Chapter Thirty-Four

  The only greenery left in the courtyard was a few pots of evergreen on the steps, basking in the warm sunlight. Although the sun was shining brightly, the air was still dry and cold. Guan Pei sat on a bright red lacquer armchair with a cushion, wrapped in a Xiangfei-colored fox fur coat with golden embroidery, holding a celadon teacup that was still steaming hot. The maids moved about in an orderly manner, while occasional muffled cries of pain came from the delivery room where Li Shi was giving birth. Song Shi had been sent to take care of the children in the back building, and Nalan Mingyue and Wu Ruoxi followed closely behind Guan Pei.

  The little eunuch who went to the imperial hospital to invite the imperial physician came running back: "The Crown Prince's wife, Li Ce, is also giving birth, and almost all the imperial physicians in the imperial hospital have gone to attend to her!"

  What a coincidence, two people met together unexpectedly.

  Fortunately, the midwife came out and said: "Li Gege is all right, don't worry, just wait a little longer..."

  Quan Pei stood up, and Nalan Mingyue's head hung even lower, as if afraid that others would see her. But Quan Pei just happened to stand firm, sizing up Nalan Mingyue, who felt like she was being roasted over an open flame, suffering from the inside out.

  Wu Ruoxi felt that Quan Pei's gaze had shifted to her, and she involuntarily straightened her back, as if the sun had become dazzling, illuminating a patch of white brick on the ground that was blindingly bright, and she narrowed her eyes slightly.

  "Wugugu come in first." A hoarse voice said.

  Nalan Mingyue let out a breath of relief, but was again somewhat perplexed. She slightly raised her head and watched as Wu Ruoxue walked stiffly into the main house.

  In the warm room, a faint elegant fragrance filled the air, as if it could make people involuntarily relax and be on guard at the same time. It seemed to make people hold their breath and move lightly, and the lady in red cheongsam sat leisurely on the couch, gazing at her indifferently. Wu Ruoxi felt stiff all over, almost unable to breathe, and the pot of bright red rhododendron flowers on the table was almost blurred into a ball, invisible.

  "Do you think Nalan Mingyue is despicable? Or do you think I'm ruthless?"

  Wu Ruoxi felt her whole body tremble, her knees went weak and she almost knelt down. The voice that came out of her mouth was almost not her own: "This servant doesn't understand what the mistress is saying."

  "Really?"

  This gentle and casual voice almost shattered Wu Ruoxue's defenses, causing her to hesitate and become indecisive.

  "I'm not willing to be bothered with the difficulties of being a housewife and raising kids. Although women rely on their children, having children doesn't mean you have everything. I also don't want to bother any of you, because a woman's status is not just about relying on men, but also about relying on herself. So tell me, will I pretend not to see or actually see?"

  Sweat beads on her forehead, Wu Ruoxi knelt down to the ground with a dull thud: "I just wanted to teach Nalan Mingyue a lesson and tell her not to be too arrogant. I really didn't mean to harm Li Gege!"

  There are so many girls around, even if Li's fall won't cause much harm, this is a fact, but Li's premature birth is also a fact.

  "This lifetime of human carelessness is beyond count, let alone you who are intentional. As soon as I see it, I cannot pretend not to have seen it. You will be confined for a month. As for what kind of fate you will have after a month, that depends on your own abilities."

  A month later, Li also came out of her confinement. The Empress Dowager gave Li enough time to regain favor, but as a newcomer, how much competitiveness did she have? It didn't seem like a heavy punishment, but if she herself didn't have the ability or talent, it was possible that she would spend the rest of her life in obscurity in this backyard. The Empress Dowager was indeed unfathomable and very different from all the other women in the harem that she had seen...

  "The Emperor ordered me to take charge of the affairs of Zheng Hong Banner at that time!" Yongzheng said as soon as he entered the door.

  Quan Peili stood at the door, smiling and congratulating: "The time for you to make a name for yourself has come!"

  Yongzheng smiled and took a sip of hot tea, but then brought up recent events: "Ever since I handled the case of Guo Shilong, those old guys in the imperial court don't even dare to speak to me with the same tone as before. The Emperor has also been giving me all sorts of tasks these past few days... it's really like night and day compared to how things used to be."

  Yongzheng's ability has really been recognized by the courtiers, and he is no longer just a bald prince.

  "Will Eighth Brother come along when the time comes?"

  "He's still young, probably doesn't need to go." Yongzheng wasn't very sure.

  She said a few words and then called Yatou to go take a look at Li's situation. Yatou came back and said, "The midwife says the situation is still okay, it's just that we need to wait a bit longer."

  Yongzheng sat on the kang, muttering to himself: "I don't even know if it's a prince or a princess?"

  "What does Grandpa want?"

  "I haven't really thought about it, as long as I'm healthy and fine."

  The young master on the west side started crying, and Yongzheng smiled and stood up: "I'll go take a look at my son. This kid is so mischievous, no wonder he's been acting anxious!"

  Kangxi came to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager again mentioned the marriage of Eighth Brother: "...... Next year, when the Emperor returns triumphantly, let's get the marriages of Seventh and Eighth Brothers done too. It'll be lively in the palace."

  Kangxi is now making a great effort to give face to the Empress Dowager: "The Empress Dowager said that we should ask the Imperial Observatory to select an auspicious day as soon as possible."

  The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes and smiled: "Lao Ba was born inferior, I'm still worried that at the time, I won't be able to suppress that granddaughter of Yue Le. They are all sons of the Emperor, none of them should be inferior."

  Kangxi paused for a moment: "What Empress Dowager said is also true."

  He had originally wanted Old Eighth to be weaker and younger, so it would not be good for him to bring him along when he went out to battle, but now he thought that even if he did bring him along, it would be a good experience for him, and when they returned, he could give him a title and arrange a respectable marriage for his son, so others would not look down on him.

  But it was all idle chatter when a eunuch from outside came in and announced: "The Crown Prince's consort, Li Ce, has just given birth to a little prince!"

  Kangxi's face showed great joy: "This is truly a huge joyful event! Good! Good! Good!"

  The Empress Dowager hastily ordered: "Quickly summon someone to check on the young prince and Li Ce Fujun, Amitabha, this is a blessing for the Emperor, a blessing for the Great Qing!"

  The crown prince was overjoyed at the birth of his noble son, and the entire harem seemed to be in a state of excitement. Compared to Crown Prince Li's consort, Madame Li seemed much duller. The little princess born was chubby and adorable, fortunately, the child was healthy, and Madame Li was also fine, only it was really hard to make her happy.

  Song Shi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, teasing Da Gege to teach Da Gege some auspicious words, thinking in her heart that she would ask Fu Jin to let Da Gege follow them to pay respects together in the future. The child is always raised in the back and cannot see Grandpa or Fu Jin, which is not good in the end.

  Li woke up in the twilight and finally had some energy. Liuli gave her some water to drink, and she heard Li ask: "What's going on today?"

  "Wuge and Nalan are both under house arrest."

  Li was taken aback: "How can there still be a Wu family?"

  "The thoughts of the mistress are not something that a servant like me can guess." She also advised Li: "You'd better lie down now, I didn't tell you to get up."

  Li Shu lay obediently on the kang, slowly thinking in her mind. The not-too-bright room was warm, and the soft-colored bed curtains swayed slightly, just like Li Shu's heart. Fu Jin had confined them for a month, but after a month, she came out of confinement. In some ways, this gave her a chance to breathe. Fu Jin treated these several gege fairly, seemingly losing out, but making up for it here. She let out a long sigh and eventually fell asleep in a daze... The child can still be born, and in the future, she will definitely give birth to a son...

  Xiao A Ge and Xiao Ge Ge's mother-in-law lived together for a day, but they couldn't get along after all. Mrs. Li had also opened up and was very meticulous in taking care of her daughter, not paying much attention to external matters.

  With the New Year approaching, there were many things to do. The Emperor also planned to personally lead a campaign in the first month, so Yongzheng returned later and later, and was always very tired. He could hardly exchange a few words with the people in the inner palace. It wasn't until after the New Year that the expedition was finalized, and the princes who followed naturally settled down as well. Except for the Crown Prince Da A Ge to the Seventh A Ge, each had their own banner affairs to manage. The Eighth A Ge also followed, but didn't have any serious tasks.

  It was also the ninth princess who casually mentioned: "Among several brothers, it is indeed the eighth brother who is most likable. He is gentle and polite, not to mention that he often brings me some small toys!"

  Quan Pei held the nine-linked ring and casually asked: "Does the Empress Dowager also like Eighth Brother?"

  "I'm quite fond of him, otherwise why would I specifically tell Ping'an to him, and the Empress Dowager also likes Ping'an very much."

  The eighth prince's mother was a good concubine, and among the princes, he had the humblest birth. His childhood was difficult, but as he grew up, things gradually improved. Then, he was to marry the granddaughter of Prince An, and later there was an empress dowager, so it seemed that things were not going to be simple...

  Fei Yanggu had carefully selected and prepared a group of guards for Yongzheng, including Qing Gong who was disguised as a servant to accompany Yongzheng. The Mongolian side was likely still cold and icy, so the sheepskin boots prepared by Quan Pei were not only sturdy but also thickened. The water lazy skin cloak was thick and durable, but also more refined than usual. Several tiger skin hats were also made. Although the items were practical, not many were packed, as it was feared that there would be even more unpredictable events during the expedition, and carrying too many daily necessities would be a burden.

  The day of departure was also a good auspicious day, and the people in the harem only saw him off to the gate. The four gege who followed him still had faint tear marks on their faces. Yongzheng quietly pinched Rui's hand: "I'm not at home, take care of yourself."

  "Take good care of yourself too, don't worry about things at home, going out to battle is not like usual, just hope that you will be careful in everything."

  The woman from next door, San Fu Jin, held onto the hand of Third Brother and shed a few tears, unable to bear parting with him. Third Brother patted her shoulder: "Take good care of yourself at home, I'll be back."

  The fifth lady was not very harmonious with her, her nose and eyes were not in the right place, she saw the concubines offering their respects, speaking in a gloomy and strange tone, even the fifth prince didn't look at her straight, the fifth prince also didn't mind, nodded to bid farewell, following the third prince and Yinxiang gradually walking away.

  After all, it's going to war and going so far away, no one is feeling comfortable in their heart. The emperor has been on an expedition for several days, and the harem seems to be lingering with a sad atmosphere, as if even the spring in the Forbidden City has been delayed for a long time.

  Author has something to say: Damn it, how can the collection inexplicably drop down like this? How can I bear with this~~~~~~~~~ Seeking comfort~~~~~~