Peach Blossom huddled in the corner, pondering the best course of action for herself. She thought that if she rushed in now, she wouldn't know what Yuhen had poured in, putting her at a disadvantage, and the Fourth Prince might not trust her. If she went to the Fujin's side, the Fujin was already preoccupied with her own problems and would likely rely on Yehe Shi, potentially sacrificing herself in the process. Nian Shi's side was the best option; she had agreed to it, but Yehe Shi wouldn't let her go, and Nian Shi couldn't force her to stay.
After much deliberation, Tao Hua finally decided to go to Madam Nian. If Madam Nian refused to take her in, she would then go to Lan Qin. Lan Qin was now in charge of the inner quarters and had the power to decide her fate. Although the Fujin (principal wife) held her sister-in-law's indenture, she herself was in dire straits and could barely protect herself. She could only leave her brother and sister-in-law's situation to fate.
Having made up her mind, Peach Blossom immediately crouched down and secretly slipped out from the back. She walked along the path and headed towards the Nian family.
The Nian family's house was right next to the main courtyard. When Tao Hua passed by the main courtyard, she saw that the once clean entrance hall was now covered with withered yellow leaves, an endless desolation and coldness.
Taohua quickened her pace, heading towards Lady Nian's side. The Fujin (principal wife) had fallen on hard times and probably couldn't take care of her anymore; she'd better seek refuge with Lady Nian.
Peach Blossom walked to the door and informed the old woman guarding the courtyard, then waited for Madam Nian to let her in. The November wind was already quite biting, and her thin cotton-padded coat was clearly no match for it.
At this moment, Madam Nian was nestled in the left side room of the main house, holding a gilded hand warmer, watching Birou and Zining carry the New Year's gifts sent by General Nian. Just a few days ago, the Nian family sent a cartload of gifts to Nian Shilan, naturally including New Year's gifts for the Fourth Prince. Since the Princess Consort had been imprisoned, the portion intended for her was spared.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Peach Blossom has arrived, saying she has important matters to report." Cui Ling heard Hong Ling's report at the door and then came in to report.
"She's finally here. Let her in," Mrs. Nian said lazily.
Cui Ling immediately turned and left. A moment later, Tao Hua, looking desolate, followed Cui Ling into Nian Shi's room. Several braziers were burning inside, making it warm as spring, instantly melting away the chill on Tao Hua's body.
"This servant greets Princess Nian, may Princess be well!" Peach Blossom bowed deeply.
Lady Nian glanced at the bundle on Tao Hua's back, then looked at her appearance, and said in a high-pitched voice, "What's wrong? You look like you're fleeing a disaster."
Peach Blossom said cautiously, "Your Highness, Yehe Clan had been wary of me for a long time, so she couldn't tolerate me when the Princess Consort fell into trouble."
Lady Nian glanced at Tao Hong, but didn't tell her to get up. She slowly said, "So you've come to seek refuge with me?"
“Your Highness, Your Highness once told me that if I could find out the reason why Yehe Shi suddenly gained favor, you would take me in,” Tao Hong said boldly.
"Did you bring any useful information?" Madam Nian's expression changed from dismissive to stern.
"I have successfully completed my mission and have gathered some information. I have come to inform you, Your Highness." Tao Hong felt a tightness in her chest. She knew that Nian Shi was angry with her for not coming for so long.
"Oh, then why don't you say so? If it really needs to be used, I always keep my word," said Madam Nian, trying to control her temper. This Tao Hong hadn't come to report for so long.
"Your Highness," Tao Hong said, "I discovered that Yuhen deliberately added some powder to the tea when she was making it for Master. I suspect that the powder is probably the reason why Master has been favoring Yehe Clan lately." She was, after all, just a young girl and was unaware of these underhanded tactics.
A glint flashed in Nian's eyes, and she asked urgently, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"
Tao Hong didn't dare to delay and immediately said, "Yes, this servant saw it with her own eyes."
"Good! Yehe Clan, go ahead and try to bribe the Master! You really have a lot of nerve." Madam Nian sat up abruptly from the warm couch, her face beaming with excitement. Although the Fourth Master had been visiting more often lately, he still spent most of his time with Yehe Clan. She had long harbored deep resentment towards him for this.
"This servant would never dare to serve the Yehe family again. Please, Your Highness, take me in." With that, Peach Blossom hurriedly kowtowed.
At this moment, Lady Nian naturally wouldn't ignore Tao Hua. She smiled and said, "Of course, Cui Ling, quickly help Tao Hua up. Tao Hua is in your care now. Take her downstairs and settle her in."
Cui Ling exclaimed "Hey!" and immediately stepped forward, helping Tao Hua up from the ground and leading her outside.
As Tao Hua left, she caught a glimpse of the room full of chests and boxes out of the corner of her eye. They were all wrapped in kraft paper, so she couldn't see anything inside. She only saw Bi Rou and Zi Ning open a sandalwood and iron-wrapped chest, which gleamed with a metallic sheen.
Bai Zhi, standing behind Nian Shi, saw Tao Hua's gaze. After they left, she said to Nian Shi, "Tao Hua is greedy and fickle. If you take her in, she will be a disaster sooner or later."
Lady Nian smiled slightly and said, "I despise such a servant who betrays his master for personal gain and tries to have his cake and eat it too. Once she is no longer of any use to me, I will naturally find a way to deal with her."
Meanwhile, on Yehe's side, after the Fourth Prince had his tea, he left. Yehe instructed Yuhen and Yulu to bring Taohua out so that she could continue dealing with her. However, when Yulu entered Taohua's room, she found the windows wide open, the door lock intact, but Taohua was nowhere to be seen.
At this moment, Su Peisheng arrived with the Fourth Prince's reward and the dark, contraceptive soup. Yehe stood there with a frosty expression, and Su Peisheng said, "Princess, this is what the Prince personally ordered. This servant is waiting to go back and report."
The headdress was being held by Yuhen, but a bowl of steaming contraceptive soup had already been delivered to Yehe Shi.
Yehe looked at the headdress, suppressed the pain in her heart, took the bowl of contraceptive soup, brought it to her lips, closed her eyes, and drank it down.
"Alright, Princess, please rest. This servant will take his leave." Su Peisheng quickly gave a wink to the young servant who had taken the bowl from him, then turned and left.
Yu Lu stood at the door the whole time, not daring to go in and report about Tao Hua. At this moment, Ye He must be in a very bad mood. If she went in and told him, she might get a beating or scolding.
Yes, the princess used to be gentle and charming, always speaking softly to them and never scolding or beating them. But now, after only half a year in the household, her whole personality seems to have changed. She insults them at the slightest provocation, and has even started to hit them. Throwing things is commonplace for her.
Bang!
As Yu Lu was thinking, she heard a metallic sound coming from inside, like metal hitting the ground.
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