"Let's go see the Princess Consort! The Second Princess is with Father, so let Yehe Clan go back first." The Fourth Prince suddenly stood up from his seat.
"This humble servant respectfully sees you off, Your Highness!" Yehe Shi hurriedly greeted him, but the Fourth Prince had already led the Second Princess far away.
Yehe Shi got up awkwardly, looking at the Fourth Prince's back with longing and resentment in her eyes.
As she walked with Yuhen by the hand to the gatehouse, she immediately saw Zhao Quan standing there in the corner with his head bowed and eyes downcast.
"Come with me!" Yehe said in a barely audible voice as she passed by him.
After they walked out of the front yard, they went straight to the place where Yuhen had met Zhao Quan and waited. Sure enough, a figure came from another direction a short while later.
"This servant greets Your Highness!" Zhao Quan swiftly bowed.
"Get up!" Yehe said calmly.
"What's been happening in the front yard lately?" Yuhen asked on behalf of Yehe after Zhao Quan got up.
"Your Highness, when Master returned today, his face was as black as a pot lid. I've served in the front courtyard for so long, and I've never seen Master with such a gloomy face before," Zhao Quan said with a smug look. The tips he received from his wife and now from Lady Yehe were many times more than his own monthly allowance.
"Do you know what this is about?" Yehe asked, staring at Zhao Quan.
"Well, this servant is not allowed to serve you closely, so I don't know what happened to you, Master," Zhao Quan said, his eyes darting around.
Yehe took off a red gold lotus bracelet wrapped in silk and pushed it into Zhao Quan's arms, whispering, "Find out what happened to the master, and when you come to report, I'll give you another gold bracelet like this."
Zhao Quan's eyes immediately lit up with gold. He took the bracelet, stuffed it into his pocket, and said in a sweet voice, "This servant will do his best to serve the princess."
Yehe smiled slightly and said, "Alright, you go first. Come and tell Yuhen as soon as you have any news, and that Princess Yuben knows."
Zhao Quan bowed and left, and only then did the Yehe clan master and servant turn and head towards the north courtyard.
Meanwhile, Zhao Quan, carrying the gold bracelet in his pocket, walked towards his room, his mind filled with thoughts of how many taels of silver he could exchange for it, completely unaware of the person coming towards him.
oops!
Zhao Quan suddenly bumped into the person opposite him, and heard a soft, delicate voice say, "How do you walk?"
Before she could finish speaking, the gold bracelet in Zhao Quan's arms fell out and hit the ground with a crisp sound.
All four eyes were fixed on the gold bracelet that had rolled on the ground, and no one said anything.
Zhao Quan quickly bent down to pick up the gold bracelet, and said awkwardly, "This is a bracelet I made for my mother, Zi Ran. Is it pretty?"
It turned out that the person who bumped into Zhao Quan was Zi Ran, who was responsible for serving tea and cleaning the furniture in the Fourth Master's study.
Zi Ran forced a smile and said, "Brother Zhao is really filial, but be careful not to lose it." After saying that, she walked forward, probably heading towards Da Momo.
Zhao Quan felt a chill run down his spine, but he didn't say anything and quickly went back to his room.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince and the Second Princess arrived at the main courtyard. It was already quite dark, and the main courtyard was not what it used to be, exuding a desolate and dilapidated atmosphere.
"Why are the servants here so unattended? How has the main courtyard fallen into such a state of disrepair?" the Second Princess said as soon as she entered. The Fourth Prince, looking at the scene, also felt a little uncomfortable; it was indeed very different from the main courtyard he had always lived in.
When Lingxiu and Qiuchan saw the Fourth Prince and the Second Princess enter, they quickly went to greet them.
"How are your wives?" Fourth Prince asked without stopping, walking straight inside.
"Your Majesty, although the Princess Consort is physically ill, the root of her illness lies in her heart. She keeps crying and saying that she is sorry to Your Majesty, and that even if she were to die, she could not atone for even a fraction of her sins." Lingxiu quickly delivered the prepared words.
“My mother is really too depressed. Father has come to see her.” Second Princess said.
The group quickly walked into the Fujin's bedroom, where the strong smell of medicine filled the room and made them feel uncomfortable.
"How can we not open the windows for ventilation?" Fourth Master asked, frowning.
"I was afraid that the Lady would catch a cold from the wind outside and worsen her condition, so I haven't opened the window," Qiu Chan whispered.
"Add a few more braziers to the room, and it won't be cold even with the windows open," Fourth Master said.
“Father doesn’t know, ever since the eldest daughter was imprisoned, the supplies sent from Da Momo’s side have been much less than before. They’ve been sending damp silver charcoal, which produces so much smoke and fumes when burned that it’s unbearable. The maids don’t dare to burn it anymore, because it’s cold if they don’t,” the Second Princess said immediately.
As they spoke, the group arrived at the Princess Consort's bedside, where they found her kneeling on the bed.
"This guilty concubine greets Your Highness!" The Fujin knelt on the bed to present the Fourth Prince with his luggage.
"What are you doing? Quickly help your mistress to lie down. She's still sick." When the Fourth Prince saw this woman who had been with him for over a decade but whom he had never truly gotten to know, he felt a pang of pity. After all, so much time had passed since she had caused Lady Nian's miscarriage, and given that it was an undeveloped fetus, the Fourth Prince's hatred for his wife wasn't as intense.
The princess refused to move and insisted on kneeling, saying, "The sins I have committed are irreparable. I beg you, my lord, to let me go back and grant me a letter of divorce."
The Second Princess looked at the Fujin in surprise, not expecting that the Fujin would actually take the initiative to divorce the Fourth Prince.
The Fourth Prince was momentarily speechless at his wife's words. Looking at her gaunt face, he said, "I have only confined you to your quarters; I have not removed you from your position as the primary wife. Why are you doing this, primary wife?"
The princess was already in tears. Hearing the fourth prince's words, she understood his attitude. He just wanted her to be a leisurely princess, without power or involvement in anything.
"I have no face to face my mother and mother-in-law." The princess knelt on the bed and wept.
She was already in poor health, and this crying made her almost collapse.
"You should focus on recovering first. We can discuss other things after you've recovered." Seeing his wife's pained and repentant demeanor, the Fourth Prince felt a pang of guilt. After all, he had never truly favored her, and her jealousy was partly his fault.
"I deserve to die a thousand deaths, I deserve to die a thousand deaths. Ever since I lost the First Prince, I feel that there is no meaning to living. Please, Your Highness, give me a cup of poisoned wine," the Princess Consort cried out in anguish.
"Father, Erlinzhu begs you to show leniency and forgive my stepmother this once. No one is above the law," the Second Princess immediately knelt down and pleaded.
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