Li Chenjiao fiddled with the rouge-red teacup on the table. Upon hearing this, she simply smiled lightly, raising the corner of her eye slightly: "I understand. You can go and rest now. Qiu Hu, go and get Fourth Master's calligraphy copybook. I'll practice some calligraphy for a while."
Qiu Hu agreed.
Xiao Luzi and Qiu Ci quietly slipped out.
As soon as Qiu Ci came out, she grabbed Xiao Lu: "What did you say to the main courtyard? Why is the main courtyard punishing the princess?"
Xiao Luzi laughed and cried: "Grandma, the princess is favored now, so the main wife is being lenient. What wife can stand a concubine being favored?"
Qiu Ci understood that it was just that the head of the household was unhappy with how the main courtyard handled things: "It's a good thing for that Madam Hu... When you mention lunch to the kitchen, quietly tell them..."
Xiao Luzi didn't reply: "That's not necessary. The kitchen always flatters the powerful and belittles the weak. Someone like Madam Hu has offended countless people. Someone will deal with her."
Today, the people from the garden were sent to the main courtyard to inquire about it. The servants in the garden clearly disliked Madam Hu, and they didn't say a single word in her favor.
Not to mention how unpleasant the princess's face looked at that time.
Qiu Ci was young and quick-witted but not mature enough. Hearing what Xiao Luzi said, she nodded slightly and didn't say anything more about it.
"Oh, right, I have something to tell the princess. Go in and tell her in a bit, I'll go check on the kitchen," Xiao Luzi said.
Nowadays, Qiu Ci is much better at gathering information than Xiao Lu Zi; the two of them are now competing with all their might.
The kitchen is full of people and a cacophony of voices, making it a perfect place to gather information.
Qiu Ci smiled, listened to Xiao Luzi finish speaking, and then turned and went back inside.
He looked quite happy.
It turned out that when Xiao Luzi came out of the main courtyard, he happened to meet Fu Lu, who was coming from the front courtyard. Fu Lu said that if the princess had anything to say, she could write a letter and pass it on to the Fourth Prince.
Li Chenjiao, who was inside, was taken aback for a moment when she heard this. She leaned down and asked, "Whose idea is this? Fourth Master's idea?" Given her current status, she could not write a letter to Fourth Master without permission.
I'm afraid not. With Fourth Master's temper, he's not the type to take the initiative.
Qiu Ci replied, "Judging from what you're saying, it seems that Fu Lu wants to do us a favor."
Li Chenjiao raised an eyebrow and nodded slightly: "If that's the case, we'll ask when to send it later."
If Fu Lu says so, it seems there are quite a few letters to send. They'll be sent to Consort De in the palace, the Fujin in the household, and others, probably all at once.
Qiu Hu agreed.
Li Chenjiao then asked Qiu Ci to prepare the writing brush and ink.
Once the paper and ink were laid out in front of her, Li Chenjiao picked up the pen, but for a moment she didn't know what to write.
So he picked up the pen, frowned, and thought about what to write...
"To the Fourth Prince..."
"It's been more than half a month since we last met. How is Fourth Master?"
"A lot more chrysanthemums have been brought to the manor... Perhaps it's because of the Double Ninth Festival, the flowers are blooming beautifully. When Master returns, he might even see them again..."
"The crabs this year are exceptionally fresh... Chef Guo from the kitchen makes them exceptionally well..."
"This servant was thinking that after the Double Ninth Festival in a couple of days, I would go and pick some chrysanthemums and brew chrysanthemum wine..."
"On this Double Ninth Festival, Fourth Master, you are far away from home. Please don't overwork yourself. You should also take a walk around. I've heard there's a famous restaurant along the Yongding River that specializes in perch. Fourth Master, you might want to try it when you have some free time..."
"The crabapple tree in the courtyard has grown again..."
Li Chenjiao wrote five or six pages before stopping when her hand started to ache.
Li Chenjiao placed the brush on the white jade brush rest and smiled faintly: "Once the ink dries, I'll take it to the front yard."
Qiu Hu quickly agreed.
...
When the letter reached the Fourth Master, the Double Ninth Festival had already passed. However, an incident occurred in the manor on that day.
Ms. Song went into premature labor!
It was on the night of the Double Ninth Festival that she went into labor. I heard that there were signs of labor during the day, but Li Chenjiao only received the news of premature birth in the middle of the night.
I had only been asleep for a short while when Qiu Hu woke me up. In my groggy state, I heard Qiu Hu say, "How could you suddenly be born prematurely?"
Li Chenjiao immediately woke up, squinted and yawned twice: "What? Premature birth? Song Shi went into premature birth?"
Qiu Hu helped Li Chenjiao up and tucked her clothes around her neck: "Yes, otherwise why would I have called you up at this time?"
Li Chenjiao frowned: "When did this happen?"
Qiu Hu was deftly tying Li Chenjiao's hair up when she heard this and shook her head slightly: "This servant doesn't know either. I heard there was some movement during dinner. Giving birth in the middle of the night must be difficult."
Seeing that it was about time, Li Chenjiao waved her hand and said, "Let's go, let's go to Song Gege's place."
Xiao Luzi was already waiting at the door, carrying a lantern in her hand. Qiu Ci was also there, carrying a lantern in her hand.
Clearly, they've become more cautious now because of what happened last time.
Li Chenjiao glanced at the two of them and then went to Song Gege's side.
Xiao Luzi and Qiu Ci carried the lanterns one after the other, while Qiu Hu carefully supported Li Chenjiao.
When they arrived at Song Gege's courtyard, it was brightly lit, but there was no movement inside.
Li Chenjiao lowered her eyes and slowly went inside.
Inside the main hall, Bai Jiashi had already arrived. Seeing Li Chenjiao enter, she forced a smile and said, "You've come?"
It was rare to see Bai Jiashi with such a strange expression, filled with fear and apprehension.
Li Chenjiao asked, "How is it? Where is the Fujin (wife)?"
Madam Bai shook her head: "The Fujin is waiting over there, she's already dilated to three centimeters... but the midwife said... the baby is breech, so this pregnancy might not be easy..."
Li Chenjiao frowned: "How could it be premature?"
Bai Jia shook her head, clearly not knowing either.
Song's pregnancy is already eight months along; they say that babies born at seven months are likely to survive, while those born at eight months are not...
Suddenly, I heard a noise over there. Was it Song's voice? But after that one sound, I heard nothing more.
Li Chenjiao frowned and remained silent, holding her teacup but not taking a single sip.
For a woman, childbirth is like stepping into the gates of hell...
“Ah Jiao, if you get pregnant in the future, don’t be afraid. But remember, don’t rush into having a child before you’ve thought it through. Wait until you’re ready to be a mother before having a child. Don’t wrong yourself. When you want to be a mother, you also need someone who wants to be a father… Our Ah Jiao deserves the best man in the world…”
Li Chenjiao suddenly felt at ease. Mother... Mother's words always make so much sense.
Just then, I heard another noise—it was Song's voice, and the old woman's anxious voice...
It was past midnight, and there was still no movement from Song's side... Later, the Fujin (principal wife) called a maid and told Li Chenjiao and Bai Jia to go back first.
Unable to hold on any longer, Li Chenjiao did not refuse and slowly got up to leave.
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