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Xiao Yao felt as if she had just gone through an exhausting war, completely drained of energy. She no longer cared whether the battle was won or lost; she was simply sinking deeper into the darkness. Suddenly, she felt a warm force lifting her up, telling her not to dwell in this state, that there were still many things to do, and she could not hide away here.
Hide away? Xiao Yao reflexively wanted to laugh out loud. Which of his eyes saw her hiding away? Enough is enough! Hadn't she just gone through a life-and-death trial? Did she not even have the right to rest for a moment? Thinking this, Xiao Yao wanted to point at this person’s nose and give him a good scolding. But where was he? Where did he go?
Xiao Yao looked around but still did not see that person's figure. He seemed to have vanished. She couldn't remember his name, but she instinctively knew how to find him. She knew that she just needed to climb up through the darkness to see him, and then she could point at his nose and scold him properly.
What had originally been a dark space had somehow transformed into the depths of water. She swam upward with all her might, desperately pushing herself up. She didn't know how long it had been, but finally, she could see sunlight shimmering on the surface of the water, glimmering with hope!
She pushed herself upward with all her strength and leaped out of the water's surface. The warm sunlight hit her body, so warm and comfortable that she couldn't help but sigh…
“Ah, you’re finally awake.” A familiar voice came from beside her, sounding relieved.
Xiao Yao turned her head and saw He Yu, Xiao Father, Mrs. Xiao, and several maidservants including Yun Zhu standing nearby attending to her. “I…”
“It’s okay; you just used up all your strength giving birth and slept a bit longer than usual. Are you hungry?” He Yu held her hand and leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“Oh.” Xiao Yao thought for a moment before remembering; yes, she had given birth. In a daze, she seemed to recall the midwife saying there were two sons? Xiao Yao immediately asked, “Where are the children?”
“Nursemaid took them away to feed them; you’ll be able to see them soon,” Mrs. Xiao stepped forward with a smile and said, “You should eat something first. You haven’t had a grain of rice in two days; take care of yourself.”
Upon hearing this from Mrs. Xiao, Xiao Yao realized she was indeed starving. “I want some water.”
Yun Zhu immediately brought over the tea that had been prepared earlier and was still warm. He Yu helped Xiao Yao sit up carefully and gently fed her water. “Take it slow; don’t choke.”
Xiao Yao smiled as she took the cup of water. “Alright, I’m not seriously ill; it’s just giving birth! I still have the strength to hold a teacup!” He Yu was teased by Xiao Yao, but he wasn’t angry; he just chuckled foolishly.
Nearby, Mrs. Xiao tapped Xiao Yao on the head. “What’s this? The prince is concerned about you; how can you be so ungrateful?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” He Yu quickly defended his wife, speaking well of her. “Mother, it’s nothing; Yao Yao is just being true to herself, and I like it; I like it.”
"Mother?" Xiao Yao looked suspiciously between He Yu and Mrs. Xiao, "When did you two become so close?"
"What do you mean by 'so close'?" He Yu said with a wry smile, "You and I are one as husband and wife, so your mother is naturally my mother too. Is there any need to be closer than that?"
Thinking about it, Xiao Yao realized that this was indeed the case; in modern society, isn't that how it's directly referred to? Why had she become unaccustomed to it in this ancient setting? She felt a bit pretentious and replied honestly, "Oh, I guess that's true."
"What do you mean 'I guess'? It is true."
"Oh, fine."
...
After eating, she indeed felt much stronger. However, during the confinement period, Xiao Yao couldn't run around; she could only lie in bed, dealing with postpartum discharge. To be honest, even moving a little was uncomfortable.
Anyway, she couldn't get out of bed for the first three days of confinement, and Xiao Yao was too lazy to move. After lunch, her spirits improved quite a bit. The more she leaned back on the bed and chatted with He Yu, the more relaxed she felt. Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Father had been tense for days; now that they saw mother and child safe, they naturally felt a bit tired and went back to rest after lunch.
After resting for a while, the nursemaid came in carrying the two children. Xiao Yao's spirits immediately lifted.
"Greetings, Princess." The two nursemaids knelt down in unison.
"Hurry, let me see the children!" Xiao Yao exclaimed joyfully, eager to see her babies.
Sitting up in bed, she took the children into her arms. At that moment, one son was awake while the other was asleep. Xiao Yao playfully teased her sons and asked, "Which one is the eldest?"
"The one who looks like me is the eldest; the one who looks like you is the younger!" He Yu replied with a smile.
Only then did Xiao Yao carefully observe them and realize that indeed the two children looked quite different. Remembering some articles she had read in her past life, she recalled that not all twins look alike; generally, identical twins resemble each other closely while fraternal twins do not.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yao understood that although these two were born from the same mother, they were not identical twins.
However, no matter how they look, they are still my sons! Xiao Yao looked at her two sons and couldn't help but feel delighted; after all, they were flesh and blood from her own body. She raised an eyebrow and said, "These two sons of ours, the title of Xuanping Wang is hereditary. Who do you plan to give it to?"
"Naturally, it will be the eldest," He Yu replied. "However, if the eldest can achieve merit, and if the Sovereign can grant him a title later, then the title will go to Second Brother."
"What if the eldest inherits the title?" Xiao Yao asked.
He Yu raised an eyebrow. "Then I will find a way to ensure that Second Brother does not suffer any injustice. After all, they are both my sons."
Hearing this, Xiao Yao felt relieved. It wasn't that she was overly pragmatic; it was just that some matters should be clarified early on to avoid endless disputes in the future. Of course, she would do her best to teach these brothers about responsibility, accountability, brotherly love, and mutual assistance.
After all, as parents, they could only accompany their children through the first half of their lives. In the later years, it would be up to the brothers to support each other and continue moving forward.
Just like her elder brother and Elder Brother now.
"Do you know how much effort your mother put in to give birth to you? How much suffering she endured?" Xiao Yao pointed at the eldest's nose and smiled. "So you both need to grow up healthy."
The eldest was sleeping soundly when he impatiently bit down on Xiao Yao's finger. At this stage, he had no teeth and lacked strength, so it didn't hurt at all. Xiao Yao looked surprised. "Oh! What a fierce little one! You haven't even opened your eyes yet and already know how to bite! You really take after your father."
The last sentence was directed at He Yu. He watched the interaction between mother and child without rebuttal, simply smiling and nodding. "That's not bad; who knows, he might become a new General in the future!"
"Haha," Xiao Yao laughed along and turned to look at Second Brother. Second Brother had already opened his eyes but remained quiet, staring in the direction of the sound with great calmness. Xiao Yao felt a surge of affection for her newborn and gently played with him for a while. When she saw him yawning, she let the Nursemaid take him away.
Xiao Yao leaned against He Yu's embrace and said, "It seems these two children have completely different personalities."
"Yes," He Yu nodded in agreement. "The eldest seems to be lively and active while Second Brother is reserved and gentle; each has their own character."
"Mm," Xiao Yao agreed but then smiled and added, "But that's actually quite good—one is scholarly while the other is martial; they complement each other’s personalities. Together as brothers, they might really achieve something great."
Hearing this, He Yu also agreed wholeheartedly. However, Xiao Yao continued, "But honestly, no matter what their future holds, I just hope they can grow up healthy and happy. As long as they have the responsibilities and accountability that men should have, I think that’s enough. As for achieving great careers, I don’t think that’s important at all."
He Yu lowered his head and kissed Xiao Yao's hair, saying, "So, we are both parents now, and naturally, we have to work harder. I don't want them to live as hard as I did."
Hearing He Yu's words, Xiao Yao felt a pang of sympathy and lifted her head to place a kiss on He Yu's lips. Embracing his neck, she said, "You don't need to bear too much burden. Every generation has its own troubles. The best we can create for them is a carefree existence in some aspects. At a certain age, they will inevitably have to shoulder some responsibilities, whether they want to or not; there will always be hardships."
"Mm," He Yu squinted his eyes. "You always know how to comfort me and think positively."
"Of course," Xiao Yao said seriously. "Once a child is born, they are an independent individual. No matter how we try to shape them, they cannot grow up exactly as we imagine."
"As parents, we are not Nuwa. When Nuwa created humans, did she know they would turn out the way they are now? I doubt she could have imagined it. So rather than trying to mold them, it's better to guide them, don't you think?" Xiao Yao looked up at He Yu earnestly.
Xiao Yao's words made He Yu fall into deep thought. After a moment of silence, he suddenly smiled and said, "That's true. I guess when the emperor brought me back from Yanmen Pass, he never expected I would turn out like this."
"Not quite," Xiao Yao shook her head. "He still thinks you are growing according to his expectations, doesn't he?"
He Yu was slightly taken aback and then revealed a meaningful smile. "You're right. In fact, up until now, I am still growing in the way he envisioned."
He Yu emphasized each word of the latter half of his sentence heavily.
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