Chapter 6

At three-quarters past noon, Princess Consort Xi had just woken up from her nap. The new prescription she had been using in the past few days had greatly relieved her headaches, and her complexion had improved significantly.

Shortly after, a nanny reported from outside, “Princess Consort, the third young master has returned.”

Princess Consort was overjoyed and eagerly looked toward the door, “He’s finally back!”

Pei Muheng’s tall figure emerged from behind the violet jade screen. He wore a dark cloak covered in frost and snow, and as he walked leisurely, the grace in his demeanor was undiminished. With a smile on his lips, he bowed and greeted, “Your son greets you, mother. I’ve been too busy to serve you recently, and I apologize for it.”

Looking at her excellent son, Princess Consort’s eyes were filled with pride, “My son, your father said that the memorial on military farming you wrote this time greatly pleased your grandfather, and it’s been highly praised in court. I’m so proud of you.”

Since ancient times, loving mothers have favored their youngest children, and Pei Muheng has always held a special place in Princess Consort’s heart.

Princess Consort’s eldest son, Pei Muxiang, was not particularly outstanding among the many imperial grandchildren. He was not even as good at studying as the concubine-born Pei Mujing, which caused the Princess Consort to be downhearted for a long time. However, at the age of seven, Pei Muheng had impressively sent back foreign envoys, greatly enhancing the Princess Consort’s reputation. This also allowed her to stand tall among her husband and the royal family.

Princess Consort cherished Pei Muheng the most, and Pei Muheng was closest to his mother.

Their filial relationship was praised by all.

The old nanny personally stepped forward to help Pei Muheng remove his cloak, and a maid brought a round chair to place in front of the Princess Consort. Pei Mucheng sat down.

Princess Consort asked, “Why did you come back at this time?”

Pei Muheng usually left early and returned late, so it was unusual for him to return in the afternoon.

Pei Muheng looked deeply at his mother and replied, “His Majesty asked me to have lunch in the Empress’s palace. The Empress had some matters to discuss, so I returned to the mansion for a while.”

Hearing this, the Princess Consort immediately showed concern and tightened her tone, “What did the Empress say?”

Princess Consort had not been feeling well recently and had not entered the palace to pay her respects for a long time. When Pei Muheng said this, she instinctively thought the Empress was blaming her.

Seeing his mother’s concern, Pei Muheng explained, “The Empress heard that you were unwell and was very concerned, instructing me to return to the mansion to visit you. The Empress is most benevolent and kind; how could she possibly reproach you?”

Princess Consort felt embarrassed as her son saw through her thoughts. She hadn’t gone to pay her respects, yet the Empress cared for her, making her feel ashamed.

Pei Muheng asked, “How is your headache, mother?”

Princess Consort’s expression softened, “Thanks to the famous doctor you found for me, it has greatly improved.” Seeing the frost on his shoulders, she handed him a hand warmer from her embrace. Pei Muheng took it with a smile, “This is what I should do.”

Pei Muheng leaned back in his chair, holding the hand warmer, and slowly said, “I just met Madam Xu at the gate…”

Princess Consort Xi was momentarily stunned and then raised her voice, “She went out again? Why does she keep going out?”

Princess Consort was about to criticize Xu Yunqi’s recent behavior when Pei Muheng said, “It’s snowing heavily, and she’s going out at this hour. It must be something urgent.”

Princess Consort was dismissive, “What urgent matter could she have?”

Hearing his mother’s tone, Pei Muheng sighed inwardly, realizing her deep prejudice against Xu Yunqi. “Mother, you are not her. How can you be sure she has nothing urgent? She is a person with emotions and relationships, perhaps caring for an elderly mother or concerned about friends and relatives…”

Princess Consort slowly understood the protective intent behind his words. She looked at her son with meaningful glances and, after a moment, smiled softly, “Oh, my Heng’er knows how to defend his wife now?”

Pei Muheng replied calmly, “She is my legally wedded wife. It is only natural for me to protect her.”

Princess Consort snorted, her tone sour, “It’s often said that a man forgets his mother once he has a wife. My son is no exception.”

Pei Muheng had anticipated her response. He placed the hand warmer aside and noticed a maidservant nearby holding a cup of ginseng soup. He summoned her and personally picked up the ginseng soup to serve his mother, “Mother, she is young and may make mistakes. It is natural for you as her mother-in-law to correct her. I would not say a word about it. However, if she has to bow and scrape before her elder sister-in-law daily, acting subservient, I will not allow it.”

Pei Muheng did not say he was ‘unhappy’ but rather that he ‘will not allow it.’ He expressed his clear stance with a calm tone.

Princess Consort, taken aback, forgot to take the ginseng soup and looked at him in surprise, “I didn’t mean that…”

She simply didn’t want to see Xu Yunqi, so she sent her to Madam Xie. Now, being reminded by Pei Muheng, she realized the inappropriateness of her actions. However, it was the first time her son had spoken to her in such a tone for the sake of a woman, which made Princess Consort Xi feel uneasy.

Pei Muheng did not give the Princess Consort a chance to get angry and gently said, “If she comes to you with a request, you may scold her a bit, and she will only lower her head and listen. But don’t let others trample on her dignity. Naturally, if she comes to you, I believe with your benevolence and kindness, you wouldn’t make things difficult for her…”

Princess Consort realized that he had said everything, leaving her with nothing to say. Recalling Pei Muheng’s earlier praise of the Empress’s benevolence and kindness, she understood his intentions and pointed at him, scolding, “When did you learn these slick-talking tricks? Pretending to flatter me while actually fearing I might bully your wife…”

Pei Muheng first mentioned the Empress and then brought up Xu Yunqi, reminding the Princess Consort to put herself in someone else’s shoes and be considerate.

Princess Consort finally accepted the ginseng soup he handed her and sighed, “Fine, fine, since you’ve said so much, what else can I do? From now on, let her inform Nanny Hao wherever she goes, and she can go wherever she likes.”

After the Princess Consort finished the ginseng soup, Pei Muheng slowly continued, “I understand that you have worried yourself sick over my marriage and have suffered for it. You may not like her, and I won’t force you to, but please treat her kindly for my sake. She is my wife, and her dignity is my dignity. If there is harmony and peace in the household, I will have no worries.”

Princess Consort understood that Pei Muheng didn’t want to marry Xu Yunqi. Now, he was speaking these words to her for the sake of harmony between mother and daughter-in-law, making her feel even more sorry for her son. She was deeply moved. Her son was already exhausted outside, and as a mother, she couldn’t let him worry about home, too. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said sincerely, “Yes, I understand.”

Mother and son understood each other well, and many things were left unsaid.

After talking with Princess Consort Xi for a while, Pei Muheng stepped out. As he crossed the threshold, he saw his father listening sneakily at the door. Pei Muheng looked at his father speechlessly while Prince Xi approached him full of admiration. “You still have a way with her. I’ve tried persuading her for so long, but she wouldn’t budge. As soon as you stepped in, she let go.”

Pei Muheng didn’t want to discuss this further, so he said calmly, “The Tongzhou case has new developments. When you’re free this evening, come to my study.”

Prince Xi nodded, and seeing that Pei Muheng was about to leave, he grabbed his arm. “Hey, you managed to talk sense into your mother. What about yourself?”

Pei Muheng’s eyes paused.

Prince Xi patted him on the shoulder mockingly, “Treat her well; it’s better than anything else.”

With that, Prince Xi grabbed an item and swaggered through the threshold, his hearty voice almost piercing the sky. “Princess Consort, I’m back! Look, I brought you your favorite lotus leaf-wrapped chicken… Remember the time when I climbed over your wall…”

Pei Muheng shook his head and strode away.

At four-quarters past noon, Xu Yunqi hurriedly arrived at Chengyang Medical Clinic. The coachman was one of Pei Muheng’s personal guards, well-trained and disciplined. After delivering Xu Yunqi, he waited by the carriage without glancing around or asking any questions.

Xu Yunqi rushed upstairs and saw the pregnant woman lying on the couch, her entire body twitching and her breathing uneven, showing signs of severe weakness. She removed her cloak and quickly stepped forward, washing her hands before taking the woman’s pulse. In an orderly manner, Yin Xing spread out the medical kit she carried. Xu Yunqi administered the acupuncture while Yin Xing handed her the needles. Having worked together for years, the two of them were very in sync.

After two-quarters of an hour, they managed to stabilize the woman’s pulse, and the bleeding stopped. Xu Yunqi immediately prescribed medication to protect the fetus and instructed the medical apprentice to prepare and administer the medicine.

An hour later, the woman slowly woke up, looking around to see a composed and serene woman sitting by the couch, smiling gently. She guessed this must be the renowned female doctor, Miss Xu, and her eyes welled up with tears. “Thank you, Miss Xu, for saving my life.”

Xu Yunqi reassured her, “Take good care of yourself and avoid getting angry.”

From taking her pulse, Xu Yunqi deduced that the woman had suffered from extreme emotional distress. Hearing this, the woman began to cry again.

Yin Xing, very curious, poured tea for Xu Yunqi and glanced at the two tearful individuals, asking, “What happened to cause this?”

The woman couldn’t speak through her sobs, but the maid beside her eagerly explained with a quavering voice, “Madam, allow me to explain. This morning, our old lady heard that our young master had lost money at the casino and started cursing loudly. My lady, trying to calm her mother-in-law, advised her not to harm her health. However, the old lady didn’t appreciate it and, unable to do anything about her son, took her anger out on my lady, pushing her and hurling insults. She accused my lady of bewitching her husband and causing him to neglect his parents. My lady has never done such a thing, and was extremely angered, which caused her distress and led to this condition…”

Yin Xing’s eyes widened in righteous indignation, “Your mistress is five months pregnant, and she still dares to lay a hand on her? And what about your master? Doesn’t he know how to protect his own wife?”

The young woman looked sorrowful and tearfully responded, “How could he protect me? In front of his mother, he’s always fearful and submissive. Ever since we got married, he’s been urging me to be filial to his mother. I’ve been lowering myself and enduring humiliation, but I’m also a person. Privately, I would complain that his mother was too harsh, but he would say that she just had a quick temper and wasn’t actually malicious, telling me not to take it to heart…”

“But that supposedly not malicious mother, behind her son’s back, constantly bullied me, blaming me for taking her son away…”

Xu Yunqi was not used to hearing such household complaints and silently drank her tea, while Yin Xing remarked, “I’ve seen many cases like yours. Let me ask you, is your husband an only child? Has your father-in-law passed away?”

The young woman looked surprised, “Yes, indeed. My father-in-law passed away over ten years ago, and my mother-in-law raised her son while running a small business. Now they have a stable position in the southern part of the city…”

“That’s it!” Yin Xing said, looking as if she had seen it all. “Your mother-in-law and her son depended on each other for survival. Suddenly, you married into the family, and she saw her son caring more for you than for her. Naturally, she couldn’t bear it and found ways to trouble you every day…”

The young woman was speechless, but it was clear Yin Xing had guessed correctly.

Xu Yunqi administered another round of acupuncture, and once the woman’s condition was completely stabilized, she packed up her medical kit and prepared to leave. Before leaving, she advised, “Getting angry harms your health. Nothing is more important than your well-being. If something happens to you, your husband will certainly remarry, and life will go on for him, while you will just be a wandering soul. Think of your loved ones and enemies—take care of yourself first, and plan things slowly after giving birth…”

Xu Yunqi’s words struck the young woman’s heart. She bit her lip and gradually showed a determined expression. “Thank you, Miss Xu. I understand now.”

With that, Xu Yunqi left with Yin Xing.

As they left the clinic, the sky suddenly darkened, and the fine snow turned into heavy flakes. The wind howled, and the snow thickened, blurring Xu Yunqi’s clear eyes. She looked up at the dark sky.

Yin Xing helped her onto the carriage, looking a bit disheartened. “I wonder if the young master will blame us?”

Xu Yunqi remained calm. “We’ll deal with whatever comes our way.”

At the beginning of the hour of the rooster, Xu Yunqi returned to the prince’s mansion.

The scattered lights in the snow mist seemed particularly dreamy, and the delicate snowflakes fell, visible under the palace lanterns.

Xu Yunqi stepped up the stairs, facing the wind and snow. The steward, who had been waiting respectfully, greeted her. Xu Yunqi nodded with a smile and made her way to the diagonal corridor, feeling chilled from the journey in Pei Muheng’s carriage, which had no heater. Knowing Pei Muheng was at home, her steps quickened unconsciously as she lifted her skirt and entered the covered corridor.

Nanny Chen waited by the door and personally held the curtain for her,

“Young Madam is back… It’s getting late, you must be hungry. Shall we serve dinner?”

The warmth inside rushed to her, melting the frost and snow on her brows. Xu Yunqi stepped in and smiled at her, “I’m indeed hungry. Please serve dinner…” As she spoke, she noticed someone quietly sitting in the brightly lit room.

He had changed into a moon-white embroidered robe and was leisurely leaning back in his chair, seemingly dozing. Upon hearing footsteps, he suddenly lifted his gaze, his eyes clear and lashes thick, showing no sign of weariness.

“You’re back.” His voice was calm, even gentle.

Xu Yunqi looked at him in surprise for a moment, feeling a bit uncomfortable with a man suddenly appearing in the room she had been living in for a month. She then remembered that he was the master of this house. Xu Yunqi silently rubbed her forehead, turned, and handed her cloak to the maid before greeting Pei Muheng, “Third Master is here too…”

It was a long rectangular table made of yellow rosewood. Pei Muheng sat facing south, so Xu Yunqi took a seat to his right. There were two cups of tea on the table—one in front of Pei Muheng and the other closer to Xu Yunqi. Having dozed briefly in the carriage and waking up parched, Xu Yunqi instinctively assumed the tea was prepared for her. She picked up the cup and drank from it.

Pei Muheng’s face showed a brief moment of stiffness as he watched her action.

Xu Yunqi finished the tea and, still holding the cup, noticed her husband’s expression was off. Holding some account books, the steward behind him was staring at her cup in astonishment.

Xu Yunqi’s heart sank.

Oh no, that must have been Pei Muheng’s tea. A strange feeling welled up inside her.

The air seemed to freeze.

The steward shot a reproachful look at the maid, and Nanny Chen was also filled with regret.

Earlier, when Pei Muheng sat down, Nanny Chen personally poured him a cup of his favorite Emei Maojian tea. Pei Muheng, with his keen sense of smell, noticed that the Emei Maojian wasn’t from the new batch this year and pushed the cup away. Nanny Chen then replaced it with the newly arrived Emei Maojian. Hearing footsteps, Nanny Chen hurried to greet Xu Yunqi and forgot to remove the teacup.

In fact, Pei Muheng hadn’t drunk from the cup. He merely brought it to his lips, smelled the tea, realized something was off, and immediately pushed it away. Nevertheless, the two had shared the cup.

Pei Muheng’s gaze briefly lingered on her lips before quickly looking away.

Having already drunk the tea, Xu Yunqi, not one to be pretentious, pretended not to notice anything and set the cup down. She casually asked Pei Mcheng, “Why did you come back today, Third Master?”

Pei Muheng, as usual, revealed nothing and responded calmly, “Today, I accompanied His Majesty for a meal in the Empress’s palace. The Empress asked me to bring some pastries for you.” With that, he pushed a food box towards her.

Xu Yunqi noticed that when Pei Muheng said this, the steward’s expression was somewhat helpless.

“Thank you for the Empress’s gift, and thank you, Third Master, for taking the trouble.” She smiled politely.

Pei Muheng’s lips twitched slightly.

The truth was that the Empress had summoned him to Kunning Palace and scolded him for neglecting his newlywed wife. She had then ordered him to bring back some pastries from the imperial kitchen, intending for him to present them as a gesture of goodwill to his wife. Pei Muheng, unable to deceive, had told the truth.

Even if Pei Muheng didn’t explain, Xu Yunqi wouldn’t misunderstand his intention.

After a while, Pei Muheng dismissed Steward Chen, looking like he intended to have dinner there. Xu Yunqi then instructed Nanny Chen to serve dinner. During the wait, the couple remained silent.

After a moment, Pei Muheng recalled the matter at Jinhe Hall and instructed her, “I have already informed Mother. In the future, you don’t need to ask anyone for permission to go out. Just let the maid inform Nanny Hao by Mother’s side.”

Princess Consort Xi didn’t like Xu Yunqi, and Pei Muheng wouldn’t force them to interact. He thought of this method to give Xu Yunqi freedom while also showing respect for his mother, making it convenient for both sides.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yunqi’s eyes lit up as she looked at him, “Really? That’s wonderful.” She smiled warmly, her gentle and harmless expression making her appear like a flower nurtured in luxury, untainted by any hardship.

For the first time, Pei Muheng saw liveliness in her expression. “Mother’s actions were a bit inappropriate before. I apologize on her behalf, and this won’t happen again.”

Xu Yunqi was slightly stunned, not quite believing that Pei Muheng would stand up for her. She didn’t know what to say for a moment. It seemed that this husband could distinguish right from wrong and wouldn’t blindly side with his own mother, giving her hope for a better life. She laughed nonchalantly, “You’re too kind, Third Master. I actually understand Mother and don’t blame her.”

The replacement of the initially chosen daughter-in-law would upset anyone.

Xu Yunqi’s eyes were very clear, pure, and bright. She wasn’t timidly flattering but genuinely hadn’t taken these matters to heart.

Understanding, gentle, and unconcerned, such a wife would be easy to get along with in the future.

Pei Mucheng nodded and said, “Let’s eat.”

As he left, he looked back at the soft lights of Qinghui Garden. If the roles were reversed and he had drunk from her cup, she would undoubtedly be displeased. Empathizing with her, he felt that Xu Yunqi had suffered an injustice today.

He needed to find a way to make it up to her.