Bai Que remained silent.
Mrs. Han took strides into the main hall.
Seeing Yun Qi sitting at the head position and glancing at Shuangxi standing to the side, who looked quite attractive and was dressed beautifully, she indeed appeared somewhat noble and distinguished.
Mrs. Han sat down on the other side of the host’s seat, "Serve the tea!"
A maid immediately brought over a teacup, and Shuangxi, holding the teacup, knelt in front of Mrs. Han, "Madam, please drink the tea!"
Mrs. Han took the teacup, touched it to her lips, then set it beside the table, and took a hairpin from Bai Que’s hand to insert it into Shuangxi’s hair—her movements fluid and graceful.
"Concubine Xi, serve Second Master well from now on, bear him several children, and you will live in the courtyard next to Concubine Lian!"
"Thank you, Madam!" Shuangxi was overjoyed.
She hastily kowtowed.
From this moment on, she was Concubine Xi.
Once she bore children, she too could live a comfortable life just like Concubine Lian.
"Rise," said Mrs. Han indifferently, motioning Bai Que to help Concubine Xi to her feet.
She then stood up and said to Yun Qi, "I shall take my leave now!"
Yun Qi remained silent.
He had wanted to ask how Jinnian was doing, yet he didn’t know how to broach the subject, let alone how to face her.
That was his and Shu Niang’s child.
Now she hated him, and Shu Niang hated him too.
Mrs. Han took her leave.
Concubine Xi stood up, looking at Yun Qi, "Second Master, is Madam angry?"
"It’s nothing, come, let me show you your courtyard. If anything is missing, we’ll go out and buy it tomorrow to complete it!"
Concubine Xi nodded, "Yes!"
She was exceptionally happy.
With an additional favored Concubine Xi in the household, Mrs. He said nothing more. The main branch had also gained several newcomers; she had since grown indifferent to Yun Chen, only intending to manage the household well, marry off her three sons, and await the marriage of her two younger daughters.
As for anything else, she no longer dwelt on it.
Love and affection, at her age, were feelings that should have been looked upon lightly long ago.
"Send a congratulatory gift to Concubine Xi. It need not be too extravagant, just respectable enough will suffice!"
Regardless of her favor, she was still merely a concubine.
Bearing children, left to be raised by concubines—forever barred from the main gate and unable to step through the second—what could they learn?
A child raised by a concubine, how much promise could they hold?
Tianmi immediately went to prepare the gift.
Mrs. He then inquired about Yun Jinnian’s situation, and Tianmi reported everything in detail. Mrs. He fell silent for a moment, "Could there be some hidden illness?"
Almost half a month had passed and the Auspicious Water had not yet cleared; if it wasn’t some hidden illness, then what was it?
Nevertheless, the specific nature of this hidden illness still required careful investigation.
Mrs. He gently sipped from her teacup.
Unbeknownst to herself, why her thoughts seemed to begrudge both Mrs. Han and Yun Jinnian of their well-being.
On the second day of September, Yun Jinnian, who had been bedridden for nearly twenty days, finally felt completely recuperated.
After a comfortable hot bath and putting on clean clothes, she felt her chest was swollen and a bit painful.
Having experienced it once before, she knew what had happened to her.
"Miss, it seems you have grown taller!" Mrs. Yuan said while styling Yun Jinnian’s hair into a beautiful hairstyle.
She adorned it with lovely hair accessories and earrings.
"Nanny, these days have been hard on you!"
"Not at all, not at all!" Mrs. Yuan replied with a smile, feeling joyful in her heart.
Her miss had grown from a baby to a child and now, at last, to a young lady.
"Nanny, I plan to go out for a while, will you come with me?" Yun Jinnian asked softly.
"Where to? I’d rather not, there’s nothing of interest outside for me. I’ll stay in the Niannian Garden to prevent those unsavory people from causing trouble!"