The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

"How is the princess?" Qingwan and the other two naturally noticed that something was wrong with Yihuan.

"Sister Xunmei said it was alright, and the princess didn't want others to keep asking, so she told the princess to just pretend she didn't know."

Li Jia sighed and said softly, "It's the children who suffer because of this rule in the palace."

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Jia had to leave, and then told Qingwan: "I know this is your first child, and the birth was hard, so naturally you cherish it very much."

However, your status is different now, so you can't be like those from humble families who keep their children with them all the time. It's still necessary for a wet nurse to take care of them more often.

The most important thing is to recover as soon as possible. The postpartum period is the most crucial time for a woman; if anything goes wrong, even the best medicine won't be able to help.

"Don't worry, Aunt Yan has told me all of this."

"We haven't been able to find a suitable nanny for you to bring into the palace, and your father and I have always been thinking about it."

I never expected the Thirteenth Master to be so thoughtful. This aunt is much more suitable than the one our family found ourselves.”

Qingwan also smiled and said, "I didn't expect that when Thirteenth Prince said he would find someone to take care of me, he said he would discuss it with me, but in fact he had already made a decision, and I couldn't go against his wishes."

I initially thought it was something that couldn't be handled too lightly or too heavily, but in the end, I did benefit from it.

"That's fine. In that case, I should be going now. Take good care of yourself."

"Okay." Qingwan concealed her disappointment and said, "I'll wait a little longer. I'll take some things to Sixth Sister for me."

"Why are you still thinking about this? The family can't do without her," Li Jia said reproachfully. Jingwan had just given birth to her eldest son before the new year.

"Sixth Sister also misses me. Even the experienced midwives in the palace said that the swaddling clothes that Sister sent were thoughtfully made, so soft, and just right for the baby."

She was about to give birth at that time, yet she still remembered me. I recognize Sixth Sister's cooking skills; this was made by her personally.

Li Jia told her maid and Mu Xiang to take the things for Jing Wan before slowly getting up and leaving.

Qingwan felt a little lost as she watched her departing figure.

Yinxiang, who was far away in Jiangnan, received Yihuan's letter several days later.

When Zhang Rui entered the room with the letter, Yinxiang had just woken up. There was only a faint light coming through the room. Zhang Rui placed a candle on the table beside the bed before handing the letter to Yinxiang:

"It's a letter from the Tenth Princess."

Yinxiang took the letter, seemingly lost in thought, and his movements became increasingly hurried as he opened it.

Sure enough, the letter began by saying that Qingwan had given birth to a daughter and that both mother and daughter were safe. Upon seeing this, Yinxiang's expression softened and the corners of his lips lifted slightly. However, before he could be happy for long, he changed the subject in the letter and began to recount the hardships Qingwan had endured during childbirth.

Yi Huan truly understood her brother. In just a few words, Yinxiang felt as if he were there, witnessing the difficulty of Qingwan's childbirth, and his face immediately showed solemnity.

Then he mentioned the child's nickname, and Yinxiang silently recited it, also feeling that the name was quite good.

Until the very end, when it was mentioned that the child might resemble Yinxiang more, there seemed to be a hint of regret, and Yinxiang's brow twitched slightly.

From Zhang Rui's perspective, all he could see was Yinxiang's constantly changing expression, and his heart was pounding with anxiety.

Fortunately, Yinxiang didn't say anything. He folded the letter and handed it back to him, saying, "Keep it safe. I'll write back to my sister when I get back tonight."

"Yes, sir." Zhang Rui felt relieved, quickly put the letter away, and gestured for someone to bring the toiletries for Yinxiang to wash up.

Yinxiang took the handkerchief, looked at his own face in the water, and thought, "So what if she looks like me? A royal princess needs to be dignified to keep the people below her in check."

When Yinxiang and others arrived at Songjiang Prefecture City with Emperor Kangxi, they saw the people cheering and welcoming the emperor. Emperor Kangxi then prepared to stop in the city.

Seeing that Kangxi was listening to the local officials' reply and had no time to pay attention to them, the princes, Yinxiang took the opportunity to tug at the crown prince: "Your Highness, I'm going out for a stroll. If Father asks me about it, please cover for me."

"Where are you going? Don't wander around. It's chaotic right now. Don't let anything happen." The Crown Prince refused Yinxiang without even turning his head.

"I'll go for a stroll. Lady Zhaojia has never left the capital, so I'll bring her some little trinkets. I'll bring her along, it's fine." Yinxiang didn't seem to care about the Crown Prince's refusal.

“We’ll be in Hangzhou in a couple of days. Why do you have to go sightseeing there? It’s not like this is your first time accompanying the Khan on his southern tour. Why do you have to choose this time to go sightseeing?”

"It will take another three to five days to get to Hangzhou, and the local customs and traditions vary from place to place."

Second brother, how about we make a deal?

“Yes, but I must have my third princess too.” The crown prince turned his head and glanced at him sideways.

“That’s not nice of you. That’s your daughter. Why do I always have to bring her things? You can pick some yourself, even if it’s just a clay or wooden figurine. She’ll be happier with what you get than if I bring her something.”

Yinxiang found the fact that the Crown Prince always made him bring things to the Third Princess rather distasteful.

“It’s not like we didn’t give you a subsidy. Just tell me if it’s okay or not. If it’s not okay, you can tell your father yourself.”

"Fine, whatever the Crown Prince says goes. If you ask me, why don't you want her to come along?"

"What's the point of keeping them locked up in the palace every day?"

"What kind of talk is that? The palace has everything, why do you have to come out here to be exposed to the wind and sun? Whether it's a boat or a carriage, after a while, none of them are comfortable to ride in."

Besides, that girl is always thinking about running away; she's never satisfied when she goes back to the garden. It's time to temper her temper.

“Since the Crown Prince thinks everything outside is bad, why don’t you call her out? If she suffers, she won’t make a fuss about coming out next time. After all, the garden and Jingshan Park are both walled, but look here, there are no walls,” Yinxiang suggested with a smile.

The Crown Prince twirled the ring on his finger and said, "That's easy for you to say. You now have two daughters, how can you bear to part with them? Even if you are willing to part with them, your sister-in-law and your concubine are willing to part with them too."

Yinxiang laughed nonchalantly, “How could I be reluctant? Isn’t it only natural that the sons and daughters of Manchuria are skilled in riding and archery?”

My daughter can be raised with the utmost care and luxury, but she can also endure hardship.

In the future, when I patrol the border, I will also ask them to collect the Khan's reward on behalf of their fathers.

As for my wife, she herself is skilled in riding and archery, so why would she prevent her daughter from learning them?

The crown prince looked him up and down as if he were seeing him for the first time before saying, "You're finally going to be Father's man."

“If I hadn’t become a father, I wouldn’t have bothered to think about these things.”

The Crown Prince chuckled twice: "Indeed, go ahead. You don't need to worry about Father Khan."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Yinxiang bowed before leaving.

Yinlu, who was in the distance, was at the age where he loved to play and make a fuss. Although he couldn't hear what Yinxiang and the Crown Prince were saying, he still chased after Yinxiang and came out of the crowd: "Thirteenth Brother, where are we going? Take me with you."

"Sure, if you're not afraid I'll sell you out, then come along."

"No way."

Yinlu, who had spent the whole day shopping with Yinxiang, was on the verge of tears, clutching the large bags and small packages in his hands. The two men's attendants trailed far behind, but none of them dared to help him.