Liu Fuyin repeatedly bringing up the Crown Princess wasn’t just to make him feel guilty—more importantly, it was to annoy him. Ideally, he would become irritated just hearing the term “Crown Princess” in the future.
After all, just when he was in a good mood, mentioning the lawful wife he had once promised to cherish exclusively would make their continued intimacy feel like a betrayal. Over time, he would come to see her as restrictive, as shackling his freedom.
In an era where having multiple wives and concubines was socially acceptable, men never truly considered it betrayal. They might feel some guilt initially, but once affection faded, they would simply label you as domineering and jealous.
Having played the timid quail for so long, it was finally time for Liu Fuyin to make her move. Otherwise, how would she “lose” this “child”?
“You are carrying my child. Who else should I treat well if not you? Do not dwell on worries during your pregnancy. Quickly wipe away your tears.”
In truth, Liu Fuyin didn’t even need to stir up trouble—Chen Wanjun couldn’t bear it on her own.
In the room, vases lay shattered across the floor, and the servants dared not speak loudly. “That Liu woman! That wretch! She hid it before, but now that she’s exposed, she can’t wait to flaunt it! This is the very first night at the retreat palace, and His Highness actually disregards my dignity to accompany a mere concubine! I underestimated that wretch!”
Ying Dong shot a meaningful glance, and Ying Chun quickly led the others out. Only then did Ying Dong console her, “Your Highness, Liu Fuyin is merely fortunate to be with child. His Highness is concerned about the child, which is why he visited her. How could she possibly compare to Your Highness?”
“Compare? How dare a mere concubine presume to compare herself to me? She relies on her looks to seduce His Highness, and now that she’s pregnant, she grows arrogant. When I was first with child, I was still running about, concerned with His Highness’s flood control affairs. How could I have been so delicate? In the end, she’s just clinging to His Highness! How hateful that I was once fooled by her—otherwise, I wouldn’t have waited until the last moment to act…”
“Your Highness…” Ying Dong, fearing she might say too much, quickly interrupted.
Chen Wanjun paid no mind. After all, His Highness had already uncovered her actions, yet she merely feigned tears and the matter was dropped. This showed His Highness didn’t care much for that Liu woman either—he was simply bewitched by her face.
Ying Chun returned just in time to chime in, “Exactly! The bond between Your Highness and His Highness, forged through life and death, is something a frail woman like her could never match! She’s nothing but a lowly concubine, little more than half a servant before the mistress. Why trouble yourself with her anger, Your Highness? There will always be ways to deal with her!”
“You speak wisely.” Chen Wanjun sighed, a flicker of calculation in her eyes.
Ying Dong didn’t quite agree with this. After all, their mistress’s father had passed away, and her family background could never compare to that of Liangdi Liu. But Ying Dong had been rescued on the journey back to the capital and wasn’t as close as Ying Chun, who had grown up with their mistress. Seeing that her mistress had calmed somewhat, she thought it best not to say more.
Just then, the little princess in the side chamber began to cry. Chen Wanjun immediately said, “Ying Chun, go and invite His Highness over. Tell him Yuan Yuan isn’t feeling well.”
Since Liu Fuyin was pregnant and couldn’t attend the bedchamber, Chen Wanjun used the excuse of her only daughter’s discomfort. Naturally, His Highness left without any hesitation, merely instructing, “Rest well.”
This scenario repeated several times afterward. Almost whenever the Crown Prince came to dine with her, Chen Wanjun would inevitably find some reason to summon him away.
If it was noon, she would monopolize His Highness for the entire afternoon; if it was evening, His Highness would simply stay overnight.
Even Yun Tao, who was usually carefree, couldn’t stand it anymore. “Mistress, how could the Crown Princess learn such unseemly tricks, like those used by concubines?”
Since arriving at the temporary palace, Liu Fuyin had been hiding in her room to nurture her pregnancy, neither competing nor fighting, maintaining her gentle persona all along. There was only one exception: whenever the Crown Prince visited, she would always be embroidering, making hats and shoes for the child. Thus, their conversations inevitably revolved around the child.
As for why she embroidered every day, she claimed it was because her skills were average, and by making more, there would surely be some fine pieces the child could wear.
It didn’t matter if the Crown Prince didn’t care for her; the key was that he must care for this “child.” Only by quietly embedding herself in his heart in this way would he feel sorrow when he lost it.
“Mistress! This servant’s heart aches for you!” Seeing that Liu Fuyin paid no heed and continued with her embroidery, Yun Tao grew furious on her own.
“Don’t upset yourself either. Our mistress is pregnant now, and the child is the most important thing. Everything else must wait until the child is safely born. His Highness will surely come to see the child. Instead of complaining here, why not help our mistress with some embroidery patterns?” Yun Xing was far more composed than Yun Tao. In her opinion, with the Crown Princess being so jealous, she would inevitably incur dislike sooner or later.
Yun Xing’s duty was to help the Liangdi survive in the inner courtyard. But from what she had observed since entering the Eastern Palace, as long as her mistress remained unharmed, no matter what needed to be done, she, as a servant, must cooperate and share the burden.
Only then did Liu Fuyin put down her embroidery needle. “A Tao, you spend every day with A Xing. You should learn from her composed demeanor. Even before I had a child, I never wished to compete with my sister, let alone now that I’m pregnant. Of course, I must prioritize the child in everything.”
As soon as Liu Fuyin finished speaking, she saw the man stride in with light steps. “My Liangdi is indeed as elegant as she is wise, pure, virtuous, and gentle!”
Liu Fuyin inwardly grumbled. Why did this man enjoy eavesdropping so much? Fortunately, she had always been cautious, never saying anything reckless even among her own people.
“Your servant greets Your Highness.”
“Didn’t I say you’re exempt from morning greetings? Why are you still so formal?”
“When I entered the Eastern Palace, my father told me to restrain myself and uphold propriety, not to act recklessly as I did at home!”
“My Yin Yin can be herself in the Eastern Palace too. I love it when you’re uninhibited.” Recalling how the woman had bared her claws on the bed before, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but laugh.
“If that’s what Your Highness says, then I’ll take it seriously!” Liu Fuyin was no longer as afraid of him as she had been at the beginning. In fact, because of her pregnancy, she had grown somewhat dependent on him, leaning against him limply every time she saw him.
Before coming here, the Crown Prince had just argued with Chen Wanjun—for no other reason than the matter of bringing new women into the Eastern Palace.
Recently, for some reason, His Majesty had suddenly grown nostalgic, treating the Empress much better and temporarily halting his suppression of the Crown Prince. Today, he had brought up the matter of having the daughter of Minister Su from the Ministry of Personnel serve by his side with the rank of Liangdi. He had also mentioned that the Crown Prince’s inner palace was too empty and asked the Empress to help select a few more for him.
It wasn’t just him; His Majesty had given similar instructions to the other princes who had reached marriageable age.
The Emperor’s harem was sparse in offspring, with only a handful of surviving princes. The same was true for the inner courtyards of those princes who were already married.
Perhaps it was because he had reached a certain age and suddenly felt the desire to hold a grandchild, which gave rise to the idea of filling their inner courtyard.
However, the Empress would not truly go all out to select influential ministers who could aid his ascension to the throne, such as the Minister of War or high-ranking generals. No matter how much he wished to win them over, he would not take their daughters now.
Grasping military power would only make his father, the Emperor, restless. The Empress had consulted the imperial physician, who said that although the Emperor’s health was failing, as long as he did not continue to court death, he could hold on for another three to five years.
The Su family had already been settled in his courtyard, and because of this, Wanwan had thrown another tantrum. Every time this topic came up, the Crown Prince found it rather troublesome.
Now, recalling the matter again, he couldn’t help but want to test her reaction: “Yin Yin, His Majesty has assigned me another Liangdi.”