When Song Chaoyu first returned to the Song family, how could she have imagined that Song Yanjiao would die in such circumstances one day?
At one point, she had even prepared herself to "fight" Song Yanjiao for a lifetime!
But with her death, Song Chaoyu felt an inexplicable sense of sadness.
As they had predicted, now that Song Yanjiao was no longer alive, even if the Emperor wanted to save face for the Song family, he would have to allow Song Yanjiao to be buried back with the Song family.
This was quite a blow to Mu Hansu's reputation, but unfortunately, Mu Hansu had little reputation left in the capital.
Song Yanjiao's death and the departure of the King of Ning seemed to have brought a strange "quietness" to the entire capital.
Meanwhile, Song Chaoyu's due date was drawing ever closer.
Song Chaoyu's due date fell during the beginning of winter, and the vast capital grew cold once more.
Unknowingly, it had been nearly two years since Song Chaoyu married Mu Changxi. Time had passed so quickly that even little Qing'er was starting to babble.
Speaking of which, Song Yuan had not cherished Concubine Liu in the past.
Now that Concubine Liu was indifferent to him, and little Qing'er had grown up, he was willing to spend every day with Concubine Liu. This led Concubine Liu to complain to Song Chaoyu every time they met, saying that Song Yuan was very annoying.
Song Chaoyu thought that since there was still the Old Madam in the household, she might as well ask Song Yuan.
She said that her own body was becoming increasingly heavy, so it would be better to have Concubine Liu stay in the Prince Chang's residence during this period to take care of Song Chaoyu's pregnancy.
At first, Song Yuan disagreed, but later, after the Old Madam spoke to Song Yuan, he reluctantly agreed.
Thus, Concubine Liu took up residence in the Prince Chang's residence in a grand manner, making both Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu feel as if they had returned to their days on the estate.
At that time, they had grown up under the care of Concubine Liu and Granny Han on the estate.
Now that Concubine Liu was present and Granny Han was also present, it seemed that as long as they were there, time was enough.
However, even though the times were peaceful, fate did not always go as one wished.
It was only the beginning of winter, yet the heavy snow in the capital continued for three consecutive days without stopping.
At first, everyone thought that this early and heavy snowfall was a good omen, "auspicious snow heralds a bountiful year."
But soon, things began to feel wrong.
The snowfall did not stop for three days.
On the first day, the snow depth exceeded Song Chaoyu's calves, not to mention that as time went on, the snow became even thicker.
By the morning of the third day, the gate of the Prince Chang's residence was even difficult to open at dawn!
Song Chaoyu looked at the heavy white snow outside, her eyes filled with worry: "We are within the imperial city, with people serving us, and it has come to this. How are the common people below doing?"
Concubine Liu was having someone add good quality cloud silk charcoal to the brazier.
She had also experienced hardship, and she worried with Song Chaoyu: "That's true! We are currently in the capital. If we were still on the estate as we were before, we would truly not know how to get through the days. With such heavy snow, I don't know how many people have died from their roofs collapsing."
As she said this, they heard a "crackling" sound from outside, which was the sound of branches breaking under the heavy snow!
Indeed, by the afternoon, when Mu Changxi returned from the imperial court, his expression became increasingly solemn.
He should not have said so much to Song Chaoyu, as her due date was fast approaching.
But he was afraid Song Chaoyu would worry, so when Song Chaoyu asked, he still told her.
They were in the north, and they already felt that life under the heavy snow was much more difficult than in previous years.
But they never expected that this snow had now reached the south!
The south had also suffered a snow disaster, and the breadth and depth of the heavy snow were no less than in the northern regions.
For the southern people, in some places where it never snowed, this was simply a "fatal" disaster.
In just two days, officials below had thought of various ways to submit memorials to the capital, begging the Emperor to send disaster relief officials to the south to assess the situation.
The severity of the southern disaster described in their memorials shocked everyone in the court.
However, another voice arose in the court, causing even greater unease.
It was said that since Mu Changxi's return to the palace, disasters had been continuous in the capital.
Some suggested that Mu Changxi be sent back to the Southern Kingdom again to ensure peace and prosperity in the capital.
This proposal was, of course, rejected by the Emperor.
But Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi shared the same thought: the current Emperor must still feel guilty towards Mu Changxi and would not consider sending him away. But what about after some time?
The Emperor was inherently suspicious, and the person who said this was likely trying to use the Emperor's suspicious nature against Mu Changxi.
Now that the King of Ning no longer had this influence in the court, it meant that there was still an unknown force targeting them!
Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu had no clue who it was!
Seeing Song Chaoyu's brow furrowed deeply, Mu Changxi reached out and patted her shoulder: "Ayu, stop worrying."
He lowered his head and looked at Song Chaoyu's abdomen with increasing tenderness: "The only thing you need to do now is to calmly give birth to our child. Do you understand?"
Song Chaoyu nodded, then leaned against Mu Changxi's arm: "Don't worry, everything is ready now. You go ahead and handle your affairs outside, you don't need to worry about me. With my aunt and Granny Han guarding the residence, there's nothing to fear!"
Indeed, in the following days, Mu Changxi became busy.
Now that the ministers who had once supported Prince Ning had fallen silent, only the Crown Prince stood alone.
Furthermore, due to the snow disaster, the Emperor favored the Crown Prince exceptionally, and their father-son relationship grew stronger.
This also led the Emperor to place great importance on Mu Changxi, entrusting him with many matters.
For a time, the imperial court could be described as "filial piety and brotherly love."
Even below the court, the Emperor often summoned the Crown Prince and Mu Changxi to accompany him in the palace.
If it weren't for this snow disaster, Song Chaoyu felt that this was probably the scene that Mu Changxi and the Crown Prince had most wished to see for many years.
As the time for delivery drew nearer, Song Chaoyu also felt some changes in her body.
Her belly began to experience increasingly obvious fetal movements from time to time.
And on the day the heavy snow finally stopped after seven full days, Song Chaoyu's stomach also began to ache intermittently.
The pain started in the afternoon. Mu Changxi, who was outside accompanying the Crown Prince to inspect the reinforcement of the citizens' roofs, rushed back to the residence after hearing the news about Song Chaoyu.
The imperial physician and the midwife were already in place. The imperial physician told Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi not to worry or panic, as this was all normal. The midwife also came to check on Song Chaoyu's condition every half hour.
Actually, Song Chaoyu was doing alright, but she noticed... the most nervous person seemed to be Mu Changxi!
Even Concubine Liu noticed it. Seeing Mu Changxi unable to sit still in his wheelchair outside, Concubine Liu smiled at Song Chaoyu: "Look at the Prince, why is he more nervous than you?"