Giving birthday gifts to children requires even more attention to detail.
It would seem presumptuous for Li Chenjiao to give gold and silver necklaces and other jewelry to a mere princess like her, especially since the eldest princess is sickly and weak, and there's a fear that she wouldn't be able to handle such things.
Food is out of the question, and while clothes and fabrics aren't exactly fancy, what if the eldest princess gets sick and breaks out in a rash like last time?
Li Chenjiao was genuinely a little worried.
In the end, Li Chenjiao still had Qiu Hu prepare a silver longevity lock: "Send it to the small Buddhist hall and enshrine it carefully. When you present it to the eldest princess, just say that it was prayed for, and that it must be carefully kept in order for it to be effective and grant your wish."
When Li Chenjiao gave gifts, she would have the wet nurse by the side of the eldest princess carefully examine them.
——
In the main courtyard, after listening to what Physician Zhou said after taking her pulse, the Princess Consort said "good" three times. She then asked Physician Zhou again, as if she couldn't believe it.
The Xie family had long been forgotten by the Fujin (principal wife).
She watched as Yu Ru saw off Physician Zhou, and finally, she could touch her abdomen like Princess Wu, no longer as a hopeful gesture, but as a tangible reality.
Suddenly, the princess leaned back against the large pillow as if relieved of a great burden.
She saw that Yu Ru had a happy expression on her face when she returned after seeing off Physician Zhou. She called out, "Send someone to tell Her Majesty the good news."
Yu Ru hurriedly agreed.
"Wait—" the princess suddenly changed her mind.
"The imperial physician said that my pregnancy is still in its early stages. I'm so happy I'm confused. I'll tell Her Majesty the good news when I go to the palace on the Double Ninth Festival."
The princess was not an impatient person, and today she was truly happy and delighted.
"The imperial physician said I'm still a month pregnant, probably because of the time the Fourth Prince came on the fifteenth of last month," the Fujin murmured, slowly calming down.
"You personally have the gatekeeper prepare a carriage and take me home to tell my mother this good news. Also, have her choose a loyal old woman, not a wet nurse, but someone who can give me advice. Make sure you find one before my mother comes to see me before the Double Ninth Festival."
The princess consort gave instructions to Yuru.
No matter how good the mansion was, it couldn't compare to how much her maternal family cared for her.
Xu, the old nanny in front of her, always listened to the words of Consort De in the palace and helped Wu and Xie a lot. The Fujin was not unaware of this.
The princess consort used to dislike listening to servants, feeling that she was being manipulated by them.
But that can't be the case right now. When it comes to childbirth, these things still require experienced old women to do them.
The person chosen by the mother-in-law is someone the wife can trust.
The princess slowly breathed a sigh of relief. This child had come at just the right time; all the humiliation of yesterday had vanished.
"Have someone keep watch at the gatehouse. When Fourth Master returns, tell him I have something to discuss with him and ask him to come over," the Fujin instructed again.
Madam Xie stood under the corridor of the main courtyard for a long time. The bright August sun shone directly on the back of her neck, and it soon began to feel hot.
She lowered her eyes, watching the imperial physicians come and go, and seeing the joy on Yu Ru's face as she saw the physicians off.
She was starting to feel unsteady on her feet when Yu Ru glanced at her casually as she saw the imperial physician off: "Why is Consort Xie still standing? The Madam is too busy to see you today. However, the Madam has a message for me to convey. One must always be aware of one's place, and I hope that Consort Xie will act more cautiously in the future."
Suppressing the sob rising in her chest, Xie's dark eyes welled with tears: "Thank you for your guidance, Madam."
After bowing respectfully towards the main courtyard, Madam Xie turned and left.
She walked slowly, seemingly unaware of the gazes of the servants in the main courtyard. However, her hands, hidden under her sleeves, subtly wrinkled the auspicious cloud pattern on her cuffs where no one could see.
After leaving the main courtyard, Madam Xie suddenly turned back and smiled.
Xie was naturally beautiful, her eyes brimming with sparkling light, and the smile on her lips was unrestrained.
She was indeed quite happy at the moment, but when she looked away, she hesitated.
Fortunately, this decision wasn't made hastily.
That night, Fourth Master went to the main courtyard.
This was perfectly reasonable to everyone in the backyard, after all, the Fourth Prince had offended the Princess Consort on the fifteenth yesterday.
When Fourth Master entered the main courtyard, he suddenly gave a silent, mocking laugh.
"Has Your Highness had dinner yet? Yu Ru, bring tea." The Fujin (principal wife) greeted her and then gave the order.
When Fourth Master took his seat, he politely drank the tea served by Yu Ru.
The Princess Consort naturally wouldn't directly mention her pregnancy: "The eldest princess's first birthday is just around the corner. I'm wondering if we should have a grand celebration?"
Fourth Master finally smiled: "You, as the legitimate mother, have thought things through very well. Let's invite Fifth Master and the others to hold it in the manor."
This means that the Fourth Prince also intends to hold a grand celebration.
The Princess Consort smiled and replied, "Also, regarding Consort Wu's pregnancy, the midwife has already been placed in Consort Wu's courtyard, but Consort Wu's courtyard looks a bit small now—"
The princess was very clever. She didn't ask the fourth prince about his attitude towards Wu Gege right away. Instead, she used the excuse that Wu Gege's current courtyard was too small and asked if she should move to a bigger courtyard to test the fourth prince's attitude.
She was testing the waters to see if the Fourth Prince wanted to move Wu Shi to a larger courtyard and whether he intended to establish a secondary consort.
The Fourth Prince lowered his gaze, seemingly deep in thought: "I have already made up my mind, so my wife need not worry."
The princess paused for a moment, then smiled and said okay.
"Look at me, Your Majesty, I forgot to tell you about this joyous occasion." The Princess Consort was still smiling.
The Fourth Prince glanced at the table; the lukewarm water in the Princess Consort's teacup sloshed around. He didn't expose her, only saying "Oh," and then asked, "What good news is there?"
The princess gently stroked her belly and said, "This morning I felt unwell, so I sent someone to the Imperial Hospital to fetch the imperial physician. Who knew that after taking my pulse, the physician would say that I was pregnant and had been pregnant for over a month."
After she finished speaking, the princess slowly raised her head.
The Fourth Prince chuckled to himself, his voice hoarse and deep: "Thank you for your hard work, Madam."
The princess stood up, tears welling up in her eyes: "With your words, Master, there's no need to talk about hardship."
The Fourth Prince reached out and helped his wife up, saying, "Now that you are pregnant, you don't need to work so hard anymore. Take good care of your health."
The princess had not felt such deep affection between husband and wife for a long time. She opened her mouth and said, "Today, I have already asked the household to select someone who can manage things to help me with my duties."
After helping his wife up, the Fourth Prince let go of her hand. His brows furrowed, and he remained silent for a few moments before saying, "If your wife has already made up her mind, then there is no need for me to say anything more."
"I'm busy today, and I still have official documents to attend to, so I'll head back now. My wife, you should also get some rest." The Fourth Prince pressed his forehead and rose.
The princess was puzzled as to why the fourth prince had become unhappy during their conversation. She had just sat down when she stood up again and said, "Your Majesty, I will see you off."
The Fourth Prince turned around and said, "You are pregnant, so you should rest well. There's no need to see me off." The Fourth Prince didn't want to argue with his wife who was pregnant.
Feeling the Fourth Prince's concern, the Fujin assumed that he had official business to attend to earlier and instructed, "Tell the kitchen to make a bowl of ginseng soup and send it to the Fourth Prince."
Yu Ru agreed, but it was still a pity that the Fourth Master did not stay overnight.
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