“Aunt, a room has been arranged for you. Why don’t you go and take a look and settle in?” Madam Nian said to Aunt Gu.
"Yes, I will go and make arrangements, then I will come to serve you, Princess." Aunt Gu knew that the Nian family was now very powerful in the region, and even Consort De was wary of their influence on the Fourth Prince, so she naturally had to be polite to her.
After Birou led Aunt Gu out, Madam Nian said, "It seems that this aunt is in cahoots with the girls in the South Courtyard."
“Princess, the Empress from the palace sent you to take care of you during your childbirth, so she shouldn’t be helping the South Courtyard with those kinds of thoughts,” Bai Zhi said.
"That's hard to say. What if that girl in the South Courtyard throws money at her? Anyway, the ladies in the palace aren't keeping an eye on how she does things." Madam Nian didn't believe at all that Lanqin hadn't used some tricks to gain the Fourth Prince's favor today.
Bai Zhi watched as Nian Shi muttered to herself about how Lan Qin would harm her, and didn't know what to say. Nian Shi wasn't like this before, but now she had become suspicious and scheming; the carefree, cheerful, and proud Nian Shi Lan of the past was gone.
"Baizhi, go tell the gatekeeper to come and report as soon as the master returns. He hasn't come to see me in a long time!" Madam Nian suddenly said again.
Upon hearing this, Bai Zhi quickly said, "Princess, now that Consort De has already assigned a nanny to take care of your pregnancy, you should just focus on resting and not have any other thoughts." She knew that Madam Nian was unwilling to give up and was probably trying to figure out a way to lure the master here.
However, Madam Nian refused to listen to Bai Zhi and angrily said, "Master hasn't come for a long time, how can we let him only think about the South Courtyard!"
Seeing that Lady Nian was angry, Bai Zhi was not afraid. She curtsied and said, "Princess, please rest assured and take care of your pregnancy. Master will never forget you. Besides, with General Nian's support, Master will never forget you."
However, at this moment, Nian was pregnant and had many thoughts on her mind. In addition, the effects of pregnancy hormones brought out her suspicious and hysterical temper, causing her to lose her temper at the drop of a hat.
Well, it's impossible for the Fourth Prince to know these things. Besides, he has so many women in his harem, how could he possibly take care of them all?
Now, the Fourth Prince stayed in the palace for several more days before returning to his residence. He was concerned about the matter of moving the princes to new rooms, and he also needed to appease the people sent by Consort De.
As soon as he stepped through the gate, the spies that Lady Nian had planted at the gatehouse quickly found an excuse to speak to Lady Nian. The Fourth Prince originally intended to go and see Lady Nian and the people sent by Consort De, but then he remembered that the Fourth Prince had just moved there today, so he decided to go and see how Hongshi was doing with Lady Song first.
“Princess, you’ve been sitting here all afternoon. Why don’t I accompany you for a walk? I see your belly is quite big; I’m afraid the baby inside is rather large. You need to move around often, otherwise it will be difficult to give birth.” After tidying up her room, Aunt Gu immediately got to work. Unlike the other maids of Madam Nian, she pointed out anything that was not in accordance with the rules or proper care for the pregnant woman.
Lady Nian was wary of being sent by Consort De, and since she couldn't cause a scene, she could only do as Aunt Gu did, half displeased and half reluctant.
As Aunt Gu accompanied Madam Nian to the door, a servant ran up and nearly bumped into Madam Nian's stomach.
"You blind servant, why are you running? You've bumped into the princess, you can't afford to offend her!" Aunt Gu scolded the ignorant servant loudly.
Seeing that it was Xiao Dongzi who was informing Nian about the news from the front yard, Cui Ling, who was standing next to Nian, quickly came out and said, "Why don't you stand aside quickly? You'd better keep your eyes open next time."
Aunt Gu didn't know the servant's background and assumed he was just a menial servant in Madam Nian's courtyard, so she didn't pay him any attention. Madam Nian, seeing Cui Ling's expression, knew she had come to deliver a message, and suddenly touched her belly, groaning!
"Princess, what's wrong?" Aunt Gu asked hurriedly when she saw that Madam Nian suddenly seemed to have a stomachache.
"My stomach isn't feeling well, so I'd better not go out! Cuiling, help me inside!" Madam Nian pretended to be unwell and grabbed Cuiling, who was standing beside her, to help her up.
Aunt Gu had no choice but to turn around and go back into the house with Madam Nian and her servants! The servant who had just rushed up quickly retreated to the wall and stood silently.
"What's wrong, Princess? Should we call a doctor to take a look?" Aunt Gu asked after seeing Madam Nian sit down.
"Aunt, I feel a bit unwell in my stomach. Go and inform Master!" Madam Nian held her stomach, a look of discomfort on her face.
"Your Highness has returned today?" Aunt Gu was unaware that the Fourth Master had returned and thought he was still busy in the palace.
"This princess is just guessing, maybe the master has returned!" Madam Nian was eager to see the fourth master, and seeing Aunt Gu's persistent and irritating manner, she was really annoyed.
"Aunt Gu, let me go take a look. We should at least have Doctor Lin come and see the princess," Cui Ling quickly interrupted Aunt Gu.
Aunt Gu could only nod, suppressing her doubts, and quickly instructed Bi Rou to help Madam Nian lie down.
Meanwhile, Cuiling ran all the way to the front courtyard, only to learn that the Fourth Prince had already gone to the Fourth Prince's place. Cuiling knew that if she went back, Madam Nian would definitely throw a tantrum again, so she had no choice but to turn back and head towards the North Courtyard.
When Fourth Master arrived at Madam Song's place, Madam Song felt as if she had never seen him enter the house before. It had been a long time since Fourth Master had visited Madam Song's room.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness!" Madam Song was dressed in a light blue ruqun with purple hydrangea flowers embroidered on the chest. Her hair was simply styled in two buns and adorned with several jade beaded flowers, making her appear refreshing and gentle.
Fourth Master knew that he used to like women like this, who would always bloom like flowers by his side, gentle and charming to look at, and fragrant and comforting to smell. He didn't have to put in any effort; they were always there waiting for him.
"Get up!" Fourth Master walked to Madam Song's side and placed his hand on her shoulder. Madam Song's heart stirred; it had been a long time since she had been in contact with Fourth Master.
“Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince has just recovered. I will let him rest in his room for a few more days before he goes back to school.” Madam Song gestured for Qingping to quickly make tea, and then sat down with the Fourth Prince.
"The Fourth Prince is young and has always been restless. Now that I'm placing him with you to raise, I hope he'll be well and nothing else will happen." At this moment, the Fourth Prince felt that Lanqin's decision was right. Perhaps it would really be better for the Fourth Prince, who had suffered so much, to stay with the gentle Song Shi.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I will treat the Fourth Prince as my own son. I will always protect him and make sure he doesn't suffer anymore." Seeing how solemnly the Fourth Prince entrusted the Fourth Prince to her, Madam Song's hesitation completely disappeared.
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