The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

On the other side, Qingwan was also somewhat disappointed when she heard Yinxiang say that. She had said that to test Yinxiang's attitude towards the child.

The bond between a child raised in the arms of their parents and a child raised by a wet nurse is different, especially with the child's father.

"Never mind, let's wait until the baby is born," Qingwan sighed inwardly. She wrapped the pastry that the eldest princess had broken in her hand in a handkerchief and handed it to Muxiang. She put the baby on the ground and said softly, "Good child, go find me."

After landing, the eldest princess looked at the small piece of pastry she was still holding in her hand, glanced at Yinxiang, and ran to him, spreading her hand out.

Yinxiang looked at the pastries in his daughter's hand, then turned to Qingwan and asked, "What does this mean?"

"Isn't this because the eldest princess is thinking of her father and sharing some snacks with him?" Qingwan said with a smile.

The eldest princess nodded to Qingwan, then turned back to look at Yinxiang.

Yinxiang looked at the broken pastries in her hand and was in a dilemma.

Qingwan suppressed a smile and said, "Master, hurry up and accept it, otherwise the eldest princess might become even more distant from you. It's not like I'm really asking you to eat it, I'm just playing with the child."

Yinxiang frowned: "Won't she cry then?"

"No, no," Fuling quickly interjected, seizing the opportunity. "The eldest princess is very well-behaved; she won't cry."

Yinxiang took the pastries with some doubt, then saw that the eldest princess had run to stand next to Fuling after he took them, so he put the pastries on the kang table, thought for a moment, and then picked up a cup to cover them.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing." Qingwan looked at the eldest princess and remembered the name: "Has the master decided on a name for the eldest princess? The eldest princess is already four years old, we can't just keep calling her 'eldest princess'."

It's one thing for the younger generation to call us that, but we, as elders, can't keep calling us that all the time, since we don't even have nicknames.

"He's a grandson of the emperor, after all; he needs a proper name. It wouldn't sound good to call him 'Big Girl' or 'Second Girl' like ordinary families do."

"Yes, we have one. We originally planned to wait until your babies were born before making a decision, but since you brought it up, let's make it happen. If the child is a prince, we'll wait for the palace to bestow a name upon him; if it's a princess, he'll follow the name of the eldest princess."

Ultimately, the eldest princess's name was Mingxin.

The happiest person about the eldest princess being given a name was naturally Fuling, who kept talking to Yinxiang while pulling Mingxin along.

After exchanging a few words with her, Yinxiang hesitated for a moment before saying to Qingwan, "After you come back, I... Father has assigned me a candidate for the imperial concubine. Once she enters the palace, please make arrangements for her."

Qingwan paused briefly, making sure no one noticed, and then said, "I wonder what family background they have, and what rank they wish to bestow upon them, so I can make the necessary arrangements."

“Shi Jia is a Manchu of the Bordered Blue Banner. Her father is a minor official, nothing special. You can decide what to do,” Yinxiang said casually.

“In that case,” Qingwan glanced at Fuling, “Shijia was chosen by the Emperor, so it’s not good that she’s just a concubine. But Fuling is the birth mother of the eldest princess, and she’s currently pregnant.”

Why not elevate Fuling to the rank of Consort? Although it's not a proper title like a secondary consort, it sounds better than a concubine, and the stipend would be higher. It would be a respectable gesture for the eldest princess and the child in Fuling's womb.

"Give Shi Jia a title of Princess, and we can promote her to a higher rank later if she becomes pregnant. What do you think, Your Highness?"

"Hmm." Yinxiang stood up. "I'll say it again: as long as you don't go too far, I won't interfere with matters in the inner quarters. You can handle it yourself."

Now that I've seen you, I'll be leaving. I have other things to do, so don't leave a light on for me tonight.

"Yes." The two escorted Yinxiang to the door before returning to their room.

After Fuling had the wet nurse send the eldest princess back, she still followed Qingwan into the room, saying, "Thank you, Madam."

"No need to thank me. I only asked a few words. Whether it's a princess or a concubine, it's not worth much. What's truly valuable is a secondary consort who can be included in the imperial genealogy."

If the prince later acquires a title, he will have one concubine if he is a Beizi or Beile. Only a Prince will have two concubines, which is the most important position.

As you've seen, I'm very particular about rules. If someone from a better family comes along in the future, do you think family background is more important, or the eldest son's birth mother? To be honest, I'm curious too.

Fu Ling knew that Qing Wan was telling the truth, which was what she had been worried about all along. She understood Qing Wan's intention in saying this to her, but after today's events, she had to consider Qing Wan's words.

Seeing that she had taken her words to heart, Qingwan said, "Let's go back."

After Fuling left, Qingwan said to Muxiang, "I was on edge every moment Fuling was around, afraid that something might happen to her."

No wonder everyone tells me to rest. Pregnant women are probably not well-liked by most people.

"What kind of talk is that, Madam?"

Qingwan smiled and said, "It's time to release people from the palace again. I remember that Xiying, who is by Fuling's side, is also over twenty-five. Let her leave the palace and not delay her."

Shi Jia's family background is humble. We should tell the Imperial Household Department not to let her bring her maids into the palace, otherwise it would break the rules.

You and Chenxiang should carefully select someone honest, reliable, and well-behaved to follow. As for Fuling, find a good replacement as well, so people don't say I've forgotten the old one after getting a new one.”

Hearing her description, Mu Xiang couldn't help but smile: "This servant understands, please rest assured, Madam."

Qingwan then said, "Fuling lives in the west wing and has a child, so don't move it. Let's clean up the east wing and give it to Shijia."

Anyway, we're a small group, so no matter how we arrange things, it won't feel crowded. I don't know when we'll be able to have our own residences. Even though we're cared for and don't have to worry about anything, we still have to be mindful of everything.

Fu Ling, standing outside the door, looked at the main room and covered her mouth to laugh, as if she had encountered something happy. The more she laughed, the bigger her movements became, until she even bent over despite her pregnancy. She still had some sense of reason, and after getting up, she pulled Xi Ying aside and spoke in a low voice.

“Xiying, it’s better to be a Fujin (princess), right? She didn’t have to do anything in the year she entered the household. The master doted on her, the princess liked her, and the princess always supported her in the palace.”

She sent Zhu Ying away with just one sentence, and the master even said he wouldn't interfere as long as it didn't cross the line. Listen to that, how interesting! What does "not crossing the line" mean? Does it mean that if he doesn't want to interfere, it's not considered crossing the line?

Xiying took a deep breath and pulled her back: "Your Highness, please go back and talk about it. We're at the entrance of the main house. I'm afraid that before we even leave, the news will reach the ears of the Fujin."

"It reached the ears of the Fujin?" Fuling glared at her suddenly, then returned to normal, saying somewhat resignedly, "It doesn't matter, she doesn't care at all. She's still waiting to reap the benefits."

She wanted to stay out of it, so she pushed me out, and I had to be grateful to her for thinking of me.

"It's just that I don't have a powerful and influential father who can't help me secure the position of a prince's consort."