The princess thought that after Yueyin’s issue was resolved, she would be able to take care of her two children with peace of mind. But what no one expected was that the wealthy steward's illness was still not cured!
Without the assistance of the rich steward, the princess would have no one available around her!
The old maids who came with her as a dowry were already old and unable to help her deal with the tedious matters; the princess was worried that the eight maids her parents gave her as a dowry would seduce Prince Yan, so she sent them away early on.
The maidservants around the princess now lack experience and are unable to handle the work.
At this time, the princess vaguely realized the importance of the rich steward.
There was no other choice, the princess had to bite the bullet and start managing the complicated affairs of the harem. The Prince of Yan has not returned yet. If the princess returns home and sees the mess in the palace and the backyard, she knows that she will be scolded again.
The princess had been a hands-off manager for many years and there was no way she could become familiar with the affairs of the harem in such a short time.
The mistress's housekeeper's daily duties are to manage the servants in the backyard, the fields and shops, and take care of the children of the concubines. In addition, you are also responsible for external social interactions. For example, when an elder from a big family in Yanjing celebrates his birthday, the Prince of Yan’s Mansion should send some birthday gifts, all of which need to be decided personally by the Princess of Yan.
Very busy and very tired.
The princess didn't even have time to care about her two children's schoolwork, and she even had less time to worship Buddha. Her heart seemed to be torn by a pair of hands, and her whole body was almost broken apart. She didn't want to live such a tiring life. She just wanted to secure her position as princess and raise her children without distraction.
That morning, the princess was frowning as she was looking at the revenue of the land shop in the house. Madam Liu hurried into the room: "Princess, Concubine Shen of Liuli Pavilion is ill."
"Let the court doctor treat her. There's no need to tell me such a trivial matter." The princess said impatiently.
Madam Liu said again: "Concubine Zhou is here again. She is crying and kowtowing and wants to see you."
The princess was so busy that she had no time to bother with Concubine Zhou. She said, "Get her out."
Nanny Liu went to expel Concubine Zhou.
The princess was busy and forgot about Concubine Zhou.
In the afternoon, the princess was selecting birthday gifts in the storeroom when Aunt Liu rushed in anxiously: "Princess, something big has happened!! Concubine Zhou——"
The princess held a century-old vase in her hand and said impatiently, "She's going to see her son again? This princess said that Chengming is under the care of the palace doctor at the academy, so nothing will happen."
Nanny Liu looked pale and nervous: "Princess... Chengming, he's gone."
Clang——
An old vase from the previous dynasty fell to the ground, and the ground was covered with fragments.
...
...
In Liuli Pavilion, Shen Wei was drinking medicine sickly.
The hot summer is approaching. Chen Wei wanted to stay cool in the past two days and drank a lot of ice drinks. As a result, she vomited and had diarrhea in the middle of the night. Her stomach hurt so much that she had difficulty swallowing anything.
She didn't fully recover for two days and had to drink bitter medicine every day.
“If I eat too much next time, remember to stop me.” Shen Wei swallowed the bitter medicine and reflected on herself.
When Prince Yan was away, she sometimes indulged herself too much. If you eat something that upsets your stomach, you are the one who suffers in the end.
Take this as a warning and try not to make the same mistake again.
Cai Ping handed over the bitter cane sugar and said helplessly, "The servants have been trying to stop you every day, but we really can't."
With cane sugar in her mouth, Shen Wei ran into the house anxiously: "Master, something big has happened! I just learned that Concubine Zhou's son died of illness!"
Shen Wei was stunned.
Died of illness?
Chen Wei quickly stretched out her hand and called the maid beside the bed: "Cai Ping, help me get out of bed, I'll go take a look--"
As soon as her hand rested on Caiping's arm, Shen Wei suddenly stopped.
Shen Wei's face darkened, and she didn't intend to join in the fun. She calmly instructed the two maids: "This is not a trivial matter. Let Rong Mama come forward and stop the servants from gossiping. The news should have reached the queen, and the queen will handle this matter."
Shen Wei’s guess was correct, and the Queen soon learned about this.
The queen was furious and sent people to investigate thoroughly.
Li Chengming, who died of illness, was only six years old. The cause of death was suffocation caused by coughing. On the night of the incident, the two maids who were supposed to take care of Li Chengming were playing mahjong leisurely in the outer room. After daybreak, the nanny entered the room to give the child medicine, only to find that the child's body was already cold.
The two maids were afraid of being punished, so they wanted to throw the child's body into the water to make it look like the child had died. When the process of throwing the body was witnessed by outsiders, the matter could no longer be covered up and soon became a public issue.
Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the two nannies had withheld the children's food, causing them to become thin, weak and sickly.
The other three boys in the school were also thin, weak and cowardly. The queen was worried that tragedy would happen again, so she had the three children sent back to their biological mother in the palace to be taken care of temporarily.
Dark clouds hung over the Prince of Yan's Mansion, and the night was hot and humid. Little Leyou kept crying and no matter how the wet nurse tried to comfort him, it was useless.
Chen Wei took out her daughter's favorite rattle and shook it in front of her. The crisp sound was very rhythmic, and her daughter slowly stopped sobbing and waved her two chubby hands to grab the rattle.
Cai Ping, who was well-informed, ran into the room and whispered to Chen Wei: "Master, something big has happened again! Concubine Zhou has kidnapped Young Master Chengzhen and wants him to pay for Young Master Chengming's life!"
Concubine Zhou lost her only son.
The princess was afraid that the matter would become a big deal, so she locked Concubine Zhou in the yard, not allowing her to go out or make a noise, nor to see her dead child.
Concubine Zhou was almost crazy. She climbed out of the courtyard wall and met Li Chengzhen who had returned from the Imperial College in the palace garden. She tied up the child in anger.
Shen Wei's face changed, she handed the rattle to the wet nurse, and went out with Cai Ping and Rong Mama.
It was very windy at night and the sky was overcast.
Summer is approaching and the palace garden is lush and green. The lotus leaves in the pond were stretched out and blown this and that by the strong wind. Concubine Zhou's hair was disheveled and her clothes were torn, making her look like a demon crawling out of hell.
Behind her was a dark pond, and young Li Chengzhen was held in her arms. A sharp dagger was pressed against the little boy's throat and blood gushed out of the wound.
The area was crowded with servants who came to watch the fun.
Shen Wei gave Rong Mama a look. Madam Rong immediately went to call the guards of the palace and drove away the servants who were watching the fun.
For a moment, the huge back garden was left with only Concubine Zhou, Li Chengzhen, the princess, Chen Wei and their personal maids.
The princess was furious and angrily shouted, "You bitch! Let go of my child and I will leave you with an intact body!"
Shen Wei glanced at the princess silently, speechless.
At this time, he was still threatening Concubine Zhou.
Concubine Zhou's eyes were red, and she complained in a hoarse voice: "Tan Tai Shu Ya, you are not worthy of being a princess! I gave my son to you to raise, but you were afraid that my son would become a useful person, so you deliberately let the servants torture him! When he was sick, you only gave him the worst medicine... Your son's life is life, but my son's life is not life?"
"I begged you to see my son, and I even knocked my head and broke it, but you just said a few words and destroyed all my hopes! Now my son is gone, and you locked me up in the yard and didn't allow me to see the child's body!"
"You said I was a bitch. Today, I, a bitch, will kill your son and bury him with him!"
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