无翼乌工口里番无色无摭挡

The sound was so loud, it stunned Li Hongyuan.

Earlier, her hiccup that was triggered by getting choked, was cured by Jiang Yi. Perhaps she was startled by Li Hongyuan’s words and she couldn’t help hiccuping again.

Over Li Hongyuan’s shoulder, Jiang Ning saw Jiang Yi’s slightly shaking shoulders.

Clearly, he was trying hard to suppress his laughter.

What a soulless man.

At a time like this, he still found the heart to laugh.

Jiang Ning rolled her eyes inwardly, but she couldn’t control herself and hiccuped once again.

Li Hongyuan turned his head to look at her: “Why are you hiccuping? Is it from overeating or hunger?”

“Maybe, I ate too much…” Jiang Ning covered her mouth. However, it failed to suppress the loud hiccup that escaped.

“Right, you even managed to swallow that mooncake, it’s normal for you to feel full.” Li Hongyuan lifted his hand. “Let me pat your back.”

“I’m hiccuping, not choking. What’s the use of patting my back, hic!” Jiang Ning, feeling both embarrassed and weary, said, “Your Highness, given my condition, I’m hardly fit to play host. Perhaps you should leave?”

“I finished my earlier tasks and today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. If I’m not here with the Princess Consort, where else should I be?”

“Then go to see your children, or go to the Side Concubine Li.”

“To be a wife like you, so magnanimous, it’s the first time I’ve seen such graciousness.” Li Hongyuan, instead of leaving, planted his feet firmly on the ground. “Speaking of which, Wenzan and Lingzi are already two years old, and you should have recovered.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think it’s time for us to have another child,” said Li Hongyuan casually, “As the Princess Consort, it’s your duty to continue the royal lineage. Having only Wenzan and Lingzi isn’t nearly enough.”

With her hand over her mouth, Jiang Ning mumbled between hiccups, “After all, I’ve already given birth to two. Doesn’t Your Highness have Concubine Li and the like? Why not ask them to bear children? Or is it that you make concubines not for heirs but merely as decorations at home?”

“Has the Princess Consort not heard of the saying, ‘Marry a virtuous wife, select a beautiful concubine?\'”

“Oh… Are you implying that I, as your wife, am unattractive and meant solely for breeding? The concubines are beautiful, so they need not bear children; their sole purpose is to please you?”

“You may not mince words, but you’re not wrong.”

“…” Jiang Ning was almost amused to laughter.

But all she managed was an even louder hiccup.

Hiccuping is a tiring task.

Especially when there’s an annoying man babbling in front of you.

It becomes even more infuriating.

“…Your Highness is jesting. The Princess Consort is the daughter of the first beauty of our realm. With her radiant beauty, how could she be seen as unattractive? If I may say, she is at least a thousand times more beautiful than Your Highness’s Side Concubine.”

This delicate voice came from Jiang Yi, who was impersonating a palace maid while holding a tray.

Unable to stand the Crown Prince teasing his sister and claiming that she was unattractive, he defended her, even at the risk of revealing his identity.

The intentionally pinched falsetto sounded awkward no matter how you listened.

Li Hongyuan glanced at him, speaking calmly, “You’re bold. Do you think you have the right to speak here? Get out.”

Jiang Yi remained unmoving.

He was worried that the moment he left, Li Hongyuan would bully his sister behind closed doors.

Jiang Ning frantically signaled him with her eyes to leave immediately.

Li Hongyuan wasn’t the same as before. He was no longer the powerless Prince of Yu. He was now the Regent, with his power increasingly consolidated.

Jiang Ning suspected that he was secretly investigating the Jiang Family. At a moment like this, they absolutely could not afford to hand him any leverage.