"Your Highness, the palace was damaged by fire, and the air is foul. You should go outside for a walk!"
Seeing that he couldn't stop the Crown Princess, the attendant, facing the barely damaged wall and the shattered bookshelves, still stubbornly claimed it was a major fire.
Yue Jiang stared blankly at the wall ravaged by the fire for a moment or two, until her attendant awkwardly urged her to leave, at which point she snapped out of her daze and blinked.
Yue Jiang coughed lightly twice, raised her wrist to cover her nose, and turned away, no longer looking at the walls in the room that had been "ravaged by fire."
"The air quality is bad; I couldn't breathe properly after staying there for a while."
She walked slowly outside, glancing around. It seemed that some craftsmen appeared busy, but she couldn't really see what they were actually doing.
I was so focused on rushing in that I didn't notice anything amiss.
Yue Jiang recalled the night of the fire when Jing Yan came to stay with her, looking disheveled but still trying to make a joke out of his misery.
She genuinely believed that Xiande Hall had accidentally caught fire, and that Jingyan had almost been burned.
Surprisingly, only one wall and the bookshelf were damaged.
After spending a long time with Jing Yan, Yue Jiang saw how well he treated her and how indulgent he was, and she forgot that in the beginning, he was also the most deceitful person.
Was this all just a ploy to trick me into living with him?
"Since Xiande Hall has enough manpower, the craftsmen I brought will not interfere with the affairs here and cause trouble for the craftsmen who are already there."
"Just leave those things behind. Just say that I had Qingke Qingfei deliver them, and let the craftsmen of Xiande Hall use them as they see fit."
"You are not allowed to reveal that I have been to Xiande Hall, understand?"
As Yue Jiang stepped out of Xiande Hall, she gently and slowly gave instructions to her attendants.
When the attendant heard the Crown Princess say this, he assumed that she would not reveal this matter to the Crown Prince and would not cause him to lose face. He was extremely grateful.
He repeatedly agreed, "The Crown Princess has given the order, and I dare not disobey."
Reassured, Yue Jiang nodded and prepared to return to Yichun Palace, where she would wait for Jing Yan to return from court.
This time, something funny happened to amuse him again.
...
Jing Yan was unaware that Yue Jiang was concerned about his palace affairs; he simply went to Xiande Hall to check on the situation as soon as he returned to the East Palace.
The young attendant reported the contents of the place to Jingyan as Yuejiang had instructed, without mentioning at all that Yuejiang had come in person.
After examining the items on the ground, Jing Yan realized that any one of them was a priceless treasure, but these things couldn't compare to Jing Yan's guilty conscience. He hurriedly asked a question.
"Have the people around the Crown Princess gone into Xiande Hall to check?"
If Qingke and Qingfei were to see any clues, wouldn't Yuejiang discover his secret?
The young attendant was still trembling with fear when lying to the Crown Prince, but since the Crown Prince was willing to burn down the Xiande Hall for the Crown Princess, he knew which side to listen to first.
He lowered his head even further and spoke in a steady voice: "Xiande Hall was in disarray, so I stopped them outside the hall and didn't let them step inside."
Knowing that Qingke Qingfei hadn't gone in, Jing Yanxin felt relieved.
The attendant who had served Jingyan closely for many years noticed his godson's strange behavior and knew something was wrong.
He followed Jing Yan into the courtyard and looked at the wooden frames erected, which looked like busy craftsmen, and said with a sigh.
"Your Highness, the Xiande Hall has been under construction for almost half a month now, and the workload seems to be increasing every day. When will the construction finally end?"
"Has it been that long?" Jing Yan was completely unaware; he always felt that he hadn't stayed in Yichun Palace for very long.
The attendant stated the exact time: "Your Highness, it has been thirteen days. When do you plan to move back? No matter how big Xiande Palace is, it will eventually be filled with decorations, and then the deception will no longer be able to be concealed."
Jing Yan rubbed his fingertips together in his sleeves, remaining silent for a long while. He thought that Yue Jiang had been in a good mood recently and hadn't experienced many of the discomforts of pregnancy, so moving back home would be fine.
However, Jing Yan felt a pang of reluctance at the thought of returning to live alone.
He hesitated, and the attendant whispered, "Your Highness, if you wish to move back, this old servant will prepare for you."
Jing Yan paused for a moment. He had been reluctant to return from Yue Jiang's place for the past few days. How could he not? Occasionally, dealing with political affairs would disturb her rest.
Thinking that he would eventually have to come back, he stopped worrying about it.
"Finish painting the walls in the study, replace the bookshelves, and I'll move them back in a couple of days."
Upon receiving permission, the attendant hurriedly replied, "Yes."
...
After inspecting Xiande Hall, Jingyan returned to Yichun Hall. When he returned, Yuejiang was sitting by the sunny window, fiddling with her embroidery.
Jingyan had been staying at Yichun Palace for almost half a month, and he hadn't seen her touch the needle even once. But when Jingyan looked down at the sachet at his waist, he walked over with anticipation.
"Jiang'er, what are you making?"
Yue Jiang was carefully cutting the fabric without looking up. The scissors flew nimbly in her hands, and the edges of the complete brocade were cut off, revealing the shape of a bellyband.
She opened it to show Jing Yan: "Your Highness, isn't it cute? It's for the child."
Jing Yan: "..."
"The palace will make all the preparations, why bother yourself?"
Yue Jiang: "It's different. I am the mother of the child in my womb. Sewing a little thing carries the love of a mother, and no one can replace that."
Yue Jiang's words carried a hint of smugness, and Jing Yan slightly curled the corners of his mouth. The next moment, he saw Yue Jiang threading a needle and sewing a ribbon onto the clothes.
Just as Jing Yan sat down and picked up a book, Yue Jiang's casual voice rang out: "Your Highness, did you go to Xiande Hall today?"
Jing Yan paused in turning the pages of his book, glanced at Yue Jiang, and saw that the autumn sun was not as intense as the summer sun, but rather refracted warm light through the window, like scattered gold.
The hairpins and gold hairpins inserted diagonally through Yue Jiang's temples were coated with a layer of shimmering, colorful light.
Yue Jiang was enveloped in a halo of light, serene and gentle, as if it were just something she mentioned casually.
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