Xie Shi had a blank expression and strong features.

He glanced at Gu Yue calmly, then looked elsewhere, his lips opening and closing as he said, "What do you think?"

Gu Yue's eyes suddenly turned red, "I've been thinking about my cousin all the time."

Xie Shi laughed at himself and said, "My mother is arranging a marriage for me."

Gu Yue was stunned, "Are you getting married?"

She was shocked, even in disbelief.

Xie Shi laughed sarcastically, "Shouldn't I get married? Should I stay with you forever?"

"No, that's not what I meant. It's just that this news came too suddenly."

Xie Shi said in a cold and hard tone: "Since you have married the prince, of course I want to get married too."

Gu Yue felt wronged, "What about our child?"

Xie Shi's expression changed. "Shut up! Don't talk nonsense anymore. That's the prince's child."

Gu Yue sobbed, "You are so mean to me. You never used to..."

"That's enough. They're back."

Gu Yue stopped sobbing immediately, and everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The coachman and the maid came back together.

The two maids chattered and didn't notice anything unusual.

The carriage continued to move forward and returned to the Prince of Chu's Palace.

…

Gu Jiu returned to the palace, went back to his room to change into cotton clothes, and then went to Chunhe Hall to pay his respects.

There was a look of worry between Pei's brows.

"Today, I, the princess, came to the palace to pay my respects to the queen. The queen is feeling a little unwell."

"Is it okay?" Xiao Qin'er was worried.

Pei said, "The imperial physician said that Your Majesty has only caught a cold and is unlikely to be seriously ill. Tomorrow, you will follow me into the palace to pay your respects to Your Majesty."

"My daughter-in-law obeys."

Although Pei said that it was nothing serious, she was still very worried.

After all, Concubine Xiao Shufei was almost sixty years old and lived a very long life.

I'm really afraid of getting sick at this age, especially in such a cold winter.

If Prince Ning were here, she could still ask Prince Ning for advice.

Now that Prince Ning is not around, she can only call her two sons to ask for their opinions.

When Liu Yi heard that Concubine Xiao Shufei was ill, he clamored to go to the palace to visit her.

Pei glared at him and said, "You're not a kid anymore. Stop yelling when things get tough. Learn from your big brother and be more steady when things get tough."

Liu Yi couldn't believe that his mother actually asked him to study with Liu Zhao.

In the past, his mother always disliked Liu Zhao and told him not to learn from him.

So he really didn't learn from Liu Zhao.

Now his mother changed her mind and asked him to learn from Liu Zhao. The change was a bit too fast.

Liu Yi suddenly felt a sense of crisis and dared not make any more noise.

"Zhao'er, can you contact your father? The queen is sick and he is not around. What should we do?" Pei was very worried.

"Don't panic, mother. I'll go to the palace tomorrow to check on the situation. As for father, even if I write a letter now, it might not be received before the New Year. Besides, the roads are frozen and walking is difficult. What if father, worried about your safety, makes a mistake in his haste? What will we do then?"

Liu Zhao's voice seemed to have a soothing effect on people's hearts.

After hearing what he said, Pei was indeed not as nervous as before.

She took a deep breath and said, "Tomorrow, you two brothers will go to the palace to visit the queen. I plan to go to the temple to pray for the queen."

"Mother, please take care of yourself too." Liu Yi's face was full of worry.

When Pei saw this, she felt comforted, thinking that her love for Liu Yi was not in vain, as he finally knew how to care for others.

She smiled and said, "Don't worry about me, Yi'er. I'm in good health."

"My son is still worried."

"There's nothing to worry about. You'll be in the palace tomorrow, so don't act naughty."

"My son listens to his mother."

Looking at the loving mother and filial son, Liu Zhao felt no emotion in his heart.

After so many years, he has already gotten used to it.

He took the opportunity to say goodbye without staying any longer.

Seeing this, Liu Yi smiled even more brightly.

Liu Yizhen is not stupid. Not only is he not stupid, he is very smart. In the past, he was just too lazy, too lazy to use his brain and too lazy to work hard.

Anyway, whatever he wanted, he only had to say it, and someone would bring it to him with both hands.

Everything comes so easily, why bother working hard, why bother thinking?

But it doesn't work now.

Liu Zhao left him far behind, and the distance between the two brothers grew farther and farther.

What's even worse is that his mother actually told him and Liu Zhao to learn something.

This gave Liu Yi a strong sense of crisis.

He soon realized that he could no longer just ask for what he needed like he did when he was a child.

If he wants to obtain the resources of the palace and gain the favor and trust of his father, mother and concubine, he must show his true ability.

Liu Yi lowered his head and smiled.

Liu Zhao, just wait. I'll catch up.

Liu Yi patiently talked to Pei, making her very happy.

Pei praised him for his filial piety.

Liu Yi naturally had to be humble.

From beginning to end, he never said a bad word about Liu Zhao.

He is not a fool. Gossiping about others behind their backs is a mean act.

Moreover, he and Liu Zhao were brothers, and if he gossiped about Liu Zhao behind his back, he would only be despised.

Liu Yi measured his words and waited until dark before saying goodbye and returning to the west courtyard.

Xiao Qin'er was very worried about Concubine Xiao Shu's illness.

When she saw Liu Yi, she said, "Tomorrow I want to go to the palace with you to visit the Empress."

"Don't mess around."

Liu Yi's words were neither light nor heavy, but Xiao Qin'er found them harsh.

Sure enough, he felt impatient when talking to himself now.

Xiao Qin'er bit her lip and said, "I'm worried about the safety of the queen."

"Who wouldn't be worried? Tomorrow, my brother and I will go to the palace to check out the situation. Mother is going to the temple to pray for the Empress, so you should go too. Be good and don't act like a spoiled brat. In a few days, you can go to the palace with Mother again."

Xiao Qin'er asked, "Will mother go to the temple to pay respects tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's weather is not good, we can go the day after tomorrow."

Liu Yi looked at her and saw that she looked aggrieved, so he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Xiao Qin'er took a deep breath and said, "I'm fine."

"If you have nothing else to do, I'll go to the study to rest."

Ever since the couple had a falling out over the issue of taking a concubine, Liu Yi never again refused to enter her bedroom.

Of course, the three concubines were also sent away.

During this period, Liu Yi slept in the study.

"etc!"

Xiao Qin'er called him, "Big Brother has been clamoring for you, don't you go see him?"

The eldest brother is in the bedroom.

Liu Yi glanced inside and said, "Let's do it another day."

"Liu Yi, you don't have to enter my bedroom, but you can't stop caring about Big Brother."

Xiao Qin'er could no longer bear it and directly broke the window paper.

Liu Yi frowned, "You think too much."

"Whether I'm overthinking it or not, you know best. Also, I want to give my eldest brother a younger brother or sister."

Liu Yi frowned, "Let's talk about this later."

Xiao Qin'er felt extremely aggrieved. "When will that be? Next year, the year after? After you take a concubine and have a bastard child, will you come and talk to me about having a legitimate child?"

"Don't be unreasonable."

Xiao Qin'er laughed at herself, "I'm not being unreasonable, I just want a child."

Liu Yi gritted his teeth, suppressed his anger, and asked, "Okay, I'll come over whenever you say we'll have sex. I'll definitely satisfy you."

Xiao Qin'er was heartbroken.

In Liu Yi's eyes, having sex with her was like a torture.

She clutched her heart, "Do you have to do this?"

Liu Yi took a deep breath and warned himself in his heart, don't be angry, don't be angry.

He suppressed his anger and said, "I have already agreed to your request. What else do you want from me?"

"It's nothing! Forget it, you should go and see Big Brother. I won't do anything to you."

Both of them were restraining themselves.

Both of them felt very uncomfortable.

Liu Yi hesitated for a moment, walked into the bedroom, and picked up his eldest brother for the first time in so many days.

Xiao Qin'er sat outside, crying silently.

The words that Madam Xiao warned her at the beginning came true.

Liu Yi had a grudge against her and was no longer willing to touch her.

Does she regret it?

She has no regrets.

If it happens again, she will still make a big fuss.

She, Xiao Qin'er, is definitely not a woman who would compromise.

She looked at Liu Yi's back and said, "If you are unkind, then don't blame me for being unjust."

In this life, I am the only one qualified to give birth to your child.

…

Liu Zhao returned to the East Courtyard, feeling cold all over.

He waited until his body was warm before walking into the small study and hugging Gu Jiu.

Gu Jiu patted his back and asked, "You know about the queen's illness, right?"

"Well, my fourth brother and I will go to the palace early tomorrow morning to take a look at the situation. The day after tomorrow, my mother will go to the temple to pay her respects to the Empress, and you should go too."

Gu Jiu nodded in agreement.

"Is the Majesty's illness serious? Do you want me to go to the palace to check on her?"

"We'll talk about this later. The doctor said it was just a common soldier's cold. I hope he gets better soon."

Concubine Xiao Shufei just had a cold, but the reason why everyone was so nervous was because she was old and would be sixty years old in two years.

For older people, a minor cold can be fatal.

So everyone was a little nervous.

Everyone hopes that Concubine Xiao Shufei can recover soon.

…

Burning incense at Xiangguo Temple is the most effective, so Pei decided to go there to burn incense.

Early in the morning, the whole palace was in motion. No one was sleeping in today.

Pei took several daughters-in-law, as well as Concubine Shen and others, and went to Xiangguo Temple in a carriage.

Liu Yi took a day off to stay with Pei.

Liu Zhao went to the government office to work as usual.

Pei had some thoughts about this.

She said to Liu Yi privately, "Your elder brother has been a cold and aloof person since he was young."

"Big brother has a strong sense of responsibility and cannot let go of his duties at the government office. Mother understands."

Liu Yi actually spoke well of Liu Zhao.

Pei was surprised.

Liu Yi's expression remained calm. "He is, after all, my biological brother. This time, when my father left the capital, I deeply felt the meaning of the saying, 'Fathers and sons fight together in battle, and brothers fight together to defeat a tiger.' In the past, I was too naive and immature, which is why I argued with my elder brother. From now on, I will respect my elder brother and follow his example."

Pei was not sure whether Liu Yi was sincere or insincere when he said this.

She felt relieved in her heart.

"Good boy, you have finally grown up."

Liu Yi looked guilty. "I was ignorant before and always made Mother worry. I am unfilial. I will work hard to make progress and live up to Mother's expectations."

"You should let your father see what you look like now. It's really good."

Liu Yi smiled and said, "I will write a letter to my father, reporting the situation in the palace and asking him not to worry."

"Good boy, you should write a letter to your father."

The mother and son talked a lot.

Pei felt that Liu Yi had really changed for the better.

She said, how could her son be a failure?

Liu Yi was just too playful in the past.

Now that you've grown up, you'll be successful sooner or later.

Liu Yi lowered his head and smiled.

Halfway through the journey, he went for a ride to get some fresh air and cool down.

In order to welcome the Ning Wangfu family, Xiangguo Temple specially closed the mountain gate today and did not allow anyone else to go up the mountain.

The abbot went out in person to greet her and exchange greetings with Mrs. Pei.

Upon learning that it was a prayer for Concubine Xiao Shufei, Xiangguo Temple adopted the highest standards.

Everyone knelt on the mat and prayed devoutly.

Ouyang Fu felt a little uncomfortable.

She knelt on the mat with her eight-month-old belly, and managed to hold on until the prayer was over.

When I got up, my body was shaking.

Fortunately, Gu Jiu, who was standing next to her, supported her.

"Is my second sister-in-law okay?"

Ouyang Fu took a breath and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I'm fine and can hold on."

"Second brother and sister-in-law, please don't force yourself."

Ouyang Fu shook her head. "I just can't use my waist. That's all."

Gu Jiu had never been pregnant and had not studied obstetrics and gynecology, so she was not sure how to alleviate this situation.

Concubine Shen came to Ouyang Fu nervously, "Are you okay?"

Ouyang Fu had finally gotten pregnant with this child, so nothing could go wrong.

"I'm fine. I just feel a little uncomfortable after kneeling for so long."

"Hurry up and lie down in the backyard. The birth is about to begin, and there can't be any mistakes."

Concubine Shen only had one son, the Second Young Master, and she was counting on Ouyang Fu to give birth to a boy so that she could be proud.

After the prince passes away, when the palace is divided, she can live with her sons and grandsons.

So Ouyang Fu must not make any mistakes.

Concubine Shen personally helped Ouyang Fu to the backyard.

Secretly blame Pei.

"I told you yesterday that it's not convenient for you to go out with your big belly. The princess insisted that everyone be present to show her sincerity. If that's the case, why didn't she ask the Third Madam to go out? Humph, I think the princess is deliberately making things difficult for you. She's hoping for something to happen to you."

"Mother-in-law, please calm down. Mother is truly worried about the safety of the Empress."

Concubine Shen snorted coldly, "Who wouldn't worry about the Madam's safety? Is she the only one who's worried? You're just too naive. You're about to give birth, and you're still running outside. If anything goes wrong, I'll see what you'll do."

Ouyang Fu smiled and said, "Don't worry, mother-in-law. I'm just tired. I'll be fine after a rest."

"It better be alright."

After placing Ouyang Fu in the side room, Concubine Shen ordered people to prepare food and drinks, and asked Ouyang Fu to eat more.

Ouyang Fu refused to eat more.

"If you eat too much, the fetus will be too large and it will be easy to have a difficult birth."

"Pah, pah, pah, what are you talking about when you have a difficult birth?"

Ouyang Fu still refused to eat more because she was afraid of a difficult labor and that something might happen to the baby.

So she always followed the doctor's advice and listened to Gu Jiu's suggestions, and she didn't dare to eat too much since she became pregnant.

She gained more than ten pounds during her pregnancy. Her belly was quite large, but she didn't gain any weight.

She thought this was fine.

The smaller the fetus, the easier it will be to give birth.

Seeing that Ouyang Fu refused to eat any more, Concubine Shen gave up trying to persuade her.

"Forget it, forget it. As long as it's for the good of the child, I won't bother with you. You are my ancestor now."

Ouyang Fu was a little embarrassed. "It's unfilial of a daughter-in-law to make her mother-in-law worry."

"There's no point in saying these empty words. Giving the Second Young Master a son is the most important thing."

"I see."

Ouyang Fu also hoped that this baby would be a son.

Gu Jiu brought people to the side room to visit Ouyang Fu.

"Are you okay, second sister-in-law? Mother learned that you were unwell and specifically asked me to come and check on you."

"Thank you, mother, for worrying about me. I'm much better now. Please take a seat, sister-in-law."

Gu Jiu saluted Concubine Shen before sitting down.

She held Ouyang Fu's hand and quietly took her pulse while talking.

"My second sister-in-law looks better. I'm relieved to see that you're okay."

Ouyang Fu's pulse was a little weak, and it seemed that she was tired.

"Second sister-in-law, you should lie down and rest instead of sitting. Your waist won't be able to bear it if you sit for too long."

"The eldest lady is right, lie down quickly." Concubine Shen echoed Gu Jiu's words.

Ouyang Fu had no choice but to lie down.

At this time, a maid ran in hurriedly.

"My Lady Consort, Second Madam, and the Second Young Master have arrived in the capital."

"Is the young master back?"

Ouyang Fu sat up suddenly.

Gu Jiu was quick to support her and said, "Second brother, be careful."

Ouyang Fu was also a little flustered. She calmed herself down and asked the maid, "Is the young master really back?"

"Reporting to the Second Madam, the Second Young Master has returned to the palace. The Lord Housekeeper specially sent someone up the mountain to inform us."

Ouyang Fu breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God, I'm finally back."

The couple had been separated for half a year. Ouyang Fu, with her belly bulging, missed the second young master very much.

Concubine Shen was also thanking God and the Bodhisattva.

The second young master has returned to Beijing safely, this is the greatest news.

After being happy, Ouyang Fu asked again, "Do you know how much silver the Second Young Master brought back this time?"

"I don't know."

"How can you casually say such a thing? It won't be too late to ask him when we return to the palace."

Concubine Shen also secretly winked at Ouyang Fu, telling her to be more careful.

Didn’t you see that Madam Gu Jiu is here too?

It is inappropriate to ask how much silver you brought back right away.

Gu Jiu lowered his head and smiled.

Concubine Shen has so many little thoughts.