Chapter 26 Concubine
"Madam, the Prince has gone to Qinghezhai..."
Jiang Fuhai was a newly promoted head eunuch of the main courtyard. However, Yixiu valued her maidservants and wanted to prove herself, so she volunteered to inquire about the Prince's whereabouts.
The mission got off to a bad start; the first news they received was that the Prince had gone somewhere else. Jiang Fuhai was filled with regret, wishing he had been more talkative.
Yixiu paused in arranging flowers, her smile vanished instantly, and she remained silent for a moment.
"Fujin..." Jianqiu glanced at Jiang Fuhai with annoyance, then cautiously approached and looked at Yixiu with concern.
"It's alright, I'm fine. Qi Gege and Master have a different kind of relationship..." Yi Xiu tried to smile. Now that she had a good status and was favored, what more could she ask for? But no matter how much she comforted herself, Yi Xiu still felt uneasy about Qi Yuebin and Yinzhen's "childhood sweetheart relationship".
Upon hearing the message from the young eunuch at Qinghezhai, Qi Yuebin was taken aback. It was only after Jixiang reminded him that he came to his senses. After giving the messenger a reward and sending him away, he nervously and happily made arrangements for dinner.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness."
"No need for such formalities, Yuebin." Yinzhen stepped forward and helped Qi Yuebin, who was bowing, to his feet.
Seeing how considerate the prince was, Qi Yuebin couldn't help but raise her eyes and glance at him with a slightly shy expression.
The two entered the room, where Qi Yuebin gently served dishes to Yinzhen. She was dressed in an elegant moon-white cheongsam embroidered with lotus patterns, exuding a quiet and gentle temperament, like a spring breeze and rain, quite unlike the daughter of a military general.
"Sit down and have your meal. There's no need to keep working so hard." Yinzhen pulled Qi Yuebin, who was busy all the time, and put a piece of food in her bowl.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I don't feel tired at all serving you food..." Qi Yuebin sat down as instructed, her face as beautiful as a peach blossom. In the past, she was reserved and would never have said such words; her feelings were always expressed in silence.
Ultimately, it was the preferential treatment Yinzhen showed to Yixiu that triggered Qi Yuebin's feelings, prompting him to reveal his own and try to make Yinzhen understand the depth of his affection.
"Yuebin, you're so thoughtful. Try this Longjing Shrimp. I remember you like this." Yinzhen patted her hand and picked up another shrimp for her.
Although she didn't say much, Qi Yuebin was filled with sweetness; at least Yinzhen remembered what she liked to eat. She picked up a shrimp that Yinzhen had put in her bowl and savored it, finding the dish even more delicious than usual.
After finishing their meal, Yinzhen and Qi Yuebin sat together playing chess, showing no intention of leaving, clearly intending to stay overnight.
Regardless of how disappointed Yixiu and the others were, Qi Yuebin was overjoyed and tried his best to control his emotions so that he could fully concentrate on the chessboard.
“Your health has always been poor. Granny Tongjia used to serve Mother and is skilled at recuperating. I’ve assigned her to your courtyard so she can help you take good care of yourself.”
After making a move, Yinzhen suddenly spoke, as if on a whim.
"Thank you, Your Highness." Qi Yuebin was somewhat surprised, but she accepted Yinzhen's kindness immediately. Although she had been raised by Consort De, now Noble Lady Wuya, since childhood, she knew very well that the "mother" the Prince was referring to was Empress Xiaoyi.
Ever since Prince Beile altered the imperial genealogy, Qi Yuebin had actually had some suspicions. With her exceptional intelligence, she immediately connected Yinzhen's troubles, including Yixiu's promotion to the rank of Empress and Consort Wuya, and was certain that the other party had done something wrong.
Therefore, even though she still had some personal relationship with Consort Wuya, she never dared to say much, for fear of displeasing Yinzhen. And although she felt some bitterness about Yixiu's promotion to the rank of Empress, she could face it calmly, at least it wasn't entirely because of Yinzhen's favoritism.
Qi Yuebin's requirements were not high; she only wanted Yinzhen to still have a place for her in his heart.
"It's getting late, let's go to bed." Yinzhen put down the chess piece, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Qi Yuebin made her blush.
"yes."
After a night of restless sleep, I enjoyed a good night's rest.
The next morning, Qi Yuebin, her eyes sparkling with joy, welcomed Granny Tongjia. Having served Empress Xiaoyiren before and being highly regarded by Yinzhen, Qi Yuebin dared not neglect her in the slightest. She arranged a comfortable room in the courtyard and assigned two maids to serve her.
Tong Jia was very polite and came to pay her respects to Qi Yuebin as soon as she was settled.
"This servant greets Lady Qi." The neatly dressed and efficient-looking Tongjia nanny bowed to Qi Yuebin.
"No need for such formalities, Granny." Qi Yuebin gently helped her up. "Are you settled in? If there's anything you need, just let the maidservant know."
"Thank you, Princess. I have arranged everything properly." Granny Tongjia bowed again, then, remembering her duties, said, "The Prince specifically sent me to help Princess recuperate. Please extend your hand so I can take your pulse."
Seeing through Tong Jia's personality, Qi Yuebin didn't refuse and reached out his wrist for Tong Jia to examine, though he was actually a little nervous.
But seeing that Granny Tongjia was feeling the pulse without any facial expression, Qi Yuebin couldn't guess the outcome.
“There’s nothing seriously wrong. Your Highness is weak, so you need to pay more attention to your diet. Food is worse than medicine. I’ll prepare a few medicinal recipes and send them to the kitchen so they can prepare one for you every day.” Granny Tongjia withdrew her hand, showing little emotion, and continued, “Just one thing: all medicines have some toxicity. No matter what the prescription is, you can’t just take it randomly.”
Tong Jia's nanny didn't pay much attention to what Qi Yuebin said earlier, but only his last sentence made her realize that the other party had real skills.
"Thank you, Granny." Qi Yuebin forced a smile, but her heart was filled with bitterness. She had been in the manor for nearly ten years, and Song Gege and Fujin, who were around the same age, were all pregnant, but her belly showed no signs of pregnancy. How could she not be anxious? In her anxiety, she tried all sorts of folk remedies for conceiving a child, but to no avail. Judging from Granny's words, it was only harming her health.
"Princess, don't panic. With careful care, you can recover." Perhaps sensing Qi Yuebin's thoughts, Granny Tongjia spoke up to comfort her, and then said, "It's not just what you eat; your daily habits also affect your health. Please allow me to check your bedroom and the places you usually stay."
"Thank you for your trouble, Granny. Jixiang, please show Granny around." Having found a solution, Qi Yuebin naturally wanted to actively recuperate and assigned her head maid to accompany Granny Tongjia for the examination.
After the inspection was completed, I followed her advice and changed the placement of some items. Granny Tongjia spoke eloquently and her explanations sounded quite reasonable.
Qi Yuebin was also a little tired after a day of tidying up. The next day, Qi Yuebin, who was still a little sleepy, suddenly received a reward from Yinzhen.
Qi Yuebin was transformed into a concubine, and a flood of gifts poured into Qinghezhai. Everyone in the backyard was envious.
Qi Yuebin was naturally overjoyed. At Tong Jia's suggestion, he busied himself arranging the gifts from Yinzhen and replacing the items in the room.
But after the initial joy, Qi Yuebin, who was resting alone in the inner room, sensed something was amiss.
"auspicious."
"This servant is here."
"Go and check if Granny Tongjia went to the front yard last night. Be careful not to get caught."
"yes."
Jixiang was puzzled, but obediently went down to investigate. Watching her departing figure, Qi Yuebin touched the bracelet that Yinzhen had recently bestowed upon her, feeling uneasy, as if some bad news awaited her.
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