A lamp was lit under the eaves. Its light clearly shone on the faces of the two people, illuminating their features. Song Nanxin's long hair cascaded down her back. She was loosely wrapped in a cape, and her face bore a look of lingering shock.
"Your, Your Highness, you've given this concubine quite a fright."
Looking at this "wife" who had just been intimate with him in bed, Ji Lingchuan's heart inexplicably turned cold.
He stared at her for a long while, unable to understand why his feelings for her had faded so quickly.
Leaving behind a simple "Rest well," Ji Lingchuan strode away.
At this moment, not only Song Nanxin but also Baizhi was startled by Ji Lingchuan. One could only imagine what would have happened to them if Song Yihuan hadn't switched places with Song Nanxin!
The mistress and her maid leaned against each other and watched the man leave until his figure disappeared from sight. Only then did they both heave a sigh of relief.
After getting fully dressed in the side room, Song Yihuan was welcomed back to Yixiang Pavilion by Nanny Zhao.
"What on earth happened just now?" As soon as she saw Song Yihuan, Song Nanxin demanded impatiently. "Why on earth did the Crown Prince suddenly decide to stay the night in Shulan Courtyard? What exactly did he say to you?"
Song Yihuan didn't hide anything. "I asked the Crown Prince as you instructed, Eldest Sister. He said that the black wooden box contained items belonging to an old friend of his. Since the person couldn't be found, he kept them as a memento. After that, he asked me a question."
With her excellent memory, Song Yihuan repeated the question word for word to Song Nanxin.
"And how did you answer?" Song Nanxin stared intently at Song Yihuan and pressed on.
"I said that a person who steals money from others to do good deeds is actually a hypocrite and it would be better to kill him," Song Yihuan replied. "Perhaps the Crown Prince wasn't satisfied with my answer. He stopped talking and just said it was time to sleep. As for what happened after that, Eldest Sister should already know."
Song Nanxin frowned in thought, unable to figure out what was wrong with Song Yihuan's answer. She paced around the room and murmured in a low voice, "The Crown Prince is so perceptive. It seems I need to find a way to avoid his favor for a while and wait for some time before doing anything."
Looking at her anxious eldest sister, Song Yihuan felt completely indifferent.
Whether or not to avoid the Crown Prince's favor made no difference to her. Before she gave birth to a child, she couldn't return to the Marquis's Mansion anyway. At present, she was like a caged bird with a chain around its neck, unable to escape this cage.
Actually, deep down, she hoped that she would conceive a child soon so that she could be freed earlier.
Her eldest sister stopped walking and looked at her. This was the first time her eldest sister had looked at her with a gentle gaze since she had replaced her to serve the Crown Prince. "Yihuan, you did a great job tonight. Fortunately, you were quick-witted and switched places with me in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. You've had a hard time tonight. Go back to the side room and rest well. Return tomorrow morning."
Remembering her younger brother's pale face when she was taken away, Song Yihuan's long lashes trembled slightly. "Eldest Sister, Xuan'er was frightened by Nanny Zhao last night. He doesn't look well. I can't stay the night in Shulan Courtyard."
Song Nanxin gritted her teeth and glared angrily at Nanny Zhao. Then she forced a smile and said, "In that case, you can go back. Tomorrow, I'll invite a doctor to go to Tinglan Courtyard to check on him. Don't worry. He's also my younger brother. I'll never let anything happen to him."
Only then did Song Yihuan nod in satisfaction. She took Fuling and quietly returned to Tinglan Courtyard along the path under the cover of night.
Song Yixuan was indeed frightened, but he fell asleep after taking the medicine. However, his little face still looked sickly pale, which made people feel sorry for him. Song Yihuan sat by the bed and lovingly stroked his forehead.
Perhaps sensing Song Yihuan's presence beside him, Song Yixuan murmured "Sister" in his sleep. He held her hand tightly and nestled against her affectionately.
This was the child her mother had given her life to bring into the world. No matter what illness he had, he was an extremely important family member in her heart. She would never let anything happen to him.
After Song Yihuan left, Song Nanxin said angrily, "I knew it. The black box must contain items belonging to the Crown Prince's old lover! Baizhi, you must find out who that person is for me!"
Nanny Zhao advised, "Miss, why bother? The Crown Prince has already said that his old friend can't be found now. Instead of competing with a person who is no longer around, it's more important to win the Crown Prince's heart as soon as possible."
"What do you know!" Song Nanxin gritted her teeth and said. "That person can't be found now, but what if she appears again? Judging from how much the Crown Prince cares about her, there's a good chance he'll take her into the mansion as a concubine. If her status is similar to mine, it's very likely that she'll be on an equal footing with me."
"In that case, you shouldn't avoid his favor even more," Nanny Zhao glanced at her abdomen. "It's most important to get the Fourth Miss pregnant as soon as possible to secure the position of the Crown Princess. Even if that person appears and enters the mansion one day, with an heir by your side, Miss, she won't be able to outshine you."
Song Nanxin took Nanny Zhao's words to heart. She bit her lower lip and hesitated.
Coincidentally or not, before Song Nanxin could make up her mind, a reason for her to avoid the Crown Prince's favor came to her on its own.
Early the next morning, when Song Yihuan woke up in Tinglan Courtyard, she felt a dull ache in her lower abdomen. This feeling was all too familiar to her. Her face changed. She got up to check and, as she had expected, her menstruation had come.
Every time Song Yihuan had her period, it would torture her terribly.
It felt as if a heavy iron block was hanging from her lower abdomen, and the pain came in waves like a huge tide. Song Yihuan was in so much pain that she couldn't even get out of bed. She needed someone to take care of her when she drank water or ate.
She held a hot water bottle in front of her abdomen and lay in bed listlessly, staring blankly at the wind chimes hanging from the window eaves.
The arrival of her period meant that she hadn't conceived a child during these times of serving the Crown Prince. It also meant that she had to endure this kind of secretive life for a while longer.
It seemed that even the Goddess of Mercy thought she was unlucky and wasn't willing to bless her with a child.
Fuling delivered the news that Song Yihuan couldn't serve the Crown Prince to Yixiang Pavilion. After learning this, Song Nanxin felt relieved. She immediately sent word to Songhe Courtyard and Jingtao Courtyard that she "wasn't feeling well."
In contrast to Song Nanxin's secret delight, Princess Ning was very disappointed. She sighed softly to the nanny beside her, "It's a pity. It seems I'll have to wait a little longer to hold my grandson."
Nanny Chen massaged her shoulders and said with a smile, "This is actually a good thing. The Crown Prince and the Crown Princess are newlyweds. Let them cultivate their feelings so that they can manage the Prince's Mansion better in the future, just like you and the Prince."
Princess Ning smiled and said, "You do have a point."
In Jingtao Courtyard, when Ji Lingchuan heard the news that no one from Shulan Courtyard could serve him for a few days, he not only felt no regret but also clearly let out a sigh of relief.
Subconsciously, he didn't want his wife to spread the good news of being pregnant so soon.
In the following days, except for seeing Song Nanxin when he went to Songhe Courtyard to pay his respects every day, Ji Lingchuan never set foot in Shulan Courtyard again. And Song Yihuan finally got to spend some peaceful days in the Prince Ning's Mansion.
While things calmed down in Shulan Courtyard, there was quite a stir in Jingtao Courtyard, and it was no small matter.
A maid actually sneaked into Ji Lingchuan's room at night, trying to seduce him and climb up the social ladder!