61. All the ladies are truly virtuous and kind.
Liu Hanruo seemed oblivious to Liu Hanxue's mockery, focusing instead on the pale-faced Prince Xiaoyao lying on the bed. In that instant, memories of the past flooded her mind—joy, anger, happiness, and sorrow. Overwhelmed with grief, her eyes reddened, and she could only place all her hopes on Ouyang Ziren.
When Liu Hanxue saw that Liu Hanruo was ignoring her presence, she became even angrier. However, no matter how she mocked her, Liu Hanruo remained indifferent, treating her like air. She hated it to the extreme, but for the time being, she was helpless and could only stand aside and sulk.
The other women in the backyard were all opportunistic fair-weather friends. Seeing Liu Hanxue's fiery temper, they all kept their distance, afraid of being innocently implicated and becoming her target. Seeing this, Liu Hanxue's anger flared. Her eyes widened, her sharp gaze sweeping over the beauties, and she roared:
"What kind of expressions are those? Do you think I'm a plague?"
Wherever Liu Hanxue looked, the air pressure was unusual. All the beauties were bowing their heads in fear and trepidation, and even their breathing was extremely soft.
"I advise you all to put away your wishful thinking. Don't think I'm a fool. You're all lacking in the ability to play tricks on me. Those who want to play both sides and not offend either side should give up on that idea as soon as possible, or don't blame me for being ruthless!" Liu Hanxue persisted, threateningly threatening her.
Everyone lowered their heads as low as they could, repeatedly saying they dared not. Liu Hanxue was extremely pleased with this, then looked at Liu Hanruo provocatively, as if to say:
See? So what if you're a princess? All these women in the harem are on my side. Just wait, your good days are coming to an end!
Noticing Liu Hanxue's provocative gaze, Liu Hanruo merely glanced at her before turning away without any reaction. From childhood, Liu Hanxue had been showered with love and attention, always the center of attention wherever she went. How could the spoiled girl possibly accept being so utterly ignored?
Liu Hanxue lunged at Liu Hanruo with bared teeth and claws, but Liu Hanruo remained calm and simply stepped back. Liu Hanxue missed her target and fell flat on her face, looking quite disheveled. A few light laughs came from behind.
Liu Hanxue was both embarrassed and angry. She tried to stand up, but heard a thud. It turned out she hadn't noticed her position and, in a sudden movement, bumped her head against the bed railing, making a fool of herself. Liu Hanxue had to get up carefully. When she saw the strange expressions on the faces of the women in front of her, clearly snickering, she became furious and said:
"What are you laughing at? No one is allowed to laugh! If anyone dares to laugh again, I'll pull out all their teeth. Then let's see how you laugh then!"
Upon hearing Liu Hanxue's threat, the five beauties immediately suppressed their smiles, fearing punishment, and fell silent as if trembling in fear. This action also meant that everyone remained neutral and would not express any opinions. Thinking of how useless these people were, Liu Hanxue gritted her teeth in hatred. Just when everyone thought she was about to explode, Liu Hanxue suddenly chuckled.
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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