"Once you've made up your mind, you need to act quickly." Madam Li pointed at the cotton in the air. "Once it takes effect, it should only take a few days, five days... no, preferably three days, to get the Fifth Prince back."
A resolute glint flashed in Madam Geng's eyes: "Fine, if Hongzhou has a child, I will kneel at the door of the Fujin's house every day and cry. Let's see if she pays any attention to me!"
"...Are you stupid?" Madam Li couldn't believe it. "What's the use of crying at the Princess's door? You should kneel down and cry at the Wanfang Anhe Gate! Besides the Prince, who else can stand up for you in this matter?!"
"Oh, right, I'll go cry at the entrance of Wanfang Anhe then!" Geng encouraged herself, then looked at Li, "Then, sister, what should I do now?"
Li: ...
Well, she's definitely the good younger sister she chose.
While Li and Geng were making cotton vests for Hongzhou, Qian Shengyan could no longer bear it and resolutely refused when Yinzhen came to ask her to go swimming again.
Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, she even forgot her shyness: "I'm so swollen from being soaked in water, I can't swim anymore."
"Oh? Where's it swollen?" Yinzhen chuckled, his hands becoming increasingly restless. Qian Shengyan's waist throbbed with ticklishness: "Master, stop it, stop it..."
That night, they had originally planned to go to Ying Shui Lan Xiang, but after Nian Shi had finished getting ready, she sat in front of the mirror until the moon rose above the willow trees before receiving a message from the eunuch beside Yinzhen, saying that the prince had something to do today and would not be coming.
The expectant look in Madam Nian's eyes instantly turned lifeless. She glanced casually at Granny Wei, who quickly gave the young eunuch a red envelope and personally saw him out.
A moment later, Granny Wei returned, looking somewhat embarrassed, and stood guard to one side.
Lady Nian calmly asked, "Is the Prince with Lady Qian?"
"How did you know, Miss?" Granny Wei was startled, then quickly changed her words, "Consort, don't overthink it. Perhaps the Prince is being held back by the Fourth Prince."
Ms. Nian gave a soft "hmm," but one hand unconsciously went to her lower abdomen, and then she gave a wry smile.
Everyone now knows how much the prince dotes on her, spending twenty days a month in her room, but in reality... every time the prince comes, he reads until midnight, and then turns off the lights and goes to sleep when he sees it's getting late.
He hadn't touched her at all except for the first two days.
Isn't she good enough?
Lady Nian herself didn't know. She guessed that perhaps the prince liked beauties as stunning as Lady Nian. She herself... wasn't ugly, but she was a little plain.
Therefore, the prince did not like it.
But she... really wants a child of her own...
There are currently three princes in the mansion: the third prince, the fourth prince, and the fifth prince. Apart from the third prince's birth mother, Lady Li, the birth mothers of the other two princes are both princesses. Although the fifth prince is currently being raised by his wife, he has not yet been officially registered in the imperial genealogy. If she were to have a biological child, he would be a cut above the other princes in terms of status.
But how could she get pregnant on just two occasions?
Ms. Nian bit her lip, looking at the pale and beautiful person in the mirror, and couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved.
Why can't the prince like her? Why is the prince unwilling to... give her a child?
Unfortunately, she couldn't even tell Wei Mama these worries; and because Yinzhen never called for water while resting here, Wei Mama was already very worried. Nian Shi was as thin-skinned as paper, so she dared not say anything to her.
She could only ponder and make decisions in silence, praying to gods and Buddhas, hoping that she could get pregnant someday.
Life went on like this, and before we knew it, September was over, and the Golden Week was just around the corner.
Yinzhen sat in the pavilion of Peach Blossom Village, drinking tea while listening to Hongli recite his lessons.
Little Hongli stood there with his hands behind his back, reciting the text he had just learned, swaying his head as he did so. He hadn't shaved his head yet, and Qian Shengyan had mischievously tied two fluffy little tufts on his head, which swayed back and forth with his head-shaking movements, making him especially adorable.
Qian Shengyan couldn't hear what her son was reciting; her eyes were only on his little pigtails.
"Not bad." Yinzhen clapped his hands, his expression gentle. "Hongli, have you been finding your studies difficult lately?"
“My son is feeling alright,” Hongli replied earnestly.
Yinzhen smiled again, beckoning Hongli to his side: "In a few days, on the Golden Festival, your father would like to take you to the banquet. Would you like to?"
Hongli had no idea what it meant to lead a banquet. He blinked his big eyes at Yinzhen, then looked at Qian Shengyan. His childlike intuition made him nod: "Your son is willing!"
"Well, when you see your grandfather, do you know what to say?" Yinzhen asked patiently.
Hongli put his hands behind his back, tilted his head, and thought for a moment. Finally, he remembered something related to his grandfather, and said happily, "Your son is grateful to your grandfather for bestowing this name upon him!"
Yinzhen was taken aback, then surprised: "You still remember?"
"I remember, Grandfather held his son and thought for a long time before saying that the son could be named Hongli and the younger brother could be named Hongzhou." Hongli said, shaking his head.
Yinzhen was overjoyed. He subconsciously glanced back at Qian Shengyan, then laughed, "Our Hongli can remember things at just two years old? That's truly... amazing." He picked up Hongli and let him sit on his lap, carefully instructing him, "But you can't be so casual when you greet your Grandfather. You must first perform the proper salutation. You must do it like this..."
After giving Hongli a proper lesson, Yinzhen let him go off and play on his own.
He watched Hongli's small figure run away and couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out and took Qian Shengyan's hand beside him, saying, "Our Hongli is truly intelligent."
"He's not even three years old yet, what can you tell?" Qian Shengyan said dismissively. She fed Yinzhen a peeled grape and then asked with some concern, "Wouldn't it be inconvenient for Your Highness to take the two children to the front?"
"No, I'll only bring Hongli." Yinzhen had already made up his mind. "This year, for the Golden Festival and the New Year, I'll only bring Hongli."
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