Chapter 103: Chapter 103

Only the system's real-time monitoring and An Ning knew exactly what expression Ninth Prince wore that day.

However, judging by the occasional rumors from the palace since then, against all expectations, the once inseparable Eighth and Ninth Princes had genuinely grown distant.

To be precise, Ninth Prince had teamed up with his close ally Tenth Prince to deliberately distance themselves from their Eighth Brother. Their encounters now carried an air of formality.

Eighth Prince, who had just snapped out of his thoughts and was about to reconnect with his two younger brothers: "???"

The other princes secretly enjoying the drama: "......"

"Could Ninth Brother's health have taken a turn after that incident?"

After yet another failed attempt at reconciliation, watching his two younger brothers' unflinching retreat, Yin Si pondered deeply.

"Ninth Brother's condition must have worsened!"

And significantly so.

Having been at odds since childhood, Yin Zhen was nearly as familiar with this troublesome younger brother's temperament as his own. He too had reached similar conclusions.

In truth, the Forbidden City housed no shortage of perceptive individuals, though most only suspected a brush with death might have shortened his lifespan.

In this era, a shortened lifespan was no small matter.

Thus, Ninth Prince's subsequent estrangement from Eighth Prince seemed only natural to everyone.

Truth be told, though Ninth Prince had always been temperamental, this misfortune was truly undeserved—a stroke of spectacularly bad luck.

Even Fifth Prince, his full brother, and the other elder brothers couldn't help but sympathize.

Even the Crown Prince specially gifted an exquisite Eight Immortals painting for his birthday, and considering the unfortunate younger brother's impending marriage, added a pair of white-and-green jade carvings symbolizing familial harmony.

Following the Crown Prince's lead, the other brothers were unusually generous. This birthday, Ninth Prince received more gifts than several previous years combined.

Third Prince, having just welcomed another plump son, even cheerfully clapped his shoulder: "Hahaha! By next year, our Ninth Brother might be of age to become a father too!"

In short, while the birthday boy remained unsmiling, everyone else seemed thoroughly pleased.

Except for one person.

Eighth Prince, hoping to mend relations on this auspicious occasion, barely got two words in before watching Ninth Prince's icy retreat—again—with Tenth Prince trailing like a persistent shadow.

Eighth Prince: "......"

Watching through the system, An Ning: "......"

Regardless of palace dramas, An Ning's daily life continued undisturbed.

With Ninth Prince's incomplete recovery, the wedding was naturally postponed. But misfortunes never come singly—before new arrangements could be made, An Ning's grandfather passed away.

Per Qing customs, weddings were forbidden for three years following a parent's death. As a granddaughter, An Ning observed one year of mourning.

Thus, their wedding faced yet another resplendent delay.

At the Donggo residence, observing her increasingly elegant daughter, Madam Aisin Gioro felt physical heartache, immediately venting to Donggo Qishi:

"What are we to do? In a few years, our girl will be over eighteen, same as Ninth Prince. By then—ah!"

By then, he'd likely have several concubine-born children.

Consider the Crown Princess—she'd become stepmother to multiple children immediately after marriage. What an injustice!

Even Madam Aisin Gioro privately thought her father-in-law's timing couldn't have been worse.

The real culprit, however, was Ninth Prince himself. Without that severe illness, wedding preparations would've concluded long before this misfortune.

Still, Madam Aisin Gioro found solace—Ninth Prince remained an unranked prince. Had the Emperor capriciously assigned a high-status Side Consort before her daughter's marriage, the suffering would've been unimaginable!

Leaning softly against her mother, An Ning remained utterly composed compared to her parents' worries.

Truthfully, even if he gained a title later, such a scenario was impossible.

What sane emperor would assign noble daughters to a nearly infertile son?

Currently, Ninth Prince's household boasted only bondservants and a few insignificant concubines without respectable backgrounds.

Last lifetime at least had the moderately well-born Wanyan clan.

Tsk. Eliminate the root cause, and life presents no hard mode.

"Wait!" The system suddenly realized:

"Last lifetime, the original host's grandfather died around now too, right? But they'd already married. Since you knew about the mourning period, why not avoid it?"

Nibbling cloud-slice pastry, An Ning was unfazed. Though mourning brought hardships, it beat being a scapegoat.

Moreover, Ninth Prince's extended illness had been carefully calculated.

"System, if I married now but Ninth Prince's household remained childless, who'd ultimately bear the blame?"

"That... wouldn't it be Ninth Prince? The imperial physician already diagnosed..."

Could they really blame the host?

"They... wouldn't be that shameless, right?" The system looked incredulous.

An Ning internally rolled her eyes.

Royalty prioritized face above all—expecting integrity was naive.

Besides, people rarely admit their own deficiencies.

Consider Eighth Prince's household last lifetime—despite wives and concubines, years passed without offspring. Yet public scrutiny fell solely on Eighth Princess Consort, whom Emperor Kangxi repeatedly denounced as jealous.

Even now, whether Emperor Kangxi, Consort Yi, or Ninth Prince himself knew the truth, would they defend an unrelated daughter-in-law?

An Ning scoffed silently:

This blame belonged squarely where it should—she'd shoulder none of it.

Indeed, three years later, with still no infant cries from Ninth Prince's household, rampant speculation transformed Madam Aisin Gioro's anxiety into relief.

The night before the wedding, she hugged her daughter tightly:

"Thank goodness our girl didn't marry earlier! Who knows what slander she'd have endured..."

Her father-in-law's passing had been perfectly timed.

"Our daughter truly has..."

Madam Aisin Gioro nearly praised her daughter's fortune, but Ninth Prince's situation gave her pause.

Finally, she weakly consoled herself:

"Childbirth walks the line between life and death. At least our girl is spared some suffering!"

"As for Ninth Prince... *sigh*!"