While the nanny was racking her brains trying to come up with a solution, the chief palace maid Qiu Ping hurriedly walked in, curtsying as she reported, "Empress, His Majesty has just finished the morning assembly and is on his way back."

Qiu Ping’s voice was very soft, clearly afraid of startling the master on the couch.

Empress Tuoba yawned and said lazily, "If he’s coming back, let him come back. What’s the rush? You all go out. If he asks, just say I haven’t gotten up yet."

"Empress, it isn’t quite proper for you to always be like this. What if His Majesty becomes displeased with you?"

Nanny Chen hesitated a bit. His Majesty is known for his deep affection. Ever since he first laid eyes on the Empress in his youth, he was enamored with her at first sight. After their marriage, he has been doting beyond measure. Every day when he gets up for the morning assembly, he tiptoes around, afraid of waking the Empress. He even instructed them not to disturb the Empress when she’s sleeping, allowing her to wake naturally. A few days ago, he even issued an edict forbidding the taking of concubines in the harem, making the women of the Great Jin Nation enviously green with envy.

However, even if the Emperor’s grace is overwhelming, if the Empress only receives it complacently without fulfilling her duties to serve the Emperor, over time, even the Emperor might become dissatisfied. Once a grudge takes root, it will grow and blossom, and the rift between the two will widen, slowly creating a barrier. Hence, she disagrees with the current behavior of the Empress.

"No worries, I have my reasons!" Empress Tuoba said indifferently.

She believed that although the Emperor was seen by others as Lord Jiu Wu, lofty and aloof, she felt there was nothing remarkable about him. No matter how noble, he was still her husband, the father of her son. They were family, meant to cherish and love each other for a lifetime. Would he divorce her just because she slept a little longer?

Nanny Chen and Qiu Ping exchanged a glance, each seeing the helplessness in the other’s eyes. The two silently withdrew, and as they lifted the door curtain, they saw that His Majesty had already walked in with great strides.

The two quickly prepared to pay their respects, but a glance from His Majesty had them discreetly exiting the room.

Empress Tuoba still didn’t know her husband had entered, thinking it was just Nanny Chen and Qiu Ping leaving. She started mumbling to herself on the couch.

"Ah, finally some peace and quiet. That old lady alone is as noisy as five hundred ducks."

Nangong Jin, who had already reached the bedside, twitched his lips. This seemingly soft and adorable little empress always managed to say things that left him feeling both amused and helpless. Despite being the mother of a child, she still acted like a little girl. However, it was precisely because of her cute and naive personality that he found her particularly intriguing.

In his eyes, her temperament is much more lovable than those well-behaved ladies of big families!

"Qingcheng, are you awake?"

The person on the couch, hearing her husband’s voice, got a scare. This person walked so quietly, was he deliberately trying to frighten someone?

While internally complaining, she weakly said, "Your Majesty, you’re back. I am feeling unwell and cannot rise to welcome you. Please forgive me."

Nangong Jin’s lips curled. This girl, although appearing fragile, had a physique as robust as a little cow. Since knowing her, when had she ever been ill? Now she feigned being unwell instead. He was curious to see what other tricks she had up her sleeve.

"If you’re truly unwell, why didn’t you call for a doctor?"

"Uh... it was just that I didn’t sleep well last night and got tired from nursing the baby," Empress Tuoba said weakly.

"Oh? So I should let Huan’er be fed by a nanny, lest it tires you, as it would be our Huan’er’s crime to have caused you exhaustion?" Nangong Jin’s smile deepened, and his tone became more suggestive. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Tuoba Qingcheng felt a chill from Nangong Jin’s words. She couldn’t bear the thought of her painstakingly borne bun being fed by another woman. The idea of that fair and tender little thing nestled in someone else’s bosom suckling made her so jealous she could cry.

"No way." She sat up and, clenching her fist, said, "My child must be fed by me. You were nursed by your Mother’s milk, so why should my child be fed by a nanny?"

Nangong Jin laughed and said, "I was just concerned for your well-being."

"I’m not tired, not at all." She said urgently, "I just... just... was a bit..."

"A bit inclined to laze around?" the man exposed her, his handsome face still carrying a teasing smile.