Harem Daily Life

Su Xing was also very worried about the Crown Princess's pregnancy. She was vomiting everything she ate, so how could the baby get any nutrition? Su Xing was a good cook, so she made different kinds of desserts for the Crown Princess. Even if she only ate a bite occasionally, as long as she didn't vomit it up, it would be good.

Su Xing has been making pastries for a long time and has even come up with several new flavors, which has made He Yinuo run to the East Palace every day. She said she came to keep the Crown Princess company, but in reality, she came to taste the newly baked pastries.

Duan Chaopei lay reclining on the couch, with He Yinuo sitting beside her. He Yinuo would eat a piece of food, and Duan Chaopei would take a small bite. The two would chat about the imperial property from time to time, while Su Xing embroidered baby clothes on the side.

“My maternal aunt, my great-aunt, my maternal grandmother, my great-aunt, Aunt Qi, Aunt Qingfeng, Aunt Mingyue, Aunt Taoxiang, Aunt Xianglan…” He Yinuo couldn’t count them all on one hand. “Everyone is making clothes for the baby. My nephew is not even born yet, and we’ve almost run out of clothes. The Empress Dowager didn’t dare to ask the Imperial Clothing Bureau to make any new ones.”

She glanced at Su Xing and said, "You'd be better off making it for me than for the baby."

Su Xing glared at her: "You want to eat the snacks I made for the baby? What, you want to take the clothes too? Don't worry, I embroidered a nice little blanket for you. I'll send it to you after it's dried."

Duan Chaopei couldn't help but reach out and wipe He Yinuo's mouth: "Look at you, how come you're still like a baby, eating snacks with your mouth all over your face. You don't care about this marriage at all, making your eldest, second, and third elder sisters worry about you and arrange flower viewing banquets for you every day, but you're too lazy to go."

He Yinuo chewed and chewed: "Father is not unable to support me, so why is he in such a hurry? Mother said that I must choose someone I like, and I must not get married just for the sake of getting married."

Duan Chaopei shook her head: "If you ask me, the third young master of the Song family is quite good. Aren't you two getting along very well and chatting back and forth?"

The third young master of the Song family mentioned by Duan Chaopei was named Song Shiqing. He was the eldest grandson of the Duke of Song's family in the former Yan Kingdom. He had two older sisters, both of whom married into the royal family of Yan Prefecture. He was the only son in the family, ranking third, and was known as the Third Young Master Song. Later, the Yan Kingdom fell, and his two sisters were released and returned home. The Duke of Song's family handed over most of its property to ensure the safety of the entire household. Later, Qi Yizheng was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Protectorate and took charge of Yan Prefecture. He promoted some of the clan members from the former Yan Prefecture to serve the court, and this Third Young Master Song rose through the ranks, showing signs of reviving his family's glory.

Last year, when he accompanied Qi Yizheng to the capital to report on his duties, he met He Yinuo for the first time. He was so captivated by He Yinuo's beauty that he forgot to watch where he was going and bumped his head into the palace gate, getting a big bump on his head and causing a great commotion.

“She is good-looking, but… Yanzhou is a long way from here, and I don’t want to leave the capital.” He Yinuo had no intention of marrying far away. The two had been exchanging letters for some time, and Song Shiqing even wanted to ask His Majesty to grant them a marriage, but he was stumped by He Yinuo’s reason for not wanting to marry far away.

How easy would it be for him to enter the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty and become an official? Until this problem is solved, the matter of his marriage proposal is temporarily put on hold.

"If one becomes the emperor's son-in-law, it would be feasible to obtain a sinecure and reside in the capital for an extended period," Duan Chaopei advised.

He Yinuo shook her head: "But he has his ambitions, and I can't ruin his future for my own sake. Alright, Fourth Sister-in-law, don't worry about me anymore. It's not a bad thing if I never get married. Anyway, I have Father to support me now, Crown Prince to support me in the future, and my unborn nephew to support me!"

Duan Chaopei and Su Xing exchanged a helpless glance. They had tried so hard to persuade their unmarried sister, who was still twenty, but to no avail.

When Duan Chaopei was four months pregnant, her morning sickness symptoms finally lessened considerably, and she was able to get up and walk around. To cheer her up, He Yinuo accompanied her out of the palace to watch the top scholar parade through the streets on horseback.

"It's going to be very lively today, Fourth Sister-in-law, you must stay close to me and don't get lost." He Yinuo repeatedly reminded her, and Su Xing was also very nervous, afraid that something might happen to Duan Chaopei.

"Don't worry, the Sihai Restaurant has reserved seats. We'll sit on the second floor, where we can see the top scholar parading through the streets, and it'll be safe. Nothing will happen," Duan Chaopei reassured the two of them, and then quickly set off with Shuang'er and the other guards.

The streets were already packed with onlookers, making the once spacious streets completely impassable.

"I heard that this year has seen the largest number of participants in the imperial examinations in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The great efforts in education and culture over the years have yielded remarkable results!"

"People live in peace and contentment, and families have money to support their children's education. As a result, there are more students, and more people pass the exams."

"This is all thanks to His Majesty's benevolent rule. Heaven truly blesses our Great Zhou, bestowing upon us such a wise and virtuous ruler."

"Look, look! The top three are here! Isn't the one in front the top scholar?"

"Tsk tsk tsk, the third-ranked scholar is truly exceptionally handsome! How can there be such a good-looking young master in the world?"

He Yinuo and the other two sat by the window looking down. As the three people at the front of the group got closer, Duan Chaopei and Su Xing both looked at He Yinuo at the same time.

"What? Could it be Young Master Song? Is he taking the imperial examination this year?" Su Xing asked in confusion.

He Yinuo was completely confused; he hadn't heard him mention it in the letter.

"A third-place scholar? Tsk tsk tsk, I originally thought he was skilled in martial arts, but I never expected him to be so good at studying as well." Duan Chaopei couldn't help but praise.

"But isn't he already the deputy general of the 100,000-strong army in Yanzhou? Why is he taking the civil service exam again?"

Seeing the questioning looks from the two of them, He Yinuo's lips twitched: "Ask me? How would I know?"

She was still a little annoyed; such a big matter hadn't been mentioned at all in the letter. Humph, he said he respected her above all else and that everything had to be reported to her, yet he didn't utter a word about something as important as the imperial examination. Indeed, men's words are deceitful!

A flurry of purses were tossed towards the three men on horseback, with the most being thrown at the third-ranked scholar. Yet, he refused to catch a single one, letting the young girls' hearts flutter in despair. His gentle, affectionate eyes gazed directly at the private room on the second floor of the Sihai Restaurant, landing entirely on the adorable and charming He Yinuo standing by the window.

Pale yellow is the color that best suits her; like a warm little sun, she can immediately attract his attention the moment she appears in a crowd.

He Yinuo obviously noticed him too, frowned, and rolled her eyes.

Song Shiqing couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile. His smile made all the beauty in the world pale in comparison, causing the young wives and girls around him to gasp in unison.

"Wow, the third-ranked scholar smiled at me! He has such a handsome smile!"

"Pinch me, pinch me! Was I dreaming?"

The gasps from the crowd displeased He Yinuo, who glared at Song Shiqing: "You're a womanizer, restless and unfaithful."

Despite being far away in the crowd, Song Shiqing couldn't hear He Yinuo's words clearly, but he inexplicably understood what she was saying.

Song Shiqing looked aggrieved: I was just smiling, how did that attract any attention?