“Princess, you shouldn’t lie like that. Either lie down or sit up. Lying like that will put pressure on the baby in your womb,” Anmo said when she saw Lanqin lying on the couch reading.

"Aunt An, I'm not even three months pregnant yet. The baby in my belly isn't even the size of an egg. How could I possibly press on it?" Lanqin had been getting a bit too worked up these past few days because of Aunt An's strictness. The thought that she was Consort De's eyes and ears, specially sent to take care of her, made her feel a little uncomfortable.

The relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is the most difficult in the world. Although she was only a concubine, Consort De was still her mother-in-law.

“Princess, as the concubine of the Fourth Prince, even when you lie down, you should maintain a proper posture. Lying like this is rather unrespectable.” Aunt An’s mouth was like Tang Sanzang’s, and she wouldn’t stop until Lanqin heard her words.

Lanqin, having no other choice, agreed, changed her position, and lay down to sleep.

"Princess, let me help you to the inner room to rest. You'll easily catch a cold lying here. And if you do, it won't be good for the baby in your womb." Aunt An's baby talk started again.

Seeing that Lanqin had been completely subdued by Aunt An, Nianxue and Xicha couldn't help but admire the people around Consort De.

For several days in a row, Aunt An would criticize everything Lanqin did, making Lanqin wish she could stay in bed 24 hours a day. Since she would be criticized no matter what she did if she got up, she might as well not get up at all.

"I'm tired, Nianxue, help me to bed!!" Lanqin called out, suppressing her discomfort.

“Princess, it’s not good for the baby if a pregnant woman sleeps too much. Why don’t I accompany you for a walk?” Aunt An said again.

Lanqin's forehead was almost covered in sweat. However, she was Consort De's person, and it was not easy to reprimand her!

But what does she want?

Lanqin could only smile and say, "Thank you, Aunt An. Perhaps Nianxue could accompany me? You're preparing lunch for me, and that can't be neglected!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt An realized it was true and quickly said, "Miss Nianxue, I'll go to the kitchen to check. There are some things that can't be stored there."

At least they've stopped nagging and hovering around. Lanqin breathed a sigh of relief.

"Nianxue, come on, let's go out right now. This Aunt An is going to nag me to death." Lanqin immediately tried to pull Nianxue out of the house.

The master and servant walked out quickly, and Nianxue hadn't even had time to grab the parasol.

"Princess, please slow down." Nianxue watched as Lanqin walked faster in her flowerpot shoes than in her flat shoes, like a bird flying out of its cage.

"Slow down, or that Rong Mama will come after us. Hurry up!" Lanqin blurted out, not caring whether Nianxue understood or not.

The two wandered aimlessly through the back courtyard. Lanqin simply didn't want to stay in front of Aunt An; she felt terrible these past few days.

Meow meow meow~~

Suddenly, a cat's meow reached Lanqin's ears.

"Hey, where did this cat come from?" Lanqin immediately perked up, because Aunt An had ordered Fubao to be sent away from the house, saying that she should not come into contact with cats and dogs during her pregnancy, lest she be bothered by them.

Sigh, it seems like Lanqin can always find something to complain about, no matter what she does. Reading for too long is no good, playing with the dog is no good, eating too much is no good, eating too little is no good; she can't stand for too long, and she can't lie down for too long either…

"Mimi, Mimi, come out quickly~~" Lanqin crouched down and looked out from the bushes by the roadside.

Seeing that Gege was crouching down, Nianxue remembered Aunt An's words and wanted to remind Lanqin not to bend over like that, but in the end she held back.

"Wow, what a beautiful little black cat. Come here, Mimi, come to your big sister." Lanqin finally found the little creature that made the sound, and it really was the black cat.

Right now, it's hiding in the bushes. Cats are very alert animals, and they generally don't easily approach people.

"Princess, I don't think I've ever seen this cat before. It's probably a stray. You should stay away from it; it might be carrying something unclean," Nianxue couldn't help but say, trying to dissuade her.

"Good Nianxue, don't be like that Aunt An, okay?" Ignoring her objections, Lanqin still reached out and patted the black cat's head.

The little black cat was very well-behaved, letting Lanqin stroke its head. After playing with it for a while, the black cat didn't seem to mind Lanqin.

"Nianxue, go back and secretly get some food that the kitten can eat. I'll wait for you here," Lanqin said.

“Gege, let’s go. This cat doesn’t look thin or dirty; it probably comes from another yard. It won’t go hungry,” Nianxue said.

Lanqin saw that Nianxue's words made sense, so she didn't insist anymore. She slowly teased the little black cat, and when it didn't resist, she picked it up.

"Come on, let's sit in the pavilion over there for a while, okay?" Lanqin already loved these little animals, and now that Aunt An was in charge, she couldn't wait to cuddle the kitten.

Nianxue was sweating bullets when she heard her calling her "sister" repeatedly!

The two, master and servant, carried the cat into a nearby pavilion. The kitten was very well-behaved, nestled in Lanqin's arms.

After playing for most of the hour, Lanqin felt thirsty and had to put down the kitten and go back with Nianxue.

"Nianxue, let's take this cat home. It seems to really like me, it doesn't make a fuss, let's keep it secretly." Lanqin reluctantly turned around again, walked to the little black cat, squatted down and said.

“Princess, that won’t do. Aunt An absolutely forbids it.” Nianxue said with difficulty, “Princess, it’s not suitable for you to be in contact with these dogs and cats often right now.”

Lanqin squatted down again and touched it for a long time before reluctantly standing up.

After the mistress and servant returned to the courtyard, Aunt An immediately went to Lanqin, curtsied, and said, "Please tell the Fourth Prince that I should return to the palace."

Upon hearing this, Lanqin said apologetically, "Aunt An, please get up. Why do you want to go back?"

Aunt An remained squatting there, refusing to get up, and said, "If the princess doesn't want to listen to me, there's no use in me staying here."

Lanqin was speechless. This was a real tactic of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide. Sigh, if she let her go back, Consort De would definitely be unhappy, and it might even implicate the Fourth Prince, who would say that he hadn't treated the people she had bestowed upon her well.

Okay, let's try to persuade them.

"Aunt An, what are you saying? Lanqin respects you very much. Please get up, Aunt An. From now on, Lanqin will listen to you." Lanqin stepped forward and personally helped her up.

“Your Highness has said what you mean, so you must keep your word. I’m worried that something might go wrong with you and that you would fail the Empress Dowager’s trust. Besides, the Fourth Prince doesn’t have many children, so Your Highness’s pregnancy cannot be lost,” Aunt An said earnestly.