Rongyao looked at her mother and asked hesitantly, “Will he hurt you, Mother?”
A few days earlier, she had read a book that said childbirth was extremely difficult. When a woman gave birth, there was a seventy- to eighty-percent chance that she would encounter danger, and she might even die.
She understood what her mother meant. There was a baby in her mother’s belly now, just as she herself had once come from her mother’s belly. That was why she loved wrapping her arms around her mother’s waist and burying herself in her embrace.
Although she looked forward to having a little brother or sister, she would never allow the baby to hurt her mother.
If the baby hurt her mother, she would not look forward to it at all.
Cui Huaiyin’s eyes filled with relief. She touched her forehead to Yaoyao’s and said, “He won’t. Mother will protect herself. There are also the imperial physicians, your Imperial Father, and Yaoyao. Nothing will happen to Mother.”
Dantai Ji patted his daughter’s shoulder. “Your Imperial Father will protect both of you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Rongyao glanced at her mother’s belly and reluctantly nodded. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist. It felt no different from before, and she could not hear any little brother or sister inside.
Her Imperial Father was not a physician, so she did not quite believe him.
There ought to be a better doctor to protect her mother!
The next day, Rongyao brought Chu Mingyi into the palace.
Every day outside the palace, Sister Mingyi treated many patients. Her medical skills were superb, and she saved countless lives. She had even helped deliver many babies.
With Sister Mingyi watching over her mother, Rongyao would feel much more at ease.
Seeing the solemn, worried look on her daughter’s face, Cui Huaiyin’s eyes stung. Her daughter was still so young, yet she was already thinking so carefully and trying to protect her mother.
Thinking about it carefully, throughout this entire journey, it had always been her daughter pulling her forward.
Yet her Yaoyao was not even seven years old.
She must be the most useless mother in the world.
Cui Huaiyin’s eyes reddened as she drew her daughter into her arms. “Mother isn’t a good mother. Mother is sorry, Yaoyao.”
Rongyao was somewhat bewildered, but when she heard her mother crying, she anxiously hugged her tighter and shook her head with all her strength. “That’s not true! Mother is clearly the best mother in the whole world.”
Cui Huaiyin wanted to cry even more.
Her daughter was so obedient and loved her so deeply. She might not be the best mother in the world, but she was certainly the luckiest.
These past few days, she had even had the thought—and the urge—not to keep the child in her womb.
Having only Yaoyao was enough. Loving only Yaoyao was enough.
She did not want to love any child other than Yaoyao.
But everyone said that this pregnancy was a good thing. If the child were a boy, he could protect her and Yaoyao. Once he grew up, he could shelter Yaoyao.
Could he really protect her Yaoyao?
That would certainly be wonderful.
But right now, it was Yaoyao who was protecting them, worrying about them…
Mother was worried. Mother was uneasy.
Rongyao could sense it. She tried to put her mother at ease, telling her that she looked forward to having a little brother or sister and that she knew Mother loved her most…
She said many things before her mother finally relaxed a little and held her in her arms as they slept through the afternoon.
…
Now that her mother was pregnant, Rongyao made preparations and worked with Sister Mingyi to protect her.
The palace seemed no different from before.
It was just that over the past few days, she had noticed that Princess Shengping was acting suspiciously. She often appeared at the Palace of Everlasting Joy and even tried to arrange chance encounters with her mother.
Princess Shengping was strange. She had always been strange.
She was far more formidable than Chen Yunxiang.
Now she was thinking of ways to approach her mother. It was very strange.
But Rongyao would not allow it!
She absolutely would not allow Princess Shengping anywhere near her mother, where she might hurt her!
Several months earlier, her mother had asked her third maternal uncle to go to Zhou County in Huangzhou to investigate the family that had once been betrothed to Chen Yunxiang. Her third maternal uncle had sent word that the family who had been betrothed to Chen Yunxiang seven years ago had already moved away, leaving him with no way to find them.
However, a few days ago, her third maternal uncle had sent another letter. He had learned that the Sun family had moved to Duzhou.
He had already sent people to Duzhou to search for them.
There should be news soon.
Day after day passed.
Noble Consort Cui’s belly grew larger with each passing day.
The Emperor did not visit any of the other consorts simply because Noble Consort Cui was pregnant.
Instead, he went to the Palace of Everlasting Joy more and more often, almost every day. Gifts also flowed into Noble Consort Cui’s residence like water.
Whenever Noble Consort Cui’s pulse was taken, several imperial physicians examined her together.
The Emperor would not allow the slightest mishap to befall Noble Consort Cui or the child in her womb.
He guarded the Palace of Everlasting Joy as tightly as an iron fortress.
Thus, everything remained peaceful in the Palace of Everlasting Joy for six months.
Princess Fuxi turned seven.
She had grown quite a bit taller. That year, the Emperor had personally taught Princess Fuxi how to ride a horse. She was clever—not only could she memorize her lessons, but she could even ride a tall horse now.
Princess Fuxi was brave and learned everything quickly. The Emperor doted on her immensely. He had even commissioned a child-sized bow and arrows for her, inlaid with gems and pearls and extravagantly ornate, as a special seventh-birthday gift.
It was the twenty-second day of the third month, Princess Fuxi’s seventh birthday.
Consort Cui had originally planned to celebrate with a grand banquet, but Princess Fuxi refused.
As a result, the Palace of Everlasting Joy prepared only one lavish meal that day. Rongyao did not even tell her other friends at the Academy of Literary Brilliance that it was her birthday.
Her mother was due to give birth at the beginning of the following month. The Palace of Everlasting Joy could not be lively or chaotic.
Otherwise, it would be terrible if some villain managed to sneak in.
Having her mother, her Imperial Father, Aunt Chenxiang, Aunt Daoxiang, Sister Mingyi, and Wu Wanning celebrate her birthday with her was more than enough.
She was perfectly content.
She received many gifts that day.
Her Imperial Father gave her a bow and arrows. The bow was exceptionally beautiful. He said it had been made from red sandalwood and inlaid with gems. It was a small bow, just right for her to use at her age.
Her mother gave her a fox-fur cloak that she had sewn herself. It was wonderfully warm when she put it on.
Wu Wanning had specially chosen a bracelet for her outside the palace. The bracelet came as part of a pair, and they each had one.
Sister Mingyi had personally sewn her a sachet filled with herbs that calmed the mind and repelled insects. It smelled very soothing.
Aunt Chenxiang had made several beautiful velvet flowers for her, while Aunt Daoxiang had prepared fragrant pastries.
Besides those, there were also gifts from her maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, uncles, and many others…
In short, she received many wonderful things, all of which she liked.
After eating her fill, Rongyao happily swung beneath the trees in the Palace of Everlasting Joy.
Suddenly, Wu Wanning approached her with a mysterious, excited look. She grabbed Rongyao’s hand and said she wanted to show her something.
Curious, Rongyao followed Wu Wanning to her room.
As soon as they entered, Wu Wanning hurriedly shut the door and pulled her toward the innermost part of the room.
She dragged a very large chest out from beneath the bed. Rongyao had seen it earlier that day. Wanning had carried it in from outside, and Rongyao had initially thought it was her birthday present.
But Wanning had given her the bracelet, so the chest could not be her gift.
“What is this?” Rongyao asked, staring at the chest.
Wu Wanning replied, “Your birthday present.”
Rongyao raised her wrist in confusion, revealing the gold bracelet Wu Wanning had given her that day. “Didn’t you already give me one?”
Wu Wanning glanced outside, then lowered her voice. “This one isn’t from me. It’s from Gu Shen’an.”
