Zhu Xiang ordered someone to bring out the stove, which hadn't been used for a long time, to warm Yan Ning and dispel the cold. Because she was pregnant, the servants only prepared ginger soup for her to warm her up. Fortunately, Fu Kang'an protected her well, preventing her from catching a cold.
Watching Zhu Xiang and the other servants busy themselves for her, Yan Ning's restless heart finally settled down.
The flowers in the Peony Hall swayed in the rain, standing upright even without any wind to stir them. Spring is often rainy, and after the sky clears, red and green petals always fall onto the bluestone slabs. Seeing them, one feels a pang of melancholy.
The old lady looked out the window at the tenacious flowers that were resisting the raindrops. The rain had been falling for several hours, and some of the delicate flowers had already broken and fallen to the ground.
She sighed to Granny Li, "Those flowers that are tied up and refuse to fall are just like the Madam!"
Li Mama chimed in, "Yes! The lady may seem delicate, but she remains calm and composed in the face of so many schemes and machinations."
She initially disliked Yan Ning because the old lady disliked her. But now that she sees the old lady has accepted Yan Ning and relies on her in everything, Li Mama's opinion of Yan Ning has changed.
Fukang'an's boots stepped on the bluestone slabs, crushing the fallen petals, while the mud from his boots was trampled onto the old lady's velvet carpet.
The old lady pulled him over as he was about to bow, and made him sit beside her, carefully observing him. These two months had been far longer than the three-year journey to Jinchuan, causing her great concern. Perhaps her state of mind was different from before; she feared that Fukang'an would leave the capital, that he would die of illness in the army like Fuheng, and that she would not have time to tell Fukang'an the things she hadn't had time to tell Fuheng.
Fukang'an looked back at the old lady. Her hair was simply tied up with a silver hairpin, without any other hair ornaments. Against the plain background, the old lady's sorrowful face was even more prominent, and tears were about to overflow from her eyes.
He couldn't understand why his mother was so different from before when she saw him return. He wiped away the tears that welled up in the old lady's eyes and said with a smile, "Mother looks just like she was bullied by Yan Ning. It seems that I should give her a good scolding."
Knowing that Fukang'an was speaking against his will, the old lady was amused and said to him with a smile, "If you have the heart to do it, your mother will lend you a hand!"
Fukang'an lowered his head slightly, "I hope that Mother will lend her a helping hand no matter what!"
The old lady's smile froze. How could she not know the reason why the Emperor had summoned Fukang'an back to the capital? But what the Emperor did was what she desired, not what Fukang'an desired.
She pondered for a moment, then looked into Fukang'an's expectant eyes, "Granny Li, go and fetch my peony jade hairpin!"
Granny Li curtsied, then went to fetch a brocade box and placed it on the short-legged table between the old lady and Fukang'an.
Fukang'an opened the brocade box with a puzzled look. Inside, wrapped in bright yellow silk, was a broken jade hairpin, with the end carved with peonies separated from the slender hairpin body below.
The old lady closed her eyes, her lips parted with a bitter expression, "Take it, set it in silver, and put it on Yu Yanning's hair!"
She waved for Fukang'an to leave, and when she opened her eyes again, all she could see through the window was Fukang'an in a white robe, hidden in a corner by the courtyard gate.
When Fukang'an returned from the Peony Hall, Yan Ning was leaning lazily against the soft pillows. He sat on the bed, gazing at her lost in thought, her half-damp hair disheveled, adding a layer of misty aura to her whole being.
Fukang'an gently took her injured hand in his and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
When her hand was grasped, Yan Ning snapped out of her daze, her dark eyes flickering. "I was thinking, our child's health must be many times better than mine!"
Upon hearing this, Fukang'an removed his hand from Yan Ning's and gently stroked her slightly protruding belly. A smile gradually appeared in his eyes, "My child, Fukang'an's child, will either be a military general protecting the country or a heroine among women!"
Thinking of how Fukang'an in history died of illness in the army in his prime, Yan Ning felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife. She held Fukang'an's hand, "Shall we take the children and find a place in the countryside, and live a life of seclusion from the world?"
Knowing full well that Fukang'an would not agree, she still asked again with a sliver of hope. She would rather give up the Heavenly Fragrance Courtyard with the Emperor, so why couldn't he give up this high-ranking official position and generous salary, the hardships of fighting on the battlefield, and the layers of intrigue in the palace?
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