Mysteries in the Imperial Harem: Chapter 107
I imagine Fu Ling's scene vividly like a drama… And I wanted to hug her as her heart broke…
Every three to five days, Fu Ling would bring Prince Han over to pay respects to her Mistress and also talk about things that happened in Yong Hua Palace. Mistress always listen quietly and occasionally looked at Prince Han but never carried him. Today, Fu Ling once again brought Prince Han over to pay his respects and only spoke less than the time to finish a cup of tea when Fu Ling felt that Qing Feng seemed preoccupied, her hand kept pressing her chest and her facial expression was not good.
Fu Ling worriedly asked, "Mistress, what is the matter?"
"A little uncomfortable." These few days were like this, especially when she was getting up in the morning, it would be particularly difficult to bear.
Fu Ling placed Yan Han gently on the couch and walked over to Qing Feng's side and half squatted down, "Let this servant take your pulse."
"Alright." Qing Feng put her hand out and Fu Ling placed her fingers on her slender wrist. After a moment, her expression slightly changed and there was some hint of tears when she looked towards Qing Feng, "Mistress… You…"
"What is wrong?" Qing Feng was unable to make heads of it.
Fu Ling smiled, "Congratulations Mistress, you are pregnant and it has already been more than three months." The Heavens was finally not cruel to Mistress and quickly brought a new hope to her.
"Impossible!" Qing Feng took her hand back in fright and stared at Fu Ling like she had said an unimaginable thing.
Seeing Qing Feng's reaction, Fu Ling thought for a bit before softly saying, "Let this servant invite the Imperial Physician to take a look."
"No, don't go." Qing Feng quickly step forward and grabbed onto Fu Ling's hands so that she would not be able to call for anyone.
She was someone who was pregnant before and she felt that there was something wrong with her body but dare not call for an Imperial Physician. Why did it turn out like this? She obviously ate the pill that Yue Sheng left behind after each deed was completed. Thinking back to the day when Yue Sheng gave her the pills, his expression and speech, she could not confirm that Yue Sheng was lying to her. She was pregnant for three months. According to the timeline that she recalled, after that crazy night with Yan Hong Tian after her face was fully healed, she had it.
Qing Feng came to realise the truth. That was not any other medication but a medicine to encourage her pregnancy. How hateful!
"Fu Ling, don't tell anyone about this matter first." She did not think about having another child and this child came too suddenly and it made her heart confuse.
The palms that her Mistress was grabbing her were sweating and just as Fu Ling wanted to ask her what was the matter, her sight sweep over Qing Feng's waist and landed on the warm jade that she was carrying around. Fu Ling somewhat understood Mistress's panic and gently help her to the bed before whispering back, "Yes. This servant will not say."
Yan Han who was laying on the bed alone was ignored for too long and was babbling. Fu Ling walked over and carried him in her arms to coax lightly. Yan Han was approaching one year old and kept looking around in Fu Ling's arms. He was quite family with Qing Feng, since he saw her every few days, and upon seeing her dazed, Yan Han reached out his little arms and touch her face.
At this time Qing Feng was unsettled when suddenly her face turn warm. A fair and soft small hand was on her face and it also naughtily squeezed. Qing Feng felt like she was shocked by lightning and her heart seemed to be seized by that little hand and she was no longer panicking but instead her mind went blank.
In a moment of distraction from Fu Ling and the little fellow in her embrace was up to mischief. Seeing Qing Feng's stiffen expression, Fu Ling quickly carried this little ancestor further away. Mistress had always not like being near this child and usually was not willing to even carry, now like this… Would she be angry?
Fu Ling nervously watched Qing Feng and only saw that she blanked out for a while and was not as agitated when she recovered to her senses. She only waved her hands to her and said, "Bring him back."
"Yes." Fu Ling let out a relief and carried Yan Han out of the room. When Fu Ling was standing outside the room, she was worrying about her Mistress. It was indeed a joyous thing for the child arrival but it was not necessarily a good thing.
"Older sister Fu Ling, from the skies it seemed that it would be raining soon. This servant would get an umbrella for you."
When Fu Ling recovered to her senses, a palace maid was obediently standing by the side. She previously did not see her before and it was most likely chosen by Ru Yi. Ru Yi's was done very well, the entire Qing Feng Hall was managed very well and the personnel elected were also very careful and lovable.
Fu Ling looked up to the skies and saw that it was indeed covered with clouds. Seeing that there would likely be a heavy rain, Fu Ling gently nodded and replied, "Alright."
In a short while, the palace maid carried a large ink black umbrella and handed it over to Fu Ling as she smiled softly, "This umbrella is bigger."
Fu Ling took it over and handing it to the old mama beside her and left Qing Feng Hall.
The summer rains came down suddenly but fortunately they had an umbrella on hand and reached back to Yong Hua Palace. Fu Ling changed the clothes for the child and handled him over for the mama to carry. Just as she was about to return to her room to change her clothes, she passed the corridor and found that the umbrella that was placed by the door was somewhat familiar, like the umbrella that Mistress used to put in the room for a long time.
Fu Ling opened up the umbrella and discovered two small words on the handle before smiling. It must be that the palace maid saw that the umbrella was big and brought it over. Fu Ling picked up a dry cloth to wipe the umbrella dry carefully as she intended to keep it after she dried it and bring it over to Qing Feng Hall when she headed over the next time, after all her Ladyship treated this umbrella preciously that time.
When her hand went over the handle of the umbrella, Fu Ling inadvertently saw two words above it.
"Qi Yu?" Why was this so familiar?
Qi Yu…
Qi Yu! Wasn't it… Ming Ze's words? Why was Ming Ze's words carved onto the umbrella that her Ladyship was anxious about? As the bursts of thunder sounded outside, Fu Ling stood on the same spot as her mind went blank that she was not aware that the umbrella fell to the ground.
The heavy rain kept falling on this night, like the rain was pouring out from Heavens. Ming Ze could only stand at the porch for his night duty, leaning against the pillar as his eyes was focused on the courtyard as the rain hit the stone steps in a pitter pattering sound.
At this time, the door that had been closed suddenly opened up. Zishi (modern timing: 11 pm - 1 am) had passed and this was the time to rest. Ming Ze straightened up in alert and stared at the door. When Fu Ling lean figure appeared, Ming Ze nerves eased. Sometimes when he was on duty at night, Fu Ling would prepare some snacks for him but not as late as today.
Ming Ze wanted to look away but noticed that Fu Ling was somewhat different today. The heavy rain that fell onto the stone steps splashed onto her dress but it seemed like she had no feeling of it as she stood in front of the house with red eyes staring at him strangely.
Ming Ze slightly frowned but he did not walk over and just stared back at her coldly.
"You and the Mistress were already acquainted right?"
The rain was heavy and Fu Ling's voice was almost drowned by it but Ming Ze was trained in martial arts and naturally could hear her words. A cold look flashed on his face as Ming Ze slowly walked towards her but did not answer her question.
As Fu Ling stared into that pair of silent eyes, unsure if it was because of her getting flustered or angry, her voice started to shake, "That rainy night, it was you who gave the umbrella to Mistress so you were already acquainted earlier on and that day in the inner chambers, you hugged her…"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Ming Ze spoke lowly as his face turn grey, interrupting Fu Ling's words.
Fu Ling also know that if these words were heard by others and what will happen next. She took a deep breath and did not continue speaking. Ming Ze saw that she had calmed down and did not want to explain it to her, so he turned around to leave but Fu Ling suddenly came forward and grabbed onto his sleeve.
"In fact the things you did before was not to help me but was helping her, is it not?" The other matters she could not ask but this matter she wanted to know and wanted to hear an answer.
Ming Ze's brows knitted up again. In the beginning he did not want to help Fu Ling but because she was Qing Feng's personal female official, he paid more attention to her. Afterwards… Afterwards, he found that she was a very good person who take her work seriously and very sincere to others, thus his interest increased.
But… What was a good answer for this question?! Ming Ze's mind was inexplicably irritated.
Ming Ze's silence was to Fu Ling a silent acknowledgement. No wonder he often help to rescue her from difficult situation but still treated her coldly. Previously she comforted herself as her personality was originally this cold and because of his cold personality he still helped her countless of times and warned her, if there was no other feelings involved, why would he have done it.
It turned out that everything was only her own wishful thinking.
Fu Ling felt that she was so silly and had showered affection on an uninterested party for too long. Fu Ling thought self-deprecatingly that he must have found her funny.
Loosening his sleeves in her hands, Fu Ling turned around and ran into the house.
Ming Ze was still thinking of how to answer Fu Ling's question when the next moment his sleeves loosen and the door in front of him was slammed shut.
That night, Ming Ze stared at the closed doors and listened to the rumbling of the thunder outside and his heart weirdly was unable to settle down.
"Ah—"
In the rainy night with continuous bursts of thunders, a scream suddenly sounded. Qing Feng sat up on her bed in the dark. Her face was pale and her forehead was filled with sweat. Her long hear was wet and stuck onto her neck. Because of her panic, she kept gasping and her throat was so dry like it would be set ablaze.
"Your Ladyship?! What is the matter? Was it a nightmare?" Ru Yi clasped her outer tunic as she entered the inner chambers. When she saw that Qing Feng still had a unsettled look on her face, she quickly poured a cup of water and brought it to the front of the bed, "Your Ladyship, please drink some water."
Qing Feng's hands were still trembling and when she took the cup over, she hastily poured it down her throat. After downing two cups, her dry throat felt much better and her heart gradually settled down. Handling the empty cup to Ru Yi, Qing Feng softly said, "It's alright. You… You can withdraw."
Ever since Prince Zhi's premature death, her Ladyship did not let anyone stay at the study to wait at night, thus Ru Yi had no other choice but to withdraw from the house.
Qing Feng lay on the bed and she could not fall asleep again. She just dreamt that she had went back to the dark days in the Imperial Prisons. The surroundings were cold and dark and a cold hand reached out to grab both her arms and legs pulling them apart. Just as she was unable to struggle out, a foot suddenly kick towards her stomach ferociously–
Qing Feng suck in a breath of cold air as she held her stomach tightly, unwilling to enter the memories of the dream. Why would he dream of the Imperial Prison again? Was it because Fu Ling told her that she was pregnant, thus making her scared and triggering her this nightmare? Will this nightmare be real?
Suddenly a vague figure appeared in her mind. It was that female in the Imperial Prisons. Who… Exactly was she? Why was she imprisoned there for so many years? Qing Feng was suddenly interested in her and perhaps she should go over to take a look at her.