The Qing Palace Never Meets Spring

Yinxiang watched Qingwan's departing figure quickly and hurriedly. He wanted to call her to wait, but he was afraid that making a sound would wake Moyaqi, so he could only watch her leave.

When Qingwan was looking after Moyaqi, she was all alone; even the wet nurse wasn't there. Now that she's gone, only Yinxiang remains.

Yinxiang sat in the spot where Qingwan had left, and suddenly felt something strange.

He never spent time alone with any of them, whether it was Mingxin, Hongchang, or Moyaqi.

Either Fuling and Qingwan are there, or the wet nurse and Zhang Rui are there.

But this time, he was the one guarding Moyaqi, and he was actually a little curious about how Kangxi had raised Yinreng when he was a child.

He imitated Qingwan's manner and tucked the blanket around Moyaqi, momentarily forgetting that he was allowed to bring wet nurses or maids into the house, and just stood there guarding her.

In the other rooms, Qingwan, who had been left behind by Yinxiang, listened absentmindedly to Daijia, the nanny sent by the Crown Princess, talking about Li Shi.

Dai Jia realized that Qing Wan wasn't really listening to her, so she briefly summarized what she had to say.

Once the room was quiet, Qingwan came to her senses: "My second daughter is sick, and I've been taking care of her so much that I haven't had a chance to talk to the nanny."

You've probably found out what the situation is like here since you arrived these past few days. You were sent by the Crown Princess, and I trust your discipline and ability to train people.

This time, Lady Li is going out of the palace with the Thirteenth Prince, so the nanny must keep a close eye on her.

Lady Daijia found it strange that since Lady Li entered the prince's quarters, the thirteenth prince had not visited her even once.

She secretly inquired and learned that the Thirteenth Prince had said he would give the person to the Fujin (wife of the Prince Consort). She wondered what tricks the couple were up to and dared not think too deeply about it.

She didn't know whether this Princess Li was important or not, or how she should act.

However, she still felt that being with the Thirteenth Prince was much better than being with the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess had been in the palace for many years and already had her own team; no matter how well she performed, she couldn't get close enough to join them.

It would be better to go to the Thirteenth Prince's residence. The Thirteenth Prince is currently favored by the Emperor and is also the Crown Prince's right-hand man.

Unlike the Crown Princess, the Thirteenth Prince's wife only brought two people with her when she entered the palace, and she had no capable maids by her side.

Although there is one now, she knows this person. He served by Consort Min's side in the past and is also Consort Min's relative. It is impossible to really treat him as a servant.

If she can do well the things that the Thirteenth Prince Consort asked her to do, even if she can't be a confidante, she can still manage some things, and she can live a peaceful old age after leaving the palace and establishing her own household.

While pondering, he became even more attentive and careful towards Qingwan: "Don't worry, Madam, the Thirteenth Prince has given all the instructions. This servant knows what to do."

Qingwan had left someone outside Moyaqi's room to keep an eye on Yinxiang, just in case something unexpected happened, but since no one had come after a while, she also wanted to go back and check.

Seeing that Qingwan was looking outside, Daijia withdrew on her own.

Qingwan also got up and went to Moyaqi's side.

On the other side, Yinxiang waited and waited but Qingwan did not return. Then he saw Moyaqi humming twice as if she was about to wake up.

He became even more afraid to move, lest he wake the child, but soon, Moyaqi did wake up.

She rubbed her eyes, looked around, and only saw Yinxiang. She pouted and tears started falling.

Yinxiang suddenly stood up, somewhat at a loss. He was about to call for his wet nurse when he remembered Qingwan saying that Moyaqi liked to be lifted up high.

He hesitated for a moment, then awkwardly bent down and picked up Moyaqi, lifting her to rest on his shoulder.

She then gently patted Moyaqi, just like Qingwan usually does, and coaxed her softly.

Moyaqi sniffled twice and nuzzled against Yinxiang's ear.

Yinxiang immediately froze. He had seen Qingwan often holding Moyaqi, the mother and daughter nose to nose.

After each of these events, Moyaqi would be very happy and giggle.

After Moyaqi finished rubbing against him, she softly called out, "Father."

The voice was very soft; if it weren't for the fact that "Father" was right next to his ear, he wouldn't have recognized it.

He felt a sharp jolt in his heart. After a moment of stunned silence, he lifted Moyaqi high in front of him and coaxed her to call him "Father" again.

Yinxiang was much taller than the people who usually played with Moyaqi, so Moyaqi happily waved her little hands and laughed even more.

But no matter how much Yinxiang coaxed him, he refused to call out "Father" a second time.

As soon as Qingwan arrived at the door, she heard Moyaqi's laughter and couldn't help but laugh along. After laughing, her expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly went inside.

Upon entering, she saw Yinxiang holding up Moyaqi and spinning her around. Although she was pleased to see this, she didn't stop and quickly pulled Yinxiang back:

"Don't let her laugh like that. Her throat isn't fully healed yet, and it'll start hurting again later."

Yinxiang looked at her. He was now holding Moyaqi with one hand and touching his nose with the other. He had forgotten about it.

Both the imperial physician and Qingwan said that Moyaqi's throat was uncomfortable, so she didn't want to eat.

Seeing two similar pairs of eyes, one big and one small, looking at her, Qingwan felt helpless. She wanted to go and help Moyaqi, but Moyaqi just twisted her body and snuggled into Yinxiang's arms.

Qingwan playfully slapped her: "You little ingrate."

He then asked Yinxiang, "Why didn't you call for the wet nurse when the child woke up? Instead, you held and comforted him yourself."

Yinxiang placed Moyaqi on the kang (a heated brick bed) and sat in front of her to block her from falling off.

Perhaps she was having fun, Moyaqi stumbled and climbed onto Yinxiang's back again.

Yinxiang simply sat still and let her make a fuss, saying to Qingwan, "Isn't it because I didn't see anyone?"

Qingwan looked away and said seriously, "Is that so? I'll talk to them in a bit."

Yinxiang gave a light hum, but his expression was relaxed, and he didn't seem really angry.

The two played with the child for a while longer, but they were sick and didn't have much energy. Soon, Moyaqi started yawning again.

Qingwan handed Moyaqi over to the wet nurse before leaving with Yinxiang.

The two did not rush back to their room, but took a stroll around the courtyard. Along the way, they encountered Mingxin playing with Hongchang.

Yinxiang took the initiative to talk to Mingxin for a while, and then patted Hongchang's head. Throughout the process, Yinxiang appeared very kind, even though he was still two years away from turning twenty-five.

When the two returned, Yinxiang suddenly said, "Today, Moyaqi called me Father."

Qingwan found his reaction rather strange, even though she had been deliberately cultivating the relationship between Yinxiang and Moyaqi: "This isn't the first time you've called me 'Father,' Mingxin and Hongchang have already done it."

“No, it’s different,” Yinxiang explained. “Whether it’s Mingxin or Hongchang, they are surrounded by a group of people who teach them to call them, but Moyaqi is not.”

I was the only one watching over her. It was the first time I had ever held her like this, and she whispered "Ama" in my ear. No one taught her that at that time.

It's a very different feeling. Despite all my years of schooling, I'm at a loss for words.

Qingwan smiled as she looked at him. How could she not know how Yinxiang felt? When Moyaqi was able to clearly call out "E'nie" for the first time, she was much more excited than Yinxiang.

She kept pulling at Aunt Yan, saying, "She called me." This made Aunt Yan and the maids around her laugh.

Now, she is very satisfied with the changes in Yinxiang, and she hopes that her child will be treated differently by Yinxiang.