What followed was a series of rituals, including the tea ceremony, which were all very ordinary and normal, without any unexpected incidents.

Yinzhen had something to tell Dong'e, and then sent everyone back.

Yinzhen: "Since my wife has married me, I should be in charge of managing the household. However, I think we should move out of the palace soon, so I will hand over the household management to her after we leave the palace."

Lady Dong'e understood; the Fourth Prince did not want her to manage palace affairs before leaving the palace.

To be honest, she was very unhappy. If the primary wife couldn't manage the household, who would take her seriously? Not to mention, she could clearly sense Yinzhen's dislike for her.

This kind of start gave Dong Eshi a headache.

She tried her best to suppress the urge to argue. The man in front of her was the Fourth Prince, the future Emperor, and she couldn't have a big fight with him, especially during their honeymoon.

"I wonder who you intend to appoint as the steward, sir?"

"Since the First Lady entered the household, the Second Lady has been managing the affairs of both the front and back courtyards. She has done a very good job, and even Father has praised her. For the time being, the Second Lady will take charge of the affairs of the back courtyards."

Dong Eshi's smile was almost gone as she continued, "I see that Sister Wusu is about to give birth, and the steward will inevitably be tired. Wouldn't that be bad for Sister Wusu?"

Yinzhen knew, of course, that pregnant women shouldn't overexert themselves, but he was worried about Dong Eshi! After all, she had a history of causing such a big incident during the imperial concubine selection.

"You're too kind, Madam. The master has asked Su Peisheng to help Wusu manage the household, so he won't be too tired."

Lady Dong'e had nothing to say. She could tell that Yinzhen didn't trust her and was afraid that she would harm the children in the inner quarters.

Although she did have this intention, she would never be foolish enough to lay a hand on a pregnant woman at this critical juncture.

It's easy to give birth to a child, but difficult to raise them. Sometimes, even a minor cold can take a child's life.

Sighing inwardly, Dong Eshi told herself to be patient. Since Yinzhen didn't trust her, what she should do now was to behave herself. She could only endure and wait, but she needed to have a child.

Thinking of this, Dong Eshi felt a sense of relief: "Your Majesty has considered everything very thoroughly. Let my sister manage the inner courtyard for now. I have heard my mother say that it is not easy for a woman to get pregnant. Your Majesty's consideration for his wife and concubines has deeply moved me."

"Alright then, the pregnant woman in the inner quarters doesn't need to come to pay her respects every day, lest she be bumped into on the way. Besides, I've heard that the concubines in the inner quarters only need to pay their respects to the Noble Consort on the first and fifteenth of each month. We shouldn't overstep the palace's rules, so from now on, one visit on the first and fifteenth will suffice."

Yinzhen never expected her to say such a thing.

It is customary for concubines to pay their respects to the primary wife, even if they are pregnant. Yinzhen did not scheme to ask Dong E to exempt Dong E from the custom of concubines paying their respects unless the primary wife herself asked.

It can be said that Lady Dong'e was very sensible, which made Yinzhen feel a little better.

"You don't need to be so lenient, Madam."

Lady Dong'e smiled and explained, "It's not that I'm being lenient, it's just that I'm a lazy person, and I hope you'll grant my request."

Yinzhen had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Because of Dong E's understanding, even though Yinzhen didn't have a good impression of her, he still gave her the respect due to a primary consort and stayed in her room for three consecutive days.

Faced with this difficult situation, Dong E began to plan how to break the deadlock in the future.

However, these things are not relevant to Anning for the time being; she is now a regular customer.

In October, when the weather turned cold, Emperor Kangxi finally ordered his troops to return to the palace.

Returning to Changchun Palace and looking at the square courtyard, An Ning felt only stifled. The Forbidden City was magnificent, but the place where the concubines lived was really not very nice. It was like a cage, and as soon as she returned, she started thinking about when she could go out again.

Humans are never satisfied.

After two days of adjustment, Anning gradually got used to it.

Two months later, Anning received news that the Fourth Prince's concubine, Lady Wusu, had given birth to a healthy baby boy. Emperor Kangxi was overjoyed upon hearing this and immediately bestowed upon the baby boy the name Hongyun.

Upon hearing the name Hongyun, one realizes that it originally belonged to Consort Li's son, but now it has become the name of Lady Wusu's son.

The fact that the eldest son born out of wedlock is now so eager to be named shows that Emperor Kangxi really dislikes his daughter-in-law, Lady Dong'e.

As for Consort De, she was even more "blatant" in her actions, bestowing generous rewards to express her high regard for the secondary consort.

The Emperor Kangxi and Consort De's unbridled actions made life increasingly difficult for Consort Dong'e in her harem.

She was not favored. Yinzhen was a man of strong character, who loved her to the point of wanting her to live and hated her to the point of wanting her to die. Dong Eshi initially had a very bad impression of him.

In addition, his harem was indeed full of beautiful women, and no matter how well Dong Eshi did, Yinzhen couldn't help but wonder if she had ulterior motives.

Knowing that Lady Dong'e was not living a good life, Anning felt relieved.

She had a good pregnancy, and after returning to the palace, Emperor Kangxi continued to visit her frequently as before. Consort Tong was tactful and, knowing she was due to give birth in two months, excused her from paying her respects.

Two months passed quickly, and Anning's due date was approaching.

Anning was taking a walk when she felt a dampness.

"Chunlan, I'm about to give birth. Go and call Wulan to arrange for a birth control nurse. Baiguo, help me to the delivery room."

An Ning calmly gave the instructions. Chunlan and Baiguo were only slightly nervous, but they didn't panic at all. Then they went about their business.

Anning was helped into the delivery room, where Granny Wulan arrived with several midwives.

As the contractions struck, Anning realized that while she used to think the most unbearable thing in the world was the apocalypse, compared to the pain she felt at this moment, childbirth was much more difficult.

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