Before she was diagnosed with pregnancy, Yao Niang thought nothing of riding in a carriage. But after she was diagnosed with pregnancy, when she was leaving Kunning Palace and preparing to get on the sedan chair, she saw Gao Xuan Ce nervously checking her out and still felt uneasy: "How about I carry you back?"
Yao Niang waved her hands quickly: "What are you talking about? I just got pregnant, and Doctor Wang just said that I'm fine. I just need to be more careful in the future. There are so many people coming and going in the palace. If someone sees us, it won't be good to say anything. You're making trouble when there's nothing to do on normal days, so why are you making trouble now?"
She knew that when she first got pregnant, she shouldn't make it public because too many people would pay attention to her and she would easily become upset.
Giving birth is like the gate of hell!
Gao Xuance still felt something was wrong: "How can this be possible? What should I do if something happens?"
"You are so worried about gains and losses, which makes me nervous. You should just calm down." Yao Niang comforted him. After all, he was only eighteen years old and she was still a child.
Although she enjoyed being so tense, she couldn't keep doing so forever.
Seeing Yao Niang so calm, Gao Xuance also calmed down and got on his sedan chair. However, unlike the leisurely manner he usually took when sitting on the sedan chair, this time he turned his head frequently to look at Yao Niang. It was not until they arrived at the prince's residence that he felt the dust had settled and he could finally put his heart back into his body.
Yao Niang also found it magical. After she entered the room, she took off her outer clothes and lay on the beauty couch. Gao Xuance attentively handed her a cup of warm water.
"Thank you." Yao Niang tilted her head and smiled.
"Why are you still so polite to me? How is it? Is there anything you want to eat?" Gao Xuance held Yao Niang's hand tightly. He secretly made up his mind that in the future he would not only be good to Yao Niang, but also to the baby in her belly.
Yao Niang nodded: "I am a little hungry, but I eat meat every day in Chengde, so I want to eat something light today."
Gao Xuance hurried down to give orders.
Any news in the palace spread quickly, especially news about the concubines and the prince's wife being pregnant. Concubine Yan was talking to her son and his wife when she heard the news from Kunning Palace that Princess Chen was pregnant.
"Is there any news yet?" Concubine Yan asked.
"To reply to the Queen, there is news from Kunning Palace that Princess Chen is already two months pregnant. Although the pregnancy is still early, it can still be found out. Concubine Hong has already rewarded the two palaces and is going to Huining Palace in person to report the good news to the Emperor."
Although Concubine Yan was not favored, she had given birth to a prince after all, so she might be able to find out the truth by asking around for this well-known news.
She said to the female officials beside her, "Go prepare the gifts and send them to the prince's residence first, then go to Kunning Palace on my behalf to congratulate the noble concubine and tell her that I will go there in person tomorrow to congratulate her."
Mu Wantong didn't expect Yao Niang to get pregnant so soon. She hadn't even thought about having a baby. At the moment, the fourth prince's leg injury was the top priority. She had asked her father to visit famous doctors and invite them into the palace for treatment.
This matter had not been settled yet when they heard the news from Yao Niang. This kind of good news would of course be welcomed by others, but it was very exciting for Mu Wantong who came in with them.
Of course, Concubine Yan was a concubine after all, and she would not point at her daughter-in-law's belly and say things like "a chicken that doesn't lay eggs" like the village women, but her expression was much calmer.
But Mu Wantong couldn't say anything. She didn't know what to be anxious about. Shouldn't she be more worried about the Fourth Prince's leg?
Unfortunately, no one thought so. When she returned to her bedroom, she saw many palace maids and eunuchs moving around there. Even her sister-in-law Wang Yuanshuang came to visit her specially.
Yao Niang was having dinner. She was pregnant and didn't want to be too careless. Whenever there were visitors, Yao Niang would meet them. She knew that she was in very good health.
This point is very important. Gao Xuance frowned and asked the two maids who came from Concubine Hong: "Pregnant women should rest more, right? How can you be so busy meeting guests?"
These two are considered to be very experienced maids. One is surnamed Jiang and the other is surnamed Zhao.
Nanny Jiang can manipulate Yao Niang, after all, she is someone close to Concubine Hong, and people around the elders must be respected, this is the rule, and the mother-in-law is naturally unequal to her daughter-in-law.
But Prince Chen is different. He is not someone who is easy to bully.
Therefore, when he asked, Nanny Jiang quickly said, "That's right, but if this happens in the palace, people will say that the princess is arrogant, which will affect her reputation."
"We can't keep going like this. If someone comes tomorrow, you'd better block them for the princess." Gao Xuance doesn't care what difficulties you have. He has given the order and you have to carry it out.
He only cares about Yao Niang and not about others.
Nanny Jiang didn't dare to refute and just kept saying yes.
In the hall, Yao Niang was talking to Wang Yuanshuang: "I didn't know the baby would come so soon. It was only when the imperial physician happened to be with my mother that I found out after he took my pulse."
"This is a great event. I'm sure Empress Hong will be so happy that you have the good news. But you must rest well after the bumpy journey in Chengde." Wang Yuanshuang really didn't expect that she would get there first.
Yao Niang accepted her kindness and said, "My mother sent two maids over, so I don't have to worry anymore."
Wang Yuanshuang nodded. She and Yao Niang had a limited friendship, so she left after a few words. Then many other concubines such as Concubine Yan, Concubine Lin Gui and Concubine Li came to send ginseng supplements and clothing materials, and Bai Ying and Bai Zhi were responsible for handling all of them.
Although she could still hold on here with Yao Niang, Wang Yuanshuang couldn't help feeling sad when she returned to her own palace. But she still had to go to Concubine Lin to talk to her.
If Yao Niang's attitude was worse, or if she was a little more proud, she might even say something like "Watch you rise from a high place and fall from a high place". But, she was very calm and didn't even think that her pregnancy was a big deal.
Somewhat happy, but not complacently happy.
It's rare to be able to handle such a happy event. It's really not easy.
After seeing off one guest after another, Yao Niang prepared to rest after taking a bath. However, according to the palace rules, a pregnant woman could not have sex.
Just like when Concubine Li became pregnant, her green card was removed.
Of course, Nanny Jiang and Nanny Zhao also said the same thing to Yao Niang. Yao Niang looked at Gao Xuance. In her heart, she still hoped that her husband would be with her. Gao Xuance was the most caring to her, more so than these other maids.
"Is that so?" Yao Niang looked at Gao Xuance.
Gao Xuance said, "It's alright. I'll just rest here today. You guys go down first. I'll talk to the princess."
He spoke, and Nanny Jiang and Nanny Zhao were about to say something, but Yao Niang smiled and said, "I haven't finished the book I was reading yesterday, so I just wanted to ask you for advice."
These two masters are not obedient people. Nanny Jiang knows the current affairs and doesn't say anything. She will report it anyway, and Concubine Hong will make the decision.
But Madam Zhao was anxious, and as soon as she came out, she said to Madam Jiang: "How can such a thing happen in the world? The princess is pregnant, and if the prince can't control himself, oh, we are both doomed."
"Why are you panicking? Let's go talk to the Queen together tomorrow." Nanny Jiang obviously didn't want to offend Prince Chen directly.
When working in the palace, the most important thing is to save your own life. Princess Chen is young and tender-skinned. She should go to pay her respects to Concubine Hong tomorrow and let Concubine Hong force her to go.
If she herself doesn't let Prince Chen in, then Prince Chen will definitely listen.
Little did she know that as soon as the two maids left, Yao Niang said to Gao Xuance, "I want you to accompany me."
"I know, but these two will definitely lay maggots on the noble concubine tomorrow. I heard that when a certain princess got married, those greedy maids and eunuchs, for the sake of wealth and salary, dared to destroy the relationship between the princess and her husband." Even though Gao Xuance has reached this point, he still knows that the little devil below is difficult to deal with.
Yao Niang hugged him and said, "What's the big deal? You are busy with official duties during the day. Do you think you should get involved in these little things? I can't let people look down on me. This is not a big deal."
Seeing Yao Niang like this, Gao Xuance knew that she was not the kind of woman who waited for others to take care of her, but he was afraid that there would be conflicts between his mother and his wife.
"You have nothing to do in this palace and yet you still talk nonsense. These villains are most likely to cause trouble. You must be careful." Gao Xuance reminded.
Yao Niang was not at all concerned: "I know, it's really hard for you that we can actually discuss these things now."
Normal wives would usually let their husbands come forward to refuse the proposal, for they are afraid of offending their mother-in-law, who would then scold them for being ungracious and monopolizing their husbands while they are pregnant.
Even the people below would say this.
"That's nothing. I've told you that you have to tell me everything." Seeing that she was dozing off, Gao Xuance quickly carried her to the bed to rest.
It was a really tiring day. After Yao Niang fell asleep, they stayed up until dawn. Nanny Jiang and Nanny Zhao were planning to go and complain together, but they didn't know that Concubine Hong Guifei sent someone to say that there was no need to pay respects and that the focus should be on taking care of the baby.
Of course there are rules in the palace. If there is nothing to do, you are not allowed to visit others casually. Yao Niang is in charge of the Prince Chen's Mansion and the rules are very strict. Although she respects these maids, she does not blindly believe in them as authority. It's very simple. She herself was a wet nurse in her past, read a lot of medical books, and gave birth to a child herself.
Her husband died early, and she raised her two sons by herself. She also brought up the Crown Prince of Zhou with great care. She was no worse than these so-called maids.
The next day, Mu Wantong and Xu Qingrong came together. Xu Qingrong's belly was already very big. Yao Niang hurriedly said, "Second sister-in-law, please sit down first. You are not feeling well now, so you'd better not come over."
"I can't even walk a few steps." Xu Qingrong said with a smile.
Of course she was not in a good mood, because the King of Zhou brought his concubine Wang with him on the autumn hunt. After they came back, although the King of Zhou came to see her first, she knew in her heart that the King's mind was no longer on her.
This was a very painful thing. Even if she wanted the real power to be in charge, she still had to listen to King Zhou.
She thought that the King of Zhou was in charge of everything, maybe because he wanted to support Wang.
It is already like this now. If it is in the future, Xu Qingrong touched her belly worriedly. The women of the Xu family have always been prejudiced by outsiders. Therefore, after marrying King Zhou, the people in the family told her to be generous and virtuous. Therefore, she treated King Zhou's concubines equally on the surface.
She knew that King Zhou liked beautiful, young and charming women, but as she was a princess, she could not do such despicable things. She had her own dignity and wanted to have her own reputation, and was unwilling to be subordinate to others.
But the reality is that when it comes to family matters, big or small, except for some minor personal relationships with the King of Zhou, she, as the princess, cannot get involved in any core affairs. Whenever there is something even slightly bigger, she has to ask the King of Zhou for permission again and again.
Looking at her sister-in-law again, she thought that she had only been married for a short time and had no idea how powerful Concubine Hong was. Look, there are two more maids here now, and all of these maids are good at gossiping. She will have a hard time in the future.
The Wang in her story was the one given to King Zhou by Concubine Hong.
Therefore, Xu Qingrong said with a hint of meaning: "Mother has given you two Nannies, Jiang and Zhao. They are both very experienced people. You must listen to them more."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "That's natural."
Mu Wantong was a little jealous of Yao Niang at first, but when she saw that she was just wearing casual clothes and was a calm person, she actually felt that her thoughts were not right. After Xu Qingrong left, she expressed some of her inner thoughts to her.
"Third sister-in-law, are you pregnant?" But why is her belly not big at all?
Perhaps her gaze was too intense, Yao Niang smiled and said, "It's only been two months, the baby hasn't taken human form yet."
"So do you hope for a son or a daughter?" Mu Wantong asked curiously.
Yao Niang touched her belly and said, "It doesn't matter if it's a son or a daughter. It's not forced." Even though she wanted to be Cheng Yun and Cheng Ze, she knew that she couldn't go back. This was a new beginning.
After all, seeing Mu Wantong's expression, she comforted her, "Relax, maybe if you relax, the baby will come!"
Mu Wantong nodded secretly.
After resting at home for three days, Yao Niang prepared to go to Kunning Palace to pay her respects. Of course, the two maids Jiang and Zhao were already eager to go and complain.
Although the two hid their expressions very well, Yao Niang knew exactly what they were thinking.
Nanny Zhao could no longer hold back her desire to file a complaint. The couple was living together even though she was pregnant, and the woman was not yet prepared for the Prince of Chen. If Concubine Hong knew about these two things, she would be extremely jealous.
Servants certainly don't want to fight with their masters, but if something happens to their masters, for example, the Prince and his wife are too young and don't know the seriousness of the situation and cause something bad, or if something happens to the baby in the belly, then they will be the ones to suffer.
Therefore, when Yao Niang paid her respects, the two maids Zhao and Jiang were already hesitant to speak.
Concubine Hong was a very capable person. She had long seen that the two had something to say, so she said to Yao Niang, "I'll have them stew bird's nest with rock sugar. You can have one more bowl here."
"Okay." Yao Niang nodded.
She went to the side room next door to eat bird's nest, and told Nanny Zhao and Nanny Jiang, who stayed behind, what had happened in the past few days.
"Other things are fine. The princess is very capable in managing household chores and welcoming guests. But our Prince Chen and the princess live in the same room every night, and I am afraid..."
After hearing this, Concubine Hong became anxious and said, "Why don't you persuade me? Otherwise, why did I ask you to go there?"
Nanny Jiang and Nanny Zhao looked at each other and didn't dare to say anything. Concubine Hong also knew what was going on.
Although she still liked Yao Niang very much, after all, she had watched her grow up and she was her son's beloved, but she couldn't be too indulgent, otherwise it would be bad for her offspring.
But Concubine Hong was also afraid of saying too harshly to Yao Niang. What if something happened to her stomach?
You have to know that no matter how many children those concubines have, none of them are as important as the one in her belly.
After Yao Niang finished drinking the bird's nest soup, she heard Concubine Hong calling her over, so she hurried over. At this time, there was no one in the room, and it seemed that she was going to say something.
"Mother, do you have something to tell me?" Yao Niang looked at Concubine Hong innocently.
Concubine Hong coughed lightly, and felt that it was difficult for her as a mother-in-law to talk, but she still said: "I wonder how you have been getting along these days since you were pregnant? If there is any inconvenience, just tell me."
Yao Niang shook her head: "It's not inconvenient, everything is fine. But I have to sleep all the time, and I can't wake up all day. If it wasn't for His Highness that day, I almost fell down in my sleep. I slept too soundly, and we were both scared and sweating."
Concubine Hong Gui didn't know whether this was true or not. It was possible that her daughter-in-law said this to her on purpose, wanting them to have sex together. Therefore, Concubine Hong Gui didn't quite believe it: "Really?"
Yao Niang nodded: "Yes, mother."
"You are pregnant, why are you still sleeping with your prince? This is not good." Concubine Hong finally said this.
Yao Niang's face suddenly turned red, and she couldn't help but say, "Mother, how could you think of us like that? We didn't do anything. He only came back after I fell asleep every night."
That's true. My son has always valued power and never coveted love for his children. Even though he was very kind to Luo, he didn't care about anything else as long as he was busy with official duties.
But Concubine Hong still said, "Good boy, I don't blame you. But this palace has its own rules, and you should focus on your offspring now."
"Yes, you are absolutely right." Yao Niang believed it deeply, but stood up again and said with some embarrassment: "Do you think I didn't say that? You know how important offspring are to a woman. As the saying goes, there are three unfilial acts, and having no offspring is the worst. But the prince often asks me to serve him. As the saying goes, a woman should obey her husband after marriage. How can I only care about myself and ignore the prince?"
"Hehe, what did you say?" Concubine Hong thought it was really horrifying. This Gao Xuance was simply talking nonsense.
She thought that Luo Yaoniang was from a wealthy family after all, how could she be so bold, it turned out that it was her own son who wanted her. Is this brat still a human being?
Yao Niang said quickly: "Mother, please don't blame the prince for this. He is very tired from worrying every day. Now he just wants to sleep on the same bed with me. Last time, we followed father in the autumn hunt, and he was almost shot by the arrows of the Donghu people. He is in danger all around, and he just wants to sleep with peace of mind. The two of us are together, and we feel that we have each other to rely on."
Concubine Hong had already heard about her son's danger, but no one had told her what happened in person. Yao Niang told her everything in detail and said, "It was very dangerous at that time. My daughter-in-law was ready to take the blame for him. Mother, you are so kind to me, and the prince and I are husband and wife. If anything happens to the prince, it is more important than anything else to me."
"No matter how others say that I am a seductress or a womanizer, but for the sake of the prince, he doesn't care about my reputation. He is the one I want to protect."
"So, mother, please stop trying to persuade me. Let me take all the blame."
Concubine Hong originally thought that Yao Niang was too selfish and jealous, but after Yao Niang's explanation, she realized that Xiao was probably on guard because her son was being plotted against, but the servants in each palace were fixed. If they were dispersed, accidents would be easy to happen, and their daily life would be easily tampered with. More importantly, her son was afraid that he was being plotted against and had some problems in his heart, and he needed his daughter-in-law to comfort him.
At least when his daughter-in-law was around, his son seemed stable.
Outside the palace, Nanny Zhao and Nanny Jiang smiled at each other. Nanny Jiang thought to herself, "That's good. After all, Concubine Hong is the mother-in-law of Princess Chen. There is no daughter-in-law in the world who doesn't listen to her mother-in-law. She wants to rebel."
Nanny Zhao grinned and said, "This Princess Chen knows how powerful they are as Nannies. She will definitely bribe me heavily in the future. Then I will have a position in the eyes of Prince Chen."
The two had good intentions, but they didn't expect that when Yao Niang came out, Concubine Hong would personally escort her out. She was even more affectionate than she was to Princess Zhenyang, and she said to them, "You must serve Princess Chen well, and don't fool her just because she is young. Otherwise, I will be rude to you."
Zhao and Jiang were shocked to see Concubine Hong's tone change.
Yao Niang said to Concubine Hong Guifei: "Don't worry, mother. The two maids are your close friends. I will definitely respect them with extra care."
As for what caused the separation of Princess Chen and her husband, the two maids waited until Yao Niang left, and then they heard Concubine Hong Gui say, "You princesses know what to do, so you don't have to get involved. Everything she did was for the good of the prince, and you just need to know that. Also, you don't have to come here to complain in the future. If anything happens to the princess, I will hold you responsible."
Nanny Zhao and Nanny Jiang looked at each other, not knowing what had happened and why Concubine Hong had changed so much.
But they didn't dare to ask more questions, and they just felt more cautious in their hearts.
Yao Niang was of course not afraid of them anymore, and she said to Madam Zhao, "You are older, and it is not as convenient for you to keep watch at night as Bai Ying and the others. It is better to teach them the do's and don'ts, so that I can avoid being unable to find anyone when something happens at night. Madam Zhao, you can teach Bai Ying and the others first."
So what if you are old and have a lot of experience? You have to listen to me in my territory.
If we don't take these people down at the beginning, things will get into trouble easily.
Of the two maids, Madam Zhao was impatient, while Madam Jiang was unfathomable. She wanted to take down Madam Zhao first.
As expected, Nanny Zhao only heard what Princess Chen said to her, and immediately felt that the princess was targeting her. She was so scared that she surrendered immediately. Yao Niang then smiled and said, "I know what Nanny is thinking, but you have to know that I will give you this opportunity. If you do well, I will certainly speak for you in front of the Royal Concubine and Princess Chen. I also heard that your son is a minor official in the Ministry of Rites. I will let my father take care of him."
From then on, Nanny Zhao never had any other thoughts.
When Gao Xuance went in to accompany Yao Niang again, he found that no one advised him. Even when he went to see Concubine Hong, Concubine Hong told him: "Your wife treats you very well, so you should treat her even better."
Not everyone can meet someone who is willing to help you regardless of his own reputation.
Gao Xuance was confused by what he heard, but he still smiled and said, "Of course I am good to her."
How come Mother didn't care about these things at all? How did Yao Niang solve them? This made him very curious. After returning to the palace, he asked her, "Why don't the maids bother us now? Even Mother didn't tell us about it. How did you do it?"
Yao Niang's eyes turned away and she said, "I won't tell you."
But seeing Gao Xuance kept asking, she couldn't help but say, "It's just the result and the result. I said I'd rather be a foxy girl, and I want to serve you, and I want us to rely on each other."
Gao Xuance understood it immediately. For example, the princes wanted to be emperor and were clearly fighting for the throne, but he would not say that he just wanted to rule the world. Instead, he would definitely say that he was in too much pain and that he just did not want to be emperor, but for the sake of the people of the world, he had to be one.
Obviously, Yao Niang wanted him to sleep with her, but she would not say directly that she just wanted him to sleep with her. Instead, she would say that she did it for his own good. Even if everyone in the world scolded her for being a foxy woman and that what she did was wrong, it was all because she did it for him.
Why? It makes people full of all kinds of thoughts.
High, really high.
"It is true that understanding the affairs of the world is knowledge, and understanding human nature is writing." Gao Xuance held Yao Niang's hand and praised with joy.
Yao Niang pulled her hand back: "This is not a good trick. It's just that your mother loves you very much, so she is tolerant of you in everything. And that's..."
She hesitated for a moment, her cheeks stained with red frost, and then she said, "You are busy all day long. Only at night can we be together and understand each other. I, I will miss you very much too."
Gao Xuance's eyes suddenly lit up, and he said happily, "I miss you too. From now on, no matter what, I will always be yours, okay?"
His mother is not easy to fool. She seems cheerful but is actually quite scheming. However, his wife treats her as a relative with just a few words, which shows her ability to see through people's minds. Besides, the maids in the palace are really difficult to deal with. They can overwhelm you with a lot of rules. But now Maids Zhao and Jiang are respectful, so his mother no longer asks about it.
He can make things happen with a flip of his hand and control the overall situation without making a sound. No wonder Luo Zhizheng changed sides as soon as she married him. It was obviously not because of him, but because of Yao Niang. He did not believe in himself, but in his daughter.
Therefore, he made up his mind to be hers for the rest of his life.
Compared to Yao Niang solving this problem and further improving the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Xu Qingrong felt unfair again. She really noticed that Concubine Hong was partial to her. She sent all kinds of maids to her, but only sent two maids to her brother and sister-in-law.
As a daughter-in-law, she was the most filial. She went to pay respects every day, often accompanied Concubine Hong, and even deliberately gave up the so-called jealousy of the women of the Xu family and behaved very virtuous. But what did she get in return? Her mother-in-law picked someone to send over. As for her younger sister-in-law, she was pregnant and lived with her husband, but her mother-in-law didn't say a word and didn't even send a woman over.
In terms of family background, she was much stronger than Luo, not to mention that she was better than Hyun, Hye, and Hyo-shun, but now she has ended up like this? God is really blind.
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