“So, Xianfei has been Qin Jieyu for more than a month, and now she is Qin Fei again?”

Lu Mingyu asked Li Jing casually.

Li Jing shrugged helplessly, “That’s right. My mother issued an imperial decree today, and Qin Fei has been reinstated as a Fei.” He paused and continued, “I estimate that in less than two months, Qin Fei will probably be able to come out and meet people in a few days.”

Lu Mingyu’s eyes flashed with sarcasm: “With the Empress Dowager’s support, no wonder Qin Fei dared to stir up trouble like this.”

The real enemy, Su Fei, remained inactive. Meng Guifei, the favorite concubine in the palace, did not make a move either. Qin Fei, on the other hand, relied on the power of Empress Dowager Zhao to provoke them again and again.

As it turned out, the big tree covering Qin Fei’s head was so lush and leafy that Emperor Yongjia had to tolerate it a little.

Li Jing hugged Lu Mingyu and whispered, “I had expected this. Since my father has given in, it will be inconvenient for my grandmother to bother you and me again.”

Lu Mingyu nodded slightly: “That’s fine. Let’s give birth to the baby first.”

Li Jing hummed, and his right hand gently fell on Lu Mingyu’s lower abdomen.

Lu Mingyu was two months pregnant, and her belly had not yet bulged. Li Jing’s palms were warm, and the warmth penetrated her thin clothes and reached her skin.

Lu Mingyu chuckled: “You touched it several times every night, but my belly hasn’t swelled yet, and you can’t feel the fetus moving. What is there to touch?”

Li Jing still couldn’t let go of it. He touched it for a long time before smiling and saying, “Sit down. I’ll read to our children.”

Lu Mingyu burst out laughing, unable to refuse, and sat down silently.

Li Jing brought out the easy-to-understand Book of Songs and began to read it rhythmically.

After listening to “Guan Guan Ju Jiu Zai He Zhi Zhou”, Lu Mingyu twitched her lips and said, “Can’t you change to another song?” ^[1]The line “Guan Guan Ju Jiu Zai He Zhi Zhou” (关关雎鸠，在河之洲) comes from the Book of Songs (《诗经》), also known as the Classic of Poetry, which is the oldest collection … Continue reading

Li Jing laughed softly, and looked at her with his beautiful, deep eyes, like two hooks…

The air suddenly became hotter.

Lu Mingyu cleared her throat: “It’s getting late, let’s rest!”

Li Jing responded and diligently helped Lu Mingyu change her clothes, taking the opportunity to touch her. Lu Mingyu felt weak all over. After the diagnosis of pregnancy, the two of them did not have sex again. It has been almost a month.

The young man’s body could not stand teasing, and soon, the breathing of both of them became rapid.

Li Jing grabbed Lu Mingyu’s hand and whispered in her ear.

Lu Mingyu’s cheeks flushed, but she did not refuse.

…

After a few days, Empress Dowager Zhao caught a cold and felt unwell.

Emperor Yongjia and Empress Qiao went to see the patient. Empress Dowager Zhao, who was lying on the phoenix couch, groaned and complained of a headache. The imperial physician came to feel her pulse and prescribed a prescription.

Empress Qiao looked at the prescription, her lips twitched slightly, and she showed concern on her face: “Your Majesty, your mother is ill, please let the princes and princesses show their filial piety and come to the palace to take care of her!”

Emperor Yongjia nodded slightly, took the prescription, looked at it, and twitched his lips: “The Empress will arrange it!”

Empress Dowager Zhao, on the other hand, immediately said, “I am not seriously injured. There is no need to make a big fuss. Just let Qin Fei come and talk to me.”

Emperor Yongjia and Empress Qiao looked at each other.

Empress Qiao refused to speak.

Emperor Yongjia had no choice but to say, “Mother, Qin Shi is still under house arrest…”

Empress Dowager Zhao covered her chest with her hands and cried out in pain.

Emperor Yongjia took a deep breath and said, “Forget it. I will send someone to summon Qin Fei over right away.”

Eunuch Liu retreated quickly, and after an incense stick of time, he returned to report. Qin Fei also came with Eunuch Liu.

As soon as Qin Fei entered the bedroom, she knelt down and apologized.

After being under house arrest for more than a month, Qin Fei had lost a lot of weight, wore no makeup, had a dull complexion, and looked much older.

Emperor Yongjia glanced at the haggard and emaciated Qin Fei, and his heart softened a little. He said calmly: “The Empress Dowager is not feeling well, so you should serve her well. When she recovers, I will remember your merit.”

Qin Fei was particularly docile and respectful: “It is my duty to serve the Empress Dowager. I do not deserve the Emperor’s praise.”

Empress Qiao glanced at Qin Fei and said calmly, “From today on, you will come to Shouning Palace every day.”

Qin Fei bowed her head and thanked: “Thank you for your grace, Empress.”

Empress Dowager Zhao coughed and said, “Qin Shi will be with me, Your Majesty, please go and do your work!”

After Emperor Yongjia and Empress Qiao left, Empress Dowager Zhao immediately said, “Qin Shi, stop kneeling and come over to me.”

Qin Fei responded, stood up, walked to the phoenix couch, and sat down. Empress Dowager Zhao was so distressed to see how haggard Qin Fei looked: “It’s only been more than a month, how come you have become so thin!”

Qin Fei’s eyes were red, and she choked up and said, “I was careless with my words and actions, and I angered the Emperor. I deserve to be punished. I caused the Empress Dowager to be worried about me all the time, and now she is sick on the bed. I am really ashamed.”

It was not surprising that Empress Dowager Zhao pretended to be sick, which was an old trick she used to manipulate her son and daughter-in-law.

Empress Dowager Zhao winked at Qin Fei and whispered, “I’ll be fine after lying down for a few days, don’t worry.”

No matter how many little plans Qin Fei had, she was so moved by Empress Dowager Zhao that her eyes welled up with tears. She held her hand and cried.

Empress Dowager Zhao whispered, “Look at how little you have achieved. Why are you crying? As long as I am here, there will always be a place for you in the harem. I deliberately made a fuss, and look, I finally let you out.”

Qin Fei was startled and wiped her tears with her sleeve. She asked in a low voice: “What did my yímǔ do?”

Empress Dowager Zhao smiled complacently and told me about her reward to the palace maid: “…I have thought about this a long time ago. If Erlang is willing to accept the palace maid, it will cause trouble for them. If he refuses to accept it and sends the palace maid back, he will have to give me an explanation.”

“The Emperor came in person to plead with me, and I have already promised him that I will not cause trouble for the Lu family in the future. So he released you. Unfortunately, no matter what I said, the Emperor was only willing to restore your position as Fei. He just refused to restore you to the position of Xianfei.”

Empress Dowager Zhao was not a person of political wisdom or shrewdness, but she had her own way of achieving her goals.

Qin Fei was so moved that she started crying again: “Yímǔ ^[2]formal version of Yí which means mother’s sister is so good to me. Even if I work like a cow or a horse, I can’t repay you.”

Empress Dowager Zhao was as harsh to Empress Qiao as she was kind to Qin Fei.

She reached out and patted the back of Qin Fei’s hand: “What are you talking about? You lost your mother when you were young, and I took care of you when you grew up. In my heart, besides the Emperor, you are the closest to me. Who else would I support if not you?”

The Empress Dowager of Zhao was closer to Qin Fei than to her zhíér,^[3]brother’s son Marquis of Puyang.

After all, in terms of blood relationship, Marquis Puyang’s deceased father was a legitimate son, and Qin Fei’s biological mother was the biological sister of Empress Dowager Zhao. ^[4]basically Marquid Puyang’s father was her step-brother but Qin Shi’s mother was her own sister

Qin Fei said with red eyes: “I don’t care whether the position is higher or lower. As long as I can always be with my Yímǔ.” But she secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

…

(End of this chapter)