Chapter 179
**Chapter 178: The Plan to Steal That Thing**
Shangguan Qian wore a puzzled expression. Kill, kill a pig? Was Prince Heng's preference really that peculiar?
The steward, seeing Shangguan Qian's dumbfounded look, felt a pang of sympathy and bowed slightly as he took his leave. "Miss Shangguan, if you truly wish to win the prince's heart, you’ll have to put in the effort in this direction."
Shangguan Qian stood there, lost in thought, unable to regain her composure for quite some time.
...
Days passed, five or six to be exact. The winter afternoon sun was warm, and the plum tree in the courtyard had begun to bud. Two young eunuchs were busy trimming the weeds. Shen Wei, afraid of the cold and disinterested in admiring the plum blossoms, spent most of her time in the warm room, poring over account books, only venturing out for exercise and necessary outings.
One day, Cai Lian brought a letter.
This letter was from Shen Wei's younger brother, Shen Xiuming, who had sent it from Jiangnan. Leaning against a soft couch, Shen Wei sipped a warm soup and opened the envelope to read.
The letter was lengthy, detailing Shen Xiuming's struggles as an official in Jiangnan, and how he had overcome the treacherous nature of the political world with his indomitable spirit.
Another part of the letter expressed his concern and worry for Shen Wei. Upon learning that she was pregnant again, he had secretly shed countless tears, fearing for his sister's well-being during this pregnancy.
How could his weak and pitiful sister face the oppression from the wives and concubines in the prince's residence?
Shen Wei quietly set the letter down.
She couldn’t bring herself to tell Shen Xiuming that the weak and pitiful her had already been strutting around the prince's residence...
"Put this letter away," Shen Wei instructed Cai Lian.
But after a moment's thought, she changed her mind. "Burn it instead." Shen Xiuming had mentioned the dangers of the political world in Jiangnan and had criticized the cruelty of the princess and others. To avoid giving anyone a handle to grasp, it was safer to burn the letter.
Winter nights fell early. When Prince Yan finished his duties and stepped into the Liuli Pavilion, the sky was already pitch black.
He had been running back and forth between the Ministry of War and the Eastern Palace these past few days, supervising the production and improvement of the composite bow while assisting the Crown Prince with state affairs, leaving him utterly exhausted.
The Liuli Pavilion was warmly lit. Shen Wei had already prepared hot water and a warming pot for Prince Yan to warm his hands.
The room was cozy.
Shen Wei sent someone to bring up dinner. Meanwhile, Prince Yan went to the nursery to see his daughter.
Little Le You was still crawling around on a wool blanket. Upon catching a whiff of a familiar scent, she joyfully opened her little hands and called out, "Hu—Hu—Wang—Hu Wang—"
Prince Yan paused, thinking he had misheard.
Little Le You opened her mouth again and called out, "Hu Wang..."
In an instant, Prince Yan realized his daughter was actually calling for him! A warm wave surged through his heart as he picked up his chubby daughter. Little Le You instinctively snuggled closer, babbling, "Hu Wang..."
Her teeth were not fully grown, and her speech was unclear, turning "Father" into "Hu Wang," yet Prince Yan felt utterly satisfied.
When Shen Wei walked into the room, Prince Yan joyfully told her, "Wei Wei, Le You just called me 'Father'!"
Shen Wei looked surprised and leaned in to listen. Sure enough, Le You called out a few more indistinct "Hu Wang" sounds.
"Good girl, call out 'Mother' now," Shen Wei said, poking her daughter's soft, chubby cheek.
Little Le You opened her mouth but stubbornly continued to call, "Hu Wang..."
Shen Wei sighed in exasperation, while Prince Yan burst into hearty laughter.
His daughter's sweet, babyish calls melted away the fatigue that had weighed on him for days in an instant.
Listening to Prince Yan's cheerful laughter, Shen Wei silently grumbled. He was so happy, unaware of how much time she and the wet nurse had spent teaching their child to say "Father."
In the past, the children of the prince's residence, except for those of the side consorts, were raised personally by the princess. She devoted great care to her own children, while being rather perfunctory with those of the other concubines, resulting in the latter's children learning to walk and talk much later.
Once they could speak, the children would often be frightened of Prince Yan, their calls of "Father" filled with trepidation.
Now, with their little daughter, not yet a year old, calling him "Father" in a sweet, soft voice, Prince Yan was naturally delighted.
After cuddling his daughter, he shared dinner with Shen Wei. That night, as they lay together, Prince Yan's mind wandered back to his daughter's calls. His expression softened as he touched Shen Wei's rounded belly.
If one daughter was so endearing, wouldn’t another daughter be even better?
Prince Yan was already brainstorming names for his next daughter, and as he thought, he gently stroked Shen Wei's belly. Suddenly feeling something unusual, he curiously asked, "I remember when you were pregnant with Le You, your belly at five months seemed smaller."
This time, at five months, Shen Wei's belly appeared to be more pronounced.
Shen Wei smiled and leaned closer to Prince Yan's ear to whisper something.
Prince Yan's eyes lit up with joy. "Really?"
Shen Wei wasn’t entirely sure, but she brought up the imperial physician. "The old doctor sent by the Empress has checked several times and said it’s twins. It shouldn’t be wrong."
Prince Yan was overjoyed, and in high spirits, he chatted with Shen Wei about names for the two children. They exchanged ideas until drowsiness swept over them, and soon they both fell into a deep sleep.
In the Liuli Pavilion, beside Shen Wei, Prince Yan always slept soundly and peacefully every night.
...
The next morning, Prince Yan was summoned to the palace. Shen Wei, feeling drowsy, got out of bed. Her belly was growing larger by the day, and she was especially sleepy. Often, she would only open her eyes after Prince Yan had left.
Today was particularly cold, and the plum blossoms in the courtyard were blooming, filling the air with their fragrance. The maidservants had trimmed a few branches of the flourishing plum blossoms and placed them in a vase. Shen Wei sipped her warm rice porridge, the scent of the blossoms wafting through her nostrils.
After breakfast, Shen Wei exercised in the warm room. Since ancient times, childbirth had been a perilous affair. If one child was painful to bear, two would surely be even more so. She needed to do more prenatal yoga to ease her back pain and cramps, and strengthen her pelvic muscles, ensuring a smoother delivery in the future.
Cai Ping rushed in, lowering her voice. "Mistress, there’s news from the Marquis's residence!"
Shen Wei offered Cai Ping a cup of hot tea to warm her up.
Cai Ping recounted the details.
Not long ago, following Shen Wei's instructions, Cai Ping had sent a clever maidservant to the Marquis's residence. Now, as the Marquis was preparing for a grand wedding, they needed many hands, and the maidservant, being smart and resourceful, was quickly assigned to serve Zhao Qing.
After a few days of service, Zhao Qing had shown no signs of suspicion. The maidservant had secretly searched the room, turning over the bedding and boxes, but found nothing unusual.
The maidservant was quite clever. Yesterday, she deliberately set a small fire in Zhao Qing's room. The fire was quickly extinguished, but she kept a close watch on Zhao Qing, noticing her knock on the corner brick wall and retrieve something from inside, inspecting it before putting it back.
Cai Ping informed Shen Wei, "After the fire, Zhao Qing thought it was the maidservant's negligence and sent her off to work in another courtyard."
Shen Wei held her teacup, a smile creeping onto her lips. So, the item was hidden in the crevice of the wall bricks.
Ten days later, the Marquis of Zhen Nan and Zhao Qing would be wed, inviting the prominent families of Yan Jing, and of course, the wedding invitations would also be sent to the Prince's residence. Shen Wei planned to take advantage of the wedding to steal that mysterious item from the brick crevice.
She was curious to see if, one day, when Shangguan Xuan discovered that Zhao Qing was nothing but a dimwit, he would still continue to love her.
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