14 – The Child of Destiny is About to Arrive
Yin Zhen nudged the hem of Fu Qingzi’s clothes with his foot twice, a slight curve lifting the corner of his mouth. Today, he had done it on purpose.
Fu Qingzi’s lips twitched slightly as she secretly rolled her eyes at him: “…” Her greatest annoyance today had been brought by Yin Zhen.
Fu Qingzi propped her chin lightly with her hand, having nothing to say.
Yin Zhen pursed his lips, his dark eyes fixed on Fu Qingzi, wondering what she was thinking. It seemed she had always been this uninteresting.
At night, Yin Zhen rarely visited the Main Courtyard, and their intimacy in bed was particularly unrestrained.
Yin Zhen left Fu Qingzi with no room for rebuttal: “Fu Qingzi, the child of fate should come now.”
The next day, Yin Zhen entered the palace early. Fu Qingzi sat on the heated brick bed reading a book, the occasional sound of pages turning the only noise in the otherwise silent room.
At that moment, Qiao An brought in a bowl of dark, bitter medicinal soup. Both of their expressions were as calm as usual.
Fu Qingzi set down the book in her hand and took the medicinal soup. Just as she brought it to her lips, Qiao An couldn’t help but speak up: “Azi, do you truly not want a child?”
Fu Qingzi answered without hesitation: “No.” She then downed the entire bowl of medicinal soup in one go.
Qiao An truly didn’t know how to persuade Fu Qingzi. With new women constantly entering the estate and Fu Qingzi showing not the slightest interest in Fourth Master, her lack of charm and her passive, indifferent attitude toward him made it unlikely for her to catch his eye. If she didn’t have a child to rely on, her future days would likely be difficult.
Just then, Qianjin ran in again, circling around Fu Qingzi. Fu Qingzi disliked it intensely, finding its drooling mouth utterly repulsive.
Fu Qingzi handed the empty bowl to Qiao An and picked up her book again. Qianjin kept trying to get her attention, but seeing that Fu Qingzi truly had no interest in it, it shifted its focus to Shaoye, who was sleeping on Fu Qingzi’s bed.
Qianjin suddenly leaped onto Fu Qingzi’s bed, startling Shaoye awake from his deep slumber.
Hearing the commotion, Fu Qingzi looked up and immediately turned pale: “Qiao An! Throw that damned dog out!!”
Shaoye skillfully ran into Fu Qingzi’s arms. Only after feeling secure did he turn his fox-like eyes toward Qianjin, who had landed empty-handed on the bed.
Qiao An hurried in and led Qianjin out, muttering under her breath: “Of all the people you could provoke, you had to pick the one least likely to tolerate it—Fu Qingzi. Now you’ve done it. No food for you today.”
Although the maids came in and changed the bedding inside and out, Fu Qingzi, who was extremely particular about cleanliness, still felt uncomfortable all over. It was unknown how long it had been since Qianjin last had a bath.
That day, upon hearing that Yin Zhen had dined at Zhibaixuan, Consort Geng grew restless and anxious. It had been nearly a month since she last saw Fourth Master.
She could no longer sit idly by. Consort Geng quickly said: “Yueying, fetch that fine piece of white jade from my bedside. We’re going to the Main Courtyard.”
Although she was not favored and couldn’t see Fourth Master or win his favor, she still had to curry favor with the mistress.
When Consort Geng arrived, Fu Qingzi was taking a short nap on the heated brick bed. Before half an hour had passed, her tone unconsciously drew out, carrying a hint of indifference: “Let her in.”
In the estate, Fu Qingzi seemed almost invisible. Apart from the daily morning greetings, she was rarely seen around. According to the maids in the estate, Fu Qingzi had offended Fourth Master, and as a result, he forbade her from leaving the Main Courtyard, except on the first and fifteenth days of each month.
Qiao An naturally loved to wander around, and when she heard those words, she almost got into a fight with them—a bunch of gossiping busybodies.
But honestly, Fourth Master truly hadn’t been fond of visiting the Main Courtyard lately, nor had there been any news of him staying overnight elsewhere. At least today, it was heard that he had lunch at Zhibaixuan.
For more than ten days, Consort Geng couldn’t figure out how Fu Qingzi, with such a seductive appearance, had become the primary consort. In terms of background, Ulanara, whom Fourth Master favored, naturally surpassed Fu Qingzi. If Fourth Master truly fancied Fu Qingzi’s face, making her a secondary consort wouldn’t have been beneath her.
Fu Qingzi looked up and noticed Consort Geng’s conflicted, thoughtful expression. Lost in thought, Consort Geng inadvertently met Fu Qingzi’s gaze. Though her eyes were calm and unruffled, they gave Consort Geng a chilling, intimidating feeling, making her reluctant to get too close.
Consort Geng curtsied and greeted, “May the primary consort be at peace.”
Fu Qingzi casually picked up her tea and took a sip, then rubbed her slightly throbbing temples. Only when Consort Geng’s legs grew sore and she could barely hold on did she hear Fu Qingzi’s cool voice say, “Sit.”
Fu Qingzi glanced out the window at the sky. The sun was high, and it hadn’t even been an hour since Yin Zhen had his meal at Zhibaixuan. Consort Geng was truly too impatient.
Fu Qingzi sighed softly.
After exchanging some polite words, Consort Geng glanced at Yueying behind her, beckoned her over, and then covered her mouth slightly with a handkerchief before saying, “Yueying, bring the white jade I prepared for the primary consort.”
Consort Geng smiled warmly and enthusiastically, “When this servant found this jade pendant yesterday, I immediately thought it would suit the primary consort perfectly. Someone as rough as me naturally couldn’t bear to wear such a fine piece.”
“If you can’t bear to wear it, then take it back and keep it,” Fu Qingzi glanced at her, leaning back lazily, showing no regard for politeness.
Besides, she naturally didn’t care for such things. Not to mention how much Yin Zhen had sent to the Main Courtyard, even if they were top-quality items, Fu Qingzi had politely thanked him but never paid them much attention. Having seen plenty in modern times, she simply wasn’t impressed.
Consort Geng’s expression stiffened abruptly, caught between taking it back or leaving it. She forced an awkward smile and, after a moment, composed herself before saying earnestly, “Though this servant is reluctant, if the primary consort likes it, I would naturally be willing to part with it.”
Fu Qingzi let out a soft, mocking laugh. So, she wanted to seek her as a backer—was it because Yin Zhen couldn’t be relied on? Just look at this man.
Setting that aside, Consort Geng was sweet and obedient in appearance, but in Fu Qingzi’s eyes, she still fell short of true beauty. Especially that flattering yet earnest expression when she spoke, which unexpectedly amused the usually unemotional Fu Qingzi. For a moment, she even reminded her of Qiao An.
Fu Qingzi reached out and picked up the jade pendant, carefully rubbing it with her fingertips. The jade wasn’t particularly fine, but it wasn’t too shabby either.
She handed the pendant to the maid behind her, her brow twitching slightly as she said nonchalantly, “Put it away.”
She never refused flattery from those who held value to her—who knew when it might come in handy someday.
Consort Geng’s face lit up with relief, finally able to relax.
For the rest of the afternoon, Consort Geng did most of the talking while Fu Qingzi listened, occasionally responding with casual small talk. Consort Geng also shared quite a few amusing anecdotes.
After Consort Geng left, Qiao An returned. Without needing to ask, Fu Qingzi knew she had been fooling around with Su Peisheng again.
How Su Peisheng managed to do so under Yin Zhen’s nose was beyond her understanding, but she certainly understood how Qiao An had been dancing right under her own nose.