At this moment, Ye Qinglian's mood was somewhat complicated, especially at the moment Chu Ning embraced her.
She still couldn't fully accept Chu Ning right now; after all, there were many factors that night, so it was impossible to be so frank.
But she could feel Chu Ning's joy and excitement, which also put her more at ease.
At least, now her impression of this Mortal wasn't bad; he seemed capable of fulfilling the responsibility of a father, and that was enough.
As for anything else...
Ye Qinglian didn't know how to handle it, especially their relationship.
Inside the main hall, she sighed deeply.
She didn't know if things were for the better or worse...
...
"You ask why Your Majesty won't let you see her? It's simple. Your Majesty is incredibly busy, with too many state affairs to handle daily, making her essentially unavailable."
Little Bing explained this to Chu Ning on their way to Qianqing Palace.
"Because I am Your Majesty's personal maid, and only I know about this matter. Everyone here has already been cleared out; only cleaners will come at fixed times, usually in the evening. If you were seen, many rumors would surely spread..."
The young girl said earnestly, "Moreover, the main hall just now is where Your Majesty handles state affairs. The court's prime ministers and imperial generals are summoned from time to time. Not being allowed to enter without Your Majesty's decree is also to avoid awkward encounters. After all, there are still men in the outer palace, but the inner palace is completely devoid of them, entirely populated by women. If you, a big man, appeared, you would surely be discovered, wouldn't you?"
Chu Ning nodded upon hearing this, his mind still dwelling on Ye Qinglian.
Whether she was an Emperor or not didn't matter, but this Empress's impression on him...
It was extraordinarily good!
Aloof, beautiful, and an Empress, coupled with her status as the mother of his child, made it impossible for Chu Ning to act according to Ye Qinglian's wishes.
Would an Empress initiate anything? Probably not. At that rate, let alone having a good relationship, they might not even exchange more than a couple of words until the child's birth.
That would be very awkward then...
As for how to secretly go see Ye Qinglian?
Simple.
Currently, Chu Ning only needs a single thought to cover the entire world!
That's the entire world, the Five Great Dynasties, and above them are the Three Great Holy Lands—these are all the forces in this world. And every existence in these Holy Lands, Chu Ning can observe with a single thought if he wishes.
A mere imperial palace is not too much trouble.
Soon, Chu Ning was led into a magnificent palace.
Little Bing said with a smile, "Because of Mr. Chu's identity, I'm afraid you can't have maids, but Little Bing will bring you along when she delivers meals daily. You don't have to worry about food and clothing, but it might be a bit dull. If you need anything, Mr. Chu can just call Little Bing."
"You must also understand Your Majesty; now is not a good time for marriage, even if such a thing happened..."
"As for clothes, they will be sent to Mr. Chu very soon."
Chu Ning nodded, not caring.
His appearance was actually an accident; the Empress must not have reacted yet.
The palace was magnificent and elegant, with complete internal and external furnishings, beautiful landscapes, and various exotic flowers and plants arranged, which amazed Chu Ning!
What a good place!
Will I live here from now on?
Is it next to my wife's Qianqing Palace?
Then if I sneak over at night...
After thinking about it, Chu Ning still felt it wouldn't be easy.
Sneaking over was easy.
Sneaking into bed wasn't so easy...
It's hard enough to even hug the mother of his child now, let alone anything else. Best not to overthink it.
After Little Bing left, Chu Ning, wearing only a pair of shorts, sat down casually.
There was no one else here, so he didn't need to be restrained.
"Brother System, what Realm of cultivation is an Immortal Emperor? Why do I feel like I could destroy this world if I wanted to?"
A message popped up on the panel in front of him, concerning Realm divisions.
"[Realm: Spirit Movement, Subtle, Knowing Fate, Ascending Tower, Observing Sea, Gazing River, Breaking Void, Limitless, Celestial Phenomenon, Dao Realm, Great Emperor Dao Realm, Pseudo-Emperor, Quasi-Emperor, Great Emperor, Immortal Emperor...]
There was a long list that the System hadn't finished displaying, and Chu Ning was too lazy to turn the page.
Chu Ning was stunned, his breathing somewhat heated!
That six-Realm cultivation was actually the Gazing River Realm, and it was quite a few major Realms away from Chu Ning, right?
It seemed he was more than a little stronger than the mother of his child, and according to her understanding of this world, this was not a very high-Rank world.
The strongest cultivators, the Holy Lords of those Three Great Holy Lands, were only at the ninth-Realm Celestial Phenomenon cultivation?
Indeed, he could instantly kill this world with a single thought!
Fortunately, when this cultivation was given to Chu Ning, the ability to control his own power was also given to him, otherwise he might accidentally blow up the world.
But making a Move was still a bit troublesome...
Any Move seemed a bit...
He twisted his palm, and the space in front of him was crushed layer by layer...
Now it's not boring anymore.
I'll go out for a stroll another day.
Besides, this isn't imprisonment. My wife hasn't lacked him anything: food when he wants it, drinks when he wants them, living in a deep palace, with such a beautiful wife to look at, and two unborn children!
Clearly, this was already the life Chu Ning had dreamed of!
He wanted to cherish the children a bit...
Too bad the children haven't been born yet.
An Immortal Emperor with children, that's not bad either!
A wife, children, and a warm bed are already enough. What about cultivation? He already has the strongest cultivation in the All Heavens and Myriad Realms, so why worry about anything else?
Any short-sighted person who comes will be glared to death, the kind that's completely and utterly glared to death!
Thinking this, Chu Ning's lips curved into a happy smile.
This little life, it's beautiful!
As he thought, he fell asleep...
Until he sensed someone's footsteps approaching.
Oh, his wife's personal maid.
"Hello, Little Bing!"
Little Bing was stunned, and couldn't help but scratch her head.
"Then... should I say hello, Mr. Chu...?"
"No matter, just follow your custom."
"Oh, oh, then hello, Mr. Chu."
Little Bing held several sets of clothes and handed them to Chu Ning with a smile.
"These are clothes Your Majesty had custom-made. Mr. Chu should not walk around so naked; it's improper. I've already scolded those Dragon Guards..."
The young girl was clearly resentful, but at the time, Your Majesty was anxious for Chu Ning to arrive, so there was no time to find a suitable outfit; they could only push him along like that...
After all, Your Majesty was truly a bit anxious at the time, wanting to find Chu Ning and bring him over as quickly as possible.
At the same time, she also brought today's dinner and placed it on the table in the room.
"Mr. Chu can have dinner now. I'll come to collect it later."
Hearing this, Chu Ning immediately sprang up, somewhat puzzled.
"Has Your Majesty eaten?"
"By the way, the secret of Your Majesty's pregnancy hasn't been revealed yet, so it's not convenient for the imperial kitchen to prepare dishes for nourishing and stabilizing the pregnancy, right?"
This was a big deal!
His children were already three months old, and he only just found out. He only remembered these things when he saw the food!
He really wasn't a qualified husband and father!
Hearing Chu Ning ask this, Little Bing was actually very happy. Although the person in front of her had no cultivation, he still cared a lot about Your Majesty.
She shook her head helplessly.
"Everything is a secret now; for the time being, she can only eat the palace's regular meals, otherwise it would easily be exposed. There might be spies from enemy nations in the palace..."
[Ding! Detected host's concern for the unborn baby's health. The System specially provides the host with Emperor-Rank Chef Aptitude, mastering all dishes from the All Heavens and Myriad Realms!]
Chu Ning, without a word, looked at Little Bing!
"Although I'm not very good at other things, I'm very skilled at cooking. From now on, Your Majesty's meals for nourishing and stabilizing the pregnancy can be entrusted to me."
Little Bing was stunned for a moment, somewhat doubtful: "But the chefs in the imperial kitchen are all Rank Three renowned chefs, and Mr. Chu is..."
She didn't finish, fearing to hurt Chu Ning's self-esteem. After all, the difference between an Immortal and a Mortal was vast, and Little Bing, being the Empress's personal maid, was too familiar with these things.
However, Chu Ning smiled slightly, with extraordinary confidence.
"I dare say, in this world, no one can cook better than me."
After hesitating for a moment, Little Bing replied, "Then I will have to ask Your Majesty for her opinion."
"Alright."
Little Bing curtsied, said goodbye, and left quickly.
Your Majesty still needed her to go out of the palace to find that doctor. She suddenly said she wanted to check her own body's issues...
It seemed like she was muttering something about two children, but Little Bing didn't hear clearly. Your Majesty was mumbling at the time...
She had to hurry, or she wouldn't make it back to the palace before curfew.
At this moment, Chu Ning had no intention of eating; he was deep in thought.
There were too many dishes in his mind; he couldn't think of the best one...
For pregnancy stabilization, the first priority was effectiveness, with gentle nourishing effects.
Secondly, the taste also needed to be considered, otherwise what if his wife didn't like to eat it?
Pregnant women generally have poor appetites and are prone to morning sickness.
After a moment of thought, Chu Ning's eyes lit up!
He got it!
Rank Nine Medicinal Cuisine, Dragon Marrow Jade Treasure Soup!
It uses the True Dragon marrow of a Celestial Phenomenon Realm and the Rank Nine rare medicine Heavenly Dream Ice Lotus as main ingredients, paired with a type of royal jelly. It's crisp and refreshing, with powerful medicinal properties that can be gently refined. Not only can it stabilize the pregnancy, but it can also improve his wife's cultivation and lay a foundation for the two children's future cultivation!
First, to find the medicinal ingredients!
Having made his decision, Chu Ning closed his eyes and concentrated.
His figure instantly appeared in a Holy Land!
Nothing else, just to borrow some medicine.
Of course, they could refuse.
But they probably would give it...
"Who dares to trespass into my Tai Xu Holy Land!"