Meanwhile, Granny Zhang led a group of old women back to Yunmei Garden.
Yunmei Garden
Consort Duan carefully played with the incense in her hands.
The incense smoke rose gently, wafting through the air, changing into various shapes, before finally disappearing without a trace.
The red plum blossoms in the vase by the window swayed slightly, their stamens struggled for a moment, and then returned to stillness.
Ambergris is something that only five people in the entire Great Zhou Dynasty are qualified to enjoy.
Besides her son Zhu Yu, there were the emperor, empress dowager, crown prince, and empress.
The empress, however, had long since died.
Consort Duan closed her eyes, gently fanned the rising smoke under her nose with her hand, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, saying, "This ambergris is truly a fine thing."
Zhang Mama chimed in, "The Prince is showing you respect by bringing you such fine things. Your Highness, you are truly blessed."
Consort Duan chuckled, glanced at Zhang Mama, and said with a smile, "It was not easy for me to give birth to him, so what is this little bit of good fortune?"
Zhang Mama knew what Consort Duan was thinking, so she didn't dare to respond and just chuckled awkwardly.
Consort Duan glanced at her, her face darkening, and slammed the incense box down with a bang: "You're scared by this?"
Zhang Mama's lips twitched a few times before she steadied herself and said, "This servant has naturally enjoyed good fortune by following Your Highness. Your Highness's future blessings are even greater, and this old servant will also benefit from them."
She had noticed that there were many more people around Yunmei Garden these past few days, and Consort Duan would often say things in private that left the servants speechless.
It seems that His Highness Prince An understands his mother well. Let her say whatever she wants in her own courtyard; it's just a matter of venting her frustrations. But these words must never be heard outside the courtyard.
Consort Duan's expression softened: "That little slut is awake?"
Zhang Mama's lips moved slightly. It was really inappropriate for someone of her status to say such insults as "a lowly person" to Consort Duan. It was one thing for servants to say such things, but Consort Duan was, after all, one of the Emperor's concubines, and one of the Four Consorts.
Zhang Mama replied, "Yes, she just woke up not long ago. I have already conveyed the message you asked me to deliver."
Consort Duan then noticed that Zhang Mama's right hand was wrapped in a thick layer of gauze, with blood still faintly visible on it. She frowned and asked, "What happened?"
Granny Zhang's expression changed: "He was injured at Feixue Garden just now."
"That little bitch dared to lay a hand on you! Zhang Mama, when did you become so useless that you let her hurt you? You've utterly disgraced me!"
Granny Zhang: "Yes, it's my fault for being useless. But the Prince sent his servant Jiang to deliver the food, and I didn't know that. I thought that wretched girl Li Feng had stolen it from the main kitchen. So, so I waved my hand and knocked the food to the ground."
Granny Zhang knelt on the ground with a thud: "Your Highness, I have always followed your orders without question. If Your Highness says she will only have two steamed buns a day, then she must only have two. How can I let her eat such things? But I didn't know that those were sent by the Prince. What if... what if the Prince blames me..."
Saying that the fat woman spilled it was just to make the fat woman hate Lu Xiaoyun, that vile woman, even more. How could she hide it from the Prince and Consort Duan? Rather than let them find out, she might as well confess first. At least Consort Duan would side with her.
Consort Duan waved for Zhang Mama to rise, saying, "Alright, alright. I thought it was something serious, but it's just a small matter. Don't worry, if Yu'er asks, I will make sure he doesn't blame you."
Zhang Mama secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, Your Highness."
She entered the palace with Consort Duan, and during those arduous twenty-odd years in Yuqing Palace, Consort Duan was the only confidante by her side. Therefore, she was certain that even because of the Prince, it was impossible for the Consort to abandon her.
Consort Duan frowned and said, "Why would Yu'er let Jiang Chuan deliver food to her for no reason? Could it be that he has taken a fancy to that shameless slut? Humph, that woman has a bewitching and seductive face, and she's already managed to seduce Yu'er's heart?"
If it weren't for the fact that she was the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, she would have torn her apart the day she came to the Prince of An's residence.
That day she noticed that the lowly rogue now had a pale face and was truly beautiful, especially his pair of watery eyes, which could steal one's soul. Coupled with his sickly appearance, how could Yu'er not feel pity for him?
Zhang Mama was afraid that Consort Duan would say something outrageous again, and besides, she had also seen when she swept away the food that every dish contained chili peppers.
Being seriously injured, one must be extremely careful about what one eats; eating so much spicy food will only leave scars on one's body.
But she was still not quite sure, so she said cautiously, "Your Highness, how could our Prince possibly look down on such a woman? Perhaps the Prince is concerned about the reputation of the Prince's Mansion and doesn't want a newcomer to die so soon after entering the manor, especially one who starves to death. It would be bad for his reputation if word got out, so that's why he gave this order."
"Moreover, I haven't visited her even once during the two days she's been unconscious. Although Physician Jiang went to check her pulse, he only went once. After that, he had one of his female physicians take care of her."
"I specifically inquired about that female physician, and she said that Imperial Physician Jiang was entrusted by an old friend and had no other choice but to take her on as an apprentice. In reality, she has no talent in this area, and her medical skills are extremely limited. Your Majesty, think about it, how can someone like that take care of that little wretch?"
Consort Duan's mood improved somewhat: "Fine, let him be. We can't let this wretched woman cause further discord between me and Yu'er over such a trivial matter."
That incident happened so long ago, it can't be blamed on Yu'er.
Consort Duan paused and asked, "What has Yu'er been doing these past few days?"
Zhang Mama thought for a moment and said, "The Prince hasn't gone anywhere these past few days. He's locked himself in his study, and we don't know what he's doing. Your Highness, as you know, few of the servants below dare to reveal anything about the Prince, so we can't find out either."
Consort Duan sighed deeply: "Very well, I've already moved into Prince An's residence, so a little longer won't make a difference. Yu'er's consideration is also correct. You should have someone keep an eye on the movements at Feixue Garden. The New Year is just around the corner, and I don't want to die in Prince An's residence. I don't want to bring bad luck upon myself."
"Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant has sent people to keep an eye on things."
Consort Duan suddenly asked, "Is Yong'an feeling any better?"
Zhang Mama smiled slightly and said, "Much better. If we're talking about caring people, it has to be our Prince. Who would have thought that the Prince, who is cold to everyone else, would cherish Miss Yong'an so much? When Miss Yong'an fell into the water, the Prince even forgot about his wedding and personally carried her back to Prime Minister Ren's residence. He also ordered Imperial Physician Jiang to personally treat her. He was extremely anxious."
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