newbobooks Chapter 256 Fang Nanxi's Transmigration to the Qing Dynasty 10
Chapter 256 Fang Nanxi's Transmigration to the Qing Dynasty 10
Fang Nanxi rested peacefully in Qinglan Garden to prepare for her pregnancy, while the Fourth Prince often came to Qinglan Garden for dinner.
On this day, Fourth Master brought Su Peisheng with him.
He looked at Fang Nanxi and said, "Qinglan Garden is still a bit remote, and there's a small pond in front of it, so it's not very safe. My wife and I have discussed it, and once your pregnancy is stable, we'll move to Shaoguang Garden."
Shaoguang Courtyard is closer to the main courtyard and is twice the size of Qinglan Courtyard. Although it is not the best courtyard in the mansion, it can still be ranked among the top five.
Fang Nanxi lowered her head as if in thought, then raised her head and looked at the Fourth Master with a puzzled expression, saying, "Of course I'm willing, but won't the ladies in the manor have any objections?"
Fourth Master was amused by Fang Nanxi's adorable appearance and couldn't help but reach out and touch her little face, saying gently, "Don't worry, who can object to what I've decided?"
Seeing this, Fang Nanxi immediately stood up and thanked him, "Thank you, Fourth Master."
Fourth Master helped Fang Nanxi up, his gaze instantly darkening, filled with lust. It's a pity this young girl is pregnant now; the phrase "a beauty of unparalleled grace" must have been used to describe her.
"Alright, I'm going back to the front yard. You can rest and recover. Have the servants pack your things, and we'll move to Shaoguang Courtyard in a few days," the Fourth Master said softly.
After seeing Fourth Master off, Fang Nanxi revealed a mocking smile. She knew she couldn't rely on men. She had clearly seen Fourth Master's expression just now; he was obviously lustful and probably went back to the front courtyard to vent his frustrations.
That's good too. Once she gives birth to this child, she can raise it in peace. Perhaps after the Fourth Prince passes away, the child can inherit his throne.
"Fourth Master is so good to the Princess. We can finally move out of Qinglan Courtyard. Qinglan Courtyard is indeed remote. Every time we go to the main courtyard to pay our respects, we have to get up an hour early. Once we move to Shaoguang Courtyard, the Princess can sleep in a little longer." Xingluo was genuinely happy for Fang Nanxi.
"Alright, you and Qiushuang will direct the people below to pack up their things for the next few days," Fang Nanxi said, concealing the coldness in her eyes.
“Yes, Princess,” Xingluo and Qiushuang replied in unison.
As July arrived, the entire mansion became like a giant furnace, unbearably hot. No wonder the Emperor and his princes all preferred to escape the heat outside.
At this time, the Fourth Prince had not yet been granted the title of Prince, nor had he received the Yuanmingyuan Garden as a gift from the Emperor. Currently, all the princes were living with the Emperor in Changchun Garden, and Consort Wu and Consort An had also gone there to serve him.
Song Gege and Fang Nanxi stayed in the mansion to rest during their pregnancies, Li Shi had to take care of the Third Prince who was not yet two years old, and the Fujin was busy managing the affairs of the mansion.
With all the men gone, the mansion became much quieter. Fang Nanxi, unable to bear the sweltering summer heat, took a refreshing and pure elixir, which finally made her feel cooler.
In Ruixiang Courtyard, Madam Li sat at the head of the table, her brows furrowed in frustration: "What's going on? Did you even do your job properly?"
Since her illness last time, when the Fourth Prince saw her in such an unpleasant state, she fell out of favor. Although the Fourth Prince would still come to Ruixiang Courtyard, he would only come for dinner and never stay overnight.
"Madam, I've already made some moves with Consort Song, but... I couldn't bribe Consort Fang's servants," Chun Tao said timidly. She felt that the concubine was becoming increasingly capricious.
"What are you all good for? You're all useless. No, my second and third sons must be the only two children in the mansion, and the mansion must be inherited by my children in the future. When the master returns, I will make sure that he makes the second son the heir apparent."
Li's face grew increasingly ferocious. The Second Prince had fallen ill again recently, and his health was deteriorating. The Third Prince was still just an innocent toddler, understanding nothing. She certainly didn't want another child of similar age to the Third Prince to be born in the household, vying for the Fourth Prince's favor.
On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August, the Emperor returned to the palace, and the Fourth Prince also returned to his residence with Princess An and Princess Wu.
Fang Nanxi was four months pregnant at this time, and her belly was slightly showing. She stood behind the Fujin and glanced at Song Gege out of the corner of her eye.
Song Gege's face was covered in thick powder, and her brows showed signs of fatigue. It seemed that Song Gege's pregnancy was not going smoothly, probably because she had fallen for Li's tricks.
She glanced at Consort Li in front of her. Consort Li's attire was more composed than before, but still luxurious and exquisite.
During Fang Nanxi's pregnancy, Madam Li tried to bribe the people in her Shaoguang Courtyard, but Fang Nanxi had already given the servants loyalty pills, so she had no chance to do so.
Before long, the Fourth Prince dismounted, and Princess An and Princess Wu also emerged from the carriage behind him.
"Greetings to Your Excellency, may Your Excellency be well." The crowd bowed in unison.
"Get up," Fourth Master said.
Fourth Master glanced at Fang Nanxi and Madam Song, and seeing that they were both safe and sound, he felt much more at ease.
"Let's go inside and talk," Fourth Master said softly.
……
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Fourth Prince, his wife, and Lady Li went to the palace to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, while Fang Nanxi stayed peacefully in Shaoguang Courtyard.
Fang Nanxi originally thought that history might change because of her appearance, and even thought that the Fourth Prince would have a few more children. Unexpectedly, Princess An and Princess Wu still did not get pregnant.
It seems to be a problem with the Fourth Prince himself; he was probably premature. After all, without her, the Fourth Prince had a daughter in the 45th year of Kangxi's reign, who unfortunately died young. It wasn't until the 50th year of Kangxi's reign that Hongli and Hongzhou were born.
She couldn't believe that the Fourth Master never went into the inner courtyard, yet he hadn't had a child for five whole years. What else could it be but poor health?
Unexpectedly, when the Prince Consort and the Fourth Prince returned to the mansion during the Mid-Autumn Festival, they brought back two concubines with them.
It turned out that Consort De knew that two princesses in the Fourth Prince's mansion were pregnant, so she bestowed Concubine Yi and Concubine Zhang upon them.
Both of them came from the Upper Three Banners, but their backgrounds were even more humble than Song Gege's. At least Song Gege's father held an official position, while neither Yi nor Zhang's fathers held any official rank.
Concubine Yi was pitifully beautiful, with a stunning appearance, only slightly less so than Fang Nanxi. Concubine Zhang, on the other hand, had a delicate and pretty face, and appeared to be in good health.
Fang Nanxi had absolutely no liking for Consort De, who bestowed servants upon the Fourth Prince's residence during the Mid-Autumn Festival. How could she do such a thing? It was clearly meant to annoy the Prince's wife. However, judging from the Prince's wife's nonchalant attitude, it seemed Consort De had done this kind of thing quite often.
Moreover, bringing back two concubines for the Fourth Prince in front of the Emperor, his brothers, and his ministers, one of whom was quite beautiful, wasn't that implying that the Fourth Prince was impatient? No wonder the Fourth Prince looked unwell on Mid-Autumn Festival.
Fang Nanxi didn't care about the new women in the mansion; she only focused on her pregnancy. Before she knew it, it was January of the forty-fifth year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign. She vaguely remembered that the Second Prince had passed away from illness that year.
Before Fang Nanxi could think about it carefully, the Second Prince fell ill after the Lantern Festival. Weren't New Year's Eve and New Year's Day always such a turbulent time? The Second Prince endured until after the Lantern Festival before the royal physician was summoned.
It's estimated that the Second Prince had already fallen ill during the New Year. People in ancient times were quite feudal and considered it unlucky to invite imperial physicians or local doctors during the first month of the lunar year, so the Second Prince endured it, but who knew that his illness would eventually become terminal.
The imperial physicians tried their best to treat him, but to no avail, and the Second Prince passed away within two days. The first month of the lunar calendar wasn't even over yet, and the Second Prince was almost ten years old when this happened; the atmosphere in the entire mansion became extremely oppressive.