I still remember when she was pregnant with her first child, Hongli asked her for help. Yushan was very shy and didn't dare to reach out. The moment he pulled her to feel his presence, her face turned red and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

As it turns out, practice makes perfect. As she became pregnant more often, she had more opportunities to help him. As a result, she was no longer as shy as before. She even deliberately teased him, causing Hongli to close his eyes and hiss softly, feeling an urge to press her down and take her right there and then!

Unfortunately, she was unable to come, so he could only suppress his surging desires and restrain himself.

Although Hongli couldn't enjoy himself as much as usual, he still experienced a unique kind of pleasure. With her cooperation, he was satisfied. Afterwards, he kissed her lips, asked her if she had any lingering thoughts, and said he could help her.

Su Yushan gave him a shy and reproachful look, "I'm only two months pregnant, I can't do anything reckless."

At less than three months old, the fetus is still unstable, so we really need to be careful.

Hongli stopped teasing her, held her and talked for a while, and then they fell asleep together.

After a good night's sleep, Su Yushan planned to go back home after breakfast the next day. After all, this was not her residence, and it would be inconvenient to stay here. Besides, she didn't want to sit here all day watching him review memorials.

With the matter resolved, Hongli had nothing to worry about and had someone escort her back to Huanbi Island.

After Granny An's incident, the cook was also dismissed by Hongli under some pretext. To prevent the Empress Dowager from sending someone else, Hongli preemptively obtained a so-called recipe from the imperial physician.

Of course, this was just for show. As for what Yu Shan wanted to eat, he would let her have her own preferences and wouldn't force her.

This incident caused another unpleasantness between the mother and son. After An Mama left the palace, the Empress Dowager felt somewhat uneasy.

Both she and Granny Mei had served the Empress Dowager for decades. Suddenly losing one of them made the Empress Dowager irritable and resentful of Su Yushan, yet she had no reason to point fingers at her again.

Originally, Su Yushan could stroll around the villa, but since becoming pregnant, she dared not go too far and could only walk around the neighborhood.

Seeing that she seemed a bit lonely, Hongli decided to bring her younger sister, Yuchan, to the palace to keep her company and distract her.

He sent someone to invite Yu Chan, but did not tell Yu Shan, only saying that he would give her a surprise tomorrow.

The next day, Su Yushan waited for a long time, but there was no news until the afternoon. She couldn't help but wonder what surprise Hongli had in store for her.

Hongli arrived at sunset, and Su Yushan asked him about his so-called surprise. Hongli sighed:

“I was planning to bring Yu Chan over to keep you company, but the person who came back said that Yu Chan is pregnant. She wanted to come, but her mother-in-law didn’t want her to travel far, so she wouldn’t allow her to come. That was the end of the surprise.”

"Yu Chan is pregnant!" This news was a huge surprise to Su Yushan.

"This is good news! If she can't come, so be it! As long as she and the child are safe and sound."

The fact that both sisters became pregnant at the same time was indeed a double blessing.

Su Yushan already has a son and a daughter, so she doesn't care about this pregnancy; it doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl. But Yuchan is different.

Her first three children were all daughters, and Yu Shan thought daughters were good enough. However, people in ancient times valued the continuation of the family line and all wanted sons. Even if Zheng Lin didn't care, his parents did.

It would be better if Yu Chan were more assertive like Yun Fang, but she is too gentle, and Yu Shan is always worried that she will be bullied in her husband's family.

Therefore, considering Yu Chan's situation, Yu Shan still hoped that she could give birth to a boy this time.

In this way, the whole family was happy, and Yu Chan would no longer be treated differently by her mother-in-law.

Not only adults care about the sex of the fetus, but children are also very interested in it.

When Yongzhang came home from school, he instinctively rushed into his mother's arms, wanting a hug, but Rongyu, who was standing nearby, pulled him back.

"Hey—slow down, Mother is pregnant. Don't let Mother hold you, or you'll tire Mother out and hurt the baby."

Yongzhang, feeling disapproved of by his older sister, pouted and looked at his mother with a wronged expression, "Does that mean that after Mother has a new baby, she won't hold me anymore?"

"Of course not!" Su Yushan pulled him to her side and coaxed him with a smile, "It's just inconvenient right now. Once the baby is born, I'll be able to hold you."

After Yu Shan coaxed him gently for a while, Yongzhang felt a little better. He obediently nodded, gazed at his mother's belly, and said earnestly:

"Alright then! Baby, you need to grow up quickly and be born so that Mommy can hold me!"

Yunfang asked the little princess with a smile whether she wanted a younger brother or a younger sister.

After rolling her dark, doe-like eyes, Rong Yu pondered, "My younger brother is disobedient and always makes me angry. I want a younger sister."

Feeling offended, Yongzhang slowly turned his head to look at Rongyu, "Who are you calling disobedient?"

Rong Yu raised her chin slightly. "I didn't mention your name, so why are you upset?"

Yongzhang wasn't stupid. "You only have one brother, so who else could it be but me?"

The two siblings always bickered, which Yushan was used to. She changed the subject and asked Yongzhang whether he wanted a younger brother or sister.

Yongzhang glanced at Rongyu deliberately, implying something, "I want a younger brother. My older and younger sisters are all hard to please; they get angry at the drop of a hat and are too difficult to get along with."

Rong Yu narrowed her eyes, about to scold him, but then heard her elder brother Yonghuang say, "Then let's have twins, a boy and a girl, then we'll have a younger brother and sister, and everyone will be happy."

Su Yushan sighed inwardly at how easily her eldest brother made it sound. Everyone wants twins, but not everyone can give birth to them. Besides, it's already difficult to be pregnant with just one; if she were to be pregnant with two, she would probably have even more difficulty moving around.

However, whether it's a boy or a girl is up to fate, and it's not something she can control. Let's see next year!

Looking back, Yu Shan's pregnancy wasn't too difficult. Apart from two bouts of morning sickness around the two-month mark, she didn't have any other symptoms. Her appetite didn't increase, but she didn't experience any more morning sickness either.

August 13th is Emperor Qianlong's birthday, and after that comes the Mid-Autumn Festival.

On the fifteenth, there was a family banquet. During the banquet, everyone discussed the trip to the Mulan Hunting Grounds when the Empress Dowager suddenly spoke up.

"Consort Chun is pregnant and should not travel long distances. She need not go to the Mulan Hunting Grounds. Let's send her directly back to the palace!"