Yinzhen had many regrets in this life: about his mother, about his father, about Consort Tongjia, about his sixth brother, and later, after his grand wedding and leaving the palace, he had his own children, only to lose them all one by one...
The pain, regret, sadness, and despair of the past are all in the past. He still remembers those feelings when he thinks about them now, but now, holding Qian Shengyan, Yinzhen suddenly understands what it means to "lose and get back".
This feeling of both pain and relief left him speechless for a moment, completely at a loss for words. He had thought about what had happened before, but each time he did, he dared not delve any deeper into it, as if the pain would never have existed if he simply stopped thinking about it.
But how could that be?
How would a palace maid, who had escaped to a summer palace and had no family, survive while heavily pregnant? How terrifying would it be to give birth alone? How arduous would it be to take care of herself and her baby during the postpartum period?
He dared not think about it.
He could only hold Qian Shengyan in his arms, repeatedly thanking all the gods and Buddhas in his heart, thankful that she was there, and that he had found her.
After embracing quietly for a moment, Qian Shengyan casually changed the subject: "I'm thinking, we should move back to Peach Blossom Village..."
"No," Yinzhen said in a low voice.
Qian Shengyan paused for a moment, somewhat amused and exasperated: "Master..." Why are you suddenly being so willful?
"I'll stay here," Yinzhen snorted. "Otherwise, I'll have to move with you to Peach Blossom Village, which would be inconvenient for seeing people."
Qian Shengyan: "..."
Despite spending half a day cleaning up, Qingxue and the others weren't angry at all. They smiled and put the things back in their original places before going to serve dinner.
After all this commotion, it was obvious that the two masters had gotten along even better. They even ate together, taking turns eating, their eyes never leaving each other, which made Qingxue and the others secretly smile.
Ying Shui Lan Xiang, just after taking her medicine and before she could even lie down, heard that the maid who had gone to inquire about the news had returned. She quickly called her in and asked expectantly, "Did the Prince and Qian Shi quarrel?"
"It doesn't seem so..." The maid Lanxiang hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Nian and the others grew impatient and grabbed the jade ruyi from beside their pillow, throwing it at Lanxiang: "Speak plainly, why are you beating around the bush!"
The jade ruyi slammed straight at Lanxiang's shoulder. She dared not dodge, only closing her eyes and enduring the pain of the blow. She hurriedly caught the ruyi, then knelt down and said, "This servant sought out Wan Fang'an's son, Xiaozhu, but he didn't know much either. It seems that Consort Qian wanted to move back to Peach Blossom Village, so she made some noise while packing. But after the Prince went to the inner palace, there was no sound..."
"She moved away?" Mrs. Nian was overjoyed.
Lanxiang answered in a slightly trembling voice, "No, not at all..."
"...That bitch! Bitch, bitch, bitch!" Madam Nian angrily threw all the pillows and quilts on the bed to the ground. "She just loves to put on an act. After all that fuss, she just wanted the prince to coax her. How pretentious!"
Lanxiang trembled even more violently, not daring to speak or leave.
Granny Wei sighed and stepped forward to try and persuade Madam Nian, but was hit on the knee by a pillow thrown by Madam Nian. She cried out "Ouch!" and knelt on the ground. Madam Nian, however, had slightly red eyes and didn't even see her. She was only venting her anger: "You shameless wretch! If you wanted to leave, then leave! Why did you stay! You're such a lowly thing..."
“Consort…” Granny Wei struggled to her feet, knelt before the bed, and reached out to take Nian’s hand. “Consort, the doctor said you mustn’t get emotional; it’s bad for your health…”
"It's all because of those vile women that I'm so angry!" Madam Nian gasped for breath, then gripped Granny Wei's hand tightly. "Granny, I want her dead! I want her dead!!!"
Granny Wei quickly patted Madam Nian's hand to comfort her, then turned to look at Lanxiang, who was trembling like a leaf, and forced a smile: "The concubine is having a fit of hysteria. You didn't hear anything, did you?"
"Yes, yes, this servant... this servant caught a cold today and has been lying in the room. I haven't gone anywhere and don't know anything." Lanxiang managed to come up with this sentence in her panic.
Granny Wei nodded in satisfaction: "You're a smart one. Take the jade ruyi and play with it."
Upon hearing this, Lanxiang immediately stopped being afraid. She greedily stroked the fine texture of the white jade and kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude.
She dismissed Lanxiang and sat by the bedside, tenderly embracing the trembling Nian Shi, who was clutching her chest: "Miss, Miss..."
Since losing her child due to poisoning last year, Madam Nian's personality has changed drastically. Although she still looks like the dignified but somewhat spoiled Miss Nian, her occasional uncontrollable violence and madness frighten and sadden Wei Mama.
Her young lady did nothing wrong! Why should she suffer like this...?
She wanted to do something for the Nian family.
Granny Wei hugged Madam Nian, her hands trembling involuntarily, but her voice was steady and soft, yet full of determination: "Miss, who do you want to die?"
"Let, let Ulanara die... I want her dead!!" Tears streamed down Nian's face. "Make her pay for my unborn son's life! This wicked woman, this wicked woman!"
"Alright, then let her die." Granny Wei said calmly, then patted Nian Shi on the back, comforting her like a child, "Miss, why don't you go to sleep first? Get some rest, and what you wish for will surely come true."
With Wei Mama's patting and stroking, Madam Nian finally drifted off to sleep. After a while, Wei Mama sighed softly.
She looked up at the outer room and softly called out, "Jieyue."
"Granny." An inconspicuous maid entered and curtsied.
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