Wu was speaking to Li Chenjiao, but coincidentally, the Fujin also spoke up, which put the problem in Li Chenjiao's hands.

Li Chenjiao first looked at the Fujin: "Princess Wu is joking. The one who cares most about the First Prince is none other than the Fujin. Does the Fujin look thinner?"

Or perhaps it should be said that the Princess Consort was dressed too plainly today.

The Fujin chuckled lightly upon hearing this: "I didn't expect to alarm the Consort."

It was rare for the Fujin to address Li Chenjiao as "Second Fujin," but this was a veiled criticism that Li Chenjiao never went out unless there was a reason.

Li Chenjiao just smiled and turned to ask Wu Shi in the inner room, "Is the eldest prince feeling any better?"

Lady Wu stood up and greeted her, and upon hearing this, she seemed about to burst into tears again: "When this servant came to see the First Prince this morning, he was lying by the bedside, his waist covered in bruises..."

Upon hearing this, the princess's brow twitched as if she wanted to say something.

Seeing this, Li Chenjiao stepped forward to comfort Wu Shi, saying before the Fujin could speak, "Don't tell me you're worried about the eldest prince, I'm also heartbroken to see him like this. I was quite frightened when the fourth prince was sick a while ago. If he takes good care of himself as the imperial physician advised, he'll be fine."

Li Chenjiao's heart skipped a beat when Wu Shi said those words. Putting aside everything else, Wu Shi's confinement had originally been lifted after three months in the winter, but then Consort De said that Wu Shi was unruly and punished her with another three months of confinement.

At this time, Wu should still be under house arrest.

Wasn't what Lady Wu just said just giving the Fujin (the wife of the emperor) something to use against her?

Li Chenjiao wasn't helping Wu Shi; she was just trying to prevent the Fujin (the eldest prince's wife) from making a fuss about it. She hadn't come here today just to visit the eldest prince.

At this moment, it was unclear whether Wu had realized what was happening; she simply lowered her eyes and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.

Li Chenjiao looked worried as she gazed at the blurry figure of the First Prince behind the curtain, and then sighed softly after a long while.

Madam Song also came closer to take a look, but she stood a little further away, clearly still not used to the stuffy smell of medicine in the room: "How are the servants taking care of me?"

After hearing this, the Princess Consort finally spoke up again: "Song, that's a good question. I'd also like to know how the people around the First Prince are served?"

The Fujin still made trouble, and at this point, Li Chenjiao naturally stopped speaking up for her.

Last time, the people around the First Prince were punished. Now, it seems that no matter what the hidden reasons are, they did not serve their master well, which is a real crime.

This time, Wu Shi was also speechless. At this moment, she was probably not without anger. She was naturally angry that the servants around the First Prince were so incompetent.

She had figured it out long before the Fujin arrived: the eldest prince was still young, and even if the people around him were replaced once or twice, it wouldn't cause any problems...

At this point, Lady Wu simply went with the flow, taking advantage of the Fujin's influence to deal with the evil spirits and demons in her courtyard.

In the end, a new batch of people around the First Prince were replaced. The servants in each courtyard watched as the servants around the First Prince in the South Courtyard were dealt with outside. In the end, the commotion alerted the First Prince, who was unconscious inside. Then, Lady Wu pleaded for the servants, and the First Prince spared their lives.

Finally, the Princess Consort went inside to look at the First Prince one last time, and then she was the first to leave, with everyone else naturally leaving after her.

Li Chenjiao walked about seven or eight steps behind the Fujin. There was no smile on her face. She seemed to still be worried about the eldest prince after coming out of the south courtyard. Her eyes were slightly curved, as if they held something else.

Then Qiu Hu, who was beside her, suddenly said, "Master, it seems that your handkerchief was left inside..."

Upon hearing this, Li Chenjiao turned around and frowned: "How can you be so careless? Hurry up and go..."

As Li Chenjiao spoke, she stepped to the side and nodded slightly to Bai Jiashi.

Bai Jia, who was walking with Song Shi one after the other, quickly returned the greeting. She originally wanted to stay and say a few words to the concubine, but when she met the concubine's eyes, she vaguely sensed something. In the end, she cautiously did not speak and simply followed Song Shi out of the South Courtyard.

It was already noon when they left the South Courtyard.

After leaving the South Courtyard, Bai Jia and Song did not continue walking together. She made an excuse and parted ways with Song.

"I heard the plum blossoms in the garden are in bloom. Sister Song, please wait a moment. I'll go and see the plum blossoms first."

Song was initially somewhat tempted by Bai Jia's words, but the weather was so cold that she eventually gave up the idea.

She has always been afraid of the cold, and if it weren't for the fact that she came to see Wu Shi make a fool of herself, Song Shi would never have made this trip today.

As Song walked towards her courtyard, the Fujin was ahead of her. She had originally intended to return to her courtyard sooner, but with the Fujin ahead of her, she had to slow her pace.

In the short time that she slowed down, Madam Song must have muttered and cursed the Fujin (the wife of the deceased) countless times in her heart.

In the south courtyard, Qiu Hu quickly found the handkerchief under the corridor and came out, but behind her was a haggard-looking Wu Shi.

Wu spotted Li Chenjiao from afar. She gave a slight smile and said in a voice loud enough for Li Chenjiao to hear, "Thank you for today."

She said it, and then bowed very politely.

Wu was referring to the time earlier when Li Chenjiao spoke up for her.

Li Chenjiao stood and accepted Wu's greeting, her heart not feeling much: "Princess Wu is still under house arrest, you should go back soon..."

Her tone was relatively even, and after she finished speaking, she nodded politely before turning to leave the South Courtyard.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!