"Then how can you prove what you're saying? That Yan Yu could never have conceived twins? Can you prove it?" The Fujin stood up abruptly, her autumn-colored cheongsam looking incredibly beautiful in the candlelight, and the gold ornaments on her head gleaming alluringly.

Zhou Zifeng stared blankly at his wife, already realizing that if he couldn't prove today that Yan Yu was carrying a single child and not twins, then his crime of harassing Yun Yuan and causing her to drown herself would be confirmed.

However, ever since Yan Yu became pregnant, I have been the one taking her pulse. There is indeed no sign of twins. Could it be that I am not skilled enough to notice?

Zhou Zifeng swallowed hard, hesitating to answer the Fujin's question.

"Zhou Zifeng, I'm giving you one night. If you still can't confirm whether Yan Yu is carrying a single or twin pregnancy by tomorrow, then don't blame me for being heartless. You should understand what crime it is to harass a maid and then have her drown herself in the lake." The princess had said all she needed to say.

She waved her hand, signaling to take Zhou Zifeng away.

“Madam, is it true that Yun Yuan did not drown herself? Or was she murdered?” Li Momo asked.

"I've already sent someone to check, and Yun Yuan indeed has a blunt force trauma to the back of her head. I didn't expect Niohuru to think of that; I really underestimated her," the Fujin sighed. She had truly underestimated her back then. If she had found a way to get rid of Niohuru earlier, there wouldn't be so much trouble today. She naturally couldn't hide the fact that the Fourth Prince was communicating with Lan Qin; she had even seen the contents of their correspondence.

He had never spoken to me like that before, nor had he ever told me anything like that. How could a girl from a poor family gain the Fourth Master's trust like that?

I hate it so much!

The princess clasped her hands tightly together. She had so desperately wanted to hold onto the Fourth Prince's heart, but it was as if she were grasping at thin air; she could never truly grasp it.

Now, a member of the Niohuru clan has firmly captured the Fourth Prince's heart, while his own sister is plotting against him.

"Should we send a few people to Ninth Princess's place? The two children need more wet nurses to take care of them. This old servant underestimated Ninth Princess Lu; I didn't expect her to be so capable. According to Doctor Zhou, she didn't seem to be carrying twins, so how come she has two children now?" said Granny Li.

"Hmph, my dear sister, her mind is never simple. On the surface she seems frivolous and impatient, but in reality she is vicious and cunning. Who knows what she might do that we wouldn't believe? Liu has entered the manor several times, and Fangyun has left the manor repeatedly. It seems we all need to investigate thoroughly." The Fujin's eyes flashed with a sharp light.

“Very well, this old servant is wondering if there’s something I should say?” said Granny Li.

"Tell me, what rift still exists between us?" the princess asked.

“How could Lady Niu suspect that Yun Yuan’s death was suspicious? There must be something we don’t know. Should we call her here and ask her?” Li Momo knew that the Fujin was most wary of Lan Qin at the moment, so asking her to discuss things with Lan Qin now would probably not be to her liking.

"Granny, she now enjoys the master's deep trust, and he even discusses matters of state with her regarding the imperial silver collection. If I allow her to interfere in matters of the inner court, what will become of me as the Fujin?" The Fujin's anger level indeed rose several notches.

“No matter how favored she is, she’s just the daughter of a fourth-rank official, not someone who can be considered important. If the master wants to achieve something, he will have to rely on the support of the wife’s maternal family. I don’t think the master is so ignorant of this,” said Granny Li.

"Even so, I absolutely cannot let her be so arrogant!" the Fujin said bitterly.

Meanwhile, Yan Yu had already woken up.

"Mother, where is the child?" Although her heart was not pure, Yan Yu had still gone through the path of motherhood that every woman must take, and at this moment, she was thinking about her child.

"They're all asleep, don't worry. Yu'er, the Fujin sent word that four wet nurses will be sent over for you tomorrow. She said that having a prince and a princess is a rare and auspicious sign, and they must send more people to serve you." Liu Shi had been uneasy before, but now that she had indeed given birth to twins smoothly, she felt at ease.

"Hmph, I'm afraid they're here to spy on us, mother and child," Yan Yu whispered.

“After all, she is the son of the Fourth Master. Even if she is unhappy, she shouldn’t go so far as to harm you,” said Madam Liu.

"Fangyun, how is Zhou Zifeng doing?" Yan Yu had been worried about Zhou Zifeng. As long as he was alive, she was always afraid that the truth about her "twins" would be revealed one day.

"The Princess Consort has already tied him up and locked him up. But she hasn't made a decision yet," Fangyun said.

“No, it’s best to get rid of this person, otherwise he will always be a threat to that child,” Yan Yu said.

"Mother, are those two midwives reliable?" Yan Yu asked Liu Shi, ignoring Fang Yun.

“I found them both. One is from your uncle’s side, and the other is someone I’ve known for a long time. I’ve already given them hush money, so there won’t be any problems,” said Madam Liu.

"Mother, if you give money, others can give money too. No, these two midwives can't be kept alive, we must find a way to get rid of them!" Yan Yu said hurriedly. Zhou Zifeng alone was enough of a headache for her, and now there were two more midwives. Zhou Zifeng could be excused by his lack of medical knowledge, failing to detect that she was a twin, but the two midwives had witnessed it firsthand, and they absolutely could not be allowed to live.

"Well, then I'll give them more money and send them away from the capital so they'll never show up again," Liu said immediately, seeing Yan Yu's anxiety and knowing that this matter couldn't be leaked out.

"Yes, Mother, you should go and take care of this matter quickly. Don't wait until someone suspects something, or it will be too late," Yan Yu said.

After Liu left with the midwives that night, Yan Yu specifically instructed Fang Yun to go find Ninth Master first thing the next morning and to get rid of the two midwives no matter what. Her earlier request for Liu to appease him was merely a pretext.

Seeing that Yan Yu no longer cared about human life, Fang Yun was amazed that people could treat human life so lightly for the sake of power. However, if she were in Yan Yu's position, she would probably be even more ruthless.

That night, many people did not sleep well, even Lanqin in the South Courtyard had trouble sleeping.

The Fourth Prince will surely be delighted with Yan Yu's twins. Why can't I give him a son or daughter?

Lanqin lay on the bed, touching her flat stomach, and muttered to herself: "Qianlong, it will be several more years before you crawl out of my belly, and I have never heard of you having any brothers or sisters."

The Fujin (principal wife) had also spent most of the night awake. One Lady Niu was already enough of a headache, and now her own younger sister was causing trouble too. If they really found out something was amiss with her, what should she do? And would the Fourth Prince believe that she had nothing to do with this?