Li Man'er was still smiling when she got into the carriage.
However, her smile didn't reach her eyes, and her expression was cold.
"Princess Consort, we're almost at Su Yue Zhai. Shall we buy some pastries?" Her maid was Yin Zhu. After Zi Yan and Lu Yi got married, she had been promoted to head maid.
"No need," Li Man'er closed her eyes and said, "I'm tired. Wake me up when we get to the manor."
"Yes." Yin Zhu fell silent and took a blanket to cover Li Man'er.
The Princess Consort used to love the pastries from Su Yue Zhai, but in the past few months, her tastes had changed, and she hadn't bought any for a long time.
The carriage moved slowly, and after a while, it passed through the bustling market and returned to the manor. As soon as it stopped, Li Man'er opened her eyes.
Yin Zhu jumped off the carriage, placed the stool, and helped Li Man'er down.
The mistress and maid returned to the inner courtyard. Li Man'er didn't even change her clothes and fell asleep.
Zi Yan saw this and felt very distressed. She quietly asked Yin Zhu, "Why is the Princess Consort so tired? Did something happen at the Xu family? Did it tire our mistress?"
Yin Zhu shook her head. "Liu Shi also went. She spoke sarcastically and said that Madam Tie Dan was pregnant and asked her to give her nourishing formulas to our mistress."
"Pah! Filthy thing." After marrying and having children, Zi Yan's temper had become more fiery. "She dares to bring anything to our Princess Consort."
That Liu Shi, years ago, unwilling to remain a widow, had often tried to get close to the Prince with her maids. It was only because the Princess Consort had a good temperament that she had tolerated them for so many years, but now they were becoming even more shameless.
"Forget the lesson after being beaten, and don't be afraid of the Princess Consort's wrath."
"Sister, relax. I think it's coming soon." Yin Zhu then told her about Li Man'er's cold smile in the carriage.
Zi Yan felt a little better then. "Alright, take good care of her. If the Princess Consort wakes up, make sure she eats more."
"Yes."
Zi Yan then left the main room, found a secluded spot, and cursed all the demons and ghosts from the Li family before feeling relieved.
Those who had plotted against the Princess Consort in the past were now nothing but dust.
Li Man'er slept for a whole day until evening when the lamps were lit, and she slowly woke up.
As soon as she woke up, she saw Qi Yihan sitting by the bed, reading a book.
"Awake? Are you hungry?"
They had been married for many years, and Qi Yihan's coldness had lessened. He was no longer young, and he had grown a beard in the last two years, making him look more steady.
"I'm hungry," Li Man'er reached out, "Hold me up."
Qi Yihan chuckled, lifted her, held her in his arms, and covered her with the quilt before saying, "Why did you sleep so long today? Were you upset outside?"
Li Man'er seemed to have heard a joke. "How could that be? If someone slanders me, can I get upset? Who dares?"
Indeed, who dared to upset her? Even the current Emperor, that little brat, felt a headache whenever he met her.
"Naturally, no one dares," Qi Yihan said helplessly, "I just feel sorry for you, having taken the blame for me for so many years."
After the funeral of Emperor Chenghua, Li Man'er immediately removed the蠱 worm from Qi Yihan's body. The mother蛊 in the tomb keeper died from backlash, and the tomb keeper naturally met a bad end. It was said that there was a large hole in his chest, and all his blood had drained out.
Although Qi Yihan's body had been nourished by the spiritual mist spring water, the mother蛊 had hidden in the imperial mausoleum for many years. Its yin energy and toxicity were much greater than ordinary蛊 worms. The two蛊 worms influenced each other, causing great damage to Qi Yihan.
Other ailments were manageable, but it was difficult to have offspring.
Outsiders were unaware of this and thought that Li Man'er had a problem with her body, which was why Qi Yihan said he had taken the blame for her for so many years.
Li Man'er rested her head in his arms and closed her eyes. "We are in the same boat. Why distinguish between you and me? Such rumors are best ignored. However, Liu Shi is becoming more and more presumptuous, and the second branch is also restless. The daughter of Minister Min from the Ministry of Revenue seems to be a crybaby who can do nothing but pretend to be weak, and her household is in disarray."
"Can't stand it anymore?"
"Mmm!" Li Man'er said lazily, "I think it's time to clean them up. They now think they are the Emperor's maternal relatives, and their tails are almost in the sky. Their ambitions have grown even bigger in recent years."
"Good!"
The Li family's flaws were like a sieve, full of holes. It would be too easy to bring them down.
"You do as you please. Aunt, she will eventually assess the situation. Won't she interfere?"
"What about you?" Qi Yihan actually kept some things from Li Man'er. To know that two years ago, the Tie Dan Count from the Li family even tried to send women into his chambers, constantly saying that his sister couldn't give birth and shouldn't affect the continuation of the Prince's lineage. Later, Qi Yihan disciplined him, and he became much more honest. He hadn't dared to do so in recent years.
"Me?" Li Man'er snorted, "When have I ever cared about them?"
Humans are emotional beings. Even though Li Man'er's heart was as hard as iron, her personality had softened somewhat after marriage.
When Su Shi passed away, she had truly cried for a long time, and her heart had become even softer.
Ning Liancheng was getting old, and his health was deteriorating day by day. However, no matter how one lived, they could not escape birth, aging, sickness, and death. Despite many regrets, the cycle of generations was an unavoidable fate.
"Your Highness."
"Mmm?"
"Do you prefer a son or a daughter?"
Qi Yihan's fingers tightened, and a dull ache throbbed in his heart. "I like daughters."
"Why?" Li Man'er became interested and looked up to discuss with him. "Don't men all prefer sons? Besides, to be unfilial is the worst, and to have no heir is the greatest sin. Having a daughter would mean the end of the lineage?"
"No, daughters can also marry into the family," Qi Yihan lowered his head and lightly pecked Li Man'er's lips. "However, I think just the two of us is also good."
There were regrets, but he didn't want to be emperor. What was the point of having so many children?
"Then what should we do?" Li Man'er lowered her head, looking a bit wronged. "What should we do?"
Qi Yihan thought she was sad that they didn't have children, so he said, "Man'er, I will take my medicine diligently. We will have our own children in the future."
Li Man'er raised her head and placed his hand on her lower abdomen. "Not in the future."
Qi Yihan was stunned, his eyes reddened. "Really?" If he still didn't understand her hint at this point, he would be a complete idiot.
"Mmm, as you wish, it's a daughter."
"Man'er." Qi Yihan held her tightly in his arms. "The luckiest thing in my life is not being born into an imperial family, but being able to marry you as my wife."
In the seventh year of Xuande, Li Man'er gave birth to a daughter, named Qi Yuechu. The little girl was fair and tender from birth, incredibly beautiful.
Emperor Xuande heard the news and ran out of the training ground. He personally went to the Regent Prince's manor to see his sister.
Cheng Yu, the Emperor's companion, also came. He originally wanted to sneak a touch of the baby girl's cheek when no one was paying attention. Unexpectedly, the infant's little hand suddenly grabbed his finger...
That's another story.