wake up
Shangguan Zeyu put his arm around Shen Qianqian's waist and walked slowly.
Zhang Qin followed them closely, about ten paces behind.
Shangguan Zeyu would occasionally say a word to Shen Qianqian, but most of the time he remained silent.
Shen Qianqian actually liked this feeling very much, like a little girl in love, shy and extremely satisfied.
Where is that?
Shangguan Zeyu narrowed his eyes slightly and pointed to the building two hundred meters away to the right.
Shen Qianqian couldn't help but chuckle.
"Your Highness, really! That's Pear Blossom Residence, Consort Liu's courtyard."
"Oh?" Shangguan Zeyu responded casually, but his eyes were filled with inquiry and longing.
“Your Highness, Consort Liu has always been arrogant and disdainful of others. Now that she has done something wrong, she deserves to be punished.”
Shangguan Zeyu glanced at her thoughtfully.
"Qianmei, do you also think she's the one who ruined you?"
"What else, Your Highness?" Shen Qianqian suddenly reacted strongly and looked at him.
"Qianmei, I'm just curious, the exquisite ball was requested by Madam Wu and given to you, so why does everyone unanimously believe it was Consort Liu's doing?"
"Because she's awful! So wicked! Your Highness, it was Consort Liu who pushed Qianqian into the water. If it weren't for her, how could Qianqian have gotten sick? And how could the child have..."
Shen Qianqian cried sadly.
Shangguan Zeyu didn't say anything, but hugged her tightly, though his eyes remained fixed on the closed doors of Pear Blossom Residence, lost in thought.
Shangguan Zeyu did not enter Pear Blossom Residence; he was merely passing by. He then took Shen Qianqian's arm and circled back to Apricot Blossom Manor.
To comfort Shen Qianqian, he gave her a whole bunch of gifts.
When Wang Qianqian found out, she took Liu Ying and went to find her that evening.
"...This roll of fabric is really beautiful, soft, and breathable. I wonder what it's made of."
Shen Qianqian held up a piece of light pink fabric that looked like it was glowing and held it up against herself.
The maid Iris had never seen it before, and just kept saying "It's beautiful."
Wang Qianqian walked in and pushed the door open.
Shen Qianqian looked over in surprise.
Wang Qianqian's eyes showed surprise, disbelief, and then jealousy and anger.
"Sister, you're here. Come and see, the Prince has just bestowed this fabric upon my younger sister, it's so beautiful." Shen Qianqian wrapped the fabric around herself and twirled gracefully.
Wang Qianqian's expression was contorted, but she still forced herself to praise, "Good, very good, excellent!"
"Sister, do you know what kind of fabric this is? I've never seen it before, it must be very rare, right?"
“Yes, of course it’s precious and rare. This is shimmering brocade, a rare sight indeed.” Wang Qianqian smiled stiffly, gritting her teeth as she spoke, almost word by word.
"Really? The prince is so good to my sister!!!" Shen Qianqian was overjoyed, hugging the cloth and kissing and sniffing it.
Wang Qianqian's face looked even worse, deathly pale with an eerie tinge, as if it were tinged with an iron-blue hue.
"My sister is truly remarkable, to have gained such favor from the Prince so quickly!! I'm so happy for you!!"
"Really? Little sister thought big sister would be angry!"
"No." Wang Qianqian forced a smile.
“Then smile, sister. I want to see your genuine smile of happiness for me.” Shen Qianqian smiled brightly as she looked at her.
Wang Qianqian could no longer laugh, so she simply stopped and her face fell.
“Sister Shen, the Princess Consort is currently under house arrest, and Consort Liu is unconscious. Have you considered taking this opportunity to ascend to a higher position?”
Shen Qianqian had some thoughts on this, but she didn't immediately express her feelings. Instead, she said something against her will.
"How could that be, sister? I'm just a mulberry picker, how could I dare to have such thoughts? If anyone should have, it would be you who should seize the opportunity."
Wang Qianqian slightly tugged at the corners of her mouth.
"Who the prince likes is his business, and whoever can win the prince's favor is their own business. I'm only here to remind my sister that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Shen Qianqian was about to say something more, but she abruptly interrupted her.
"Alright, it's getting late, so I won't disturb you any longer as you admire the fabrics!" Without even glancing at Shen Qianqian, she left.
Shen Qianqian successfully angered Wang Qianqian, and became even more smug, humming a little tune.
Wang Qianqian, who hadn't gone far, naturally heard it, and her hatred for her deepened.
"Hmph! A ignorant country bumpkin like you dares to ride roughshod over me!!!"
Liu Ying whispered, "Master, please don't be angry. The prince gave her these gifts out of pity. After all, she will never be able to have children again, so there's no use for her having so many things."
Wang Qianqian gave a cold laugh.
"If I had known she was so irresponsible, I should have killed her back then!!"
"Your Highness, the Prince has not thoroughly investigated this matter. Does he already believe that Consort Liu was the one who did it?"
"Don't worry about that! We didn't handle anything anyway, so there's nothing to be afraid of!"
"Master, could Madam Wu... betray you?"
Wang Qianqian couldn't help but let out another cold laugh.
"Betrayal? What are you going to betray me for? She did it all, I didn't do anything! Even if she tells someone, who would believe her? Does she have any evidence?"
Liu Ying said nothing more and followed her back to Haitang Garden.
Under Huang Ying's meticulous care, Jiang Yan finally opened her eyes at noon three days later.
"Water~ Water~"
As soon as Huang Ying entered the room from outside, she heard her hoarse, weak murmur and hurried over.
"Master! Master, you've finally woken up!!" Tears welled up in her eyes with excitement.
"Water~" Jiang Yan squinted, looking at her blankly.
Huang Ying didn't bother to wipe the tears from her cheeks. She quickly fetched a glass of water and carefully fed her some with a spoon.
"Master? Master, are you still feeling unwell?"
Jiang Yan closed her eyes wearily, and after a long while, she slowly opened them.
"I...I'm not dead?"
Huang Ying immediately burst into tears again.
"My lord, you are blessed with good fortune and long life; you will surely have good fortune in the future." He hurriedly wiped away the tears that kept flowing from his eyes.
Jiang Yan smiled weakly, but Huang Ying saw it and cried even more bitterly.
Jiang Yan shakily stretched out her right hand, wanting to touch Huang Ying's cheek, but because she was too weak, it fell down after only reaching halfway.
"Master, what's wrong?" Huang Ying was so frightened that her face turned pale and she even forgot to breathe.
"It's okay. Don't be afraid." Jiang Yan blinked weakly at her a few times.
Huang Ying felt like crying again.
Afraid of upsetting Jiang Yan, she suppressed the urge to cry and forced a smile.
"What would you like to eat, Master? I'll go and make it for you."
Jiang Yan smiled weakly and said, "No, thank you." Then, just as Huang Ying was about to say something more to her, she tilted her head and fainted again.
"Master? Master, what's wrong?" Huang Ying was so frightened that she hurriedly checked her breathing and pulse. Only after confirming that she had just fainted did she relax a little.
Huang Ying wiped her face, tucked the blanket in, and went to the front yard to find Steward Cui.
She wanted Butler Cui to find a doctor to examine Jiang Yan and see how well Jiang Yan's condition was recovering.
However, by sheer coincidence, she ran into Butler Cui halfway there, with a doctor following closely behind him.
Before Huang Ying could speak, Butler Cui spoke.
"Why are you here instead of taking good care of Consort Liu?"
"Steward Cui, this servant is here to see you."
Butler Cui's expression immediately turned serious: "It couldn't be...?"
"My lady just woke up, but quickly fainted again. I'd like to find a doctor to examine her."
Butler Cui's expression softened slightly.
"This is Imperial Physician Wang. He was the one who treated Consort Liu that day."
The oriole recognized him and bowed to him gratefully.
"Without further ado, lead the way. Let Imperial Physician Wang examine Consort Liu's pulse again."
Huang Ying quickly stepped forward and led the way.
After examining Jiang Yan's complexion and taking her pulse, the imperial physician concluded that Jiang Yan was no longer in mortal danger, but her body was severely depleted and she had been poisoned for a long time. It would probably take one or two years for her to fully recover.
This was the first time Huang Ying had learned that her young mistress had been poisoned. Shocked, she asked...
"How could my mistress have been poisoned?"
However, Steward Cui and Imperial Physician Wang ignored her and whispered among themselves. Finally, they gave her some instructions on how to take care of Jiang Yan and then left.
Huang Ying stood by the bed, staring at Jiang Yan in bewilderment, unable to understand how she could have been poisoned for so long.
Everyone in the Prince's mansion seemed busy with their own things, and there wasn't a soul around, but if something happened there, everyone would know immediately.
For example, when Steward Cui took Imperial Physician Wang to Pear Blossom Residence, the news spread.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qianqian was so angry that the shimmering brocade in her hand no longer smelled sweet, and her gold and silver jewelry no longer looked beautiful.
"The prince favors this vile woman!!"
Iris chimed in, "Yes, Master, she caused you to miscarry, and the Prince didn't even call the imperial physician to examine you! The Prince was probably bewitched by her!"
Enraged, Shen Qianqian picked up the half-filled rose teacup on her right and threw it against the opposite wall.
"You bitch!!! You killed my child, I'll make you pay with your life!!!"
Iris: "Master, now that Madam Wang and Madam Wu are acting independently, and the Princess Consort is under house arrest, you have no backing, this..."
"Hmph! I didn't even consider them a threat from the start!! Why would I be afraid if they weren't there? If those vile women can gain the Prince's favor, so can I, Chen Qianqian!!!"
When Shangguan Zeyu learned that Jiang Yan had woken up and was out of danger, he was in a good mood and was preparing to deal with Princess Xiao Yiqing's affairs when Shen Qianqian came to find him.
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