GBP Chapter 135 Grudges
Chapter 135 Grudges
Aunt Zhao, of course, also hoped for a son.
Moreover, she had already had someone examine her pulse beforehand, and they said the pregnancy was stable, with a 70-80% chance of it being a precious child.
She had originally thought that her son had an older brother who would block his way, but now, thanks to the blessing of the gods, the path for her and her son had been paved. From now on, she would be the most honored woman in the Vice Minister's mansion!
The thought of this made tears stream down my face.
She really put on a good act in front of Chi Yunjing!
The Chi family received the news but didn't spread it. They only sent someone to inform Chi Guiwan, who was currently pregnant. Therefore, Madam Qiao was the first to hear any news.
"This is a very important matter, and I can't make a decision on my own, so I specifically asked my second brother to ask whether we should tell his wife about it?"
Qiao Er was taking care of his wife during her pregnancy, so how could he allow such a thing to disturb him?
So he coldly replied, "Madam doesn't usually have much to say to her two younger siblings. Since they've gone, let them go. There's no need to hurt Madam's feelings. Let's wait until the child is more stable before discussing anything else."
“That’s what I meant too, but since the Chi family has sent a message, it wouldn’t be appropriate for us to remain silent. So I thought it would be good to have someone perform a Buddhist service for the two siblings at the Daxiangguo Temple. That way, we can fulfill the bond between the three of them in this life, and if others find out in the future, they won’t be able to say anything unpleasant!”
Qiao Er clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed to Madam Qiao.
"I will follow my sister-in-law's arrangements."
Madam Qiao was the head of the household, so she made the arrangements quickly. Everyone in the family was tight-lipped, so they naturally wouldn't leak anything. However, she called Qianchun and Fudong over and gave them a few instructions.
The two maids were quite surprised when they heard that the second young lady and the third young master were gone.
But he quickly assured her.
"Don't worry, Madam. Madam is currently pregnant, and we will absolutely not let these words reach her ears!"
Madam Qiao nodded, thinking that the two maids were well-mannered.
As soon as they left the First Madam's courtyard, Fu Dong patted his chest, still somewhat shaken, and said...
"I never expected that the Second Miss and the Third Young Master would be gone like this."
"What is meant to be will be. If it were not a blessing in disguise, it would be a curse if it were a curse that cannot be avoided. If it weren't for the master's insistence on sending them back to their hometown, they wouldn't have encountered such a disaster. The Crown Princess is right. Our young mistress should stay far away from the Chi family, otherwise she might be dragged down."
When Qianchun said this, she recalled the time she saw Madam Guo get injured after hitting a stone.
Therefore, she had no good impression of the Chi family at all. The Qiao family was much better. Since her daughter married into the family, she didn't have to worry about anything because the old lady and the first lady would help her make decisions. The son-in-law was also considerate and loving. Now they had a child.
Thinking of this, Qianchun calmly said something.
"Now that she's married, our lady is a member of the Qiao family. From now on, we should stay away from the Chi family's affairs!"
Fu Dong nodded; she always followed Qian Chun's lead.
So, under everyone's deliberate concealment, Chi Guiwan lived a peaceful and comfortable life during her pregnancy. It wasn't until much later that Chi Guiwan learned that her two younger siblings had died on that snowy New Year's Day.
Early in the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.
He Lingyi then left the capital with the Third Princess. They were accompanied by a thousand elite guards, and the leader was none other than Qiao Er. As for Haiyu, she went ahead with the Crown Prince.
Upon seeing Qiao Er, He Lingyi inquired about her mother, Chi Guiwan.
Qiao Er answered questions about her diet, sleep, mood, and what she had been doing lately. It was clear that he was very knowledgeable about his wife's condition and could answer each question quickly. After listening, He Lingyi felt much more at ease and said frankly.
"After the New Year, when the weather is better in spring, I will invite the Second Madam to the East Palace for a small gathering."
"Madam has always longed to meet the Crown Princess. She will be very happy to know this."
The Third Princess, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but click her tongue twice after hearing this. "This is the first time I've seen my sister-in-law care about others like this. It seems that your relationship with this Second Madam Qiao is quite special. I'm getting more and more curious!"
"A rare confidant, does the Third Princess have one?"
"I'm confined in that imperial city every day, and everyone I see bows and scrapes to me. Forget about confidants, there are hardly any people who look me in the eye. It's so miserable..."
Her words made He Lingyi smile, but she didn't continue the topic.
After the first day of the lunar new year, it stopped snowing in the capital, so the snow on the roads had mostly melted. However, because of the melting snow, it was even colder than usual.
However, the carriage carrying He Lingyi and the Third Princess was well-lit with charcoal burning inside.
However, behind the thick curtain, the soldiers escorting them all had red noses from the cold. Seeing this, He Lingyi instructed Xingluo to have ginger soup prepared in the palace and plenty of hot water ready so that everyone could stay warm.
Hearing her instructions, the Third Princess smiled meaningfully.
"My sister-in-law truly deserves to be the future mother of the nation; she is so considerate of the soldiers."
"We are all children raised by our parents, just with different responsibilities. Doing what we can is better than doing nothing."
She changed the subject abruptly, sighed, and then said...
"My sixth brother died innocently, and no other princes have been born into the harem. People outside don't know how they've been spreading rumors about the Crown Prince and His Highness, wanting to brand him as someone who couldn't bear the birth of his younger brother, ruthless and cruel, not even sparing children. But you know, although His Highness is a bit cold-hearted, he would never do something that disregards family ties and human ethics. Sigh..."
"Justice resides in the hearts of the people. Once my elder brother, the Crown Prince, ascends the throne, who will dare to utter a word against it?"
The Third Princess gave an innocent answer, but He Lingyi shook her head.
"This world cannot be controlled by brute force alone, otherwise there wouldn't be so many kings, generals, and commoner heroes who have raised armies to rebel, would there?"
Upon hearing the words "raising troops to rebel," the Third Princess's eyes deepened.
He Lingyi didn't miss her expression, and became more certain of his guess, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by a sigh and helplessness.
The Third Princess couldn't suppress her excitement. She was thrilled at the thought of the purpose of her trip, so she only gave half-hearted replies to what He Lingyi said afterward, without really paying attention.
The palace wasn't too far away; it took about two hours to walk there.
As soon as He Lingyi stepped out of the carriage, he felt the biting cold wind. He wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and held a hand warmer in his hands. So apart from his cheeks being a little sore from the wind, he was fine.
The third princess then alighted from her carriage and smiled even more broadly upon seeing the majestic palace that seemed to reach into the clouds.