August arrived in the blink of an eye, and the weather became increasingly hot. Standing in the sun for a while would cause a light sweat to break out on one's body.
When Li Chenjiao got up, she was sweating profusely, and the smell was unpleasant, so she called for water and took a quick shower.
Then... Li Chenjiao paid her respects late.
However, the Fujin seemed to be in a good mood today, so she didn't blame her. After saying a few words, she told Li Chenjiao to sit down.
Li Chenjiao sat there, looking at the people who had come today.
Ms. Song is now seven months pregnant, and her belly is quite noticeable, but not to the point of being alarming; it looks alright.
Bai Jia smiled. Xu stood quietly like a wooden statue, and Zhang, perhaps having learned it from Xu, also stood quietly. In contrast, Hu was dressed beautifully and charmingly.
For the past two weeks, Fourth Master has barely entered the backyard, seemingly very busy. However, he did visit Li Chenjiao twice, stayed overnight, and had lunch elsewhere, but did not stay overnight.
Looking at it this way, Li Chenjiao still has the most points.
The princess consort smiled and said, "The Empress Dowager De sent word that a new lady will be joining our household, but she won't be able to enter until next spring."
The Fujin was quite pleased. She had been worried that there weren't enough people in the household. With so few people, it would be difficult for her, as the principal wife, to manage them.
It would be better to bring in some new people to liven things up.
Oh dear, as soon as the princess said this, the expressions of the people below changed several times.
Song Shi remained relatively composed, as she was pregnant. Bai Jia Shi, however, was somewhat uncomfortable. Already out of favor, how would she manage with the arrival of a new concubine?
Upon hearing the news, Li Chenjiao smiled. It's a good thing to have new talent, but it's next spring, which is still more than half a year away. No rush.
Of the three concubines, Xu Shi never cared about these things, Zhang Shi seemed to be well-behaved these days and didn't seem to care much, but Hu Shi secretly tightened her grip, looking quite anxious.
Taking in everyone's reactions, the Fujin smiled with satisfaction: "You don't need to worry. The Fourth Prince is a man who values rules. Since you are all polite and know the rules, he will come to see you."
The crowd agreed.
The Fujin smiled and said a few more words, then brought up another topic: "The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner. This year is the first year since the establishment of the mansion, so Song and Granny Gu have arranged for us to dine at Taiqing Courtyard. The Fourth Prince and I will not be in the mansion. You can celebrate the festival, but you can't break the rules. Do you understand?"
The crowd agreed.
Before long, the princess consort dismissed the party.
As Li Chenjiao left the main courtyard, she passed by the garden and glanced at the chrysanthemums in full bloom. "I remember the Princess Consort quite liked chrysanthemums?"
The autumn pot should mean: "Long life is a good omen, and people naturally like it."
Li Chenjiao lowered her eyes, thinking of the crabapple tree in the courtyard, which was now mostly withered.
The filth buried under that crabapple tree was truly insidious; now it's so bad that the tree can't even grow properly anymore.
Li Chenjiao secretly asked Xiao Luzi to go outside and ask a doctor. It turned out that it wasn't something harmful to pregnant women, but rather something that made it difficult for women to conceive.
That stuff is slow-acting; it takes a year or two to have an effect. This way, it's not easy for anyone to notice, and it can ruin a woman without anyone knowing.
That stuff is really bad for your health; I don't know where they got it from.
Li Chenjiao gave a mocking smirk.
This feud was initiated unilaterally by Li Chenjiao, and everyone knows who's behind it.
In the front yard, Fourth Master had also suspected that Li Chenjiao's fainting that day might have been caused by someone, so he asked Su Peisheng to investigate thoroughly.
As a result, they also found the crabapple tree.
This also shows how careless the person behind this was, allowing others to easily seize on their weakness.
When Fourth Master heard that it was something that made it difficult for women to conceive, his heart tightened. He thought that if such a delicate and charming young girl could not have children in the future because of such a thing, he would be heartbroken.
The Fourth Master didn't even need to guess who was behind it all.
He underestimated the Princess Consort. How long has it been? Half a year, perhaps? And she's already stirring up trouble?
Fourth Master was unhappy, and Su Peisheng, who served him, also suffered.
Just then, the Fujin sent word that she wanted to invite the Fourth Prince to dine.
The Fourth Prince initially intended to refuse, but ultimately agreed. Perfect timing, he could go to the main courtyard to give the Princess Consort a little nudge.
Upon arriving at the main courtyard, the Fujin was already waiting. She gracefully bowed and then dined with the Fourth Prince.
However, during the meal, there was a brightly dressed maidservant next to me, who smelled strongly of cosmetics.
Su Peisheng quickly took three steps away, glanced sideways, and exclaimed, "Oh, isn't this Miss Hu, the concubine sent by Prince Zhi?"
Princess Consort... is she walking right into the line of fire?
Miss Hu's background is not pleasant to hear. Miss Zhang, at least, comes from a respectable family, but Miss Hu comes from that kind of place.
At first, Fourth Master didn't notice her, but when Madam Hu came forward to serve the dishes, the strong smell of perfume made him notice her.
Fourth Master's face immediately darkened.
The Fujin was also good at reading people's expressions. Although she was unhappy, she still waved for Hu Shi to leave.
"What's wrong with Fourth Master? Is it because Madam Hu is not serving him properly?" the Fujin asked.
The Fourth Prince is currently young and vigorous, and he really can't stand his wife's blatant attempt to force him into marriage.
Besides, what is Hu's identity? And where did Hu come from? Has the Princess Consort lost her mind?
Out of consideration for his wife's feelings, the Fourth Prince reluctantly finished his dinner. Just as he was about to take a bath, he saw his wife smiling broadly: "Hu Shi is still waiting in the side room. Why don't you go and take a look?"
The Fourth Prince was truly enraged this time. He gave his wife a cold look and stormed off.
The servants and the princess were left alone in the room, feeling extremely awkward and embarrassed.
Yu Ru entered, sighed softly, dismissed the crowd, and walked behind the Fujin to massage her shoulders: "Why is the Fujin doing this?"
Today's events have really made the Princess Consort quite anxious.
The princess consort merely sneered: "Then what do you expect me to do? Of all the people in this household, how many are truly respectful? If I don't promote these people, this household will become their domain."
Now that Song is pregnant, she has quite a few ambitions. Li is cunning and always tries to seduce the Fourth Master. Bai Jia is rather stupid. Of the concubines, Xu and Zhang live a secluded life, and only Hu is somewhat interesting.
There wasn't a single person in the entire mansion who listened to them.
Yu Ru sighed, "Aren't you just being stubborn? What concubine is ever respectful to the wife? Aren't they all jealous and resentful? You're just making trouble for yourself, Madam."
“Since they’re not going to work, why don’t you establish yourself? Today is such a good opportunity, and you had to bring Hu Shi here,” Yu Ru advised.
The Fujin's face was full of sarcasm: "Learn from them to seduce the Fourth Prince? I am the Fujin, why would I learn those despicable methods? Holding onto the power of the household is the most important thing."
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