When First Madam returned to the Earl of Changning’s estate, it was already midday. Normally, if one was delayed in the palace until this late, either Consort Song or Song Chuyi would certainly have kept her for a meal. Yet she had returned at this hour, which made the servants in the estate rather puzzled.
Nanny Jin noticed that the smile on the First Madam’s lips hadn’t stopped all day. Supporting her as they walked toward Old Madam Song’s quarters, she saw that although the First Madam hadn’t been kept for a meal, her eyes and brows were full of joy, which made her feel curious.
Even Yushu raised her eyebrows in surprise, smiling as she welcomed her inside. She had just turned around to personally pour tea for the First Madam when she heard the First Madam call out to Old Madam Song, “Old Madam, there’s great joyful news!”
It was rare for the First Madam to be so excited, her tone unable to contain her laughter. “The Imperial Grand Princess Consort is with child!”
Old Madam Song had been watching Song Chuyan eat walnuts. Upon hearing this, she seemed unable to react for a moment. After standing stunned for a long while, she hurriedly turned to stare at the First Madam. “What did you say?!”
Yet there was no need for the First Madam to answer. She stood up herself, wanting to smile, but her eyes reddened instead.
This was the granddaughter she had raised by her side from childhood, the one she loved most dearly. She had watched this little granddaughter transform from someone annoying into someone well-mannered and proper, who knew how to conduct herself appropriately. She knew how much heartache and past suffering lay beneath this transformation.
Little Yi perhaps didn’t know, but when she was small, even her sleep was restless. She would wave her arms and legs as if trying to grasp something in the air. She had once said that in that nightmare she had, even her child had died, and she could never bear children again. When she said this, Little Yi’s voice had changed—one could tell how heart-wrenching it was.
But now, all the suffering had passed.
Old Madam Song called out “good” through her tears. Rarely somewhat flustered, she told the First Madam to submit a visiting card—she wanted to enter the palace.
The First Madam found herself in a difficult position. Old Madam Song’s health truly wasn’t very good anymore. Recently she would often fall asleep while sitting, and once, no matter how others called her, they couldn’t wake her, frightening Song Jue so badly he immediately went out to find an imperial physician.
Because of this, even when Mingzi had given birth, only the First Madam had made the trip. Old Master and the First Master and others had all worked hard to dissuade Old Madam Song. Now that she wanted to go out, the First Madam didn’t quite dare agree in her heart.
But Old Madam Song couldn’t sit still, not for a moment. Rarely showing some impatience, she looked at the First Madam. “Hurry and go! I’m going to see Little Yi.”
Their statuses were different, and now Song Chuyi was also carrying a child. If Old Madam Song wanted to see her granddaughter, no matter how great her dignity, she couldn’t have the Imperial Grand Princess Consort leave the palace—she could only enter herself.
The First Madam could only smile bitterly and respond affirmatively. Leaving the room, she first went to find the First Master. “I don’t dare make this decision. After all, Mother is advanced in years, and just a few days ago she was in such a state… The palace must also be in chaos right now.”
The palace was indeed already in chaos. Crown Princess Lu had rushed over personally upon hearing the news. Hearing that Song Chuyi had fallen asleep, she couldn’t help but smile. “I was the same way back then.”
Nanny Liang chimed in from the side, her face also bearing a smile. “Indeed! At that time, Her Ladyship couldn’t eat anything, but she was extremely fond of sleeping. No matter what, she would always sleep for most of the day.”
In fact, those days had been extremely difficult to endure, with nothing worth cherishing. The Crown Prince had been utterly cold toward the Crown Princess, Consort Fan had grown increasingly arrogant by the day, and Crown Princess Lu had been muddled and confused.
But now it had all finally passed. Nanny Liang only mentioned the happy things. “This is also common. Just let Her Ladyship sleep. Only when she’s slept enough will her spirits be good.”
Nanny Xu nodded repeatedly. After seeing off Crown Princess Lu, she bent down to touch Song Chuyi’s forehead, so delighted she shed tears.
If Lady Cui were still here, how happy she would be! Her daughter had grown up safely and peacefully, grown so well and so excellently, and was soon to have her own child…
She carefully lowered the bed curtains for Song Chuyi. Just as she turned to go out, Qing Tao came in and said softly, “Her Majesty the Empress has sent Court Lady Qin.”
Nanny Xu and Nanny Xu went out together to register and catalog the rewards from each palace. They had only done half when Zhou Weizhao returned.
It was Qing Zhuo who had heard the news and run to report it. When delivering the message, she couldn’t even speak properly, only grinning foolishly. After quite a while, she finally managed to make herself clear. “The Imperial Grand Princess Consort is with child! Your Highness, you’re going to be a father!”
Zhou Weizhao could no longer remember what his mood had been at that moment. In his recollection, he seemed to have been stunned, only reacting after a long while. After reacting, he spoke a word to Fu Youde and the others, then rushed from the Office of the Imperial Household as fast as he could, wishing he could sprout wings.
Yet when he truly saw Song Chuyi sleeping peacefully with her eyes closed, he was somewhat at a loss for what to do. Sitting by the bedside, he reached out to touch her face, then moved his gaze to her lower abdomen.
When they first met, he hadn’t even seen Song Chuyi’s face clearly. He only knew that sitting calmly and composedly in the carriage was definitely no ordinary young lady. The second time they met, she had given him a tremendous surprise—not only minimizing the losses to Prince Zhennan’s estate, but also seizing the opportunity to push the blame onto Xingfu and pull him down.
Then, gradually, he had become interested in this young lady. She often smiled, yet the smile never reached the depths of her eyes. Whenever she looked at Song Jue and the others, her eyes seemed to contain sorrow, and she valued her family more than life itself.
After that, they had also done many things together, helping each other many times.
A smile lingered at the corner of his mouth that he couldn’t stop. He took Song Chuyi’s hand and placed it at his lips for a light kiss, feeling incomparably settled and content in his heart.
When Song Chuyi woke, Zhou Weizhao was using a handkerchief to wipe her face. Seeing him, she couldn’t help but smile. “You’re back?”
Zhou Weizhao hummed in acknowledgment, reached out to patiently and carefully wipe her face, then bent down to embrace her. “Xiao Yi… thank you.”
Thank you for what? He couldn’t quite say.
When he descended the mountain, his master had told him that his fate star was dim, that his destiny held a bloody calamity, that he feared he could not die peacefully, and told him to delay returning to the capital. But he couldn’t wait—what was destined by fate, no one could change.
Zhang Tianshi had reluctantly let him descend the mountain, but told him that perhaps things might have a turning point—because the celestial phenomena had changed. Someone seemed to have already successfully defied fate and changed their destiny, and consequently his fate star had also undergone changes.
Later, time and again encountering Song Chuyi, his plans could always succeed extremely well. Combined with that dream Song Chuyi had experienced, he had realized that this person who changed fate, this auspicious star, was her.
Just as Zhang Tianshi had said before returning to Longhu Mountain, his ability to proceed so smoothly, to turn danger into safety and reverse the situation, truly had an inseparable relationship with Song Chuyi.
He really should thank this young lady—this young lady who was calm and self-possessed, this young lady who was strong yet vulnerable, the companion with whom he would spend the rest of his life.
Song Chuyi rested her chin on his shoulder and nodded very, very lightly. “And thank you too.”