"Thank you, Eighth Princess Consort, but I've already eaten my fill before coming here, so I really can't serve you a meal." Lanqin walked up to the Eighth Princess Consort and gave a slight bow.
The Eighth Prince's wife was surprised that Lanqin rejected her so directly. Perhaps it was because she was used to being bossy in the Eighth Prince's mansion and no concubine had ever dared to say no to her.
“In that case, let me finish my meal before entertaining the concubine. Why don’t we go sit with Madam Chen first?” said the Eighth Princess.
"That's exactly what I was thinking, but I should first pay my respects to the Eighth Prince's wife. Cui Niang, please present the list of gifts from our master to the Eighth Prince's wife for her to review," Lanqin said, turning slightly to Cui Niang.
The Eighth Prince's wife gestured to Ruizhu, who was standing to the side, to take the money, and then said, "Luoluo, go and take the concubine to Chen Gege's place."
Before leaving, Lanqin gracefully bowed to the Eighth Prince's wife, determined not to give her any leverage in this matter.
After Lanqin and her servant followed Luoluo away, the Eighth Princess Consort's proud and beautiful eyes shot out a venomous glare. After glancing at them a few times, she said, "It's time for the spies planted in Chen's house to put their purpose to use."
Ruizhu shuddered and immediately curtsied, saying, "Don't worry, my lady. I have already instructed her, and she knows what to do."
Chen's house was really far from the Eighth Master's front yard. Lanqin and her servant followed the green ivy through a garden and then around a long bamboo grove before finally arriving at a small courtyard.
"Chen Gege lives so far away!" Xicha couldn't help but say.
"This is the master's intention. When Consort Chen first entered the manor, it was our Eighth Prince who personally arranged her room," Green Ivy said, as if afraid that they would think it was the Eighth Prince's wife who arranged it.
"Alright, my cousin and I haven't seen each other for many days. I'll go in and see her myself. You can go back and report," Lanqin said, glancing at Green Ivy.
"Yes, this servant will take her leave!" Seeing that Lanqin did not want her to go in, Green Luo also obediently withdrew.
After Green Ivy left, Lanqin turned to Cui Niang and said, "You should go in and inform her first; this is her place, after all."
Before she could finish speaking, the courtyard gate opened, and a young maid peeked out. Seeing Lanqin and her servants standing at the gate, she asked, "Are you Consort Niu?"
“Indeed! Is your Consort Chen here? This is Consort Niu.” Xicha interjected.
The young maidservant quickly opened the courtyard gate, lifted her skirt, and ran out. She walked up to Lanqin, bowed, and said, "Please come in, Consort. Our princess has been looking forward to seeing you for a long time!"
Lanqin glanced at the little maid with slight surprise, then took Xicha's hand and walked inside. As soon as they entered the courtyard, they could see that this princess's courtyard was incomparable to the main courtyard of the Eighth Prince's wife. It was much smaller and more dilapidated, with many places peeling and crumbling, and even the doors and windows looked very old.
Lanqin and her five servants entered a larger room, presumably Chen Ruzhu's main room. Chen Ruzhu, dressed in a pink cheongsam, was sitting in the main seat. Seeing Lanqin enter, supported by three maids, she stood up, took a few steps, and curtsied, saying, "Ruzhu greets Consort Lanqin!"
Seeing that she was behaving politely, Lanqin said softly, "Sister, please get up quickly. You are pregnant, so you should be careful in everything you do."
A maidservant beside Chen Ruzhu went over and quickly helped her up, saying, "Princess, please be careful."
After Lanqin walked to the warm couch and sat down at a small table on either side of Chen Ruzhu, she immediately noticed that Chen Ruzhu had her hand on her lower abdomen, though her stomach was not actually protruding.
After tea, snacks, and fruits were served, Lanqin began to carefully examine Chen Ruzhu. She noticed that Chen Ruzhu had lost weight, and that her clothes and jewelry were still within the allowance for a princess. Similarly, Chen Ruzhu was also observing Lanqin, admiring how exquisite and beautiful everything she wore and wore.
“My cousin must be doing very well. The Fourth Prince still dotes on her as much as ever,” Chen Ruzhu said first.
Lanqin sensed the sourness in her words and sighed inwardly: Why do people like to compare themselves to others? They have to make themselves unhappy in the process!
"When I came here, I saw that bamboo grove was quite nice. Why don't you accompany me for a walk over there, sister?" Lanqin had already taken a look at the maids in this house. Apart from Jinyu, the maid who was brought in by Chen Ruzhu, the others should have been sent by the Eighth Prince's wife.
Chen Ruzhu was surprised that Lanqin wanted to go for a walk after sitting for only a short while. Not wanting to refuse, she had no choice but to take Jinyu's hand and get up to walk outside with Lanqin.
"You all stay here, there's no need to follow us. We sisters haven't spoken privately in a long time. Cui Niang, you stay here." Lanqin, supporting Shui Ling's hand, went out with Chen Ruzhu.
After they left, Cui Niang said to the maids in the room, "Our mistress used to have a very good relationship with Princess Chen. She wanted to have a private chat."
“We know that our master often mentions Consort Niu in front of us,” one of the maids interjected.
In a short while, Cui Niang figured out the names of the three maids in the room: Ruochun, Huamei, and Jiu'er. The one who opened the door was Jiu'er, the youngest of the maids.
Xi Cha and Cui Niang took out some children's items that Lan Qin had brought for Chen Ruzhu and talked to the maids, occasionally observing their expressions.
Meanwhile, Lanqin and Chen Ruzhu arrived at the bamboo forest. There was a wooden pavilion in the forest, so the four of them went inside to rest.
"Shui Ling, go over there and keep watch. If anyone gets close, cough once," Lan Qin instructed. "You're Ru Zhu's personal maid, right? Go over there and keep watch too, so that our conversation doesn't fall into other people's ears."
When Chen Ruzhu heard Lanqin say this, she knew that Lanqin wanted to tell her something important, so she nodded to Jinyu.
"Does my cousin have something to say?" Chen Ruzhu asked.
Lanqin looked at her and said, "How did you get this child?"
Chen Ruzhu stared wide-eyed and stammered, "What do you mean by that, cousin? Of course, it belongs to me and the Eighth Prince."
Lanqin patiently explained, "I mean how you managed to get the Eighth Prince's favor and get pregnant. With the Eighth Prince's wife's methods, she wouldn't have gotten you pregnant so easily."
Chen Ruzhu was surprised that Lanqin knew she had put in effort to conceive without asking anything. She asked incredulously, "How did you know? Doesn't Eighth Master love me?"
"Don't lie to me. From the moment I entered your courtyard, I knew you weren't favored by the Eighth Prince. The Eighth Prince has always been an extremely self-disciplined man, and with the addition of his wife, he has always had very few children. How could you have gotten pregnant after only six months of marriage? Tell me the truth." Lanqin knew that this cousin of hers was always quite scheming.
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