Consort Tongjia has indeed been preoccupied with her own troubles lately.
She was in poor health, and she was able to enter the palace because of her relationship with her cousin the emperor and her aunt.
Otherwise, she would have been eliminated long ago. At most, they would have given her a plausible reason because of Tongjia's power.
But she and her cousin had been childhood sweethearts for so many years. How could she be willing to not enter the palace?
Why was it that Hesheli and Niohuru could enter the palace, but she couldn't?
She is no less than anyone else; what's truly special is her bond with her cousin! She has already secured a very important place in his heart, and there's no way she could back down now!
However, after many years in the palace, her regret was that she had never been able to give birth to a child for her cousin that would inherit the bloodlines of both of them.
She attributed all of this to her poor health, saying she was unsuitable for having children.
Consort Tongjia certainly cared for and loved Yinzhen, but the feelings between them were somewhat complicated.
She felt that since he wasn't her biological son, there was a sense of distance between them, especially since Yinzhen's mother had a very special connection with her.
Consort Tongjia touched her belly and figured it was most likely a girl. She had already seen the baby through everyone in and out of the palace, from the imperial physicians to people from her own family.
Even if she didn't want to believe it, so many people couldn't possibly be wrong.
Although she was still somewhat unwilling, the fact that she had not been able to conceive for many years had already smoothed out her rough edges. As long as she could give birth to a child, that would be enough, even if her health was not good and she might not be able to raise the child safely.
But as long as I can give birth to a child, it will be a way to leave my cousin with something to remember me by.
Because of her pregnancy and poor health, Consort Tongjia didn't have much energy to devote to Yinzhen. Moreover, Yinzhen stayed in his study all day and didn't wander around, so Consort Tongjia was naturally at ease.
“Mother…” Yinzhen entered the room.
As usual, as soon as Yinzhen entered the room, Consort Tongjia immediately arranged for someone to prepare a meal in the side hall, and then had a nanny eat with him.
The servants in Chengqian Palace already knew when the Fourth Prince would return, and hot meals had already been prepared.
The kitchen staff had also figured out his preferences and knew what the Fourth Prince wanted to eat, so the food they made was exceptionally delicious and pleased Yinzhen.
Because Consort Tongjia was pregnant and held a very high rank, the small kitchen was very well prepared; basically, whatever a person wanted to eat could be made immediately.
Why didn't Consort Tongjia eat it?
However, because she is still suffering from severe morning sickness, she cannot smell anything, which has resulted in Consort Tongjia not having a meal with Yinzhen for a long time.
There was no way around it; their meals were completely different, and if they ate together, Consort Tongjia would suffer severe morning sickness.
In the past, Yinzhen would have gone with the nanny because he didn't want to trouble his mother. He also knew that his mother was in great pain and didn't want her to worry about him.
But today he hesitated for a moment, walked to his mother's side and took her hand, "Mother, is there anything you can eat? Yinzhen will eat with you!"
Consort Tongjia was somewhat surprised.
Actually, she didn't have much of an appetite; she mostly ate bland, watery food. But this couldn't go on, so the nanny would give her some ginseng soup or something similar to help her recover. Even so, eating those things every day still made her feel unwell.
She couldn't eat even a little bit of meat, but Yinzhen was growing up, so how could he not eat meat?
Therefore, her small kitchen usually prepares two menus. She has to wait until she has a little appetite or whenever she wants to eat before she can eat. Moreover, the menus are strictly controlled by the imperial physicians and nannies to ensure that they are nutritious and do not make her feel unwell.
Yinzhen's portion, on the other hand, was nutritionally balanced and very regular.
Sometimes, when Consort Tongjia saw the worried look in Yinzhen's eyes, she would feel sorry for him, feeling guilty for making such a young child worry about her.
However, in most cases, Consort Tongjia couldn't pay attention to him.
The nanny beside Consort Tongjia was overjoyed. Although she didn't know why the Fourth Prince was dining with the Consort, she thought how wonderful it would be if the Fourth Prince could coax the Consort to eat more!
In any case, the Fourth Prince's words carry far more weight than those of the current officials.
While thinking this to herself, she tugged at Consort Tongjia and said, “Your Highness, this is the perfect time for the Fourth Prince to show his filial piety. Besides, eating a light meal or two won’t affect his health. Why don’t you grant the Fourth Prince’s wish?” the nanny said.
This nanny was the dowry nanny of Consort Tongjia, so her status was naturally different.
Consort Tongjia hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement. She didn't want Yinzhen to eat these tasteless things, and she certainly didn't want him to suffer.
When the food was served, Yinzhen realized how bland his mother's meals were, with virtually no meat or fish, and even the soup had no oil floating on top.
It was almost crystal clear.
Because Consort Tongjia had no appetite at mealtimes, she usually wouldn't eat at the appointed time, but would wait until she was a little hungry or could barely eat before having a meal.
Yinzhen was usually busy studying, so he really didn't encounter them many times.
But knowing how my mother usually eats is different from seeing it with my own eyes.
“Mother…” Yinzhen’s eyes were filled with heartache.
Actually, he prefers light flavors, but he really enjoys chicken soup or fish. However, he has never eaten anything so bland before.
After the mother and son sat down, Yinzhen only tasted it and immediately lost his appetite. It really had no taste at all. On the contrary, because of the addition of ginseng or some other medicinal herbs, it had a faint taste. Consort Tongjia also barely managed to eat it.
He remembered that his mother used to love life very much, and every meal she ate was exquisite. How could it be like now, with only bland soup and water?
Although he really wanted a younger sister, and his mother longed for the same, did he have to endure such hardship and suffer such toil?
Yinzhen lowered his head and ate his food in silence, but his eyes were a little moist.
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