Since Anke became pregnant, Princess Rui has moved directly to the Fu residence, saying she will take care of Anke until she gives birth.
Anke got a taste of what it means to be completely sheltered from the world, with everything done for you. At first, she couldn't touch this or move that, she couldn't bend over, she couldn't ride a horse, and she couldn't read for too long.
At first, Anke found it quite novel, but after a while, she got tired of it. In the past, only Qing'er would come to keep Anke company and talk to her, and sometimes Ruan Ruan would come along.
After Xinrong gave birth and held a full-moon celebration, she brought Mianmian out with her. Mianmian was a boy, who was also known as Mianyi in the drama.
However, this time, Mianmian's longing wasn't endless or her concern was boundless.
Anke was sitting on the swing in the yard, feeling bored, when Xinrong came over carrying Mianmian.
"You didn't come to the palace for the full moon celebration, so I thought I'd let you see Mianmian." Xinrong has now given birth and is radiating a gentle glow of maternal love.
“I wanted to go, but Mother told me to stay home obediently for the next few months. There’s really nothing I can do. Look after Mianmian.” With Xingxing’s help, Anke stood up and went to Xinrong’s side, teasing Mianmian who was wrapped in a brocade quilt.
“It’s right for Your Highness to be cautious. After all, you’re quite far along in your pregnancy, so you need to be careful in everything you do, especially since you’re carrying twins,” Xinrong said from the side. “Anyway, Mianmian won’t grow up in an instant. You can come and play with him when you have his little brother and sister.”
The two chatted happily in the small garden for the entire afternoon.
Several months later, with the sound of a baby crying in the inner room, Ertai finally breathed a sigh of relief. Prince Rui also walked to Ertai's side and patted him on the shoulder.
It really wasn't easy. Anke was giving birth inside, and Ertai was pacing back and forth at the door, making Prince Rui's eyes almost blurry. They say men don't easily shed tears, unless they're truly heartbroken.
Hearing An'an's cries from inside, Ertai wished he could rush in. His eyes were now red and swollen, as if he himself had given birth.
Princess Rui waited inside until the servants had cleaned up before finally bringing the baby out, wrapped in a warm brocade quilt. He only glanced at the baby briefly, his mind solely focused on Anke inside.
When Xingxing relayed the message that it was safe to go in, Ertai was the first to rush in.
Ertai looked at Anke lying on the bed, exhausted, with bloodied lips from biting them. His eyes were red as he held Anke's hand, which was quietly placed beside him.
An Ke opened her tired eyes and looked at Ertai, whose eyes were also bloodshot. "Why are your hands so sweaty?" After realizing what was happening, An Ke became the one to comfort him. "It's alright, I'm fine. Where are the children?"
When Ertai saw that Anke was still thinking about the two little ones who had just bothered her after she woke up, he said in an annoyed tone, "Mother and Father are holding them."
An Ke finally relaxed, closed her eyes tightly, and muttered, "That's good!"
Seeing Anke's exhausted appearance, Ertai relaxed his tense heart. He brought Anke's hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. He then asked Xingxing to bring over some flower tea, took out a small spoon that had been prepared beforehand, dipped it in the tea, and gently dabbed it on Anke's dry lips.
Then he stared intently at the sleeping Anke, as if afraid that Anke would leave him.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the Fu family
The Fujin paced back and forth in the flower hall. When she saw Fu Lun return, she hurriedly went up to him and asked, "How is it? Has he given birth?" Her eyes shone with hope. After all, Er Kang was gone, and Er Tai was the last remaining heir of the Fu family.
But she seemed to have forgotten that Ertai had severed ties with them and had no further connection with them. She was still fantasizing about the future when she would be enjoying the company of her grandchildren.
Fu Lun also had a beaming smile on his face, and couldn't help but say, "She gave birth! She gave birth! I heard it's twins, a boy and a girl. Princess Yong'an truly deserves to be called the blessed princess of the Qing Dynasty!"
"Then when do you think it would be appropriate for us to come and visit?" All the Fujin wanted right now was to be close to her grandchildren and hold them in her arms.
These words immediately darkened Fu Lun's face. He said in a deep voice, "Have you forgotten that Ertai has nothing to do with us anymore? How can you go to his residence? Besides, Princess Yong'an is in charge now, and Princess Rui is still there. Aren't you afraid of being kicked out?"
The Fujin was somewhat timid after being scolded by Fu Lun. "No matter what, we are still Ertai's father and mother. Can't we even see our grandchildren? We are blood relatives, after all."
Fu Lun glared at his wife. "What can we do? Who told you to favor Er Kang back then? We all neglected Er Tai. Now that the child is married and has severed ties with his family, you should stop causing trouble there. As long as you know the child is safe and has a child, that's enough." Fu Lun was quite content with his current situation.
He'd be content to not have to get up so early for court every day, nor to toil away in the court. All he needed to do was walk his birds and admire the flowers. Although he wouldn't see his grandchildren, he'd be able to see them riding through the streets in the future. He needed to take good care of his health so he could witness such a scene.
The wife gave a muffled reply in front of Fu Lun, but Fu Lun had no idea what she was thinking.
Sure enough, one day when Fu Lun went out for a stroll, his wife disguised herself and brought her treasured gifts to his door. But as soon as she arrived at the gate, she was stopped by the guards.
The guards couldn't recognize who this person was at all, so they didn't let them pass.
Enraged, the Fujin could only rip off the cloth covering her head. "Look carefully, I am your General Fu's mother. I have come here today specifically to visit Princess Yong'an. Please let me through immediately." The Fujin still thought she was the person everyone used to respect.
Unexpectedly, the guard immediately put on a cold face. The guard first looked her up and down, and then said, "I know you are the mother of our General Fu, but didn't the general sever ties with his relatives a long time ago? So where did this mother come from? Come, come, the princess is resting quietly now and cannot allow outsiders to make noise." He then drew the sword from his waist.
Seeing that she couldn't even see Ertai here, the Fujin was somewhat disappointed and left with her back bent. As for what happened when she returned home and was scolded by Fu Lun, we won't go into details.
Xingxing had already informed the princess of the news from the guards, and the princess only sneered, "You only know to water the flowers when they wither, what were you doing all this time? From now on, whenever she comes over, just chase her away." An Keke didn't have such a compassionate heart, and she couldn't forgive Ertai for them, especially since An Keke didn't want to live under the same roof with them at all.
Xingxing readily agreed and joined Anke in teasing the young prince and princess.
As early as the moment An Ke gave birth to the twins, the emperor in the palace had already issued an edict, granting the twins the honorary title of Prince Rui, a hereditary title for the entire lineage.
Several years have passed in the blink of an eye.
The Emperor had long since abdicated in favor of Yongqi and was now enjoying his retirement, spending his days with his grandchildren. He was experiencing a life he had never known before.
Princess Yong'an, being personally appointed by the Emperor as the Protector of the Nation, naturally also took on the responsibility of supervising the Emperor. She frequently visited the palace, and Yongqi, wanting to alleviate her burden, had a Harmony Palace built in the palace early on, allowing the princess, her husband, and their children to live together.
This way, it would be convenient for the princess to visit her uncle and the Empress Dowager, and even more convenient for her to accompany the Emperor on his business.
With the addition of the two mischievous children, Mianmianruanruan and Huaizhu and Yinong, the Cining Palace was filled with the laughter of children all day long.
Even the former Empress, now the Empress Dowager, often came to Cining Palace to keep an eye on these mischievous children. Yongqi had grown into a man over the years, married, and established his own household. He would occasionally bring his children to the palace for the Empress Dowager to see.
But on a certain day in the Hall of Mental Cultivation
When Yongqi was reviewing the memorials, he kept sighing. Anke felt something was off, so she went up to ask him about it.
"Fifth Brother, what's wrong? Why are you sighing like this today?" Although several years have passed, An Ke's appearance has not changed much.
Yongqi handed the memorial to Anke, sighed, and said, "It's another memorial from Gaoyu. It turns out that Princess Heshuo passed away a few days ago. But they say she died in childbirth, due to complications. How am I supposed to tell Father Emperor? Moreover, they want Princess Heshuo to be buried in Gaoyu forever, saying that even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness, and that they want to be buried together decades later. This is really worrying me." Yongqi rubbed his temples.
I'm going to ask An Ke for her opinion. It's fortunate that An Ke has been there to supervise us all these years, preventing many wrong policies from being implemented. Besides, this matter involves family affairs, and with my cousin An An protecting me, I'm sure Father Emperor won't be too angry.
After listening to Yongqi's description, Anke had a general understanding of the contents of the memorial. She quickly skimmed through it. "No matter what, we still need to tell the Imperial Uncle about this. As for what they said, 'a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness,' we'll tell the Imperial Uncle as well. This is as a daughter not hiding anything from him; we can't let this become a regret in the future." Anke said calmly, mainly because she was afraid that if the Imperial Uncle found out the cause of Ziwei's death, he would blame Yongqi instead.
An Ke hadn't immediately recognized Princess Heshuo, but after hearing Gao Yu's name, she realized. Oh, it was Xia Ziwei.
Two years ago, Yongqi ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty. In order to save costs and reduce the burden on the national treasury, the palace released a group of palace maids, including Xiao Yanzi from Baoyue Tower.
Before leaving, Xiao Yanzi made a special trip to Hele Palace to see Princess Yong'an. Over the years, Xiao Yanzi had been well-behaved and had never caused any trouble.
An Ke wanted to know what she was here for, so she had her let in. Unexpectedly, upon meeting her, Xiao Yanzi immediately knelt on the ground, thanking Princess Yong'an for her kindness years ago. If it weren't for Princess Yong'an, she would probably still be in the High Domain, serving Ziwei, unaware that she had an older brother, and she wouldn't have been able to escape unscathed after that incident, going to Baoyue Tower to serve Hanxiang.
All of this should be thanks to Princess Yong'an, so before she left today, she only wanted to thank Princess Yong'an again and see if the princess had any instructions or explanations.
An Ke looked at Xiao Yanzi kneeling on the ground and vaguely saw the lively Xiao Yanzi who used to travel incognito. She was completely different from the Xiao Yanzi of today, and she felt a little sad.
It's not fair to say there was hatred between the two of them. After all, it was actually Ziwei who offended Princess Yong'an the most, and Xiaoyanzi was just someone Ziwei used as a pawn.
Even after all these years, the two of them could never truly reconcile; their current relationship was good enough. "I know what you have to say. I only hope that in the days to come, you will forget what happened in the palace." An Ke could only say so much; there was no point in saying anything more.
Xiao Yanzi kowtowed to An Ke one last time and said earnestly, "This servant wishes Princess Yong'an and her husband a happy and harmonious life, the young prince and the young princess good health and happiness, and the princess a peaceful, smooth, and auspicious life." After saying this, Xiao Yanzi bowed and withdrew.
After leaving Xuanwu Gate, Xiao Yanzi looked at the bustling street, which seemed unchanged from previous years. Unconsciously, she arrived at Huibinlou, where they used to laugh and chat together. It had long been converted into a chess club, and Xiao Yanzi walked in without thinking.
Looking at the chess club, so different in style from the Huibinlou restaurant, she chuckled self-deprecatingly. What was she still hoping for? Hadn't Liu Qing and Liu Hong already left the capital? Everyone was back to their respective places, but this time, she was probably the only one who would be going on the journey.
Just as Xiao Yanzi was about to leave, a familiar voice called out to her from behind. Xiao Yanzi turned around in disbelief and saw that it was Liu Hong who had called her. Xiao Yanzi rubbed her eyes in disbelief, "Liu Hong, didn't you leave the capital a long time ago? How come you're here again..."
It turns out that Liu Qing and Liu Hong were initially afraid of being implicated by Xiao Jian, but when they heard that Xiao Jian had been beheaded, they secretly returned. After all, this was the place where they had grown up, so how could they bear to leave? Moreover, it wouldn't be easy for all the old and young people in the tenement to move away.
When Xiao Yanzi heard that Liu Qing had married and had children, she was genuinely happy for them. However, Xiao Yanzi refused Liu Qing and Liu Hong's request. She still wanted to fulfill Xiao Jian's last wish and go to Dali to stay with their uncle and aunt. She also wanted to see what Dali was like.
Liu Qing was still somewhat confused and wanted to dissuade her, but Liu Hong stopped him and suggested that she accompany Xiao Yanzi to Dali. At first, Liu Qing disagreed, after all, one was his own sister, and the other was the sister they depended on for survival; how could he bear to watch them both wander?
After some time, and with Xiao Yanzi and Liu Hong taking turns persuading him, Liu Qing finally relented. However, he also said that once his wife finished her postpartum confinement and their children were a bit older, they would all move to Dali. The chess club would then be handed over to Xiao Douzi, Er Ya, and the others.
And so Liu Hong and Xiao Yanzi embarked on their journey to Dali. Xiao Yanzi repeatedly declined, saying that she had saved up quite a bit of money in the palace over the years and didn't need it. Liu Qing simply stuffed the silver he had prepared for them into Liu Hong's bundle. In the end, they couldn't refuse this kindness and accepted it.
When An Ke told the Emperor about Ziwei's death, the Emperor didn't react much. He was only stunned for a moment before telling them to handle it themselves and not to go to the trouble of moving her body back. Then he waved his hand and told An Ke to leave.
An Ke was still worried and repeatedly told the children to spend more time with their uncle. Although the children didn't know what had happened, they were exceptionally filial and obedient, and they all agreed.
After Anke relayed the Emperor's words to Yongqi, Yongqi immediately sent a letter to the King of Gaoyu, who was also the former Prince of Gaoyu, instructing him to bury Ziwei according to their local customs.
King Gaoyu lived in fear for a time, after all, it was his concubines who had killed Ziwei. Although he had taken Jin Suo, who served Ziwei, as his concubine, he was still afraid that the Qing army would march directly into their Gaoyu. Fortunately, it all came to nothing in the end.
King Gao Yu simply ordered his men to build a makeshift tomb for Ziwei and bury her there casually. After all, who knew when they would actually be buried together? However, when speaking to the Qing Dynasty, he had to say something nice to avoid offending anyone.
To save himself trouble, King Gao Yu directly instructed his current concubine, Jin Meiren, formerly known as Jin Suo, to handle Ziwei's funeral arrangements. After all, Jin Suo was also involved in Ziwei's death. Entrusting this matter to her was the most suitable option.
When Jin Suo buried Ziwei, she did her best, but the funds allocated were still limited. She had to use the rewards that the King of Gaoyu had given her over the years to raise enough money for Ziwei's funeral.
While burying Ziwei, she was filled with fear, terrified that Ziwei would come after her in the future. So she built a small Buddhist shrine in her palace and prayed day and night, "Miss, I had no choice. After all, no one wants to be a slave, and you can't protect me. The evil spirits in the palace are much more powerful than those empresses in the Qing Dynasty. You won't blame me, will you? I will burn more money for you on the anniversary of your death. Besides, we are in the High Domain, so we naturally have to obey their orders. The King of the High Domain ordered me to poison you, and I had no choice."
As Jin Suo burned paper money, she looked out the window, muttering to herself, "Please don't blame me. You still have Young Master Fu in your heart. This way, you can reunite with Young Master Fu sooner."
Whether it was because Jin Suo had something to hide or because she frightened herself, she soon developed a persistent high fever. When the King of Gaoyu found out, he did not send any imperial physicians to take care of her and continued to enjoy himself with his beautiful concubines.
A few days later, Jin Suo could only perish in endless fear and regret. When the King of Gaoyu heard this, he felt extremely unlucky and had no choice but to order his men to wrap her in a straw mat and bury her with Ziwei.
Not many years later, King Gaoyu did not have any offspring. He was furious and began to search for beauties among the common people, which aroused widespread resentment and led to the overthrow of his rule. He died among the refugees.
Under Yongqi's leadership, the Qing Dynasty flourished. Initially, he wanted to follow his uncle's wishes and not engage in exchange programs with foreigners. However, due to Anke's persuasion, he ultimately did not implement this plan.
The first group to go out and broaden their horizons were the officials who accompanied Benjamin back to Great Britain.
Upon returning, he described the development there to Yongqi. Yongqi's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, and he immediately thanked Anke for her encouragement during the meeting. At the same time, he intensified his efforts to build the translation bureau and connect it with the world.
Looking at the prosperous Qing Dynasty, with neighboring small countries still paying tribute every year, and with her beloved husband who had been devoted to her for years, and her child chatting happily beside her, An Ke felt extremely content.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com