Yan Ning looked up and met his warm eyes, her own eyes immediately welling up with tears. She leaned on his shoulder, seemingly murmuring to herself, yet also pleading, "Fukang'an, please take me and the child with you, okay? I'm afraid, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect the child in my womb until you come back."
Although she already knew what had happened at Chunying Garden, with Wuchun locked up in the West Courtyard, Xi Ying still had ways to harm her. Besides, she was supposed to drink that bowl of bird's nest soup; Wuchun had only taken the blame for her. Therefore, she didn't know when she would fall victim to Xi Ying's hidden arrow.
With Fukang'an gone from the capital, Yan Ning was unsure how to deal with the Empress Dowager or how to guard against Xi Ying.
After a long silence, Fukang'an's eyes were like a deep pool, and Yan Ning could find no light within them. He said firmly, "The Empress Dowager will not summon you to the palace, and the incident at Chunying Garden will not happen again!"
Yan Ning nodded, knowing that what she had just said sounded like coquettishness to Fukang'an.
The night was still and windless; the garlands of flowers hanging outside the window were silent, only the ticking of the water clock could be heard. Yan Ning leaned against Fukang'an's chest, knowing she should be overjoyed to be worthy of the title of Lady Fucha.
On the day of Yunxin's third-day celebration, although it was just a celebration for the child of a concubine from the Fucha family, many dignitaries from the capital still came. The courtyard was crowded with people, most of whom were officials' wives whom Wuchun was not familiar with.
As the wife of the Fucha family, Yan Ning naturally did not need to go to Chunying Garden. However, Fukang'an, fearing that the ladies who came to pay their respects would disturb Yan Ning's peace, prevented them from coming to Jian Gong Zhai.
Only Peng Ruo, as Fukang'an's concubine, could move freely throughout the Fucha mansion. With the help of her maid, she arrived at Jiangongzhai.
The lively sounds from Chunying Garden reached Jian Gong Zhai. Yan Ning, who was already somewhat irritable, felt her anxiety extinguished as soon as she saw Peng. Now, she was adorned with jeweled hairpins, dressed in brocade, and wearing shoes made of Shu brocade.
It has an ethereal quality, but it has lost its spiritual essence.
Peng remained impeccably polite, curtsying to Yan Ning, but her gaze towards Yan Ning was filled with a fierce fire.
Yan Ning also knew that Peng's decision to become Fu Chang'an's concubine was a last resort. After being asked to leave by the Fucha family, how could she have the face to stand in the capital? She could only take advantage of the situation and become Fu Chang'an's concubine to pave a way for herself.
Peng said in an icy voice, "I originally thought that Madam was in such a hurry to get rid of me from the Fucha Mansion because she was worried that the Old Madam favored me and that she had granted me the title of concubine while Madam was away. But after arriving at Master Fu's outer residence, I realized that it wasn't that simple!"
Yan Ning was taken aback, then smiled and said, "The women in this house are nothing more than jealous rivals!"
Peng was about to say something more when Zhu Xiang rushed in and interrupted him.
"Madam, Concubine An is unwell!"
Inside the Spring Cherry Garden, because Wu Chun was unable to get up, she could only watch from afar as the midwife held Yun Xin and dipped her three times into the Golden Basin Jade Soup, muttering incantations.
The midwives of the Fucha family were all literate in the capital, well-versed in the "Dasheng Bian" (a collection of ancient Chinese texts), and were able to express the beauty of the world in beautiful words and phrases, which they then used to describe Yunxin.
Wu Chun looked at her daughter wrapped in soft, pale yellow brocade with a smile. Among the female guests in the inner room, a woman glanced at Wu Chun with a cold glint in her eyes, then walked toward the midwife holding Yun Xin with a sinister smile.
Wu Chun was terrified and immediately struggled to get up, but the movement aggravated her childbirth wound. A tearing pain caused her to faint and fall heavily onto the tatami mat.
The maids screamed. Fukang'an strode over and ordered someone to quickly fetch a doctor. He picked up Wuchun and placed her comfortably on the bed.
The third-day-after-birth ceremony was over, but the banquet, which should have been lively, became chaotic and disorderly due to Wuchun's fainting.
When Yan Ning arrived at Jian Gong Zhai, dusk was already falling. Since Wu Chun gave birth, she had not been to Chun Ying Yuan. But now, the crimson curtains and draperies had been replaced with light lotus red, illuminating the scene with warmth and joy under the candlelight.
Contrary to the maid's words of sorrow, grief, and terror, Wu Chun lay on the bed, her complexion even worse than it had been on the day she gave birth.
The maidservant relayed that the doctor said that Aunt An's health was likely to be afflicted with a chronic illness, and how long she could hold on depended on Buddha's protection.
Wu Chun also knew that he would have to rely on his only daughter, Yun Xin, to get by in the future. Let alone having a son, he was afraid that he might pass away at any time.
But she was unwilling to accept this and wanted to fight for a place of honor for her child. She asked if Yan Ning's unborn child also had a name.
Yan Ning nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then told her her name.
Wu Chun's face was ashen, tinged with anger and a bluish tinge, making it impossible for others to reconcile her with the petite and delicate woman of the past.
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