Chapter 500 No Fetal Movement
Hua Yi got up and obediently sat back down next to Princess Ning.
Princess Ning looked at Huayi with a loving expression: "You are a sensible child. I like sensible children the most. If you lack anything in the future, just tell me. If anyone gives you a hard time, tell me too, and I will take care of it for you."
"Thank you, Your Highness. But I have nothing to lack. You see, I eat well and dress well, much better than others. I am very content."
Princess Ning looked her up and down: "You call this living well? You're so thin, you obviously haven't been eating enough! And your clothes, the weather is already getting warm, why are you still wearing winter clothes? They didn't make you any spring or summer clothes?"
“I’ve done it. I have all kinds of clothes, but I’m a bit sensitive to the cold. Even in this kind of weather, I feel a bit chilly, which is why I’m wearing thick clothes.”
Shen Wantang stood to the side, listening to the two of them talk, her expression indifferent.
She was very familiar with the way the princess protected and doted on her; the princess had treated her the same way before.
She just didn't expect that the balance between her and the princess, who were both kind mother-in-law and filial daughter-in-law, would be broken so quickly.
As she was thinking, she heard the princess say again, "Tang'er, I see that Huayi's clothes are all old. Since she is afraid of the cold, you should ask someone to make her a few more thick new clothes. The princess is not short of a few taels of silver. Don't skimp on the food, clothing and other necessities of those people below. It will make people laugh if word gets out."
How could Shen Wantang bear the crime of withholding food, clothing and other necessities from servants? She said calmly, "I have never withheld the necessities from servants. The clothes and monthly allowances of the maids and servants are all distributed according to the rules of the manor. No one has ever been shortchanged, and Huayi has never been shortchanged either."
"Huayi has several more sets of clothes than others, and the fabrics she wears are all the best. The one she is wearing is a fine silk brocade that costs thirty taels of silver per foot. It doesn't look particularly impressive, but it is actually soft and comfortable to wear, and it is also warmer than other fabrics."
Princess Ning pulled Huayi's sleeve over and looked inside. The lining of her dress had a pearly texture, and the fabric was thick and soft. It was indeed genuine silk brocade.
She originally intended to take this opportunity to give Shen Wantang a warning, but she didn't expect Shen Wantang to be so thorough in his actions and actually not mistreat Huayi. This made it difficult for her to continue finding fault with her for the time being.
The painter noticed that Princess Ning was looking inside her sleeves, seemingly puzzled.
Can you tell it's silk brocade just by looking inside? It's not much different from other materials, except it has a bit more luster.
In order to see Princess Ning, she deliberately wore this most inconspicuous outfit to make herself look more pitiful and to make Princess Ning take pity on her.
This dress was extremely ordinary in terms of both pattern and embroidery. She didn't usually wear it because it wasn't glamorous or luxurious enough.
Unexpectedly, this material is actually a fine silk brocade that costs thirty taels of silver per foot!
Shen Wantang glanced at Huayi indifferently, a hint of mockery on her lips. Of course, she knew that Huayi didn't recognize good fabrics, and she also knew that Huayi wouldn't usually wear this dress, which was why she had Qinxin send it to her.
But she gave Huayi this dress not to shut her mother-in-law up. Her mother-in-law treated her well and wouldn't care about such trivial matters.
She had done this to shut Xiao Qingyuan up—she had given him something nice, but Huayi didn't appreciate it and refused to wear it, so she couldn't be blamed.
But unexpectedly, a little scheme she had laid earlier came into play at this moment. Xiao Qingyuan no longer needed to be gagged, but unexpectedly, the Princess Ning was gagged as well.
Of the four maids Princess Ning gave her, only Huayi was illiterate and didn't recognize any good things. Not only did she not recognize them, but she also disdained to learn them. She devoted all her energy and time to maintaining her figure and taking care of her skin because she was determined to become Xiao Qingyuan's concubine and use her beauty to hold onto his heart.
She was too naive and didn't realize that a heart held captive by beauty cannot last.
The air seemed to freeze. Huayi, fearing that Princess Ning would no longer care for her, immediately said, "Princess, don't worry about me. The Crown Princess treats me like a sister. I lack nothing."
"I don't really care about food and clothing; those are just external things and not important. What's important is that the family can live together in harmony."
"What I want to do most right now is to be by your side and take good care of you. After the baby is born, I want the child to take good care of you too!"
Princess Ning looked at her belly, then reached out and touched it, tears welling up in her eyes again: "If Yuan'er were still here, how wonderful that would be. He didn't even get to see his child born, and the child never even met his father. It's so pitiful..."
Hua Yi also started crying: "I dream of bringing the prince back to life, I would give my life for his!"
"The princess said I was too thin, but it's because I've been missing the prince so much and in so much pain since he passed away that I can't eat anything."
"I wish I could die with him, but I'm carrying the prince's child. What will happen to the child if I die?"
Princess Ning was startled and quickly said, "Absolutely not! You mustn't do something foolish like him!"
Hua Yi nodded through her tears: "I know, I won't. For the sake of the child, I have to live well. This is the only flesh and blood of the Crown Prince. I have to give birth to him so that you and the Prince can at least have a grandson to enjoy your company and fulfill your filial duties in place of the Crown Prince."
Princess Ning wiped away her tears, her face full of relief: "It's good that you understand these things."
As she spoke, she personally took a handkerchief and wiped Huayi's face: "Don't cry, being too sad is bad for the child. Besides, I just touched the child, why wasn't he moving at all? He's usually like this."
Hua Yi looked bewildered: "Can he still move? He's usually motionless!"
Princess Ning's expression immediately changed: "You don't move around at all normally? How is that possible?! You're almost seven months pregnant, you should be at your most active and energetic stage!"
Upon hearing this, Hua Yi's expression immediately changed: "Could it be that he doesn't like to move around?"
Princess Ning's expression was solemn: "Even if you don't like to move, you won't stay completely still. The size of your belly doesn't look like you're seven months pregnant. It looks like you're five months pregnant at most. The baby is too small!"
Huayi's face turned pale instantly: "What should I do? Is it too late for me to eat more to nourish the child?"
Princess Ning nodded: "Of course you need to replenish your energy. With me here, I will definitely make sure you and the child have plenty of energy and blood. However—"
Hua Yi quickly asked, "But what?"
"However, before you start taking supplements, you should have a doctor take a look at you first, so as not to cause any problems if you take supplements indiscriminately."
Princess Ning turned to Shen Wantang: "Tang'er, your medical skills are superb. Come quickly and take Huayi's pulse. See what's wrong with this child. Why is she not moving at all?"
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