The Beloved Imperial Consort Chapter 169

What made Mu Xi Yao breathe a sigh of relief was that Zong Zheng Lin, though looking puzzled, replied, “There is no such rule. If one can take more than one item, it is actually considered an auspicious sign.”

At these words, Mu Xi Yao’s feather fan immediately perked up, and her posture exuded grace and allure. Despite Zong Zheng Lin’s repeated warnings, he still only received Mu Xi Yao’s cocky yet flirtatious glances.

Competing in quantity? Mu Xi Yao was delighted. If her little bun had any special talent, it would undoubtedly be protecting his belongings and fondness for collecting things.  

As for his bits and bobs toys that nobody cared about, every time he finished playing with them, he would watch Chun Lan meticulously tidy them up, ensuring not a single item was left behind, before obediently returning to his room. Mu Xi Yao admitted that this miserly temperament was inherited from her. According to her, it was just being frugal!

Sure enough, when Chun Lan hastily brought the ‘bamboo basket’ that the Young Master wanted, everyone in the hall was immediately dumbfounded.

That chubby little one in the center, just like that, took one step at a time, pointing as he went. Behind him, the maid referred to as ‘Lan Lan’ by the toddler at the front, gathered whatever he pointed at. In no time, most of the items on the brocade mat were collected by the two of them into the ink-colored bamboo basket. Their vigorous action of sweeping everything clean left everyone flabbergasted, with no one daring to speak up to interrupt the tyrannical conduct of the master and servant duo.

Consort Shu, seated at the seat of honor, was already staring intently ahead. Cheng Qing, this precious bundle, didn’t at all seem like a one-year-old baby doing his first Draw Lots Ceremony. He clearly had his own ideas, capable of thinking for himself. Delighted by this, she immediately voiced her praise with a smile, her face radiating gratification as she encouraged her grandson to grab more. All these were good omens; the more he grabbed, the more blessings he would have. Why wouldn’t Consort Shu be happy about that?

The guests who came to offer congratulations were all astonished to see that the firstborn son of the Sixth Highness, despite being short and chubby, was so remarkably intelligent. Wasn’t he unbelievably clever? The madams of various households were secretly pondering, could it be that Mu Cefei had a unique approach to raising children, which resulted in such an endearing child? They decided to shamelessly inquire about it when they had time, as who wouldn’t wish for their children to be smart and quick-witted?

“Daddy, hug.” After picking up everything on the brocade mat, Cheng Qing, just as usual, took a step forward with his little legs and threw himself against Zong Zheng Lin. Upon reaching him, he hugged his dad’s legs and looked up at Zong Zheng Lin with a face strikingly similar to his, currying favor.

Seeing her son’s lackey-like appearance, Mu Xi Yao’s smugness evaporated in an instant. Damn it, why did the little bun start acting cute at the last moment? Where did that sharp-witted attitude go? Rushing to cling to his dad, what good did that do? Better to go out and show off a bit more to elevate her status.

Zong Zheng Lin swiftly picked up his son and stroked Cheng Qing’s fluffy head, letting the little guy lean against his chest and play with his crown’s ribbons as he pleased.

Mu Xi Yao felt frustrated with their lack of ambition, regretting to her core. Such a display of fatherly and filial affection, you two can take your time being affectionate back in the room. In front of others, what we want is to make an impact! Just now, during the drawing of lots, he appeared quite impressive. How did he suddenly turn back into an ordinary baby? And why did he revert to being clingy to his dad, ignoring her, his mom?

The two praisers had never experienced such an astounding spectacle before, so they had no better ideas and could only recite the prepared speeches one by one. This whole process took a good half a quarter-hour, making everyone want to doze off.

Whose child caused so much trouble? Well, from today onward, the eldest son of the Sixth Highness will amaze the world with a single brilliant feat and be famous throughout Shengjing. Listening to his Draw Lots Ceremony congratulations, one could have finished two cups of tea. After hearing about such an unusual event, the Yuancheng Emperor regretted not putting aside his official duties to sneak a peek.

Due to his outstanding performance, little bun Cheng Qin won the fondness of Consort Shu, who could not bear to let him go back to the inner yard to play alone without his parents’ supervision, feeling uneasy without them being around. With people constantly coming and going, if a bad person sneaked into the residence like last time, Cheng Qing would be in great danger. Considering this, she simply had his little bed carried over and took Cheng Qing back to the palace for a brief stay with a bustling entourage. The wet nurse, accompanied by Chun Lan and two other regularly attending servant girls, all followed. Before leaving, Mu Xi Yao repeatedly instructed them not to spoil him, to insist on eating main meals, and to let him get used to eating by himself.

After settling this matter, she suddenly remembered that His Highness had asked her to visit the study earlier in the main hall. Mu Xi Yao gritted her teeth and thought for a long time before obediently taking Zhao Momo and Mo Lan and slowly heading to the front yard in a sedan chair. That man’s word was law; if she were to ignore him, Mu Xi Yao feared he would shamelessly take her away again.

Since the Draw Lots Ceremony was a formal occasion, women from the inner yard who did not hold the status of cefei or higher were not even allowed to watch the ceremony. At this moment, the women gathered in the courtyard to listen to the opera. Su Lin Rou sat among the womenfolk of the Sixth Highness, reluctantly sharing the recent events with everyone.

How could Mu Xi Yao be so lucky? Not only did she get a son but also earned immense honor. Earlier in the hall, the exclamations of the madams and misses were endless, making Su Lin Rou extremely jealous.

Lady Zhang had long been diagnosed by the imperial physician as having no hope of offspring in this lifetime. Sitting there and hearing about the interesting events during the Draw Lots Ceremony of the Sixth Highness’s eldest son stirred up past memories. Lady Zhang felt a pang of sadness tightening her chest, with tears faintly welling up in her eyes. Fearing being seen by others and getting into trouble, she quickly covered up and wiped her eyes, not daring to listen any further.

Wan Jing Wen felt nothing but heart-wrenching agony. Mu Xi Yao’s son was the apple of his eyes. He guarded him so preciously. Even the Draw Lots Ceremony was conducted with the grandeur of appointing a shizi¹. The difference therein cannot be reasoned out.

Only He Lian Min Min, aside from developing some dislike towards Cheng Qing, harbored no other miscellaneous thoughts. His Highness thought she couldn’t bear a son, hence he valued Mu Xi Yao’s shu son so highly. She felt at fault in this matter, unable to speak up, let alone explain. Now, whatever was said was of no use; the most important thing was to find out Niu Qi’s method of neutralization, to nurse her body back to health, and to serve His Highness a few times in hopes of bearing a son in one go. This content belongs to thehlifestyle.com, if you see this translation elsewhere, it’s been stolen!

“Yu Ying, can we really enter Danruo Courtyard to pay respect to Cefei?” Several people who were friends with Di Wu Yu Ying chatted excitedly without end.

“Cefei is very kind, you don’t need to be nervous. We’re just going to sit for a while and pick up the copybook Cefei promised in passing. We can’t stay too long.” Since Mu Xi Yao had Cheng Qing, she was very tight on time. While her correspondence with Di Wu Yu Ying remained the same as before, there were frequent complaints between the lines, reminiscing about the days in the boudoir².

“Miss Yu Ying.” Hui Lan, who stayed in Danruo Courtyard, finally waited for Di Wu Yu Ying’s visit and hurried forward to greet her, conveying her mistress’s message.

“His Highness is looking for Mistress to discuss matters. She’s currently gone to the front yard. The Mistress said that if you arrive early, you may come in for some tea and look at some books. If waiting gets dull, you’re also free to go around the garden; she ordered this servant to accompany you and be at your disposal.” Hui Lan, having followed Mu Xi Yao since childhood, was very familiar with Di Wu Yu Ying and spoke with her without any hint of reserve.

“So it is.” Di Wu Yu Ying nodded. “Since Cefei is not here, it’s inconvenient for us to enter the house; we might as well stroll in the garden. I heard that on the newly built Mingyue Lake, His Highness specially constructed a twelve-arch white marble bridge, which is quite rare.”

“If Miss Yu Ying is interested, this servant will accompany you on the walk.” Hui Lan called a servant girl and prepared some snacks and fine tea. These ladies from noble families would surely want to take a break in the pavilion after playing around for a while.

Translation notes:

[1] Shizi refers to the heir apparent to princes.

[2] Days in the boudoir refers to unmarried days.

Relationship Diagram  (by Sith Kazar)

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