Last night, the Fujin (Prince's wife) stayed up most of the night watching over the Second Prince. It wasn't until after midnight that she was persuaded by Granny Qian and Yu Ru to go to her room for a nap.
It was only dawn when the princess got up.
The princess was speaking weakly and listlessly. The dark circles under her eyes had been concealed by Yu Ru when she applied makeup, so they were no longer noticeable.
Yu Ru stayed up all night. At least the Fujin (Prince Consort) managed to doze off for a while, but she couldn't. Even though the Fujin had second-class maids to keep watch while she rested, the Second Prince needed someone to guard him.
Granny Qian was getting old, and her energy would inevitably wane at night. However, the Second Prince couldn't be without a trusted confidante, so Yu Ru was the only one to keep him occupied.
When asked by the Fujin, she forced herself to stay alert and replied, "Your Majesty, Jinzhong has been keeping an eye on things. Master left the manor a quarter of an hour ago."
After a moment of silence, the Fujin forced a smile upon hearing Yu Ru's words, but her heart still ached as if a dull stone had struck it.
"Yesterday, the master came to see the second prince before leaving the manor..."
The princess's voice inevitably carried a hint of emotion.
Yu Ru knew that her mistress had gotten up at dawn to take the time to dress and wash up. The qipao she was wearing was made from the fabric that the Fourth Prince had given her when he returned. The four-cornered ruyi pattern and the lotus scroll pattern on it were auspicious symbols. The color and fabric were both of high status, and the crimson purple color made the mistress look even more dignified.
Yu Ru spoke up to comfort him: "When Master came back yesterday, didn't he come to see our Second Prince first? The Second Prince is the eldest son of the family, so Master naturally cares about him very much."
Speaking of yesterday evening, the Fujin's face became even more displeased: "The kitchen is also incompetent. Knowing that it was raining outside, they didn't even prepare ginger soup. And the midwife who delivered Li was also neglected by me."
Li's pregnancy was unexpected by the Fujin (principal wife). When Li returned to the mansion, she was already five months pregnant, and the Fujin could no longer make a move.
Furthermore, because Li's pregnancy was not going well, the Fujin (wife of the wife) didn't care at all. She secretly hoped that Li's pregnancy wouldn't end smoothly.
In addition, there was her father's funeral and the Golden Banquet Festival in October, as well as the Empress Dowager's birthday in the palace. These two days were also the Second Prince's illness. The Princess Consort was only human; how could she possibly attend to everything?
So when the Fourth Prince asked about the arrangements for Li's delivery yesterday, the midwife was stunned for a few seconds. By the time she realized what was happening, the Fourth Prince had already gotten up to go see the Second Prince.
Seeing this, Yu Ru still comforted her gently, "Don't worry too much, Madam. It's better that you don't get involved in this matter. It's still uncertain whether the East Courtyard can have a smooth delivery."
The princess nodded slightly in agreement upon hearing this.
She had seen Li's face yesterday; it had turned deathly pale after just a few steps. Who knew if Li would have the strength to give birth?
Speaking of yesterday, the Fujin couldn't help but frown again, naturally thinking of the Second Prince.
As if by some strange twist of fate, the Fujin suddenly remembered what Li had said when she left yesterday.
"The Second Prince is still young, so remove the incense burner from his room to prevent him from accidentally bumping into it. Also, later you should personally check that all the items in the Second Prince's room, including blunt objects and noisy items, have been removed, as well as some gold and jade ornaments. Buddhism is not about external possessions. I will personally hang up the peace charm that your mother obtained from a famous temple in the suburbs later."
Yu Ru said "Eh" and then added, "These days there's nothing to do, so the Fujin can spend more time taking care of the Second Prince."
Yes, there are no festivals in the winter month; things only get busier inside and outside the palace in the twelfth month.
This was still considered good news for the Fujin (wife of the emperor).
This way, she wouldn't be caught in the dilemma of having to juggle managing household affairs and looking after the Second Prince.
The princess smiled, then remembered something else and suddenly sighed: "But this means that Xianxin will have fewer opportunities to come to the manor."
Yu Ru paused for a moment, pondering the matter in her heart.
The Fujin pressed her temples, and quickly came to a conclusion: "Let Mother bring Xianxin with her when she comes to see the Second Prince in a few days, so that the Fourth Prince can meet Xianxin in advance."
"The Princess Consort's method is indeed excellent," Yu Ru quickly praised, "The Princess Consort is wise."
Upon hearing this, the Fujin merely scoffed, "If I were truly wise, I wouldn't have waited more than half a month after Lülan was sent to the estate to receive the news. Li's methods are indeed quite swift."
The fact that Lülan was sent to the estate happened when the Fujin was busy with the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration and her father's funeral. Naturally, she was overwhelmed with other matters. Later, Yuru found out and discussed it with Granny Qian, and then kept it from the Fujin for a while.
So when the Fujin found out, more than half a month had passed, and she could no longer bring up the matter to use it as an opportunity to reprimand Li.
So the Fujin didn't mention Green Orchid at all yesterday, but that doesn't mean she forgot about it.
The East Courtyard has always been a thorn in the side of the Fujin (principal wife).
"Shouldn't the confinement of Lady Niohuru be lifted by now?"
Yu Ru responded softly, this was not the first time the Fujin had asked about Niohuru Gege's confinement.
"Back then, there was the incident where Princess Niohuru offended the First Prince..."
The Fujin knew what Yu Ru was talking about. She remained silent for a while before slowly standing up.
"Niohuru is destined to be unusable by me. Even if she knows it was my scheme, so what? She's just a princess. No matter how much she achieves in the future, won't she still depend on me, her primary consort?"
From the very first day that Niohuru entered the mansion, the Fujin (principal wife) was wary of her. So, taking advantage of the Fourth Prince's absence, she gave Niohuru a warning.
Yu Ru quickly stepped forward to help her wife up.
Before the princess could even walk out, and after she had gone around the screen, she suddenly lost her strength, her legs went weak, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed in an instant.
Fortunately, Yu Ru reacted quickly and caught the Fujin. Two second-class maids who were standing at the door heard the commotion and rushed in. Yu Ru anxiously called out to the Fujin twice, then calmed herself down and asked the maids to send Wang Jinzhong to fetch the imperial physician.
When the main wife of the emperor collapsed and the imperial physician was summoned, the people in the back courtyard naturally went to the main courtyard to visit her.
However, Li Chenjiao had just gotten up and finished washing up when she heard Xiao Luzi come to report that the Fujin had already woken up and told everyone that they didn't need to go.
Li Chenjiao was still sleepy, and upon hearing the noise, she only let Xiao Luzi in.
"What happened to the Fujin in the main courtyard?" Li Chenjiao asked.
Xiao Luzi agreed, bowed, and then replied briskly, "The imperial physician said it was due to excessive thinking, and there's nothing seriously wrong. Since there's nothing seriously wrong, there's no need to make a fuss."
Upon hearing this, Li Chenjiao said "Oh," and then said, "Go downstairs. It must be tiring for you to make this trip. Go and warm yourself by the fire."
Xiao Luzi smiled, bowed, and withdrew. But once he was out, the smile on his face faded. After all, the First Wife and the Second Prince were not in very good health, and if he were to be cheerful, it would inevitably give others something to gossip about.
But wasn't the princess consort perfectly fine yesterday?
How could he just collapse like that?
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