The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

That's true. They ended up with a miserable fate for their whole family, and they've learned their lesson at least.

Qi Yitang was speechless, biting her lip and remaining silent.

Hmph, she's still the same as before, so wicked.

[Oh no, I actually find this 'cold-faced but adorable older sister x arrogant but clueless younger sister-in-law' trope surprisingly sweet.]

[Did the female supporting character forget to drink her Chinese medicine? She just finished comforting the female lead, and now this older sister shows up. What will happen if the villain sees this?]

Qi Yitang felt that the comments were going too far. The Fourth Princess liked men, and she had a consort, okay?

Sure enough, after the two left the Cining Palace area and walked along the palace road for a while, they saw a person waiting in the distance.

He stood tall and straight like a pine tree. Even in winter, he wasn't dressed very thickly, and you could see the outline of his full chest muscles. He was holding a baby who was wrapped up tightly and fast asleep in his arms.

It was none other than Gu Ziye, the consort of Princess Anping.

Upon seeing the two, he first gave Qi Yitang a slight nod as a greeting, and then his gaze fell back on Princess Anping.

"Anping, let's go home."

Qi Yitang tactfully stopped, "Fourth Princess, the roads are slippery in the snow, so please take care. I won't see you off."

Princess Anping repeated softly, "The Fourth Princess?"

"Isn't it just what I used to call her?" Qi Yitang awkwardly corrected herself, "...Royal Sister."

Princess Anping then withdrew her gaze with satisfaction and walked away with an air of noble elegance.

Qi Yitang stood there, watching the family of three gradually walk away.

Gu Ziye pulled Jiahe closer into his arms. The little guy woke up with a murmur, saw his mother, reached out for a hug, and after being in Princess Anping's arms, he rubbed against her shoulder and continued to sleep, like an adorable kitten curled up in its bed.

Qi Yitang was a little envious. How come everyone has a daughter? She also wanted to have one without the pain.

……

In order to have a lovely daughter in the future, Qi Yitang made every effort that night.

After back and forth, and after nearly two hours of struggling...

She was nearly exhausted and collapsed limply onto the couch, while Xie Ling, on the other hand, was full of energy.

Seeing that Qi Yitang was clearly exhausted, Xie Ling didn't continue. He reached out and tidied her disheveled hair. "I'll have someone order hot water."

Qi Yitang struggled to get up, grabbed a pillow from the side, placed it under her lower back, and lay back down.

"Wash it later."

"Why do you do this?" Xie Ling asked, puzzled. "This posture is so awkward. Doesn't your back hurt?"

This was certainly not something Qi Yitang came up with on her own; rather, she obtained the method for assisted conception from the imperial physician.

Although Qi Yitang longed for painless childbirth, and Xie Lingsheng would be the best candidate, she knew in her heart that it was impossible.

Although he knows a lot, there's probably nothing he can do about this.

She wouldn't drink those disgusting pregnancy-inducing drugs, but she could try this painless and effortless method.

Upon hearing this, Xie Ling displayed a complex expression that was difficult to describe.

If their past life was real, they would definitely have had children together; it was only a matter of time, so why rush it?

Besides, although the two have been married for nearly three years, they have only been truly affectionate for a little over half a year. He hasn't had enough time to enjoy their time together as a couple yet, so who cares about having children?

Xie Ling's eyes darkened, and he pulled the pillow away from her lower back.

Before Qi Yitang could even protest with a sigh, Xie Ling leaned over her and said, "Tangtang, this won't work. How about... I help you?"

How can he help?

A familiar sensation returned, and Qi Yitang quickly gasped. This was even more strange!

……

The wedding is scheduled for May of next year.

In fact, it was common for the weddings of emperors and empresses in all dynasties to take one or two years to prepare. The complicated ceremonies, sacrifices and preparations could not be rushed.

But in this dynasty, it was the emperor who was more anxious than the eunuchs. Xie Ling urged the Ministry of Rites to speed up the preparations, as if he was afraid his wife would run away.

The Minister of Rites was in a state of great distress, but dared not be careless in the slightest.

The inner palace was very peaceful, and Qi Yitang didn't need to deal with the troublesome things like jealousy, poisoning, and murder among the concubines.

On ordinary days, all I do is take measurements and try on wedding dresses; my days are quite fulfilling.

In late November, the army that had been fighting against the Northern Rong returned to the capital.

At the court assembly, the emperor bestowed titles and rewards according to merits, and also issued a posthumous decree to vindicate Jiang Baoyun, whose merits had been stolen by Qin Zhenxiong, and posthumously grant her the title of First-Rank Heroic Lady, with her memorial tablet placed in the Temple of Loyal Martyrs, to be worshipped by the court in all four seasons.

The decree made it very clear: merits in charging into battle and defending the country should not be judged based on whether one is a woman or not.

The only somewhat awkward situation is Qin Jiangli's.

The Qin family fell; their property was confiscated, their titles stripped, and they were exiled. Only the Empress Dowager's side remained of the Qin family line.

Qin Jiangli killed her own father, which was supposedly a righteous act of killing her own family and eliminating a traitor for the country, but the person she killed was still the Empress Dowager's own brother.

The Empress Dowager showed no intention of showing any favor, and just left it hanging.

Qin Jiangli was all alone, with no one to rely on, and people inside and outside the palace were talking about how she would be settled.

Qi Yitang hadn't noticed it at first, but one day when she passed by the Imperial Garden, she overheard two palace maids chatting.

"...Miss Qin is also a pitiful person, all alone now. Do you think His Majesty will bring her into the palace? After all, she is His Majesty's cousin, not unlike the former Consort Li..."

Qi Yitang didn't take it to heart at all.

Xie Ling would never bring someone into the palace.

"His Majesty's eyes are all on the Empress, so it's unlikely that he'll bring her into the palace... However, I heard that when Miss Qin was kidnapped by the King of Beirong, it was General Song who single-handedly rescued her. They are a perfect match, so I think the possibility of a marriage decree is quite high."

Qi Yitang was startled. General Song, Song Xinghe?

Didn't he like Tan Yuanshuang? How come he's now dating Qin Jiangli, a "perfect match"?

Feeling completely disoriented and unsteady, Qi Yitang couldn't help but question her own life. Was her judgment of people really that bad?!

At first, I liked Xie Jingyu, which was a complete misjudgment; later, I tried to match the female lead with Lu Linbai, which caused a lot of trouble, and Lu Linbai reluctantly agreed because of the one million taels of gold.

Could it be that Song Xinghe also...?

Why can't they learn from Yanzhi? They're so terrible!

……

Song Xinghe almost wanted to cry foul for himself.

The military rescue was a ploy, a staged act to lure Qin Zhenxiong into sending troops.

Who knew that just a few days after returning to the capital, gossip spread like wildfire, with people saying they were a perfect match, a match made in heaven, and that Song Xinghe felt like banging his head against a pillar.

He immediately wanted to rush to the Jianning Marquis's residence to explain to Tan Yuanshuang, but before he could even step out the door, his parents stopped him.

Consort Shu... Miss Tan has only been home for a short time, and he, an outsider, comes to the door so openly. What kind of talk is this?

Even if His Majesty allows another marriage, shouldn't we at least wait a year or two to avoid the limelight?

Song Xinghe couldn't wait that long.

He was overjoyed to hear the news of His Majesty's dismissal of the harem as soon as he returned to the capital; it was more exciting than any reward.

But despite all his calculations, he never expected such a ridiculous misunderstanding to arise.

That night, under a dark and windy sky, Song Xinghe climbed over the wall and left the mansion.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the young general, who had just returned victorious, crawled through a dog hole into the backyard of the Marquis of Jianning's residence.

Song Xinghe didn't care about saving face at all; he had to explain things clearly to his sister.

He's still a virgin!