Chapter 167 Tea

Shangguan Jin and Madam Huangfu walked along the path and soon arrived at another temple.

The two men, who had originally intended to go around, stopped when they saw the lady emerging from the temple.

The Duchess of Qi, supported by her maid, walked out of the Guanyin Hall, her face full of worry.

In less than half a year, even the Duchess of Qi's once thick, black hair started to have strands of white hair.

There were also faint wrinkles between his brows.

"That's the Duchess of Qi! Why is she here to worship Buddha?" Lady Huangfu asked in a low voice.

Shangguan Jin thought for a moment, then covered her face with her fan and whispered something.

"They're probably here to pray for the Crown Prince's wife. I heard that her pregnancy isn't going well, and two imperial physicians are staying at the Duke of Qi's mansion every day!"

Lady Huangfu sighed.

Her second daughter-in-law is the daughter of the Duke of Qi, and she has been visiting her parents' home quite often lately.

Every time he comes back, he has a worried look on his face. If I hadn't said a few words, he probably would have been frowning every day.

Let's go over and talk to her!

The Duchess of Qi's life has been quite miserable. If it weren't for the Crown Prince's wife's pregnancy, I reckon she would have collapsed long ago.

Shangguan Jin nodded. Being the mistress of the house is not easy.

Even though the Duke of Qi's mansion had encountered such a major event, the Duchess of Qi still managed to keep the mansion in perfect order.

The Duke of Qi's mansion once again prepared ample gifts for this Dragon Boat Festival.

The two quickened their pace and greeted the Duchess of Qi.

Lady Qi forced a smile, and then, guided by the young novice monk, went to a pavilion outside the Guanyin Hall.

After the three greeted each other and sat down, the Duchess of Qi finally spoke.

“My daughter-in-law hasn’t been feeling well these past few days and can’t sleep at night.”

I was worried, that's why I came to burn incense.

I hope Guanyin Bodhisattva will bless my daughter-in-law so that everything goes smoothly for her, and that she, both mother and child, will be safe and sound.

Shangguan Jin and Madam Huangfu both sighed softly.

The heir apparent of the State of Qi and his wife had a very good relationship.

After their marriage, the Crown Prince would spend all his free time with his wife, making them a rare and beautiful couple in the capital.

The Crown Prince has suddenly met with misfortune; the Crown Prince's wife must be heartbroken.

You should still try to persuade them.

"Life goes on. She loves the prince so much, she should take good care of herself!" Shangguan Jin advised.

Lady Huangfu also offered her advice.

"It's not just her, you have to take good care of yourself too! You have other children, they all depend on you!"

And also, the Crown Princess's baby... without your care, life will probably be difficult from now on!"

The Duchess of Qi nodded at him, clenching her teeth.

"My son's last remaining flesh and blood, I will risk my life to protect him."

Shangguan Jin and Madam Huangfu did not speak, but simply looked at each other.

Every family has its own troubles.

The same applies to the Duke of Qi's mansion.

The heir apparent of the Duke of Qi was gone, and the remaining two sons were both born out of wedlock.

They're all definitely eyeing the position of heir apparent.

Although the imperial decree has been issued that the child in the Crown Prince's wife's womb will be either a grandson or a princess, if it is a boy.

They must have hoped it would be a girl!

But the child hasn't been born yet, so who can say for sure!

For them now, the safest course of action is for the child not to be born at all.

Only then will they have a chance...

"As the pregnancy progresses, you'll have more on your mind. Madam, you must be careful. What if you worry too much and something goes wrong during childbirth?" Madam Huangfu continued to advise.

"Yes, we've all had children."

Which woman doesn't go through a life-or-death experience during childbirth?

Madam, you must cheer up.

"If you need any medicine that you don't have at your residence, you can come to our residence to get it," Shangguan Jin continued.

The Duchess of Qi nodded and made a mental note of it.

Shangguan Jin and Madam Huangfu offered a few more words of advice until the young novice monk served tea.

"Ladies, please enjoy. This is tea that we roasted ourselves at the temple."

It's been hot lately, so I added honeysuckle to help cool down the body.

As he spoke, he placed three cups of tea on the table.

They lifted the teacups, blew on them twice, and each of them took a small sip.

The tea soup is clear with a slight yellow tinge. It is slightly bitter at first, but has a sweet aftertaste. The addition of honeysuckle gives it a unique fragrance.

After taking two more sips of tea, the Duchess of Qi's eyes suddenly reddened.

"My son doesn't have any other hobbies, he just loves tea."

Madam Shen also knows that ever since your family opened your teahouse, he goes there to drink tea from time to time.

They brought us all sorts of snacks when they came back, and even said your tea was good.

The tea-making skills are also excellent.

Before he left for Jiangnan, he told me that when he returned from this business trip, he would definitely take my son and me to Chunbuwan to taste the newly produced plum blossom tea.

Who would have thought...

Shangguan Jin and Madam Huangfu were also saddened to hear this.

The heir of the Duke of Qi is truly a rare and upright person.

"Yes, the young master loves tea. Whenever there is good tea available in the spring, he is always the first to arrive."

Just two days before his return, the Crown Prince's residence specially ordered the finest Taiping Houkui tea from a teahouse and sent it to the young master. "Shangguan Jin also casually mentioned.

As soon as she finished speaking, the Duchess of Qi paused.

"Madam Shen? Is that so?" the Duchess of Qi asked in surprise.

Shangguan Jin nodded.

"Yes, as Young Master Lian said, back then, Chun Bu Wan had already put up the accounts, and a servant from the Crown Prince's residence came over."

They say the best Taiping Houkui tea from the Crown Prince's residence is gone.

I was thinking of taking some from the teahouse.

Lady Qi clenched the handkerchief in her hand, and tears fell down her cheeks.

"I wonder if my son got to drink his favorite tea before he left."

"Madam, please don't be sad. It was our fault. Why bring up these topics for no reason!"

"I've made you sad for no reason," Madam Huangfu said, trying to comfort her.

Lady Qi lowered her head and wiped away her tears for a while before forcing a smile and saying, "It was my fault."

The two ladies are right; life goes on, and we must look forward.

"By the way, have you heard? The Lady of Wuding Marquis is unwell and hasn't been able to get out of bed for almost half a month."

"Oh! Is that so? We really didn't know that."

When did this happen?

Shangguan Jin and Madam Huangfu were both startled.

How could Lady Wuding, such an aggressive and domineering person, fall ill?

Still can't get out of bed?

This is a big deal...

The three chatted for a long time, until the sun began to set, before returning to their respective carriages.

Inside the carriage of the Duke of Qi's mansion, the Duchess of Qi clutched her handkerchief tightly.

Shangguan Jin's words just now hit her like a ton of bricks.

Two days before his son's accident, the Crown Prince's residence sent tea to his son? Does that mean that at that time, the Crown Prince already knew that his son was in the escort team?