The two little ones from the Ding'an royal family received imperial rewards, so Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun should have gone to the palace to express their gratitude.
However, Wang Qingyao was still in her confinement period, so the Old Grand Consort went on her behalf.
Xiao Yun and the Old Grand Consort entered the palace early in the morning.
Wang Qingyao was bored. The two little ones woke up, drank their milk, and the wet nurse brought them over to play for a while before they fell asleep again. It was called playing, but it was just looking at them. Babies this young couldn't do anything, so what was there to play with?
She asked Bian Siyue to read her a storybook, and they chatted for a bit before Nian Momo chased Bian Siyue away.
The reason given was that the new mother should rest more, as talking too much could tire the jaw and lead to sequelae later.
Wang Qingyao was truly exasperated. Lying in bed, she wasn't allowed to do anything. All day long, it was either eating or sleeping. She wasn't even allowed to talk much. Confinement felt like imprisonment.
It was also July, the hottest month of the year. At her insistence, Nian Momo reluctantly agreed to have the thick quilts removed and replaced with thin blankets. But she would nag more than a dozen times, saying Wang Qingyao was willful and disobedient, and would suffer from many illnesses in old age.
Confinement was a tradition of thousands of years in China. Even if Wang Qingyao explained modern practices to her, she couldn't understand.
So Wang Qingyao let her ramble on, knowing it was for her own good.
During confinement, one shouldn't be exposed to drafts. Fanning was out of the question, and even opening the windows was forbidden. Wang Qingyao had people place ice in the room. This time, not only Nian Momo nagged, but the Old Grand Consort also started complaining. Even Bian Siyue and Huang Shiyu commented twice.
Wang Qingyao explained to them, "This little bit of ice won't do any harm. For ice to melt, it needs to absorb heat from the air, so it's actually not bad for me."
Everyone looked bewildered.
But Wang Qingyao insisted that if she were to die of heatstroke or go mad from the heat, they could only indulge her. When she wasn't paying attention, they would secretly move the ice basins to the doorway.
She could barely feel any coolness. Wang Qingyao had no choice but to find solace in the sight of the ice.
Finally, Xiao Yun returned. Going to the palace to express gratitude was supposed to be a mere formality, but this time it took a considerable amount of time.
As soon as Xiao Yun entered the room, he sent away all the servants attending them. Without looking at Wang Qingyao, he sat on a stool and remained silent.
"What's wrong?" Wang Qingyao asked.
Xiao Yun glanced at her, his expression very complex.
Wang Qingyao tried to discern it: three parts guilt, three parts confusion, and six parts anger.
"What is it? Say something!" Wang Qingyao was anxious. She couldn't stand to see Xiao Yun acting so indecisive.
"I don't know where to begin," Xiao Yun finally spoke, sounding very angry.
It seemed something unpleasant had happened in the palace. However, Wang Qingyao observed him; his arms and legs were intact, and his face bore no injuries. He was safe and sound, so she didn't take it too seriously.
"Start from when you and Grandmother went to the palace."
Xiao Yun mentally reviewed the events and slowly began to recount them.
The story was as follows.
This morning, Xiao Yun and the Old Grand Consort went to the palace to express their gratitude. They had to thank the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, Noble Consort Wei, and Consort Chen. Usually, the female members of the harem would handle such matters, but Xiao Yun had been accustomed to the palace since childhood and was like a grandson to the Empress Dowager. Thus, he didn't stand on ceremony. Except for Consort Chen's residence, he accompanied the Old Grand Consort to the Empress Dowager's and Noble Consort Wei's palaces.
Everything was normal at the Emperor's and Empress Dowager's palaces. However, trouble arose at Noble Consort Wei's Huayang Palace.
First, a palace maid serving tea accidentally spilled water all over the Old Grand Consort.
Then, while the Old Grand Consort went to the side hall to change her clothes, Xiao Yun drank some tea and began to feel dizzy and hot...
Upon hearing this, Wang Qingyao inwardly exclaimed, "What the hell?" This sounded like the reaction to an aphrodisiac!
She couldn't help but sit up straighter, her mind already considering whether she would still want him if Xiao Yun were to lose his virginity.
As Xiao Yun was affected by the aphrodisiac, before he could react, the Fifth Princess suddenly appeared from somewhere, dressed scantily and provocatively, and moved to approach him.
Only then did Xiao Yun realize he had been set up.
The Fifth Princess had declared her feelings before but was not approved by the Emperor. Now, she had resorted to such a despicable tactic!
He had also been too careless. Noble Consort Wei had always liked Wang Qingyao, so he thought nothing would go wrong in Huayang Palace.
At some point, Noble Consort Wei and the other palace maids had disappeared from the main hall. Xiao Yun, without time to ponder the intricacies of this, used the last shred of clarity in his mind to push away the Fifth Princess and head for the exit.
However, the door was locked.
Xiao Yun was furious. It was clear that Noble Consort Wei was involved!
At this point, Xiao Yun paused to take a breath and drink some water.
Wang Qingyao anxiously asked, "And then? Did you... lose it?"
Xiao Yun returned in a rage. Seeing Wang Qingyao, he felt a pang of guilt. Which new mother was not supposed to have a comfortable and peaceful month of confinement? Yet she had to worry about such sordid matters.
He felt sorry for Wang Qingyao and was also angry at his own carelessness. Really, who would have thought that Noble Consort Wei would conspire with the Fifth Princess to scheme against him?