Qin Fei was released from her house arrest this time and behaved herself extraordinarily. She got up early every day to go to Shouning Palace and did not leave until dark. She personally tasted the medicine for Empress Dowager Zhao and waited on her while she took the medicine.

When Emperor Yongjia found out, he ordered a reward for Qin Fei.

Empress Qiao also rewarded Qin Fei with more than a dozen of the finest palace-forged horses.

Qin Fei went to the Jiofang Hall to express her gratitude. Empress Qiao said in a gentle voice, “You have served the Queen Mother wholeheartedly and diligently, and it is right that you are rewarded. The Queen Mother cannot leave you alone, and this is your blessing. However, you should also cherish your blessings and don’t make trouble, lest you waste all your blessings.”

These words are soft yet sharp and contain a strong sense of criticism.
 Qin Fei was startled and quickly responded respectfully, “Your Majesty the Empress is right. I will serve you wholeheartedly.”

At least, in the short term, Qin Fei won’t dare to cause any more trouble.

After Qin Fei took her leave, Hui’an Gōngzhǔ came to the palace to pay her respects.

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ would go to the palace every three to five days, and she was more frequent in going back to her parent’s home than to her husband’s home. When Empress Qiao saw her daughter, she was delighted and smiled.

The mother and daughter were gossiping. When Hui’an Gōngzhǔ mentioned Qin Fei, she curled her lips and said with disdain, “This Qin Fei has no other abilities, and she only knows how to flatter the Imperial Grandmother.”

Empress Qiao curled her lips in self-mockery: “This is also a skill. I also want to cling to a big tree to enjoy the shade, but the tree refuses to pay attention.”

Princess Hui’an accidentally touched Empress Qiao’s sore spot, and she felt quite regretful. She hurriedly changed the subject: “By the way, I haven’t seen my sister-in-law for a while. After paying my respects to the queen mother, I will go to the Lu Mansion to see my sister-in-law.”

Speaking of her pregnant daughter-in-law, Empress Qiao suddenly became more energetic and said with a smile, “It is inconvenient for me to leave the palace, so you can go to see Lu Shi on my behalf. I will have someone prepare some supplements later, and you can take them to the Lu residence.”

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ responded with a smile.

Empress Qiao was still worried and warned: “I know you have a quick temper, and you and Lu Shi are not on good terms. Now Lu Shi is pregnant, so she can’t get angry. As her gūjiě^[1]Elder sister of her husband, you should give in to her. Don’t compete with her.”

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ was unhappy when she heard this: “What did my Royal Mother say? How could I be angry with a pregnant woman? Whether I like her or not, she is still my dìxí^[2]younger brother’s wife. She is pregnant with my zhíér ^[3]son of brother or zhínǚ ^[4]daughter of brother, so why should I compete with her? I can’t even comfort her enough!”

Empress Qiao was amused and laughed softly, but she also felt a little sad in her heart.

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ had been an adult for almost four years, and she and Prince Consort Wu were very much in love. She had privately consulted countless doctors and tried countless folk remedies, but her stomach had not moved.

The Wu family didn’t dare to urge her, but how could Hui’an Gōngzhǔ not be anxious?

Lu Mingyu was pregnant as soon as she entered the house. Hui’an Gōngzhǔ was overjoyed, but she didn’t know how much envy she had in her heart. She was so eager to get along with Lu Mingyu, in the hope that she also could share in the good fortune!

Empress Qiao thought about it and couldn’t help but whisper to Hui’an Gōngzhǔ: “Have you had your period this month?”

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ nodded with a gloomy look on her face.

Empress Qiao sighed lightly and said nothing more.

..…

An hour later, Hui’an Gōngzhǔ arrived at the Lu Mansion.

Lu Mingyu and Shen Lan personally went to the main gate to greet them. Along the way, Shen Lan chuckled softly and said, “As soon as you became pregnant, Hui’an Gōngzhǔ immediately changed her attitude. This is already the third time she has come to visit you this month.”

Wasn’t it?

Before, she was always finding fault with him. Every time they met, they would fight for a round. But after she became pregnant, Hui’an Gōngzhǔ suddenly became a different person. Not only did she become more reasonable, but she also showed extra concern for her dìxí.

Lu Mingyu pursed her lips, smiled, and replied in a low voice: “I am actually a little overwhelmed by such enthusiasm.”

Shen Lan burst into laughter and said, “You better not act all innocent after getting the advantage. No matter what, her being warm and attentive is much better than cold indifference.”

That was true.

Lu Mingyu also smiled.

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ saw Lu Mingyu coming from afar, and she smiled and came over to greet her. She held Lu Mingyu’s hand and said, “We often visit each other, and we are not strangers. Why are you being so polite? Don’t come out to greet me again in the future, and just focus on taking care of your pregnancy.”

Lu Mingyu has always had the temper of “I will confront anyone who provokes me” and “I will give in if you are polite to me.”

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ smiled, and Lu Mingyu also smiled and replied, “I stay in the mansion all day, and I have so much free time. I am happy that my sister is willing to come to see me, and it is only right for me to walk a few steps to greet you.”

“Look at my body and complexion, Royal Sister. Do you still need to worry about my pregnancy?”

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ took a quick look and laughed, “That’s right. I’ve seen many pregnant women, some of them are delicate and weak, some of them feel sick all day and have a sallow complexion, and some of them are full of wild thoughts and suspicions. You eat well and sleep well, and your complexion is better than mine! If you didn’t tell me, who would have guessed that you were pregnant?”

The gūsǎo ^[5]a woman and her husband’s sister smiled at each other.

Shen Lan stepped forward to pay her respects, but Hui’an Gōngzhǔ smiled and said, “You’re also pregnant, and your belly is already showing. There’s no need to bow.”

Compared to Lu Mingyu, Shen Lan truly suffered a lot during this pregnancy. She experienced over a month of constant nausea, becoming noticeably thinner. Fortunately, after the first three months, the nausea stopped, and her appetite returned. Lately, she had been looking much better.

The three of them went to the inner hall to talk.

Lu Mingyu first asked about Empress Dowager Zhao’s condition.

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ almost pouted, but managed to hold back: “With Qin Fei’s careful care, the Royal Grandmother’s health is getting better day by day. Today, the Royal Mother also rewarded Qin Fei with more than a dozen pieces of palace clothes.”

Lu Mingyu’s eyes flashed with understanding, and she smiled casually: “Grandmother got better so quickly, Qin Fei really deserves credit.”

Hui’an Gōngzhǔ chuckled, not wanting to talk about Qin Fei, and started chatting with Lu Mingyu: “By the way, in a few days, it will be the wedding day of cousin Qiao Wan. Do you plan to go to the Qiao Mansion to congratulate her?”

A few days ago, Jin Caner married into the Zhao family.

Lu Mingyu and Jin Caner had a mediocre relationship, so they just sent a gift to the Jin residence. But when it came to Qiao Wan, the relationship was different.

The Qiao family was Li Jing’s maternal family. These days, it was common for wàishēng ^[6]son of sister and jiùjiu ^[7]mother’s brother to have close contact. Not to mention, Lord Qiao was Li Jing’s most loyal supporter in the court.

When the Qiao family holds a wedding, Li Jing and Hui’an Gōngzhǔ must go.

Lu Mingyu had thought about this a long time ago and said with a smile: “When the wedding day comes, I will go with His Highness to congratulate her. We won’t stay for the banquet, we will just show up and say congratulations and then come back.”

Princess Hui’an said, “That’s fine. You can’t be too careful now. Just show up at the Qiao residence and express your feelings. Grandpa and Grandma won’t mind.”

Lu Mingyu nodded with a smile: “My Royal Sister and I have the same idea.”

Two months ago, Lu Mingyu could not imagine that Hui’an Gōngzhǔ could say such reasonable words.

Perhaps it was because her identity had changed and her mentality was different from before, Hui’an Gōngzhǔ now looked quite cute.

(End of this chapter)