After making the arrangements, Yinzhen turned around and gently kissed Yin Qingyi's lips. "Get some rest. I'll be leaving now."
"Your Highness should rest early. You'll be busy for many days this year. If you don't have time, you don't need to come over. Rest more. I have Granny Naqi and the others here, so everything will be fine," Yin Qingyi said softly, looking at Yinzhen, whose face was already showing some bluish tinges.
"Okay." Yinzhen nodded, then turned and left.
After Yinzhen left, Yin Qingyi yawned; she should have been asleep by this time anyway.
Yin Qingyi didn't sleep well at all during her pregnancy. In the early stages, she often had dreams, and later she couldn't sleep well because of morning sickness. Now, her belly is so big that it's pressing against her internal organs, and it also makes her get up frequently at night.
This caused Yin Qingyi to get sleepy very easily, and when she did, she had to sleep, otherwise she would become irritable.
The following evening, Yin Qingyi didn't dress up much. What was the point of dressing up when she was a pregnant woman with a big belly?
Led by Granny Qi and Mingyue Fengqing, Yin Qingyi strolled leisurely to the place where the family banquet was being held. The surrounding area had already been drawn up with curtains to block the wind and snow. As soon as she stepped inside the curtains, Yin Qingyi breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, it was warm. On the way here, Yin Qingyi had regretted more than once. Why did she come to suffer in this freezing weather? If Yinzhen didn't want her to come, she wouldn't have come.
This was the first time Yin Qingyi had appeared before everyone in four months, and all eyes turned to her. The first thing they noticed was her prominent belly. Only then did they see her face.
Four months had passed, and her face was still bare of makeup, yet she remained just as beautiful—no, one could even say she was more beautiful. The childishness on her face seemed to have faded, replaced by a touch of feminine charm. Such a captivating face would be a fatal visual impact on anyone.
"Sister Yin, you actually decided to come out today? I thought you wouldn't." Madam Li spoke first, her eyes filled with blatant jealousy towards Yin Qingyi.
"Sister, you're too kind. Today is a family banquet, how could I not come?" With the help of the nanny, Yin Qingyi sat steadily in the chair, smiling at Li Shi. Seeing the jealousy in Li Shi's eyes, Yin Qingyi smiled even more happily.
"Haven't there been enough family banquets where my sister hasn't come? But why did my sister bring so many people? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were a concubine. You have no manners at all." Li Shi wanted to scratch Yin Qingyi's alluring face. Looking at the three people standing behind Yin Qingyi, she blurted it out in a moment of impulsiveness.
"Weren't you feeling unwell a few days ago, sister? Well, you've just gotten a little better and you've come out. As for those old women you mentioned, Master was worried about me coming out with only one person while I'm so pregnant, so he ordered them to come this time. Didn't Master arrange anything for you when you were pregnant before, sister?" Yin Qingyi smiled innocently, but her words were like a sharp sword piercing Li Shi's heart.
"...Of course there are, but I'm not as delicate as my younger sister, so I don't need to bring so many people." Li's lips twitched, her eyes practically spitting fire, but she still had to smile and speak to Yin Qingyi.
"Yes, elder sister is in good health, unlike younger sister who needs to be taken care of." Yin Qingyi nodded, still smiling brightly, regardless of whether what Li Shi said was true or false. She seemed not to think there was anything wrong with what she said.
"It's getting late, why don't we make peace?" Song Gege quickly intervened, seeing that Li Shi's face was visibly grim.
"Sister Song, Sister Yin's belly doesn't look like it's five months big. Aren't you curious?" Madam Geng had lost a lot of weight, but her stubbornness hadn't diminished despite being confined. Indeed, Madam Geng had been released from confinement yesterday; it wasn't appropriate to keep her confined for too long, especially during the New Year.
"..." Madam Song looked at Madam Geng, pursing her lips and remaining silent. Why should she stop someone who wanted to court death? Besides, she couldn't stop this person anyway.
"..." Li Shi fell silent. This Geng Shi was truly something else. Li Shi didn't know how to evaluate this person.
“Sister Li, Sister Song, why aren’t you saying anything? Am I wrong? Sister Yin was only diagnosed with a little over a month of pregnancy four months ago, and she hasn’t given birth yet. Now she’s five months along, but her belly is much bigger than it should be. Don’t you find that strange?” Madam Geng seemed oblivious to the tense atmosphere and continued speaking as if nothing was amiss. Xiao Cui, standing behind her, was on the verge of tears. Having a mistress with a poor judgment is truly a helpless situation!
"Geng, what do you want to say?" Since neither Li nor Song said anything, Yin Qingyi decided to say it herself. She wanted to see what Geng had to say.
“Don’t you know, Sister Yin? Your belly looks like you’re seven months along. Although I’ve never given birth, I’ve seen my aunts pregnant several times, and none of them have ever had a belly this big at five months.” Geng Shi immediately got excited when Yin Qingyi chimed in.
"So?" Yin Qingyi looked at the excited Geng Shi with a calm expression.
"So? Madam Yin, you only entered the manor seven months ago, or maybe you weren't even here yet, so tell me, whose bastard child is this?! How dare you confuse the master's bloodline! You're courting death. Your entire family will lose their lives because of a shameless daughter like you!" Madam Geng became more and more convinced of her own reasoning as she spoke, growing increasingly excited, as if she could already see Yin Qingyi's tragic end.
"Are you done talking?" Yin Qingyi remained calm despite Geng's words. However, the old nanny and Mingyue Fengqing behind her had dark faces, their eyes filled with hatred as if they wanted to tear Geng to pieces.
"Have you finished speaking? Do you plead guilty? If you..." Madam Geng looked up at Yin Qingyi with her head held high, puzzled by Yin Qingyi's arrogant attitude at this moment, and couldn't help but feel a little flustered.
"Now that you've finished, it's my turn. Madam Geng, the physicians who examined me were the imperial physician and the royal physician. The imperial physician is the master's man, and the royal physician is the emperor's man. Do you think I have the ability to bribe them to give me a fake diagnosis?" Yin Qingyi interrupted Madam Geng, her smile vanishing and her voice turning cold.
"How...how would I know? Maybe you used your face to bewitch them!" After Yin Qingyi said that, Madam Geng realized what was going on. That's right, the physician of the manor diagnosed Yin Qingyi's pregnancy. Panicked, Madam Geng stammered and her momentum waned.
"Hehe, Geng Shi, everyone heard what you said today. You'll have to explain to the master yourself! Granny, let's go." Yin Qingyi was so angry at Geng Shi's words that she almost laughed. She stood up and looked at Geng Shi coldly. After speaking, she helped Mingyue and Granny Qi out. Li Shi and Song Shi were so fast that they didn't even have time to react before they were gone.
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