Chapter 61

  In the south of the Yangtze River, winter days only had lingering rain and gloom, which could last for several days, even colder than the heavy snowfall in the capital. Even with a burning brazier, the chill couldn't be driven away. So, Jiao's family arranged to have a kang (heated bed platform) built in the house, made a warm pavilion, and together with the wife of the provincial inspector, they had already found a reliable midwife, waiting for Quan Pei to give birth.

  It rained again when I got up early. The lady ordered the maid to burn more charcoal in the brazier, and she herself wrapped her fur-lined cloak tightly around her and walked towards Quan's house. She bumped into someone on the way and was startled, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Yunzhong, who looked travel-worn.

  The warm air in the house made Yinzhen let out a long sigh. The Empress Dowager ordered the maid to serve tea to Yinzhen and asked in a low voice, "Fourth Brother, why have you come at this time? It's so inconvenient for you to travel on such a cold road when it's almost New Year."

  Yin Zan looked back at the warm pavilion and said, "I'm a bit worried about Quan Pei, it's just these few days."

  "It's just a few more days. Won't you go wake up Quan Pei?"

  "You don't have to hurry, I'll sit and wait for a while. Where's Hongqian? Has he gone to the Provincial Governor's mansion to attend school?"

  "No, he left early in the morning and only came back at noon. Originally, it wasn't necessary for him to keep running back and forth like this, but the child is worried about his mother..."

  It's really hard for such a young child, Yongzheng held the teacup in his hand, and the warm breath gently stroked his angular chin. The maidservants in the house served quietly around him, I don't know if it was because the women of Jiangnan were more delicate than those of Beijing, but they seemed more pleasing to the eye than when he was in Beijing.

  In the blue and white porcelain flower pot, several elegant peonies were planted. The lush pachysandra was quiet and thick, the glass bead curtain and the yellow silk screen all had a familiar air about them. Although Quan Pei was ill, she could still make everything around her pleasant and comfortable to look at.

  A maid came in and replied softly: "The old landlord from Shi Tou Zhuang has come to deliver the New Year's goods, here is the list, please take a look, madam."

  Jueluo took it and looked at it while explaining to Yongzheng: "Guangxu said that even if he was idle, he would still be idle. He asked the servants to buy a few villas outside the city because this year's harvest was good and all expenses could be self-sufficient. The several thousand taels of silver given by the Fourth Master every month were almost untouched." She smiled lightly: "The villa happened to send over some New Year's goods, so today I asked the kitchen to make some wild game for the Fourth Master to taste..."

  Handed the list to Ya Tou again and instructed: "Ask Zhuangtou to stay and have a few cups of hot wine before leaving."

  Wei Ting doesn't care where she is, even if no one relies on her, she can still make life interesting, and even when she's sick, she won't let people look down on her.

  In the warm pavilion, a maid who had been keeping watch walked out quietly and beckoned to someone outside. Immediately, another maid followed her in. Ji Rou explained: "Quan Pei has woken up..."

  Yongzheng took a step forward, then became restrained again, subconsciously adjusting his robes, thinking that he hadn't properly tidied up in the past few days and wondering if he looked a bit disheveled. The maid lifted the curtain, and Ruo Shi stepped back, calling out for Yongzheng to enter first, while she stood outside. Fourth Master had rushed so far to pay his respects, showing that he still held Yuanni in esteem...

  The dark green canopy, the yellow silk quilt, and the black long hair were quietly draped behind her back. On her sharp and white face, there was still that familiar pair of bright eyes, with a lazy and scattered look. Seeing him, she didn't show any surprise, as if she had known he would be standing here at this time. A faint smile appeared between her eyebrows, and she spoke softly to him: "It's so cold outside, you must be frozen."

  Quan Pei said, making Yongzheng feel like he had just come back from outside and hadn't been gone for long. He took a light breath and sat down beside Quan Pei's bed, grasping her warm and delicate hand. But what struck him was how emaciated that hand was. The moon-white undergarment hung loosely on her body, only accentuating the bulge of her belly. His voice choked with emotion: "You've suffered so much..."

  Then the eyes had more smile: "Not so bitter, after giving birth to the child, will soon be better." Said and affectionately stroking the belly: "This child is really naughty..."

  Even the imperial physician couldn't determine whether Rong'er was alive or dead. This childbirth was a major ordeal, and if she could just make it through to the child's full moon birthday, then Rong'er would definitely be able to pull through. If unfortunately she didn't make it past this hurdle, then afterwards they would be separated by the realms of the living and the dead. The fact that she had been able to hold on for so long was already a miracle, but who knew if another miracle would occur for Rong'er?

  I had imagined that our reunion would be a grand affair, but I hadn't expected it to be so warm and natural. It was as if I had drunk a cup of fragrant hot tea on a winter's day, and my whole body felt cozy and comfortable. And so, on this drizzly winter day in Jiangnan, after just a brief conversation, Yongzheng, who had been traveling day and night, gradually began to feel tired, his back against the warm kang, wrapped in a quilt with a sweet scent, soon fell fast asleep.

  Waking up but feeling hungry, I heard voices coming from outside the warm room, it should be Hong Qian who just got back from school.

  "......Mom feels a bit better today, right? Is little sister being naughty in her tummy?"

  It's been ages since I've seen this kid and now he talks like a grown-up.

  "It's all right. On such a cold day, there's no need to rush back home. Look, our clothes are frozen stiff and hard."

  So Hong Qian softened his voice and pleaded: "I don't trust E Ma..."

  Yin Zhen sighed in his heart, the children at home, even the eldest Da Ge Ge was not as sensible as Hong Kuan now, it's heartbreaking that he had to worry about his mother at such a young age.

  Ya Tou waited on Yongzheng as he dressed, then lifted the curtain and Yongzheng went out.

  The azure cotton gown was overlaid with a cyan fox-fur hood, straight back, cheeks flushed with red due to the cold and heat, bright eyes shining with stability and determination, making it hard to imagine that the child in front of him was only six years old.

  Just seeing the sparkle in Yongzheng's eyes still showed the joy and happiness that a child should have, made Yongzheng's heart also soften.

  "Ah Ma! When did Ah Ma arrive? If you had told your son earlier, he could have gone out of the city to pick up Ah Ma! It's cold and icy, it can't be easy for Ah Ma on the road!"

  He smiled and nodded slightly, not patting Hong Jian's head like he used to when they were young, but rather patted his shoulder like an adult: "Auntie has just arrived for a while and doesn't feel cold yet. Look at how much you've grown up, your mother is lucky to have you taking care of her."

  He treated Hongqian with the same respect as he would an elder, and Hongqian's face grew increasingly flushed with excitement: "The child hasn't done anything, it's just that his grandmother has been troubled."

  She is indeed a sensible and reasonable child.

  Wei Wei's face had a faint smile, wrapped in a large cloak made of water lazy skin, sitting on the soft couch with an incense burner, drowsiness gradually came again, making her eyes even more languid, so she half-reclined on the couch.

  Jueluo's voice came from outside, calling out to eat, and saw Quan Pei as if she was about to fall asleep, had to go forward to call her, but touched a hot and wet patch on the couch and was stunned, half a sound before reacting: "It's time to give birth!"

  The door of the delivery room creaked shut, as if striking the final judgment bell. Outside was a steady drizzle, and under the eaves, a chill dampness seeped in. The father and son stood there, more tense and worried than ever before, just like when Guan Yu had fallen into a coma, they became each other's only source of warmth. They exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with anxiety...

  The brazier was burning brightly, and the copper basin had a faint reddish glow. On the blue silk hand warmer, a pair of white hands were casually flipping it over, not feeling cold at all, but just wanting to hold something in their hands.

  "The New Year is approaching, and we need to prepare new clothes for everyone. We also need to get ready for the festive goods. Although Father is not at home, we can't let him come back and feel that our home is dull and think that we are incompetent." Ruyi was discussing with Nalan Mingyue who was sitting opposite her.

  Nalan Mingyue didn't answer as expected: "On such a cold day, you've traveled thousands of miles to see Fuhuang, but who knows what kind of situation Fuhuang is in now? It's really worrying."

  Ru Yi's existence is a product of Quan Pei's impending death. If Quan Pei didn't die, Ru Yi would have no value in existing. But who would have thought that after dragging on for so long, Quan Pei still hasn't died.

  Ruyi nodded and lowered her eyes, her pupils trembling slightly: "Yes, I hope everything is fine with sister..."

  Nalan Mingyue sneered and smiled, others may not have understood why Ruyi entered the palace, but she saw it clearly. The one who most hoped for Ruyi's death in this palace was indeed Ruyi herself. She casually pinched a beautiful chrysanthemum from a flower vase, crushing its petals all over the floor: "Of course, you have the final say in handling things, these past few days the Fourth Prince has been coughing, I don't have time to bother with this, so I'll leave it all to you." She had seen through it clearly - without any silver or money, doing anything would be a waste of effort. It was better to just hand everything over to Ruyi and enjoy her own leisure.

  Nalan Mingyue was too lazy to say anything more to Ruoyi, and in her eyes, it was clear that she looked down on her, so she got up and left.

  Ru Yi only glanced at Nalan Mingyue's back, gradually clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and thought that her sister in Suzhou was about to give birth too. If Wang Ye wasn't guarding her, she didn't know what would happen...

  The rain surprisingly stopped gradually, the dim sky faintly revealed the sun's glow, although it still didn't feel the warmth of the sun, but one could imagine what kind of scene it would be.

  The door of the delivery room creaked open, and Jiāo Luó shakily walked out, wiping away tears with a handkerchief. Yìn Zōng felt dizzy, as if the sky was spinning around him - could it be that Quán Pèi had taken a turn for the worse?!

  But suddenly from the delivery room came the clear cry of a child, and the midwife exclaimed loudly: "Both mother and child are fine!"

  Lian Yin Zhen felt her legs go weak and almost fell to the ground, luckily heaven was looking out for her, luckily...

  She was just a little girl of only five jin, looking very weak and thin, but fortunately everything was normal. The doctor who was guarding the pulse for the mother and daughter said: "The pulse of Fu Jin is weak, it's just a matter of whether she can survive the full moon..."

  The well-prepared wet nurse took away little Gege, and Quan Pei had not woken up since giving birth.

  The governor's mansion sent a gift to celebrate the birth, and the Suzhou governor wanted to pay a visit to Yongzheng, but Yongzheng didn't have time to see him. The Suzhou governor then discussed with his wife: "....I didn't expect that Fourth Master would come from afar to visit Fuhui and Hongqian Gege, it's clear that he holds them in high regard. You should ask Ziwu to go take a look at Hongqian Gege, after all they studied together, and since Hongqian Gege hasn't been around for a few days, it would be reasonable for him to go visit."

  The governor's wife replied with a mixture of emotions: "......You haven't seen the Fourth Lady, that's really...rare among women. I've said it before, don't look at the Fourth Lady being sick and weak while recuperating here, no one dares to underestimate her. Now that the Fourth Master has arrived, how could he bear to part with such a woman?!"

  Quan Pei didn't wake up, and even if she did, there was no way to hold the third birthday banquet. More importantly, nobody had the mood or energy to do it anyway.

  The weather cleared up, and the sun could be seen every day, so it was not as cold as when it rained. It's indeed warmer than Beijing. Hongqian didn't go to the governor's office to study, during the daytime he would move a table outside the delivery room where Yunxiang taught him to read books. When Yunxiang went in to guard Quanpei, Hongqian was outside writing seriously.

  The hurried footsteps only made the maid who was standing by raise her head, Hong Qian was still reading his book seriously, Su Peisheng's anxious voice asked: "Is the king inside?"

  "Just got in."

  Su Peisheng stomped his foot and followed him in, biting his teeth. The room was warm with the windows closed and a charcoal brazier burning, and the light was also sufficient due to the Western glass inlaid on the windows. Yongzheng sat quietly beside Guanpei, as still as a statue. Su Peisheng took a light breath and went forward to whisper a few words in Yongzheng's ear: "......The capital city......has had an accident.......".