To be honest, it was a challenging task for her to control her appetite.
She was not anxious about gaining weight. Being an ectomorph, she did not have to worry about overeating, but she wanted to prepare herself for smooth childbirth in the final stage.
Long Yang’s fingers probed her stomach, but he did not notice anything different. Glancing her over, he said, “Isn’t it almost the same as before?”
“Is it? But I feel that it’s gotten bigger than how it was a few days ago.” Lu Liangwei rubbed her belly. She had looked in the mirror that morning and found the bulge had indeed grown bigger. “Maybe you don’t notice it because you’re with me every day.”
Long Yang stroked her head a little helplessly. “Even if it has gotten bigger, what does it matter?”
Lu Liangwei sighed. “It doesn’t. I just wanted to know.”
Seeing the conflicted expression on her face, Long Yang paused, then said, “There’s a method to measure if your belly has grown.”
“What method?” Lu Liangwei was curious, but thinking that he was referring to a measuring instrument, she quickly shook her head. “But I’ve never measured my bump ever since it started showing, so even if I measure it now, I won’t know if it’s gotten bigger or not. It should be easier to tell when it gets bigger after some time.”
“Come with me.” Long Yang took her hand without explaining, but his tone was firm.
They returned to the bedchamber, and Long Yang closed the doors behind them.
A moment later, Lu Liangwei said in exasperation, “Is this the method you were talking about?”
Long Yang cast her a dark, enigmatic glance before pulling his hand out from under her dress.
The smooth and delicate touch under his palms almost made him lose his mind.
“Yes,” he whispered huskily. What he did not say was… he knew every inch of her body like the back of his hand.
Ever since she got pregnant, he would use his hands to measure her stomach every now and then.
Therefore, he knew better than the girl herself whether or not her stomach had grown bigger.
They were outside just now, so he naturally could not do the measuring through her thick layer of clothing.
Lu Liangwei adjusted her dress, her cheeks warm. “So what’s the result of your measurement? Is it bigger than a few days ago?”
Long Yang pulled her closer, lowered his head, and whispered a few words in her ear.
Lu Liangwei flushed and scolded him internally.
The Emperor was such a rogue!
He said that her belly had indeed grown bigger compared to a few days ago, as well as a certain other part of her body.
She took a deep breath, concealing her embarrassment, and reminded him with a pout, “Didn’t you say you had important things to do in the imperial study? You should go.”
Suppressing his inner desires, Long Yang said solemnly, “Yes, I do have some things to sort out for the Lantern Festival tomorrow. Get some rest, then. I’ll be in the imperial study.”
Lu Liangwei’s face was still hot as she watched him leave. Thinking of something, she hurriedly looked down.
It seemed that they had really grown in size.
However, it was normal for women to become more buxom when they were pregnant.
She comforted herself.
…
The Lantern Festival was one of Great Shang’s major festivals. On this day, both the common folk and the imperial family would hold various ritualistic events.
It was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, which marked the first full moon of the New Year, and the people of that era attached great importance to it.
On this day every year, the imperial family would host a grand Moon Goddess Ritual Event where the Emperor and Empress would lead the court officials to worship at the altar.
That evening, Lu Liangwei got ready early and put on the Empress’s ceremonial dress.
When it was getting dark, Long Yang came and led her to the meeting hall to meet the court officials before setting out for the altar.
The altar was just southeast of the palace.
In previous years, Long Yang had led the court officials to worship the Moon Goddess alone, but now that he had selected an Empress, it was only natural that they performed the worship together.