Chapter 79 Trivial Matters of Returning to the Palace Cheng Qianyue, sitting in the carriage, didn't seem to notice anything...
Cheng Qianyue didn't feel any bumps in the carriage, just a bit of swaying, like riding a slow, old-fashioned train. Outside, the horses' hooves clattered crisply.
On the carriage, Ruoyun and Ruoxia, worried that she would be bored, played cards with her. The game was simple: blind draws and comparing sizes. Cheng Qianyue stopped after a couple of rounds and asked Ruoyun to lift the curtain of the carriage window to look outside. Then Cheng Qianyue felt that the carriage was moving very slowly.
Ruoyun said, "The Crown Prince instructed the coachman to travel slowly to avoid a bumpy ride. Don't worry, we'll definitely arrive at the Forbidden City before dark."
There were still several hours until dark. Cheng Qianyue didn't want to stay in the carriage for so long. Why sit for four or five hours when you can sit in a hard seat for two or three hours? Sitting for too long will make your butt hurt. So she said, "Tell the driver to hurry up, I don't want to be delayed outside."
Ruoyun hesitated for a moment, afraid that Cheng Qianyue would feel uncomfortable if she walked too fast.
Cheng Qianyue quickly reassured her, saying, "Go ahead, I'm perfectly fine. Let's hurry back to the West Courtyard so I can rest earlier and avoid any inconvenience on the road." This was a carriage, not a train, and there wasn't even a toilet. She didn't want to use a chamber pot in front of them; that would be incredibly embarrassing.
Seeing that Cheng Qianyue was so decisive, Ruoyun had no choice but to agree. She lifted the curtain and went to tell the coachman. Sure enough, after a short while, Cheng Qianyue felt the carriage pick up speed. She leaned back, the soft pillow under her waist, and whispered, "Let's play a few more rounds."
After about an hour, the carriage finally stopped. Cheng Qianyue was helped down, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the red walls and green tiles of Xiefang Palace.
The Forbidden City, she has returned.
Although she hadn't done much along the way, just sat and played cards, Cheng Qianyue felt extremely tired, her eyelids feeling like they were glued shut. When she returned to the west courtyard, she couldn't wait to take off her clothes and go to the inner room to sleep.
At this moment, the Third Prince came out of the Princes' Courtyard on the east side in high spirits. He had returned with his two older brothers, Hongxi and Hongjin. The three of them rode in the same carriage. On the carriage, the Third Prince followed Hongxi and Hongjin and recited several sentences from the book. Even after arriving at Xiefang Palace, he followed them to the east side.
Actually, he had wanted to study for a long time, because Cheng Qianyue had brought him several boxes of books and taught him to learn. However, most of the eunuchs around him were illiterate, and even his nanny could only vaguely recognize a few characters. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he grabbed one of the books Cheng Qianyue had found for him and pestered his two older brothers to teach him to read.
Now that he's heard that Cheng Qianyue has returned, the Third Prince wants to show off and claim credit.
The Third Prince walked through the outer courtyard to the gate of the west courtyard, only to find two groups of people standing in the long alley. Ruoyun came out of the courtyard, bowed to Princess Liu and Princess Fan, and said, "Our mistress is tired and has gone to rest first. It is really not appropriate for her to see you two."
At noon, Liu and Fan knelt to welcome the Crown Princess. Knowing that Cheng Qianyue had returned, they came over to pay their respects again. Upon hearing Ruoyun's words, they quickly said, "We dare not disturb the Crown Princess's rest." They bowed inside and were about to leave when they turned their heads and saw a boy standing beside them, accompanied by a eunuch and a wet nurse. Liu and Fan's hearts immediately trembled.
The Third Prince first asked Ruoyun, "Has Mother already retired for the night?"
Ruoyun replied, "Your Highness, the master is tired from the journey and is already asleep."
The Third Prince gave an "oh," thinking he would tell his mother he knew many characters when she woke up. Then he looked at Liu Shi and Fan Shi, among others. He didn't recognize them, but he had heard Cheng Qian Yue mention them. When the Third Prince saw Hong Jin in the garden, he didn't greet him, and Cheng Qian Yue felt that this wouldn't do, so she explained to him in detail about the people in Xie Fang Palace. She told the Third Prince that he had several other mothers who hadn't come to the garden yet, and that he should greet them when he met them in the future, and say thank you if he accepted anything from them.
The Third Prince asked, "Are you the mothers who live in the Xiefang Palace?" He then bowed to the two women and said, "Greetings, Mothers."
Liu and Fan were thrilled to see him bow to them.
The Third Prince asked again, "Have you two mothers come to see my mother and me?" Hearing that they said yes, he felt quite embarrassed. He had seen how his mother treated visitors, but now that his mother was asleep, would it be noisy to bring people to his room to entertain them? The Third Prince was a little unsure, but he also felt that it wouldn't be right not to invite people who came to visit him, so he said, "Please wait for me, mothers."
As he spoke, he ran into the east wing. He looked at the objects he often played with on the table, pointed out a few and had them packed up. Then he took the items to the door and gave them to Madam Liu and Madam Fan. "Thank you both for coming," the Third Prince said. "These are things I like to play with, and I'm giving them to you to play with."
After doing all this, the Third Prince beamed with joy, feeling like a grown-up. He even waved to them before entering the courtyard.
Liu and Fan returned to the backyard carrying the box, and immediately parted ways. Fan didn't even glance at Liu, and went straight to the side room. For the past two years, Fan and Liu's relationship had been strained; no matter how much Liu tried to apologize and show weakness, Fan had ignored her.
Fan entered the room and a smile appeared on her face. She hurriedly opened the box and saw a pair of glass tigers inside, with lifelike black and yellow patterns on them.
Knowing that Madam Fan favored the West Front Courtyard, and considering that these were gifts from the Third Prince, Biluo cheerfully said, "Princess, why don't we put these tigers on the wardrobe?" That way, no matter what the princess does, she can see them.
Madam Fan stroked the pair of tigers with obvious affection, smiling and saying, "Good."
Cheng Qianyue slept for half an hour before waking up. In her sleepy state, she even forgot where she was. It was only when she slightly lifted the bed curtains and saw the furnishings in the room that she realized she was back in the Forbidden City.
When Ruoyun saw that she was awake, she helped her up. Ruoxia brought her clothes and then knelt down to put on her shoes.
Ruoyun said, "Just now, the two princesses from the back courtyard came to pay their respects and happened to run into the Third Prince, who was returning from the East Courtyard. The Third Prince gave them some things, which the eunuchs said were ornaments that the prince often plays with."
Cheng Qianyue was still a little groggy from sleep and didn't react for a moment.
Ruoyun fastened her clothes and helped her up, then said, "Just now, Steward He from the kitchen came over personally to ask what the master would like to eat."
Cheng Qianyue's mind finally started working, and she said softly, "Let them handle it. Make it light and simple."
Ruoyun sighed and then told Ruoxia to go outside and send someone to the kitchen to deliver a message. She thought that since the masters had been living in the West Garden for almost two years, the people in the East Palace kitchen must be eager to find out more, otherwise Eunuch He wouldn't have come in person to inquire about their masters' recent eating habits.
Cheng Qianyue was helped out of the inner room, and just as she touched the kang (heated brick bed), the Third Prince ran in from outside. Cheng Qianyue called him to her side and softly asked him if he had caused trouble for his brother on the way.
The Third Prince said no, but he asked them to teach him to read. As he spoke, he began to recite the Thousand Character Classic, "Heaven and earth were dark and yellow, the universe was vast and desolate..." He recited four or five lines before stopping.
Cheng Qianyue clapped her hands in support, praising him for reciting it well.
The Third Prince proudly raised his head, but pouted and complained, "My mother gave me books that only my brother recognizes; I don't recognize any of the other books. I can't read them even if I want to. I wanted my brother to teach me, but they said we have to go to the study room for lessons."
Cheng Qianyue said, "Then come to your mother's every day, and your mother will teach you. In two years, when you grow up, you can go to the study with your brothers Hongxi and Hongjin."
The Third Prince nodded and agreed.
Cheng Qianyue patted his little head and asked, "I heard you just saw the other mothers and even gave them gifts?" The Third Prince nodded heavily and said that he met them at the courtyard gate when he came back. He greeted them and wanted to entertain them, but he was afraid that they would come in and wake Cheng Qianyue, so he gave them gifts.
Cheng Qianyue said he was very thoughtful and did a great job, and then asked him what he had given her.
"What was given to whom?" Just then, Yinreng came in from outside and asked casually. Cheng Qianyue then told him about the incident where the princess from the back courtyard came to pay her respects and encountered the Third Prince.
The Third Prince said, "He gave us decorative items, a pair of tigers and lions."
Yinreng then smiled and said he would have the Imperial Household Department send a few more items for the Third Prince to play with tomorrow. Cheng Qianyue said, "If someone sends you something in the future, you must remember to return the favor. Friendships between people are built up through this give-and-take."
The Third Prince nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
Yinreng added, "Your mother is right, but you can only use things that outsiders send to you after they have been thoroughly inspected, and this is even more true for food."
Cheng Qianyue: ...Do we have to live so cautiously? But Yinreng's words quickly convinced her, because he said, "As the saying goes, one should not have the heart to harm others, but one should not be without the heart to guard against others."
Cheng Qianyue thought about it and agreed, then smiled and said to the Third Prince, "I'll listen to your father."
Life in the Forbidden City was quite different from life in the garden, and Cheng Qianyue found it difficult to adapt. She was also a little afraid of being idle, because idleness inevitably leads to overthinking. Just then, the Third Prince needed to learn to read, so she treated it as her job. In the mornings, she taught him the Thousand Character Classic, and in the afternoons, she listened to his recitation and then quizzed him. Later, Yinreng, worried about her being overwhelmed, found a eunuch to teach the Third Prince to read, but Cheng Qianyue continued to work as his kindergarten teacher.
In addition, it seemed that Yinreng was afraid that she would be bored, so he came over every day and whispered to her about things in the court when they were in bed at night.
Cheng Qianyue felt she was becoming stronger. Logically, as the days went by, she should have been worried, but her current mindset was surprisingly good. She attributed this to the enormous potential that erupts when a person has ties and resentments.
Then, in the latter half of the night on the last day of November, Cheng Qianyue went into labor. She was woken up by Yinreng, and in her groggy state, she reached down and felt something wet beneath her. Cheng Qianyue's first thought was that she hadn't wet the bed, then her eyes widened suddenly. Oh no, could this be amniotic fluid?
Cheng Qianyue was about to get up when Yinreng pressed her down. He used tremendous force and shouted outside, "Guards! Your Master Cheng has started!"
Soon, the midwife and others arrived and asked Yinreng to leave. With so much amniotic fluid broken, they dared not carry Cheng Qianyue to the prepared delivery room, so she could only give birth in the main room.
Yinreng hadn't quite come to his senses yet. After being awakened by the cold wind outside, he silently began to count the days in his mind. Cheng Qianyue was only a little over nine months pregnant.
Twins...premature birth...
He stumbled and almost fell down the steps.
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