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墨書 Inktalez
The dense shade of green trees stretches long into the summer days, with the reflections of pavilions shimmering in the pond. The crystal curtains flutter as a gentle breeze rises, filling the courtyard with the fragrance of blooming roses and jujube flowers—this beauty drifts into the various rooms of the Duke's residence during early summer.
In the Western Courtyard, Qian and Zhou sat together in the Third House hall. Fu Lianyin was seated at the lower left, with Dai Chun Ni standing beside her, surrounded by waiting maids and servants.
"Third Madam, last time Yang Rang took your pulse, you were pregnant. Is that true?" Qian Hanqiu turned to Fu Lianyin, her face always wearing a serious expression, as if smiling would cause her pain.
"Replying to Second Matriarch, yes," Fu Lianyin said, her face flushed, speaking softly. "I've been experiencing some early pregnancy symptoms recently."
"Then let the maid inform the kitchen to prepare more sour plum soup and have some abalone and bird's nest porridge for nourishment," Zhou said with a light smile. "We just came from the Second House, and coincidentally, Second Madam is also expecting this year. Therefore, it is inconvenient for her to oversee the mid-meals; we will temporarily leave it to the First House. If you want anything to eat, feel free to tell Rulan."
Fu Lianyin's face, which had been slightly rosy, darkened upon hearing Zhou mention that Second Madam was also expecting. Concubine glanced at the Fu family and sighed meaningfully, "Once again—'expecting in the same year,' how strange..."
"What's so strange about it?" Zhou replied nonchalantly. "The Second House needs to give birth; can we really stop them from having children? More children bring more blessings; that's a good thing." Though she spoke these words, her heart felt uneasy.
"It is indeed a coincidence," Second Matriarch remarked without noticing Fu family's gloomy expression, twisting her prayer beads in mockery. "Second Madam is truly remarkable; she can match three women alone. No wonder the Marquis doesn't need to take concubines."
The maids and servants pressed their lips together and turned away to stifle their laughter. Fu Lianyin suppressed her dark expression and smiled disingenuously, "Having children in the same year as Second Sister-in-law is my blessing; it's just a pity we are not sisters or nieces; otherwise, we could form a bond." She shot a glare at Dai Chun Ni, who was about to speak again; Dai immediately closed her mouth.
Once the two elders took their leave, Fu Lianyin put on a stern face and mocked, "If I hadn't stopped you just now, would you have said something shocking again?!"
"It wasn't shocking; it was the truth," Dai Chun Ni pouted disdainfully. "I feel indignant for my sister. Why is it that as soon as you become pregnant, she (referring to Second Madam) comes to stir things up? It's as if she's afraid she won't be able to bear children... How strange! To be pregnant at the same time makes it seem like a competition for favor—tch! Does she really think—"
Dai Chun Ni intentionally stopped there, a mocking smile appearing on her face as if fearing things might get out of hand—did she need to continue clarifying what she meant?
"If this time my child 'dies' again..." Fu Lianyin twisted her clothing nervously in her hands, nodding as her gaze fell diagonally ahead with a fierce glint in her eyes, her voice low yet filled with bloodthirsty intent.
I want the Second House to be cut off from having children forever—she silently shouted the latter half of her thought!
Maid Yu entered the hall and reported, "Third Madam, Seventh Young Lady is talking nonsense again; she's calling for you..."
Fu Lianyin frowned in annoyance: troublesome. When she looked up again, her face was filled with concern: "Is she still burning up? I'll go take a look."
Four-year-old Yun Kexin lay on the bed in her bedroom, eyes tightly closed, beads of sweat on her forehead, her face flushed—she had a slight fever, lacked appetite, and felt restless.
"Father, Mother..." Yun Kexin suddenly shook her head anxiously from side to side, waving her hands and mumbling, "Brother, don’t—"
"Seventh Sister, what’s wrong? Where do you feel unwell? Wake up quickly," the Nursemaid sitting on the edge of the bed gently called out. "Third Madam is here..."
Yun Kexin opened her eyes in shock and saw a group of faces she despised immensely. Disgust filled her heart, but she still had to maintain respect on the surface: "Mother," she said reluctantly, "Daughter is fine. Where is Father?"
"The Master is still in the palace, caught up with a Major Case," Fu Lianyin replied casually.
Yun Kexin responded with an "oh" in her eyes. Fu Lianyin continued, "What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare again?"
Yun Kexin sat up and looked at Fu Lianyin with a silly smile: "No, Daughter dreamed that Mother gave birth to a younger brother, and Mother and Father don’t like Xiner anymore."
Fu Lianyin sneered inwardly: Children are so sensitive, but as a pawn, does she really have the right to be jealous?
When she spoke again, her face was full of smiles as she kindly teased, "Silly child, Mother hasn’t given birth yet. How do you know it must be a younger brother? Even if it is, don’t think too much about it; Xiner will always be the apple of Mother and Father’s eye."
Seeing Fu Lianyin's cold sneer alternating with her pretentious smile on her heavily made-up face, Yun Kexin finally understood what it meant to be "sweet in words but venomous in heart." Disgusted and unwilling to face her any longer, she coldly said:
"Mother, Xiner is still a bit tired and wants to sleep some more. You just got pregnant; don’t tire yourself out. Please go back to your room and rest."
"What a well-behaved and sensible child! No wonder the Master cares so much for Xiner," Fu Lianyin smiled. "Alright then, I won’t disturb your rest. I’ll have the Nursemaid and maid stay here with you. If anything happens, just let me know in my room."
After giving her instructions on trivial matters, Fu Lianyin left without looking back. The Nursemaid and maids followed her out. Watching the group’s retreating figures, Yun Kexin curled her lips into a smirk, her large eyes flashing with a chilling light:
Fu Lianyin, do you think I’m jealous of the child in your belly? How ridiculous! You want a son so badly, but unfortunately for you, your next child will be a daughter—or perhaps you’ll never have a son at all because I don’t want another innocent person to accompany you to death!
With this thought in mind, Yun Kexin got out of bed and slipped on her crimson soft-soled slippers as she paced anxiously around the room: she had indeed had a nightmare!
She dreamt that she was surrounded by a vast blood mist where she couldn’t see ahead. Terrified, she waved her hands and ran forward, trying to escape the blood mist. In her confusion, she saw not far away all the relatives from the First House and Second House lying severed in two on the bloody ground, moaning in pain. She ran towards them frantically, but the more she ran, the thicker the blood mist became until it tightly enveloped her, suffocating her as if it were going to take away her second life.
Yun Kexin couldn't help but shiver: no, she would never let the tragedy of her past life repeat itself!
She walked to the window, climbed onto a chair, and opened it. The stars in the bright moonlit sky sparkled like silver gems scattered across deep blue silk, shining brilliantly.
Recalling that time when her mother fainted after eating the food she had sent, she felt a surge of worry. She wondered if her mother had recovered by now. In her thoughts, she suddenly remembered what Yun Ran had said before her death in her past life: "You eliminated the child in your mother's womb through your own hands..."
A warning bell rang in Yun Kexin's mind: her mother had a miscarriage that year, and it was under Dai Chun Ni's instruction that she delivered nourishing food to Yue Ziyun to help with the pregnancy...
In this life, since Aunt was temporarily overseeing the household provisions, she had let her guard down with the food she received from Aunt. So, was her mother's fainting this time due to genuine weakness, or had someone secretly tampered with the food?
"Xiner, why are you standing by the window?" A deep voice from behind interrupted her thoughts.
Yun Kexin turned around and saw a medium-built figure gradually stepping into the candlelight from the shadows. She smiled lightly and said, "Father—"
Before she could finish her sentence, Yun Yang had already approached her and said unhappily, "You're still unwell; why are you standing by the window in the wind?"
"Daughter was lying in bed feeling uncomfortable with back pain. It felt stuffy staying indoors, so I got up to walk around," Yun Kexin explained calmly, recalling her mother’s situation. "Father, I want to visit Auntie."
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