Ties of Love, Ruan Wan

Linglong also looked at Ruan Wan's belly and asked with a smile, "Little sister, your belly seems to be a bit bigger than usual for five months."

Ruan Wan smiled innocently, looking up at Linglong, "Boys are naturally older than girls."

Linglong's smile froze on her face. After a moment of distraction, she stared at Ruan Wan's belly. It was Yu Jie, standing beside her, who nudged Linglong, saying, "Your Highness, it's almost noon. Should we instruct the kitchen to prepare the Holy Maiden's lunch?"

Linglong then came to her senses and forced a smile. "Why don't you have lunch here, little sister?"

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "His Highness said that the Princess Consort has given birth before and asked me to consult her."

Linglong smiled and said, "I am His Highness's wife, and all the children in this palace are my children. I will certainly take good care of my sister's pregnancy."

Ruan Wan stood up, supporting herself on the chair. "Then we'll ask the midwife, and entrust the delivery to the Princess."

Linglong also stood up. "Isn't my sister having lunch here?"

Without turning her head, Ruan Wan said, "No, I'm not used to the food of Great Xia."

Watching Ruan Wan walk out of the courtyard, Linglong's face turned cold, and she gripped the handle tightly with both hands. "How could this be? How could she be carrying a boy?"

Yu Jie asked cautiously, "Your Highness, did she come all the way to our courtyard just to show off?"

Linglong gave Yujie a cold look. "She's trying to drag me down with her. Her pregnancy is getting more and more advanced, and she's come all this way asking me to take care of her. If anything happens, I won't be able to escape responsibility."

Yu Jie recalled the terrifying scene of poisonous insects and snakes swarming in the yard just now, and couldn't help but feel a chill. "With her methods, no ordinary person could harm her."

Linglong sneered, "She's still just a mortal being. What saint? When she was pregnant, she was just an ordinary woman. Every woman has to face death during childbirth."

"As long as she stays in her own courtyard, what could possibly happen to her? And what business is it of ours if something happens to her in her own yard?"

Linglong smiled at Yujie, but that smile looked so much like the venomous snake in the yard earlier, it was chilling. "If I don't do it, someone else will."

Yu Jie immediately understood, "This servant will immediately tell Rong Yu Fen the news that the Holy Maiden is carrying a boy."

"Stay hidden. Don't let Rong Yufen know we told her on purpose. She's gotten a little smarter than before."

Yu Jie smiled and nodded, "This servant understands."

Inside Hengzhi Courtyard, the porcelain ornaments that Lianxin and Lianyu had just arranged were smashed by Rong Yufen once again.

Lian Yu looked helpless, her heart aching as she gazed at the fragments of the expensive ornaments she had bought.

Lian Xin snatched the blue-and-white porcelain from Rong Yufen's hand, who was about to smash it, saying, "Miss, you can't smash it anymore! If you do, it'll really be gone!"

Rong Yufen shoved Lian Xin away, and Lian Yuyou hurriedly grabbed Rong Yufen's hand, saying, "Miss, the master has stopped subsidizing us. If we smash this, we really won't be able to afford to buy it again."

Looking at the mess on the ground and the sorrowful faces of Lian Yu and Lian Xin, Rong Yufen was overwhelmed with grief and lost all her strength.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lian Yu snatched the porcelain from Rong Yufen's hand and held it in her arms, while Lian Xin helped Rong Yufen sit down.

Rong Fen stared blankly at the broken porcelain on the ground, a sense of powerlessness enveloping her.

From that fleeting glimpse of Xia Changfeng in her youth, she was determined to marry him, but her efforts were wasted, making her a laughingstock in the capital and even causing her to break with her parents.

She finally married Xia Changfeng as she had wished, but she did not find the happiness she had imagined; instead, she suffered even more.

Before, when she was at home, she was free and could do whatever she wanted, and her parents were able to tolerate her endlessly.

Now she is trapped in this small courtyard, and can only hope day and night that Xia Changfeng will come to see her.

The thought that such days would never end overwhelmed Rong Yufen with grief, and she burst into tears.

Lian Yu and Lian Xin, who were standing to the side, were terrified and hurriedly comforted Rong Yufen, "Miss, it's just that you're pregnant with a boy. We can have a little prince later."

Rong Yufen was crying uncontrollably. Lian Yu hurriedly handed the porcelain in her arms to Rong Yufen, saying, "Miss, smash it. Smash it all if it will make you feel better."

Rong Yufen glanced at the room she had smashed, and then thought of the last letter her father had given her, in which he was severing their father-daughter relationship.

The sadness in Rong Yufen's eyes slowly turned into anger. She picked up the porcelain bottle from Lian Yu's hand and smashed it to the ground with all her might. "So what if you're pregnant with a boy? It's not even certain you'll be able to give birth!"

Lian Yu and Lian Xin looked at Rong Yufen with fear, then glanced towards the courtyard gate and whispered, "Miss, you mustn't say such things."

Rong Yufen's eyes were fearless as she smiled at Lian Yu and said, "Call Doctor Su over."

Lian Yu nervously went to fetch Doctor Su. "Doctor Su, please bear with me for a while. Miss isn't in a good mood today."

Physician Su asked with a smile, "Who has upset the concubine this time?"

Lian Yu sighed and said, "Our young lady was furious today when she found out the Holy Maiden is carrying a boy. You'd better be careful later."

The female physician Su looked puzzled. "This Yaotai Courtyard has always been like an iron barrel; we can't get any information out of it. How did your young lady know such important news?"

Lian Yu looked full of remorse. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have told Miss this news."

How did you know that?

Lian Yu sighed, "When I went to the kitchen to get something this morning, I ran into Yu Jie, who serves the Princess. She was sighing and looked unwell, so I asked her about it, and she told me the news."

"How did Yu Jie, who serves the Princess, find out about this?"

"The Holy Maiden visited the Princess yesterday. His Highness instructed the Princess to take care of the Holy Maiden's pregnancy. Now that the Holy Maiden enjoys exclusive favor, the Princess must be very anxious."

Lian Yu led Physician Su inside. Rong Yufen's face showed no anger; her calmness was somewhat frightening.

Rong Yufen smiled and said to Lian Yu and Lian Xin, "You two go out. I have something to say to Doctor Su privately."

Lian Yu and Lian Xin walked out the door, turning back every three steps, their faces full of trepidation. Rong Yufen then said, "Close the door."

Lian Yu leaned closer to the door, listening to the sounds inside, so that if the young lady got angry and started to attack, she could go in and save Doctor Su.

But after listening for a long time, Lian Yu heard nothing from inside, which made her even more frightened.

After a while, the door was opened, and Lian Yu almost bumped into the female physician Su who came out.

Lian Yu smiled awkwardly and asked, "Miss didn't make things difficult for you, did she?"

The female physician, Su, smiled and said, "No, Miss is very kind to me."

Lian Yu frowned as she watched the departing doctor Su. When did her mistress ever treat her well? Last time, she made her kneel on broken porcelain shards.

Immediately, Rong Yufen's voice came from inside: "Where are they? This place is a mess! Clean it up right now!"

Lian Yu and Lian Xin hurriedly ran inside to tidy up.

Starting from the second day, Rong Yufen personally cooked soup and then delivered it to Yaotai Courtyard.

With two guards at the entrance, Rong Yufen naturally couldn't get in. So she placed the food box at the door and called out loudly, "This is a small token of my appreciation. I was impetuous before, and I hope you will forgive me, younger sister. We will ultimately serve His Highness together."

There was no response from inside, and no one came out. The two guards lowered their heads, not daring to look at Rong Yufen.

Rong Yufen didn't care and turned to leave.

In the days that followed, Rong Yufen did this every day without complaint, even though the food box remained untouched each time she came every other day.

Regardless of wind or rain, he never missed a single visit. I don't know if he moved Ruan Wan, but he certainly moved the two guards at the gate.

They longed to send the food box in, but they didn't have the courage. The two guards who had let people in last time had been reassigned somewhere.

Xia Changfeng couldn't stand it any longer and asked, "When exactly do you plan to see her?"

Ruan Wan glanced at her stomach. "You'll have to ask her; the timing is up to her."

Looking at Ruan Wan's large belly, Xia Changfeng sighed, "Her due date is finally approaching."

Xia Changfeng looked at the food box outside. "Is she planning to poison your food?"

Ruan Wan scoffed, "She's not stupid enough to openly and brazenly poison someone."

Xia Changfeng was puzzled. "Then what is her purpose in doing this? It can't be that she really wants to make peace with you, can it?"

Ruan Wan smiled slyly, "Maybe so. Perhaps she knows who to curry favor with in this Prince's mansion."

These words made Xia Changfeng feel embarrassed. His favoritism was indeed too obvious, and even some ministers in the court had some complaints.

They also subtly reminded Xia Changfeng that Linglong was, after all, his legal wife, and he shouldn't neglect her too much.

He didn't go too far, did he? He spent two out of ten days in Linglong's courtyard and also set aside one day for Rong Yufen.

That evening, Rong Yufen began her medicinal bath as usual. Lian Yu, standing to the side, smelled the unpleasant odor and thought to herself, "Where did Doctor Su get this fertility secret formula? It's disgusting."

Rong Yufen, on the other hand, was quite content soaking in the bath, having done so for almost two months. "Lianyu, are the ingredients for the soup ready? I'm going to make it myself later."

Lian Yu replied, "Miss, the small kitchen has been prepared for a long time."

Ever since Rong Yufen started preparing soup for the Holy Maiden, Lian Yu has been watching her closely, fearing that Rong Yufen might poison the Holy Maiden in the soup.

If anything were to happen to the Holy Maiden and her unborn child, His Highness, who dotes on the Holy Maiden so much, might very well make the three of them, mistress and servant, pay with their lives.

Lian Yu was so worried that she even asked Physician Su, who smiled and said, "The medical skills of this Miao Jiang Holy Maiden are unparalleled in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Who would dare to poison her?"

Lian Yu was slightly relieved, and even a little happy, that her young lady had finally come to her senses and would no longer oppose the Holy Maiden.

Inside Qingfang Courtyard, Yujie reported the information she had gathered that day to Linglong: "Your Highness, Consort Rong still made soup and sent it over today, but she still didn't even enter Yaotai Courtyard."

Linglong simply smiled; it was something she had expected.

Yu Jie looked puzzled. "Could Consort Rong have really poisoned the soup?"

Linglong smiled and glanced at Yujie. "You're not as quick-witted as you used to be. No matter how stupid she is, she wouldn't be so blatant as to poison someone."

"Then what exactly is her purpose in doing this? I don't quite understand."

Linglong smiled and said, "If you can't figure it out, don't think about it. It's best if this matter has nothing to do with us."

"But the Holy Maiden is already seven months pregnant, and Consort Rong can't even see the Holy Maiden. How can she abort her pregnancy?"

Linglong showed no sign of anxiety, and said with a smile, "Didn't Rong Yufen send someone to spread the word that she was delivering soup to him every day? Now I'm afraid the whole court knows."

"But the Holy Maiden probably won't care about these rumors."

"She doesn't care, but His Highness does, and His Highness can't always give in to her."

As expected, Xia Changfeng complained in Yaotai Courtyard, "You have no idea, those ministers from the Ministry of Rites, and even a prince, all came to reprimand me, saying that you are too disrespectful and arrogant."

Ruan Wan smiled and said, "You just need to work a few more days; it should only be a matter of a few days."

Xia Changfeng looked at Ruan Wan's belly and asked, "Is it really a boy?"

Ruan Wan looked at her belly and asked, "Does it really matter whether it's a boy or a girl?"

A hint of sadness appeared in Xia Changfeng's eyes. "If it's a boy, I'll find a way to have him adopted by my cousin so he can return to the main clan."

"Girls can do it too."

Xia Changfeng fell silent. The girl was going to get married in the future. How could she inherit the Lou family business and continue the Lou family line?

Ruan Wan looked at Xia Changfeng, her eyes bright. "Do you believe there's a world where boys and girls are equally important, can do the same things, can become officials, and can marry whomever they want, or not marry whomever they don't want?"

Xia Changfeng looked at Ruan Wan with a strange expression. "Are you about to give birth? Are you a little scared?"

Ruan Wan turned her head, looked at her stomach, and murmured softly, "He really doesn't believe me, or perhaps he just doesn't understand."

There was widespread discontent in the imperial court, and a wave of protests against Ruan Wan had already begun.

The people were outraged and indignant about the actions of the Miao holy woman.

In their eyes, it was the Miao people who were afraid of the power of the Great Xia and had sent their holy maiden to sue for peace.

As a result, she came here to put on airs, even though her own country's concubine, the only daughter of the distinguished general Rongda, who had been taking care of her pregnancy by preparing soup for her every day, couldn't even see her.

The emperor also asked Xia Changfeng in court what exactly was going on.

Xia Changfeng was so annoyed by the questions that he couldn't avoid them, so he pretended to be sick and took leave, hiding in Ruan Wan's courtyard.

"You wouldn't believe it, those old guys were all red-faced and thrashing about like fighting cocks, grabbing my clothes and demanding an explanation from me."

Seeing Xia Changfeng's troubled expression, Ruan Wan laughed, "You really have too much free time. Instead of worrying about the drought in the southwest, you're meddling in the affairs of the Prince's residence."

Xia Changfeng was no longer as surprised as he had been at the beginning. "How did you know there was a drought in the southwest?"

Ruan Wan stroked her belly and looked out at the dark night. "But don't worry, it will rain tomorrow evening."

Xia Changfeng had witnessed many weather forecasts and had come to believe Ruan Wan's words without a doubt.

Xia Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief. "It's good that it rained. We can still sow the autumn seeds, and at least we'll have some harvest."

Seeing Xia Changfeng's deep concern for the common people, Ruan Wan realized that Heaven's choice might truly be right.

He may not understand gender equality, and he may not be able to escape the constraints of this era, but he should be a good ruler.

Knowing that it would rain tomorrow, Xia Changfeng was able to sleep peacefully tonight, but even though it was late, he still couldn't fall asleep.

Suddenly, he heard a voice coming from the bed. It was Ruan Wan's voice: "Is it time?"

"You'll soon have no memory of anything, so if you have anything to say, say it now."

Xia Changfeng propped himself up and sat up. "Xiaozhu, who are you talking to?"

There was no sound or movement from the other side of the bed. "He's talking in his sleep," Xia Changfeng thought, and lay back down.