Chapter 364 Misunderstanding
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
The Wangfei’s pregnancy is a great joy and certainly needs to be announced to both the relatives and the palace. Gifts need to be prepared first, and when the Wangye returns, he will surely reward his attendants. Zheng Momo happily went to discuss with Li Quanxin, “Do we still have the special silver ingots made for the Wangye and Wangfei’s wedding last time? Have them brought out and prepared, and get some new money as well, to be used when the Wangye returns.”
Li Quanxin was also happy. During this time, everything in the mansion was going smoothly, and the beauties in the northern garden Courtyard also showed him some favor. He had arranged for instructors to teach them music and arts, so everyone was occupied. The troublemaker Zhou Nushi and Ping Nushi were behaving well, and Zhu Changsheng’s injury, which he had aggravated with some added ingredients in his medicine, kept recurring, so he had to recuperate quietly. Therefore, the entire mansion was peaceful.
If His Highness wanted to reward someone, the first person to be generously rewarded would be him. Therefore, Li Quanxin didn’t hesitate to arrange for people to take care of it. Then he discussed with Zheng Momo, “The congratulatory gifts to be sent to the relatives’ house must be elaborately prepared and luxurious. Momo, help me with the details. I wonder what the lord and Madam of the Xiang family like…”
As the two were flipping through the book, a little eunuch ran hurriedly from outside the door, “Master! Someone from the palace is here! They say the Great Empress Dowager has sent something to the Wangfei.”
The Great Empress Dowager often sent delicious food or interesting items to the Wangfei. Li Quanxin and Zheng Momo didn’t find it strange. Since they had to receive the palace envoy, both of them put aside the matter of preparing gifts and went to the front.
The person who came to deliver the rewards on behalf of the Great Empress Dowager was Liang Youyi, the newly appointed deputy steward of the Changxin Palace. He was one of Eunuch Rong’s earliest apprentices and had suffered with him, so they shared both honor and disgrace. Although his title still had the word “deputy,” he actually had full control.
Seeing Mingzhu’s amiable appearance, Liang Youyi smiled, “It’s been a few days. The Wangfei looks more rounded and has a really good complexion.”
So obvious? Mingzhu felt a little embarrassed and dodged the topic, “Is the Great Empress Dowager in good health?”
Liang Youyi laughed, “Thanks to the blessings of the heavens, the Great Empress Dowager is in good health.” As he spoke, he signaled the little eunuch accompanying him to put down the things they had brought.
Two large camphorwood boxes, sealed with bright yellow strips, their contents unknown. Usually, when gifts were sent from the palace, the palace envoy would explain or there would be a separate note, but today Liang Youyi didn’t say anything and just indicated that they were leaving.
Although Mingzhu found it strange, she didn’t think too much about it. She respectfully rewarded Liang Youyi and his entourage, and invited them to stay for a meal, but Liang Youyi promptly declined, “There’s a lot to do in the palace, and this old servant has to hurry back to serve the Great Empress Dowager.”
Since that’s the case, Mingzhu didn’t want to delay any longer. She instructed Li Quanxin, “Escort Steward Liang out for me.”
Liang Youyi smiled and asked, “Does the Wangfei have any message for the Great Empress Dowager?”
Mingzhu thought for a moment and replied, “Thank the Great Empress Dowager for her concern, and please take good care of herself. Don’t overexert herself. I’ll visit her another day to pay my respects.”
Liang Youyi accepted her words with a smile. “Is there anything else?”
“No, that’s all.” Mingzhu shook her head. The Great Empress Dowager’s gifts usually required a visit to the palace to express gratitude. At that time, she could personally inform the Empress Dowager about her pregnancy, which would be more solemn than sending Liang Youyi to deliver a message.
Liang Youyi glanced meaningfully at Mingzhu and said, “In that case, I’ll take my leave. Take care, Wangfei.”
Mingzhu instinctively felt something was off, but couldn’t discern what it was.
Liang Youyi wasn’t as friendly as Rong Ming, and he usually spoke little. He had a somewhat gloomy demeanor and could be ruthless. Despite being respectful to her, he wouldn’t say much or do much, unlike Rong Ming, who would play with her when he had nothing to do, indicating a certain degree of affection between them.
Mingzhu didn’t particularly like Liang Youyi. However, because in her previous life, the Great Empress Dowager had always been with Liang Youyi until her death, and he had always been by the Great Empress Dowager’s side, which could be considered loyalty and duty-bound, therefore, she was very polite to Liang Youyi. If Rong Ming had come today, she would have pestered him with questions, but since it was Liang Youyi, asking would be pointless. So, she decided not to ask.
After Liang Youyi left, Zheng Momo had the two large camphorwood boxes brought into the main hall. Mingzhu washed her hands, bowed, and then used a silver knife to break the seals on the boxes. She took a key from the nearby rack, unlocked the boxes, and opened them to see what was inside.
Her heart pounded with excitement. The first box was filled with exquisite children’s clothing, shoes, and socks, each one carefully crafted and meticulously selected. The second box contained toys for children, including rattan balls, fabric tigers, windmills, bamboo dragonflies, wooden swords, and tambourines, everything a child could desire.
Zheng Momo and the others watched with delight. “These are all finely crafted items made within the palace. The Great Empress Dowager is very considerate.”
Mingzhu’s lips trembled. She understood why Liang Youyi had been so meaningful and repeatedly asked if she had anything to say to the Great Empress Dowager.
The news of her pregnancy had just been confirmed. Previously, only Yuwen Chu, herself, Zheng Momo, and the old doctor from Kouchun Hall knew about the possibility of her pregnancy. Even the people from Fu Mansion didn’t know. Yet, the Great Empress Dowager had sent her two large boxes of children’s items.
This indicated that the Great Empress Dowager already knew about her pregnancy. But just earlier, Mingzhu had told the Great Empress Dowager that she wasn’t pregnant yet, as her menstruation had come.
It seemed like intentional concealment.
It was easy to imagine how Liang Youyi would report to the Great Empress Dowager when he returned to the palace. Misunderstandings had arisen. Mingzhu felt sad and covered her eyes with her hands. If their thoughts and positions differed, could they still love each other?
“What’s wrong, Wangfei?” Zheng Momo noticed Mingzhu’s distress and exchanged a glance with Su Lan. Su Lan found an excuse to dismiss the others and stood guard at the door, not allowing anyone to disturb them.
“I think… the Great Empress Dowager is probably angry with me.” Mingzhu felt particularly upset. She blinked, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Zheng Momo quickly handed her a handkerchief to wipe her tears. “Don’t cry. How can you cry when you’re pregnant? You should be happy. You must have overthought it. The Great Empress Dowager is probably overjoyed. Why would she be angry with you? Look, each of these items is carefully selected, and they are all excellent.”
Mingzhu shook her head vigorously. “You don’t understand.”
The Great Empress Dowager was stubborn. These two boxes couldn’t have been prepared hastily. It would have taken several days to prepare them. She had probably been waiting for her in the palace for several days and had sent Liang Youyi to deliver these two boxes when she didn’t show up.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
