Consort Yi has recovered her health.
The happiest of all was the Sixth Prince, Yinqi, who excitedly invited his Fifth Brother and Fourth Sister to the Imperial Garden. Yinqi, beaming with excitement and pride, declared loudly, "Although Consort Qi's pastries are delicious, Mother's are even better!"
The fourth princess was the first to disbelieve: "Huh?"
Making crispy and sweet cat-shaped cookies with Consort Qi, or chocolate desserts, and what about pineapple cakes? Custard buns? Everything is novel and delicious. Can Consort Yi's recipes compare to Consort Qi's?
Yinqi puffed out his cheeks: "It's true!"
He said emphatically, "My mother and I made a promise to have some snacks together in the Imperial Garden this afternoon. I'll show you the snacks she makes—they're the best in the world!"
The fourth princess wanted to say more.
Yinzhen tugged at her hand and said, "Let's go."
It was only with great difficulty that Yinqi finally cheered up.
The Fourth Princess sighed, noticing Yinqi turning his head away but secretly glancing at her. She shook her head, exuding an air of maturity: "Since Fifth Brother has said so, then I, Fourth Sister, will take pity on you and go with you."
Yinqi's eyes lit up.
He hummed softly, his serious little face propped up, but his bouncy steps betrayed Yinqi's happiness and joy.
This is a long-awaited date with my mother!
In the afternoon, the three met at the octagonal pavilion in the Imperial Garden. Yinzhen brought two large jugs of refreshing peach juice and a small box of cheese pastries. Yinqi pouted, "Fifth Brother—" They had clearly agreed to eat the pastries made by their mother together.
"Would you like some drinks now?" Early summer came exceptionally early this year, and from Chuxiu Palace to the Imperial Garden, sweat broke out on Yinzhen's back.
It's really hot.
The fourth princess was the first to raise her hand: "I want to drink!"
Upon seeing that the Fourth Princess had agreed, Yinqi immediately became anxious.
He jumped up and down, shouting, "I want some too! I want some too!"
Zhao Mama, who was following behind Yinzhen, smiled so hard her eyes crinkled.
She personally poured a glass for each of the three young masters. The three held the sweet and sour peach juice and then discussed expectantly what Consort Yi would bring later.
"If you ask me, it would definitely be a kidney bean roll."
"I think it's rose red bean paste cake, sachima, almond tofu, peach and apricot preserves..."
"Mung bean pastries and chestnut pastries are also good..."
"There's also flaky cheese, pine flower cakes, and fried sugar cakes..."
Yinqi and the Fourth Princess took turns speaking.
As they talked, they all got a little hungry, and their eyes fell on the cheese pastries in Zhao Mama's hands.
Yinzhen: "...Would you like something to eat?"
The Fourth Princess smiled and agreed, but Yinqi thought for a moment and shook his head: "Never mind, if I eat any more, I won't be able to eat Mother's cooking later."
Even if you really want it, you have to be patient.
Yinzhen and the Fourth Princess exchanged a glance, then stopped teasing Yinqi. The Fourth Princess broke off a small piece: "Just a little bit, how about it?"
Yinqi: "Hmm..."
In the end, the three of them sat in a row like three hamsters, happily munching on cheese snacks, while also keeping their eyes on the entrance to the Imperial Garden, hoping to catch a glimpse of Consort Yi soon.
But we waited and waited.
The three of them waited in vain for Consort Yi's arrival. Just as they were about to finish their second glass of peach juice, the Fourth Princess finally couldn't hold back any longer. She looked at Yinqi suspiciously: "Sixth Brother, you haven't misremembered the time, have you?"
Yinqi gripped his robe tightly with both hands.
He lowered his head: "...How could that be?"
Yinzhen frowned deeply: "Wait a little longer."
But after waiting for more than an hour, there was still no sign of Consort Yi. The sun was about to set, and the red sunset was spreading across the sky. Yinqi stood there like a statue.
He kept his head down and remained silent.
Tears welled up in Yinqi's eyes, falling drop by drop, leaving damp patches on his robes.
At this moment, the fourth princess dared not say anything harsh.
She looked at Yinqi with concern, fearing that he would burst into tears at any moment.
Yinzhen's expression darkened slightly.
He whispered a few instructions, and then Su Peisheng hurriedly headed towards Yikun Palace.
Why didn't Consort Yi come?
Did Yinqi misremember the time? Or did something happen to Consort Yi? Yinzhen gestured for the Fourth Princess to comfort Yinqi, his anxiety barely concealed.
He was more suspicious of the latter.
It's common knowledge that Consort Yi's pregnancy wasn't going well, and it's only recently started to get a little better. As a result, Consort Yi hasn't appeared in public for almost half a year.
Logically speaking, she shouldn't be late for her date with Yinqi.
Yinzhen frowned deeply, trying hard to suppress his anxiety—after all, too many things in his life had changed.
Yinzhen couldn't be sure if Consort Yi, who had lived a long life in her previous life and even dared to challenge him after her father's death, would meet with an accident prematurely. After all, Consort Yi wasn't pregnant at this time in her previous life, while the one who was pregnant at this point... should have been her birth mother, Consort De, in her previous life.
Su Peisheng rushed to Yikun Palace.
Seeing that everything in Yikun Palace was calm and the palace servants didn't seem to react much, he was both surprised and puzzled.
Su Peisheng stepped forward: "I am a servant of the Fifth Prince and wish to request an audience with Consort Yi."
"Master Yi has already gone to bed to rest..."
“…Huh?” Su Peisheng was taken aback and subconsciously asked, “But…but the Sixth Prince said he made an appointment with Consort Yi and has been waiting since this afternoon!”
The palace maid was slightly taken aback.
She called out to Su Peisheng and hurriedly walked into the hall.
These words sent shockwaves through the Yikun Palace.
The palace maid Jing Hui turned pale and fell heavily to the ground. She slapped herself hard several times and repeatedly begged for forgiveness: "It's all my fault, it's all my fault, I actually forgot about this."
Consort Yi had no time to reprimand Jing Hui.
After all, she had also put this matter out of her mind! Consort Yi quickly sat up and said urgently, "Quick! Quick! Quick! Quickly serve me to wash up!"
But how fast can it get?
It took almost the time it takes to drink two cups of tea before Consort Yi finally appeared in front of the Imperial Garden.
The sun has already set.
The lanterns in the Imperial Garden shone with a faint glow. The palace servants stood solemnly to one side, while Granny Zhao frowned, looking at the young masters sitting on the lanterns with a hint of worry.
It's especially hot during the day.
But as evening fell, it felt like springtime again, with a cool breeze blowing on everyone, making their hands and feet shiver.
The Sixth Prince, Yinqi, stood in the octagonal pavilion.
The octagonal pavilion was drafty on all sides, and Yinqi stood stubbornly motionless in the drafty spot.
Also present were Yinzhen and the Fourth Princess.
The two women looked rather grim. Upon noticing the commotion, their chilling gazes fell simultaneously on Consort Yi.
Consort Yi looked at Yinqi from afar, feeling extremely annoyed. She hurriedly stepped forward and reached out to embrace Yinqi, but Yinqi slapped her hand away.
"I've been waiting for my mother for so long... so long."
"I said... I said I wanted to treat Fifth Brother and Fourth Sister to something to eat..." Yinqi sobbed intermittently.
Yinzhen and the Fourth Princess's gazes were icy, their underlying doubts and accusations piercing Consort Yi's heart. She reached out and pulled Yinqi's arm, explaining softly, "Yinqi, Mother didn't mean it—shall we go back to the palace and talk about it?"
"Are you sure it wasn't intentional?"
"...Of course not." Consort Yi looked away in embarrassment. The Fifth Prince and the Fourth Princess were both present. She pursed her lips and swallowed back the words of explanation, only repeating forcefully, "Everything your mother has done is for you, Yinqi."
In the palace, the most important thing is the emperor's favor.
Without this, what good days would Yinqi and she have? Look at how Consort Ning tramples on her, what about the future? How could Consort Yi say these things to Yinqi? She hesitated, pretending not to notice the thought that had surfaced in her mind: Is this really why you forgot?
Yinqi stared blankly at his mother.
He sniffled, his shoulders trembling slightly, his hands unconsciously clenching at his sides. Finally, Yinqi pushed Consort Yi away, crying out loudly, "Mother is an idiot—a big idiot! I hate Mother, waaaaaaah!"
Yinqi rushed out of the octagonal pavilion.
The fourth princess chased after him, calling out, "Yinqi! Yinqi?"
The sound of weeping echoed throughout the Imperial Garden.
Consort Yi stumbled backward, crashing heavily into a pillar of the octagonal pavilion. She barely managed to regain her balance with the help of two palace maids. She bit her lip, helplessly watching Yinqi's departing figure.
If in his previous life, Yinzhen would have simply watched coldly from the sidelines.
After a long silence, he finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Mother Consort, Yinqi really, really looked forward to today. He thought about it for a long time and said so many things he wanted to say to you... He has always missed you, worried about you, and was afraid to tell you his fears..."
Yinzhen's words were incoherent.
He rattled off a long string of words, finally letting out a long sigh. Yinzhen, his face dark, hurried after Yinqi and the other man in the direction they had gone.
Consort Yi stood there, stunned.
As she watched the Fifth Prince walk away, she instinctively tried to lift her leg to chase after him, but then felt waves of pain and her vision went white.
The palace maid Jing Hui called out softly, "Master...it's alright, the young master will surely understand your good intentions...Master!?"
Her eyes were filled with terror as she stared at the hem of Consort Yi's skirt.
Her skirt gradually turned red, and Consort Yi's vision blurred in waves as she felt a distinct downward pull in her abdomen.
She was born prematurely.
Consort Yi felt a chill in her heart.
Jing Hui screamed, "Quick, quick, go and fetch the imperial physician!"
The Yikun Palace was in complete chaos.
Although Consort Ning disliked Consort Yi, she never intended to kill her. Watching Consort Yi being carried back by palace servants, her heart sank to the bottom. She rushed forward and tightly grasped Consort Yi's hand: "Sister... Sister! Sister!"
Consort Yi struggled to open her eyes.
The fear, anxiety, and terror in Consort Ning's eyes flooded into her own, causing tears to fall like beads.
What exactly did she lose over the years?
Consort Yi's eyes were lifeless, and she was panting heavily like a fish out of water.
Consort Ning became increasingly nervous and fearful.
She tried her best to calm herself down, and while directing the palace servants to take Consort Yi to the delivery room, she loudly comforted her, "It's okay—it's okay."
Her only regret at that moment was...
Knowing full well that Consort Yi's pregnancy was not good, why hadn't she made any preparations? Feeling Consort Yi's icy cold hands and watching her increasingly pale face, Consort Ning's heart was pounding extremely fast.
Consort Yi gripped Consort Ning tightly, very forcefully.
She called out with difficulty, "Sister... Sister..."
Consort Ning grasped Consort Yi's hands in return.
As if wanting to give all her warmth to those hands, she lowered her body and brought her ear close to Consort Yi's mouth, whispering, "Sister is here, sister is here..."
Consort Yi said softly, "It's all my fault... Yinqi didn't push me."
Her voice was very soft.
Each word struck Ning Pin's heart like a heavy hammer.
Consort Ning's pupils suddenly contracted.
Her expression changed drastically, and then she felt the strength in Consort Yi's fingertips. Consort Ning sniffed, stopping her tears, and replied softly, "...Sister understands, don't worry."
Consort Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She was ushered into the delivery room by palace servants, while Consort Ning collapsed onto one of them. After a long while, she came to her senses and cried out urgently, "Quickly—quickly go find the Sixth Prince."
Consort Ning closed her eyes briefly.
Then she pinched her arm hard to calm herself down: "Yinqi went out with the Fifth Prince and the Fourth Princess... either to Chuxiu Palace or Cining Palace. Once you get there, you must leave the Sixth Prince there and not come over, understand?"
Several palace maids trembled and replied, "Yes."
They rushed out, while Consort Ning, who remained behind, hurriedly ran towards the delivery room.
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