The princes were easy to deal with, as they were all men and could be easily sent to the main hall. But this morning, the princesses had all entered the palace, and the emperor had asked Concubine Xiang to arrange shifts for them, which made things difficult.
During this one day, some of the low-ranking concubines wanted to use this opportunity to show their loyalty to the queen, while others thought that they might be able to show up during the emperor's visit to the queen and attract the emperor to take a closer look.
So, with a noisy back-and-forth, Yong'an urged them not to come, lest they disturb the Empress's rest. Only the more superficial ones, wiping their tears with handkerchiefs, claimed that their attendance had been approved by Imperial Concubine Xiang, and that the Emperor had entrusted the Empress's care to Imperial Concubine Xiang. It was only when Prince Cheng returned from court and saw the women in the First Chamber throwing a tantrum that he finally sent them all away.
According to what they wanted, she and Yongan would take care of her. Of course, Yongan didn't know about this. The sadder she looked, the better it would be for the Queen's disguise.
This was not good news for the Queen and her son. They really couldn't figure out whether the Emperor simply valued the Queen or whether he had discovered something and was warning them.
As a result, the queen, who had originally planned to pretend for three or four days and wait for herself to get better after singing, chanting, sitting and beating, was now being put on the stove.
Princess Cheng came out of the east room and gave a look to Nanny Sang who was standing at the door. Nanny Sang nodded in understanding. Princess Cheng whispered a few words to the eunuch in charge of Kunning Palace and then left the main hall.
As soon as I stepped down the stairs, I saw a little palace maid coming out of the west courtyard, covering half of her face. Seeing Princess Cheng standing there, she was stunned for a moment, then bowed her head in greeting. The female historian accompanying Princess Cheng asked, "What's going on? What are you rushing to do?"
"In reply to the princess, your servant, your servant..." The little palace maid raised her head and looked at Princess Cheng timidly.
Princess Cheng looked up at the West Courtyard and asked, "But what's wrong with Princess Fanghua and Princess Rui?"
"Yes, Princess Rui lived in the west room of the main house. After lunch, I poured her tea, but I accidentally picked up the wrong cup. I used the one that Princess Fanghua likes very much. Princess Fanghua saw me and scolded me."
Princess Cheng nodded. She feared the two might have started a quarrel over this. That was a good move. It was indeed a brilliant move by Concubine Xiang to pair Fanghua with Meng. Should they make the quarrel worse? That would distract the Emperor's attention.
――――――
"What a pity for your teacups. Now that one is broken, what are you going to do with the rest?" Meng Qi picked up another teacup on the table and turned it in her hand.
"I heard that the dowry of the fourth young lady of the Huainan Marquis's Mansion is one of the best in the capital. It's not like they can't even come up with a tea set like this." Fanghua stood up and smiled slightly. "The show is over. Let's rest first. Don't go too late and provoke them to talk."
"Whether you go there sooner or later will cause them to talk. The problem is not the sooner or later but the one who goes." Meng Qi said with a smile.
Fanghua limped forward, took two steps, and waved her hand. "I don't care about this, and I don't think you care either."
Meng Qi opened her mouth and asked, "What did the imperial physician say about your stomach upset a while ago?"
Fanghua turned back, looking puzzled, "What do you mean?"
"It was the day you didn't go to celebrate Princess Cheng's birthday. Yong'an said you had diarrhea. Is that okay? I saw you didn't look well today."
Fanghua touched her face. "The imperial physician couldn't find anything. He just said it might be due to incompatible food. Although the symptoms have stopped, I still feel weak sometimes. Why are you asking this?"
"You and Yong'an's daily meals are all made by Kunning Palace, right?"
"Of course, I've never ordered what they like to eat on their own, nor have I asked them to cook it on their own. It's just like going to father's place and eating some snacks there." Fanghua sat back down after saying this, frowning and looking at Meng Qi.
Meng Qi whispered, "It's not your first day at Kunning Palace. You've been here for over ten years. How could they not know what you eat and what you don't eat? Why would they cook you food that's incompatible with your diet?"
Fanghua narrowed her eyes upon hearing this, thinking carefully about the two meals she had eaten before her last stomach upset. They were almost identical to Yong'an's, and she hadn't eaten anything else privately, nor had she gone to Chengtian Hall during those two days.
"But why is Yong'an okay?" Fanghua looked up.
"There's an antidote that can be put into food in advance." Meng Qi looked at Fang Hua, "I don't know if what I'm thinking is right, but it just feels strange. This isn't spring or summer. And even if you were unwell temporarily, how could it be such a coincidence?"
Meng Qi watched Fang Hua frown as she stared out the window. Since Fang Hua wasn't stupid, she could just point out some things herself. She didn't know if Fang Hua's stomach upset was the Queen's doing, but she had to attribute it to that. Living together for so long, how could there not be some dirty stuff? Only when the waters of the palace are muddied will the fish swim out.
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