For the past few days, he had not had a good appetite, but after drinking the medicine, he felt much better. Perhaps it was because he felt particularly awful today that he had a sudden craving for it.

Duan Changchuan didn’t think it was a big deal, but Chang Le beside him was going crazy.

The little eunuch had been sent to the palace at a young age and was immediately chosen to serve Duan Changchuan. He had never seen a woman pregnant, let alone a man.

In his opinion, morning sickness was already very scary. His Majesty didn’t seem to be in good spirits either. He even had a record of committing suicide …

It was simply terrifying.

“It’s better to call the imperial physician over, please … Your Majesty! Old Imperial Physician Huang used to visit our palace frequently, so it won’t raise any suspicion. Let’s return to Ming Sheng Hall first, and then this servant will ask Yi Man to invite him over, saying you want to play chess with him. Will that work?”

“How can you avoid medical treatment? We don’t have any taboos to avoid!”

“If you keep this up, this servant will have Little Eight complain to the Empress. Wuu …”

No matter what he said, it was useless. Only the words ‘complain to the Empress’ would be effective.

The young man immediately responded, “… I’m not avoiding medical treatment. I just don’t think it’s a big deal. Didn’t Imperial Physician Huang say it before, which … uh, which pregnant person doesn’t have morning sickness?”

Chang Le, “It’s not about morning sickness, but you even remembered the wrong time to take the medicine!”

Duan Changchuan, “…”

He wanted to say, “I was just a bit distracted for a while”. But seeing the young eunuch’s bloodshot eyes, he swallowed his words.

He said helplessly, “Then we’ll do as you say … Follow me back to Ming Sheng Hall and have Yi Man to invite Old Imperial Physician Huang over.”

The young eunuch smiled and said, “Alright, this servant will do it now!”

Duan Changchuan, “Wait.”

Chang Le, “Ah?”

“That … Ask Yi Man to take a look around the garden when he comes back. See if there are any blooming peonies in the garden. Have him … cut a few for me.”

“Oh, okay! This servant will tell him!” After saying that, he turned around and ran out.

But he was stopped again, “Wait, don’t cut … the roots … move the whole plant back to Ming Sheng Hall’s Garden and have someone take good care of it.”

“Ah? Oh, okay! This servant will remember.”

–

They returned to Ming Sheng Hall, and soon Yi Man brought Imperial Physician Huang over.

Duan Changchuan was prepared to be scolded for being “delicate” again … After all, a few days ago, he had argued with the old man about whether or not he should add more medicine because of his poor appetite and got scolded on the spot.

But after Chang Le exaggerated recounted the entire situation, Old Imperial Physician Huang didn’t scold him, instead, he let out a long sigh.

“Pregnancy isn’t easy, but as they say, “medicines are third of poison”. You can’t take too much of it. You’ve only been pregnant for three months, so the effects aren’t as obvious yet. You’ll feel it when the baby gets bigger. When the baby absorbs nutrients in your body, you might feel the impact on your health. Taking medicine will only increase the burden on your body. Ideally, we should reduce the burden on your body as much as we can. Although you’re suffering from morning sickness, nothing is wrong with your body. If there’s something wrong with your body, especially if it’s caused by taking medicine, then it’ll be much more difficult to deal with.”

The old man explained with rare patience, and the young man listened quietly.

Actually, Duan Changchuan knew all these. He had read a saying before that the pain receptors weren’t distributed throughout the entire body, so external injuries or discomfort are easily noticeable. However, if comes to internal organs, it would not be noticed in the early stage. This was why some people, a small polyp in the internal organs, which could be easily cured by removed it, would end up develop into a tumor because it was not discovered in time.

Therefore, he was very obedient and did not refute a word … He knew that everyone was doing it for his own good.

After the old man finished his lengthy explanation, he obediently nodded his head, “Yes, I understand everything you’re saying … I just got a bit distracted and asked about the medicine, I didn’t really want to take it.”

“Well, it’s good that you know. Is there any news from Bai girl recently? It’s only been less than half a month. Old Man Sun’s letter will probably take a few more days. When the situation on that side reaches a certain stage, they’ll send news. Have you contacted Bai girl in private?”

Duan Changchuan shook his head … and then nodded, “Bai Su reported her safe arrival at the temporary imperial residence when she first got there. I also replied to her once, but I haven’t received any news after that. It takes times for the shadow guards to go back and forth, so the news doesn’t travel quickly.”

The old man smacked his lips and touched his chin, “Then it should be soon. I heard from Bai girl that you two have a special way to comforting each other, right? Why don’t you write a letter to her today and tell her the situation? Maybe she has any solutions. That girl’s mind is filled with more knowledge than all of our Great Tong’s history. She might have a good idea.”

Duan Changchuan was amused by his words, “Let’s wait a little longer. Maybe her letter will arrive tomorrow or the day after. It won’t delay things by a few days.”

“Well, that’s fine too. Let’s wait a day or two. With how much she cares for you, she must have replied overnight after receiving your letter.”

The young man shyly lowered his eyes and retorted in a low voice, “… It’s not that exaggerated. You have only known her for a few days, how can you tell?”

“Haha, I am old and my eyesight may be failing, but my heart is not blind. She’s a good one. If you don’t believe me, let’s make a bet. When Bai girl’s letter arrives, ask if she replied to you that very night. I’ll bet she did, and you bet she didn’t. How about it?”

Duan Changchuan, “…”

“I won’t bet with you …”

“Ha, are you afraid of losing to an old man like me? I can see that you’re a little one who doesn’t mean what you say. You pretend to be indifferent towards Bai Su, but you like her more than anyone else. Oh, hey, your face is turning red?!”

“Senior!”

Not only did his face turn red, but he also became furious out of embarrassment.

–

While the two of them were laughing and joking around, someone outside came in with two large stalks of peony.

Yi Man’s face was full of joy, “Your Majesty, I found it! Take a look!”

Old Imperial Physician Huang also saw it and said with a look of surprise, “It’s already mid-May. The peonies should have already withered, right? How can you still find any that hasn’t withered?”

Yi Man nodded excitedly, “Yes! This servant had people search for a long time, and all the peonies that could be seen in the garden had withered. But there were several stalks in the Empress’ Qing Lu Palace. This servant went to take a look and found a total of five stalks. Three of them had withered, and two were still in full bloom, perfect for His Majesty’s liking! This servant quickly had people dig them up and move them over while it was still early. Otherwise, when noon comes, the moved flowers might not be able to survive.”

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Duan Changchuan, “Your Majesty, isn’t this a coincidence?”

The young man looked at the layers of purple petals in full bloom and took a deep breath of the peony’s fragrance, a beautiful smile spreading across his lips, “Yes, it’s a coincidence.”

“Hehe, this servant will have people plant it now!” Then Yiman hurriedly instructed, “Come help. Let’s plant them here. Dig holes first, plant the flowers, and later we’ll surround them with bricks to make them look nice!”

Everyone worked lively while Duan Changchuan stood to the side and watched quietly.

The two stalks of peony were held in Chang Le’s hands, and there was a faint fragrance between Duan Changchuan’s breaths. Although it wasn’t as pleasant as Bai Su’s scent, it was at least enough to relieve her yearning.

Senior Huang watched in amazement, quietly moved closer to the young man’s ear, and asked curiously, “I have a question. What does this peony have to do with Bai Su? Don’t tell me it has nothing to do with Bai Su. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that it has something to do with Bai Su.”

The young man’s body stiffened.

Then, he looked around … before silently taking a few steps back. After he walked to a quieter spot, he quietly explained to the old man.

“Bai Su should’ve told you before that our race can recognize each other. We rely on a scent that only our people can smell. This thing is called a pheromone. There are all kinds of smells. Bai Su and I both have the fragrance of flowers, and hers is the smell of peony.”

The old man suddenly understood, “No wonder …”

After that, he leaned to sniff Duan Changchuan, “Then what’s your scent like?”

Duan Changchuan:!

Startled, he quickly pulled back.

Although he knew that people in this era didn’t know what a pheromone was and what it symbolized, he still couldn’t get used to it when someone suddenly leaned over and sniffed him while asking what he smelled like.

“Senior, pheromones are very private. We usually don’t … discuss it so openly! It’s like … it’s like …”

He tried to find a comparison to make the old man understand better. But after thinking about it, he couldn’t come up with a suitable metaphor.

He couldn’t bluntly tell him, “It’s like our reproductive organs. What you’re doing is inappropriate …” right?

No, absolutely not.

He had to maintain his dignity!

But Senior Huang seemed to understand …

Not only did he understand, but he also described it, “Oh, oh, I get it! Your pheromones are like animals, right? During the mating season, the male will start to emit scents and the female will come over after smelling it, right?”

Duan Changchuan, “…”

Although his words were crude, they were reasonable …

But, wasn’t this description a little too straightforward? Was it really good to discuss this kind of thing in public?

What should he do? He suddenly missed Bai Su even more.

[I really can’t handle this group of weird people around me. Bai Su, when will you return?]

[Your Omega won’t be able to handle it soon.]

Unfortunately, the old man, who was very curious and thirsty to learn, continued to pester him to confirm, “Is that right?”

Duan Changchuan, “…”

Helplessly, he nodded, “Yes, so don’t ask anymore. If you have any questions, wait until Bai Su returns and ask her…”

Any more questions and he would be annoyed.

Fortunately, the old man knew his limits and realized the young emperor was getting embarrassed, so he didn’t pursue the matter further. He turned back to watch Yi Man and the others transplant the peonies. After waiting for a while, he found it boring and returned to the Imperial Hospital.

The young man calmly let out a small sigh of relief.

–

Duan Changchuan didn’t know if it was a psychological effect, but after the two peonies were moved over, Duan Changchuan felt much more at ease. In the afternoon, he stayed by the peonies and reading and reviewing memorials.

The fragrance wafting over gave him a faint sense of Bai Su’s presence beside him.

Before he knew it, the evening had arrived.

After drinking a bowl of medicine, with the sweet peonies scent lingering in his mouth, he suddenly recalled the first time Bai Su tasted traditional medicine, and seriously commented, “It tastes similar, but the aftertaste is different. Coffee has a fragrant aftertaste, while medicine is bitter and a bit astringent.”

In the past, when he drank medicine, he would drink it all in one gulp and never think about it. Ever since Bai Su left, he seemed to have unknowingly developed this habit of savoring the aftertaste after drinking it.

Well … he was becoming more and more like her.

It had been half a month. He didn’t know how the pandemic was controlled. Elder Sun said that the pandemic was controlled very well. It was well contained within Huainan City, with no cases spreading outside. Wouldn’t that mean the peak of the infection had passed?

So, could she come back … in another half month? Or would it be a month? A month and a half…?

Duan Changchuan pondered this while having dinner, while bathing, and even while reviewing memorials at night.

He knew that this was unpredictable. Especially with no information other than a few days of data, it was even more impossible to predict …

Yet, he kept thinking about it desperately.

In the study, the robe Bai Su wore the night before she left was still hanging.

It was the one they used when they fooled around in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s courtyard … After the Clothing Bureau had cleaned it, he specifically instructed Chang Le to bring the robe back and hang it up.

Although he knew it was somewhat … embarrassing.

But he couldn’t help doing it. As long as he saw this coat, he would remember what happened that day. Bai Su gently carried him to the bed, laying him on the robe, her hands softly caressing him. She assured him genuinely, they had each other.

Duan Changchuan’s fingers slowly touched her collar, sleeves, and waist belt …

Finally, he couldn’t resist slipping his arms into the sleeves, and then slowly made a hugging pose.

[Hugging her clothes, like being hugged by her.]

[So, Bai Su, when will you come back … I really need you.]

I really want to build a nest …

But what should I do, sister … I don’t even have anything to build a nest with …

Why don’t you leave me more?