Over the past few days, Yinreng had slept with every woman in the inner courtyard. He felt that he had more or less completed his duty. If none of them became pregnant after that, then it was their problem.
Having completed his “mission,” Yinreng happily made his way to Yu Mu’s residence on the fourth day.
The moment he stepped into Qingzhi Courtyard, he felt his entire mood improve. In particular, when he saw Yu Mu, he became even happier.
However, unlike usual, Yu Mu had not come to the entrance to welcome him.
When he entered the inner room, he found her lying listlessly on the low couch.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look so lifeless? Did someone bully you? Tell me who it was, and I’ll deal with them for you.”
“Listen to what Your Highness is saying. This concubine is a Secondary Consort. Who in this inner courtyard could possibly bully me?”
“Then it seems it wasn’t someone from the inner courtyard. Who was it, then? Don’t tell me it was me?”
“Hmph. Of course not.”
“Then it seems there really is something wrong. What is it? Are you jealous?”
“How would this concubine dare? Your Highness went to stay with other people without saying a word. This concubine was merely frightened, that’s all. I didn’t know what I had done wrong. So, Your Highness, who do you think bullied this concubine?”
Seeing Yu Mu acting petulant like this, Yinreng found her unbearably adorable.
“It was my fault. I haven’t felt comfortable staying elsewhere these past few days either. I kept finding myself thinking about a certain little woman’s face.”
“And now, here I am, aren’t I? Look at you. If you missed me, why didn’t you send me a message? You only made yourself miserable for nothing.”
“How could this concubine casually send a message to the Crown Prince? What if I displeased Your Highness? Wouldn’t I have even fewer chances to see you then?”
Seeing the aggrieved little expression on Yu Mu’s face, Yinreng stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, coaxing her gently.
“How could I possibly dislike you? In the future, if I don’t come and you miss me, send a message to the front courtyard. I’ll definitely come to see you.”
“I don’t want to. My lord, why can’t you remember to come on your own? If the day ever comes when I have to send you a message, then it must mean you don’t like me anymore. When that happens, I’ll seal off Qingzhi Courtyard and never go out again.”
“Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? I won’t stop liking you, all right?”
To prevent them from continuing with this topic, Yinreng simply lowered his head, cupped Yu Mu’s face in his hands, and kissed her.
It seemed that this little mouth of hers was better off not talking.
With that kiss, the two of them could be considered reconciled.
It wasn’t that Yu Mu didn’t want to continue the conversation.
For one thing, their statuses were unequal. She couldn’t throw tantrums as freely as couples in the modern world could.
For another, if she pushed something too far, it would only become irritating.
This amount was just right.
“Your Highness, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Shall I have the small kitchen serve dinner?”
“All right. I am indeed a little hungry.”
Although Yu Mu had not been in the palace for long, she had already become familiar with Yinreng’s tastes.
As a result, Yinreng found this meal particularly satisfying.
That night, after the two of them had finished their passionate lovemaking, Yinreng held Yu Mu in his arms.
“Mumu, you’ve been in the palace for almost a month now, haven’t you? Give me a child.”
“Give me a child who looks like you. I’ll teach him to study, and I’ll teach him how to ride and shoot.”
Yu Mu instinctively wanted to refuse.
She was only sixteen years old.
Giving birth at such a young age was practically risking her life.
However, ever since entering the palace, she had never taken any contraceptive decoction. It wasn’t impossible that she might become pregnant.
“This concubine also wants to have a child. It’s just that such things depend on fate. When the time comes, how wonderful would it be to have a child who looks like Your Highness?”
No matter what she truly thought, for now, she had to coax him.
She certainly couldn’t tell him outright that she didn’t want to have a child. If she did, she would probably lose his favor in an instant.
“Of course. But we can always put in more effort. Wouldn’t that make the child come sooner?”
As he spoke, he lifted the quilt and moved over Yu Mu, clearly demonstrating exactly what kind of “effort” he meant.
There was really no need to be so enthusiastic.
She hadn’t even recovered yet!
Sensing that her mind was wandering, Yinreng’s movements became more forceful.
Before long, Yu Mu had no energy left to think about anything else.
Time passed quickly, and September soon arrived.
Yuqing Palace once again became busy because Yinreng was about to marry another Secondary Consort.
In the Qing Dynasty, a Secondary Consort’s name was officially recorded in the imperial genealogy. There were certain matters Yinreng personally had to handle, so he inevitably became rather busy during this period.
Yu Mu, however, wasn’t particularly unhappy because of it.
After all, she wasn’t the principal wife.
The one who should truly be upset was the future Crown Princess.
Before the Crown Princess had even entered the household, the Eastern Palace was already filled with concubines. There might even be several children by the time she arrived.
Yu Mu wasn’t anxious, but Linglan, Lüxiu, and the others were.
At present, Yu Mu was the only Secondary Consort in the inner courtyard, so things were still manageable. After all, she held the highest rank among the women there.
But once Lady Liugiya entered, things would be different.
Their family backgrounds were already comparable, and they had heard that Lady Liugiya was also a beauty.
Who could guarantee that the Crown Prince wouldn’t come to prefer Lady Liugiya?
Fortunately, Nanny Zhang was experienced and knowledgeable. She immediately gave the others a stern reminder.
Even if both women were Secondary Consorts, Yu Mu had entered the palace first and lived in the eastern courtyard.
Even after the newcomer arrived, she would still have to pay respects to their mistress.
They absolutely could not panic and throw themselves into disorder.
When Yu Mu learned what Nanny Zhang had done, she strongly approved.
She then summoned everyone in the courtyard and spoke to them herself.
“Ever since I moved into Qingzhi Courtyard, I haven’t had a proper conversation with all of you. Since we’re gathered here today, I’ll take this opportunity to explain what I expect from you.”
“When you work in my courtyard, I only require you to do what you are told. I do not need you to make decisions on my behalf. Nor do I like the sort of people who scheme against others under the excuse that they are ‘doing it for their mistress’s sake.’”
“As long as you remain honest and obedient, then as servants who have been with me from the beginning, I naturally won’t treat you poorly. Do you understand?”
“We understand.”
Seeing how stern their mistress had become, everyone hurriedly voiced their agreement.
“As for the arrival of the new Secondary Consort, none of you are to involve yourselves unnecessarily. Simply focus on taking care of the affairs within our own courtyard. At the same time, remain vigilant and don’t allow anyone else to take advantage of the situation and cause trouble here.”
“All right. Everyone has worked hard serving me during this period. Nanny, reward each of them with ten taels of silver.”
“Thank you for the reward, Mistress!”
Ten taels of silver!
For first-rank palace maids like Lüxiu and Linglan, it was still manageable, but Yuehe, Yuelian, Deshun, and Qingxi rarely ever saw such a large sum.
For a moment, traces of joy appeared on all their faces.
Yinreng also knew that he would inevitably be too busy to pay much attention to Qingzhi Courtyard during this period.
Afraid that Yu Mu might once again think she had lost his favor, he still remembered to come over for a meal or sit with her whenever he had some free time.
It was also a way of showing everyone that although he was about to marry a new Secondary Consort, he had not forgotten Lady Ligiya.
That way, the other women in the inner courtyard would not dare bully her.
Yu Mu could sense Yinreng’s thoughtfulness.
It greatly eased the anxiety she had been feeling lately because he was about to take another woman.
The days passed at an unhurried pace, and soon, the day arrived for Lady Liugiya to enter the palace.
That entire day, Yu Mu did not step outside her room even once.
No one in Qingzhi Courtyard went out either, except for Deshun, who made a trip to the small kitchen to collect their meal.
That night, Yu Mu did not fall asleep until very late.
For the first few days after the newcomer arrived, Yinreng would certainly stay with her.
The only question was whether, once the novelty wore off, he would still remember Yu Mu.