Seeing this, Ning Chunlin quickly stepped forward, pushed the servant aside, and looked at Lian Yao, who was covered in blood, with heartache. He carefully picked her up and carried her to his own courtyard.

"Quickly, go and fetch the royal physician to diagnose Miss Lianyao!"

Ning Chunlin, his eyes red, roared at the servant beside him.

Seeing this, the servant dared not delay and hurriedly ran to fetch a doctor.

Seeing Ning Chunlin's hurried departure, Xu Qianqian knew he had gone to find Lianyao. Feeling angry and wanting to vent her frustration, she decided to talk to Madam Sun.

Sure enough, Sun had just entered the courtyard when she followed right in.

"Oh dear, sister, you still have the mood to drink tea here."

Seeing that Madam Sun was pouring tea for her, Xu Qianqian angrily plopped down next to her.

Madam Sun glanced at her and said indifferently:

"Otherwise, if people don't like us, we can't just die, can we? We have to be more optimistic when we're alive."

Xu Qianqian slammed her hand on the table.

"I can't believe it! How could Jiang Yuwei be so shameless? Now I see the Princess cares about her much more than we do. What's the big deal? Humph!"

Sun's eyes darkened, and after taking a sip of tea, she slowly spoke.

"The princess is so proud of her, what can you do? You can't exactly kill her to vent your anger!"

Xu Qianqian's eyes flickered upon hearing this, then she leaned closer to Madam Sun and whispered:

"Did you know that the Empress's birthday banquet is in a few days? As the General's wife, Jiang Yuwei will definitely be invited to the banquet. Do you think we should prepare a gift for her?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Sun paused, her hand holding the cup still for a moment, then looked at Xu Qianqian with a meaningful expression.

"You mean, you want to tamper with her gift?"

Xu Qianqian nodded.

"She's currently staying at Prince Jing's residence, which makes it convenient for us to keep an eye on her. I'll send a clever maid to keep an eye on her and see what gift she's planning to give to the Empress."

Xu Qianqian lowered her voice even further as she spoke.

"If we have the chance, let's try something different with her, so she'll learn a lesson and stop being so fearless and thinking she can step on our heads!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Sun smiled slightly.

“You’re so smart, little sister. How come I didn’t think of that? Well then, I’ll leave this to you.”

Xu Qianqian picked up the teapot, poured herself a cup of water, and smiled:

"That's natural."

Madam Sun looked down at the teacup in her hand, and after a moment spoke:

"Right now, little sister, you need to seize the opportunity."

Xu Qianqian looked at Madam Sun in confusion.

"At what time?"

Mrs. Sun patted Xu Qianqian's hand lightly and smiled:

"Why are you confused again? Lianyao has been punished and she probably won't be able to get out of bed for at least ten days or half a month. Isn't this your perfect opportunity?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qianqian's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Sun's hand.

"Sister, you're so thoughtful! I'll go to the yard right now and make some food to take to Brother Chunlin!"

As Xu Qianqian got up to leave, Madam Sun quickly stopped her and stuffed a paper package into Xu Qianqian's hand.

"Look how anxious you are. Remember to include this in your diet. If Chunlin eats it, your wish will come true."

Xu Qianqian looked down at the small paper packet in her hand, then smiled and said:

"Thank you so much for thinking of me, sister. I'll come to thank you first after this is all done. I'll be going now!"

After saying that, Xu Qianqian turned and left.

Madam Sun watched her retreating figure, gently shaking her head and smiling. She then instructed the maidservant attending her:

"Take away the teacup that Aunt Xu is using. Remember to give her this cup whenever she comes in the future."

Upon hearing the order, the maidservant hurriedly used a handkerchief to remove the teacup that Xu Qianqian had just used. This teacup had been kept in safflower and musk water by Madam Sun.

Madam Sun was naturally afraid that Xu Qianqian might actually get pregnant, so she would feel more at ease. However, even if she did get pregnant, Madam Sun wouldn't be afraid; she would simply find a way to get rid of the pregnancy.

As for the small packet of powder that Madam Sun gave to Xu Qianqian just now, it was something Madam Sun had just bought from a doctor outside the mansion a few days ago. She said that if a man took it for a long time, it could forcibly mobilize his body's essence and damage his foundation, and he would become unable to have children after only a few uses.

When Xu Qianqian came to her courtyard to learn how to cook, Sun would secretly add a little bit to her dishes. As for Lian Yao, Sun wasn't worried that she would get pregnant.

After all, women like her, who came from brothels, were used to taking cold water baths to avoid pregnancy, and they also liked to wear items containing musk. If they accidentally got pregnant, they would be dragged out and beaten until they miscarried.

Therefore, Lianyao's body must have been damaged long ago, otherwise she wouldn't have been unable to conceive for so long.

Sun couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of Ning Chunlin returning to her side. Turning to look at Ning Xin, who still wore a pained expression, she reached out and patted her head.

“Xin’er, you should broaden your horizons. In the future, most of the things in this manor will be yours. Why are you fighting with that little bitch Ning Wan for a piece of cloth right now?”

Ning Xin looked up at Madam Sun, somewhat confused.

"But Mother, Grandmother doesn't like me anymore. Right now, she seems to dote on Ning Wan more!"

Madam Sun frowned and thought for a moment.

"You should visit your grandmother's courtyard more often when you have nothing to do. She is in a weak state right now, and she will remember whoever is close to her."

Ning Xin nodded quickly upon hearing this:

"Alright, I'll go to Grandmother's courtyard to pay my respects tomorrow!"

With a smile, Madam Sun tucked Ning Xin's stray hairs behind her ear, then got up and took Ning Wan's hand, leading her into the house.

After Jiang Yuwei and her maid carried all the gifts bestowed by the Princess back to the courtyard, Xia Yue hurried out to greet them.

“Madam, I’ve prepared dinner. The general sent word that he won’t be back for dinner tonight. I’ve calculated the time, and the young master will be back soon.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Ning Zhao called out from outside:

"Mother, I'm back."

Tie Zhu followed behind Ning Zhao. Jiang Yuwei glanced at Tie Zhu and Yun Qing, who was guarding outside the door, and gave him instructions:

"You two hurry up and go into the kitchen to eat. Tiezhu, after you finish eating, go and pick up the General to take him back to the mansion. I'm worried about him entertaining clients outside alone."

Upon hearing the order, Tie Zhu and Yun Qing hurriedly went into the kitchen. Xia Yue had already set aside their portions, while Xia Yue and Sixi's food was still in the pot. The two maids had to wait until they finished serving their masters before they could go back to the kitchen to eat.

Jiang Yuwei had the maids deliver the items to her room and then sent them away. Only then did she go inside and put everything into her spatial storage, except for the cloth that the princess had given to Ning Wan.

Jiang Yuwei plans to have Xia Yue send the fabric to the cloth shop tomorrow to make a dress for Ning Wan. With the Empress's birthday banquet just around the corner, it's time to prepare clothes for the family.