Because the old lady was lounging lazily on the warm couch by the window, the sunlight only reached the inner room's curtains before being blocked out. The curtains on the window frames had been replaced with thinner ones, allowing a few wisps of light to filter through and fall on the old lady's vermilion cheongsam. The chrysanthemum petals embroidered with fine gold thread on the robe also shimmered, highlighting the old lady's carefully applied makeup.

Yan Ning sat beside the old lady. She glanced at the old lady and tentatively said, "Why not bring Aunt Ying back from the west courtyard to the east courtyard? That would ease De Lin's longing for his birth mother!"

Upon hearing this, the old lady's expression changed. She looked sharply at Yan Ning, "Nonsense! Wu Chun's child has already been born, while your child is still in your womb. If Kang'er returns to the East Courtyard after leaving home, and anything happens to your unborn child, even if you drive her out of the Fucha Mansion, it won't make up for it! The struggle between legitimate and illegitimate children is inherently full of open and covert attacks, so don't entertain such foolish thoughts!"

Yan Ning was stunned by the old lady's words, her mind blank and empty. Xi Ying's maternal family, the Yiergenluo clan, had fallen because her father had been demoted to the frontier. Now, she was practically confined to a cold courtyard, spending her days in despair. Only by retaining De Lin's position as the eldest son could she turn the tide. Thinking this, Yan Ning felt a pang of regret at the old lady's true feelings for her. If it weren't for the Su family of Jiangnan being blackmailed by He Shen into promising her a prestigious position, the old lady probably wouldn't have valued her so much as a Lady Fucha.

If the child in her womb becomes an illegitimate child, her daughter will be like Peng Ruo. Although she won't necessarily marry into an official's household as a concubine, it's possible she'll become Concubine Li or Concubine Fang. Becoming Xiang'er wouldn't be the best outcome. Her son will be like Fu Chang'an. Although he has the title of a young master of the Fucha family, he will have to move out of the Fucha mansion to seek a moment of honor and escape the lowliness of being an illegitimate daughter. If he meets a woman he likes, Fu Kang'an must reject her before he can bring her back to the mansion.

Yan Ning's knuckles stood stiffly upright beneath the extended sleeve, her eyes becoming somewhat vacant. She secretly resolved that no matter what, she would protect the position of the legitimate wife for the child in her womb, so that if she were forced to leave this place in the future, she could ensure that the child in her womb would live a peaceful life.

She knew that the Fucha family would gradually lose its former glory during Delin's generation, but could she reverse the course of history? If her child were to replace Delin in inheriting Fukang'an's title, reversing history, her child would likely not fare well either. Therefore, she never considered having her child inherit Fukang'an's title. Thinking this, Yan Ning actually hoped that she would have a daughter in her womb, thus saving herself from a series of troubles.

Seeing Yan Ning lost in thought, the old lady feared that Yan Ning's feelings for De Lin had changed. "De Lin now regards you as his own mother, so you must not call me 'Grandmother' anymore. De Lin is your own son, Madam Fucha!"

Yan Ning nodded and promised that she would make De Lin change his mind after returning home. She also dared not mention to Fu Kang An the matter of letting Xi Ying return to the East Courtyard.

Speaking of the child, the old lady sighed, "Xiang'er's mind has been thrown into turmoil by the loss of her child. Right now, Kang'er has sent guards to watch over Furong Garden. But boys and girls are ultimately different, and if word gets out, it will affect the reputation of the Fucha family. After the New Year, when spring arrives, find a quiet nunnery outside the city and donate some money for incense. Let her keep her hair and pray for the Fucha family! Perhaps the light of the temple can cure her madness."

Beneath her pearl-white brocade cheongsam, Yan Ning's face had lost its rosy hue. If she hadn't sent Xiang'er away, the old lady would have sent Xiang'er to the temple anyway. Why had she let Xiang'er's matter create a rift between herself and Fukang'an? Yan Ning nodded with a bitter smile and followed You Yuanzhi. It was better than being a nun alone in a nunnery, enduring the alluring scent of incense.

Emerging from the Peony Hall, Yan Ning hesitated to head towards the Spring Cherry Blossom Garden. The old lady's words echoed in her ears. At first, she didn't understand the deeper meaning of the name, but after the old lady's explanation, she realized its significance. However, a clever and intelligent woman like Wu Chun would understand it immediately upon hearing it.

Yan Ning went to the kitchen instead. Last night, after Fukang'an named the child, he didn't mention where the saffron came from. This morning, she was summoned to Yuanmingyuan while it was still dark, and Zhao Xing went with her. She couldn't ask anyone about the saffron. To keep it from the old lady, Fukang'an ordered the servants in Chunying Garden not to mention that Wuchun's premature birth was due to an overdose of saffron.

But the old lady's casual remark reminded Yan Ning that the only people in the mansion who didn't want others to have a baby were her and Xi Ying.

Xi Ying is currently confined to the West Courtyard, with only Qiu'er serving her. Even her daily meals are delivered to Zui Xia Zhai in the West Courtyard by servants appointed by Fu Kang'an. The two rarely have the opportunity to step out of the West Courtyard, and it has been half a month since Xi Ying last left the West Courtyard for the Hehuan Family Banquet.

Even if she wanted to, she probably wouldn't be able to.

The Shikuaiju restaurant remained unchanged, with people coming and going from courtyard to courtyard to collect their lunch at lunchtime. Chef Wu, dressed in a long black robe, sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, smoking a pipe. For convenience, he had tied the wide sleeves of his robe with arrow-shaped sashes, which gleamed with the accumulated grease of years. Behind him were several flowering trees planted to reduce the smoky smell in the kitchen courtyard; however, because it was late winter, only one plum tree was in bloom. Even the delicate pink plum blossoms were tinged with the smoky aroma, enveloping Chef Wu in a cloud of oily smoke.

Over time, even after he took off his clothes, which were covered in the smell of smoke and fire, he would still fall asleep with that smell. He had been in charge of cooking for almost half his life, and this smell of the kitchen had been with him since he was a servant eunuch in the imperial kitchen.

He served the master of this mansion with utmost care, hoping that one day he could return home in glory, buy land and a house, and live the life of a master with servants to wait on him.

But now Wu Chun gave birth prematurely after eating the bird's nest he made, the reason being that the bird's nest contained saffron. Chef Wu's half-black and half-white eyebrows were furrowed, and the smoke from his pipe made his oily face blurry.

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