The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

The next morning, when Yinxiang woke up, it was still dark. As he got up to get dressed, Qingwan woke up as well.

She closed her eyes and dozed off for a while, but found she couldn't ignore the sound of the fabric rubbing together. So she simply pulled the blanket up and sat on the bed to watch everyone help Yinxiang get dressed.

When the others saw that Yinxiang was dressed but not moving, they had no choice but to bring towels and other items into the room to help him wash up.

As Qingwan watched, she rested her head on her knees and lowered her eyelashes.

Yinxiang found it amusing and put the handkerchief back into the basin: "If you are sleepy, you can still lie down. I know you are exempt from the children's and others' greetings. It's okay to sleep a little longer."

Qingwan lazily raised her eyes and said, "I don't want to sleep now that I'm awake, and I have a lot to do today."

I must first pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. Consort Hui summoned her eighth sister-in-law to the palace, saying it was to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager. I don't know why, but I must go and see.

Besides, it's been a long time since I've gone to pay my respects to Mama.

The Empress Dowager did not like to speak Chinese, so most conversations with her had to be in Mongolian or Manchu, with Mongolian being the preferred language.

The princes were alright, but among the princes' wives, only the tenth prince's wife and the fifth prince's wife, who only started learning Mongolian after marrying the fifth prince, were able to speak it well.

Therefore, the Empress Dowager did not interact much with the princes and their wives, nor did she send people to pay their respects. It was considered good if she did so once every month or two, and it was usually the concubines who led the way.

Qingwan changed her posture and continued, "Hongxi is getting married the day after tomorrow, and I was thinking of going to see the Crown Princess later."

Although we don't need to, it would be good to go and see the relationship between the master and the crown prince.

"Is that all the gifts from the past two days? Would you like to add or subtract some, sir?"

"They are all carefully selected, so there's no need to add or subtract anything."

Mu Xiang opened the cabinet again, which contained accessories that Yinxiang often used. She selected a few items and placed them on a tray for Yinxiang to choose from.

Qingwan simply threw off the covers and got up. Although there was already a sliver of light outside, candles were still lit inside the room.

Qingwan's fingers traced the ornaments on the tray, selecting one or two pieces before hanging them around his waist, as she said with some annoyance:

"I invited you back yesterday because I had something to do, but I was delayed and forgot to tell you."

Hearing her tone, Yinxiang laughed and said, "How can you say that? Do you think I'm delaying things?"

Qingwan continued working, and gave a soft snort: "How dare I?"

Only after raising his head did he say seriously, "Yingyu may be pregnant."

"Perhaps?" Yinxiang's expression shifted.

“Yes, maybe,” Qingwan said. “Because she hasn’t summoned the imperial physician to see her yet, but her maid said her period is about ten days late.”

Early pregnancy is a time when things are prone to complications, and hearing what my daughter said made me worry.

"That's strange. Even her maid knew, how could she not know? Why didn't she herself take the time to check?" Yinxiang found this statement somewhat amusing.

"Isn't this just bringing us back to the same point? I was just telling Grandpa that it's easy for things to go wrong in the early stages of pregnancy, especially in the first three months. According to custom, you shouldn't tell anyone about the first three months of pregnancy."

Yinxiang chuckled: "So she's being wary of people? Is there anyone here she can be wary of?"

Qingwan also laughed and said, "That's hard to say. They might be guarding against me and Fuling."

"But that's fine too. If she's careful, I won't have to worry so much. Back when Fuling was here, I went with Master to the borderlands, and she had to fend for herself."

"Look, I've gone off on a tangent. I'm not saying this to file a complaint."

Qingwan had also changed her clothes and was washing her face. She put down her handkerchief and sat down in front of the dressing table before saying:

"Does Master know that Yingyu has been taking medicine?"

Yinxiang thought for a moment and said, "I know, I haven't neglected her even when I'm out with her."

She said she was taking sedatives because she wasn't used to being away from home. I was just about to tell you not to invite her this time, it would be too much trouble.

“Even if you don’t say anything this time, I won’t dare let her go with you again.”

However, since the master sometimes reads medical books to pass the time, he naturally knows the principle that all medicines have some degree of toxicity. He's unsure if she can continue taking the medicine while she's pregnant.

Yinxiang looked at Qingwan with a complicated expression, and after a long while, he said, "I understand your concerns. I will have the imperial physician come to see you in a few days."

Qingwan smiled and said, "Since you say so, I'm relieved."

The two had a meal together before Qingwan saw Yinxiang off.

Once Yinxiang was out of sight, Chenxiang said, "We don't know what kind of medicine Shi Jia Gege is, but she just puts it in her mouth."

"Now let's explain things clearly to the master. Since he has said he will summon the imperial physician, if anything really happens in the future, the wife will have something to say."

Mu Xiang thought more deeply than Chen Xiang: "If Princess Shi Jia is indeed pregnant, should the Princess Consort bring the First Prince over first?"

Qingwan simply shook her head slightly: "Neither the master nor the two princesses grew up by Consort Min's side."

Before they could fulfill their filial duties, Consort Min passed away, a fact that remained a knot in their hearts. However, it was a rule of the palace, and there was nothing they could do about it.

But we don't have that kind of rule here. If I were to bring the eldest prince to my side for my own selfish reasons, I'm afraid the prince and the tenth princess would have reservations."

Yinxiang knew all too well how much sincerity a foster mother could have in her foster son.

Moreover, Qingwan touched her lower abdomen and realized that she was capable of having children.

After she finished speaking, Aunt Yan stepped into the room. Chenxiang had her back to the door and didn't see her. She added, "This is also because the Fujin treats them too well."

Qingwan was only slightly taken aback before softly explaining, "You hadn't entered the manor yet at that time, so you probably didn't know."

I have an older sister who was rejected from the talent show, so my father arranged her marriage.

Our Manchu customs are not as strict as those of the Han people, and we often go to teahouses before marriage.

My sister met her fiancé at the teahouse. Since the two families were already engaged, her family didn't say much.

My sister must have really liked that fiancé, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. She caught a cold a month before the wedding, and it was this cold that took her life.

At that time, she was only two months away from her seventeenth birthday.

I was not yet six years old at the time, but I already knew that being able to live well was a very precious thing.

As for Yingyu, I only mentioned it briefly, but how she decides to proceed is up to her.

The child is in her womb, and I won't try to take it from her after it's born. Therefore, she's the one who should care most about the child's health. Although I'm the legal mother, I'm just that—the legal mother.

Most importantly, raising a child is not so easy.

These words were meant for Chenxiang, and also to explain to Aunt Yan. As for whether they would reach Yinxiang's ears, Qingwan didn't know.

Since entering the palace, Aunt Yan has been conscientious about her duties, never overstepping her bounds, never saying anything to Yinxiang, let alone interfering in Yinxiang's affairs.