It was almost half a month later when Xu Lingqing and Yang Yan returned to the Chengen Duke's Mansion. Yang's aunt had probably already gone to the Yang family's hometown. Given this lesson, whether the Chengen Duke's Mansion would agree to let this aunt visit again was another question.

After the New Year, the capital city was bustling with activity, but Xu Yunci seemed even busier.

Now he is the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, responsible for the security of the capital. Especially during the New Year holidays, when there are many people and things are bustling and lively, both Jingzhao Prefecture and Dali Temple have a lot to do.

Today's Lantern Festival is all about family reunion. All the Xu family members in the capital have come to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. They have met before, but this year is the first time that Li Shiyue has appeared as the wife of the Rongguo Duke's heir.

Xu Yunci was extremely reluctant to leave home early in the morning. Holding Li Shiyue's hand, he was somewhat at a loss. Looking at Li Shiyue's lower abdomen, he still couldn't accept that there was a child there.

Thanks to Xu Yunci last night, Li Shiyue had been bleeding nonstop and initially thought it was her period was coming to an end, but the pain kept getting worse, so Xu Yunci quickly called for a doctor.

Only then did they learn that Li Shiyue was pregnant, but only for a month. The pregnancy was too early and the pregnancy was unstable, so they could not have intercourse.

The commotion was quite significant; I suspect everyone in the household knew about it last night.

"I'm fine. I still have my mother here. I don't need to do anything today. It's you who are fussing over me. That's not good."

Li Shiyue reached out and pushed him, naturally reluctant to part with him, and wishing he could stay with her every day.

But he is now the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture and the Crown Princess's younger brother. These two points alone make many people eyeing the Rongguo Duke's Mansion. If Xu Yunci is found to have done anything, he will definitely be relentlessly pursued by those censors.

Li Shiyue was even more reluctant to let him suffer at the hands of those people, so she nudged him to indicate that he shouldn't worry.

Watching Xu Yunci finally leave the house, turning back every few steps, Li Shiyue's smile faded. Touching her lower abdomen, she realized it was somewhat unrealistic.

The pregnancy is unstable in the first three months, so it's naturally not advisable to talk about it.

"The Duchess sent Mama Luo this morning to tell you that you should rest well today. The Duchess is taking care of things at the front, so you should focus on getting better first."

Yang knew what had happened last night, and besides, Xu Yunci and Li Shiyue had no intention of hiding it from their family.

Li Shiyue felt a warmth in her heart: "Mother is also thinking about me and my child. Keep an eye on things, and let me know if anything happens."

Chunling agreed and left. She had only walked to the corridor when she saw Qiu Fan, whose face was puffed up with anger.

Unlike the warmth inside, the corridor was drafty with a cold east wind blowing everywhere. The wind and snow stung the eyes, and the sky above looked gray and gloomy.

"What's wrong? Who upset you?"

As Chunling watched Qiu Fan approach, the anger on her face became even more apparent. Although Qiu Fan, Cui Xia, and the others were all young maids, they were, after all, from Li Shiyue's courtyard, and were considered ordinary maids in the inner quarters, so they were treated with great respect.

Not to mention that Qiu Fan is one of the older ones and the most reliable among them. This is the first time I've seen her act like this, so it's no wonder Chun Ling is surprised.

Cui Xia, standing to the side, pouted and glanced at Qiu Fan, who looked aggrieved. She couldn't help but complain to Chun Ling, "It was those relatives from Xiyuan. We went to deliver things to Xiyuan and happened to overhear them gossiping about the Crown Prince's wife."

"They say that the young mistress is very cunning and manipulative. Even though it's the Lantern Festival today, she still made a scene to force the young master to personally invite a doctor. She also said a lot of unpleasant things about our young mistress."

"This servant and Qiu Fan couldn't stand it and wanted to say a few words on behalf of the young master's wife. Fortunately, the young master's wife ordered us to deliver things to the West Garden early this morning. How could those people still put down their bowls and start cursing? They said some really nasty things."

"It was Madam Xu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, who spoke up, and those relatives' wives finally shut up. However, on the way back, Qiu Fan and I were still angry. Fortunately, the Crown Prince's wife thought of the West Garden and did not mistreat those relatives' wives there these past few days."

They learned to boss people around in other people's homes, as if the Rongguo Duke's Mansion were their own.

Chunling knew the true colors of those Xu family members in the West Garden; they were all scoundrels, only thinking of their own interests.

"You must not say these things in front of a girl. You must keep them to yourself, and even if they rot, you must not let the girl know."

Chunling lowered her voice and gave instructions to Qiufan and Cuixia.

These words angered them, let alone Li Shiyue, the person involved.

Moreover, the pregnancy was diagnosed last night, and only Madam Yang and Xu Yunci knew about it. It was only reported to Old Madam Xu this morning.

It's indeed not advisable to make a fuss when the pregnancy is still in its early stages and the pregnancy is unstable.

Inside the flower hall, there was a burning charcoal brazier. No one spoke; the only sounds were the crackling of the burning charcoal and the slight clinking of teacups.

Madam Yang sat in the main seat, seemingly oblivious to the exchanged glances between the ladies of the clan, and leisurely sipped her tea.

The first person on the left couldn't help but ask, "Why haven't we seen the Crown Prince's wife today? I heard last night that Tongxintang called a doctor overnight, but is Yan Yan feeling unwell?"

The lady sitting next to her chuckled, curled her lips, and deliberately raised her voice: "What's wrong? You're so young. Didn't you go to the Duke of Cheng'en's mansion to support people just a few days ago, making quite a fuss?"

If anyone is feeling unwell, it's the Duchess, the eldest sister-in-law. Having such a daughter-in-law probably isn't so worry-free.

If you ask me, my sister-in-law shouldn't have agreed in the first place, and she even made Erlang go and ask for an imperial decree to grant the marriage. It makes sense, you have to know a woman's background well. If my sister-in-law had agreed to my niece back then, she and Erlang would definitely have had a harmonious marriage.

Why make people gossip about our Rongguo Duke's Mansion like this today? And to put it bluntly, isn't the purpose of marrying a new bride to continue the family line? But it's been almost a year since the wedding, and there's still no news. Could it be that there's something wrong with her health?

"I'm not trying to be blunt, but sister-in-law, you should really think about Erlang's future. Without an heir, what will become of this vast Duke's mansion? If you ask me, my niece is very fertile. If you and Erlang are willing, you could marry her as a concubine; she'll surely give Erlang a healthy baby boy."

She spoke with self-satisfaction, not noticing the change in Yang's expression.

Looking at the people beside her, she saw that they all looked away. This clan lady was somewhat puzzled. She had only spoken the truth, and these were the very things she hadn't told anyone else, precisely because she was worried that these people might do the same.

She spoke hastily, fearing someone would beat her to it.

If we could capture the enormous Rongguo Duke's mansion, we would surely enjoy endless wealth and luxury.