11. Little sister, be careful not to play with fire and get burned.
Since Liu Hanxue became pregnant, the "Carefree Prince" has been reporting to the palace every day, taking meticulous care of her and sending all sorts of rewards and tonics to Yunluo Garden. Whenever Liu Hanxue says what she wants to eat, the kitchen staff immediately put down what they are doing and begin to prepare it for her, not daring to delay in the slightest. During this time, Liu Hanxue has been enjoying the utmost pampering, getting whatever she wants and living a very comfortable life.
Gradually, however, she became dissatisfied with this ordinary life. Taking advantage of her pregnancy, she began to order around the maids and servants of other concubines. Today she would order around Consort Wang, tomorrow she would order around Concubine Li, and she was having a great time. In the end, she even started to order around Chunxiang, claiming that: "I am newly pregnant, and I am suffering from backaches and leg cramps. It is very hard, and I have to be careful in everything I do. We don't have enough people, so we can only borrow Chunxiang, my sister's personal maid, to help me."
In this way, every woman's maid in the backyard was taken away under the guise of pregnancy. Taking advantage of her pregnancy, she acted recklessly and arrogantly, arousing the indignation of the women in the backyard. However, they dared not do so openly, since their own pregnancies were not as successful as hers. They could only secretly curse her in their rooms at night.
Gradually, Liu Hanxue became dissatisfied again and began to reach into the kitchen, monopolizing several stoves by herself and setting aside all the tonics stewed by the other concubines, claiming that: "The baby in my belly is hungry and wants to eat these things, so you should wait until I finish eating before you eat."
Thus, first the maids were borrowed, then the kitchen was taken over. The women in the backyard endured it again and again, but Liu Hanxue was still not satisfied. She even suggested to the "Carefree Prince" that the entire palace should eat vegetarian food for a month in order to pray for the future young prince. This time, the women in the backyard finally couldn't bear it anymore. They were all furious and made an appointment to come to Plum Blossom Garden.
The women in the inner court, represented by Consort Wang, were filled with anger and spoke righteously.
“Your Highness, Consort Liu has gone too far. First, she borrowed maids under various pretexts and never returned them. Then, she occupied the kitchen under various pretexts, making it impossible for us to cook anything. Now, she wants us to be vegetarian for a month, while she is enjoying bird's nest supplements every day. Your Highness, if you don't speak up, it will be unreasonable.”
"Yes, Your Highness, we've all discussed it with Consort Wang. With Your Highness taking the lead, we'll go to the Prince together and explain things clearly. If it's for the sake of praying for blessings, a week of vegetarianism is enough!"
"That's right, especially since we don't even know what's in her belly, it might just be a girl!"
Liu Hanruo instinctively wanted to refuse. She hadn't forgotten the coldness in the eyes of the 'Carefree Prince' last time. Although she didn't know what the Carefree Prince's purpose was, he wasn't stupid enough to believe that he genuinely cared about Liu Hanxue. Just as she was about to refuse, the concubine blocked her way out.
"Your Highness, seeing how hesitant you are, could it be that you are truly afraid of Consort Liu, as the rumors suggest?"
Well, Liu Hanruo had to admit that persuading someone was less effective than provoking them in the future. Because of that statement, she impulsively agreed.
When the large group arrived at the Shuiyue Pavilion library, the 'Carefree Prince' was engrossed in official business and had no time to pay attention to them. Perhaps they all understood that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down, so they all united and stood quietly behind Liu Hanruo, constantly signaling to her with their eyes and even body language, hoping that she would speak up soon.
Liu Hanruo was speechless with regret, increasingly regretting her impulsive decision. However, she was in a difficult situation and had no choice but to reluctantly bow and pay her respects.
"Your Highness, this humble servant greets you!"
"Your Highness, this humble servant greets you!"
The "Carefree King" didn't even look up, simply grunted in agreement, and said nothing more. Liu Hanruo had no choice but to speak again, explaining her purpose.
"Your Highness, I have come today to discuss something with you."
Finally, the 'Carefree King' raised his head and looked at Liu Hanruo in front of him with sharp eyes, as if to say: You better have something important to do, or you will die a terrible death!
"Your Highness, I have heard that Your Highness has ordered the entire household to observe a month-long vegetarian diet in order to pray for the blessing of the unborn child. Is this true?"
The carefree king nodded, signaling Liu Hanruo to continue.
"Your Highness, I believe this is going too far. Aside from the fact that the child's birth is still far off, a month is indeed too long. If it continues for a month, those servants who rely on manual labor will likely not be able to keep up physically. If word gets out that the Prince's residence is mistreating its servants, wouldn't that be unfair? I think it's perfectly acceptable to pray for the unborn child, and prayers rely on sincerity. As the saying goes, sincerity brings results. Why not shorten the period to a week? This way, we can both preserve the Prince's reputation and pray for the child's well-being—a win-win situation."
"Your Highness, did you come to see me just for such a trivial matter? Do you think I have the time to deal with such petty things? The inner courtyard is under the management of Consort Liu. If you have any doubts, just go to Consort Liu. If Your Highness bothers me again with such trivial matters, I think Your Highness should reflect on what you should and shouldn't do!"
The carefree prince kept his head down, quickly handling official business, but still coldly ordered everyone to leave.
The group of women reluctantly took their leave and headed towards Yunluo Garden. As soon as they entered the garden, they heard Liu Hanxue's angry roar.
"You wretched servant, are you trying to kill me with pain?! You can't even massage my feet properly, what use are you?!"
Liu Hanruo led the group of women through the door. The first thing she saw was Chunxiang, who had been kicked to the ground. Her brows furrowed slightly, and a faint sneer appeared on her face.
"Sister, it's been a few days since I last saw you, and your temper has grown rather worse. Although I've heard that pregnant women are often moody, I've never actually witnessed it. Seeing it today, I can see it's true. However, sister, as your princess, I have a duty to remind you that excessive emotions can affect the baby's development. For the sake of the child, you should try your best to control your temper!"
"Sister, you don't understand. It's not that I'm short-tempered, it's just that this wretched maid went too far! Sister, you know that pregnant women are prone to leg cramps. I just wanted her to massage them a few times, but I didn't expect this wretched maid to be so rough. Sister, you know, my pain is nothing, but the child in my belly is the Prince's first child, and it absolutely cannot be allowed to happen!"
"Chunxiang is clumsy and doesn't know how to do these things. Since you don't like Chunxiang, I won't force you. I'll find you a maid with excellent massage skills to take care of you." Liu Hanruo said politely, but inwardly she was very disdainful. *Hmph, Liu Hanxue, at least pretend properly. Chunxiang did something, what does it have to do with the child in your belly? Don't think you can use your child as a shield forever. You'll have to see if you can protect the child. You should know that the women in the Prince's mansion aren't just for show. If you're not careful, hmph…*
"Then thank you in advance, sister."
"That's only right. Sister, just focus on having a healthy pregnancy and leave everything else to me. Sister, I've come today to discuss something with you. I wonder if you'd be willing to agree?"
"Why do you say that, sister? Please speak freely."
"Regarding the prayer period, I believe a month is too long, and perhaps too harsh on those servants who rely on manual labor for long periods. I suggest shortening the prayer period to one week. What do you think, sister?"
"Sister, as you know, I don't care, but this is the prince's first child, and I only want to give the child the best. I have already discussed the matter of praying for blessings with the prince, and he has agreed. Please forgive me for not being able to follow your advice!"
Seeing that Liu Hanxue was stubborn and determined to go her own way, Liu Hanruo had no choice but to leave with everyone, leaving behind a parting remark:
"Sister, everything should be done in moderation, otherwise you'll get burned and it will be too late."
"Thank you for your concern, sister. I feel fine now, so please don't worry about me."
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