Chapter 274: Ye Ming’s Meticulous Preparations
Riding in the transparent elevator, soaring through a sea of books, Shi Lan suddenly had the strange feeling that knowledge was being forcefully drilled into her brain.
She was amused by her own thought, feeling no different from someone who just smacks a book against their head.
Ye Ming looked at her in confusion. "Lanlan, what are you laughing about?"
Shi Lan’s lips curved. "In an environment like this, I feel like I’m becoming a great scholar."
Hearing this, Ye Ming also let out a low, pleasant laugh. "So I’m not the only one who feels that way."
"???"
Shi Lan looked at him curiously. Perhaps soothed by his partner’s complete trust, Ye Ming relaxed and began to tell a story from his childhood.
"When I was six or seven, my father always made me read more. Holding those thick books, all I could think about every day was how great it would be if all that knowledge could just drill itself into my brain all at once."
"Of course, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. But back then, to console myself, I’d always come here to ride the elevator, as if that could somehow make my wish come true..."
As Shi Lan listened, an image of a young Ye Ming involuntarily formed in her mind. He was like a little adult, his small face serious and stern as he clutched a book and rode the transparent elevator over and over.
’Wow, so adorable!!!’
Shi Lan’s desire to raise a child instantly peaked. She had never been fond of children before, but now, the thought of having cubs that resembled the five of them made her heart melt into a puddle. She felt so blissful.
A sudden thought struck her. ’With my Fertility Value at 100, could I already be carrying a baby in my belly?’
At this thought, Shi Lan immediately grew nervous.
After getting out of the elevator, she hurriedly asked Xiao Du, [Xiao Du, Xiao Du, with my Fertility Value at 100, can you tell if I’m pregnant right now?]
Xiao Du replied immediately, [Master, getting pregnant doesn’t happen that fast. Even with a Fertility Value of 100, it doesn’t mean you’ll have a child right away. It’s a process. The earliest it might show is probably in half a month.]
Shi Lan relaxed a little. She realized that in half a month, she might have been intimate with all five of them, and she wouldn’t know whose child it was first.
She finally understood why in this world, male offspring take after their fathers and female offspring take after their mothers. It was because males inherit their father’s spirit body, while for females, it was impossible to tell without genetic testing, especially since a wife would be intimate with different Beast Husbands during pregnancy.
But that was still a long time away. For now, she pulled her thoughts back to the present.
Ye Ming didn’t say any more about his childhood. He felt that his younger self was rather childish, which didn’t match the dignified image of the Eldest Prince he wanted to project in front of Lanlan.
He walked over to the telescope, adjusted the equipment, and said, "Lanlan, come take a look."
"Coming!"
Shi Lan walked over excitedly. She put her eye to the eyepiece, and the telescope instantly pierced through the heavy darkness and faint starlight, peering into the cosmos.
The universe was just as beautiful and magnificent as she had seen it from the spaceship. However, the view was rather limited; she couldn’t see anything farther away, only the Kabuda Planet, which was closest to the Capital Star.
Kabuda Planet was rich in diamond mines, with plenty of land but little water. Shi Lan could see that a large part of it was a mix of green vegetation and desert, with very few sources of water.
Shi Lan couldn’t help but marvel at it. ’Now this is a real telescope!’
After their tour of the Sky Watching Tower in the palace, Ye Ming took her to other places.
The palace had many unique structures, such as a special hall with sculptures of all the past Monarchs. The Star Calendar was only in its 100th year, but the Monarch had already changed twice. Both of these generations were male, and one of the sculptures was of Ye Ming’s father.
But further back, Shi Lan saw many female Monarchs. They wore crowns and ceremonial robes, their faces showing the dignity and magnanimity of a ruler, a sight that stirred the heart.
Shi Lan couldn’t help but ask, "Ye Ming, will you get a statue too when you ascend the throne?"
Ye Ming nodded. "Yes. The statue is built as soon as one ascends the throne."
He added, his gaze softening, "Our children will become one of them in the future."
"That’s so cool!"
Shi Lan exclaimed in admiration, then smiled. "Ah, but that must be a long way off. You’ll have to be the Monarch for at least twenty-something years."
"Mm, perhaps."
Seeing that she didn’t object to him mentioning their children, Ye Ming’s expression grew even softer, his warm gaze clearly filled with delight.
After visiting many of the palace’s distinctive spots, the time had unknowingly crept past ten at night. It was late, and Shi Lan’s internal clock was kicking in; she couldn’t stop herself from yawning sleepily.
Ye Ming knew she was tired and quickly took her back. He had already asked his butler, Kang Lian, to prepare a hot bath, which was now just waiting for Shi Lan.
As children of the Imperial Family, both Ye Ming and Ye Yan had their own dedicated butler. Although robots were quite advanced, sometimes a human was more convenient.
In the past, Ye Ming rarely troubled his butler, letting him return to his own room to rest after nine, telling him not to disturb him.
But today was different. It was Lanlan’s first time visiting his quarters.
A robot might overlook something, but a butler would be meticulous.
Upon returning to his palace, Kang Lian bowed to Shi Lan with sincere reverence. "Greetings, wife of the Eldest Prince. I am the butler, Kang Lian. You may call me by my name or Butler Kang. Please feel free to call on me for anything you may need."
Shi Lan had thought Ye Ming’s servants were all robots; she hadn’t expected him to have a butler.
She felt a little uncomfortable being bowed to like that and gave a slight nod.
Fortunately, after speaking, Kang Lian bowed to the Eldest Prince as well. After briefly reporting on the preparations, he didn’t linger and took his leave.
Ye Ming was very pleased with Kang Lian’s performance. A human butler was much better at reading the room than a robot, unlike the nearby housekeeping bot that was staring at them with its big eyes.
However, Kang Lian had said the robots had already cleaned the entire palace from top to bottom and were now in standby mode. He could order them to shut down.
Ye Ming paid the robots no mind and instead went to his room to get the pajamas he had prepared for Shi Lan.
He didn’t like outsiders touching his personal belongings, so Kang Lian was not permitted to enter his bedroom or study.
He placed the pajamas in the bathroom, then checked the water temperature with his hand to make sure it hadn’t cooled. He then called for Shi Lan to come wash up while he went to another room.
When Shi Lan entered the bathroom, she was surprised by how thoughtfully everything had been prepared.
The bathroom was filled with the scent of aromatherapy, a fresh orchid fragrance. A tray rested across the bathtub, laden with pre-prepared fruits, drinks, and snacks, along with a waterproof holographic viewing device.
Beside the bathtub was an assortment of bathing and washing products, each with a carefully written label.
Shi Lan leaned in for a curious look. The notes even specified the steps and methods of use, making everything clear at a glance.
"This is all so thorough!"
She exclaimed in amazement, tossing her clothes into the dirty laundry hamper. Her gaze inadvertently fell upon the neatly folded pajamas Ye Ming had brought, which were sitting on the clothes rack.
As she stepped into the perfectly warm bathwater, she couldn’t help but cover her face. ’He even prepared pajamas ahead of time...’