When Wen Lier returned to Yaohua Hall, Mama Qin was beaming so brightly that only her teeth were visible.
“Master, you stayed longer at Yuqing Hall this time than last.”
Wen Lier responded with a faint ‘hmm’.
Staying longer didn’t necessarily mean anything, yet Mama Qin was overjoyed.
Mama Qin stepped forward to remove her cloak and handed her a hand warmer.
Wen Lier was so tired she couldn’t stop yawning.
“Mama, I want to bathe.”
“I anticipated your return and had Qing Mei and Qing Zhu prepare the bathwater in advance.”
As she spoke, servants carried in hot water under the direction of Qing Zhu and Qing Mei.
With Mama Qin’s assistance, Wen Lier immersed herself completely in the bathtub.
The warmth washed over her, finally easing the exhaustion she felt throughout her body.
While washing her hair, Mama Qin asked, “Master, how did you serve His Highness at Yuqing Hall today?”
Wen Lier replied, “We played chess for an hour first, then I attended him in bed, and returned afterward.”
“You played chess with the Crown Prince?”
“Hmm.”
“Did you win or lose?”
At this, Wen Lier couldn’t help feeling a bit proud.
“I lost every game at first, but won the last one!”
Mama Qin was startled, her face paling slightly.
“Master, how could you win against His Highness!”
Wen Lier thought to herself, why couldn’t she win?
Losing every game made her seem foolish, and she had racked her brains to win that final match.
Mama Qin earnestly advised, “Master, men care about their pride. His Highness losing to you is humiliating. I fear he might not want to see you again.”
Wen Lier paid no attention.
If His Highness had such a narrow mind, how could he inherit the throne in the future?
Clearly, His Highness wasn’t that petty.
Wen Lier soaked for half an hour, with hot water added three times during her bath.
Once thoroughly warmed, she quickly climbed into bed.
Just as she was about to bury herself under the covers and sleep, Mama Qin asked again, “Master, did you use the positions I taught you this time?”
Wen Lier’s mind immediately flashed to her initiative that day and the Crown Prince’s vigor.
Heavens… she couldn’t dwell on it, it was too embarrassing.
She pulled the quilt over her head and pretended to be dead.
Seeing her reaction, Mama Qin immediately understood that she had.
She nodded repeatedly with a smile.
“It’s good that you used them, Master. All men are the same in bed. They enjoy the pleasure and satisfaction from women. If you take the initiative and use more techniques, His Highness will be pleased and will surely think of you often.”
Wen Lier: “…” Use even more?
Noticing her silence, Mama Qin leaned in and whispered more advice.
“Also, Master, after… that, you can lift your hips higher to prevent… leakage. This might help you conceive a young master for His Highness sooner.”
Wen Lier: “…”
Mama Qin must have been a vulgar woman in her past life.
How could she possibly assume that position in front of His Highness?
Moreover, after such activities, her body felt completely spent—how could she possibly remember such things?
Mama Qin persisted with wholehearted persuasion.
“His Highness would be delighted if you did this.”
“The Crown Prince has been married for two years without an heir. The Empress Dowager and Empress are anxious, which is why they bestowed three Bong Yis upon the Eastern Palace.”
“If you, Mistress, are the first to bear a child, it would be His Highness’s firstborn—how precious that would be!”
“As long as you can give His Highness a son or daughter, you’ll gain status through the child. Then you’ll enjoy endless comfort and ease for the rest of your life.”
Mama Qin grew more excited the more she thought about it, looking as if she wished she could immediately procure some miraculous elixir to make Wen Lier pregnant at once.
Wen Lier listened to her chatter, her head throbbing painfully.
Why was the nanny so confused? Even if she had a child, would she have the right to raise it?
The Crown Princess had no children of her own, so the Crown Prince’s first child would undoubtedly be taken to be raised by the Crown Princess.
At this thought, she scrambled up from the bed and touched her abdomen.
Because the Crown Princess had failed to conceive for two years, she didn’t need to drink contraceptive tea after serving the Crown Prince.
She had shared intimacy with His Highness twice, especially tonight when he had taken her seven times in succession.
A child might have quietly arrived.
If a child came, what should she do?
Wen Lier lay back under the covers, her brows furrowed deeply.
If a child truly came, she couldn’t possibly give it up.
After thinking for a long time, Wen Lier could only think of the Crown Prince.
If she knelt and begged him, would he agree to let her raise the child herself?
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, she drifted into a fitful sleep.
…
The next day.
Another gift arrived from Yuqing Hall.
This time, it wasn’t pig trotters but a chess manual.
Mama Qin’s heart, which had been anxious all night, finally settled—it seemed His Highness wasn’t angry that her mistress had beaten him at chess.
Wen Lier was overjoyed when she saw the chess manual.
Last night’s worries about a child immediately vanished without a trace.
She would deal with it when the child really came.
She held the chess manual, unable to put it down.
Wen Lier originally had chess manuals of her own, but how could they compare to the Crown Prince’s?
She only knew that the Crown Prince’s chess manual must be better than hers.
What she didn’t know was that the manual His Highness had bestowed upon her was a rare edition from the previous dynasty, priceless and hard to obtain.
The entire day, Wen Lier pored over the chess manual repeatedly, then spent hours studying the moves with chess pieces according to the manual’s instructions.
Mama Qin stood by, several times on the verge of speaking but hesitating.
Wen Lier asked curiously, “Nanny, what is it? Just say it directly.”
Mama Qin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Mistress, His Highness has sent you gifts twice now. You should send something in return to express your feelings.”
Wen Lier shook her head vehemently. “I have no money.”
Mama Qin: “…”
She looked at Wen Lier with mixed emotions for a while before saying, “His Highness has seen every rare treasure imaginable—would he care about your meager offerings? You could embroider a pouch or make a tassel for His Highness. It wouldn’t cost anything.”
Wen Lier continued pondering the chess game.
“No. The Eastern Palace employs so many skilled embroiderers with exquisite craftsmanship. His Highness probably wouldn’t wear a pouch I embroidered.”
Mama Qin disagreed. “Whether His Highness wears it is one matter, but whether you give it is another. By sending a gift, you show that you care about His Highness and appreciate his favors.”
In the end, Wen Lier didn’t take Mama Qin’s advice.
Although she had been intimate with His Highness, the Crown Prince ultimately wasn’t her husband alone.
If she tried to curry favor, it might attract the Crown Princess’s attention.
With Yang Ni Shan watching covetously from the sidelines, it was better not to make them resent her by being too eager.
…