"Madam, you should drink some of your medicine. If you keep secretly throwing it away, your condition is getting worse and worse," Lingxiu said, holding a bowl of dark, steaming medicine.
The princess lay reclining on the bed, her face pale and her lips chapped. She coughed occasionally. The room wasn't very warm, and all the furniture was covered in dust.
"Pour out half of it, and then feed this lady the other half!" The lady's voice had lost its original luster, sounding like a tattered cloth rustling in the wind.
Following the instructions of those nearby, Lingxiu poured out half of the medicine in the bowl before feeding it to the Fujin.
"Is there any noise outside?" The princess wiped her mouth with Lingxiu's help, and asked, forcing herself to stay awake.
“They’re busy delivering New Year’s gifts outside. These past few days, the lady in the South Courtyard has been so busy meeting people that she doesn’t have a moment to breathe. I heard she’s even had the tenants stay to dine with her,” Lingxiu said.
"That vixen, always doing things that are improper. But the master just happens to like her." The Fujin's eyes flashed with resentment. To this day, she still couldn't believe that the Niohuru clanswoman who walked in looking so bewildered had actually taken her place.
After Qiu Chan came in and took away the spittoon and medicine bowl from the Fujin, Lingzhi tucked the blanket around the Fujin and whispered, "Your Majesty, when I went to the kitchen a few days ago, I heard that the maids in the North Courtyard and West Courtyard were gossiping."
The princess pursed her lips and said, "They're all troublemakers. What did they say?"
Lingxiu stirred the silver charcoal in the charcoal brazier again and said, "They said that someone saw a white shadow over the North Courtyard!"
The princess, who had been slightly drooping her eyelids, immediately opened her eyes upon hearing this and whispered, "You mean Peach Blossom's soul has returned?"
Lingxiu felt a chill run down her spine, and a hint of fear flashed in her eyes as she said, "Taohua died under mysterious circumstances. Was it really the Yehe clan who did it?"
The princess snorted coldly and said, "It seems we misjudged her before. We didn't expect her to be so ruthless. It's just a pity that her surname and status cannot be changed, otherwise she would really be a match for the South Courtyard."
Lingxiu said, "Fujin, I think Yehe is also an ungrateful person. Fujin has been imprisoned here for so many days, and today she didn't say a single word for Fujin in front of the master. It's a complete waste of Fujin's cultivation of her."
The princess continued, closing her eyes, "I don't think the master will tolerate her. Just from the fact that he sent her contraceptive soup, I know that no matter how favored she is, she can't possibly surpass Niohuru."
Lingxiu nodded and said, "Yes, I heard that the master hasn't visited her for some time now, which is quite a change from the previous favor he showed her."
The princess coughed a few more times and said, "I've estimated the date. Do you understand what you'll do when the time comes?"
"Don't worry, Madam, I know what to do," Lingxiu quickly replied.
Ever since Lanqin instructed Song and Geng to spread the rumors, the servants in the Fourth Prince's mansion began to say that Peach Blossom's soul had returned.
"Sister Lotus, what do you think Sister Peach Blossom's soul is doing back?" Lotus Fragrance was assigned to Lotus's side, where she did some rough work with her in the courtyard of the Yehe Clan. These days, the only ones who could serve the Yehe Clan were Yuhen and Yulu. One day, Lanqin called Yuhen over for questioning, but Yuhen refused to say anything. Lanqin didn't make things difficult for her, nor did she use any torture.
"How...how would I know!" Lotus's hand, which was gripping the bed sheet, froze, and she stammered.
"Sister Lotus, could it be that Sister Peach Blossom really died unjustly? Otherwise, why would she come back?" Lotus Fragrance whispered.
"Stop talking nonsense and get to work. Master's been in a bad mood lately," Lotus warned.
The two maids immediately lowered their heads and began to do their work. Inside the room, Yehe Shi was sitting behind her desk, concentrating on painting.
Since the Fourth Prince fainted in the palace that day, he has not come to her place again. After summoning Lady Yehe to have a meal that day, Lady Yehe never saw the Fourth Prince again.
"Princess, I heard that the Fujin is seriously ill." Yuhen placed a cup of hot tea on Yehe's desk and said.
"Where did you hear that?" Yehe asked without looking up.
“It was the maid in her room who told me this when I went to fetch water,” Yuhen said.
"Is she asking me to relay a message for her? How could a simple cold be so severe?" Only then did Yehe Shi raise her increasingly sharp face.
“Judging from Qiu Chan’s appearance, she doesn’t seem to be faking it. A legitimate wife, would she really die at the hands of a concubine?” Yuhen said. Since she learned that Lanqin hadn’t harmed her mother but had instead released her, her hatred for Lanqin had lessened slightly. In truth, Lanqin and she didn’t have any deep-seated hatred; they were simply on different sides.
"Hehe, perhaps I should go and see the Fujin, if she really doesn't have long to live!" Yehe said.
“She has already been rejected by the master, so why should the master get close to her?” Yuhen said. She felt that it was better not to provoke the Fujin (primary wife) now, and even better not to provoke the concubine.
"Who said I was going to see her?" Yeheshi recalled how she had been won over and used by the Fujin as soon as she entered the manor. In fact, she harbored no less resentment towards the Fujin than Lanqin did towards the Fujin. However, she needed to rely on the Fujin's power to compete for the emperor's favor, so she had been enduring it all along. Now that the Fujin was really in trouble, why wouldn't she go and see her off?
"Is Princess going?" Yuhen asked, puzzled.
"Don't you understand the pain she's suffering while trapped under my body? If I don't go and see her off, wouldn't it be a huge disservice to her kindness?" Yehe said sarcastically.
“But she is now forbidden from entering or leaving by the master, and no one is allowed to visit her. If the princess goes now and that person in the South Courtyard finds out, she might be punished for disrespecting the rules!” Yuhen said truthfully.
“I can do it without anyone noticing. Go tell Lingxiu that I want to go in and take a look, and ask her to come up with a plan,” Yehe said, taking a sip of her tea.
For the next few days, Yuhen waited for Lingxiu in the kitchen, but Lingxiu did not come out for several days, which made it difficult for Yuhen to talk to her.
That day, Yuhen was carrying Yehe's dinner back when she stopped involuntarily at the spot where she had thrown away the paper package. The package had disappeared, and she couldn't find it anywhere; someone must have taken it. But why hadn't anything happened? Even if the person who found it didn't know where it came from, they could have reported it to the Grand Momo or the Consort. But instead, it had all happened so quietly—it was very strange.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
