Chapter 67 Chapter 67 Seduction
He was so panicked that he couldn't move.
"Prince Yong, what are you still standing there for? Go get the Daleng Steaming Knife and the Yiyuan Stone."
"Alas, it's a pity that the large-lenged steaming knife and the easy-birth stone in the palace are not as good as the treasures in the Forbidden City." Wan Ning sighed.
The Yichan Stone is hidden in the Qianqing Palace, and the Daleng Steaming Knife is hidden in the Yangxin Palace.
These two sacred artifacts came from Changbai Mountain, the ancestral mountain of the Qing Dynasty, and are usually worshipped.
Without the permission of His Majesty, no one is allowed to take them out without permission. They can only be taken out when an important concubine is about to give birth. Violators will be punished severely.
Chu Xian sobbed in pain. Seeing the Fourth Master's panic, she knew that he was going to go beyond the rules and enter the Forbidden City to ask for the Daleng Steaming Knife and the Yifa Stone.
This is against the rules. The Daleng Steaming Knife and Yichan Stone in the Forbidden City never leave the Forbidden City.
It can only be used by concubines in the harem when they are about to give birth. She is only a princess and is not qualified to use it.
Chu Xian endured the pain and clutched the Fourth Master's sleeve with trembling hands. "Your Highness, could you please stay with me? When the eldest prince was born, it was Wan Ning who cut the umbilical cord. This time, could you let your own father cut the umbilical cords for the two little princes?"
Before Chu Xian finished speaking, she saw the servants prostrating themselves on the ground in panic.
"Fujin, absolutely not! The delivery room is a bloody and filthy place. Your Highness is so precious, how can you enter one?"
"Your Highness, please calm down. It was my fault that I overstepped my bounds..." Chu Xian pretended to be weak and aggrieved.
As expected, the Fourth Master folded his robe and sat beside the bed.
"Oh, Your Highness, please think twice." Su Peisheng was so frightened that his legs went limp. If anyone knew that the prince had violated the rules and entered the delivery room, all the servants in the palace would be punished by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"Filthy ass!" Wan Ning put her hands on her hips, furious. "How is it filthy? If your wife hadn't risked her life to give birth to Prince Yong's son, how could she be covered in blood? I want to ask you, what is filthy about this delivery room? Is it the blood-stained wife and the little prince who are filthy?"
Su Peisheng was left speechless by the sharp-tongued Eighth Lady.
"Alright, alright, surround the main courtyard. If the news gets out, you won't have anyone eating on your head."
"Listen to me, although I have never given birth to a child, I have plenty of experience in childbirth and confinement care." Wan Ning vowed.
After all, when Xian'er gave birth to the eldest prince, she was the one who ran around taking care of everything.
"Madam Chun, cooperate with the Eighth Lady." At the critical moment of life and death, Chu Xian only trusted Wan Ning.
Giving birth to twins was difficult, and it was not until sunset at the hour of You that Chu Xian finally gave birth to the Fourth Prince.
"Hey, hey, hey, Prince Yong!! The umbilical cord is here, here..."
"Oh..." Yinzhen hurriedly cut the umbilical cord.
Chu Xian pried open her eyelids and saw that the Fourth Master's hands were shaking while cutting the umbilical cord, and she couldn't help laughing.
After just two laughs, the excruciating pain came again.
Chu Xian was exhausted. Her ears were buzzing and she could no longer hear anything. Her vision went dark and she completely lost consciousness.
"Fujin! Fujin! Wake up!"
The midwife was horrified.
"Fujin!" Sui Qing hurriedly gave Fujin acupuncture.
"Xian'er!" Wan Ning's eyes were filled with horror. Her mother fainted and passed away during childbirth.
Seeing Xian'er unconscious, Wan Ning burst into tears in fear and fell to the ground.
When everyone was in a panic, Wan Ning saw with tears in her eyes that Prince Yong, who had been in a panic just now, was pretending to be calm and directing the imperial physician and midwife in an orderly manner.
Until Xian'er opened her eyes weakly, Prince Yong half-knelt in front of the bed and hugged Xian'er tightly.
From the moment Xian'er opened her eyes, Prince Yong pressed his cheek against Xian'er's ear and whispered, his face full of tears.
As the Fifth Prince's loud cry was heard, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty, and your Madam, the Fourth and Fifth Princes have both landed safely."
The servants knelt down to congratulate with joy in their eyes.
Chu Xian was too weak to lift her eyelids, and low sobs came from her ears.
Startled, she opened her eyes with difficulty and saw the Fourth Master in tears.
"Take them away, they're making a lot of noise! Don't disturb Fu Jin's rest."
"..." Wan Ning was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She was happy for Xian'er in her heart. At least in Prince Yong's eyes, Xian'er was more important than his offspring.
The hungry little princes were taken away by the wet nurse. Chu Xian wanted to feed them herself, but she couldn't even lift her eyelids at the moment, so she had to give up.
She fell asleep in the Fourth Master's arms in a daze, and when she woke up, she was still in the Fourth Master's arms.
"Hmm...what time is it?" Chu Xian managed to regain some strength, raised her hand with heartache, and stroked the Fourth Master's haggard face.
She just raised her hand, and the Fourth Master took the initiative to put his cheek against her palm.
"It's just past noon."
His voice was so hoarse that Chu Xian felt distressed and held back her tears.
"It's just past the hour of Chen, but today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Xian'er, you should hurry up and persuade your Prince Yong. He's almost become a stone staring at his wife. He's been starving for you for the past two days without eating or drinking."
Wan Ning brought a bowl of rice porridge and handed it to Prince Yong.
Chu Xian didn't say anything, but stared at the Fourth Master with tears in her eyes. The man remained silent, obediently took the rice porridge, and drank it all in one gulp impatiently.
"I want another bowl."
"Okay." Yinzhen took the porridge obediently.
"Okay, okay, you have Prince Yong taking care of you, so I will go and take care of those two despised little poor guys." Wan Ning said sarcastically.
"Poor little princes, they've been born for three days and their fathers don't even look at them." Wan Ning joked, but her eyes were full of smiles.
"Ah? Hurry up and bring them over. And Hui'er, who will take care of Hui'er these days?"
Hearing the name Hui'er, Wan Ning snorted coldly, "Speaking of Hui'er, some people are truly heartless. A child under two years old has to get up early and study hard. Yesterday, I saw the little guy in the study, shaking his head as he read the Analects. He got spanked for making a mistake. It was heartbreaking."
"That's just a woman's kindness. Hui'er is a man and should study hard." Yinzhen retorted.
"Xian'er, did you see that? Prince Yong was mean to me!" Wan Ning complained angrily.
"Isn't the prince going to court today?"
Chu Xian hurriedly changed the subject. She knew very well that she was an outlier in this world. When it came to educating her children, she never interfered with the Fourth Master's educational methods.
Similarly, the Fourth Master never questions her when she is teaching Hui'er. Although the two of them dislike each other's parenting methods, they tacitly tolerate each other.
"I have taken a month's leave." Yinzhen took the warm handkerchief handed to him by the servant and personally helped his wife to wash and dress.
Wan Ning folded her arms and quietly left the house.
Chu Xian stared at the stubble on the Fourth Master's chin and gently rubbed it with her fingertips, which prickled her hand.
Not only did he have stubble, he had never even shaved his head.
He has always been very clean, but these days he doesn't even have time to shave or cut his hair.
"Xian'er, I don't dislike children."
Chu Xian was surprised that the taciturn man had learned to explain. He used to be taciturn and would never explain too much.
"I know, you're worried about me. I'm fine, don't worry."
"Um.."
"Xian'er, three children are enough. There's no need to go through the trouble of conceiving another child."
The man suddenly buried his head in her shoulder blade, and a muffled response came. Chu Xian was about to continue to comfort her when she suddenly felt a warm and wet feeling on her shoulder.
Chu Xian was stunned. She gently stroked his back and soothed his restless and anxious mood with soft words.
"Fujin, today is the day for the young princes to have their third birthdays. The prince needs to go to the front yard to preside over the ceremony."
Su Peisheng reminded outside the door.
"Yeah." Yinzhen stood up with red eyes, looking back every few steps as he left Fu Jin.
The guests who were attending the young princes' third-day bathing banquet gathered together in the front courtyard.
When the ceremony of adding the baby to the basin was about to end, the servant brought the news that the wife had fainted when she stood up.
Yinzhen stumbled and hurriedly asked his thirteenth brother to hold the situation, and left in a hurry.
Wan Ning threw the prepared valuable gift into the golden basin, and when she turned around, she saw Prince Yong leaving in a hurry.
The Thirteenth Prince took the initiative to entertain the guests. Wan Ning did not dare to show weakness and greeted the guests on behalf of Xian'er, toasting at each table in return.
When they reached the table where the princes were sitting, Wan Ning gracefully toasted the Crown Prince first, and then the Prince of Zhi.
After paying respects to the Third Master and the Fifth Master, Wan Ning's cheeks turned slightly red.
"Come, Seventh Brother, Seventh Sister-in-law, I'd like to toast you on behalf of Prince Yong's wife."
"Eighth brother's sister-in-law, I wonder when I can have the third-day celebration for you and my eighth brother's legitimate son. I also wish you and my eighth brother a son soon." The Seventh Lady greeted politely.
Wan Ning's smile froze for a moment, she mumbled an "hmm", turned around, raised her wine cup, and toasted the Ninth Prince and his wife.
"Ninth sister-in-law, you are so lucky. Your second son should be due next month."
"Yes, sister-in-law, the due date is estimated to be at the end of August."
The Ninth Concubine Dong E had heard from her own master that Eighth Brother and Eighth Sister-in-law were not on good terms, and she was afraid to speak out, so she only responded briefly.
The ninth brother's wife was an honest person, so she was in the palm of the Ninth Prince's hand and never dared to speak loudly. Wan Ning did not want to make things difficult for an honest person, so she raised her head and drank away all the resentment in her heart.
When it was time to toast the Tenth Prince and his wife, the wine cup in her hand was empty. Wan Ning did not even look up at the man who was blocking the wine for her. She just took the wine cup handed to her by the servant and turned to toast at another table.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment, and the Ninth Prince gritted his teeth and changed the subject by chatting with the Tenth Prince about family matters.
The noise from the banquet in the front yard soon spread to the main courtyard of the concubine's house. Chu Xian was worried that Wan Ning would be wronged, so she hurriedly sent the Fourth Master to the front yard to support the situation.
Not long after the Fourth Master left, Nanny Chun rushed in, "Fujin, the Second Prince from the Western Garden is dying."
Chu Xian's face turned grim. "Is he almost done? That means he hasn't died yet. If anyone bumps into him now, and the Second Prince dies in front of them, that person will be unlucky."
Aunt Chun said in embarrassment: "But you are the wife, even if you are in confinement, you need to send someone to check on her, so as to avoid being criticized by the Tong family."
Chu Xian hesitated for a long time and decided to let the careful Song go to find out the news.
"Send Concubine Song to the West Garden to take a look. Watch from a distance and don't try to get too close, lest Tong Jia shift the blame onto others."
"Madam, remind Mrs. Song to be cautious."
Song, who was greeting guests in the front yard, received instructions from the wife and immediately went to the West Garden with a serious expression.
On the other side of the wall, the West Garden was filled with gloom and mist. Tong Jia hugged the dying Second Prince Hongyan and cried bitterly.
She loves the Second Prince more than the sickly Third Prince.
"Daughter, cheer up. Nala will definitely come to visit. We will use the death of the Second Prince to disgust Nala."
Tong Jia's mother, Li Si'er, had a sinister look in her eyes: "I must not let Yan'er die in vain."
As Li Si'er raised his hand, the two old maids behind him carried the still warm body of the little prince and quietly left the inner room.
Song walked towards the West Garden in fear, feeling as if she was walking on thin ice with every step she took.
"Concubine, Uya Gege and Chen Gege Yigege are coming this way."
Song stopped and hid behind the rockery.
She was just worrying about how to avoid a head-on confrontation with Xiyuan, when Uya happened to come and offer her life.
Everyone knows that the Uya clan and the Tonggiya clan are secretly colluding with each other, so it's a good opportunity to let them fight each other.
"Concubine Tong, aren't we going in? If you neglect Concubine Tong, the prince and his wife will definitely blame you."
The nanny beside Song whispered a reminder.
"No rush. Ever since I approached Xiyuan, I've been feeling extremely nervous. I always feel like the guy in Xiyuan is setting a trap for me to jump into."
The concubine did not care about the trivial matters in the backyard. Over the years, Song had been taking care of the affairs in the backyard of the palace on behalf of the concubine. She had many head-on confrontations with Tong Jia and suffered a lot of losses in the Western Garden.
Song cautiously huddled behind the rockery, and only arrived late when screams and cries were heard from the West Garden.
"Oh no! Second Prince was hit by Yigege and passed out!!"
"Bitch, give me back my life!"
When Song entered the West Garden, she saw Yigege crawling on the ground crying, being beaten by Tong Jia's mother Li Si'er.
"How could Second Prince, wuwuwu..." Song sobbed sadly.
"Song! How could Nala's fourth sister be in charge of the harem, allowing this lowly bitch to come and kill the Second Prince?"
Li Si'er had suffered a loss and was now in a difficult situation. He had to get a piece of Nara's flesh no matter what.
"Madam, our wife is currently in confinement after childbirth, and I am temporarily in charge of the rear quarters. The prince just heard that the second prince was not feeling well, so he specifically asked me to come and see him. Unexpectedly..."
"Poor Second Prince, this is outrageous! Why would Yigege come here? The servant guarding the second gate must be beaten to death."
"Concubine Tong, I am innocent. We were drinking in the front yard today, and it was Uya Gege who instigated us to come and pay our respects to Concubine Tong. Just as we entered the front hall, the Second Prince suddenly rushed out of the door, and I simply dodged."
"The Second Prince fell to the ground, and I knew nothing."
Yigege wanted to cry but had no tears. No matter how stupid she was, she knew that she would probably become someone else's scapegoat today.
"Yi, I've always treated you well!" Tong Jia had suppressed her grief and slapped Yi to the ground.
It was all this idiot's fault for ruining her plan.
If nothing unexpected happens today, even if Nara cannot be buried with him, Song, Nara's loyal lackey in the palace, can be killed.
Unexpectedly, after planning for several days, she only caught Xiao Luo in the end.
"Concubine Tong, Yi murdered the second prince, and you should be the one to deal with it personally. Please accept my condolences." Concubine Song hurriedly spoke to distance herself from the matter.
"Yi will of course be buried with the Second Prince!" Li Si'er suppressed his grievance.
After sending away the strangers, Li Si'er held the frail Third Prince in his arms and said worriedly, "Daughter, you are still young. You and the prince need to give birth to more children."
"The Third Prince is weak, and you only have him now. If the Third Prince does that again..." Li Si'er hesitated to speak.
"Mother, that only works if the prince is willing to bear a child with me. The prince has been bewitched by that vixen, Nala, and hasn't set foot in the West Garden for a long time."
Tong Jia stared at the high wall with resentment. Her life was completely ruined by Nara.
If Nara had not snatched away the position of the Fourth Lady, she would not have become the prince's plaything. The continuous pregnancy of children has made her body seriously exhausted.
Not to mention getting pregnant, she now needs medication to maintain her menstruation.
Her two little brothers died one after another, but Nara gave birth to a pair of sons. She and Nara were really incompatible with each other. It must be Nara and her son who killed her children.
At this time, Tong Jia's eyes fell on a pot of osmanthus flowers blooming in the corner of the wall, and she remained silent for a long time.
She was on the verge of despair and had no choice but to seek revenge on that man.
Song swallowed her anger and left. Tong Jia personally helped her mother into the inner room.
"Mother, smallpox has been rampant in the city lately. I heard that the third daughter of my cousin's family has contracted smallpox. I wonder if she has recovered?"
Li Si'er's eyebrows jumped, and then he was instantly happy: "The third girl was unlucky and didn't make it."
The mother and daughter looked at each other, and Li Sier nodded: "This time it will be a sure win."
Tong Jia's eyes flashed with viciousness: "That's good."
....
At the end of July in the 40th year of the Kangxi reign, Chu Xian had been in confinement for 60 days before the Fourth Master allowed her to leave the house.
The two-month-old little brothers were crying incessantly.
Although Chu Xian felt distressed, she had to harden her heart and vaccinate the children with cowpox.
Recently, smallpox has been rampant in the city, and even children from the homes of powerful and wealthy people have contracted smallpox and died.
Chu Xian forced everyone in the palace to be vaccinated against cowpox.
Wan Ning covered her red arm and excitedly approached Chu Xian.
"Xian'er, can cowpox really prevent and treat smallpox? I'll go back and ask Madam Gui and the others to vaccinate us together."
"If you can, you can let the Eighth Prince be vaccinated together."
Wan Ning shook her head. "No need. He was vaccinated against smallpox in the Forbidden City as a child. He doesn't need your method."
"Xian'er, the children are still young. Why don't you wait until they grow up to get vaccinated against cowpox? Look at Hui'er, he's crying." Wan Ning hugged the crying little Hui'er with heartache.
"Don't be soft-hearted. I would rather see them cry than watch the children suffer from smallpox." After Chu Xian said this, she picked up the two-month-old Hong Zhou and put the little guy's lotus root-like arms in front of Sui Qing.
Sui Qing cut a bloody wound on the little prince's arm and smeared the smallpox seeds on the wound.
The little prince burst into tears immediately, and Chu Xian hugged the little guy tightly out of heartache.
"Madam Chun, have all the wet nurses and servants who serve the young princes been vaccinated against cowpox?"
Nanny Chun bowed her head and said, "Madam, the servants and wet nurses who served the three young princes have all been vaccinated against cowpox. Everyone in the palace has also been vaccinated against cowpox, with the exception of the two maids."
"Those two women are the elderly people in the front yard. They are worried about the health effects of vaccination and are stubbornly refusing to be vaccinated. No matter how much we persuade them, they won't listen."
"Send those two old women away and give them more money for their retirement." Chu Xian issued the eviction order without hesitation.
Nanny Chun suddenly looked embarrassed: "Fujin, one of the maids is the prince's wet nurse, Xie. The prince has always respected Nanny Xie, so it's not easy to drive her away..."
Chu Xian frowned when she heard the name Xie. Xie was one of the head maids in the front yard. Even Su Peisheng was respectful to Xie on weekdays, not to mention that she was the fourth master's wet nurse.
Xie usually acts bossy and those who don't know her would think she is the Fourth Master's mother.
"Suiqing, is Mrs. Xie healthy enough to be vaccinated against cowpox?" Chu Xian made up her mind. For the sake of the children, even if it was the Fourth Master, she would have to be vaccinated against cowpox today.
"Madam Xie is in good health, so it's no problem for her to be vaccinated against smallpox."
"Okay, you and Xianrong will go there in person. Whether it's tying her up or coaxing her, make sure Xie gets the cowpox vaccination today."
Xianrong asked anxiously, "Fujin, Nanny Xie is different from other servants. Her status is there. If she uses force... Nanny Xie will report it to the prince..."
Chu Xian didn't care: "Just say that I instructed you to come to me and reason with me."
"Pass it on. No one is allowed to approach the young prince or his servants. Otherwise, they will be killed."
"That's right, she's just a wet nurse, don't spoil her." Wan Ning agreed.
Xianrong and Suiqing came to the front yard nervously.
Su Peisheng is not on duty today. He and Aunt Xie are drying books in the corridor.
Su Peisheng was shocked to hear that the wife wanted to force Madam Xie to be vaccinated against cowpox. Although Madam Xie was only the prince's wet nurse, her status in the front yard exceeded that of all the servants.
Is Fu Jin crazy? She dares to challenge the prince like this.
"Hey, Xianrong Suiqing, why don't you two wait until the prince returns from court and come back?"
"Eunuch Su, thank you for your advice, but the lady in charge said that Madam Xie must be vaccinated against cowpox today no matter what." After Xianrong said this, she grabbed Madam Xie's arm and rolled up her wide sleeves.
"Let me go! I'm the prince's wet nurse. How dare you humiliate me like this? You humiliate me, and you humiliate the prince! How dare you! How dare you!"
Last year, Xie was taken into the palace by the prince to live out her days. No one in the palace dared to disrespect her. His Royal Highness Prince Yong was her foster son, and she was half the master of the palace. How could she have suffered such humiliation?
"Madam, it doesn't hurt, just bear with it. You are not allowed to drink alcohol within seven days after vaccination, otherwise you will easily get sick." Sui Qing noticed that Madam Xie was unhappy and threatened her.
"Su Peisheng, the prince asked you to take good care of me, and this is how you work. Do you want to die? Wuuuu..." Xie cried.
Su Peisheng was overwhelmed. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and called for the blood-dropping dart, and protected the crying Aunt Xie behind him.
"Su Peisheng, please don't make things difficult for me. If Madam Xie fails to successfully vaccinate against cowpox today, Sui Qing and I will definitely be punished by the Concubine. You and I each serve our own masters, so why make things difficult for each other?"
Xianrong was so angry that her eyebrows raised.
"Oh, Xianrong, you also said that everyone serves his own master. If I can't protect Nanny Xie today, the prince will definitely punish me." Su Peisheng was holding back his anger.
Logically speaking, the front yard is his territory. Even if Fu Jin wants to interfere in the affairs of the front yard, she should inform him and let him do it. How could she interfere in other people's business?
Xianrong and Suiqing looked at each other and could only go back to report to the concubine.
Aunt Xie cried breathlessly: "Xiao Suzi, I'd better leave, otherwise Fu Jin will dislike me."
"Give me a definite answer today: can my daughter-in-law and daughter stay in the palace and work there?"
"This..." Su Peisheng stammered.
"Your daughter-in-law's wish to come to the palace to be a wet nurse was rejected by the Consort. As for Miss Rongmei's wish to be a servant in the front yard, that also... requires the Consort's approval."
They are all smart people, so how could Su Peisheng not know what Nanny Xie is planning?
She wanted her daughter to hook up with the prince and become a phoenix.
Rong Mei was quite pretty, and she had been dressing up extravagantly these past few days, hanging around the prince's study from time to time.
"It's just the errands of a wet nurse and a servant, Su Peisheng. Didn't you arrange enough for them in the past?" Aunt Xie sneered. "To be honest, I have no influence and can't arrange the errands for the three young princes in the Fu Jin's main courtyard."
"Okay, then let's not talk about the wet nurse for now. How about letting Rong Mei work in the front yard? You can't arrange that, too?"
"This..." Su Peisheng was at a loss for words.
"Then it's settled. Starting today, Rongmei will work in the study in the front yard. How about that?" Nanny Xie spoke one after another in an aggressive tone.
"Okay..." Su Peisheng nodded helplessly in agreement, but he still had the power to arrange one or two servants in the front yard.
Aunt Xie had worked with him for many years, and she knew exactly what he could and could not do.
If he refused again, he would definitely offend Madam Xie. If Madam Xie gossiped about him in front of the Fourth Master, he would be in big trouble.
"I will ask the prince for the job of wet nurse myself. It won't be difficult for you. It's settled." After saying this, Xie left with a happy look in her eyes.
For the prosperity of the next generation of the Rong family, he had to arrange his daughter-in-law to be the young prince's wet nurse no matter what.
When Xie thought of the Fourth Lady, her eyes were filled with resentment. If the Fourth Lady had not interfered, she would have arranged for her daughter-in-law to be the young prince's wet nurse.
How could I wait until the little prince is about to turn a hundred days old and still not see him?
Nara was really pretentious. She looked at the little prince like the apple of her eye, locking him in the main courtyard all day long, and never taking him out for a walk.
Raising children in such a pretentious way, aren't you afraid that the children won't grow up?
Xie cursed the Fourth Lady and her two children, then rushed into the small kitchen and cooked lunch for the prince herself.
In the small kitchen, Xie's daughter-in-law, Qiu, was picking vegetables.
"Yingniang, go to the main courtyard of the Concubine Fu later and tell her that you are the wet nurse sent by the front courtyard to serve the Fourth Prince."
"Mother-in-law, this isn't good. The prince hasn't agreed yet."
"I can just tell the prince. It's just a job as a wet nurse. The prince will arrange for your man to work in the government office, so how could he refuse your job?"
"You should go to the main courtyard to work first, and go now."
Xie didn't care. She was the prince's wet nurse and the prince would never refuse her request.
Qiu stood up nervously, dried her hands, went back to her room to change into a silk shirt, and then went to the main courtyard of the concubine.
When Yinzhen returned from court, he closed his eyes tiredly and opened his arms. A servant helped him change his clothes.
Why is the servant serving me so clumsy today?
He didn't like his servants to touch him too much. Normally, his servants were nimble and never had too much contact with him. But at this moment, the servant was so bold that he put his arms around him and helped him untie the leather belt around his waist.
"Hmph." Yinzhen snorted unhappily.
Su Peisheng, who was standing behind the prince, keenly sensed the prince's displeasure and hurriedly winked at Rong Mei who was still posing coquettishly.
Oh no, the little girl stared at the prince and threw herself into his arms.
"Kill him." Yinzhen could no longer bear it.
"Your Majesty, this servant is Rong Mei. Do you remember me?"
Yinzhen frowned. He never wasted energy remembering unimportant people. He slowly opened his eyes, and a gorgeous face suddenly appeared in front of him.
Yinzhen finally found a sense of familiarity in the eyes and eyebrows of the strange woman.
"Who are you, Madam Xie?"
Rong Mei raised her head, weeping like a pear blossom in the rain, looking pitiful, and replied in a delicate voice: "Your Highness, Madam Xie is my biological mother."
"Oh, go away." She was the wet nurse's daughter, and Yinzhen was embarrassed to pursue the matter further.
"As you command," Rong Mei stood up and walked away gracefully.
After the woman walked away, Yinzhen held his forehead and said, "Go and receive thirty strokes of the cane."
Su Peisheng, who was standing behind him, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I know I am wrong."
"Well, except for the maids, no young or beautiful servants are allowed in the front yard."
"Master, you are in your prime. If you are surrounded by old maids, I am worried that your health will be affected..." Su Peisheng hesitated to speak.
The prince was quite afraid of his wife and did not even dare to arrange young and beautiful servants to serve him closely in the front yard.
Which noble son is so henpecked? The prince is so pitiful.
Su Peisheng went to receive the thirty strokes of the cane with a sad face, then turned around and told Rong Mei to leave the palace.
Rongmei went to look for Xie crying.
"What did you say? The prince personally ordered that servants are not needed in the front yard? How is that possible?" Xie asked in a shrill voice.
"The servants serving in the front yard are all elderly maids. It must be that the Fourth Lady is too narrow-minded to allow you to stay and serve the prince."
"There is no young and beautiful woman like you serving in the front yard now. This is a great opportunity."
"My daughter, wealth and honor are achieved through risk. If you want to be a golden phoenix, you must be brave. Mother will teach you."
Mrs. Xie beckoned her daughter to come closer, and the mother and daughter hid in the small kitchen and whispered.
In the main courtyard, Xianrong and Suiqing brought back a young woman, saying that she was the new wet nurse arranged by the Fourth Master for the Fourth Prince Hongli.
"Your servant, Qiu, pays respects to Madam Fu-jin."
"Oh, you can go back. The Fourth Prince already has five wet nurses. Wait until there's a vacancy."
The wet nurses who served the little princes were all carefully selected by Chu Xian from the dowry farm. She knew their backgrounds very well, and their families were also servants on the farm.
The Fourth Master was even more cautious with the children than she was. What was going on today? Why was a strange wet nurse sent here out of nowhere?
"Fujin, I have given birth to four children, all of whom are plump and fair. I have a good milk supply and I can coax them very well. If you don't believe me, why don't you let Fourth Prince try?"
"Fujin, the Fourth Prince is crying loudly right now. I am sure I can coax him to sleep."
Chu Xian listened to the baby crying coming from the inner room in silence.
"Fujin, do you want to bring the Fourth Prince here?" Nanny Chun asked tentatively.
"No need." Chu Xian refused decisively.
She always felt that the Qiu family was strange. They trusted people they employed, but would not employ people they doubted.
She didn't trust the Qiu family.
"Madame Chun, give Madam Qiu ten taels of silver and send her back. We'll discuss this later when a wet nurse position becomes available."
"Madam, the Fourth Prince's crying is so intermittent, it must be caused by abdominal colic. Would you please let me try?" Mrs. Qiu knelt on the ground.
"I said no need, Madam Chun, please show the guest away."
Chu Xian's eyebrows twitched, and she felt inexplicably uneasy when she saw Qiu.
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