A Tree Unfeeling (Part 1)

  After Yuanyuan Festival, Yuzhu received an unexpected surprise: Zhen Guo Gong Fu Jin - her nearly forty-year-old elder sister - was pregnant!!!!!

  Yongzhao and Fucha were almost stunned by this sudden surprise, the sum of their ages was over eighty, they didn't expect to be pregnant again, especially Yongzhao, he originally thought that he would never have a legitimate son or daughter in this life.

  Fu Cha placed her hands on her abdomen, as if she could feel the small life inside, with tears in her eyes, and said to Yun You: "Master, this is all due to the good fortune brought by Cloud Pearl. If it weren't for her, how would I have been able to conceive... After all, I'm getting older, don't you think we should invite Cloud Pearl to come live in the mansion for a while?"

  Yu Wen heard this and her heart skipped a beat, but she could only sigh: "The audition is about to start in April, how can she possibly get away... Don't worry, she knows you're pregnant, how could she not come see you?"

  Fu Cha knew that she was also a mother who had raised two children, so how could she not know what to pay attention to during pregnancy? However, whenever she thought of her two deceased children, her heart would ache with pain and fear. At this moment, the one who made her feel warm and reliable was not her husband, but her little niece, Yunzhu.

  When the eldest son died, he was less than one year old. At that time, she was five months pregnant with her second child. The continuous pregnancy made her physically and mentally exhausted, and she was slightly neglectful of taking care of the eldest son. Who would have thought that Yao Shi and Li Jia Shi were so bold as to lay hands on the eldest son?! However, if it weren't for Rong Yu himself indulging them because they were the ones who served him earliest, giving them the opportunity to give birth to a younger daughter and a younger son, how could their ambitions have grown so big?!

  She was heartbroken and resentful, originally suffering from severe morning sickness. After this blow, the child in her belly was only nine months old when she gave birth prematurely. As soon as he was born, his body was weaker than other babies. She was shocked and afraid, carefully protecting him until he grew up to four years old, but still couldn't prevent him from leaving in a cold wind...

  She was originally introverted, and she had gotten used to swallowing all her pain. She hated herself for being careless and making mistake after mistake, hated those women with black hearts and ruthless hands, hated herself for being too soft-hearted, and also hated him, hated him for being the mastermind behind everything... Even if he later realized the truth and locked them up in his own courtyard, not allowing them to come out again, what difference would it make? Her two sons were already gone forever.

  She started fasting and chanting Buddha's name, immersing herself in the boundless compassion, hoping that her deceased child could rest in peace, and she also found serenity...

  It was Yunzhu who came to her side and awakened her, making her realize that she was not the only one who had been suffering from guilt all these years. Her husband had also been by her side all these years, except for Concubine Li and Consort Chen, he had not taken in any new women. She gradually let go of her knot, pouring out her maternal love to this considerate child, treating her as her own daughter... But unexpectedly, under her care and nourishment, she was able to have another child, all thanks to Yunzhu's efforts.

  With her by his side, the fetus in his abdomen would surely be healthier and stronger. She really thought so, but in two months, she would have to participate in the selection, where could she find the time? Only fellow Manchu noblewomen could understand how much the selection was related to their lives and family honor, it was a big deal that couldn't be neglected at all. Some families even went all out to prepare for it.

  "Don't worry, the ayis in the mansion have been serving you for many years and are trustworthy and experienced. Now there's no one who can harm our child...” Yun Rou also knew that she was uneasy at heart, and smiled to comfort her, but in the depths of his warm and gentle eyes, he too hid deep pain and regret. His two legitimate sons, one of whom had been raised to four years old, were at an age that was especially lovable... yet they died just like that. How could he not feel pain and remorse? It was only then that he began to reflect on whether his own soft-heartedness was also a mistake?!

  He was raised by his wet nurse, Su La Ma Gu, and was intelligent and gentle in nature. He was capable but had no ambition for power, knowing that being a prince was already a privileged position. He felt content with his life, protecting those around him and not participating in the struggles of his brothers... However, he did not expect that those around him would not share the same thoughts. Yao Shi and Chen Shi were his trial wives, especially Yao Shi, who was chosen by his birth mother, Wan Lian Ha Shi. She became pregnant within a year of entering the manor and gave birth to their eldest son, although the child did not survive. Despite this, he had always treated her well due to their emotional connection. Another wife, Li Jia Shi, was the daughter of Light Chariot General Carat Erdet, who entered the manor earlier than Fu Jin to serve him. She also became pregnant soon after and gave birth to their eldest daughter...

  Manchu and Mongolian people have never been too concerned about whether the children of concubines are born before those of the legitimate wife. He was influenced by Su Ma Lai's words, but he didn't know if the concubine who gave birth to a child before the legitimate wife would feel that she had gained status in her husband's heart and no longer looked down on the legitimate wife... and thus would take action against the legitimate son for higher benefits and status.

  It wasn't until then that he truly gained a deeper understanding of people's hearts, but at a cost that was really too high.

  "Report to the master and mistress, someone from the Fu family has sent something over." The chief steward Fang Dehou personally led the servants in presenting the items, as the princess of the Fu family was the treasure of their master and mistress.

  "Bring it over and take a look." Yu Ruo smiled and said to Fucha Shi.

  Fang Dehou presented the gift list, and there was also a thick book "Pregnant Women and Infant Care Must-know", just by looking at the elegant handwriting, it was clear that it was Yunzhu's handwriting.

  While his wife was busy with the gift list, Yunwu picked up the book "Must Know" and took a look. Inside, it covered various dietary taboos for pregnant women, how to eat nutritious food for both mother and baby, proper exercise during pregnancy, fetal education activities when the fetus reached a certain stage, precautions during childbirth, and how to care for the newborn... He felt both comforted and warmed by her thoughtfulness, yet also somewhat uneasy - was this still the same young girl who hadn't even left her parents' home? How did she know more about taking care of new mothers than even the experienced midwives?!

  He handed the child over to his wife, and Fu Cha also flipped through it. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up, "This kid, won't he be inviting Dr. Su from the Imperial Hospital into the mansion again to ask endless questions?" Dr. Su was a renowned obstetrician in the Imperial Hospital.

  Yu Rong's expression changed slightly, and he obviously also thought of what happened with Chen Taifu last time.

  What a pity! If Yunzhu could be by her side, it would be great! Fu Cha thought of another thing and sighed.

  "What's wrong?" You Rong asked with concern, a pregnant woman's emotions had to be taken care of properly, otherwise the child in her womb would also be affected.

  "The day before yesterday, my 16th brother and sister came to the house and mentioned something," Fu Cha said hesitantly. "It was said that the fourth prince went to her house and chatted with her for a while, then somehow turned to the poetry and paintings of the noble ladies at the 'Golden English Club', and finally took away several poems and paintings that she liked... The princes have always kept their distance from these imperial uncles due to the throne (except for deliberately angering Yongzheng's Hongshi), so why did the fourth prince suddenly visit his younger brother and sister to ask for the noble ladies' poetry and paintings? Is it because of the selection of concubines? "The two poems about chrysanthemums written by Yunzhu were also among them. The fourth prince took them away, which made my younger brother and sister very angry, but they couldn't bear not to give them. If he liked them, he could have just copied them down. Taking the original works of these young ladies and passing them around would be what kind of behavior!"

  She didn't know that Hongli had been to the Zhuang Prince's mansion after the Lantern Festival, coaxing and deceiving his 16th aunt into giving him two authentic poems written by Yunzhu. Not only that, but he also envied Fu Heng for wearing clothes made by Yunzhu, so he found an excuse to play a game of guessing the number of items in a bundle with Fu Heng, and forced him to use his embroidered pouch as a prize (this kind of thing is obviously made by a woman's hand... Hongli, can you be any more shameless?!). As a result, he got the pouch, but also got two dark eye circles, causing the palace staff to secretly laugh for several days.

  Yu Yun's eyes flashed, although he was now idle at home, after all, he had served as the head of the Imperial Household Department, and the news was still very well-informed. Although he wasn't clear about the matter of Huo Bao, he knew that Hong Li had been tricked by Fu Heng into becoming a pig-headed person... With this association, it's not hard to guess what his nephew was up to. "Alright, put your mind at ease, Hong Li is grown up, and knows what to say and what not to say in his heart. The slaves around him won't speak randomly either... As for Yunzhu, everything will be fine, she can't leave the Aixinjueluo family no matter what, it's not like she's a girl from a noble family, when would she not be allowed to see?"

  Fu Cha thought for a moment, "Father is right, Cloud Pearl's birthday is approaching, it's better to give her a reliable and heartwarming gift... What a pity that the selection of concubines is near, otherwise inviting some sisters to gather together wouldn't be more enjoyable?"

  ……

  The Fuca family was thinking about what birthday gift to give Yunzhu, while the Gualgiya family was busy telling her daughter about the inner workings of the imperial palace (focusing on the two princes) and Yunzhu's calm demeanor and good learning state made her very satisfied, feeling that her daughter was indeed born with the temperament of a noble lady. Unbeknownst to them, Yunzhu had long since figured out the inner workings of the two families, like the Fuca family, whose study rooms were filled with military books, and the political education they received emphasized knowing oneself and knowing others, not just for enemies but also for superiors, colleagues, and officials. If she knew where the future battlefield was but didn't know how to gather information... then she would have wasted her clever mind.

  The inner mansion materials of the brothers are one thing, what's important is that she has already started to receive some covert power from the family, most of which are in the Imperial Household Department and the harem, accumulated over several generations.

  The mother and daughter were both busy and happy, and they both forgot about this birthday.