Wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner, and a delicate orchid fragrance filled the air.
The peaceful and tranquil situation was shattered by the baby's crying.
Cuizhu straightened up, not responding to her previous words, but instead said, "The little prince has been crying, he must be hungry, let me feed him!"
Having said that, he turned to leave.
Nian Yuyao quickly called out, "Wait." She didn't want Fu Pei out of her sight right now.
Cuizhu stopped in her tracks. "Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"
“Let’s feed them here!” Nian Yuyao said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes!" Cuizhu slowly turned around, muttering, "No other concubine is like you, like a gold nugget, someone I have to keep by my side every step of the way."
Although she spoke very softly, her words still reached Nian Yuyao's ears.
Nian Yuyao then understood why the original owner wanted her to take care of the child herself; it turned out to be her own idea.
She must be afraid of losing them again. Thinking of this, Nian Yuyao couldn't help but feel heartbroken. Any other woman would not be able to bear the loss of four children.
Nian Yuyao remained silent, instead watching as Cuizhu fed Fupei.
Half an incense stick later, Fu Pei stopped crying and burped. He was then placed in the cradle and drifted off to sleep.
Cuizhu, tired from sitting, stretched and curtsied slowly. "The young prince has been fed. This servant will take her leave."
“Okay!” Since Nian Yuyao didn’t want to see her anyway, he waved his hand.
After Cuizhu left, Nian Yuyao covered Fupei with the blankets and quietly looked at the sleeping baby, a slight smile on her lips.
But the more I looked, the more something seemed off. Although Fu Pei was sleeping soundly, his complexion wasn't as good as when he first woke up.
She checked her surroundings but found nothing suspicious. Then a terrible thought flashed through her mind: "Could there be something wrong with the wet nurse's milk?"
The scent of Frucup told her it was true.
Nian Yuyao closed her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her inner panic, but her cheeks were trembling.
After a long while, she opened her eyes. Fortunately, she realized that if Cuizhu continued to feed her, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Thinking of this, she felt even more resentful. Who could be so cruel as to not even spare an infant in swaddling clothes?
"Your Majesty!" Just as she was making wild guesses, a palace maid's voice suddenly rang out.
Nian Yuyao immediately composed herself and resumed her usual gentle demeanor. "What is it?"
"The tonic soup sent by the Imperial Hospital is ready."
Fearing that the palace maid might also have ulterior motives, she quickly pretended to be nonchalant and lay down on the bed. Then she coughed and said, "Hmm! Bring the medicine here so I can take a look!"
"yes!"
The palace maid carried the medicine bowl into the room, respectfully placed it on the table, and then turned to leave.
Nian Yuyao lifted the bed curtain, picked up the medicine bowl, and a strong medicinal smell wafted into her nostrils. She frowned, scooped out a spoon, and seeing that the system did not respond, she scooped some of the medicine, took a sip, and the bitter taste immediately filled her mouth.
She frowned and dared not take a second bite.
But when she thought about how she had to help Nian Yuyao, this poor soul, complete her mission, she forced herself to finish the large bowl of soup, suppressing her bitterness.
Only after swallowing it all did Nian Yuyao breathe a sigh of relief.
She picked up her sleeve, wiped the remaining medicine stains from her lips, and lay back down, pretending to continue sleeping.
Before long, a palace maid brought hot water and gently wiped Nian Yuyao's body.
She slowly opened her eyes and saw that the palace maids were skilled and quickly cleaned her body.
Throughout the entire movement, the palace maid kept her eyebrows lowered, not daring to look directly at her.
"I can tell you're very afraid of me?" Nian Yuyao asked abruptly.
The palace maid was startled by the question and stammered, "No...no."
Nian Yuyao chuckled softly, "You really are hypocritical! Judging from your trembling appearance, are you afraid that I will eat you up?"
Having transmigrated into the body of a concubine so many times, this was the first time she had ever seen a servant so afraid of her master.
The palace maid knelt on the ground in a panic, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This is the first time I have served you. I was afraid Your Majesty would find me unworthy."
The palace maid in front of me looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, with the childishness still lingering in the corners of her eyes, making her look very innocent.
"What's your name?" Nian Yuyao asked softly.
"I don't have a name; the palace servants all call me Little Dog," the maid said, her head bowed.
“Little dog? Why would anyone have that name?” Nian Yuyao frowned deeply, which showed how much bullying this palace maid had suffered.
She paused, then said, "The name 'Little Dog' is too insulting. I really can't bring myself to call it that. How about I bestow upon you the name Chenxi, meaning that the road to dawn after darkness is bright and radiant?"
The palace maid was stunned upon hearing this. She had not expected her mistress to be so gentle and kind. It took her a long time to react before she said with tears in her eyes, "This servant...this servant Chenxi thanks Consort Nian for bestowing this name upon me!"
She had never seen such a good master. When she was sold into the palace at the age of six, even the palace maids who were only one rank higher than her would insult and bully her.
But Nian Yuyao was a concubine, whose status was many ranks higher than hers. Not only did he not put on airs, but he also bestowed a name upon her. This was the first time she had ever felt warmth.
Looking at Chen Xi's joyful expression, Nian Yuyao said softly, "Di Leng, get up. Here with me, you don't need to kneel all the time."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Xi was no longer as fearful as before.
"By the way, why are you serving me today? Where are the others around me?" Nian Yuyao asked curiously. As Consort Nian, her personal maid couldn't possibly be a young girl.
“This…” Chen Xi hesitated for a moment.
Nian Yuyao knew what she was afraid of, so she said, "Speak your mind, and I will forgive you."
Chen Xi then dared to speak, “Last night, the Emperor favored Song Yin, who was by your side, and bestowed upon her the title of Yin Da Ying. She also asked the Emperor to transfer all the people who originally served you to serve her, leaving only me. That is how I have the honor of serving you.”
Nian Yuyao raised an eyebrow. It wasn't uncommon for palace maids to be favored in the palace, but it was the first time that someone had transferred away all the people who originally served the master.
Therefore, it can be seen that Song Yin is an ingrate.
Chenxi pouted, "This servant really can't understand how His Majesty could give in to her and disregard Your Majesty's feelings."
Nian Yuyao smiled faintly, "He is the emperor. Who he likes and what he wants to do are things we can't control. So let's just let nature take its course!"
Even so, she always felt that Yinzhen was not a shallow person and that he had his own reasons for doing so.
And she had a vague feeling that everything he did was for the original owner and Fu Pei, who was still sleeping soundly in the cradle.
That's what she thought, but she didn't say it aloud. After all, these were just her guesses, and she couldn't just say them out loud.
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