Chapter 171 Not long after Hongyan's marriage, Yinreng issued an imperial edict...

A few days later, Yinreng issued an imperial edict appointing Consort Jing to assist in managing the six palaces. That morning, Lady Linjia made a special trip to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to express her gratitude, and afterwards went to the back to meet Cheng Qianyue. Perhaps having heard that Cheng Qianyue now had a head eunuch from the Qianqing Palace by her side, Lady Linjia didn't say anything else, only that she would follow the instructions and would certainly perform her duties diligently to assist Cheng Qianyue in managing the affairs of the inner palace.

Cheng Qianyue breathed a sigh of relief. She always felt somewhat apologetic towards Lin Jia, firstly because of Hong Jin's downfall, and secondly because she had promised Lin Jia to seek justice for the two children but had broken her promise. This time, her suggestion to let Lin Jia assist in managing the six palaces was also an attempt to make amends in this regard. It seemed that Lin Jia also understood that only by suppressing her anger would the Emperor feel guilty and want to make amends.

After October, things got busy in the palace, but fortunately Cheng Qianyue had more helpers to share the burden, so she wasn't too overworked. However, she heard that Xianfu Palace had been spending a lot on utensils lately, and the Imperial Household Department had to supply several new sets every now and then. Upon learning this, Cheng Qianyue calmly said, "Go with Consort Ke."

For the next few winter months, Cheng Qianyue spent most of her time resting and recuperating during her pregnancy. It wasn't a bad time; Yinreng was in the front and she was in the back, he would come back in the morning, noon, and evening to chat and have meals with her. Later, on days when he wasn't attending court, he simply took the memorials to the back of the palace to review them.

Yinreng sat on the kang (heated brick bed) reviewing memorials, while Cheng Qianyue ground ink or did embroidery beside him. Sometimes, when Cheng Qianyue got tired, she would sway and walk from the west side to the east side, but every time she returned, she would see Yinreng holding a pen, looking at her with a smile. Such days were truly warm and cozy, reminding Cheng Qianyue of the time when she suspected he had been deposed. Back then, they were like this too, spending every day in the same room, their days peaceful and content.

This year, Cheng Qianyue didn't attend many social events during the Winter Solstice and New Year's Eve. Since she was in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she couldn't very well have the ladies of the court come to pay their respects there. Besides, her belly was starting to rise and fall, and with the cold weather outside and the snow on the ground so slippery, she didn't want to go out and risk any mishap. Therefore, she didn't do any of the reception duties, leaving them all to Moyaqi and the princesses.

It has to be said that Moyaqi has become quite sensible. Sometimes when she comes to pay her respects, she will gently lean on her mother's belly and say, "Mother, do you think Father will always be good to us?"

Cheng Qianyue stroked her hair and told her firmly, "Yes. But why would you ask that? Did you hear something?" She gently comforted her, "Moyaqi, don't overthink it."

Moyaqi didn't reply. After a long while, she raised her bright, sparkling eyes and asked softly, "When I was sixteen, I went to play with my older sister. Do you think my older sister and brother-in-law... will be on our side?"

Cheng Qianyue didn't expect Mo Yaqi to say this, and straightened up slightly, saying, "Mo Yaqi, if you want to go out and play, then your mother won't stop you. But if you're trying to win people over, then you shouldn't go out. Besides you, there's also Hongchao. You're not allowed to do those things. Don't think that everyone else is stupid and that they can't see through your little schemes."

Moyaqi's shoulders slumped, and she said dejectedly, "Mother says so, and Third Brother says so too." Holding her hand, she said, "Fourth Brother and I aren't stupid; we wouldn't be so blunt and obvious." After a while, she suddenly said, "In two years, Fourth Brother will be choosing a consort. Will I also have to choose a husband? Will Father choose a husband from a noble family for me?"

Cheng Qianyue thought her daughter's thinking was really unpredictable. Just a moment ago she was talking about winning people over, and now she's talking about choosing a husband. She tapped Moyaqi's forehead and said, "You're still young, it's too early for you to get married." Seeing Moyaqi pouting and looking a little unhappy, she hugged Moyaqi and said softly, "But when the time comes, your father will choose a good one for you."

Just look at the wives Yinreng chose for his children's first few marriages; it's clear that his children's marriages reflected both his hopes and love for them, but also served as a political maneuver. During his years as Crown Prince, aside from his brothers, few people sided with Yinreng, and he even offended many by collecting the court's debts. Therefore, he would choose wives from prominent families for his children. Moyaqi would be no exception; it's estimated that her future husband would be either a veteran official or a newly risen nobleman.

Moyaqi felt a little better after hearing this. She knew her mother and third brother were secretly vying for the crown prince position, and she couldn't let them down. But as her mother said, it was still a long way off before she and her husband's family could put their efforts into it. Ugh, how infuriating!

After Moyaqi left, Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but wonder to herself, "Could it be that my daughter has reached the age of first love?" Then she thought, "Does Moyaqi have someone she likes?" If Moyaqi could possibly have contact with anyone, could it be Hongyan or Hongchao's study companion, or Haha Zhuzi? But when she tried to ask the maids serving Moyaqi, she hadn't heard of her paying any attention to any other men. Cheng Qianyue gave the head maid a few instructions and then put the matter aside for the time being.

No sooner had she put aside the matter of Moyaqi than Yinreng brought up Hongyan's marriage to her. That noon, after returning from court for his meal, he said while picking at his food, "After the New Year, Hongyan's marriage should also be put on the agenda."

Cheng Qianyue thought about it and realized that Guarjia had been studying etiquette for a year, and if she didn't enter the palace soon, it would seem as if they thought she hadn't learned the etiquette well. She then asked, "When does Your Highness think would be a good time for Hongyan's wedding?"

Yinreng said, "I had the Imperial Astronomical Bureau calculate auspicious days for the wedding some time ago. They said that there are auspicious days for the wedding in March, May, and June."

Cheng Qianyue hummed twice, then looked at her belly. She was now more than five months pregnant, so she definitely couldn't set the wedding date for Hongyan in May or June. What if the wedding coincided with her giving birth or going through postpartum confinement? She wouldn't even be able to see her daughter-in-law, which would be so awkward.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "Then let's do it in March, a little later in March, when the weather is nice and spring is in full bloom."

Yinreng smiled and said, "Then I will have someone calculate the exact date."

Cheng Qianyue agreed, then picked up a piece of stir-fried bean sprouts and ate it, but her brows furrowed as she chewed.

Seeing that she was silent, Yinreng thought that the food was not good today and asked, "What's wrong? Is this dish not to your liking?" He was about to tell someone to take it away.

Cheng Qianyue shook her head and said, "It's not because of that." She exhaled and then looked at him with a particularly resentful expression.

Yinreng: What's wrong?

He was completely bewildered, and said with a wry smile, "Why are you looking at me like that?" He hadn't done anything lately, had he? Had he been too busy writing these past few days and neglected her? She said softly, "I've been dealing with the government affairs that piled up before the new year, so I've neglected you. I'll spend more time with you after I'm done."

Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but roll her eyes and said, "I wouldn't dare let you accompany me, Master. Don't you know how this child came to be?"

Yinreng was stunned for a moment, but then he heard Cheng Qianyue muttering to herself, "A pregnant mother-in-law meeting a newlywed daughter-in-law, this must be the first time in history." Thinking about it, it was really embarrassing! The scene involuntarily floated into her mind, and Cheng Qianyue really wanted to cover her face.

She suddenly felt a surge of relief. Good heavens, thank goodness she was in ancient times! If this happened in modern times, well, the new bride had just married into the family, and the mother-in-law had already given birth to a tiny little brother-in-law. That would be absolutely outrageous anywhere!

Yinreng immediately understood what she meant, a smug gleam in his eyes. He smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? Having many children is a blessing. Besides, how dare Lady Guarjia criticize you?" In terms of rank, she was a Noble Consort, while Lady Guarjia was a prince's wife. In terms of age, she was the mother-in-law, while Lady Guarjia was the new daughter-in-law. If Lady Guarjia dared to show any dissatisfaction, it would mean she hadn't learned proper etiquette.

Seeing the culprit gesturing wildly and talking shamelessly, Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but pinch him to vent her anger.

Yinreng immediately grasped her hand and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore. Look at you, you're getting angry out of embarrassment."

Cheng Qianyue: Bah, she's not as shameless as him, hmph!

Now that it had been decided that Hongyan would marry in March, preparations should begin. Cheng Qianyue was fortunate that her pregnancy was stable, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to manage it. And so, as preparations continued, on the sixteenth of March, Lady Guarjia finally entered the house.

Cheng Qianyue had told Hongyan early on that he didn't need to come so early on the second day of the wedding. She would have someone tell them when she got up. Also, Hongyan should bring Guarjia Shi with him, since this was Yangxin Hall, and it would save Guarjia Shi from feeling uneasy coming alone.

So Cheng Qianyue didn't get up that morning. Not long after everything was ready, the young couple came in from outside. After drinking the tea served by Guarjia, Cheng Qianyue put the prepared bracelet on her wrist and said softly, "Your mother has nothing to tell you, I just hope that you and Hongyan will live happily ever after."

Guarjia said softly, then looked at Hongyan and smiled slightly.

Cheng Qianyue found the two of them to be a perfect match and was quite pleased with it. She patted Guarjia's hand and let them go back. After a while, she asked Lin Quan'an, "Ruoyun and Ruoxia should have come to the palace with Guarjia too, right?"

Lin Quan'an said, "Yes, they said yesterday that they wanted to come and pay their respects to the master."

Cheng Qianyue said, "Let them come over this afternoon." She didn't intend to let Ruoyun and Ruoxia stay with Guarjia, since they were people who came from Yongshou Palace. Placing them with Guarjia would be like a mother-in-law placing people in front of her daughter-in-law.

After much deliberation, Cheng Qianyue decided that Ruoyun and the others could be in charge of selecting and training palace maids. The Imperial Household Department selects palace maids every year, so sending Ruoyun and Ruoxia there would also keep an eye on things and prevent a repeat of the Jin family incident.

Having made up her mind, Cheng Qianyue had a better plan in mind, and then she smiled.

Well, although she was heavily pregnant when she met Lady Guarjia, it wasn't as awkward as she had imagined, hahaha.