No pop-up ads, so refreshing! Thanks for your support! Sounds good to me ^_^... Chapter 88

  The golden sedan chair I was sitting in stopped steadily in front of the main gate of the Xiang Mansion. Shu Ying helped me down from the sedan, and the servants who were busy in the hall all came forward with smiles to greet me. The little maids smiled as they went to report my arrival. Wang Zongguan also smiled and said, "Today is indeed a good day. Madame was just thinking of when to visit Qing Miss at Sanwang Fu, and now Miss has arrived."

  A faint warm smile curled up at the corner of my lips, and suddenly I changed my mind and called out to the little maid who was about to go and inform them: "Wait, I'll go in myself."

  The little maids couldn't help but pause for a moment, while Wang the housekeeper laughed and said: "Miss Qing told you to do it this way, don't you understand? Miss wants to give Madame a surprise!"

  While speaking, he personally led me in and instructed the maid to take Qin An to a side room to rest.

  We arrived at the main courtyard where my mother lived, and just as we saw Bi Xi coming out. She was about to greet me, but I quickly made a silencing gesture with my hand, ignoring her puzzlement, and smiled lightly as I walked towards my mother's room.

  "I said I won't see her again, tell her not to come anymore. If she refuses to listen, you don't have to report back to me either, just let her go back!"

  As soon as I pushed open the door, before I had a chance to say anything, I saw my mother sitting at her desk with her back to me, her voice filled with hidden anxiety and annoyance.

  "What's wrong, who made Mother so unhappy?"

  Although she asked with a smile, I still had some slight doubts in my heart. In my memory, my mother was always calm and composed, rarely showing such a restless emotion.

  "Mother was clearly not expecting me to come in, and was visibly startled. She quickly got up, turned around, suppressed her emotions, and then came forward to hold my hand, smiling: "Qing'er, how did you get here? The people outside don't even know what they're doing, why didn't anyone come tell me?"

  "It was me who didn't want to tell you, I wanted to give you a surprise," I looked at the forced smile still on my mother's lips and couldn't help but feel worried: "What's going on that's making Mother so anxious."

  "There's nothing wrong, it's just that those people downstairs are annoying and don't understand things." She patted my hand, then got up from the table, poured a cup of tea herself, and brought it over. Her face was calm and peaceful once again, with no signs of annoyance: "This was just sent by Bi Zhi, it's just the right temperature, drink some to quench your thirst."

  I naturally understood that Mother didn't want to say much more, although she was still a bit worried, but also didn't want to force her, so I smiled and took the cup from her hand, without asking anything else.

  It was my mother who held my hand and looked me up and down before asking about every detail of my daily life, from diet to sleep schedule.

  I don't know if it's because I'm pregnant and more sensitive, or if it's just my own paranoia after what happened earlier, but I keep feeling like Mother is... although she asks about everything in detail, there's always something distant and hesitant in her eyes, as if the questions she really wants to ask are not these at all.

  I thought for a moment, guessing that she might be asking about Dr. Huang's affairs, and not wanting to put her in an awkward position, so I smiled slightly and proactively changed the subject: "The doctor my mother arranged for me, Dr. Huang, is very skilled, and he's also a kind and honest person; after the baby is born safely, I'll definitely thank him sincerely."

  "Mother's eyes changed, and she finally grasped my hand and said: "Qing'er, I've actually wanted to ask you for a long time, but I didn't know how to bring it up, afraid of saying the wrong thing and causing you unnecessary heartache. But since you mentioned it, I'll just ask clearly so I can be at ease... Isn't there an imperial decree that orders the imperial physician to visit the Wang Fu regularly to take your pulse and ensure a safe pregnancy? Even if you don't trust them, why did you have me and your father arrange for a doctor instead of going to find San Gongzi?"

  Even though I had already guessed that my mother would ask this question, when I heard it, the smile on my lips still stiffened involuntarily. I didn't want my parents to worry too much. I also understood that saying nothing would only make them more worried, so I chose my words carefully and said: "Although the imperial physicians in the palace are good, it's always better to have multiple people taking care of me. As a first-time pregnant woman, I don't understand anything, so I'm inevitably a bit anxious. And with Third Prince being busy with state affairs, I don't want to trouble him with such a small matter."

  "It's nothing, how can this be nothing? He is the father of the child, that is his flesh and blood, no matter how much he worries it's not excessive!" Mother shook her head, looking at me with a gaze that was increasingly filled with sorrow and pain. After a long time, she finally grasped my hand and let out a deep sigh: "Foolish child, you don't have to hide it from me anymore, your father and I see the injustice you've suffered, you can't imagine how heartbroken we are!"

  I stiffened with a smile, not knowing how to respond. My mother looked at me, her eyes welling up with tears: "What kind of lowly status is Du Ruyin, yet why did the Third Prince become infatuated with her like a ghost possessing his heart? He didn't love you, his warm and virtuous wife, but instead elevated her to the heavens... Now look, the entire capital, even the entire Southern Dynasty, how many people are watching our family's joke?"

  I lowered my eyelashes and said softly: "It's my fault for being unfilial and making Father and Mother worry..."

  "How can this be your fault?" My mother suddenly interrupted me, her voice filled with compassion as she spoke to me: "This marriage was never something you wanted, it's your father and I who owe you an apology. In fact, we've always been thinking about how to make it up to you, whether or not we should, knowing that you're suffering so much hardship and injustice, yet we just let things be, allowing this mistake to continue."

  "Mother, how can you say that? Since my daughter has already married into the Tian family, she naturally knows the path she will take. My daughter only wishes to protect the Mu Rong family's prosperity and let our clan live in peace, and that would be enough for me."

  I heard my own voice echoing softly, as if it were coming from a distant place.

  How could I not know, why would Mother bring up such words at this time, with the profound meaning hidden within, it's not that I don't understand.

  Just, just, still unwilling to believe, so will ask out loud to confirm.

  "Mother didn't notice my abnormality, she just wiped the tears from her eyes with a handkerchief: "You've always been such an understanding child, but as women, we all have too much to bear, it's like... although you are the princess of the third prince, you can't stop the conflict between the third prince and the east palace from getting more and more out of control. ---Huan'er is about to give birth in a month or two, and she's not as strong-minded as you, I went to the crown prince's mansion to see her, and now she's worried and fearful every day, her emotions are unstable, I'm really worried that if something happens, what should we do?"

  "Is Mother asking me to persuade Third Highness to be content with being a subject?"

  Mother probably didn't think I would ask this, and after a moment of stunned silence, she shook her head and let out a long sigh: "Even if you're willing to persuade him, the Third Prince is unlikely to listen."

  "What does mother want me to do?" Still in a very soft tone.

  My mother looked at me for a long time, and in the depths of her eyes, there were too many complex emotions that I couldn't understand and didn't have the energy to decipher. She spoke with tears in her voice, "Qing'er, actually, you don't need me to say it, you already understand, right?"

  Still remember the shocking swan's reflection (harem)