Chapter 260: Chapter 260
It was said that not much was added.
Every two days, something new was introduced for him to try fresh flavors.
Chicken porridge, the Fourth Prince had eaten it before; it’s unlikely that discomfort would only show now.
Thus, suspicion arose.
"The chicken? Was it sent from the Imperial Kitchen?"
"Yes, when it arrived, the people in the small kitchen inspected it carefully. I wouldn’t dare let anyone else handle the Fourth Prince’s meals. I personally prepared them, there’s absolutely no problem!"
The process of preparing it was fine, but that doesn’t guarantee the chicken itself was fine.
Princess Consort Yi now oversees the Six Palaces. If she really intended to tamper with what was sent, it’s not impossible.
So, she instructed the nanny.
"Prepare another portion of the same chicken porridge. Publicly say it’s for the Fourth Prince, then place it in a secluded corner to see if any rat eats it; if so, there might be a problem."
"Yes, Your Ladyship."
Princess Consort Ying’s suspicion caused the entire Yao Yue Palace to be on edge.
Raising a child in this palace is truly not easy.
Anything could go wrong!
Especially with what enters the mouth; one must be most careful.
Looking at the Fourth Prince, who was gradually settling down in her arms, Princess Consort Ying’s maternal love surged immensely.
"Rest assured, dear son, with mother here, you won’t be harmed by vile people!"
She was not Empress Xu, thus her son would not be the Eldest Prince.
With a grim determination never seen before, she harbored deep fears towards Princess Consort Yi and Yuexiu Palace.
Yao Yue Palace and Yuexiu Palace appeared cordial on the surface, but were increasingly becoming incompatible internally.
The clash between two might make Yihua Palace a haven.
Lin Wanyi had been taking remedies left by Second Madam Dong, Mrs. Yun, so her morning sickness had significantly improved.
Though there were occasional discomforts, it was no longer the case of wanting to vomit at the smell of everything or gagging at the sight of food.
Indeed, Mrs. Yun’s medical skills were remarkable. Xia An once again admired her profoundly.
"Fortunately, we have Second Madam; if I had to take care of the dragon fetus alone, I fear Your Ladyship would have suffered."
Hearing this, Lin Wanyi quickly responded.
"Second Aunt’s medical skills are excellent, but she only occasionally checks up on me. It’s you who truly takes care of my health. I’ve seen the hard days you’ve endured with Chunqi. You’ve both worked hard in these recent days."
They’ve been very cautious about Lin Wanyi’s pregnancy.
They had to keep it discreet while ensuring Lin Wanyi received proper care, which required a lot of effort.
Especially Chunqi, who seemed to have been tied to the small kitchen lately.
Every day was spent researching something or other.
Some curious cooks found it strange but were easily brushed off when she claimed the Imperial Kitchen staff wanted to exchange culinary skills.
They were cooks transferred from the Imperial Kitchen.
They knew a lot about what went on over there, and were wholeheartedly impressed by Chunqi’s skills and ingenuity.
They didn’t think much beyond, and helped prepare a lot of things.
For this, Chunqi felt quite grateful.
The entire Yihua Palace exuded an air of tranquility, except for the Second Princess who was somewhat unhappy.
Because Lin Wanyi could no longer hold her.
She was only eight months old now, had two newly emerged teeth, and was very active.
Even in Nanny Ji’s arms, she was restless; how could she be placed in Lin Wanyi’s arms?
Thus, after being refused, the Second Princess was not happy and started crying loudly.
Nanny Ji comforted her, saying,
"Be good, Princess. Lady Lin cannot hold you now, but in a while, when it’s safer, she will." Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel⦿fire.net
Of course, the Second Princess did not understand and cried even harder.
She seemed to think Lin Wanyi was ignoring her, feeling deeply saddened.
Lin Wanyi, feeling helpless, spoke to comfort her.
"Don’t cry, don’t cry. How about Lady Lin tells you a story?"
As soon as her words fell, the Emperor walked in.
As he entered, he saw the Second Princess reaching out towards Lin Wanyi with a sad expression.
"Nonsense, how can you bother Lady Lin at this time?"
Hearing the Emperor’s voice, everyone in the room immediately stood up and saluted.
"Your son greets Father Emperor, wishing you peace."
"Your servant greets the Emperor, wishing the Emperor peace."
Lin Wanyi did not make a large movement, only stood up.
But the Emperor quickly stepped forward and pressed her down, saying,
"Sit properly. Are you still feeling nauseous?"
"Not anymore, the medicine from my Second Aunt works well."
Lin Wanyi smiled; the Emperor, seeing her complexion indeed better than before, felt much relieved.
He then looked at the still-crying Second Princess.
He took her from Nanny Ji’s arms.
His opportunities to hold children were rare, and his handling was uncomfortable, so the Second Princess cried even more heart-heartedly.
The Emperor was about to rebuke her.
But was stopped by the Second Prince beside them.
"Father, may I try to hold Second Sister?"
In the Second Prince’s hands was a storybook with many pictures.
Indeed, the Second Princess was drawn to it.
Her round eyes spun swiftly, and seeing her attitude, the Emperor frowned and said,
"So young, yet you’re close to storybooks and not your Father. Is this even proper in the future?"
His remark almost labeled the Second Princess as someone who loves pleasure.
Upon hearing this, Lin Wanyi chuckled and said,
"If Your Majesty continues to be this daunting, the Second Princess will only grow more distant."
The Emperor snorted coldly.
Clearly dissatisfied with his daughter favoring storybooks.
Quietly listening to the Second Prince vividly narrating a story to her.
But as he listened, his expression grew increasingly displeased.
"What kind of storybooks are these you’re showing them? Why do they all involve romantic tales?"
At this, Lin Wanyi laughed abruptly.
"This falls onto Your Majesty. Why does Da Wei lack storybooks for children? If there were, I wouldn’t be in such a difficult position."
Though Lin Wanyi’s words sounded like jest, they indeed brought the Emperor to a sudden contemplation.
The books for early education in Da Wei included works like the Three Character Classic, Names of a Hundred Families, and the Thousand Character Essay.
It seemed there had never been mention of any enlightening storybooks.
He then asked directly.
"What are you insinuating?"
"Before I entered the palace, in my boredom at home, I too read storybooks. But the content inside was too adult. I didn’t understand as a child and pestered my brother to explain, but understanding when grown led to irrelevant thoughts."
"Females differ from males, who can serve the state; hence they invest all their focus on civil examinations and studies. The books available for women to read were never abundant, usually revolving around female virtues or women’s instructions, otherwise these storybooks."
Lin Wanyi’s words reminded the Emperor of what the Empress Dowager once said.
After the Emperor took full control, the Empress Dowager gradually distanced herself from political affairs.