"Cough cough cough, let's talk about it later. Didn't you want to see the snow? Let's go." Yinzhen was so frightened by Yin Qingyi's bold words that he choked. Seeing Qiuju coming over with clothes, he quickly changed the subject. This little woman really dares to say anything.
"Alright, Qiuju, hurry up, get dressed, I want to go out and have a look." Seeing this, Yin Qingyi naturally followed Yinzhen's lead.
After Yin Qingyi finished dressing, her whole body was swollen, with only her small face showing.
"...Qiuju, isn't this a bit too much?" Yin Qingyi felt like she couldn't even bend over; apart from her feet, eyes, and mouth, there wasn't a single part of her body she could move.
"It looks fine to you, so let's go." Yinzhen glanced at it and was very satisfied.
What could Yin Qingyi do? In order to go out and see the snow, she could only endure it.
As soon as the curtain was opened, a gust of cold wind rushed in, carrying a few snowflakes that landed on Yin Qingyi's clothes. One snowflake playfully landed on the tip of Yin Qingyi's nose, but melted in the blink of an eye.
"Master, it's snowing! It really is snowing! Haha!" Yin Qingyi was dressed warmly and didn't feel cold at all. Except for her face, she couldn't help but take two more steps outside and stopped at the very end of the corridor, without going out.
Yinzhen had thought that Yin Qingyi would walk out and was about to speak up to stop her, but he saw that she stopped.
"It snows every year, I really don't understand what you like about it." Yinzhen didn't find Yin Qingyi's behavior strange at all, and his tone carried a hint of doting that he himself didn't realize.
"Snow is beautiful, and if it snows heavily, the harvest will be plentiful next year, right? All of us concubines love snow. A good snow promises a good harvest." Yin Qingyi's heart skipped a beat. Indeed, the original owner could see snow every year. In her memory, she didn't really like snow. Actually, before entering the palace, the original owner did like it, but after two years in the palace, winter became the season she hated the most.
"Yes. I didn't expect you to know these things." Yinzhen nodded in agreement, then looked at Yin Qingyi with some surprise.
"My lord, although my family is better off than ordinary people, we barely have enough to eat and wear. Father often reminds my brother and me not to waste food. This rice and vegetables are grown by the people with great effort. If we waste them, Father will punish us. I was young and didn't understand when I was young, so I was often punished by Father. When I got older and understood, Father told me about the hardship of growing these grains. Now, after Father has been nagging me for so many years, I have long remembered it." Yin Qingyi was not lying. These were all things from the original owner's memories. Even if Yinzhen investigated, he wouldn't find anything different.
"Does Your Majesty remember that your father was a clerk in the Hanlin Academy?" Yinzhen had naturally already found out what the women in his harem did, but it was only a general impression.
"Yes, Your Highness knows?" Yin Qingyi nodded and tilted her head to look at Yinzhen.
"I know a little bit about him. Your father has been in this position for quite some time," Yinzhen said meaningfully, glancing casually at Yin Qingyi, waiting to see her reaction.
"Yes, Father has held this official position since I can remember. But Father is always cheerful, except..." Yin Qingyi smiled, her hands already full of snowflakes. Luckily, she was wearing gloves, otherwise she would have been freezing. Her eyes were fixed on the falling snowflakes, seemingly oblivious to Yinzhen's probing.
"Besides what?" Yinzhen's eyes darkened, and his desire to pamper Yin Qingyi immediately faded.
“When I was about to enter the palace, Father always looked worried. Once, when I got up at night, I saw Father sitting in the courtyard sighing. That was the first time I saw Father cry.” As Yin Qingyi spoke, her hand fell to her side, the smile on her face disappeared, and she lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought.
"..." Yinzhen looked at the little woman who was obviously depressed and didn't know how to comfort her. This selection of concubines was a rule set by the ancestor, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
"Your Majesty, let's go back. We're not going to watch anymore," Yin Qingyi said to Yinzhen with a forced smile.
"Hmm." Yinzhen pursed his lips, turned around and went into the house.
After entering, Yin Qingyi lost her previous liveliness and sat on the soft couch in a daze. Actually, Yin Qingyi's behavior was very impolite, but the ignored old man didn't object, so even if Qiu Ju and the others were anxious, there was nothing they could do.
"I have something to attend to, so I'll head back to the front courtyard first. You rest well and don't overthink things. Just focus on giving me a baby. No need to see me off, you can sit down." Yinzhen was irritated, but he couldn't show it. He could only get up and go back. Before leaving, he still couldn't help but give her some more instructions. When he talked about the child, he remembered that this little woman didn't like him calling her "prince," so he paused and said the name she preferred.
"Please be careful, Your Highness. The roads are slippery in the snow." Although Yin Qingyi did not see Yinzhen off, she still stood up and bowed.
Yinzhen lifted the curtain and went out. Although he moved quickly, a cold wind still managed to sneak in, bringing a chill. Once Yinqingyi was sure Yinzhen was gone, the expression on her face vanished, and the sorrowful look from just moments before was nowhere to be seen.
Qiu Ju, Chun Lan, and Xiao Jinzi were already used to their princess's rapid change of expression. From initial shock to confusion to numbness, they now roughly understood the reasons behind her actions and were even more certain that they had not followed the wrong master. Only someone as shrewd and resourceful as their master could survive in this inner court; the truly naive and innocent type simply wouldn't last long.
"Little Jinzi, go tell the kitchen to prepare spicy diced chicken and pickled fish for lunch today. The rest is up to you." Yin Qingyi said, swallowing hard. Perhaps it was the hormonal changes of pregnancy, but whenever she craved something, she couldn't wait to eat it, and if she couldn't, her mouth would water uncontrollably. Lunch wasn't far off; she could just wait a little longer...
"Yes, this servant will go right away." Xiao Jinzi immediately withdrew. He wasn't worried about the princess liking to eat, but rather about her not wanting to eat.
Strangely enough, most pregnant women vomit during the first three months of pregnancy, but Yin Qingyi didn't feel nauseous at all. Instead, her appetite increased every day. Now she eats four or five meals a day. If she doesn't eat, she feels uncomfortable and her stomach is always hungry.
Whenever Yinzhen dined with Consort Yin, he was always astonished by her appetite. Only after the imperial physician repeatedly confirmed that Consort Yin was alright did Yinzhen feel relieved.
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