yellow swaddle emerged from the room. The child within the swaddle was like a tiny, boneless bundle, no bigger than a palm. Mu Yunfeng glanced at the child but refrained from reaching out to hold it. He trusted the experienced wet nurses to take good care of the little crown prince.

The title of “little crown prince” had undoubtedly predetermined this child’s future role.

Afterward, Mu Yunfeng personally took care of Su Qianluo during her postpartum recovery.

This kind of attentive care left the elder members of the household astonished. Even with the difference in age, their hearts couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. Su Qianluo had safely delivered her baby, and the news quickly reached the palace, prompting the Emperor and Empress to send a steady stream of congratulatory gifts to the Third Prince’s residence.

The courtiers also wanted to extend their congratulations to Mu Yunfeng on the arrival of his royal son. However, due to Su Qianluo’s postpartum confinement, Mu Yunfeng kept it simple.

With the Third Prince’s household celebrating, Su Qianhuan couldn’t be restrained even though the Fourth Prince issued a restraining order. She dressed up splendidly and went to offer her congratulations to the Third Prince.

Despite Su Qianluo’s simple and comfortable attire due to her postpartum recovery, she felt that she had lost when she saw Su Qianhuan, who was dressed in ornate clothing.

To save face, the First Prince and Second Prince had really spent a lot of money. So today, the First Princess and Second Princess, who had also come, instinctively supported Su Qianluo and were more cautious in their speech, unlike their previous casual manner.

They knew very well that Su Qianhuan had somehow offended the Third Princess, and the Fourth Prince’s expenditure far exceeded that of their two residences combined. The Fourth Prince had only recently established his household, yet he had emptied his coffers.

To avoid following in the footsteps of the Fourth Prince’s household, the First Princess and Second Princess carefully considered their words every time, even if they wanted to ridicule Su Qianhuan, who was living the most miserable life.

“I heard that the Eldest Princess also came today?” someone asked.

“His Highness the Crown Prince is the next monarch. The Eldest Princess can challenge the Crown Prince, but she can’t challenge the Crown Prince’s authority as the future emperor,” the women in the rear palace laughed.

The Eldest Princess’s arrival signified that the royal relatives had begun to yield to the Crown Prince. Hearing this, the First Princess and Second Princess couldn’t help but sigh in their hearts. The First Prince’s position had become even more stable, and their own family members no longer had any opportunities.

But at least the Crown Prince was just and fair in his dealings, and those officials who had followed their households but had relatively clean records had not been targeted during the recent investigations. This provided them with some relief.

As time passed, more and more attention revolved around the Third Prince’s residence. Su Qianhuan felt uncomfortable when she saw this. She was Su Qianluo’s biological cousin, and the Fourth Prince’s wife, but she had been pushed to the outermost circle and couldn’t even say a word to Su Qianluo.

When did their roles become completely reversed? She remembered it started when she opposed her own marriage, and the family decided to have Su Qianluo’s cousin, who was from the second branch of the family, serve as a substitute bride.

She thought that Su Qianluo’s entry into the Third Prince’s residence would be like entering a cage, but she didn’t expect that Su Qianluo was entering a paradise.

Before Su Qianluo, who could have imagined that the Third Prince, a noble and dignified prince, would be willing to lower himself for a woman, cherishing her as his wife to this day.

At this point, Su Qianhuan couldn’t distinguish whether Mu Yunfeng’s special treatment of Su Qianluo was due to her being his wife or due to her being the person of who she was.

In Su Qianhuan’s heart, she should’ve been living the life Su Qianluo was currently experiencing, and she should’ve remained above Su Qianluo. Not beneath her.

Su Qianhuan’s thoughts were bordering on madness. She didn’t snap out of it until the banquet was over.

The Fourth Prince didn’t even remember that he had a wife and went back home by himself.

Back in the Fourth Prince’s residence, it was chillingly quiet, making Su Qianhuan, who had just returned from the lively Third Prince’s residence, feel incredibly desolate.

***

Mu Yunfeng stayed at home to accompany Su Qianluo during her postpartum recovery, but he didn’t neglect his political duties during this time.

With his appointment as the Crown Prince, Mu Yunfeng, while still overseeing the treasury through the Ministry of Revenue, now had a broader scope of authority.

This contrasted starkly with the positions given to the First Prince’s several brothers, all of which were less influential roles, unable to help them re-establish networks or benefit significantly. The difference in circumstances between Mu Yunfeng and his brothers was like night and day.

Gradually, the First Prince’s brothers abandoned any lingering hopes.

With their clear example, the prince’s born after the Fourth Prince had learned to be obedient and humble before Mu Yunfeng, each trying to outdo the other in terms of compliance.

Unlike their three elder brothers who had been involved in the fight for the heir, the positions allocated to them were far better.

Mu Yunfeng was not one to envy or be jealous of talent. He pressed down on his elder brothers, not to stifle their ambition, but to temper their ambitions.

Otherwise, their spark of ambition would be rekindled when they touched real power, causing trouble for him in the future.

The Emperor approved of this approach. Mu Yunfeng was currently able to keep his elder brothers in check, and it would be even easier in the future.

Compared to the troublesome and annoying sons, the grandsons were undoubtedly much more endearing.

Seeing that Mu Yunfeng’s eldest legitimate son had already reached the age of three, which was a significant milestone in his early life, the Emperor decided to bring the child to the Empress’s palace for upbringing.

As a grandfather, he did not dislike being close to his other grandsons, but their identities often constrained them.

The Emperor did not want to give the impression that the Crown Prince’s position was unstable. That’s why he only took Mu Yunfeng’s child into the palace.

However, sending his son into the palace to be raised by the grandparents didn’t make Mu Yunfeng reluctant at all. Over the past few years, he and Su Qianluo had personally raised their child, which had been quite exhausting. They had barely any time for themselves, but now, with someone else taking on the responsibility, Mu Yunfeng didn’t have any objections.

It was Su Qianluo, the child’s mother, who was very reluctant to part. She prepared many things for her son before his departure, with tears in her eyes.

The young child, who was only a few years old, was also reluctant to leave his parents. As a child raised by his parents, he was naturally attached to them.

Mu Yunfeng raised an eyebrow and said, “Mom and Dad will visit you every day in the palace. Be a good child and show your respect to your grandparents on our behalf.”

The little Prince, feeling the pressure of his new responsibilities, couldn’t help but cry even louder.

But after entering the palace, he realized that it was not much different from staying at home. He still saw his parents most of the time during the day, so he quickly adjusted to his new surroundings.

As a grandfather, the Emperor showed love to his grandson, but he didn’t neglect to provide the child with proper guidance and education, often teaching him even more than what he learned at the royal residence.

Seeing the Emperor’s strong emphasis on the little Prince, the Fourth Prince and his brothers couldn’t help but feel a sense of melancholy. Over the years, they had smoothed out their rough edges, and they were slowly being trusted and valued by Mu Yunfeng.