In King Xuan’s Manor, Hu Qianyue was so ill that she could not get up; so was You Yue’e in King Yan’s Manor, and she almost lost the baby in her belly.
She had a fever when she returned to King Yan’s Manor that night. According to the imperial physician, she was depressed inwardly and seemed to be in a bad mood recently. That was why You Yue’e had almost lost her baby. So she could only lie on the bed today and did not dare to move. She was determined to prevent miscarriage.
Upon hearing the news, the Empress was so anxious that she immediately sent a nanny from the palace to visit You Yue’e. She also asked a few people to serve and protect the pregnant woman by her side.
If You Yue’e gave birth to a son this time, King Yan taken more than one step ahead of the other princes, so he would also have a great advantage. Since the other princes, including King Chu, King Ning and King Xuan, hadn’t had a son—the Emperor’s little grandson, the Emperor would definitely be satisfied if Feng Yulei had a son ahead of them.
In this way, the child in You Yue’e’s belly mattered a lot.
The Sixth Princess also came with the nanny sent by the Empress. When You Yue’e’s place was tidied up, the princess sat at the head of the bed, beaming. She looked at You Yue’e’s pale face and comforted her with a smile. “Third sister-in-law, you don’t have to worry about the woman from the Southern Barbarian Lands. No matter what, you are the Consort Yan. That woman has left the Southern Barbarian Lands and is not a princess. She is really nothing.”
Tears immediately rolled down You Yue’e’s face when she heard that. She tried her best to smile, but she failed. She only showed a smile that was more pitiful than crying. This matter pressed her more and more seriously. She had thought that King Yan would give the title of a second consort or a co-wife to Princess Caifeng.
At a glance, one could tell that Princess Caifeng was easy to fool. She had not behaved properly when she interacted with those princes. Feng Yulei had always had a proud demeanor like scholars. How would he like her? He was just putting on an act. Furthermore, her elder brother had told her to be more generous several times.
As long as King Yan loved her in his heart and wholeheartedly protected her, her status would not be shaken. Now that she was pregnant, the baby in her belly would be his legitimate child and the Emperor’s grandchild. As for a second consort who was not favored by King Yan, no matter how beautiful she was, it did not matter.
However, what You Yue’e did not expect was that when Crown Prince Xieyue was aggressive in the palace hall, Feng Yulei did not defend her at all. If her elder brother had not stood up, she, Consort Yan, would have been degraded. This made You Yue’e, who firmly believed that she had a position in Feng Yulei’s heart, unable to bear it.
She was devoted to this man and did not hesitate to let herself suffer. Even though she was pregnant, she tried to please Princess Caifeng in order to make her marry into King Yan’s Manor so that the forces behind her could help her husband. However, what was the result? She was almost demoted, in which case even the baby in her belly would become a concubine’s child.
At that moment, You Yue’e, who was proud and arrogant, almost couldn’t hold on. If she had not been in the palace hall, if the hall had not been full of people, if she had not needed to maintain the dignity of Consort Yan, and if her elder brother had not looked at her with concerned eyes, she would have fainted, downhearted.
When she finally could leave the hall, she immediately left and went straight back to King Yan’s Manor. When she was still on her way home, she could not bear it.
Then, when Feng Yulei came back, he did not mention anything about it. At this point, the Sixth Princess’s word prodded at her weakness. Her heart ached so much that she could hardly breathe or hold back her tears.
“Third sister-in-law, don’t be sad. Third brother couldn’t do anything at that time,” the Sixth Princess persuaded You Yue’e as she stretched out her hand to touch You Yue’e’s wrist skillfully. She frowned slightly and said, “Who would have thought that Princess Caifeng would want to be the legal wife and Xieyue would take out such a token? I heard that when the token was handed to Princess Caifeng, you were also there. Third sister-in-law, don’t you understand what Third brother meant?”
“But, in the hall, he… he, how could he not say a word… for me? I, and the baby in my belly, what… what should we do?”
All the pain in You Yue’e’s chest turned into tears that she could not suppress no matter how hard she tried. There was no one else in the room because when the Sixth Princess came in, she sent everyone else out. That was why she could be so straightforward.
The Sixth Princess took out a handkerchief to wipe You Yue’e’s tears. She knew that what You Yue’e wanted most at the moment was for someone to listen to her. So she did not say much and just sighed slightly. If You Yue’e held her worries in her heart again, she would not be able to keep the child in her belly. Therefore, the most important thing now was to untie the knot in her heart.
The longer she suppressed her emotions, the easier it would be for something bad to happen.
“Third sister-in-law, you’ve seen how difficult it have been for Third brother these days. Among my brothers, Third brother has the highest status, but Eldest brother is the happiest one now. As for Eighth brother, Father dotes on him the most and always has his interests at heart. As for Third brother, he doesn’t even win the slightest love from Father. In such a situation, although Third brother didn’t say anything for you, he didn’t agree to it under the pressure of Father’s dignity, which has shown his feelings for you.”
Her words reminded You Yue’e of several times when she saw Feng Yulei drinking alone in the pavilion in the garden. His lonely figure made her heart ache. He used to be a noble prince, but now he could only be locked up in the manor and could not even go out. He was like an eagle with broken wings. Seeing him like this, You Yue’e could not help feeling sad.
His repeated schemes had caused the Emperor to have more and more objections to him, and even his reputation had been almost completely ruined. Tears streamed down You Yue’e’s cheeks and drenched the embroidered pillow under her head. How could she want to see him like this? That was why she had to butter up to Princess Caifeng and be considerate of him wholeheartedly.
“Third sister-in-law, when I came in just now, Third brother had been standing outside alone for a long time. I even noticed that his eyes were red. Third sister-in-law, no matter what Third brother has done, he has always been loving you. Otherwise, he should be looking for Miss Hu now. I heard that she is also ill.”
“He, he has been outside the door all the time…” You Yue’e raised her tearful eyes, stunned.
“I also noticed that he is still wearing the same clothes that he wore in the palace yesterday. Third sister-in-law, did you quarrel with each other yesterday?” the Sixth Princess asked softly.
“I… I was so sad. When he came back, I… I asked him to go away…” You Yue’e sobbed, and the pain and sadness in her heart had turned into worries for King Yan. “Has he been standing in my yard since I drove him out last night? Did he stand there all night? Why…why is he so stupid? How could he do that in such a weather?”
“Third sister-in-law, if husband and wife are of the same mind, they will have the power to overcome any difficulty. At this time, you can’t start a fight. Hu Qianyue hasn’t married into your manor yet, and Third brother has always been loving you. Third sister-in-law, you should understand now. Third brother is so pitiful. Can you let him come in and see you? Otherwise, how could he leave? If he keeps waiting, I am afraid that he will faint.”
“You… you ask him to come in…” You Yue’e cried so hard that she was out of breath. All the lump in her chest had turned into her love for Feng Yulei. He was an adult, and was also her husband. If he wanted to see her, why didn’t he come in? How could he be so stupid?
While she felt grieved, a hint of joy surged.
It was not that he did not care about You Yue’e or the child in her belly; it was that the Emperor did not take him seriously. In that majestic hall, if he said something wrong, he might be locked up again. Since they got married, he had been in such an environment. You Yue’e’s heart ached when she thought of it.
Because he stayed in her yard last night, all her depression had relieved. Seeing the Sixth Princess leaving with a grin, You Yue’e bit her lips tightly and suppressed her sadness. When she saw Feng Yulei’s haggard figure appear at the door, she couldn’t help crying out in a trembling voice, “Your Highness…”
Then she could not say anything else.
Feng Yulei walked over with a haggard look in his eyes. He suddenly squatted beside the head of the bed and held You Yue’e’s hand. He lowered his head and his shoulders shook slightly, but he could not say a word.
You Yue’e felt even sadder, and the two cried miserably in each other’s arms…
Outside the courtyard, You Yuecheng had also come early in the morning. His handsome eyes grew colder and colder. He raised his eyes and looked at the Sixth Princess who was slowly walking over. He frowned and turned to walk to the side. The Sixth Princess did not hesitate to follow slowly. The two of them walked into the pavilion not far away one after the other and sat down.
A maidservant served tea. You Yuecheng waved his hand and everyone else left.
“Are you really going to allow Hu Qianyue to marry into King Yan’s Manor? That woman isn’t Princess Caifeng!” the Sixth Princess could not help asking when she saw that You Yuecheng was frowning and remained silent.
Hu Qianyue’s status was inferior to Princess Caifeng’s, but she could create a lot more trouble. In terms of means, she was much more scheming than Caifeng. Such a woman could be said to be harmful to Feng Yulei if she married into his manor.
“I did not expect that Crown Prince Xieyue would suddenly propose that Hu Qianyue should marry King Yan and set King Yan’s Manor up.” You Yuecheng fiddled with the teacup in front of him coldly. It seemed that he did not pay attention to the Sixth Princess at all.
Originally, he wanted Princess Caifeng to become a co-wife in King Yan’s Manor. So what if Xieyue took out the prince’s jade pendant? However, he did not expect that Xieyue would react so quickly after he retorted. Crown Prince Xieyue immediately mentioned Hu Qianyue. With Hu Qianyue’s status, it was reasonable for her to be a second consort. However, it was said that Hu Qianyue was the candidate for the Third Prince’s wife in the Southern Barbarian Lands.
If such a person was forced to marry into King Yan’s Manor, they could guess the attitude of the Southern Barbarian Lands. It was not a form of marriage, but a form of enmity!
Furthermore, Hu Qianyue was not an easy person to deal with. You Yuecheng thought that his younger sister might not be able to suppress her, which could be told from the fact that she was double-faced. You Yue’e might not be a match for her.
“Then what should we do now?” The Sixth Princess was a little anxious. She pushed her cup and hit it on You Yuecheng’s in order to attract his attention.
You Yuecheng looked up at the Sixth Princess and said slowly, “Hu Qianyue is ill!”
“I know about this. I heard that she fell ill early. Furthermore, her illness…” The Sixth Princess’s eyes suddenly lit up and she immediately stopped. She instantly understood what You Yuecheng meant. There was a hint of joy in her eyes. She paused for a moment before she lowered her voice and said, “Are you saying that Hu Qianyue is also unwilling to accept the engagement?”
