Inside the city, in an inconspicuous mansion, Mr. Jin was talking to Song Xinian about the events of the past few days.
"That imposter is truly as stupid as a pig, completely fooled by the Empress! Hahaha! My dear brother, your sister was truly a genius!"
Mr. Jin kept laughing while slapping the table.
Song Xinian was also smiling, but he smiled reservedly, his eyes filled with pride.
My younger sister has been smarter than others since she was little!
Aside from Commander Yue, who was in charge of the matter, Song Xibai only told Mr. Jin about it.
Mr. Jin rubbed his hands together excitedly.
If Her Highness hadn't already been His Highness's woman for so long, I really would have liked to bring her over as an advisor!
In fact, those who work as staff members have similar backgrounds and skills, and the methods they come up with tend to be similar. In such situations, what is more important is to plan meticulously and thoroughly without any omissions.
It is rare to find an imaginative "genius" like Song Xibai.
However, even the best ideas need reliable subordinates to plan everything properly.
Mr. Jin sighed, "That Commander Yue is also a rare talent, it's a pity he's confined to a corner of the country. I originally thought he was just an ordinary village head!"
Mr. Jin was a staff member of the Crown Prince's palace, while Commander Yue was the head of the secret guards. Originally, the two sides did not have any contact with each other. Although they were both under the Crown Prince's command, the Crown Prince could not possibly reveal all his cards to everyone! Therefore, Mr. Jin and Commander Yue did not know each other.
However, the Crown Prince's disappearance had thrown both sides into a panic. It was only because of Song Xibai's unborn child that Mr. Jin took the initiative to make contact and discovered that this estate was not simple.
Of course, Song Xibai was thinking that Commander Yue and the secret guards outside would eventually become public, so he wasn't worried about exposing too much.
Meanwhile, Song Xibai was calculating the time, waiting for the Crown Prince to return to the capital, when she suddenly received an unexpected surprise.
"The commander of the Imperial Guards has been sent out of the capital? What about the deputy commander?"
"He'll temporarily assume the command, but that would make him even less likely to side with us!"
Granny Fangqi was very disappointed.
All that hard work was for nothing?
Song Xibai smiled mysteriously.
"That's not necessarily true. A person's ambition and desires can swell up at any time. Before, when he was under the commander, he might have been able to behave himself, but now that he's in this position, when the commander returns, will he be willing to give it back?"
Granny Fangqi was taken aback for a moment, then her eyes lit up.
Song Xibai took a sip of water: "Tell him that we don't want him to rebel, we just need him to be a quarter of an hour late at the crucial moment. If it succeeds, he will be the proper commander of the Imperial Guards; if it fails, he can claim that his subordinates only listen to the commander and not him, making it more difficult for him to command. In any case, he will not suffer any losses."
The Imperial Guard had only one commander, but four deputy commanders.
Originally there were only two, but the corrupt emperor messed things up and placed the inner guards into the imperial guards, appointing the two most capable ones as deputy commanders.
The deputy commander they contacted didn't have a strong background; he was always the one who had to do the work that offended people, making him the easiest to sway.
When the emperor sent people to surround the Eastern Palace, no one else was willing to go, but he was the one who went in the end.
Sure enough, he was persuaded.
Since he had no losses and the Crown Prince and the Emperor were still locked in a battle, he could hedge his bets on both sides. Why would he let this opportunity slip by?
Song Xibai felt relieved and crossed out another item in her mental notebook.
She really had no choice but to hand over the camp in the outskirts of Beijing to Mr. Jin.
"My lord, it's almost time to pay homage to the Moon Goddess."
Song Xibai was momentarily stunned.
"What are you worshipping?"
"Moon Goddess! Today is the fifteenth of August. Although we are not in the palace, the nanny said that the rituals can be simplified but not omitted. You should go and pray to the Moon Goddess so that she can bless you with a smooth delivery of the imperial grandson."
Song Xibai touched his nose and followed them to the front yard.
Granny Fangqi had prepared everything. The offering table was set with various fruits, pastries, and a particularly beautiful plate of mooncakes.
Worshipping the moon goddess on the fifteenth of August has always been the mistress's task. If it were in the Eastern Palace, there would be no need to trouble her; that would be the Crown Princess's duty.
However, Granny Fangqi still insisted.
In her heart, she only recognized Song Xibai as the mistress.
Following Fangqi's instructions, Song Xibai solemnly bowed and was then helped to the flower hall to eat mooncakes.
"This mooncake is a new recipe devised by my father-in-law. It's sweet but not greasy, and he even specially made it in the shape of a rabbit. Please try it, Your Highness."
Wei Hong handed over a plate of freshly baked mooncakes.
Upon closer inspection, Song Xibai realized that it was actually an improvement on the recipe for egg yolk pastry.
Besides the new-style mooncakes, there are also traditional ones, all with reduced sugar content according to Song Xibai's preferences.
She ate one of each, and Dingxiang ate the rest.
"Eat slowly. If you're not full, we'll ask someone to make more. The way you're wolfing it down makes me think I'm starving you."
Song Xibai was both annoyed and amused, and casually poured her a cup of tea.
Dingxiang didn't even look up: "I forgot to eat lunch."
She's been very busy lately. In addition to taking Song Xibai's pulse and giving her massages every day without fail, she also has to train the newly arrived midwives and wet nurses.
Physician Sun was impatient and not suited to do these things, so Dingxiang had to take over.
"Thanks a lot."
Song Xibai's tone was as gentle as a spring breeze.
Dingxiang almost choked, and hurriedly picked up her teacup and gulped down a large mouthful of tea.
"Don't do this, I'm not used to it."
Song Xibai rested her chin on her hand and looked at her: "I only have two older brothers in my family, and I've always wanted a sister."
Although she actually considered Dingxiang a junior, given her age, she couldn't very well adopt her as a goddaughter!
Dingxiang swallowed what was in her mouth and glanced at her sideways.
"You want to become my sworn brother? No way. My grandfather said you're half my master, otherwise the generations would be messed up."
Song Xibai couldn't help but burst into laughter.
But before I could even finish laughing, my stomach suddenly tightened.
Song Xibai's laughter stopped abruptly, and she clutched her stomach with both hands, her expression changing.
"What's wrong? Is your stomach hurting? Or is it the baby moving? Could it be that you're about to give birth?!"
Dingxiang jumped up and was about to come over to examine her.
Song Xibai waved his hand, exhaled, and relaxed completely.
"It's nothing, just a false alarm!"
Fortunately, she had anticipated this, and everything was fine after the initial shock subsided.
Dingxiang patted her chest.
"You scared me to death! You're only seven months along, it's way too early to give birth. But your belly is so big, it's almost like you're ten months pregnant. Sigh, I don't know when labor will start. I'd better get those two midwives ready for the delivery room!"
Dingxiang chattered on and on.
Suddenly, Song Xibai had a thought. She looked down at her protruding belly and fell into deep thought.
Outsiders had no idea she was pregnant with twins. During this time, she would occasionally go out for a stroll, and those who were secretly watching her must have seen it all.
So, are they guessing when they will be born?
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