Fucha was pregnant less than half a year after her marriage, a time of great joy. Receiving such care from Qian Shengyan, she was naturally overjoyed: "Thank you, Mother. However, this time, I haven't felt any nausea or anything..."
Qian Shengyan smiled and talked to her for a while. During their conversation, they talked about another pregnant concubine in Hongli's courtyard. Although she was also from the Fucha clan, she was not from the same family as the Fujin (Prince's wife).
"Her due date is around May or June. The imperial physician comes to check her pulse every other day. She's in good health, so Mother can rest assured." Empress Fucha smiled, her eyes crinkling, seemingly without any resentment.
Qian Shengyan looked at her and couldn't help but think of the empress who had wished to be posthumously honored with the title "Virtuous," and her heart softened: "Thanks to you, you have managed Hongli's inner court so well."
"Mother, what are you saying?" Fucha blushed slightly, a little shy. "Your son is still young and inexperienced. I am very grateful to Mother for helping and watching over me so that I don't make any mistakes... And Sister Gao has also helped me a lot."
Qian Shengyan smiled and nodded, then gave Fucha some more instructions on things to pay attention to during her pregnancy—although she had already mentioned it once when the concubine was pregnant, there was no harm in giving more instructions, and Fucha was willing to listen.
The two chatted for a while, and just then, Hongli came to pay his respects.
Hongli was very happy that his wife was pregnant. When he arrived, he saw that Lady Fucha and Qian Shengyan were chatting very amicably, which made him even happier: "What are you talking about?"
As he spoke, he sat down intimately next to Lady Fucha and asked her, "How are you feeling? Are you tired?"
Fucha blushed slightly and glanced at Qian Shengyan somewhat embarrassedly, wanting to distance herself from Hongli. Qian Shengyan, however, laughed and said, "Alright, you should all go back now, so you don't get tired from chatting with me."
“…That’s not what I meant.” Hongli was a little embarrassed, but Qian Shengyan didn’t bother to look at him and sent her away.
Having just sent her eldest son away, Qian Shengyan found it amusing that her two younger sons started making a fuss in the inner room. She couldn't help but say, "We should really send Xiao Qi and Xiao Ba to Hongli to raise for a couple of days, so he can experience the joy of raising children."
Qingxue helped her walk into the inner room and laughed when she heard this: "Your Highness is just saying that. You only missed seeing the young princes for half a day when you went to watch the fireworks. You still had to go and see them again when you came back. How could you not be worried?"
Qian Shengyan laughed again, then sighed, "I'm worried about the younger one, and the older one is also a concern."
"Your Highness is referring to the princess, isn't she?" Qingxue comforted her. "I think the princess is not without plans, Your Highness need not worry. Besides, the princess is only fifteen this year, and princesses in our Great Qing Dynasty often marry at twenty."
“Yes, it’s better to get married later in life,” Qian Shengyan added.
Seeing that Hongli was about to become a father, and that Ferguchun, who was only a year younger than him, didn't even have a girlfriend, she couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
After learning of her thoughts, Yinzhen said, "What's so difficult about that? If all else fails, we can arrange a consort first, and if Huaiyue doesn't like him after a few years, we can change him."
Qian Shengyan: ...
Qian Shengyan: "Why don't you just say let her stand on the city gate and throw the embroidered ball down to her right now!"
Yinzhen pondered for a moment and said, "That's fine too."
Qian Shengyan: ...
I was so angry at him that I almost fainted.
Although the two are now deeply in love and have a great understanding of each other, sometimes understanding each other with just a glance, men and women are naturally different in their thinking. For example, Qian Shengyan would never call her son "Little Cow" or "Little Horse," but Yinzhen happily calls him "Cow" all the time.
It was either "The calf has gotten a bit fatter today" or "The pony has been keeping its eyes open for much longer these past two days." Qian Shengyan almost thought she was living in a livestock farm instead of the Jiuzhou Qingyan Palace.
With the arrival of summer, the Yuanmingyuan Garden became increasingly comfortable. Once Xiaoqi and Xiaoba were able to sit still, Yinzhen prepared to head to the Mulan Hunting Grounds.
Qian Shengyan also crammed on a lot of knowledge about Mongolian princes and nobles. The most important thing was that there was still one of Kangxi's princesses still alive in Mongolia. She was the sixth daughter of the emperor, Princess Gulun Kejing. Her husband was the third Tushetu Khan of the Khalkha Mongol Tushetu Khanate. He was promoted to a prince in the first year of Yongzheng's reign, and the princess was promoted from Heshuo Princess to Gulun Princess in the second year of Yongzheng's reign.
The princess was nearly fifty years old, but she was said to be in good health. Qian Shengyan had prepared a carriage full of gifts for her, intending to present them to her. There were also some local specialties from the capital, such as silk and tea, which were also popular among Mongolian nobles.
Once outside the capital, even the rules became a bit lax, and Qian Shengyan spotted a somewhat familiar figure in the group.
She patted Hongshan, who was sticking his butt out and teasing his younger brother: "Was that the guard who saved you?"
Hongshan turned around in response and saw Er Rong'an walking with the caravan not far away. He immediately rushed to the bedside and shouted excitedly, "Er Rong'an! Er Rong'an! I want to ride a horse too!"
Upon hearing the sound, E Rong'an rode over on horseback, first bowing to the Imperial Noble Consort's carriage, then looking at Hong Shan with a smile on his face: "Brother, can you ride a horse?"
"No! But you can hug me!" Hongshan, that little rascal, said, and tried to climb out of the carriage. Qian Shengyan exclaimed in surprise. Fortunately, E Rong'an was quick-witted and scooped up the chubby boy and placed him in front of him. He then looked at Qian Shengyan questioningly.
Qian Shengyan said helplessly, "Then I'll have to trouble Guard Xilin Jueluo."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely protect the Sixth Prince." E Rong'an smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. Hong Shan, however, was already kicking his legs happily on his horse, shouting "Giddy up! Giddy up!" At the same time, he waved to Qian Shengyan, giving her a little look that said, "Mother, wait for me."
Qian Shengyan: ...
What should I do if my palms itch every time I see Hongsun...?
Fortunately, Er Rong'an was indeed very sensible and didn't ride too fast. Qian Shengyan could occasionally hear the little fat boy's happy shouts. After a while, Ferguchun caught up from behind and got into Qian Shengyan's carriage: "Mother, I think I just saw Hongshan riding a horse?"
"Yes, I saw Guard E Rong'an. He was riding with Hong Shan," Qian Shengyan said with a smile.
Folgochun was also a little itchy. As a princess of the Qing Dynasty, she naturally knew how to ride a horse, but she could only run around in the horse farm. Although the speed was extremely fast, she could only circle around in a limited environment.
She couldn't help but say, "Mother, I also want to ride a horse."
Qian Shengyan glanced at the sky outside. It was almost noon, and it wouldn't be long before they had to set up camp and rest. She said, "Then ride for a while, but don't go too fast. Stop when it's time to rest."
"Great!" Folgochun was overjoyed. When he went out, he jumped off the carriage shaft and quickly returned to his own carriage to change into riding clothes. He even asked He Hui and Duanrou if they wanted to go horseback riding together.
The two were somewhat tempted, but seeing the dust rising outside, they decided against it. Only Folgochun ran to the back to lead her little horse, galloping to Qian Shengyan's carriage and exclaiming with a smile, "Mother!"
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