Long Yang patted her on the back gently.

A while later, Lu Liangwei raised her head and pointed at her mouth.

Understanding her hint, Long Yang sat her down on a chair, then fetched a spittoon and held it out to her. “Here. Spit it out.”

Even though it was not the first time he held a spittoon for her, the sight of his fair and slender fingers gripping it still stirred a ripple in Lu Liangwei’s heart and filled her with warmth.

He was the Emperor, the ruler of this kingdom, but he was willing to hold a spittoon for her.

Perhaps it was the effect of the tea or the feeling of being moved, for her teeth did not ache so badly anymore.

Holding his arm, Lu Liangwei spat the tea in her mouth into the spittoon.

Then, she picked up the teacup and gargled a few more times.

When she put down the cup, Long Yang turned, transferred the spittoon and its contents out the door, and washed his hands before returning.

Looking at the girl sitting on the chair, he asked, “Do you feel better?”

Lu Liangwei nodded. “Much better.” She bared her teeth at him and tapped them with a finger. “They don’t feel so sore anymore.”

Slightly more relieved, Long Yang sat down beside her. “Then do you still want to eat something?” She had only eaten a little just now, and he was worried that she would get hungry later.

“No.” Lu Liangwei shook her head.

“Then let’s go to bed early.” Long Yang caressed her hair.

“All right.”

After spending the night in the imperial holiday home, they returned to the palace the next day.

…

All was peaceful, except for the fact that Lu Tingchen had not yet reported back to the imperial capital as scheduled even though half of the fifth month had already gone by. For some reason, the Dowager Duchess had been feeling her eyelid twitch for the past few days.

One day, she woke up before dawn.

After helping the Dowager Duchess with her daily ablutions, Aunt Lan accompanied her for a walk in the garden, only to meet Lu Hetian who was smartly dressed and ready to go to court.

“Mother, why are you up so early?” Lu Hetian strode up to her and took her arm, asking with concern.

“The older you grow, the less sleep you get.” The Dowager Duchess sighed. “Don’t worry about me. The court session’s starting soon; you should get going.”

Looking at the gray hairs on her head, Lu Hetian felt a twinge of pain in his heart.

Mother was really getting old!

“If you’re not feeling well, just ask Lihua to check your pulse,” Lu Hetian advised her.

“Lihua does that every day. Don’t worry, I’m as fit as a fiddle,” the Dowager Duchess reassured him warmly.

Lu Hetian was relieved to hear this.

Lihua indeed checked his mother’s pulse every day, and if she was ever unwell, Lihua would have been the first to tell him.

“Then I’ll be going to court now.”

“Goodbye.” For some reason, the Dowager Duchess felt a little uneasy as she watched him leave through the mansion gates.

Weiwei was almost nine months pregnant, which meant she was due next month. They absolutely could not afford any accidents.

“Madam, it’s still early. Why don’t you go back to your room and lie down for a bit more?” Aunt Lan coaxed.

They were already in the middle of the fifth month, but the mornings were still chilly, and she was worried about the Dowager Duchess’s health.

Although the Dowager Duchess did not say anything, Aunt Lan could tell that she had been rather disquieted for the past few days.

Glancing at the first ray of dawn in the sky, the Dowager Duchess nodded. “Very well.”

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them was a horse galloping at lightning speed down a suburban road leading to the imperial capital.

It came to a halt at the city gates, and the rider, drenched in sweat, cried out before the gates could even open, “I’m one of General Lu Tingchen’s personal guards, and I have an emergency report to deliver to His Majesty the Emperor. Please open the gates quickly!”

As the person shouted in a hoarse and strained voice, he flashed the token of authority from Lu Tingchen in his hand.