Chapter 97 Heartbeat

"Mrs. Nian is so lucky. She's only been in the household for three months, and she's already more than a month pregnant..."

Ever since Rouze received the news of Nian Shilan's pregnancy, she has been silently grieving. Xuewen tried to persuade her for a long time, but seeing that it was to no avail, she stopped trying and let Rouze grieve in silence.

Xuewen stood idly by, frowning as she thought of Xueqin, who had been absent for the past few days. Perhaps Xueqin had discovered her true colors, as she made no attempt to hide them anymore. Feeling manipulated, Xuewen could only try to cover for Xueqin.

However… glancing at Princess Rouze, who was lost in her own world, Xuewen sighed helplessly. There was no need for her to cover for her; their mistress was oblivious to servants, even her personal maid.

With such a temperament, if she and Xueqin weren't both from the Ulanara clan, how could they have obediently served her all this time?

Speak of the devil, and he appears. Just as I was thinking of Xueqin, she showed up with an unpleasant expression.

"Princess..." Xueqin leaned close to Rouze and comforted her, "Don't take what those people outside say to heart. How could the Prince like Consort Nian and not you?"

These seemingly persuasive but actually provocative words instantly caught Rouze's attention.

"What did they say? What did they say?"

"It's nothing, Princess, it was Xueqin who was too talkative." Xueqin looked annoyed and quickly corrected herself.

"Xueqin, don't lie to me, tell me."

Rou was unusually sharp-tongued, and Xueqin seemed to be intimidated, stammering as she said, "They...they say that Consort Nian is already favored by the Prince, and now that she's pregnant, she'll surely receive even more care from him. And over time, it'll definitely...it'll definitely be..."

"What is it?" Rouze bit her lip, looking at Xueqin with tears in her eyes.

"She will surely surpass the Princess and become the Prince's favorite person." Xueqin lowered her head as if in fear, but in reality, if she didn't, she wouldn't be able to stop her teeth from aching. There was no other way; to deal with the love-obsessed Princess Rouze, this was the only tactic she could use.

"No, no, Si Lang wouldn't do this to me..." Tears streamed down her face as Rou leaned weakly against the bedpost, repeatedly denying it. But the two maids present could see her wavering.

Xueqin pressed her advantage, grasping Rouze's hand with a show of shared hatred, "Princess, if Consort Nian hadn't been pregnant, why would the Prince have favored her?"

"Yes, it's because Nian is pregnant," Rouze murmured softly, as if grasping at a straw, trying to convince herself.

“Yes, if Consort Nian didn’t have this child, the Prince would definitely think of the Princess’s good qualities.” Xueqin kept tempting him with her words.

Seeing Rouze gradually wavering, Xuewen tried to stop her, but before she could speak, she saw Xueqin's cold gaze and instantly felt as if she had been choked, and dared not say anything.

"Besides, if I may be so bold, His Highness may not actually like Consort Nian's child, may he?"

"What do you mean?" Rouze's wavering heart seemed to have found a reason, and she couldn't wait to ask.

“Princess, the Prince’s treatment of Consort Nian is not as sincere as it is for you. It’s all because of her family background. I’ve heard that Consort Nian’s brother is arrogant. Once she gives birth to a prince, won’t he look down on the Prince even more? How can the Prince endure such humiliation?”

"That's right, Si Lang only favored Nian because of her family background..."

Seeing Rou Ze nod in agreement, Xue Wen felt a wave of dizziness; the boomerang had struck her directly. She should have known better than to say something so carelessly to comfort the princess—she actually believed it!

“It’s not only bad for the Prince, but also for the Princess Consort,” Xueqin continued to persuade her. This time, she didn’t need to make excuses; Rouze had already “figured it out” on her own.

"Yes, Yixiu, unlike me, Yixiu is not favored. She only owes her position to Honghui and the Fourth Prince's favor. If Lady Nian gives birth to a child, it will definitely threaten Honghui's position..."

“Your Highness is wise,” Xueqin nodded in agreement and continued, “Although the Fujin is not a very good person, she is still a girl of the Ulanara clan, not just a Fujin. Even if it is to maintain the glory of the Ulanara clan, we cannot let the Nian Ce Fujin be proud.”

“Yes,” Rouze said with a look of reluctance, as if she had made up her mind. “For the sake of the Prince, for the sake of Xiaoyi, for the sake of Honghui, and for the sake of the Ulanara clan, the Nian family’s child cannot be kept.”

"It's good that you've figured it out, Princess. I will definitely clear away any obstacles for you." Xueqin expressed her loyalty, appearing to be entirely considerate of Rouze.

“Xueqin,” Rouze was deeply moved. She grasped her hand and said softly, “The Nian family’s child came at an inopportune time. Just get rid of the child and don’t hurt the Nian family.”

"Yes, Your Highness is kind, I know." Regardless of what she was thinking, Xueqin appeared very moved on the surface.

"You may use the people your mother left behind, but be careful not to implicate yourself."

"Princess, rest assured, I will handle it perfectly and no one will suspect anything."

"Be careful." Rouze saw Xueqin off with concern, as if nothing had happened, and leaned against the bedside with a melancholy look on her face.

Seeing Xueqin walk away, Xuewen breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Rouze, hesitant to speak. After a moment's thought, she mustered her courage and boldly called out, "Princess, Xueqin..."

Rou looked over with her ever-charming and gentle eyes and said softly, "Xueqin is honest and kind. Don't worry, I won't mistreat her."

"Yes... Princess Renshan."

Looking at her familiar, delicate, and gentle mistress, Xuewen suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Did Princess Rouze really know nothing? Was it really Xueqin who instigated her?

...

Ever since Nian Shilan became pregnant, Yinzhen had guessed that turmoil would inevitably arise in the inner court. He focused his mental energy on the inner court and watched one good show after another.

They really cast a wide net! Yi Xiu watched coldly from the sidelines, Qi Yuebin tried to stay out of it with Mei Qiyue, and Song Wan'er raised her daughter in a secluded corner.

But the remaining people weren't immune to being swayed. Unfortunately, in recent years, under Yixiu's control, life in the backyard had been extremely peaceful, and no one had come up with any sophisticated methods.

They were either too rough and stopped before even entering Qilan Courtyard, or they gave up halfway through because they were afraid of Nian Shilan's power, or they were willing but not daring and could only talk the talk.

Not to mention harming Nian Shilan's unborn child, no one could even get close to her.

Now, only Rouze remains stubbornly standing strong, thanks to the connections of the Ulanara clan, which allows Yinzhen to barely continue to observe her.

However, this method... Yinzhen found it somewhat amusing. Could it be considered a different kind of world-line convergence? In the previous storyline, it was Qi Yuebin who befriended Nian Shilan. Now, it's Rouze trying to befriend Nian Shilan?