He Yue's expression softened considerably, and she no longer glared at Thirteen. However, she couldn't bring herself to say anything, so she just kept her head down and remained silent.

"Are you tired? You should rest well. I'll stay with you." Thirteen tucked her in and comforted her softly.

"Aren't you going to the palace?" Heyue asked in surprise.

Seeing that she was finally willing to speak, Thirteen's mood immediately improved. However, he was also a little embarrassed by her question and shook his head: "I won't be going today."

Noticing his evasive gaze, clearly not telling the truth, He Yue was filled with curiosity and was about to ask again when she accidentally caught sight of the scratch on his right cheek. Her breath caught in her throat, and she casually looked away, giving a faint "Oh," before closing her eyes.

I felt a little uneasy. I had injured my face; how could I possibly enter the palace now? I'd become a laughingstock.

But she's not going to apologize, hmph!

He Yue's earlier worries were correct; the palace did indeed find out that the thirteenth prince had hastily summoned the imperial physician, and someone came to the residence to inquire about it before noon.

He was Li Zhongquan, a eunuch under the command of Wei Zhu, the imperial eunuch.

At that time, Thirteen was taking a walk in the garden with Heyue when he heard the news and immediately went to the front flower hall.

Li Zhongquan relayed Kangxi's message, the gist of which was: what had happened, and was there anything wrong with the baby in Heyue's womb? Thirteen replied that the baby had been a little disturbed, but was now fine.

Li Zhongquan noticed the scratches on Thirteen's face but said nothing. He returned to the palace and reported the truth.

After hearing what the maid had said, Heyue nodded slightly and said nothing more.

After that, there was no further activity in the palace.

However, this did not mean that the emperor was unaware of the inside story. He Yue was uneasy for several days, but when she saw that nothing had happened, she finally felt relieved.

The Mid-Autumn Festival moon was round and full. At the palace banquet, Heyue sat bored among the female members of the household, chatting with Yuxiu.

"When are you going to give birth?" Heyue asked quietly.

"It should be in the next few days," Yuxiu replied.

"Are you still able to manage?" He Yue looked at her belly and felt a sense of unease. The palace banquet was too chaotic, and she was afraid that something might happen.

Yuxiu shook her head: "It's alright."

On the other side, the Fourteenth Princess Consort Wanyan turned her head to look over and teased, "Twelfth Sister-in-law is so lucky. She's about to give birth. Has the imperial physician said whether it's a boy or a girl?"

Yuxiu paused for a moment, then smiled slightly: "The imperial physician said it's a boy." Her eyes were full of maternal radiance.

Wanyan's eyes lit up, and she covered her mouth with a smile: "Then I would like to congratulate Twelfth Sister-in-law in advance." She looked at Yuxiu's face, her eyes darted around, and she smiled lightly: "I see that Twelfth Sister-in-law's face is rosy and her complexion is very good. I think Twelfth Uncle must love Twelfth Sister-in-law very much. Now that she has given birth to a son, Twelfth Uncle must be very happy."

He Yue knew that Yu Xiu had never had any troubles since marrying into the Twelfth Prince's household, which showed that the Twelfth Prince treated Yu Xiu very well.

Now, Yu Xiu's expression faltered for a moment, then she quickly smiled and said, "Yes, Master treats me well."

He Yue certainly didn't miss that moment of distraction, and glanced at the twelfth prince opposite her with a questioning look.

The Twelfth Prince was talking to the Thirteenth Prince, seemingly unaware of what was happening here. His smile was serene and gentle, like a spring breeze.

Thirteen seemed to notice the gazes directed at them, quickly looked over, and immediately smiled at Heyue.

The Twelfth Prince noticed his unusual behavior and looked over as well. A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes, but he looked away as if he were saying something to the Thirteenth Prince. The Thirteenth Prince immediately raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, his smile deepening.

"You and Uncle Thirteen are really in love," Yuxiu teased from the side.

He Yue withdrew her gaze, smiled faintly, but in her heart she wondered if Yu Xiu had been wronged, and she would definitely ask her about it later.

However, someone like the Twelfth Prince shouldn't bully women.

Wanyan continued Yuxiu's words, her tone sour: "Of course, everyone knows that Uncle Thirteen treats Sister-in-law Thirteen like a precious gem, we can't compare."

Heyue ignored her sarcastic remarks and casually picked up the glass of water in front of her and drank it.

Because of pregnancy, I cannot drink alcohol or tea; I can only drink plain water instead.

Seeing that she remained silent, Wanyan pursed her lips in boredom and turned her head away.

After sitting for a while, Heyue felt bored and turned to Yuxiu, saying, "I'm going to go for a walk outside."

Yuxiu glanced at her stomach and took her hand: "Then be careful."

Heyue nodded and led Hailan and Chunya out of the Qianqing Palace.

The moon in the sky was round and full. Heyue stood on the white marble platform and strolled in front of the white marble railing outside the Qianqing Palace. Bathed in the cool moonlight and night, she looked up at the bright moon above.

Looking up, she stretched out her index finger and drew a circle in the air, the circle containing the bright moon. He Yue couldn't help but chuckle.

The feeling that the moon seemed so close was both novel and wonderful.

After stepping down from the white marble platform, they strolled to one side for a while, with Hailan and Chun Ya following closely behind.

Before long, we arrived at a secluded spot, with red walls and gray tiles on both sides, the palace walls stretching out, and several pots of chrysanthemums blooming beautifully beside us.

She wrapped her cloak tighter around herself, and heard Hailan's voice in her ear: "Princess Consort, it's chilly outside, let's go back inside."

Nodding, Heyue was about to leave when a flippant voice suddenly reached her ears: "Oh, is Thirteenth Sister-in-law grieving over the moon?"

Turning around, she saw Prince Yin Tang standing not far behind He Yue, his eyes filled with deep thoughts.

Hailan and Chun Ya immediately stood protectively in front of Heyue.

If a lone man and woman were seen together, trouble might ensue.

He Yue, however, was not worried. She looked at him coolly, a slight smile playing on her lips, and asked indifferently, "What is Ninth Master doing here?"

Whatever their motives, coming here while Heyue was alone and trying to clear her head, they clearly had ill intentions.

Thinking about the grudges between the two, could it be that he knew she was behind that incident and came to take revenge?

He Yue had no intention of keeping it from him, and was not surprised by his arrival.

"Your sister-in-law's maid is really dedicated. Is she worried that I might harm her?" The Ninth Prince's gaze swept over Hailan and Chunya, his smile cold and indifferent.

He Yue smiled faintly: "It's a maid's duty. Wouldn't it be pointless for Ninth Master to care about such things?"

With a chuckle, the Ninth Prince raised his fan to cover his lips, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Sister-in-law is indeed quick-witted."

He took a step forward, and the moment his gaze met Hai Lan's hostile eyes, his smile deepened: "This girl, sister-in-law, is quite interesting. I wonder if you could give her to me?"

His gaze was fixed on He Yue, as if he was determined to win.

He Yue was instantly furious.

You Ninth Prince! How dare you make a move on her maid!

Hailan's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and she turned around to stare blankly at Heyue.

Heyue gave her a reassuring look, then smiled sarcastically: "It seems there are quite a few women in Ninth Master's mansion, why make fun of my maid?"

The Ninth Prince lightly rested his chin on his folding fan, looking Heyue up and down. His dark eyes were deep and unfathomable, and his smile was light and flirtatious: "It's because someone as unique as my sister-in-law must have an extraordinary maidservant by her side. I just wanted to find out why my tenth and thirteenth brothers are so infatuated with her."

His words were extremely provocative towards He Yue, and his eyes were filled with malicious scrutiny.