"Has it already been found out?" Changning glanced at Granny Zhang.

Granny Zhang nodded. "Yes, Lu Zi carried two oleanders with him when he was moving flowers. On the surface, he is the wife's man, but Zhao Fuhai investigated and found that he has a childhood sweetheart from the same hometown, Dongmei, who lives in Consort Li's courtyard."

Changning sneered, "Whatever sins a mother commits will eventually be repaid on her own child. This classic line is indeed true."

After saying this, Zhao Fuhai seemed to understand something about his surroundings, and bent down to leave the room.

Changning didn't bother with Zhao Fuhai; he was capable of handling such a small matter.

But Hongfen is truly pitiful. Changning also had some doubts in her heart: "The Second Prince is in good health, so why did he suddenly change his mind last night?"

Tingfeng whispered in response, "I heard that the wet nurse on night watch didn't close the doors and windows properly, and she herself had been suffering from a cold for several days, but she kept it a secret and directly infected the Second Prince."

Changning touched her belly, wondering how anxious Yinzhen was at that moment.

Yinzhen was indeed very anxious, especially when he arrived last night. Lady Li was in tears, and Hongfen was wailing. It was a truly pitiful sight.

However, as time passed, Hongfen's cries grew weaker and weaker, and finally his face turned noticeably pale. Only then did Madam Li truly panic. Seeing that the situation was deteriorating, the family physician said he was powerless to save him and requested the summoning of the imperial physician.

When the imperial physician arrived, he immediately administered acupuncture and strong medicine, which barely stabilized Hongfen's condition. However, it was truly dangerous for such a young child to have a fever.

If a high fever persists, even if the person doesn't die, it can easily damage their brain, leaving them with conditions similar to dementia.

Therefore, Yinzhen went to the palace to request permission for the imperial physician Zhou, who was skilled in pediatrics, to stay at the Fourth Prince's residence for a few more days. Consort Tong naturally agreed and even bestowed upon him many tonics.

Consort De of Yonghe Palace also followed suit by bestowing many precious medicinal materials, all of which are currently in use.

Yonghe Palace

Looking at her fourth son, whose eyes were red and whose face was bruised, Consort De felt a pang of heartache. "Fourth son, you must take good care of yourself. For me and the Emperor, this is your way of showing filial piety. For Hongfen, it is also a failure to fulfill his filial duty to cause his father to neglect his health at such a young age."

Yinzhen quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake, saying, "Your son knows he was wrong."

"Alright, take things easy and do your best. Even if it doesn't work out, life goes on. Don't wallow in sorrow. The student movement in the south is a bit chaotic right now, and the Emperor is sending people to investigate. You must seize this opportunity."

Yinzhen's heart stirred. His mother was his father's favorite concubine and had been trusted by him for many years. Her words could not be wrong. He did not expect that his mother would tell him this.

Compared to the future, a second son who is only one year old and not yet established himself is naturally not that important.

After thanking Consort De, Yinzhen returned to his residence and did not set foot in Fuyue Courtyard again, nor did he go to the other women's places. He only instructed Su Peisheng to take good care of Changning in Qingzhi Courtyard before burying himself in his study.

When Li Jingyue saw that Yinzhen was no longer caring about her and her son, she was so angry that she smashed a lot of things in Fuyue Courtyard.

While Yinzhen was confined to his study, sorting out his thoughts and writing a memorial, a rumor circulated in Fuyue Courtyard.

It is said that Song Gege's miscarriage was caused by Consort Li, who wanted her to give birth to the master's eldest son.

Moreover, Song Gege gave birth to the eldest princess prematurely, which resulted in the eldest princess being weak and unable to withstand the wind; this was also the work of Consort Li.

Now, the Second Prince is seriously ill. This is all karma; the sins his mother committed will be punished on his children.

Upon hearing this rumor, Li Jingyue was so angry she was practically going crazy. She grabbed Qiu Tang and Dong Mei and yelled, "Who is this bitch? Who is this blind fool who dares to curse me?"

Neither of the two maids dared to speak, for they too felt the rumors were true...

The Second Prince's illness came on suddenly, and after investigation, no one else was suspected of being responsible, and the wet nurse was a member of the Li family.

Besides, it was Consort Li who did what happened to Song Gege...

Looking at the expressions of her two trusted confidantes, how could Li Jingyue not know what they were thinking? But she didn't believe in such things as sin and retribution. If she believed in karma, she would have long ago refrained from committing those heinous acts. Were the hands of the other women in the manor truly clean?

But, was Hongfen really harmed by himself?

Main courtyard

Chaoxia reported all these rumors to the Fujin (principal wife), who then asked thoughtfully, "Fu-nanny, who do you think did this? Song Shi? Or Fucha Shi?"

Granny Fu laughed and said, "Who cares who did it? In the end, the one who benefits is the Fujin (Prince). Those rumors aren't entirely wrong. Li Shi has committed many evils, and the Second Prince's current serious illness is his own fault."

But she didn't notice that the Fujin's complexion was also getting worse. "Although I didn't get involved in Li's affairs, I turned a blind eye and did a lot of favors. If we're talking about the sins of a mother... then isn't Honghui's poor health partly my fault?"

Seeing that the Princess Consort had actually thought of this, Granny Fu hurriedly advised, "Princess Consort, how can you think like that? It is Li Shi who is not upright. Her ambition is overflowing, and she even dares to try to compete with you for the position of eldest son. We have not interfered; at most, we have just stood by and watched."

Seeing that the princess was still somewhat resentful, Granny Fu continued, "Besides, you are the primary wife of a prince, and in the future you may become a princess consort or a prince's wife. How can you do without some means? You are already very sensible. Look at the Prince Cheng's residence, the Third Princess Consort acted too cruelly. Who isn't talking about her behind her back? And you, who doesn't praise you for being filial and proper?"

The Princess Consort nodded this time. "Yes, all I've done is to earn a reputation for filial piety. Tomorrow I still need to go to Yonghe Palace to pay my respects to the Empress. By the way, send someone to keep an eye on Lady Dong. Make sure she doesn't cause any more trouble. Consider it a blessing for Honghui. As for Lady Fucha, we are not allowed to make any moves."

Granny Fu couldn't help but advise, "My lady, this Lady Fucha is different from Lady Li. She's a Manchu bannerwoman and from the Fucha family. If she were to give birth to a prince, then..."

The princess frowned. "Granny Fu, do you understand the current situation? If there isn't a single boy in the manor, won't the Emperor and the Empress in the palace intervene?"

There was one more thing the Princess Consort didn't say.

If the Prince wants to compete for that position, how can the mansion be without a prince? Compared to the future Empress, Fucha has already given birth, and if that day really comes, it is still possible to remove the mother and keep the child.

Yinzhen ignored these rumors, or rather, he simply didn't care. After confining himself to his study for ten days, he took the prepared memorial to the palace.

After returning to his residence, Yinzhen brought news that he would be going to the south next month.