"Since you're so interested, why don't you come along and see the Second Prince?"
Upon hearing this, Lady Liu quickly thanked the Fujin (principal wife), and soon only a few people remained in the main courtyard.
Because the Fujin (princess's wife) had given the order that the maids did not need to follow, Qiu Hu, who had been standing behind her mistress, gently supported Li Chenjiao as she stood up, her face showing concern.
Li Chenjiao showed no extra expression or movement, but slowly withdrew her arm and followed the Fujin to the Second Prince's room.
Following closely behind her were Madam Song and Madam Wu, as well as Madam Liu, who volunteered to go with them to visit.
The Second Prince's room was only a short distance from the main courtyard's flower hall, separated by a side room. As one walked along the covered corridor, the smell of medicine grew stronger and stronger, lingering in the air.
Li Chenjiao felt nauseous and her face turned slightly pale.
The princess consort only brought one maid, Qian Mama, with her, and everyone quietly went to the inner room where the second prince was.
Because Li Chenjiao's mind wasn't on visiting the Second Prince, she instead took the time to look at the furnishings of his residence.
Because the Second Prince was ill and should not make noise, not many maids and servants were left in the side room to serve him. As Li Chenjiao walked in from outside, she only saw four maids standing on both sides, all holding their breath and keeping their skirts tucked in, and they also greeted him silently.
There were only two wet nurses standing on either side of the room, with Yu Ru, the lady of the house, beside them. There was no one else there, making it rather deserted.
However, once their group arrived, the room suddenly became cramped again.
Li Chenjiao glanced at the blue curtain with its intertwined floral pattern. It was a very simple color, which was quite suitable for a prince's room. However, what caught her eye was the string of sachets and amulets wrapped around the curtain.
Without exaggeration, it was a string of them. Li Chenjiao was slightly behind by two steps, and she also saw that when the wet nurse heard the noise and got up to bow, her hair bun touched a peace charm at the end, causing the tassel hanging down from the peace charm to sway slightly.
The furnishings in the room were very simple. When Li Chenjiao saw that the Fujin had excused the wet nurses from the formalities, she lowered her head to look at the Second Prince and at the same time raised her hand to fiddle with the trembling tassel of the peace charm, making it stop shaking.
The wet nurse standing nearby trembled and subconsciously took a half step back.
Li Chenjiao took all of this in, but she didn't react much. She simply moved two steps behind the Fujin and waited for the Fujin to look at the Second Prince before slowly leaning forward to take a quick look herself.
Although she had already made up her mind, Li Chenjiao still couldn't help but slightly furrow her brows.
The Second Prince is too thin.
The second prince was born earlier than Aman, but he still looks as thin and weak as a kitten. His eyebrows and eyes look better, and his face has a rosy glow, but this rosy glow on the second prince makes him look somewhat unhealthy, as if he is suffocating.
Then there's the Second Prince's pointed chin and the faint bone showing in his cheeks, which looks heartbreaking.
After looking at it, Li Chenjiao stepped back a little, making room for Song Shi and the others.
By now, Lady Wu and Lady Song had already quieted down. Arguing and bickering should be done in appropriate situations. At this moment, both of their eyes were on the Second Prince, so they naturally didn't have time to bicker.
Liu was not in a hurry. The space in front of the Second Prince's bed was so small that she was not in a rush to look at it. At this moment, she quietly retreated to the side of the Fujin and helped her up.
The princess glanced at her indifferently, without saying anything, but she did not pull her arm away.
Li Chenjiao raised her hand and covered her nose with a handkerchief, not because of the smell of medicine in the room, but because of the sandalwood scent.
Her gaze shifted slightly, landing on the small, gold-plated incense burner with eight treasures placed beside the small couch not far away. The smoke rising slowly from it indicated the origin of the sandalwood incense in the room.
Li Chenjiao really couldn't stand the smell of sandalwood, which was mixed with the smell of medicine in the room, making it quite unpleasant. In addition, the weather was getting cooler, and there was high-quality silver charcoal burning in the room. She felt stuffy as soon as she came in from outside.
Li Chenjiao slowly exhaled, and soon heard Song Shi and Wu Shi comforting the Fujin. She felt suffocated, and even her cheeks seemed to be burning. She hadn't used a hand warmer, and she hadn't even had time to put on her cloak when she came out, but Li Chenjiao felt hot all over.
She quickly realized that the Second Prince's room probably already had an underfloor heating system.
It's only November, and there's charcoal in the house. No wonder Li Chenjiao felt hot all over after just a short while.
Li Chenjiao couldn't stay still, and neither did Song Shi and Wu Shi dared to speak too loudly. Soon, the Fujin waved her hand, signaling everyone to go outside to talk.
Both Lady Song and Lady Wu appeared to be deeply distressed for the Second Prince, but what they truly thought in their hearts remained unknown.
The Princess Consort knew perfectly well what was going on and didn't care at all whether they had come to visit the Second Prince sincerely. At this moment, her expression showed some impatience: "The Second Prince still needs to rest. Since you have already seen him, you should go back as soon as possible."
After exchanging a few polite words, Madam Song and Madam Wu did not leave first, but waited for Li Chenjiao.
The rules were set in stone, and now Madam Song and Madam Wu were actually following them.
Li Chenjiao also gave a slight curtsy: "Princess Consort, please don't worry. With the imperial physicians here, the Second Prince should be safe and sound."
These were all just polite words, but Li Chenjiao truly had no ill intentions when she said them.
The princess consort gave a faint "hmm": "I noticed you didn't say anything just now. It must have been hard on you while you were pregnant."
These words were neither warm nor cold. Li Chenjiao paused slightly, and after a long while, she still said.
"The Princess Consort is devoted to Buddhism, and the sandalwood incense inside is so strong that it brings peace to the mind. So I didn't say anything more." She didn't say much.
In the backyard, it's inappropriate to say too much.
As for burning earthworms, the imperial physicians didn't say anything, so it wasn't her place to comment.
She simply couldn't stand the smell of sandalwood.
The same principle applies to the sickly Second Prince. The constant smell of medicine was one thing, but when mixed with sandalwood, the smell was far from pleasant.
At least the Second Princess couldn't stand the sandalwood scent. Every time she received something from the main courtyard, she would inevitably pick up some of the sandalwood scent from there.
The second princess always avoids her like the plague.
When you're sick, taking care of your body is one thing, but if you're in a good mood, you'll generally have more energy, right?
Li Chenjiao had finally said what she couldn't hold back, leaving her thoughts unsaid. As for what the Fujin (the wife of the emperor) thought, that was up to the Fujin.
From Li Chenjiao's perspective, at least, she still hopes that the Second Prince's health will improve.
It wasn't that she was particularly kind and benevolent, but rather that she had her own considerations.
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