"Master, are you really going to see the Fujin?" Yuhen asked Yehe Shi, who was combing her hair in front of the mirror.
“My wife is seriously ill, and as her concubine, it is my duty to visit her. Even if you want to pursue the matter, I will still go,” said Yehe Shi.
Seeing Yehe's state, Yuhen knew she couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she could only style her hair like a maid and find a way to change Yehe into one of her own clothes.
Lingxiu had already arranged with Yuhen that if they wanted to come, she could dress up as a maid and go in with them. The guards at the gate weren't familiar with the people in the Fujin's room, and sometimes they weren't very attentive, so it wouldn't be difficult to slip through their fingers.
It was almost dusk, and the night was already dark. Yuhen then helped Yehe, who was dressed as a maid, towards the main courtyard.
When they arrived at the outer wall of the main courtyard near the Fujin's room, Yuhen learned a few bird sounds according to the secret code she had agreed upon with Lingxiu.
Sure enough, Lingxiu, who was guarding the Fujin in the room, suddenly heard some birdsong and immediately said excitedly, "Master, Yehe Clan has arrived."
The sick wife, who could barely open her eyes in bed, simply nodded.
Lingxiu immediately stood up and left the Fujin's room. She first went to the side room where the maids lived and called a maid to come with her to fetch water.
The old woman guarding the gate, seeing that they were going out to fetch water, didn't make things difficult for them and let them out. Lingxiu led the little maid a few steps, saying to her, "Go to the kitchen and wait for a while. I forgot to take something. Go and wait there first."
After dismissing the maid, Lingxiu looked around a few times and, seeing that no one was around, immediately ran towards the outer wall opposite the Fujin's room.
When Yehe and Lingxiu entered the gate one after the other, the old woman guarding the gate saw that their hands were empty and asked, "Where is the water you were carrying?"
"The water isn't very hot yet, let's go later," Lingxiu quickly replied. Yehe followed behind her, but kept her head down and didn't say anything. The old woman guarding the gate hadn't paid much attention to the maid who went out with Lingxiu, so she naturally couldn't tell anything at this moment.
Yehe entered the Fujin's room without any trouble. As soon as she entered the room, she was filled with the smell of herbs, which was extremely unpleasant.
"Is the Princess Consort's illness truly incurable?" Yehe asked as she walked.
“The Princess Consort is seriously ill, and only the Princess still remembers to come and visit,” Lingxiu said with a sorrowful expression.
Yehe followed Lingxiu into the Fujin's bedroom. She immediately saw the person lying on the bed, a far cry from the once imposing Fujin of the past. Her face was pale, her eyes sunken, and even her cheeks were thin and lifeless.
"This concubine greets Your Highness!" Yehe Shi was horrified. She had always thought Her Highness was faking illness; after all, a cold wouldn't be fatal. But now, looking at Her Highness lying in bed, she truly felt she was terminally ill. "Heh heh, now that Your Highness has rejected me, who else will treat me as Your Highness?" Her Highness said with difficulty.
“The Fujin will always be the Fujin. Niohuru is just a concubine, yet she dares to occupy the power of managing the household. Sooner or later, the power will be returned to the Fujin,” said Yehe.
"Alright, I suppose you didn't come here just to say these empty words. Actually, I, the Princess Consort, also want to see you." The Princess Consort gestured for Lingxiu to lean against her.
After Lingxiu tucked the blankets into the Fujin's bed, Yehe Shi said, "I came to see if the Fujin is truly terminally ill."
Looking at Yehe's delicate features, the Fujin saw the hatred in her eyes and forced a smile, saying, "You really do hate me, don't you? If I were truly terminally ill, you would surely come here now to mock me and kick me when I'm down, to avenge the humiliation you suffered that day."
Princess Yehe smiled and said, "Indeed, the Princess Consort is not truly terminally ill, but the Fourth Prince has not come to see her even once. I find it a pity. I'm afraid all of the Princess Consort's efforts will be in vain. She should take her medicine properly to avoid suffering like this."
The Princess Consort stared at Yehe with her icy eyes, then burst into laughter after a moment: "Sister Yehe is indeed clever, able to guess my intentions so quickly. Let's be frank, I'm using illness to seek new opportunities. But haven't you recently fallen out of favor, Sister Yehe? I wonder how you ever gained favor in the first place?"
Upon hearing the words of the Fujin, Yehe's smile froze on her lips like ice, and then vanished in an instant, a truly unforgettable moment.
"You don't need to worry about how I gained your favor, my lady. Now I'm facing a desperate situation. I wonder if you have any magic remedies to help me out?" said Yehe Shi.
"Hehe, Yehe Mengyun, you are too self-righteous. How do you know that I, your wife, will definitely help you? Since I got into this mess, have you ever said such a good word for me in front of the Fourth Prince?"
"I am not being presumptuous. I am only doing this for the sake of the Fujin, since I am the only one willing to speak up for her now," Yehe Shi quickly replied.
The princess gave a light snort and said, "Sister, would you be willing to cry before the master for my sake?"
Yehe Shi suppressed the disdain on her face and asked, "Why does the Princess Consort want me to cry?"
The princess said, "Of course, it's when I'm almost terminally ill. Then you can pretend you know nothing, and no one will dare to question you pleading for me."
"What benefits will my sister get?" Yehe Shi, like a cunning snow fox, began to listen intently to every sound.
“My sister was in trouble not long ago, and she hasn’t completely gotten out of it yet,” the Fujin said.
"I didn't expect that the Princess Consort, who doesn't leave the house, would be completely unaffected by the news circulating in the courtyard," Yehe retorted sarcastically.
"Of course, do you think the people I've placed over the years haven't been paid for nothing?" the princess said confidently.
Upon hearing this, Yehe was overjoyed and quickly went over to serve by the wife's bedside.
The princess asked, "What is your biggest predicament right now?"
Yehe lowered her eyes and whispered, "It seems that Master already suspects me. I'm afraid that if he finds out about this whole thing, he will ignore me again."
The Fujin looked at Yehe's small, oval face and said, "You have to follow the master's wishes, understand? I was too young before, and I made our relationship very, very strained."
Did Yehe know that once the Fujin was truly gone, this place would truly be Niohuru's domain alone?
The two secretly spoke to the princess's bedside, but Lingxiu couldn't hear their agreement clearly.
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