Chapter 326: Watching the Tigers Fight from the Mountain
Yun Chu had just finished her morning meal.
Ting Xue hurried in to report that the palace had arranged for an imperial physician to visit.
When a member of the royal family became pregnant, they needed to inform the Imperial Household Department, which would then dispatch an imperial physician to examine the pulse and record it in the registry.
Yun Chu sat on the couch and allowed the physician to take her pulse.
"Congratulations, Your Highness, Princess Consort. It is a pregnancy pulse. The pulse is steady, the child is well, but you still need to take some pregnancy-preserving medicine."
The physician swiftly wrote out a prescription.
Then he returned to the palace to report his findings.
By the afternoon, rewards from the palace began pouring in.
There were gifts from the Emperor, the Empress, and Yin Fei, including gold, silver, jade artifacts, fabrics, jewelry, as well as ginseng and medicinal herbs.
Chu Yi was overjoyed and rewarded all the servants in the entire princely residence.
The servants, having received their rewards, were all delighted and offered various auspicious blessings.
Among the crowd, Ding Dong stood there.
Since the Princess Consort was pregnant, she naturally could no longer attend to the Prince. Wasn't this her opportunity?
She had been lying low in the princely residence for over half a year. As days passed, she grew increasingly anxious.
Fortunately, her efforts were not in vain. The opportunity was right before her eyes; it all depended on whether she could seize it.
Yun Chu instructed the servants to inventory the rewards from the palace and store them in the warehouse.
After reviewing the warehouse ledger, she said, "Wrap up the Hundred Flowers Brocade Vase and these fabrics, and send them to Ting Shuang."
During the six months she had been away, Ting Shuang had given birth to a healthy baby boy, who was now three months old.
While Ting Shuang was in confinement after childbirth, the affairs of the hot spring manor were entirely handed over to Jiu'er. Now, Jiu'er had become a capable senior maid who could manage things independently.
Ting Xue would soon marry and likely become pregnant and have children. Yun Chu thought about having Ting Shuang come to the princely residence to serve as a Steward.
After arranging these matters, Yun Chu felt somewhat tired.
When she hadn't known she was pregnant, she had plenty of energy for everything.
But as soon as she learned there was a child in her womb, her body seemed to automatically begin protecting itself.
After taking the pregnancy-preserving medicine, Yun Chu lay down on the couch and fell asleep.
Chu Yi, having finished handling some matters, came over and gently picked her up, placing her on the bed in the bedroom.
He sat by the bed, reviewing the residence's account books and handling them as he went.
Before long, dusk had fallen. Yun Chu woke up slowly and said with some annoyance, "How did I sleep for so long?"
"Sleep whenever you want. Don't always worry about other matters," Chu Yi said softly. "What would you like to eat? I'll have someone bring it."
"I'd like some pickled radish," Yun Chu thought for a moment. "The pickled radish sold by that old man at the west city gate is the best."
Chu Yi didn't send a servant to buy it, as none could ride as fast as he could. He rode to the west city gate and bought the pickled radish himself.
Mixed with hand-pulled noodles, the pickled radish was delicious.
Yun Chu, unusually free from morning sickness, ate with great satisfaction.
Just after she finished eating, several servants carried in a bed board: "Greetings, Your Highness, Princess Consort. Where should we place this bed board?"
Chu Yi pointed to the inner chamber. "Place it right next to the bed."
He then called for maids to spread bedding on the board and place a quilt and pillow.
Outside, the maids and servants began whispering among themselves.
"The Prince and Princess Consort are truly devoted. Even though the Princess Consort is pregnant, the Prince still wants to sleep in the same room."
"He'd rather sleep on the floor than be apart from the Princess Consort. The Prince dotes on her so much.""Previously, the prince never married, I thought he was cut... ahem, never mind. I didn't expect the prince to have someone else in his heart."
"What do you think, will the Princess Consort give birth to a boy or a girl?"
"Hopefully it's a daughter, so there won't be any conflicts in the manor."
"If it's a legitimate son, our lives might become difficult..."
The servants knew this was a sensitive topic and didn't dare discuss it too much, dispersing after just a few words.
Ding Dong stood by the side chamber of the main courtyard, her eyes glimmering.
She stood there for quite a while until she saw the two young masters arrive. Shortly after, the prince emerged from the room.
She lowered her head and approached, calling out hesitantly: "Your Highness."
There were too many people in the manor paying respects and offering greetings every day, all addressing him this way. Chu Yi didn't pay it any mind and continued walking forward.
Ding Dong felt deeply wronged.
She hadn't appeared before the prince for over half a year, and he had forgotten who she was again.
"Your Highness, this servant is Ding Dong, daughter of Er Momo," she stepped forward and said, "Since my mother went to the estate to retire, her health has been deteriorating. She wrote a letter recently saying she lacks a certain medicinal ingredient. I could only gather the courage to beg Your Highness."
Chu Yi frowned: "What medicinal ingredient is she missing?"
"A century-old ginseng," Ding Dong's voice choked up, "I beg Your Highness to save her life. Ding Dong will definitely repay Your Highness's great kindness."
Chu Yi said indifferently: "Go find Cheng Zongguan."
With that, he walked away directly.
Ding Dong bit her lip hard.
Her mother had raised the prince. Upon learning her mother was ill, shouldn't the prince have asked about her condition?
How could he just leave so coldly?
However, from another perspective, the prince was willing to give a century-old ginseng without even asking questions, which showed that her mother still held some position in his heart.
As long as the prince remembered this debt of gratitude, she still had a chance.
Yun Chu had been drowsy for three or four days and finally felt somewhat better, no longer falling asleep as soon as she touched the bed.
She began preparing for Ting Xue's wedding.
Cheng Zongguan had consulted the almanac and scheduled the wedding for the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month. The date was approaching quickly.
Following the same standards as when Ting Shuang got married, Yun Chu prepared a generous dowry.
"Princess Consort, the Crown Princess has arrived."
Yun Chu straightened up: "Please invite her to the reception hall and serve tea first."
She changed out of her casual home clothes before heading to the reception hall.
"Congratulations, sister-in-law. Please accept these bird's nests for nourishing during pregnancy," the Crown Princess said with a beaming smile. "Third Brother indeed has few heirs. With this child's arrival, the Prince of Pacifying the West Manor will become more lively."
"Thank you, Crown Princess," Yun Chu accepted the bird's nests and sighed. "After Consort Fang miscarried half a year ago, I left the capital with the prince. How is Consort Fang doing now?"
The Crown Princess replied: "She's still young. After half a year of recuperation, she has recovered. Don't worry too much about it, sister-in-law."
She paused before continuing, "Actually, my visit today isn't just to congratulate you on your pregnancy. There's another matter."
Yun Chu naturally knew the Crown Princess had come with an ulterior motive.
She had even guessed what it might be.
"Previously, Her Majesty the Empress spoke with Third Brother, and he said he needed to consider it," the Crown Princess lowered her voice. "Do you know what Third Brother has decided?"
Yun Chu sighed: "The prince has grown accustomed to his carefree life over the past six months and is temporarily unwilling to return to court. I'll try to persuade him."Now that the Empress and Prince Gongxi are locked in a back-and-forth struggle, their Prince of Pacifying the West Manor had no need to get involved at all.
The best strategy was to stay on the sidelines and maintain a low profile.
"Alright, I understand."
The Crown Princess stood up.
Wasn't the third prince just trying to sit back and watch others fight?
She was determined to drag the third prince into the mess.
If the Yin family were to face trouble, would the third prince still be able to sit idly by?
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