The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

In Qingwan's view, Hongchang's wife is still very important. As long as the father is alive, the family will not separate. Hongchang will have to live with them for at least several decades. If he marries a strong-willed and ambitious woman, there will be a lot of trouble in the future.

As for what to wait for, that was a major plan between Yinxiang and Yinzhen. If it succeeded, Hongchang's marriage prospects would naturally improve, and he would have more options. She worried that if Yinxiang only considered family background when choosing a daughter-in-law, she would not be satisfied. She had no intention of fighting with her illegitimate son's wife.

"I'm not waiting any longer." Qingwan was wondering how to tell Yinxiang when she heard Yinxiang say, "When I was Hongchang's age, I already had Mingxin."

“Alright,” Qingwan added, “but Hongchang is the eldest, so you must be discerning when choosing a daughter-in-law, and set a good example for Hongtun and the others.”

Yinxiang said, "We really need to choose carefully."

Some things don't need to be said outright; Yinzhi was also the eldest son.

As evening fell, Moyaqi led Hongjiaojin and Mingzhao stealthily toward a room next to Yinxiang's study in Qianqian Courtyard.

The two people who heard the door open jumped up in surprise.

"Big brother, Hongtun." Hearing the familiar voice, the two slowly relaxed.

"Second sister, Hongjiao, Zhaozhao, what brings you here?" Hongtun asked with a look of surprise.

“I also wanted to ask you what you were doing here.” Moyaqi handed the two soft cushions she was holding to the two of them and said, “When I went to the main room, my mother was not there, so I asked my father what mistakes you had made and why you were kneeling.”

Only then did I realize that even Father didn't know you had punished yourselves by kneeling.

Hongtun scratched his head and looked to Hongchang for help. Hongchang straightened the cushion under his legs, struggled for a while, and then decided to use it: "Today, Hong'er had a little accident. If my third brother and I had been careful, we could have avoided it. Although Father didn't punish us, my third brother and I still felt that we were at fault, so we came over on our own."

“I knew it,” Moyaqi said, sitting down in the chair next to them with a slightly condescending look. “But I don’t think Father was that angry. He even said he acted impulsively today and took it out on you.”

Hongjiao touched the still-warm sweet potato in his arms and interrupted the others, saying, "Big brother and third brother must be hungry, so we brought some food."

Mingzhao quickly opened the food box in her hand.

Hongchang and Hongjiao first took the sweet potato in front of Hongjiao: "Where did you get this?"

"When I went to the kitchen, I saw them baking this, so I asked the kitchen staff to pack a few for me."

Hongtun swallowed the food in his mouth before saying, "You came to see us, bringing food and mats. What will Father do if he finds out?"

Mingzhao sat cross-legged in front of the two, propping his chin up as he watched them wolf down their food: "Third Brother, you've already laid out a cushion and started eating. You were just worried about whether Father would find out. The flowers have all withered by now."

Hongtun sighed helplessly, “Zhaozhao, you’re a girl, can’t you be a little more dignified? Even my brother and I can’t easily do that pose. Father said we should understand the hardships of the people, but he didn’t make you learn it.”

Yinzhen had a hot spring resort outside the city. After Yinxiang's leg ailment, he liked to go there for a few days to soak in the hot springs. He would also take them there, and it would be a time for them to have a good time.

Mingzhao was curious at the time. He was a carefree person by nature, and he remembered to change into coarse linen clothes and squat by the field to watch the farmers work. He would watch for most of the day. He didn't know who he learned this cross-legged sitting posture from, but it was really an eyesore.

Mingzhao glared at Hongtun: "Don't eat the food I brought."

Hongtun gathered the food in his hands.

Hongchang ignored them and ate in silence. He was getting hungry easily at this time of day, and by the end of the day, he was starving.

Moya sighed, "Zhaozhao, come here."

"Oh." Mingzhao obediently sat down next to her.

Moyaqi then said, "When I left, my father asked me to come and see you. I think my father didn't really blame you. Now that it's winter, this room is just sitting idle. There's no heated kang or underfloor heating, and the charcoal brazier is useless."

"If you ask me, it's fine for you to stay here during the day, but you should go back at night. If you catch a cold, I'm afraid your father and mother will worry."

When it was completely dark, Yinxiang sent someone to deliver a message, and the two of them went back to their room to rest.

That night, Hong'er developed a fever. The wet nurse and the doctor stayed with him all night. Although the fever subsided during the day, Hong'er, who had caught a cold, was completely listless.

Qingwan woke up early and went to see Hong. Hong was softly whining beside her, saying that his throat hurt. Qingwan had no choice but to coax him to take his medicine and eat something.

Hong had a sore throat and didn't want to talk, coughing every now and then.

Over the next two days, Hongxi's cough worsened. He was somewhat better during the day, but would develop a fever at night, a recurring pattern that plagued him. Yinxiang eventually switched the doctor to an imperial physician.

But his condition did not improve. The imperial physician also said that the medicine used by the previous doctor was not wrong, but Hong's illness still did not get better.

As Hongxi's condition continued to deteriorate, Yinxiang began to request different imperial physicians to come to his residence to treat him. This even alarmed Emperor Kangxi in Nanyuan, who brought an imperial edict telling Yinxiang to stop.

Every time the imperial physician hesitated to discuss Hong's condition, Qingwan felt a deep sense of helplessness and worry.

Perhaps sensing her mother's worry, the baby in her womb began to move frequently. As time went on, Qingwan even experienced abdominal pain, and she had to reduce the time she spent with Hong.

Yinxiang's complexion grew worse day by day. Not only the imperial physicians, but also doctors from the common people began to frequently visit the Thirteenth Prince's residence, but to no avail.

In just a few days, Hong's usually round face became sunken, and he spent more and more time sleeping.

As the new year passed, Hong's health still showed no improvement. Qingwan's sat-down bag was only a few stitches away from completion. She sat by Hong's bedside and spoke to him, who was rarely awake: "Um, my birthday is in a few days. Is my sat-down bag finished?"

"Okay, do you want to take a look?"

Hong shook his head: "I'll wait until that day to see, oh dear," Hong reached out and touched Qingwan's face, "Don't worry, I will definitely take my medicine properly from now on, and I'll get better soon, Father."

Hong tilted his head and went to find Yinxiang again: "When I get better, you have to take me to see ice skating, otherwise winter will be over."

Yinxiang sat down beside his bed and said, "Okay, Father, we'll wait for you to get better."

Qingwan turned her face away, quickly wiping away her tears, and let Yinxiang hold her other hand. That day, she and Yinxiang talked a lot with Hongyu until he fell asleep.

Two days later, on the fifth day of the first lunar month, at the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), Hong died in Qingwan's arms.

Qingwan was pulled away by Yinxiang like a puppet, but when everyone was changing Hongwei's clothes, she went crazy and pushed everyone away, holding Hongwei tightly in her arms: "Don't touch him."

Yinxiang dismissed everyone, suppressed his heavy, painful breathing, and slowly walked to Qingwan, kneeling down as if he might wake Hong in her arms.

"Qingwan, Hong... " The immense grief overwhelmed not only Qingwan but also Yinxiang. It took him a while to utter the words "Hong is gone."

"Gone?" These two words became the last bit of weight that crushed Qingwan. Overwhelmed by despair, Qingwan shivered, tears streaming down her face. She opened her mouth, but could not utter a complete sentence. Her voice was filled with anguish as she called out to Yinxiang, shaking her head repeatedly: "It shouldn't be like this, there are only two days left."

In two days, it will be Hong's birthday.

Yinxiang's hand, still trembling, held Qingwan's. He knew Qingwan's grief would only intensify; people outside were still waiting. What he should do now was persuade Qingwan to let go and have Hongyi taken away, but he couldn't bear to see Qingwan's tears.

It was under these circumstances that his wife called his name for the first time; she was pleading with him.

Perhaps it was a cup of tea, perhaps a quarter of an hour, or perhaps even longer, but the immense emotional turmoil caused Qingwan to arch her back. Her lower abdomen ached, and her other child was discontented, yet even so, Qingwan still clung tightly to Hong.

Her appearance caught Yinxiang's eye, finally prompting him to make the difficult decision to forcefully take Qingwan away from Hongyi. Instantly, those around him rushed forward to surround Hongyi and prepare him for burial.

Qingwan could only struggle in Yinxiang's arms. Yinxiang was too strong, and she couldn't break free at all. She could only grab Yinxiang's arm and cry, "Yinxiang, that's Hong? He's my and your child! You can't let anyone take him away. He's still so young."

Yinxiang held her tightly in his arms until Qingwan was exhausted. He then slowly sat down on the ground with Qingwan in his arms and said in a deep voice, "Qingwan, Hongyan is our child, but you are more than just Hongyan's son."

Qingwan turned her head to the side, tears falling drop by drop onto Yinxiang's wrist, burning him so much that he trembled again. He heard Qingwan whisper sadly in his arms, "It's too late."