Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved
Chapter 271 Public Sentiment, Two Little Lucky Stars

Chapter 271: Chapter 271 Public Sentiment, Two Little Lucky Stars

After everyone left, Jun Yuyan finally said to her, "It’s my fault, I forgot to discuss Su Kai’s matter with you. Before he went to battle, didn’t he send Lady Yao to a safe place to nurture her pregnancy?"

Murong Jiu nodded, which was precisely why she had asked Su Kai that question.

Jun Yuyan sighed, "Somehow, that place was discovered by the people of the Second Prince, followed by a great fire. Lady Yao and her unborn child have perished in the blaze."

Murong Jiu’s mouth fell open in shock, and it took her a while to say, "How could this be?"

She had met Lady Yao a few times, a decent woman, quiet and graceful, reserved in temperament, no wrongdoer, merely an unfortunate soul affected by her family’s calamity. Although the Second Prince was driven by hatred, in the end, she never hurt anyone.

Su Kai cared deeply for her, and despite their misunderstandings, they had become open and honest with each other. They could have been happy with their child, a family of three, but tragically, a fire destroyed all of Su Kai’s hopes.

"I really didn’t expect this, Prince, please apologize on my behalf to him, and ask him to accept my condolences and to cope with his loss."

"I’ve always refrained from telling you, fearing it might affect your recovery. You can’t be blamed. Lady Yao’s demise requires time to heal; others cannot help him much. Now that he’s transformed his grief into hatred, he’s at least spirited. That’s somewhat better than moving about listlessly."

Murong Jiu still sighed deeply.

Su Kai appeared to be a rake, always with a hint of a smile on his face, but in truth, he was a very capable person. He went to fight at the Frontier Pass not just for the Su Family’s sake, but perhaps also hoping that Lady Yao would see his valor and strength.

Alas...

Indeed, only time can heal the wounds deep in one’s heart; no amount of consolation from others can help.

Not wanting her to dwell on it, Jun Yuyan changed the subject to more auspicious matters.

Murong Jiu’s spirits lifted, "I’ve already heard from the Third Brother. What makes me happy is that among those fake prophecies, a real one emerged. With the Seven Star Chain Beads appearing, even the sober-minded now believe that everything that happened before was true."

"That is the principle. Since the Seven Star Chain Beads appeared last night, public opinion has shifted decidedly. If anyone speaks of disaster stars or omens now, they will surely be rebutted. Ah Jiu, from now on, it’s unlikely people will still see twins as a bad omen, thanks to your great contribution."

"How is it me? Clearly, it’s you who turned around the common belief, making people think that our Zhijin and Zhiyu are divine auspicious signs, Great Yan’s twin stars of fortune."

"Xiaojin and Xiaoyu are yours, and the Seven Star Chain Beads appeared only after their birth, so how is it not your achievement? I believe that in the future, every woman pregnant with twins will be grateful to you. Twins may be rare, but across Great Yan, there’s still a significant number born each year. Now, they are living infants who not only survive but will no longer carry an ill reputation."

Jun Yuyan was right. Not looking too far ahead, even in the Capital City, within a short time, several women gave birth to twins, and their families celebrated the full moon ceremonies grandly, calling the twins the lucky stars of their households, sure to make great achievements in the future.

Even if childbirth brought complications, it would be attributed simply to thin fortune, and no one dared speak of disaster stars. Such talk would only subject them to ridicule and mockery.

Indeed, it was a great merit achieved.

"By the way, when the Emperor summoned you to the palace, did he give you a hard time?"

Jun Yuyan couldn’t suppress a laugh, "At such a time, how would he dare trouble me?"

Indeed, Jun Yuyan was hailed as the War God, and together with General Fu, they had just returned from a victorious battle. Coupled with the phenomenon prompted by the birth of the dragon and phoenix twins at Prince Mansion, his standing among the common folk was reaching new heights.

Even if the Emperor desired to make things difficult, he wouldn’t at such a time, lest he invite the people’s criticism that the Son of Heaven couldn’t tolerate his own son.

"He not only must not make things difficult for you, but he has also conferred upon you many rewards because you have given birth to two lucky stars for Great Yan, and they are his eldest grandson and granddaughter."

"Indeed, I have received quite a bountiful of rewards recently."

First, her brothers and father had given her all the rewards they received; then, as soon as the Empress Dowager learned about her delivery, she ordered the rewards that had been prepared in advance to be sent over. Now, it was finally the Emperor’s turn to send gifts, though in the end, it was a bit late.

These gifts should have been brought over by the Director of Ceremonial the day the children were born. Looking at it now, it seemed like the appearance of the seven-colored auspicious clouds and the two Divine Birds that day had really displeased the Emperor.

And after the Emperor had sent his gifts, the Empress, Imperial Noble Consort Qi, and others also had their gifts continuously brought out from the palace.

If the Emperor did not send gifts, they could not overstep the protocol and had to wait for the Emperor to send his first.

The Empress had always been very good at these superficial efforts.

Then came the gifts from the Second Prince, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the court officials.

And these were only the gifts for just having the children; when it came to holding the full-month celebration, there would be an unending stream of presents. However, Murong Jiu and Jun Yuyan had no plans to hold it.

First, it would be a mix of good and bad people during the event, which could threaten the safety of the children. Second, Murong Jiu was required to go through a hundred days of confinement after childbirth – this was an arrangement strictly set by Divine Doctor Zhai, and she had no choice but to comply.

It was better not to hold the celebration. Murong Jiu disliked such false displays of bustle, and now that her brothers and father were staying at the Prince Mansion, she felt very content.

The following day, Chun Tao told Murong Jiu that the storerooms of the Prince Mansion were nearly overflowing, and the Prince had cleared out two more rooms specifically to store the various gifts.

The reason for this was that people had been asking Jun Yuyan when he was planning to hold the full-month celebration, hoping to get in on the good fortune. Jun Yuyan had then mentioned not holding a banquet, and as a result, even more people sent gifts today.

Murong Jiu understood this well; it was nothing more than some officials who changed their opinions on the blowing wind. They felt that Jun Yuyan as the Eldest Prince was now gaining more popularity among the people and, with two lucky star children and even providence showing signs, they speculated that the throne might eventually return to him after twists and turns.

It was common knowledge that the Second Prince had lost the Emperor’s favor. How the Emperor felt about him was clear to anyone with eyes, and to this day, the Second Prince’s house arrest had not been lifted, which had been going on for over a month.

The Third Prince, on the other hand, enjoyed Imperial favor, but had poor luck: first, he was the target of an assassination attempt, which injured his thigh bone and had not yet healed, forcing him to stay in a wheelchair every day. It was rumored that he was even rendered impotent. Then, Prince Rui’s Mansion was razed by a huge fire, which not only crippled his hand but also left his back and the back of his hands horrifically scarred.

As for the Fourth Prince, there is no need to mention him, as he barely had any presence and was quite mediocre.

Considering the circumstances, Prince Ling was evidently the people’s choice.

It was not just many officials who sent gifts. The Headwear Aristocracy of the Capital City and some major mercantile firms, as long as they had some connections, also sent gifts.

To merely look at the list of gifts took Murong Jiu several Shichen.

Jun Yuyan had not allowed her to view it, fearing it would strain her eyes, and also fearing she would become bored. He always instructed the servants to gather various storybooks, which he would then recount to her whenever she had nothing to do.

So Murong Jiu’s confinement was not boring at all. In fact, she spent most of her time sleeping, as the injury had sapped a great deal of her vitality, and the medicine her master made also aided her sleep. But whenever she woke up, Jun Yuyan was almost always by her side.

Sometimes when she woke up, she could see Jun Yuyan playing with the two children, who were becoming more rosy and chubby each day, and her mood was indescribably joyful.