51 Da Li (China)

  The queen, Ulanara, closed her eyes and felt the soothing pressure on her temples, slowly letting out the stifled breath she had been holding in her chest.

  "Mother, you said that Fu Cha Yun Zhu is truly a phoenix destiny born with both fortune and luck?"

  "This servant only knows that the current master is you. Besides, no matter if others are good or bad, this servant has only one master." Is it not a phoenix fate? Following the empress for dozens of years, what the empress knows, she also knows; what the empress doesn't know, she knows even more clearly. How could she dare to comment on that night's celestial phenomenon which she witnessed with her own eyes?

  The queen smiled and didn't mention it again, but the uncomfortable feeling in her heart couldn't be shaken off. As a queen, was Heseri from back then happy or herself now? (One had no heir left, one had an heir but lost him, both with future successors unrelated by blood). Or perhaps, neither of them compared to Fucha Yunzhu who would soon enter the palace in grand ceremony.

  Heavenly Phoenix's destiny...... is truly an enviable good fortune and youth.

  Tomorrow, the Fu family will send dowry and furniture to Qianxi's second house, right? The usually frugal Emperor is really generous towards this daughter-in-law. A whole set of Huanghuali furniture made by the imperial workshop... He himself only celebrated his 1000th birthday but was rebuked. What did he get after so many years of hard work? His son is gone, and his husband only respects but doesn't love him. The honor of being an Empress? How much more is there?! And what about the family...

  That's right, family.

  A faint, slightly cold smile spread across her lips. Having followed the Emperor for so many years, she believed that human intentions could triumph over fate. No matter how much the Emperor valued her, this harem was under the control of the Empress who held the imperial seal. In the small quarters of Ganxi, there were many servants, and it wasn't just Concubine Xi who had set a trap...

  "Master, the medicine has arrived." The original massage was stopped by Peony, who personally took over the bowl of soup from the second-grade palace maid and carefully served it to the empress.

  "Change your clothes," said the queen.

  Peony and Begonia hurried to help her take off the hairpins, combs, and headdresses, and brought a long gown for her to change into. At this time, Water Fairy also led two second-grade palace maids in with basins of water, towels, scented soap... After rinsing her mouth, she washed her face, with eight basins of water: slightly warm, lukewarm, cool... and clear water with fragrant dew on cow's milk. Water Fairy followed the order to help the Empress remove her makeup and wash her face, finally applying the skin care product "Ice Jade Lotus Cream" before finishing.

  Above all, the empress doesn't need to exert half a bit of energy and doesn't have to worry that the people serving her will hurt her...

  The Empress saw that the Queen's face had slightly relaxed, and she was already a little drowsy. Thinking of her busy schedule for the whole day, attending the imperial banquet in the Taihe Hall and the inner palace ladies' gathering in the Baohe Hall, she felt some sympathy for her. "Your Majesty, let me help you take a rest in your chamber." The next day, the Imperial Household Department would be hosting a banquet in the Baohe Hall to entertain the relatives of the fourth prince's consort who had brought dowry and furniture into the palace. And then there was the grand wedding on the third day, all of which required the Empress's attention. Although Consort Xi helped her, how could she not worry about every big and small matter as the main palace empress? She was exhausted, and could only try to rest whenever she had a spare moment to conserve her energy.

  The empress suddenly opened her eyes again and asked: "Which palace is the emperor resting in?"

  Chen's expression changed slightly, and she lowered her eyebrows, saying: "Return to Yangxin Hall, I heard that Yi Qin Wang has stayed behind to talk."

  The empress closed her eyes again, unfortunately, the newly entered palace ladies Yin and Su also did not get the emperor's favor. One had just been granted a title, the other was titled Hai Guiren, but neither seemed to have any imperial favor. Could it be that she would watch with her own eyes as Nian Gurulu rose to power in this palace? Humph, even if she gave birth to a good son, she would not allow her to threaten her position as empress while she was still alive.

  Unfortunately, the Emperor is watching closely, and in recent years, his own body has been somewhat strained by the heavy and trivial palace affairs. He gave her some momentum, otherwise... However, it was also a mistake on my part to underestimate her earlier. I thought she was clumsy, but unexpectedly, she was thoughtful and could endure hardship. If it weren't for the Emperor's need for a son of Manchu bloodline, why would I have to take this step? In the end, it's all because I don't have a son myself. If Honghui were still here, would I need to be so cautious and calculating?

  Thinking of her deceased son, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes again. Emptiness, heartache, and confusion... But life had to go on.

  Inside Yongqing Palace.

  Gaolü Wei saw Cui Xiaoer enter and her eyes lit up, "How was it?"

  Cui Cai somewhat discontentedly said: "Nothing is the matter." Song Mama beside her said: "According to Nü's observation, Ping Mama beside Fucha Gege is not simple, Master wants to let them eat a loss in food, it's probably difficult."

  "Who says I want her to suffer from this?" Gao Lu gave a slight glance at Song Niangniang, and her autumnal eyes flowed with a faint hint of flirtation. "Pregnant women should have good emotions, so I'll let Master reward her with flowers; pregnant women need to nourish the fetus, so I'll let Master reward her with tonics, and take extra care to supplement her diet... Besides, winter is approaching soon, and I'm afraid she'll catch a chill, so I'll even give her the fur I got this year. I treat her so well that even Master praises me."

  Flowers are too fragrant, irritating pregnant women's stomach and mouth; taking too much tonic medicine can make the fetus too big, which is not good for production. Some tonics should not be taken with certain foods by pregnant women; fresh food is either too cold or too hot for pregnant women... Alas, she has never given birth to a child, so she doesn't understand, right? Some fur even affects the breathing of pregnant women...

  As she spoke, Shu Consort's mind was racing, thinking to herself: Fuca Gege has provoked the master, it's unclear whether this is good or bad fortune. These petty tricks, anyone who understands the inner workings of the palace can defend against, but even with a thousand precautions, it's exhausting. Even if everything goes smoothly from start to finish, how healthy can this child be when born? Ping Consort is cunning, and Fuca Gege's senior ladies-in-waiting Chunhua and Qiuye are also careful people, but can two fists contend with four hands? Although Fucha Fulina has been managing the Yuqing Palace for some time, the master has more people at his disposal in the Inner Workings Department and among the palace maids than she does.

  However, she wouldn't sympathize with Fucha's family, who let her own master suffer such a great loss. But after this incident, the master's temperament and means have improved a lot, which is a gain. Song Niang glanced at Gao Lü Mi, who was leaning on the couch, and thought to herself with satisfaction that when the legitimate madam enters the house, she would reveal to her that the master had been drugged, which would not only make the legitimate madam guard against Fucha Gege but also relax her vigilance towards the master, which is not bad.

  Gaolüwei is no longer just a means of seduction, she has elevated her status and returned to her pampered life at home. Over the past half year, not only has her body become more slender, but her features have also become more refined and delicate. With her deliberately cultivated demeanor, she now exudes an elegant and refined aura, like a lotus flower in the water, fresh and tender as willows on the banks of a spring river. What's even more captivating is that amidst this elegance, a single glance from her can reveal a hint of unconscious coquettishness. This contradictory yet harmonious quality can be very alluring to men at times.

  If Yunzhu's captivating charm is due to her unique experiences and rich knowledge that form her inner beauty, which naturally shines from within, then Gaolüwei is just a craftsman. She also knows how to use her beautiful appearance and unique inner qualities to attract men, but these are all deliberately cultivated. No matter how hard she tries to make herself appear natural and elegant, it's difficult for her to compare with the innate radiance that emanates from Yunzhu's soul.

  Of course, while Gao Lü Mi was increasing her own charm, Fu Cha Fuling was also worried about her endless small tricks. However, with the help of Ping Xiaoyi and Chunhua Qiuye, she felt that Gao's abilities were nothing special. Most of her thoughts and energy, apart from being used for pregnancy care, were spent on strengthening her talents, especially in poetry and painting, which Qianlong favored.

  "If it weren't for giving Grandfather a magnanimous and unselfish impression, I wouldn't have handed over the management rights of Yuqing Palace to the Gao family, causing trouble for myself." Fuling's face flashed with regret as she looked at the dishes that Autumn Leaf had withdrawn.

  Ping An comforted her: "Master, why bother with this? It's just letting her be proud for a few more days."

  "It's also, after all, the legitimate Madame Fu is the mistress of this Yuqing Palace... However, the Emperor has already issued a decree, and Master's grand wedding will be held in Qianxi Second House. The furniture and other things are said to be newly made, it seems that Master will live there for a long time after the wedding. But when we move over is still uncertain, and another thing is how to allocate the slaves in this Yuqing Palace... She has been operating in this Yuqing Palace for two years, and how this matter is handled will greatly affect her foundation. If not done properly, all her previous efforts will be wasted."

  As for this, Ping Gu Niang also had no way out. Currently, the staff of Qian Xi Er So, except for those originally responsible for sweeping and dusting, were all new recruits from Nei Wu Fu and other palaces. In Rui Qing Palace... apart from the Fourth Prince, no one else could intervene.

  "It can only take it one step at a time now, currently the most important thing is still the young master in the master's belly."

  "Mother said so." Fuling Ah stroked her slightly bulging belly, her eyes soft as water, full of kindness and expectation.

  In the fifth year of Yongzheng, on November 1st at noon, the day before Yunzhu's grand wedding, Ruijun Wang Fu Jin Fucha gave birth to a big fat boy, and Yongyu, who had been waiting outside the delivery room for half a day, immediately named him: Aixinjueluo Hongkun.

  In history, was Hong Kun born to Empress Xiaoshengxian's sister, Lady Fangjia? In what year of Qianlong's reign was he born? Yunzhu heard this news and was overjoyed. Anyway, she didn't care about the years, and absolutely wouldn't let her elder sister's legitimate son end up like Hong Kun in history, who only lived for ten or more years.

  At the moment, let Guo and Suwen take the prepared gifts with Gua'erjia's people to the Duke's mansion to visit Fucha and her newborn nephew.

  He originally wanted to take a few days off at home to accompany his wife and son, but unexpectedly, Fu Cha didn't appreciate it. Firstly, she was sitting in confinement after childbirth, and the son and wet nurse were arranged to be taken care of in the adjacent room, with everything being taken care of meticulously. What's more, tomorrow is Yunzhu's big wedding day, how can he, as the person in charge of the Ministry of Rites, not be present?! It's already regrettable that she can't attend Yunzhu's wedding, and her brother-in-law doesn't even think about how to help her out a bit...

  Facing the empress's angry accusations, Yun Yu pinched his nose to show that he was wronged. He had just been appointed to manage the Ministry of Rites not long ago. As for Hong Li and Yun Zhu's big wedding, let alone the Ministry of Rites having a large group of people handling it under the emperor's supervision, even if there wasn't, wouldn't anyone dare to do anything about the grand prince's wedding?! Is there really such a lack of trust?!

  Son, Mom will come and play with you another day...