"What, haven't you made up your mind yet?" Fourth Master's voice rang in Lingxiu's ears like a death knell.
“This servant…this servant truly doesn’t know. Perhaps it’s because the Princess Consort has been troubled by her recent troubles. Ever since the Prince confined her, she has been unable to eat or drink, constantly weeping and regretting. No matter how we servants try to comfort her, we can’t. The elders say that a heart ailment is hard to cure, and this servant thinks the Princess Consort might be suffering from a heart ailment, which is why she hasn’t recovered for so long,” Lingxiu said, enunciating each word clearly. She had thought it through. Even if she spoke out now and temporarily saved her life, what would become of her life once the Fourth Prince truly grew tired of the Princess Consort? The Princess Consort would certainly no longer trust her, and where could she go? In the end, she would only be reassigned by Da Momo, not knowing where she would be assigned, or perhaps even kicked out by the Fourth Prince. She had finally managed to climb onto such a powerful tree as the Princess Consort, and to give it up like this meant she might never have the chance to be so close to power and wealth again.
The Fourth Prince observed Lingxiu for a moment, and had to admit that this girl was very eloquent, and hadn't lost her composure in front of him; she was truly a remarkable character. However, the Fourth Prince wouldn't let her off so easily. The words of Imperial Physician Yang and Doctor Lin practically confirmed the cause of the Princess Consort's illness, which greatly angered him. He was currently busy with court affairs, yet she was still causing him trouble.
"Su Peisheng, take Lingxiu to the execution chamber until she speaks. Spare her life." Fourth Master glanced coldly at Lingxiu, as if he were already looking at a dead person.
As Lingxiu was dragged away by the servants, she was still shouting, "This servant deserves to be punished for eternity. Please, Master, do not doubt the Princess Consort. She is your principal wife, and everything she did was for your sake."
The Fourth Prince felt a jolt in his brow. Domestic affairs were so troublesome, and affairs at court were even more so. Kangxi had already sent him a secret letter informing him that he would soon arrive in the capital. The letter only mentioned that "the Crown Prince and the Thirteenth Prince are under control," but it didn't reveal why they were being kept under Kangxi's control.
The Fourth Prince looked unwell today because of this matter. He was worried about the Thirteenth Prince, while the Crown Prince had long been disliked by Kangxi, but had not yet fully lashed out. Could it be that this was the moment?
That night, the Fourth Prince barely slept. He was thinking that after dealing with the matter of his wife, he would have to prepare to welcome Emperor Kangxi back to the capital, which would be in the next three to five days.
The next day, Su Peisheng came over and said that Lingxiu had said the same thing again. The Fourth Prince didn't say anything and went straight out to the palace.
Meanwhile, the Fujin (wife of the Fujin) also barely slept a wink all night, as Lingxiu and Qiuchan hadn't returned. She wanted to send someone to investigate, but couldn't find anyone suitable, and could only lie in bed anxiously.
"Someone come here!" After drinking two bowls of medicine from Yang Yuanzheng, the Fujin immediately felt much better.
A maidservant rushed in. Her name was Caiyue. She was originally a third-class maidservant who served outside. Since Lingxiu was not here, she had to be transferred in by the Fujin to serve her.
"Go to the front yard and ask Zhao Quan how Lingxiu and Qiuchan are doing. Go, find a gold hairpin in my jewelry box and give it to him," the Fujin said, panting heavily.
Caiyue was a little confused, but she still agreed.
The Fujin lay in bed, pondering Zhao Quan's words from the previous day, calculating how she could use this situation. It was hateful that Lingxiu was gone; she had no trusted confidantes left. The Li Momo, Chunliu, and Xiahe of the past were no longer by her side.
The princess sighed, but suddenly heard the sound of rubble breaking outside the house.
"Who is it? Who's there?" The princess consort shouted angrily, thinking that someone dared to eavesdrop under her window. "You dog servant, how dare you eavesdrop on my conversation?"
The person outside seemed intimidated by the Princess Consort's imposing presence and said, "Your Highness, this servant did not eavesdrop on your words. This servant was merely clearing some weeds here."
The princess heard the voice and it seemed somewhat familiar, so she asked, "Who are you? Tell me your name."
The man said, "This servant is Sanfu. Sister Lingxiu once recommended this servant to the master."
The princess immediately remembered that this servant was very good at making ice sculptures. She had admired him at the time, but because he was a man, she did not give him an important position. She never expected that he would be kept in the main courtyard.
"Come in, I have something to tell you." The princess suddenly realized that the fact that this man hadn't left at this time showed that he was still somewhat loyal to her.
Sanfu immediately ran over from outside the window and went straight into the Fujin's room. The maids didn't dare to stop him.
As soon as Sanfu entered his wife's room, he saw that his wife, who used to be high and mighty and elegant, was now sitting on the bed, looking emaciated and as if she had aged ten years. He couldn't help but kneel down.
"How did my wife become so ill? We servants have not taken good care of her!" he cried.
The princess looked at him coldly, and saw that he seemed really sad. It was no easy feat to have done this much.
"I have never given you any important position, so why are you so loyal to me?" the princess asked.
“The master is the master of the servant. No matter how important or unimportant he is, he is still the master of the servant. How can the servant not be heartbroken when the master is in trouble?” Sanfu wiped away his tears with his sleeve.
"Alright, if you want to show your loyalty to me, then there is something I need you to do now. If you do it well, I will reward you handsomely when I make a comeback in the future." The princess stared at Sanfu and said.
“I will obey your orders, Master. I do not care about your rewards; I will be content as long as I can stay by your side and serve you in the future,” Sanfu said.
"Alright, come closer. I have a secret order for you to carry out," the princess said.
Sanfu crawled on his knees to the side of the Fujin's bed, straining to hear what she had to say. He saw the Fujin's lips moving slightly, as if she were saying something to Sanfu.
After Sanfu left to carry out his orders, Fujin stared blankly at the top of the mosquito net, which was filled with images of thousands of children and grandchildren, until Caiyue returned.
"How is it?" The princess asked directly, disregarding everything else.
“I lingered there for ages, and finally asked Zhao Quan when he came out. He told me that Qiu Chan had been beaten to death by the master. Ling Xiu is still in the execution chamber, and we don’t know if she’s alive or dead,” Caiyue said.
The princess's eyes widened, and she murmured, "Dead, dead?"
Caiyue thought that the princess was feeling sorry for Qiuchan, so she quickly said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to be sad. Although Sister Qiuchan is no longer here, we servants will do our best to serve Your Majesty."
"Go, go find Zhao Quan again and tell him to tell Lingxiu that she must hold on. I've thought of a way to save her." The princess suddenly grabbed Caiyue, who was reaching out her hand.
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