Chapter 47 Rejecting Pimping May has passed, and Cheng Qianyue's courtyard has arrived...
After May, two midwives and a female physician to assist with the delivery arrived at Cheng Qianyue's courtyard. Thinking about it, it made sense; judging by the months, she was due to give birth in about one or two months, which was why the Imperial Household Department had sent people to look after her in advance.
After meeting the visitors, Cheng Qianyue arranged for the two midwives and the female disciples following behind them to stay in the side room of the east wing. From then on, she had an extra task every day: to have the midwives check on her belly and answer their questions.
As her due date approached, Cheng Qianyue was extremely anxious. Although she had been careful to eat small, frequent meals and move around a lot during her pregnancy, she was still mostly worried and fearful as the time came. She was genuinely afraid that she might have a difficult delivery and die, so when her midwife came to take care of her, she asked them about the baby's condition and whether the delivery would be easy.
Granny Shang touched her belly and said, "This servant thinks that the princess's baby is smaller than that of ordinary women, so she will definitely have an easy delivery." Granny Cai, who was standing next to her, chimed in, "That's right, it's probably because the princess moves around a lot. In my opinion, the princess's delivery will be smooth."
The selection process for midwives in the palace was extremely rigorous; only those with extensive experience delivering babies were allowed to enter. Cheng Qianyue felt slightly relieved after hearing this from both midwives. However, as the days passed, she still felt somewhat uneasy.
Grandma Shang noticed that she was distracted, so she tried to distract her with many things, such as preparing blankets and clothes for the baby in her belly, and choosing an auspicious time and place to dig a burial pit in the yard and place a few pairs of chopsticks, etc.
Cheng Qianyue didn't want to overthink things, as it would give her nightmares. She knew the midwives were trying to comfort her, so she listened to them. Then she went to see the auspicious burial pit herself. She watched as Lin Quan'an led the young eunuch to dig a hole in the southwest corner of the courtyard, and then the two midwives chanted incantations as they placed several pairs of silver chopsticks inside. The midwife said it was to wish for a quick delivery of a child.
After the burial pit was completed, Cheng Qianyue began making clothes for the unborn child. She chose soft, skin-friendly cotton fabric, and because she knew the baby's skin was delicate, she didn't embroider any patterns on them. Several midwives helped cut out the bibs, jackets, and pants, and Cheng Qianyue then sewed them. She probably spent half the day making clothes.
Believe it or not, when she got really busy, Cheng Qianyue forgot all her worries. Her maternal love was overflowing, and she was only thinking about the baby being born and wearing the little clothes she had made.
That morning, Cheng Qianyue was helped by Ruoyun and her midwife to walk around the yard twice, and then they went back into the house to sew a small bib. Not long after, Ruoyun came in and said that Princess Fan had arrived and was standing at the door.
Cheng Qianyue was quite puzzled because she had no connection with the new princess. She had only seen them on the day the new princess arrived, so what was Princess Fan doing here at this time?
When Fan Gege came in, Cheng Qianyue saw the small undergarment presented by the palace maid and she understood that Fan Gege had come to show her goodwill.
Fan Gege said, "I specially made a baby bib for you because I knew you were about to give birth."
Upon closer inspection, Cheng Qianyue noticed that the bright red silk with dark cloud patterns was embroidered with a light yellow tiger, which looked quite cute. She remarked, "Look how lively the tiger's eyes are embroidered."
Upon hearing this, Fan Gege immediately expressed her excitement: "If you like it, that would be wonderful. I was worried that you wouldn't like my craftsmanship. If you don't mind that I'm clumsy, I'll go back and embroider a few more pieces for the future prince to wear."
Cheng Qianyue exchanged only a few pleasantries. Speaking of which, with so many people around her who could all do embroidery, how could she be short of a few small garments given by Princess Fan? Moreover, Princess Fan was of the same status as her, so it wouldn't be appropriate to treat her like a craftswoman. She quickly said, "Please don't, I wouldn't dare trouble you with such a thing."
“How could it be a trouble?” Fan Gege said earnestly. “As long as my sister can use my help, it’s just a matter of saying the word, and I can do anything.”
That's really unreasonable. In fact, her excessive attentiveness made Cheng Qianyue feel wary and awkward, so she quickly sent her away during lunch.
After Fan Gege left, Cheng Qianyue said in confusion, "Why is she giving me clothes and trying to get close to me all of a sudden? That's too strange."
Ruoyun thought to herself, what's so strange about this? It's just paying respects to the mountain stronghold!
It's true that the princesses don't like hearing outside gossip, but their servants are still very observant. The two new princesses have been here for about two months, and the Crown Prince hasn't paid them much attention. The number of times the two servants have served them combined doesn't even equal the number of times the princesses have served them.
She had just heard that the Crown Princess had tried to promote the new princesses but failed, and that Princess Liu, seeing that praising the Crown Princess was useless, had turned to praising Princess Li instead. At the time, she wondered if Princess Fan was also planning to seek refuge elsewhere, and just as she was thinking this, Princess Fan arrived.
Ruoyun said with a smile, "The new princess has no favor, so she has to curry favor with someone who can stand firm."
She understood this principle, but why flatter her? If anyone should flatter someone, it should be the Crown Princess. Cheng Qianyue said, "What do I have that's worth her trying to please?" As soon as she finished speaking, a thought flashed through her mind.
Princess Fan wouldn't be trying to get her to say good things about Yinreng, would she?
Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but frown and tell Ruoyun her guess.
Ruoyun nodded and said, "That's what I think too. Perhaps Consort Fan feels that it's difficult for you to serve the Crown Prince while you're pregnant, so she's thinking of helping you out." She looked over tentatively and asked cautiously, "What do you think, Consort Fan?" Perhaps the young mistress is kind-hearted and really wants to lend Consort Fan a hand?
Seeing that she had guessed Fan Gege's thoughts pretty accurately, Cheng Qianyue suddenly became angry. She put down the small clothes in her hands and said unhappily, "What could I possibly mean?"
Is she crazy? Pregnant and still trying to pimp for her man? Hey, she would never do something so stupid! The most she can do is not ask where Yinreng went or who he favored. If she had to send someone to Yinreng, she might as well just die.
Ruoyun hadn't expected Cheng Qianyue to get so angry, and hurriedly said, "Please don't be angry, it's all Fan Gege's fault for making the wrong decision. Perhaps she saw that Liu Gege was anxious to flatter Li Gege, so she came to please you."
"Hmm?" Cheng Qianyue asked, "Did Princess Liu go to support Princess Li?"
Ruoyun said, "Yes, it happened not long ago."
Cheng Qianyue only considered those words briefly before dismissing them. She didn't care who they were fawning over; as long as they didn't try to take advantage of her, they could go and confront Yinreng themselves.
Cheng Qianyue's displeasure lasted until evening. Just then, Yinreng came in from outside and saw Cheng Qianyue doing needlework. He went over and picked it up. It was all children's clothes. He touched them and found them soft and delicate. He smiled and said, "You're really going to be a mother. You're already preparing for it before the child is even born."
Cheng Qianyue was still angry about being asked to act as a pimp, so she rolled her eyes at him and said, "That's right, it's more considerate than its father."
Yinreng smiled and explained to her kindly, "Since March, there has been no rain north of Hunan. The Provincial Administration Commissioner has submitted a memorial saying that there may be a drought this year. Not long ago, news came that the northern tribes were in turmoil. It is said that the princes of several tribes fought each other over pastures. I have been accompanying the Emperor and the court officials to discuss these political matters. I finally had some free time to come and see you."
Hearing him say that, Cheng Qianyue suddenly felt that she had been a bit unreasonable. She said embarrassedly, "I really shouldn't have done that. You finally came all this way, and I gave you a hard time." As she spoke, she picked up the fan next to her and fanned him, asking as she fanned him, "Are there any dams being built in Hunan to store water? Should the court provide disaster relief in advance? Also, there's a fight among the Mongol tribes in the north. Should the court mediate?"
Yinreng liked her just the way she was; she would bow her head when she made a mistake and never stubbornly stick her neck out. He said in a deep voice, "Of course we should provide disaster relief, but how much money to allocate from the national treasury and how much grain to transfer from various places still needs to be discussed. As for the north, let them fight it out. A fragmented northern desert is better for the Qing Dynasty." After saying that, he gently took the fan from her hand and said, "Alright, you're pregnant and it's hard on you, don't touch these things. It was my oversight; even if I hadn't come, I should have had someone check on you."
He looked outside and said, "Call the two midwives over." When Granny Shang and Granny Cai came in, Yinreng asked them what they had been doing lately and whether they had made proper preparations for her delivery.
Granny Shang hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, we servants are currently preparing the delivery room. The princess will most likely give birth in June, when it will be hot and there will be many mosquitoes and plagues. Therefore, we need to sprinkle lime and insect repellent powder in every corner of the east wing and clean it thoroughly inside and out. In early June, we will select two palace maids whose birth charts are auspicious for the princess to move in and bring good fortune. We will do our utmost to ensure the princess has a smooth delivery."
Seeing that she spoke logically and clearly, Yinreng nodded with relief and continued, "As long as you do your best, you will be rewarded in the future."
Upon hearing this, Granny Shang, Granny Cai, and the others quickly smiled and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Cheng Qianyue felt that he still cared about her and the child, so all her jealousy disappeared. Just then, the baby in her belly moved again, and she took Yinreng's hand and placed it on her belly, saying, "Your Majesty, can you feel it? The baby is kicking me."
Yinreng placed his hand on her belly and then felt the baby's tiny hands and feet moving inside. He smiled lovingly, leaned closer to listen, and said with a smile, "So lively." He kissed Cheng Qianyue's belly through her clothes, his voice gentle and tender, "Do you know who I am? I am your father. Be good and don't bother your mother anymore. Come out soon."
Looking at Yinreng like this, Cheng Qianyue felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She thought to herself, even if Consort Fan gave her a little undergarment, or even gold and silver, she would never push Yinreng away.
The next day, after Yinreng left, Cheng Qianyue sent someone to the storeroom to fetch two bolts of satin to give to Consort Fan. She said, "Tell her that you thank Consort Fan for her hard work, but I am pregnant and not feeling well, so please tell her not to come again."
She didn't care what their intentions or methods were, she just wanted them to stop targeting her.
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