Chapter 58

  The imperial carriage travels south and stops temporarily in Suzhou City.

  A water-green scattered flower smoke gauze shirt, an ivory white hundred flowers trailing skirt, the black hair behind her head was coiled into a round bun, with a jade orchid flower still spitting dew pinned to it. She pushed open the window and the ice-blue gauze curtains swayed gently, and this beautiful figure slightly poked out her head. Her slender neck, as white as a swan's, seemed elegant, and on her delicate and fair face, her eyebrows and eyes, like distant mountains, showed a smile as gentle and beautiful as the misty morning of Jiangnan. Hearing the footsteps coming from behind, she turned her head to look.

  Outside the window were distant and near rivers, white walls, and green tiles. The woman in front of him seemed to have just walked out of a painting, causing Yongzheng to slightly daze off, lower his eyes, and call out: "Quan Pei..."

  "... wasn't it said that you wanted to go out for a stroll? I've had the carriage prepared, let's go take a look at Canglang Pavilion and Lion Grove Garden. Then we'll head to Songhe Lou to try some of Suzhou's signature dishes: squirrel mandarin fish, crispy fried eel paste, crab meat with tendon... After that, we can take a boat ride back through the waterways behind us, how does that sound?"

  Yin Zan said so, looking at Quan Pei's eyes lit up, and he himself also had a smile, taking the Shu brocade cloak from Ya Tou's hand to tie it on Quan Pei, holding Quan Pei's hand down the stairs.

  They came out together, and the five good fortune had just obtained a piece of good Suzhou embroidery. They wanted to find Quan Pei to take a look, but when they saw the figures of Yin Zhen and Quan Pei, they felt a sour taste in their mouth. Standing still, they refused to move forward, watching as the two walked further and further away. Only then did they turn around and head back, thinking of going to find San Fu Jin instead.

  The Empress Dowager had just gotten up, and several consorts including De Fei and Yi Fei followed her out to attend to her. The Ninth Princess held a large bunch of freshly cut flowers in a pair of crystal vases, and heard the faint sound of voices coming from inside.

  "I was reluctant to marry off Jiu'er to a Mongolian family, so I chose a good family for her instead..."

  "...What would we do without you?"

  The palace maid lifted the curtain and saw her call out "Ninth Princess". The conversation inside immediately stopped, leaving Ninth Princess somewhat dazed, unsure which family was being chosen for her. Then they started talking about something else: "I heard that the Crown Prince's body is not quite right, I don't know if it's serious..."

  She went in and paid her respects: "...... Fourth Brother took Fourth Sister out early this morning, leaving Hongqian behind. I'm going to go help take a look."

  The empress smiled slightly: "Gone? Well, young people are indeed spirited. Then go take a look..."

  In the garden, a dozen or so younger ones had already started making trouble with Hong Qian. One of them pulled at Hong Qian and said: "You and your mother must have learned a lot of tricks, you have to show us one!"

  Hong Kui honestly said: "It's just occasional horseback riding and archery, nothing as fierce as what the fourteenth uncle said."

  Jiu Ge raised an eyebrow: "Is it Nalan Yan or his master who is the true 'Flower Picker'? He must be formidable in terms of learning!"

  Then someone's eyes shone with envy.

  The Ninth Princess frowned and scolded: "Old Nine, are you guys bullying Hong Qian?!"

  Jiu Ge was startled and jumped up, seeing that it was Jiu Gongzhu, with a face full of smiles: "Where is he? I was thinking that Hong Kui was alone and lonely, and wanted to help the fourth sister take care of him."

  The Ninth Princess glared at Fourteen, who was standing beside her, and pulled Hongqian towards the Ninth Prince, saying: "Is this how you take care of him? Be careful when Fourth Aunt comes back, I'll tell Fourth Aunt to see if there's any good fruit for you to eat!"

  Jiu Ge immediately shouted: "Fourteen and fifteen are also involved, why only mention me?!"

  "How old are you? You should get married this year and have a few kids already!"

  The ninth brother's pale face was covered with red clouds, and the fourteen of them burst out laughing. The ninth brother angrily let out a breath: "What are you laughing at?! Aren't we all going to marry wives eventually?!" Then even the ninth princess started laughing, stroking the head of Hong Qian beside her: "If they bully you, just tell Auntie, see if I'll spare any of them!"

  Hong Qian smiled slightly and hid the slingshot in his sleeve...

  "It's almost noon, and the Empress Dowager has something to attend to, so I won't be able to accompany you. For now, go back first, and when it's late afternoon, think of a way to bring Hongqian out for a walk nearby..."

  The window facing the river was open, and one could see very far. Guan Pei withdrew her gaze and smiled: "You're busy, I'll take Hong Qian for a walk around."

  Xiao Er had already packed the food to be taken back for Hong Qian, and handed it over to a servant girl standing by. Quan Pei lightly patted her clothes and stood up: "Then let's go back, I wonder what it's like to ride an awning boat again?"

  Yongzheng also got up at the same time.

  Sparkling clear water, both banks are lined with houses, occasionally there are also guest boats passing by, transmitting soft and gentle Wu language, even the laughter seems to be light and soft, low and gentle like the sound of flowing water. Quan Pei sat at the bow of the boat, smiling and said to Yin Zhen: "Suzhou is a place with many beautiful women, haven't you seen one that catches your eye?"

  Yongzheng burst out laughing: "You sound like you're even more anxious than I am."

  "There's someone at home who speaks Wu dialect and knows Kunqu Opera, I don't know if it has a special flavor."

  A rare and refreshing smile spread across his face: "You...!"

  Meanwhile, another passenger ship passed by, but it seemed quieter than others. Quan Pei lowered her head to gaze at the fish occasionally exposed in the water, wanting to reach out and touch them, but when she saw the shadow in the water, her face suddenly changed color. She suddenly splashed clear water towards the other side, and the robust man holding the arrow subconsciously dodged, causing the arrowhead to deviate and get stuck on the ship's gunwale.

  Quan Pei quickly retreated a few steps and followed Yongzheng into the cabin, while the clear sound of the sword at the entrance guarded the door.

  Yin Zan took a deep breath, turned his head to see that Quan Pei's eyes, which were as black as lacquer, only showed vigilance, without any hint of panic. He then subconsciously straightened his back and grasped Quan Pei's hand.

  More arrows shot onto the boat, the boatman jumped into the river to escape, the opposite boat retreated and then rushed forward, directly capsizing the boat.

  The endless water suddenly submerged all her senses, and she only knew to subconsciously protect her stomach. Dazed, she saw a figure swimming towards her. She struggled again, and severe pain came from her back. The surrounding water even turned red. Countless figures from past lives flooded into her mind, and she didn't have time to think about whether she was going to die or not. She just felt lonely and sad, unsure where to go or what to do...

  A huge sorrow suddenly shrouded the imperial garden where the emperor rested, guards with swords patrolled frequently, and doctors carrying medical boxes gathered in one place. San Fu Jin turned her head to see Yin Zhen standing stiffly in the room, his eyes blankly staring at the woman lying on the bed without any signs of life, and she felt a pang of sadness, saying softly: "Fourth brother, change into clean clothes and go, don't wait for Quan Pei to recover, or you'll get sick again."

  "It's all my fault, I shouldn't have taken her on the water route." He repeated this over and over again.

  "Which scoundrel did such a thing?!" she exclaimed, before lapsing into sighs. The Ninth Princess led Hong Qian away to the outer house, while she sat at the window, lost in thought. Although the knife wound was not fatal, Fourth Sister's life was still in danger due to her pregnancy and near-drowning. As she gazed at Hong Qian's pale face beside her, she felt an inexplicable pang of heartache: "Don't be afraid, as long as Ninth Aunt is here, no one will dare bully you..."

  Hong Qian pursed his lips and held the hand of the Ninth Princess: "I'm afraid..."

  The third brother outside frowned and listened to the report of the guard, then hurriedly reported it to Kangxi: "The person was caught at that time, it's a folk organization for anti-Qing and pro-Ming..."

  "Restore the Ming dynasty?! How did they know that the ones on top were the prince and princess?! Investigate! Investigate!" Kangxi growled furiously, and San A Ge's face became even more sorrowful: "Fourth Fu Jin is actually pregnant... making it even more troublesome..."

  Kangxi slammed his hand heavily on the table, as if venting his emotions. Without saying a word, the atmosphere became even more solemn.

  The sky gradually darkened, and Quan Pei was still unconscious, no one could say whether she would live or die, they could only wait, so it was endless torture.

  Yin Zhen refused to change his clothes, and only when he heard Hong Qian's crying did his eyes have some brightness. Wu Fu Jin pulled Hong Qian in front of Yin Zhen, and San Fu Jin cried out: "If Quan Pei wakes up and sees you mistreating Hong Qian, won't she be angry?! You don't care about yourself, nor do you care about the child, aren't you afraid that some wicked person will take advantage of it and hurt Hong Qian?"

  Yongzheng's face showed extra emotions, and he suddenly pulled Hongkui forward: "Let him follow me, not a single step away."

  San Fu Jin's face turned sour again, and she glanced away: "Go change your clothes, take Hong Qian to eat and wait for Quan Pei to wake up."

  Yin Zan mechanically did some things that others would be happy about, but his mind was a blank with great worry and sorrow, unaware of cold or warmth, hunger or fullness. He just tightly followed Hong Qian, and if he lost sight of him for a moment, he became anxious and loudly called out Hong Qian's name.

  He was reluctant to leave Rong Yao's side, so others had no choice but to set up a soft couch next to him. They didn't dare to ask Hong Qian to leave either, so the father and son ended up sleeping together for two nights, relying on each other for warmth. The person beside him was the woman who, if lost, would be like losing everything. As the night deepened and the air grew cooler, those who hadn't experienced it wouldn't know what it's like to have a heart-wrenching concern...

  It seemed as if she had passed through layers of darkness, and a glimmer of light gradually emerged. Her long, curled eyelashes were like quiet lonely birds, and when they fluttered, it was a shocking power. It felt like she had slept for a long time, but also like just a blink of an eye. The heavy eyelids made her struggle for a while before slowly opening her eyes, and as her vision gradually cleared up, a familiar tear-stained face appeared in front of her. Holding her hand, he kept saying: "It's my fault, I shouldn't have taken you on the boat..."

  Yin Zan's crying face looked like a child who was wronged and distressed, yet also seemed abnormally excited. She didn't know what to say, but wanted to make him feel like he was an irreplaceable treasure. Her eyes felt a little sour, she thought about lifting her hand to touch Yin Zan's cheek, but it fell weakly instead. All she could do was speak in a hoarse and weak voice: "Don't cry..."

  The sound of hurried footsteps came from outside, probably the imperial physician who was guarding the door rushed in, and there were also joyful whispers, which should be San Fu Jin and others who heard the news and rushed over.

  Outside the window, the sky was still gloomy, and the air was filled with damp water vapor, making people feel stifled and unable to breathe. The imperial physician who came in knelt on the ground and placed his hand on Quan Pei's pulse, while Yongzheng stared at him without blinking, as if waiting for the final verdict...