Chapter 93 Qing He

The two chatted for a while, and, fearing to tire Shu Yuwan, said, “You rest first, I’ll head back.”

Shu Yuwan stood up, “I’ll see Mother-in-law off.”

After Wang Fei left, Shu Yuwan instructed, “Qing Dai, prepare a gift for Ning Mansion.”

Qing Dai acknowledged and went to handle it.

Shu Yuwan’s staff was currently stretched thin. Mother Zhao mainly took care of Wenyue, while Qing Dai handled most of the external affairs on Shu Yuwan’s side. Qing Dai was busier than her miss every day. Fortunately, there was Ah Qing to manage the internal affairs of the Palace.

Yumei mainly served Shu Yuwan personally.

Zhang Yi had already been sent back. Initially, there were no issues, but now, as the Crown Princess, with many eyes on her, Zhang Yi had not signed a contract to sell herself. With her parents away, she didn’t dare to continue, so she was compensated for five years’ worth of salary and allowed to leave.

The young maid thanked them for the silver and happily set off on her own adventures!

Fortunately, Caiyu’s martial arts skills improved with practice. After coming to the Palace, she trained tirelessly every day under the martial arts instructor.

Shu Yuwan thought about finding someone else to assist Qing Dai.

After lunch, Shu Yuwan planned to finish the walk she hadn’t completed that day. With Qing Dai busy outside, Yumei and Caiyu accompanied Shu Yuwan.

As they slowly walked to the garden, they overheard two young palace maids not far away, hiding behind the bushes and whispering, “I can’t believe Miss Wei didn’t become the Crown Princess.”

“Yeah, now that the Crown Princess is pregnant, there’s no hope for her.”

“It’s fate! Miss Wei is such a good person, it’s a pity.”

Yumei was about to step forward and scold them, but Shu Yuwan shook her head lightly, and Yumei stopped in her tracks.

Caiyu also looked displeased.

The two palace maids walked in the opposite direction of Shu Yuwan’s group, chatting away, and soon disappeared.

Yumei exclaimed, “It’s disrespectful to gossip about the mistress in the palace. Why didn’t you let me reprimand them, Miss!”

Shu Yuwan smiled, “If we were to confront them face to face, they would indeed need to be disciplined. But since they didn’t see us, let’s pretend we didn’t hear anything.”

“They’re just two young maids gossiping. No need to worry about it.”

“You’re too kind.”

Shu Yuwan didn’t mind. She had heard plenty of unpleasant words and had long stopped caring. She only focused on practical matters.

A few days later, Qing He came with her husband to visit the Palace.

Shu Yuwan’s eyes lit up as she hadn’t seen Qing He in a long time. “Quick, let Qing He in.”

Qing He was also pregnant, her belly even larger than Shu Yuwan’s. But looking at her happy face, it seemed she was doing extremely well.

Qing He had her husband, Zhao Chengcai, help her kneel before Shu Yuwan. Shu Yuwan quickly stopped Qing Dai, “We’re among family here. You’re heavily pregnant, don’t strain yourself!”

Qing Dai was also delighted and gestured for Qing He to sit, quickly fetching a small stool for her.

“How many months your baby?” Shu Yuwan asked with a smile.

“Over seven months,” Qing He replied with a smile.

“Why did you come at this time?”

Qing He said, “A few days ago, Qing Dai came to see me, and I heard that Miss Shu Yuwan is short of staff. I plan to return to serve her after giving birth.”

Shu Yuwan replied, “You can just pass on the message through Qing Dai. There’s no need for you to make the trip while pregnant.”

Qing He smiled brightly, “I also wanted to see Miss.”

Qing Dai reminded, “Now you should address her as the Crown Princess.”

“Yes, yes, the Crown Princess.” Qing He was delighted, realizing that her miss was now the Crown Princess, a fact she hadn’t immediately grasped.

Yumei, standing beside Shu Yuwan, looked a bit dark.

Shu Yuwan pondered and said, “Your contract has already been terminated. You’re now a married woman. Since you’re expecting a child, it’s better not to return to me. Instead, help me manage external affairs.”

Qing He hesitated, “But I want to return to Miss… to the Crown Princess.”

Although her husband treated her well outside, after so many years of being with Shu Yuwan and Qing Dai, leaving now felt strange. Upon hearing that Shu Yuwan needed help, she immediately came.

“I’ll sign a new contract.”

Shu Yuwan gently advised, “Now that you have a child, you must consider their well-being. You’re a free woman, and in the future, your child can study and take exams. If you sign a contract to sell yourself, it will be different.”

“Moreover, you can still work for me outside, let Qing Dai teach you, assist her, and reunite with your child and husband. You can visit the palace often if you miss me.”

Zhao Chengcai also looked at Qing He. Qing He glanced at Shu Yuwan, then at Zhao Chengcai, and said, “I’ll listen to the Crown Princess.”

After chatting for a while, Shu Yuwan rewarded Qing He and her husband with various fabrics and fruits to take back.

Qing Dai and Yumei happily escorted Qing He and her husband.

—

In Chonghua Palace,

Zhang Guefei asked her attendant, Jin Mama, “Has Shu Yan shown any reaction?”

“Yes,” Jin Mama replied with her head bowed.

Zhang Guefei sighed. Ever since Chen Jin’s disappearance, she had been under house arrest and couldn’t place her people in the Palace. Initially, the Emperor paid close attention to the Palace, and she had managed to secure Chen Jin a crucial position after many years of effort. However, before she could utilize his position, he inexplicably vanished.

Unable to act directly, she resorted to spreading rumors among the palace maids in the Palace. If they spoke ill of Shu Yan in front of Chen Jin, it might affect her delivery.

Shu Yan turned out to be quite resilient.

Well, she would have to figure out another way with the Crown Prince’s side.

“Is Shu Yan still sending soups and drinks to Chengqian Palace as usual?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Zhang Guefei was puzzled. Based on her years of observation in  Shu Yan demanor, she wasn’t one to endure such situations.

“Check if there’s anything unusual in Shu’s behavior.”

“It’s difficult, Empress. While many are loyal, some are swayed and don’t listen to orders. It’s not easy for us to gather information now. The people we placed to Shu Yan side are no longer passing us information.”

Confronted with this, Zhang Guefei’s expression turned grim.

After some hesitation, Jin Mama continued, “Your Highness, if this continues, we might face more challenges in this palace…”

Jin Mama’s voice carried a tone of worry.

She understood the dilemma her miss faced. The people in the palace were adept at flattery and criticism. Initially, her mistress was only under house arrest without losing her title, and based on her past reputation, few dared to mistreat her.

However, after so long, with her house arrest still in place, some individuals couldn’t help but become more active in their thoughts. Many of them were those her mistress had once promoted!

They were all ungrateful scoundrels!

Zhang Guefei felt helpless.

The Emperor had concluded that she was responsible for the Crown Prince’s condition and wouldn’t release her. Her house arrest was a gesture of respect for their past and years of companionship.

Despite her prolonged investigation, she hadn’t discovered who had framed her!

“There’s no use in rushing,” Zhang Guefei said.