Qingyan sat upright to one side, listening to the ladies-in-waiting introduce the young ladies in their families. Most of them were preparing to tell Consort Tong that they did not want their children to enter the palace, but that marrying into the princes or the imperial family would be a good choice.
The princes were not yet old enough to vie for the throne, so the court officials turned their attention to the sons of powerful ministers.
"Fourth sister-in-law, look at all these young ladies to choose from. Why don't you pick one that suits your fourth brother's taste? He's getting heavier, and he needs someone to take care of him." The Third Princess Consort didn't care about other people's opinions. These past few days, Yinzhi had been staying in her courtyard, and her arrogance had only grown stronger.
Of the several primary consorts, apart from Lady Yingenjueluo and Qingyan, the rest were not favored. The Fifth Consort only gained Yinqi's favor by currying favor with the Empress Dowager.
"Hehe, Third Sister-in-law has always done a good job. As long as a concubine is pregnant, she has been sent away. Third Sister-in-law, are you belittling my status?!" Qingyan sneered.
If the Third Prince's wife isn't thoroughly dealt with, she'll resurface and cause trouble.
Pfft!
Consort Tong and several other concubines burst into laughter, but Qingyan immediately silenced the Third Princess.
"Fourth Prince's wife has excellent eloquence, otherwise the Fourth Prince wouldn't dote on you so much!" Lady Dong'e was naturally upset to see her daughter being talked about, and immediately defended her.
Qingyan lowered her head, knowing that Lady Jue Luo would not care about her. Between her two mothers, Consort Tong and Lady Jue Luo, she favored Lady Jue Luo more.
"Fourth Princess Consort is definitely a filial daughter-in-law," a court lady from the Dong E clan chimed in. "Yesterday, I accidentally discovered that you sent quite a few things to the palace and the old residence."
The ladies-in-waiting would know some things. Qingyan sent mostly medicinal herbs to the Ulanara family's old residence. Consort Tong sent the gifts out of the palace and then immediately sent them back to her family. Wasn't this making Consort Tong look bad?
Qingyan looked up at Consort Tong, afraid that she might be mistaken.
"The fourth prince's family did a good job." Consort Tong didn't care. Those medicinal herbs weren't for Qingyan's use; they were just for show. She thought highly of Qingyan.
After he finished speaking, Qingyan was completely relieved, and Consort Tong didn't take it to heart.
As lunchtime approached, the concubines and ladies-in-waiting took their leave. Watching them depart, Xiao Guai's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.
"Little Darling, go change into your everyday clothes and hurry up!" Consort Tong noticed that Qingyan's back was already wet with sweat. Consort Tong saw this but couldn't help Little Darling from the difficult behavior of the court ladies.
Lady Dong'e paid even more attention to the banquet, and it was hard to guarantee that there weren't spies of these ministers in the Fourth Prince's residence.
"Mother, you are so kind!" Qingyan sat down next to Consort Tong, leaned on her shoulder, and looked out the window.
"Little darling, when it's time for your postpartum confinement, I'll have Shu come over personally!" Shu was personally trained by Emperor Kangxi. She was originally there to take care of the Fourth Prince, but now she's there to take care of the Fourth Prince's offspring.
Qingyan's face was pink and tender. Feeling that Consort Tong had everything arranged, Qingyan no longer had to worry about anything.
"Mother, I only delivered the medicinal herbs to the old residence. There are quite a few medicinal herbs in the mansion!" Qingyan did not explain, but hoped that Consort Tong could understand.
Consort Tong smiled instantly; Xiao Guai's explanation skills were not bad.
"My little darling, try to give away as many of the medicines bestowed upon you by the palace as possible!" Consort Tong pinched her cheek. "Even if it's a medicine that I personally bestowed, you can't use it without my permission!"
Previously, Consort Tong had encountered a similar situation, which worsened her cold.
"Mother, I understand!" Qingyan's eyes were blank. She couldn't use anything her mother had given her?
Those medicinal herbs were all personally selected by Shu. Can't even Shu's mother be trusted?
“My dear, the palace is a different place. Even the people around me can’t be completely trusted. These medicinal herbs are all stored in the palace storeroom. Even if they are taken out, they may not be safe.” Consort Tong hoped that Qingyan could learn from her bitter experience, after all, those were lessons learned in blood.
Qingyan was somewhat saddened. Since becoming pregnant, she had noticed that Yin had been frequently reassigning guards to the Chedong residence.
A third of the guards who had once been hidden in the shadows were now being deployed, and she understood that those who had come out of the shadows would probably no longer be able to hide.
"Mother, someone else is making a move at the city wall?!" Qingyan was stunned. Wasn't the city wall the place most heavily protected by Kangxi?
How could this happen?
"What did the fourth prince say?!" Consort Tong laughed. The fourth prince often caused Emperor Kangxi some minor troubles.
Qingyan nodded; Yin had whispered in her ear quite a bit.
"My dear, just listen to what the Fourth Prince says, don't overthink it!" Consort Tong squeezed her little hand. "Men are always jealous. Now that the child is born, you can't neglect the Fourth Prince!"
Consort Tong's words were truly insightful. Previously, the rivalry between Kangxi and Yinzhen had caused quite a bit of trouble in Chenggan Palace. Now, Kangxi was eager for Qingyan to give birth to a legitimate son, so that the fourth prince could experience the frustration he had previously felt.
Pfft!
Qingyan spat out her tea; Consort Tong's words were clearly meant to give her a hint.
"Mother, it's not just after the baby is born. Now, Fourth Brother often tells me that we can't neglect him," Qingyan couldn't help but complain.
Consort Tong tapped her forehead and said, "If it's a battle between father and son, you'll have a headache!"
Every time Yinzhen clashed with Kangxi, Consort Tong was the one who suffered the most.
"Little darling, after lunch, let Imperial Physician Yuan examine you again." Consort Tong was still worried and wanted him to give her a thorough check-up. Her father and mother were truly concerned for her.
Qingyan nodded obediently. Yin had also mentioned that Consort Tong was definitely not reassured about yesterday's pulse diagnosis and would probably send two imperial physicians over as well.
"Moreover, after we go back, I will have Fei Yanggu visit you often!" Consort Tong had discussed this with Emperor Kangxi, and Jue Luo Shi would definitely not let Qingyan's mood improve.
The father-daughter relationship between Fei Yanggu and Qing Yan is even better than that between a mother and daughter.
"Mother...isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Qingyan understood that when the wives of the princesses had children, it was usually the mothers who went to see them; the fathers absolutely could not go.
Consort Tong smiled. Xiao Guai's situation was very special. In addition, the Crown Prince had been frequently taking action against Yin, so Kangxi had no choice but to prepare to provide Yin with a strong support.
Suo'etu was constantly suppressed by Kangxi, and his power gradually declined. Fei Yanggu held military power, and even though he stepped down as the commander of the Nine Gates, his successor was carefully selected by Fei Yanggu.
To outsiders, this man was considered one of Fei Yanggu's confidants.
"Don't worry too much, your father has agreed." Consort Tong didn't want Xiao Guai to overthink things, so she directly shifted the final decision to Kangxi. "Besides, with Fei Yanggu in the mansion, those with bad intentions will be able to keep watch because of Fei Yanggu's presence."
They would absolutely not dare to make another move, and Consort Tong was very satisfied with Kangxi's decision.
"Yes, Mother, I understand!" After being instructed by Consort Tong, Qingyan decided to follow her instructions. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
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