Chen Wangbei reminded him cautiously.
"Prince, it’s getting late. We can’t delay any longer."
Li Ji ignored him.
He knelt on one knee, turning his head to press his ear against Manman’s belly, muttering nonsensically.
"Little one, can you hear Daddy’s voice?
If you can hear me, move once. If you can’t, move twice."
Hua Manman couldn’t help but smile and laugh aloud. "The baby won’t fall for your trick."
They were at the city gates, with people coming and going. Pedestrians constantly passed them by.
Li Ji and Hua Manman had already attracted quite a few stares, and some people had even stopped to gawk.
Though they didn’t know Li Ji’s identity, they could tell from his attire that he was no ordinary man.
A man like him should have been aloof and imposing.
Yet here he was, kneeling on one knee. His tall, imposing frame was suddenly brought low, his cloak embroidered with exquisite scales lying on the ground, mixing with the dirty slush.
He was like an Immortal who had fallen to the mortal realm, covered from head to toe in the dust of the mundane world.
Hua Manman suddenly gasped.
"It moved! It moved again!"
It was just a single, faint movement, and the sounds around them were deafening.
But Li Ji, with his exceptional hearing, still caught that momentary kick!
His eyes lit up, and the corners of his mouth curled uncontrollably upward.
"My little baby is saying hello to me! She can hear my voice!"
As if afraid he might scare the child, he immediately softened his voice.
"Little one, I’m your Daddy.
I’m about to go far away to fight some bad guys. It’ll be a while before I can come back to be with you and your mother.
While I’m away, you have to be a good baby. Don’t give your mother a hard time.
Once I’ve beaten all those bad guys, I’ll come back for our reunion.
I’ll bring back lots of tasty treats and fun toys for you both."
Hua Manman noticed Chen Wangbei hesitating to speak several times and knew they couldn’t delay any longer.
She suppressed her reluctance and said to Li Ji.
"You should go."
Li Ji didn’t want to go.
He wanted to talk to his little baby some more, and he wanted to spend more time with Manman.
’For a moment, he truly wanted to just drop everything and quit. To forget it all, run away with Manman, and leave this godforsaken mess behind!’
However, that was just a fleeting impulse.
He knew he couldn’t just walk away, and he knew Manman wouldn’t agree to it.
Hua Manman pulled him up from the ground, smiling.
"Travel safely. Come back soon."
Li Ji tucked a few strands of hair the wind had blown across her forehead behind her ear and spoke in a low voice.
"I’ve already picked a name for our daughter. Let’s call her Feifei.
It’s from an old poem: *’As I come to you, the snow falls thick and fast.’* It seems fitting for this moment.
Her nickname can be Fubao. I hope she’ll be blessed with endless fortune and have a smooth life."
Hua Manman blinked. "And what if it’s a boy?"
Li Ji said expressionlessly, "If it’s a boy, we’ll just call him Gou Dan."
Hua Manman: "..."
Li Ji said, "I’m Li Ergou, you’re Sister-in-law, so it’s only right that our son be named Gou Dan. Perfectly logical."
Hua Manman couldn’t stand it anymore and gave him an exasperated shove.
"Just go already!"
Li Ji took a step back but his eyes remained fixed on her, clearly reluctant to leave.
Having no other choice, Hua Manman turned away first.
"I’m heading back now. Remember to write home if you get the chance."
She fought the urge to look back and walked toward the carriage, one step at a time.
The coachman had already set a footstool by the carriage.
Hua Manman used the footstool to climb into the carriage.
Only after she was settled inside and the carriage door was closed, hiding her from view, did Li Ji reluctantly pull his gaze away.
He swung himself onto his horse, gave the carriage one last look, then steeled himself and cracked his whip.
"Yah!"
The steed whinnied, its hooves kicking up as it galloped away.
The group departed swiftly.
The carriage window slid open. Hua Manman poked her head out and watched Li Ji’s retreating figure, her eyes reddening against her will.
The snow began to fall more heavily.
The coachman rubbed his hands together. "Princess Consort, shall we head back now?"
Li Ji’s figure had completely vanished over the horizon.
Hua Manman said, "Let’s go back."
The window closed, and the carriage set off.
Hua Manman felt a warmth in her eyes, as if tears were escaping.
’She wasn’t the type to get overly sentimental. It was just a temporary separation; there was no need to act as if it were a tragic parting of life and death.’
’She told herself not to cry.’
But the tears betrayed her, streaming down her face anyway.
’They had only just parted, and she was already missing him.’
By the time she returned to the Prince Zhao Mansion, Hua Manman had her emotions under control. Her tears were dry, but the corners of her eyes were still tinged with red.
Qing Huan was waiting at the gate of the Prince Mansion.
When she saw the Princess Consort return, she rushed to greet her.
"Princess Consort!"
Hua Manman pretended nothing was wrong. "I’m fine," she said calmly. "Let’s go inside."
Qing Huan wasn’t blind. She could tell at a glance that the Princess Consort had been crying.
But she didn’t dare say or ask anything, and simply supported the Princess Consort obediently over the threshold.
Only Li Ji was gone, yet Hua Manman suddenly felt the entire Prince Mansion had become desolate and empty.
’It was too quiet.’
She sighed at her little tiger doll.
"Why must there be war? Why can’t everyone just get along?"
Si Yun and Qing Huan exchanged a glance.
Ever since the Prince left, the Princess Consort had been listless every day. It was truly worrying to see.
Si Yun suggested, "Princess Consort, would you like to play cards?"
With nothing better to do, Hua Manman played a couple of hands with them.
Win or lose, Hua Manman remained just as listless.
She quickly lost interest, tossing the cards aside to show she was done playing.
When Feihua Zhenren came to check the Princess Consort’s pulse for her well-being, he mentioned casually.
"If the Princess Consort has nothing else to do, why not return to the country estate for a while? You could also check on how the school is coming along."
Before leaving, Li Ji had ordered the school to be built, and the teachers were already in place.
’She just didn’t know how effective the teaching was.’
Her interest was piqued, and she decided to visit the country estate to see for herself.
Early the next morning, Hua Manman took a carriage out of the city.
Accompanying her were Si Yun, Qing Huan, and Feihua Zhenren, as well as over a hundred Royal Guards.
Prince Zhao had left specific instructions before his departure: no matter where the Princess Consort went, she must be accompanied by numerous guards, and no one of unknown origin was to be allowed near her.
Steward Jia at the country estate never expected the Princess Consort to visit so suddenly.
The sudden news of her arrival gave him a huge shock.
He immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed out to greet her.
Si Yun and Qing Huan helped the Princess Consort down from the carriage.
Steward Jia stepped forward and bowed.
"This servant pays his respects to the Princess."
Hua Manman walked up the steps, her soft deerskin boots leaving a trail of footprints in the snow.
"How is the school on the estate coming along?" she asked as she walked.