Intend
Not long after Wei Qiao left, Xi Chun encountered Liu An, Shui Xian's cousin, who was returning from a delivery mission and bringing gifts to Prince Zhao's residence. Shui Xian told her that her cousin was a righteous man with many friends in the martial arts world. She then spent one hundred taels of silver to ask someone to help her find Lan Xiang's whereabouts.
At the end of November, Liu An sent word that Lanxiang had indeed been to Lu'an. She had been betrothed by Lord Zhou as his second wife, but due to the machinations of the concubines in the household, she lost favor not long after her marriage and then disappeared without a trace.
When Narcissus heard the concubine ask about her cousin and saw the resolute look in her eyes, she took her hand and said, "I'm going to find him."
Liu An had been escorting goods to the north and only returned to the capital on the Lantern Festival. Hearing from Shui Xian that the concubine was looking for him, he mingled with several gardeners who had entered the mansion on the eighteenth day of the first lunar month and had a private conversation with Xi Chun at Chaoxia Courtyard. Liu An had traveled all over the country and enjoyed studying geography; he was practically a living map of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
"I will go back and think carefully about the route and method regarding this matter with the concubine, and I will come to the manor to give her a reply in a few days," Liu An said.
Xi Chun handed him the prepared six hundred taels of silver notes, saying, "Thank you for your help, Brother Liu. Please accept these silver notes."
Liu An glanced at it, wanting to decline, but then he thought that he couldn't handle this alone and would have to trouble his brothers, so he finally accepted the silver note.
Wei Qiao was busy with many affairs and always left early and returned late. Afraid of disturbing Xi Chun's rest, he no longer came to Chaoxia Courtyard to share a room with her at night.
On the afternoon of the 20th, Wei Qiao, who rarely had a short rest, came to Chaoxia Courtyard to keep Xi Chun company.
He presented a pair of jade bracelets to Xichun and said with a smile, "This is a reward I asked my uncle for today. Would you like me to wear it?" Xichun only wore silver bracelets with koi and lotus patterns on his wrists, which he felt were a bit too plain. Today, the Emperor had asked him to select the treasures presented as tribute by the vassal states, and he immediately took a liking to these dark green jade bracelets.
Xi Chun looked at the jade bracelet on the white silk cloth and shook her head. "These two silver bracelets are enough for me. Wearing too many bracelets makes my hands feel heavy, and I don't like that. I appreciate Your Highness's kindness."
“In that case, it is up to you,” Wei Qiao said, handing the box to Shui Xian.
Before going to bed, Wei Qiao told Xi Chun that he was going to accompany the emperor to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to Heaven.
"This is the new emperor's first time offering sacrifices to Heaven, and it will be on the Spring Equinox. The capital is more than 400 li away from Mount Tai, so I will be setting off with the emperor in a couple of days. I probably won't be back until March. You are now quite far along in your pregnancy, so you must be careful in everything you do in the palace."
Upon hearing this, Xi Chun was overjoyed. Wei Qiao's departure from the manor was her opportunity. She showed reluctance on her face, reached out to stroke Wei Qiao's chin, and looked at him with her eyes, saying, "Your Highness will be gone for so long. I will miss you while I am in the manor."
Seeing the affection in her eyes as she looked at him, Wei Qiao felt a pang of sorrow in his heart. Since she became pregnant, he had been constantly on the go, often leaving her alone in this desolate Chaoxia Courtyard. He was the one who had wronged her.
Wei Qiao took her hand that was stroking his chin and gently kissed the back of her fair hand. "After I come back this time, I will stay in the manor and keep you company. Be a good girl and wait for me to come back."
The next day, Wei Qiao went to Yunhe Hall to have lunch with Ming Chuqing. After lunch, the two sat in the small flower hall to discuss the affairs of the mansion. Ming Chuqing had received instruction from the eldest madam of the Ming family when she was in the Ming mansion. She had her own set of methods for managing the household affairs. Wei Qiao trusted her, so he would just listen to her and rarely change her decisions.
After the two finished their discussion, Cuiju came over to serve tea. Ming Chuqing took the tea from Cuiju and handed it to Wei Qiao, smiling, "This is tea leaves roasted by the estate I brought as part of my dowry. It's not a particularly expensive variety, but it has a subtle fruity aroma that I quite like. Your Highness, would you like to try it and see if it suits your taste?"
Wei Qiao took a sip and smiled, "It has a sweet aftertaste, and the aroma is like that of a peach. It's quite novel."
"Your Highness is right. It is the addition of peaches during the scenting process that gives it this fruity aroma," Ming Chuqing said.
Seeing that Wei Qiao was drinking tea with his head down and did not intend to speak, she smiled and said, "Your Highness will not be back for a long time. Has Your Highness settled things with Sister Xichun?"
"It's already agreed. She's quite far along in her pregnancy now, so I hope Your Highness will take good care of her," Wei Qiao said, looking up at Ming Chuqing.
“It is only right to take care of her, but I wonder if Your Highness has considered my previous suggestion?” Ming Chuqing looked at him. Wei Qiao did not bring up the matter again, but she never forgot that she was determined to get her hands on the child in the concubine's womb.
Wei Qiao hadn't expected the princess to remember this. He had indeed considered placing the child under her care after she brought it up. However, seeing how hard Xi Chun's pregnancy was, and the little clothes she sewed for the child, his thoughts vanished. The child in Xi Chun's womb belonged not only to him, but also to Xi Chun herself.
He looked up at Ming Chuqing and said seriously, "I think this is inappropriate. It would be better for the concubine to raise her own child. The princess need not mention this matter again."
"Does Your Highness really intend to be so cruel to me?" Ming Chuqing asked incredulously.
She thought her request wasn't unreasonable and that Wei Qiao would definitely agree. She never expected him to refuse her for that woman; it seemed she had underestimated the importance of the woman from Chaoxia Courtyard in his heart.
"What I owe the Princess, I will make up for in other ways. If the Princess truly wants a child, whether she adopts one from the Ming family or from the orphanage, I will treat that child as my own," Wei Qiao said sincerely.
Ming Chuqing sneered inwardly. It's so easy to say. If he's not Wei Qiao's own child, do you think he can let some child of unknown origin inherit the position of heir in the future?
She lowered her head and took a sip of tea, trying her best to hide her anger, and smiled as always: "In that case, I will not mention it again. As for the compensation that Your Highness mentioned, Your Highness has already given me more than enough. I do not need any more compensation, and Your Highness does not need to take this matter to heart."
Seeing that Ming Chuqing spoke with such sincerity, Wei Qiao immediately believed her. After returning to Ming'an Hall, he had Agui deliver the property deeds for the five shops on Zhuque Street to Yunhe Hall.
Wei Qiao was working on official documents in his study when he caught a glimpse of A Gui coming in to bring tea. He put down his brush and asked, "How is the Princess Consort doing?"
"The princess accepted it and said she was grateful for the prince's reward," said A-Gui.
Wei Qiao nodded, picked up the hot tea and took a sip. Seeing that A Gui seemed hesitant to speak, he pursed his lips and said, "Speak your mind."
After pausing for a long time, A-Gui finally said, "This servant thinks that although the Prince has refused the Princess's request to raise the concubine's child, shouldn't we still tell the concubine to avoid her hearing any rumors that might affect her relationship with the Prince?"
Ah Gui now understands that only the concubine is the prince's most beloved person. As the prince's most loyal servant, he naturally hopes that the prince and the concubine's relationship will be harmonious and that there will be no more troubles that could disrupt their hard-won stable relationship.
Thinking that Xichun is heavily pregnant and most afraid of being frightened, and considering that the princess has not revealed this matter to Xichun in the past few months, she will probably not mention it in the future.
Wei Qiao shook his head and said, "There's no need to tell the concubine. In a couple of days, I will be accompanying His Majesty to offer sacrifices to Heaven. It's her first pregnancy, so she's prone to fear and overthinking. If I tell her about this, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to her and the child in her womb. It's better to wait until she gives birth to the baby and recovers before I explain it to her."
Seeing that the prince had thought things through, A-Gui stopped mentioning the matter, picked up the cold tea, and quietly left the study.
Inside Yunhe Hall, Ming Chuqing was tidying up the property deeds that Agui had just brought over, while Cuiju served her beside her, smiling and saying, "Your Highness, this servant thinks the Prince is really generous to you; these few shops are worth ten thousand taels of silver."
Ming Chuqing glanced at the deed, closed the lid, and locked it. She sneered, "The prince isn't being generous to me; he feels guilty."
"With this guilt, Princess Consort can still live well in this palace. I think that girl from Chaoxia Courtyard is very timid and not a seductive person. Why does Princess Consort insist on having that child?"
Ming Chuqing reached out and poked Cuiju's head. "You silly girl, how long can a man's guilt last? My father felt so guilty about my mother's miscarriage that he came to my mother's courtyard every day for half a year to take care of her. My mother even said that my father was the best man in the world. But look what happened after that. Half a year later, my father still went to Aunt Hu's courtyard, and then he got pregnant within two months."
She adjusted the peony hairpin in her hair and continued, "That's why I said this guilt is meaningless. There's no marital bond between the Prince and me. He shares a bed with the courtesan of Chaoxia Courtyard every day. How can he possibly care about me in the future? If that courtesan of Chaoxia Courtyard were to have any designs on me, wouldn't the Prince depose me, his legal wife? So I still need to hold onto a child, at least so I can have someone to rely on in the future."
Cuiju nodded. "This servant understands. But what if the concubine's side has another child vying for the prince's favor in the future?"
"What are you afraid of? Do you know why Aunt Hu, who was so favored, only had one child, Xiao Si?"
Cuiju thought for a moment and said, "I heard that Aunt Hu hurt herself while giving birth to the Fourth Young Master."
"That's right. Aunt Hu was given a cold medicine by the midwife during childbirth, which is why she has been unable to give birth since then. I have already asked my mother to give me the prescription."
Ming Chuqing squinted, imagining Xichun crying, and laughed, "When the concubine gives birth, I will let her taste this cold medicine. The prince's trip to offer sacrifices to heaven is an excellent opportunity. It is common for women to die after giving birth in their eighth or ninth month, but I will not be so cruel. I will spare her life, but she will have to spend the rest of her life paralyzed in bed waiting to die."
Upon hearing this, Cuiju couldn't help but shudder. Seeing the princess pout at her with displeasure, she quickly lowered her head and said nothing more.
The twenty-fourth day of the first lunar month was an auspicious day for travel. Wei Qiao had slept in Chaoxia Courtyard the night before, but because he needed to wear elaborate auspicious clothes, he got up at the beginning of the Yin hour (3-5 AM). He was careful not to wake Xi Chun. Xi Chun was not a deep sleeper, and she woke up when she heard him pull back the covers.
Yesterday, Liu An came to the manor and discussed a plan with her. They just need to wait for the right time so she can escape the manor. Last night, Xi Chun pestered Wei Qiao for a long time and finally got him to agree that she could go out for a walk in the streets near the manor under the protection of the guards.
Knowing that today would be the last time she and Wei Qiao would meet, Xi Chun took his sleeve and looked at him, saying, "Your Highness, I've had a good sleep, let me accompany you to Ming'an Hall to help you change your clothes."
Wei Qiao turned to look at her face, his eyes filled with tenderness. "You can't bear to part with me?"
Xi Chun's dark eyes gazed intently at his face, and she nodded earnestly.
Seeing that she was about to lift the covers and get up, Wei Qiao gently pressed her back down and carefully tucked the blankets around her.
"It's dark and cold outside right now, don't get up, go back to sleep." After saying that, he kissed her forehead, drew the bed curtains, and left the room.
Agui and Zhao Yu dressed Wei Qiao in elaborate auspicious attire. Seeing that their lord was still beaming with joy even though he arrived early in the morning, Zhao Yu couldn't help but ask, "What makes Your Highness so happy?"
Wei Qiao recalled Xi Chun's appearance earlier, his eyes crinkling with laughter. He looked at Zhao Yu, this young upstart, and said smugly, "I won't tell you."
Zhao Yu pursed his lips and stuck out his tongue at A Gui behind Wei Qiao.
After getting dressed, it was already early morning. Wei Qiao walked to the sedan chair pavilion in the front courtyard to prepare to take a carriage to the palace. As he boarded the carriage, he seemed to catch a glimpse of Xi Chun watching him from behind the carriage hall, but when he looked closer, she was gone. He figured it must be because he missed her too much, so he smiled, shook his head, and boarded the carriage.
With the prince's permission, Xichun's movements were no longer restricted. Wei Qiao ordered six guards to protect her closely, but she frowned, annoyed, and adopted the airs of a concubine, so in the end, she only allowed two of them to accompany her. Xichun now leaves the manor every three or four days, and seeing that she is just strolling around the streets around the manor without getting into trouble, the guards have relaxed their surveillance of her.
By mid-February, Xichun felt the time was right. She took the Buddhist scriptures she had copied to Yunhe Hall.
After hearing Xichun's purpose, Ming Chuqing looked at her pregnant belly. She heard from the gatekeeper that the concubine had already gone out several times. Now that she looked so healthy, there would be no problem for her to go out to Jixiang Temple in the south of the city.
Moreover, the concubine was already seven months pregnant, and the midwife had been arranged in the back room of Yunhe Hall. When the concubine returned, this would be a perfect excuse to have the child born early. Besides, the prince had given permission for her to go out, so she wouldn't be blamed.
Thinking of this, Ming Chuqing smiled and nodded: "Since the concubine is so sincere, I cannot stop her. However, the concubine is quite far along in her pregnancy, so she must be careful."
With her approval, Xichun rose and bowed to her, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness. I will remember your teachings."
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