Chapter 404 Yixiu 82
"Is today the fourth day?"
As Concubine Wan passed by a pavilion, she heard two young palace maids gossiping beneath a rockery: "I can't believe the Emperor actually likes Concubine An like this."
"I don't think she looks as good as the other young ladies. I don't know how they caught her..."
Zhen Huan smiled and didn't take it to heart. However, Huanbi beside her heard it and was stunned for a moment before Liu Zhu woke her up.
"Sister Mei, why didn't you ask someone to look for me when you came?"
As soon as Zhen Huan returned to the room, she saw Mei Zhuang sitting in the warm room, working on the embroidery she had half-finished yesterday.
Mei Zhuang came forward quickly upon seeing her, teasing her, "How dare I trouble you now? It's one thing to tire you out, but it would be terrible to tire my future nephew."
"He's just a little boy. How do you know he's just a nephew? Aren't nieces good?"
The two of them sat down by the window. Mei Zhuang thought for a moment before slowly speaking, "I will always love your children equally, regardless of whether they are boys or girls. But Huan'er, look at this harem. Ultimately, only with a son by your side can you truly have a foothold here. Do you understand?"
"Huan'er understands, but gender is determined by fate and cannot be changed by human power. Boy or girl, it's my child. Look, although Concubine Mao only has one princess, the Emperor hasn't forgotten her. Instead, he favors her more than the other princes."
"But the princess may want to Fu Meng in the future."
Mei Zhuang's words silenced Zhen Huan. Yes, what good was there in being a princess of the Qing Dynasty? One wrong move could lead to the same fate as Fu Meng.
Seeing Zhen Huan's low mood, Mei Zhuang regretted her words and hurriedly shared something else with her: "I have consulted a doctor named Liu Bin, who is from the same hometown as me. He prescribed a medicine for me. Who knows, we may have good news in a while."
"Is this... appropriate for him?"
Zhen Huan knew very well that her good friend had always wanted to get pregnant as soon as possible. In the past, when neither of them was pregnant, it was easier for Zhen Huan to persuade her. But now that she was pregnant, it was already difficult for her. Besides, continuing to persuade her would be a bit of an easy task, so she had to ask her to be cautious.
"Don't worry. I've asked him to treat my condition before, and I've had the prescription checked out. It's indeed a good one. In the future, it would be better for you to have Wen Shichu and I to have Liu Bin."
Seeing that she couldn't hear any problem, Zhen Huan could only agree with a smile. She also suspected that she was overthinking during her pregnancy and was too suspicious, so she stopped talking and the two of them turned to talk about the clothes prepared for the child.
When it was getting dark, Zhen Huan got up to see Mei Zhuang out. Turning around, she saw the Sixth Prince running in from outside, followed by the wet nurses and maids.
"Sixth Prince, come here."
Zhen Huan and the child had become familiar with each other. Seeing her beckon him, the Sixth Prince ran over and said, "Hold me... hold me."
Unfortunately, Zhen Huan couldn't hold him this time, so she could only hug him and said to the maid behind her, "Sixth Prince's cough just got better a few days ago. Why did you let him run around outside today? What if he gets caught in a cold?"
The maid quickly bowed and saluted, "Lady Wan, the Imperial Concubine said the sun was shining brightly today, and since Prince was still making a fuss, she asked us to carry him out to look at the flowers and plants in the garden. Unexpectedly, Prince struggled and tried to run away as soon as he got outside. We were afraid he'd fall and get hurt, so we had to follow him all the way back."
"You should reply to the Imperial Concubine."
Since Zhen Huan was pregnant, she could not help but love the other child more. In addition, the Sixth Prince had always been well-behaved and sensible, so when he heard their words, he naturally thought they were excuses.
But she didn't say much. She just took the Sixth Prince to the main hall, told him about the matter, and then left.
Concubine Hua was naturally very grateful. After ordering people to send Concubine Wan away, she severely reprimanded the servants around the Sixth Prince. She decided to replace those servants who were just sitting there doing nothing when she returned to the palace.
On the other side, Yixiu, who lived in Taohuawu, had stopped serving as the director and simply wandered around the Old Summer Palace. She happened to run into An Changzai on the way.
"This concubine pays her respects to Her Majesty the Queen."
"Get up."
Yixiu called out casually while standing in the pavilion, looking at her. She was wearing a moon-white silk shirt embroidered with magnolia patterns, and a light pink casual robe on the outside. Her dress was fresh and elegant, which complemented her beautiful face.
"You really stand out in this outfit. It really looks good on young girls."
An Lingrong smiled shyly upon hearing this: "My concubine is plain-looking, so I have to put more effort into my attire. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Your Majesty."
"Women dress to please themselves. All the women in the palace do the same. It's human nature. There's nothing to laugh at. Just look at how the emperor feels about you now. I'm afraid others won't just laugh at you, they'll envy you."
Yixiu smiled and patted her shoulder: "Lanxiang suits you very well. Okay, don't keep the emperor waiting for too long, go quickly."
Pretending not to notice An Lingrong's astonished look, Yixiu walked back slowly.
After that, although the emperor still doted on Lingrong very much, he was not as obsessed with her as he was a few days ago. He slowly started to visit her again. Meizhuang also seized the opportunity and finally broke the good news on the day of the Double Ninth Festival chrysanthemum viewing banquet. The emperor was very pleased and decided on the spot to promote her to a concubine.
After hearing that the newly promoted Concubine Hui had asked the emperor to hire a royal physician named Liu Bin to complicate her pregnancy, Yixiu glanced at Concubine Zhen subtly, not missing the pride in her eyes.
Looking at Zhen Huan again, she was holding her belly and rejoicing for her good sister. Behind her, Huanbi was secretly glancing at Noble Lady An who was congratulating Concubine Hui.
Yes, An Lingrong had been promoted again. But now with the news of Huipin's pregnancy in the way, it didn't make a splash at all.
"This is really great news. You two sisters are indeed destined to be together. Since your two children are close in age, you will have company when you go to the Shangshufang together."
Yixiu said while smiling to Concubine Hua beside her: "This is all thanks to you."
Nian Xiwen quickly stood up and said, "I am only serving Your Majesty. Concubine Hui and Concubine Wan are both blessed. I have no merit whatsoever."
Her voice was a little weak. Yixiu looked at her carefully and saw that the makeup on her face was heavier. She guessed that she must have been very tired these days and her originally weak body could not bear it anymore.
Unfortunately, the emperor didn't notice it, and Concubine Hua herself didn't want to disappoint the emperor, so Yixiu would not say it on her own initiative.
She and Honghui have been keeping a low profile lately. Fortunately, Nian Gengyao and the Nian family, who are all good people, have attracted the emperor's attention, so it's a good thing that Yixiu didn't add fuel to the fire.
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