After the third young master of the Lu family, Lu Yun, got married, his wife became pregnant. Following her, the second young master’s wife, Liu Tang, and the Empress Zhou Yangling also became pregnant.
The husbands of these three women occasionally gathered to discuss their wives’ pregnancies. Only Lu Yun remained calm, while the other two sighed deeply.
The Emperor was worried about the Empress’s weak health. After their marriage, he wanted to focus on nurturing her health for a couple of years before considering pregnancy. He willingly bore the pressure from the court. However, an unexpected pregnancy occurred, and due to her fragile health, abortion was not an option. They had no choice but to proceed with the pregnancy. Whenever the Emperor saw the third young master’s wife, Luo Lingyu, visiting the palace, he couldn’t help but envy her vibrant energy. Even while pregnant, she was lively and active, in stark contrast to Zhou Yangling’s frail and weak state.
Lu Xian, the second young master of the Lu family, was in a similar situation. His concern, however, was not his wife’s health but her age. Liu Tang was shy, simple, and still very much a child herself. She idolized the third young master’s wife and was overwhelmed by the responsibilities her mother-in-law, Madame Lu, placed on her. This little princess was still adjusting to her role as the second young master’s wife. How could she handle the responsibilities of pregnancy and childbirth? Lu Xian blamed himself for not being more careful. He watched his happy wife with constant anxiety.
Both the Emperor and Lu Xian were worried about their wives miscarrying and damaging their health.
Compared to them, Lu Yun had it much easier.
Luo Lingyu was healthy and full of energy. After the initial discomfort in the first month of pregnancy, she was able to go boating, worship the moon, and paint with her husband. Her waist remained slim, and she moved with grace. Both the Emperor and Lu Xian had seen the couple enjoying themselves on different occasions—once when they visited a famous scholar together, and another time when Lu Yun held his wife in a lakeside pavilion during the rain, teaching her how to paint.
It was truly enviable and jealousy-inducing.
Lu Yun, with his outstanding demeanor, would humbly accept compliments from his friends and elder brother about how easy his married life seemed. But deep down, he was quite proud.
However, this pride didn’t last long.
When Luo Lingyu’s pregnancy began to show, both of them, being sensitive and knowledgeable in different aspects of medicine, quickly noticed that her belly was growing unusually fast. It seemed to expand like a balloon, much larger than other women at the same stage of pregnancy. Soon, Luo Lingyu could no longer move as gracefully as before, and her mobility became restricted.
Given Luo Lingyu’s strict standards for herself, her figure was always impeccable. Even during pregnancy, she shouldn’t have gained weight so quickly compared to other women. It was as if she had contracted a serious illness.
The couple was on high alert and immediately called for a royal physician. After a long examination, the physician finally delivered the good news: “Congratulations, Third Young Master and Madam. Madam is carrying twins! Naturally, her belly is larger than others.”
Twins!
The Lu family was overjoyed. If it was twins, wouldn’t that increase the chances of Luo Lingyu giving birth to a girl?
To ensure a smooth pregnancy, the Lu family asked Lu Yun’s aunt and Luo Lingyu’s elder aunt to visit her more often. They believed that Lu Ying, the only girl in their generation, could bring good luck. The family also wrote to Lu Qingyi, who had married into a family in Hanzhong, asking if she could return to Jianye to help take care of Luo Lingyu and bring her some good fortune.
However, after hearing about Lu Qingyi from her husband, Luo Lingyu firmly opposed the idea. The Lu family’s daughters were all spoiled. For example, her elder aunt, Lu Ying, lived a carefree life. After her husband’s death, she returned to her maternal home and continued to live freely, often provoking Madame Lu without consequence. Luo Lingyu was used to pleasing others, and it was already exhausting to deal with one aunt. Now that she was pregnant, how could she handle another Lu Qingyi?
So, Lu Yun personally declined the offer, telling his grandmother that there were enough people in the second branch to take care of his wife, and there was no need for Lu Qingyi to return.
It was said that Lu Qingyi even wrote a letter, scolding her third brother harshly.
…
Taking care of a pregnant wife was exhausting, especially when she was carrying twins and had much more difficulty moving around than other pregnant women.
Luo Lingyu was usually good at pleasing others and could put on a gentle and virtuous act. But during pregnancy, her emotions became more sensitive, and she often felt sorry for herself. She used to cry, both genuinely and fake, to get what she wanted from Lu Yun. But now, her fake tears turned into real ones.
The young lady cried all day long. Even Lu Yun, who loved watching her put on an act, started to feel uneasy when he saw her red eyes. He didn’t dare to scold her and had to speak softly to avoid upsetting her further. Lu Yun’s limited patience and tenderness were all given to Luo Lingyu.
Those were the difficult times.
When Luo Lingyu gradually adapted to her heavier body, she began to understand Lu Yun’s efforts. Influenced by the elders of the Lu family, she also started to hope for a daughter. But when she turned her head and saw Lu Yun solemnly hanging a “Beauty Painting” in front of the desk, she frowned slightly.
Lu Yun’s movements were elegant and proud, like a crane. He turned to Luo Lingyu with a faint smile on his lips: “How do you like this new painting I made?”
Luo Lingyu had always admired the Plum Blossom Hermit. She saw the fresh ink, the vast landscape, and the beautiful woman worshiping the moon on the mountaintop… She hid her thoughts and smiled, praising, “The beauty is indeed charming.”
Lu Yun was satisfied. He loved her for being perceptive. When he asked her about the painting, he wasn’t asking about the landscape but the beauty in it. The famous Plum Blossom Hermit, who used to paint landscapes before marriage, now painted beauties after marriage. All the beauties in his paintings were modeled after Luo Lingyu, and fans of the Plum Blossom Hermit knew this well.
Lu Yun smiled: “The physician said that looking at beautiful things is good for the education of the baby in your womb.”
After hanging the painting, Lu Yun turned to see Luo Lingyu looking at him thoughtfully, her face serious.
Lu Yun raised an eyebrow.
Luo Lingyu spoke softly: “Brother Xuechen, I might be overthinking this, but if I don’t say it, I’m afraid it might cause a rift between us. I feel that you’re always hanging beauty paintings or showing me hairpins and jade bracelets… It seems like you’re only focused on having a daughter and don’t care about having a son.”
“If I give birth to a boy… How will I explain to him that his father never wanted him?”
Lu Yun was startled but quickly understood.
Due to the imbalance of males and females in the Lu family, everyone had a strong preference for daughters, and Lu Yun was no exception. He indeed liked the idea of having a daughter and felt that there were already too many boys in the family, so one more or less didn’t matter. But Luo Lingyu was carrying twins, and she wasn’t from the Lu family.
Lu Yun asked: “Do you prefer having a son?”
If that was the case, it would indeed be a point of contention between them.
Luo Lingyu cleverly replied: “I’d like to raise a son who’s like you, Brother Xuechen.”
She tried to get up, but her hands on the armrest couldn’t provide enough support. Lu Yun stepped forward to help her up, and she?????????Lu Yun bent down to hold her, his long, dark eyelashes brushing against her delicate cheeks. His peach-blossom eyes slightly raised as he pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling softly.
Luo Lingyu said: “I often regret not being able to see what you were like as a child. With your current appearance, you must have been exceptionally beautiful even as a child, far more attractive than other kids. I imagine a little boy who looks just like you, sitting seriously and studying. Before you became famous, you must have spent a long time studying and working hard. That version of you… I regret not being able to see you as a child. I want to have a child who’s just like you.”
Lu Yun’s lips curled into a smile, pleased by her praise. He looked down at her, a smile playing on his lips: “You’re quite the flatterer.”
As Luo Lingyu raised her eyebrows, he leaned down and kissed her, his lips now stained with her lipstick, bright and vivid. Luo Lingyu’s heart raced as he chuckled softly, rubbing his forehead against hers: “I also want a daughter who’s just like you.”
“But don’t worry, I understand what you mean.”
“Whether it’s a boy or a girl, I’ll treat them equally, without any bias.”
…
It’s unclear what Lu Yun truly thought, but he did show equal anticipation for both a son and a daughter.
The next day, Lu Yun didn’t just hang beauty paintings in front of Luo Lingyu. He and Luo Lingyu picked up a book, busy with their tasks while reciting passages, aiming to educate the twins in her womb through their actions. The maids were planting flowers in the courtyard, and as the curtains fluttered, they looked up to see the young master’s elegant figure pacing under the corridor. He was holding a book on chess strategies, his robes flowing like wings. The bamboo curtain was rolled up, and Luo Lingyu was writing at the desk, her profile stunningly beautiful.
The two of them took turns reciting passages, words that the maids couldn’t understand:
“When people are happy, they sing; when they sing, they dance; when they dance, they become angry; when they are angry, they grieve; when they grieve, they sigh; when they sigh, they wail; when they wail, they stomp their feet.”
“Hmm… What comes next?”
Without flipping through the book, Lu Yun recited the next lines effortlessly. Luo Lingyu picked up the book on the desk, flipped through a couple of pages, and admired Lu Yun’s incredible memory. She had always been studious, but she couldn’t match Lu Yun’s remarkable recall. According to him, he had read the Book of Rites when he was four and hadn’t touched it since. Now in his early twenties, he could still remember the passages he had memorized as a child.
The maid Jinyue entered the room with a bunch of dew-covered flowers and bowed to her mistress: “Madam, is this the kind of flower you asked me to pick?”
Lu Yun glanced at the flowers and realized that Luo Lingyu had asked the maid to pick different flowers to replace the ones in the vase. He disapproved: “Your belly is so big now, why are you still bothering with such things?”
Luo Lingyu: “Life needs freshness, husband. If every day is the same, life would be so dull.”
Lu Yun didn’t agree.
Luo Lingyu didn’t need to get up; the maid had already brought the scissors to her. As she trimmed the flower stems, Jinyue watched curiously and asked the couple: “When I entered the courtyard earlier, I heard the young master and madam reciting passages. It seemed different from what you recited yesterday. What are you two doing?”
Lu Yun replied: “We’re choosing names for the babies in Lingyu’s womb.”
Jinyue: “…Huh?”
She hadn’t expected this: “But… isn’t it the lord and the old madam who usually choose the names?”
Lu Yun smiled.
Luo Lingyu teased: “Silly sister, how can you doubt your young master’s ability? The names he chooses will naturally be presented to the elders, and everyone will be satisfied.”
“It’s just a pity that Brother Xuechen was only thinking of girls’ names before and didn’t consider boys’ names at all. To keep him in check, I had to accompany him in reciting these passages.”
Jinyue was speechless.
Once again, she thought to herself that the third young master was still as hard to please as ever. Even choosing names required his wife to accompany him in reciting passages.
The marital dynamics between these two were too advanced and exhausting for the maids to comprehend.
…
After ten months of pregnancy, in late July of the following year, Luo Lingyu gave birth to a pair of twins for Lu Yun.
The newborn girl was the first to arrive. The head of the Lu family, who had been anxiously waiting in the courtyard, fainted upon hearing the news. One of the clan leader’s brothers, while calling for a doctor, laughed hysterically: “Good, good, good!”
In the courtyard of the second branch’s “Qing Yuan,” some fainted, while others celebrated joyously. The newborn girl was quickly carried to the main hall, where dozens of family members rushed in. Madame Lu was the first to hold the baby, overjoyed. The clan leader, who had just regained consciousness, drank some water and rolled up his sleeves, charging into the main hall to see the new addition to the Lu family.
As soon as the baby was born, the Lu family unanimously praised: “She has delicate features and is so adorable. She’ll surely grow up to be a stunning beauty like Lingyu.”
“If only we could take her back to raise her.”
The midwife standing beside Madame Lu trembled in fear: “…”
She had long known about the Lu family’s unusual attitude, but every time a Lu family woman gave birth to a girl, the family’s ecstatic reaction still left her shocked and bewildered.
“Wah, wah, wah…”
Compared to the firstborn sister, the boy in the midwife’s arms received only a cursory glance from the elders, who casually praised him with a “not bad” before turning their attention back to the girl. The boy was left alone, ignored. The midwife, slightly confused, looked to the father, Lu Yun, who had finally managed to squeeze into the main hall.
Lu Yun’s expression was not good.
As the father, he hadn’t even gotten a chance to see the baby before the elders snatched her away. On such a joyous occasion, he couldn’t show his displeasure, but Lu Yun was clearly unhappy.
When the midwife tried to hand the boy to him, Lu Yun refused with a righteous air: “I need to check on my wife first before I see the children.”
This turned into a prolonged battle over the children.
While the boy was ignored, both Madame Lu and the clan leader’s family racked their brains to find excuses to take the girl away. Lu Yun stood firm, engaging in a verbal battle with the elders, refusing to let his daughter be taken away. The scholar, known for his eloquence and skill in debate, was likely using his talents for the first time to keep his own child.
Luo Lingyu’s younger sister, Luo Yunhuan, stood on tiptoe by the window, watching the argument. She turned to look at the crying boy in the nanny’s arms and felt a wave of sympathy: “Little nephew, I can already imagine how neglected you’ll be in the future.”
Born as twins, the sister received all the attention, while the brother was ignored.
It was truly pitiful.
Feeling sorry for her little nephew, who was being ignored and with his sister still unconscious, Luo Yunhuan volunteered to take care of him until her brother-in-law won the argument.
…
After two hours of quoting classics and engaging in a fierce debate, Lu Yun finally left the elders speechless and managed to keep his daughter by his side.
Luo Lingyu was unaware of all this.
Lu Yun was always considerate. When Luo Lingyu woke up groggily, the first person she saw was her husband sitting by her bedside, watching over her. He had stayed by her side, not leaving her to the care of the maids after she had just given birth. When she asked about the babies’ genders and appearances, Lu Yun smiled and replied: “A boy and a girl, twins. But I don’t know what they look like. I haven’t seen them yet.”
Luo Lingyu was puzzled: “Why not?”
Lu Yun took her hand, kissed it gently, and smiled: “My dear, you hadn’t woken up yet, so I was more concerned about you. I wanted to share the joy with you and see them together.”
Luo Lingyu vaguely remembered hearing the elders arguing noisily in the courtyard to see the girl before she lost consciousness.
She questioned Lu Yun’s intentions: “Is that so? Or is it because you couldn’t win against them?”
Lu Yun paused, then said: “How could that be? I’ve told you before, I don’t mind whether it’s a boy or a girl. As long as it’s our child, I’ll treat them equally.”
Lu Yun’s words were so sweet that Luo Lingyu was completely charmed. After eating a small bowl of porridge, she eagerly asked to see the two babies so she could share the joy with her husband. When the maids brought in the two swaddled babies, Luo Lingyu hadn’t even had a chance to react before her husband stood up and went straight to the point: “Which one is the girl?”
The maid: “…”
Luo Lingyu: “…”
So much for “treating them equally.”
…
The twins were named Lu Siyong (the sister) and Lu Sitao (the brother).
From the moment they were first held by their parents, the siblings’ lives were filled with chaos, arguments, and competition.
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