After Lanqin escorted Chen Ruzhu back, the Eighth Prince's maid was already waiting there. As soon as she saw Lanqin, she quickly greeted her.
“Our Lady of the First Rank has finished eating. Please come over for a chat and some tea, Consort,” Ruizhu said to Lanqin after bowing to Madam Chen.
“Alright, I’ve said enough to my cousin. I was just thinking of going to pay my respects to the Eighth Prince’s wife. Jin Yu, serve your mistress well,” Lan Qin said.
After Chen Ruzhu and her maid returned to their own courtyard, Lanqin and her several maids followed Ruizhu back to the main courtyard of the Eighth Prince's wife.
When Lanqin entered the main room of the Eighth Prince's wife, she saw that the Eighth Prince's wife was drinking tea with the Tenth Prince's wife.
Oh no, another one has arrived? Both of them are already formidable. Are these two sisters planning to devour me? Lanqin thought to herself.
"This concubine greets the Eighth and Tenth Prince's wives!" Lanqin said, raising the handkerchief in her hand.
"Please sit down, Consort Niu. My sister Mingyue has just arrived. Let's chat together," said the Eighth Princess Consort with a kind smile.
Mingyue looked down on Lanqin, and her hatred for Lanqin was no less than that for the Eighth Prince's wife. The Ninth Prince and Shuhui were still in the northern desert, and Shuhui was probably about to give birth. The Tenth Prince's wife was too far away to help, and had no way to deal with Shuhui. But Chen Ruzhu was different.
Sigh, everyone has their own fate!
"No, I've been out for quite some time now. My cousin has already seen everything, so it's time for me to go back." Lanqin decided not to keep the two sisters from bickering any longer and that it was better to return home.
"Oh, you want to leave as soon as you see me, the Tenth Princess Consort? What have you done wrong that you're afraid to see me?" the Tenth Princess Consort said veiledly.
Lanqin hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Tenth Princess, you are overthinking it. I will visit you another day. However, I have matters to attend to at home today, so I cannot trouble you any longer."
The Eighth Princess Consort had long known about Lanqin and Chen Ruzhu's activities through her spies. She was determined to get rid of the child in Chen's womb and was impatient to argue with Lanqin any longer, so she said, "What the Consort says is true. Mingyue, you can keep your sister company. Ruizhu, see the Consort off for me."
Naturally, the Eighth Prince's wife did not need to personally see Lanqin off, and Lanqin was also unwilling to let her see her off personally. After hurriedly bowing, she quickly turned around and took her leave.
When the four of them arrived at the gatehouse, Chen Shou immediately went to greet them. Seeing that Lanqin looked unwell, he didn't dare to ask anything and quickly helped Lanqin out of the Eighth Prince's residence.
Meanwhile, the Eighth Prince's wife and the Tenth Prince's wife sat on a warm couch drinking tea. The two sisters shared the same thought: they were both jealous of the Niohuru sisters.
"Sister, Chen is right under your nose. You can easily make her miscarry with a little trick. Unlike me, that bitch is by the Tenth Prince's side, bewitching him every day. It's infuriating!" The Tenth Prince's wife, Mingyue, slammed her hand on the table, breaking one of the tortoiseshell nail guards on her hand.
"Didn't I advise you before to get along well with the Tenth Prince and have a child? Are you regretting it now?" The Eighth Princess looked at her younger sister, feeling anxious for her. The Tenth Prince now has two sons and a daughter, none of whom are his wife's children. It seems like the two sisters are incapable of having children.
"He's always the same, do I have to coax him?" The Tenth Prince's wife, Mingyue, and the Tenth Prince have always been at odds. Mingyue has a fiery temper, having grown up in the palace with Minghui since childhood. She is favored by the Empress Dowager and is rather arrogant. When Emperor Kangxi first betrothed her to the Tenth Prince, she felt a little awkward. Because she and the Tenth Prince had known each other since childhood, they would immediately start arguing whenever they saw each other, and their conversations would rarely last more than ten sentences.
“You know, you and the Tenth Prince were childhood sweethearts, you grew up together. How could you not hold onto his heart? That vile woman from the Niohuru clan took advantage of the situation and stole the Tenth Prince's heart. You'll regret it later,” Minghui said angrily.
"Sister, I didn't come here to listen to your lectures. You should give me some advice. That bitch isn't in the manor, so I can't reach her," Mingyue said angrily.
"After some time, you should personally write to the Tenth Prince and tell him that Lady Niohuru is pregnant and it is no longer appropriate for her to stay in the northern desert. We should bring her back to rest and prepare for childbirth. Once she is brought back, you can then figure out what to do," said the Eighth Prince's wife.
Upon hearing Minghui's words, Mingyue immediately understood the situation and quickly said, "You wretch, we should get her away from Tenth Master first before we can deal with her."
Minghui nodded and said, "Childbirth is the most dangerous time for a woman. If Shuhui dies during childbirth, it would be best if you, as her primary wife, could raise her child. You can also take this opportunity to repair your relationship with the Tenth Prince."
Mingyue nodded reluctantly, but she also knew that this was the only way now.
"Sister, what about you? Chen's pregnancy is already three months along. When are you going to make your move?" Mingyue asked.
“It’s all thanks to Eighth Prince. Although he doesn’t visit Madam Chen, he always asks about her. He still cares about the child in her womb,” said Eighth Prince’s wife. This was what made her feel aggrieved. Eighth Prince had never cared about a princess like this before. For example, Madam Mao, although favored by Eighth Prince, couldn’t compare to Eighth Prince’s wife; and Madam Zhang, although she gave birth to Eighth Prince’s eldest son, was still just a princess.
“Then you can’t wait any longer, sister. Get rid of that piece of flesh in her belly as soon as possible, otherwise it will be even more difficult after the baby is born,” Mingyue said.
"Yes, I've already had my men take action. But this is precisely the time when your brother-in-law is about to achieve great things. If I make a commotion in the inner quarters, I'm afraid it will distract him," said the Eighth Prince's wife.
“Sister is really doing this for brother-in-law’s sake, even though he’s gotten other women pregnant. If you ask me, brother-in-law’s kindness to sister is fake, otherwise why would he still favor other women?” Mingyue suddenly said.
These words pierced Minghui's heart like a thorn, leaving her speechless.
Seeing the change in the Eighth Prince's wife's expression, Mingyue realized that she had said the wrong thing and quickly comforted her, "I didn't mean it, sister. Your brother-in-law's kindness to you is obvious to everyone."
"Yes, it's obvious to everyone. That's why I've always been a proud Eighth Prince's wife. But I know in my heart that he doesn't always have that kind of affection for me," the Eighth Prince's wife said emotionally to her sister.
"Sister?" Mingyue was shocked by the fragility of the Eighth Prince's wife in front of her. In the past, her sister was always strong and assertive in front of others.
"Why can't I have a child for him? Maybe things would be different now, wouldn't they?" Minghui suddenly grabbed the Tenth Prince's hand and asked.
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