This night was far from peaceful.

Li Chenjiao returned to the East Courtyard. It was almost four o'clock in the morning, and dawn was approaching. However, Li Chenjiao had spent half the night at Song Gege's place and was extremely sleepy.

Upon entering the east courtyard, they headed straight for the bed.

I fall asleep the moment my head hits the bed.

The two maids quickly fell silent and quietly covered Li Chenjiao with a thin blanket.

Hearing Li Chenjiao's soft breathing, the two maids covered their mouths and laughed, then quietly slipped out.

The two maids had never experienced anything like this before, and they stood outside whispering to each other.

"How could she suddenly give birth prematurely? She just came out from there and her condition didn't look good..." It was Qiu Ci who spoke.

"I don't know either, but childbirth is a woman's life, and she's already halfway to the gates of hell... I don't know what will happen to our princess in the future..." Qiu Hu said with some worry.

"Pah, pah, pah, why bring up the sore spot? Our princess is in good health and destined for great wealth." Qiu Ci is a straightforward person. Although she hasn't been with Li Chenjiao for long, her loyalty is truly beyond question.

Qiu Hu laughed and said, "Alright, alright, you've been keeping watch with the princess all night. Go and rest. I'll keep watch here."

"That won't do. I'm not tired. You should go and rest..."

The two maids sat on the veranda, declining the offer, but then they stayed together to keep watch, making purses as they went.

...

By the time Li Chenjiao woke up, the sun was already high in the sky, but there was still no movement from the Song family.

Li Chenjiao changed into a simple dress, had breakfast, and then went to Song's place again.

On the way, Li Chenjiao, carrying Qiu Hu, slowly said, "Still no movement?"

Qiu Hu should say: "The midwife said this pregnancy was difficult; Princess Song has been given several bowls of medicine, but..."

Li Chenjiao's heart tightened, and she suddenly thought of her wife, Dangui... but they were gone...

There's no way the dead can testify!

But what exactly did the Fujin (wife of the emperor) have Dangui do? Li Chenjiao couldn't figure it out.

They ran into Bai Jia on the way. Bai Jia looked rather worried and sighed, "Seeing Song Gege like this is really frightening..."

Li Chenjiao did not respond.

Bai Jia didn't feel embarrassed at all, and just pursed her lips and continued talking to herself.

Before they knew it, they arrived at Song Gege's courtyard. Li Chenjiao hadn't said much along the way, but Bai Jia had been talking the whole way and was already very thirsty.

Once inside, he quickly drank some tea to quench his thirst.

The princess consort isn't here; I don't know where she went.

Yu Ru, who was waiting in the main courtyard, saw Li Chenjiao and Bai Jia enter one after the other. Her eyes flickered slightly: "The two princesses have arrived? The Fujin is still looking after Song Gege. Please have a seat, both princesses."

Li Chenjiao didn't speak, but Bai Jia smiled and responded.

They waited until noon, and just as lunchtime was approaching, there was finally some movement – ​​the baby was born!

She was a princess, weighing three pounds and nine ounces.

If it weren't for the maid coming to deliver the message, Li Chenjiao would have thought that the baby hadn't been born yet, for no other reason than that she hadn't heard the baby crying.

The little maid who delivered the message also looked unwell.

Li Chenjiao and Bai Jia went over there together. When they arrived at the door, they heard the cries of a baby.

However, the sounds were not loud, like a cat meowing. Looking through the curtain, wow, they really did sound like kittens.

Judging from its appearance... it doesn't seem like something that's easy to raise.

It made people feel heavy-hearted.

The Fujin came out, looking somewhat relaxed. But when she saw Li Chenjiao and Bai Jia, she looked worried again: "You've arrived? The eldest princess doesn't look well. You should go back early too."

Looking at the Fujin's appearance, Li Chenjiao tightened her grip slightly and said slowly, "Yes, Fujin is right. Then this servant will not bother you any longer and will come to visit the eldest princess again in a few days."

After speaking, he gave a slight curtsy, turned, and left.

As the princess watched Li Chenjiao's departing figure, she tugged at the corners of her mouth and smiled softly.

The eldest princess is good, the eldest princess... as long as she's not a prince, that's fine. Even if she is a prince, a prince with congenital deficiencies, there's nothing to worry about.

Eldest Princess, ah...

The princess smiled again, and without lingering, she left with a smile a short while later.

Bai Jia, who remained where she was, watched all of this and gave a slight smile.

Dan Gui...whose side is she really on?

Oh.

...

After leaving Song Gege's place, Li Chenjiao felt extremely depressed.

Qiu Hu helped Li Chenjiao up and asked, "Is Princess thinking of the Eldest Princess?"

Li Chenjiao waved her hand: "What did the imperial physician say? The eldest princess looks too frail..."

Qiu Hu lowered his eyes and uttered four words in a low voice: "A deficiency syndrome."

Li Chenjiao was stunned for a moment, and then she immediately understood the Fujin's scheme.

It's not about ruining the child in Song's womb, but about keeping the child in Song's womb, regardless of gender, as the deficiency will be enough.

A child with a deficiency is really nothing to worry about; if others ask, it's just that he was born prematurely and has a deficiency.

That's... a brilliant tactic.

Li Chenjiao walked along the road, the sun shining on her body, making her feel warm, but her back felt a little cold.

There are many more insidious tricks to come, impossible to guard against, so you must stand up for yourself.

It doesn't harm people, but it's not afraid of people either.

But if a rabbit gets angry, it might still bite, right? Whether it bites or not is unknown, but it's possible it might eat people.

How many people can it eat in one bite?

Thinking about it, Li Chenjiao's mood suddenly improved a lot, so she strode back to the East Courtyard.

Song is pitiful, after all, her child is innocent, but Song has been secretly up to no good.

Besides, since they had no sense of precaution, it was only natural that they were taken advantage of.

A person should have self-awareness.

The Fujin (principal wife) never intended to harm the child in Song's womb; it was Song who first had the inappropriate thought.

Li Chenjiao had heard Qiu Ci say this several times: Song Shi, relying on being the first to serve the Fourth Prince, had planted many people before the Fujin entered the mansion, and only became more restrained after the Fujin entered the mansion.

After she became pregnant, she started using her influence again, sending her own people to the gatehouse, kitchen, and grocery stores to buy groceries.

You have to bear the consequences of your actions.

Li Chenjiao shook her head slightly, sighing inwardly, and began to ponder the Fourth Master.

I wonder how Fourth Master will react when he gets the news.

The Fourth Master, who was being nagged by Li Chenjiao, was quite busy right now. Inspecting the river works was no easy task and was exhausting.

In addition to the Yongding River, Fourth Master also inspected several other places, including Gaojia Weir, Guiren Embankment, and Lanqianni.

Several corrupt individuals were also discovered, the first being the Chamberlain Yin Tai, who outwardly complied but inwardly defied orders.

The Fourth Prince naturally submitted a memorial to the Emperor, but there was another matter: Yin Tai was a man close to Prince Zhi and had some connection with him.

Yin Tai's daughter, Lady Yin, only entered the harem of Prince Zhi two years ago. Yin Tai has used Prince Zhi's name to embezzle and accept bribes quite a bit. In just two years, the amount embezzled reached 100,000 taels of silver.

Now that the truth has been discovered, the Emperor is furious. Yin Tai has been dismissed from his post, his entire family has been exiled, and their property has been confiscated. Only one member of the Yin family, who is with the Prince of Zhi, has escaped this calamity, but it seems that their future will not be easy.