Due to Emperor Kangxi's health, this eastern tour did not last long, and the entourage returned to the palace around the beginning of January.

Not long after, Kangxi ordered the Anzang troops to enter Tibet again to prepare for the second military campaign in Tibet.

"Fourth Brother, what do you think of Father Emperor's decision to send the Anzang troops into Tibet again?"

"I think Father Emperor's decision is correct. Our first battle failed mainly due to command errors and insufficient logistics. But since then, our preparations have become much more complete."

Yinxiang nodded:

"Yes, Father Emperor has also appointed other generals to serve as commanders of the central, southern, and northern routes respectively. It seems he is preparing to take drastic measures."

"After preparing for so long, Father Emperor must have made up his mind. Previously, the ministers submitted a memorial suggesting that Father Emperor recognize Gesang Gyatso, the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama at Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai, as the true Dalai Lama. After hearing this, the local people's hearts were much more at ease. I believe that things will go more smoothly for Fourteenth Brother."

"Speaking of which, Fourth Brother, you don't seem worried about the relationship between Nian Gengyao and Fourteenth Brother."

Yinzhen smiled but didn't say anything.

A month later, news spread that Nian Yunrong was pregnant.

"Yunrong, are you feeling any better?"

"I'm much better. Your Highness is busy with many matters, there's no need for you to come all this way."

Upon learning of Nian Yunrong's pregnancy, Yinzhen immediately returned to his residence to visit her.

This morning, Yunrong suddenly fainted. Yinzhen was in the court at the time, so he quickly sent someone to fetch the imperial physician and also invited Consort Li over.

"You are the one who's careless. How could you be so careless as to not even know you were pregnant?"

Li Jingshu explained from the side:

"Your Highness, the imperial physician said that Nian's menstruation is irregular, so it's normal that they can't make a diagnosis. Please don't blame her. Now that she's pregnant, you should be more concerned about her."

Yinzhen gently patted Nian Yunrong's hand and said with a smile:

“Jing Shu is right. I was being a bit presumptuous. You are pregnant and should not overexert yourself. Please leave the affairs of the manor to Jing Shu.”

Nian Yunrong's lips twitched slightly, and she said with a hint of embarrassment:

"How can that be? Sister Li is already tired enough taking care of Hongshi's affairs."

"It's alright. The Imperial Household Department will handle most of the arrangements for Hongshi's wedding."

After the Emperor's birthday celebrations, Emperor Kangxi officially approved Hongshi's marriage proposal and bestowed the title of Dong'e, the daughter of Minister Xierda, upon him.

So Li Jingshu has been busy with this matter all this time.

Clearly, Nian Yunrong was unhappy about her power being taken away. However, being pregnant, she had no reason to argue with the prince.

So, feigning concern, he had Qingyan, who was beside him, fetch the housekeeper's key and seal and hand them over to Li Jingshu.

"Thank you for your hard work, sister."

"Don't worry, little sister."

Yinzhen pretended not to hear the tension in the conversation. After sitting for a while, he used the matter of Hongshi's wedding as an excuse to leave Nian Yunrong's courtyard with Li Jingshu.

After the two left, Nian Yunrong got angry and knocked over the soup bowl next to her.

"Why is Princess so angry? Please take care of your health."

"Hmph, I'm afraid the prince doesn't even care about this child. I've only just been diagnosed with pregnancy, and Li Shi is already eager to take over power. I've never seen any ambition in her before; she's just a dog that bites but doesn't bark."

“Consort, if you ask me, you can’t be careless right now; your health is the most important thing. Even if Consort Li is in charge of the household, it’s only temporary. Once you successfully give birth to the little prince, the prince will hand over the power of household management to you.”

Nian Yunrong gently placed her hand on her still-flat stomach.

"I hope that I can give birth to a prince for the prince this time, so that all the bitter medicine I drank will not have been for nothing."

At this point, Qingyan had the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician brought up:

"Consort, this is what the imperial physician instructed. You are weak, so you still need to take this medicine."

Nian Yunrong frowned and swallowed the medicine while suppressing her nausea.

Meanwhile, the other people in the manor also learned of Nian Yunrong's pregnancy.

When Wanru arrived, she saw Geng Youran sitting on the couch, fiddling with the flowerpots on the table.

"Sister, you have such refined tastes! When did you become interested in these flowers and plants?"

"It's all because of that brat Hongzhou. He got these seeds from who-knows-where. He said he didn't have time and told me to try planting them. How could I possibly know how to plant them? It took so long for them to sprout."

Niohuru Wanru covered her mouth and laughed:

"Sister, Hongzhou probably sent this to you to cheer you up because he was worried you were in a bad mood, but he was just too embarrassed to say it directly."

Geng Youran also wore a kind smile:

"How could I not know how this brat feels? Although he doesn't put much effort into his studies, he's still quite filial."

At this moment, Qianxue brought over tea and snacks, and poured a cup for each of the two masters.

"Did you come here today because of Consort Nian's pregnancy?"

"Yes, sister, don't you think there's something fishy about this?"

“What’s so strange about that? After returning from the Eastern Tour, the Prince stayed at her place for more than half a month. It’s not surprising that he got pregnant.”

"But I've heard people say that Consort Nian did this on purpose?"

What do you mean?

Niohuru Wanru gestured for her servants to leave, then whispered to Geng Youran:

“Sister, I heard that Nian Gengyao and the Fourteenth Prince have a close relationship. Before the New Year, Consort De even invited Consort Nian to the palace for tea. However, you were still on your eastern tour at that time and had not returned, so you were unaware of this matter.”

Hearing Wanru say this, Geng Youran felt that there was something interesting to it. It was possible that the prince had already figured out Nian Yunrong's pregnancy.

However, she wasn't interested in any of that.

"Once you've told me this, don't say it again. The Prince doesn't like people in the inner quarters asking about court affairs. However, since Consort Nian is pregnant, we should avoid her as much as possible and be careful in everything we do."

Niohuru Wanru smiled, and then she and Geng Youran started fiddling with the flowerpots.

When the Fujin, who had been confined to her quarters, heard the news of Nian Yunrong's pregnancy, she simply smiled calmly.

“Madam, you don’t seem surprised that Consort Nian is pregnant.”

"Even if I knew, what could I do? We're locked in this cage now, what can I do to her?"

But it would be a lie to say that he had no plans in mind.

She just felt that something was wrong, but she wasn't sure yet.

Now that the prince is at a crucial juncture in his struggle for the throne, it is impossible for him to kill himself, and it is absolutely impossible for him to divorce his wife.

If she becomes empress in the future, she will have a chance to start over.

"By the way, any news from my aunt? I heard she invited Consort Nian to the palace before the New Year?"

"Yes, but according to our people, Consort De invited Consort Nian to the palace just for tea, and they didn't discuss anything too in-depth."

Ulanara snorted:

"Just you wait, this mansion will soon be bustling again."