The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

In the end, Chenxiang did not report Zhang Rui for this. Regardless of whether Zhang Rui was trying to please both sides or was really out of his mind, since he had already been punished, Chenxiang did not pursue the matter further.

Emperor Kangxi did not stay in the palace for long. In November, he followed the usual practice of making a northern tour to visit the imperial tombs. Yinxiang was also on the list of those accompanying him.

Because the imperial procession departed from Nanyuan on the first day of the month, Yinxiang left the palace for Nanyuan the day before. Qingwan was watching people pack his things, and when they were packing the winter outer garment, she took a second look.

The emperor's official robe was made of sable or black fox fur, with a bright yellow satin lining. The princes' official robes were made of sable fur, with a golden yellow lining. Although Marhan was an ordinary minister, he also had an official robe, but according to regulations, his could only be made of ordinary sable fur, with a blue satin lining. In terms of quality, it was far inferior to that of Yinxiang's.

Those chosen by the royal family are all top-quality furs, with smooth and silky coats. Qingwan touched them, and the feel of the fur made her squint her eyes.

Yinxiang initially wanted to tell Qingwan to sit down and not worry about her, but Qingwan's next action made him chuckle:

“I wore plenty of clothes last winter, so why didn’t you give me a second glance?”

Qingwan was a little reluctant to let them wrap up the clothes: "I went out by myself last winter too."

Last winter she was able to go out and touch herself, but this year she is pregnant. She is fine most of the time, but after it snows, she may not be able to go out anymore.

Upon hearing this, Yinxiang's smile, which hadn't faded, deepened even further: "After I'm gone, you can often have your sister come and keep you company."

"Forget it, she's always been afraid of the cold. Last winter, she stayed home as much as possible, saying she was going to hibernate. If I want to talk to someone, my twelfth sister-in-law and fourteenth sister-in-law are right next door."

Seeing that everything was ready, Qingwan still saw Yinxiang off to the door. Once they were in the courtyard, Qingwan tugged at Yinxiang's sleeve.

After sensing this, Yinxiang looked down at his hand on his sleeve and asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything else?"

Qingwan then withdrew her hand and said, "There is something I almost forgot. Fuling will be giving birth in a few days. At that time, Your Majesty will definitely not be in the palace. If something unexpected happens, I want to know Your Majesty's choice."

"Just follow the usual procedure."

"According to what precedent? There is no precedent here, and besides, Fuling is your concubine, and the child in her belly is the imperial grandson. I cannot make a decision." Qingwan just looked at Yinxiang with a deep gaze, hoping to get his answer.

Fortunately, Yinxiang didn't think for long before blurting out, "Then let's save the baby; the master's life is more important."

Qingwan's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Thank you, sir."

Yinxiang didn't immediately understand whether she was doing it for Fuling or for himself, but he didn't ask: "You can go back now, I'm leaving."

The two did not speak in hushed tones, and Fuling and Yingyu, who had come out to see Yinxiang off, overheard their conversation.

Yingyu was one thing, but Fuling bit her lip and looked at Qingwan. She was wondering if Qingwan was asking this so that she could save her life if an accident happened, or if she was trying to shirk responsibility and avoid the gossip of outsiders.

After all, if Qingwan has a difficult childbirth, whether she saves the mother or the child, outsiders will have something to say.

However, Qingwan didn't care about their opinions. She was very satisfied with Yinxiang's answer and turned back to her room after watching him leave.

After leaving the prince's residence, Yinxiang suddenly stopped, followed closely by Zhang Rui, who had finally recovered.

Zhang Rui didn't expect Yinxiang to stop suddenly, and before he could stop, he bumped into Yinxiang's back.

"It's over." Overwhelmed with grief, Zhang Rui's body collapsed to his knees even faster than his mind.

Yinxiang turned around and saw his hat: "What are you doing? Get up."

"Yes, this servant will get up now." Zhang Rui subconsciously covered his wound as he got up. The medicine was good, and after a month of rest, he was already healed. He had just gotten used to it.

Yinxiang said, "Tell me, is your wife doing this for herself or for the Guarjia clan?"

"Ah? How could a servant possibly fathom the thoughts of the Princess Consort?"

Yinxiang snorted: "That old fox Malhan raised a daughter who is just like him, who doesn't want to get involved in anything."

Zhang Rui secretly glanced at Yinxiang's expression and saw that he was smiling. He was secretly relieved that he hadn't said anything. Yinxiang clearly already had the answer, yet he still asked him. If he had said anything wrong...

Although he knew Yinxiang as he did, and that Yinxiang rarely punished people as long as they didn't violate principles, so he thought it would be fine if he answered incorrectly, he still felt a slight pain in his buttocks.

And then there's Qingwan. Zhang Rui recalled how Qingwan couldn't hide her joy when Yinxiang said to save the mother. These two really are birds of a feather. When Fuling gave birth for the first time, Yinxiang also said that in case of an accident, the mother should be saved first, not the child.

So although Yinxiang said he didn't know who Qingwan was doing it for, like Malhan, he had already decided on Qingwan in his heart.

Yinxiang, however, seemed to have thought of something and suddenly tapped Zhang Rui's hat: "Have them take the white fox fur they used to make and give it to the Fujin to make a cloak."

"Yes, sir." Zhang Rui straightened his hat.

A white fox fur cloak isn't something just anyone can wear, but Qingwan is now a prince's wife, so she doesn't need to worry about that.

After Yinxiang left, Qingwan rarely went out. Firstly, the weather had turned cold, and secondly, Fuling was due to give birth at any time. With Yinxiang gone, she, as the remaining proper mistress, had to prepare everything, which could also be considered as practice for her own childbirth in a few months.

But she found that she wasn't really needed. The midwives from the Imperial Household Department who were in charge of the delivery would come to check on Fuling's condition every day. However, the Imperial Household Department did prepare rewards for the imperial grandsons as usual. She glanced at the list and saw that there was a big difference between the rewards for princes and princesses.

Yi Huan was also present today. Seeing Qing Wan's pale face due to the reward, she said, "This is still a generation apart. Even when Father Khan's own daughter was born, the reward was much less than when his son was born."

Qingwan sighed, "They're all royalty, it's not like we can't afford to support them."

Yi Huan simply smiled without saying a word.

As they were talking, Muxiang and the others went to fetch the meal. The palace loved hot pot, especially in winter. Today's hot pot was a dish of bird's nest, fatty chicken, roast duck, and wild game.

She took two bites and didn't want to eat anymore. Her tastes are all over the place now; she might enjoy something today but not be able to eat it the next day.

Yi Huan, on the other hand, was a picky eater. She glanced at the dishes served today and didn't really want to eat anything. She let Xun Mei serve her food, taking bites here and there.

Xunmei looked worried: "We should go to the kitchen and tell the princess what dishes she likes." Today, Yihuan's meal at the prince's residence was decided at the last minute.

Before Yi Huan could even take a few bites, the little eunuch beside her entered the room: "This servant greets the Princess and her consort."

Yi Huan asked, "Why did you come here? Is something the matter?"