My Sin

Naming

"How long have I been out for?" The empress asked as he returned to his senses and retracted himself from the emperor's embrace.

"About four days," The emperor responded as he let the empress go.

"Where are my babies?" The empress asked nervously.

"They are in the other room. They are right now, I'll call somebody to bring them to you," The emperor responded gently, before getting up and finding Li Dani.

After a while, Li Dani and the emperor carried two babies each. When the empress saw their faces, he immediately burst into tears. These were the babies he didn't have the chance to see and hold in his past life but they were now looking so healthy and cute, how could he not be emotional? He held each baby slowly and quietly sobbed the words thank you and love you. The emperor couldn't help but get teary when he saw and he suddenly felt immense guilt.

"Did you think about the names yet?" Li Dani asked.

"Yes, you can call Imperial Historian Lin over now," The empress responded. Since the empress instructed, Li Dani hurriedly fetched the Imperial Historian to record the newly born imperial children's names. After a while, Imperial Historian Lin was brought to the empress's palace along with the Empress Dowager, the Grand Emperor, the Grand Princess, and Imperial Wife Lan.

"This servant greets the empress. May you live for ten thousand years and ten thousand more."  Imperial Historian Lin politely greeted.

"Quiaqio are you alright? How are you feeling right now?" The Empress Dowager asked worriedly as she sat next to the empress.

"I am fine mother, just a little tired." The empress responded with a smile.

"Mom, let him finish naming the kids first," The Grand Princess reminded.

"Oh right! Go ahead, we can talk later," The Empress Dowager said.

"Ok then, are you ready Imperial Historian Lin?" The empress asked politely.

"We can start now," Imperial Historian Li assured.

"The third princess will be named Zhenzhen meaning precious. The fourth prince will be named Xiao Hui. Xiao meaning small and Hui meaning brightness. The fifth prince will be named Weizhe meaning great sage and the sixth prince will be named Yusheng meaning Jade." The empress said.

The emperor was shocked that all the names he was thinking about were the names the empress chose for the children. Did he maybe mutter them when he slept next to the empress? But even if he did the empress was unconscious so it would be impossible to hear him. How could the empress name the kids the names he was thinking about? He couldn't help but look at the empress more profoundly.

The empress felt the emperor's heated stare and his heart couldn't help but speed up. The emperor looking at him could mean two things. One, the emperor remembered his past life with him, or two, the emperor was having dreams like him. After calming down for a bit, he eliminated the first possibility. In his past life, the quadruplets weren't born and with how the emperor looked at him with contempt, it was impossible for him to be thinking about such precious names for the kids. So only the second possibility actually made sense, since in first life the emperor carefully named the kids. So this means that the emperor was getting the memories of their lifetimes also, but the process for him was slower. 

"Empress?" Imperial Historian Lin called out to the empress who seemed to be spaced out.

"Ah, yes, thank you for your service, Imperial Historian Lin. You are dismissed." The Empress said after coming back to his sense.

"Yes, your majesty. This servant shall take his leave." Imperial Historian Lin responded before going out.

"Wench! Do you know how worried I was? I don't understand why you like pregnancy so much when you almost die almost every time you go through it!" The Grand Princess criticized as she sat next to the empress.

"I normally don't listen to you, but this time I will. Because this time I really saw King Yama calling my name." The Empress responded as he shook his head.

"Was he handsome?" The Grand Princess teased.

"I don't know, how about you go through what I went through and meet him yourself," The Empress responded sarcastically.

"Interesting offer, but no thank you. My position as aunt is enough for me." The Grand Princess declined firmly as she thought, 'Who in their right mind would want to give birth after hearing you scream in pain for twenty-seven hours!'

"Are you sure you're okay? You should tell us if you feel any discomfort okay? You just gave birth to four children, that's no joke." The Grand Emperor asked said worriedly.

"I really am fine father, I just feel a little fatigue that's all," The empress once again assured with a smile.

"Okay, then we'll leave you to rest. I'll come to see you again tomorrow, your family also said they would come see you." The Empress Dowager said as she stood up.

"Thank you for visiting Mother. Li Dani, could you please see mother and father out please?" The empress instructed.

"Yes, your highness," Li Dani instructed before she went to lead the guests away, leaving the empress and the emperor alone. The emperor look at the empress whose hair was disheveled and greasy and decided that he needed a good bath, the empress also agreed.

The babies were asleep so the emperor took them from the empress's bed and put them in their cribs. After that, he went and filled a tub with hot water and helped the empress in. He stood behind the screen and let the empress bathed himself. After the empress finished bathing himself, he no longer had the energy to do anything but he couldn't stand his hair so dirty so the job fell unto the emperor, since no maid who knew how to wash his hair was at his palace at this moment.

The emperor had never done this before and was nervous. After washing the hair with fermented rice water, the empress's hair dried and now it was time to comb. The emperor was worried the empress was hungry so he brought him a bowl of grapes and then started combing the empress's hair as the empress lay down. Anybody who walked in and didn't know their ranks would conclude that the empress was a rich madam and the emperor was a servant.

"Does it hurt?" The emperor asked as gently combed through the empress's hair.

"This is like the thousandth time you asked this and it's still no," The empress responded impatiently as fed himself a grape. 

At the moment the empress really felt like all his nerves were suited. He thought that this may be because of his connection with the emperor and possible interference with the god he met. Because since the end of his pregnancy, he felt light every time they were close to each other. The empress couldn't help but think that he was a horrible husband, but he would make a great servant.