"Master, what are you doing?" Cuiyun noticed that Wuya had been fiddling with the little clothes in her hands for the past few days.
"This is for the baby in Consort Niu's belly. Look, isn't it pretty?" Lady Wuya held up the plain-colored clothes in her hand and showed them to Cuiyun.
“Madam’s sewing skills are probably no less than those of the embroiderers in the Fourth Prince’s mansion. I saw that when Master came to Madam’s place last time, he was wearing the same set of underwear that Madam made for him,” Cuiyun said with a smile.
A hint of pride and self-satisfaction flashed in Wuya's eyes. The fact that he could wear it proved that all the effort she had put into him had not been in vain.
"This Consort Niu seems to have a very good temper; I've never seen her cause trouble. On the contrary, Consort Nian always acts so arrogantly. Speaking of which, the Madam has been taking care of the Fifth Prince for her day and night," Cuiyun said.
“Cuiyun, so I have to make some small clothes and send them over to express my feelings,” said Wuya. In truth, she knew that Niohuru held a much more important place in the Fourth Prince’s heart than Nian. That was why the Prince Consort had allied with her to deal with Niohuru, rather than Nian.
“But Master, will she agree?” Cuiyun asked.
"Whether I want to or not, I still have to do it!" A hint of resentment flashed in Wuya's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. She knew that her position in the Fourth Prince's heart was not as good as that of Niohuru, so she had to try her best to be on good terms with the South Courtyard.
“Madam has such a good temper. If you ask me, although the Niohuru clan didn’t send anyone to humiliate us, their attitude is clearly more arrogant than that of the Nian clan,” Cuiyun said.
A hint of frost flashed in Wuya's eyes as she said, "Because she is so high and mighty, how could I, a mere concubine, possibly catch her eye!"
Lanqin didn't want to cause trouble, but some people just had to get involved! She got caught in the crossfire.
After lunch, Uya took Cuiyun's hand and headed towards the south courtyard.
Lanqin had just finished lunch and was about to take Cui Niang's hand to go for a walk in the small courtyard when she saw Putao standing behind the curtain outside, saying, "Reporting to Consort, Lady Wuya requests an audience!"
Lanqin hadn't expected her to come so openly. Was this a provocation? After being invisible in the Fourth Prince's mansion for half a year, she was finally getting to see the Fourth Prince?
"Just say that our concubine is taking a nap and won't see anyone!" Cui Niang replied for Lan Qin when she saw her in a daze.
"Wait! Let her in," Lanqin said, stopping her.
"Master, why did you see her?" asked Cui Niang.
“If I don’t see her, and word gets back to Master, I’ll inevitably be seen as arrogant and rude. Let’s see what she has to say!” Lanqin said.
“But you’re about to give birth, so it’s best not to let anyone in.” Nianxue also felt it was unnecessary to see Wuya.
“Yes, these are extraordinary times for you, and the master will understand,” Cui Niang added.
“She’s not some monster; if we don’t see her, we’ll lose in terms of momentum,” Lanqin said.
Just then, the curtain outside was lifted and Uya walked in. Cuiyun was beside her, carrying a bundle.
"This concubine greets Consort Lanqin!" Uya saw that Lanqin was sitting in the main seat, her belly so big that it looked like she had three or four large watermelons hidden in her clothes.
This was the second time that Wuya had come to the South Courtyard. The first time was when she came with others to pay her respects to Lanqin. It was the first time she had witnessed the luxury and exquisiteness of the South Courtyard. At that time, she secretly vowed in her heart that she must live such a life!
"Madam Wuya, please rise. Please take a seat!" Lanqin looked at the elegantly dressed Madam Wuya, and then at her features, which resembled those of Consort De. She knew in her heart that the Fourth Prince was probably doomed. A Fourth Prince who resembled her birth mother, and who had never received her mother's love since childhood, would surely cherish her greatly. Therefore, it was not surprising that she was the Fourth Prince's first love.
"Thank you, Consort Xie. Consort Xie must be about to give birth. I had nothing to do, so I made a few clothes for Consort Xie's child. Please don't mind my clumsy handiwork," said Consort Wuya.
After saying that, Wuya gestured for Cuiyun to take out all the small clothes from the bundle and show them to Lanqin.
Cui Niang and Nian Xue stared at the small clothes, afraid that Wu Ya Shi might have hidden something inside.
"Nianxue, let me see it!" Lanqin said with a smile.
Nianxue took the bundle from Cuiyun and brought it to Lanqin. The little clothes inside were exquisitely made, with every stitch perfectly sewn, and even the hem was embroidered with auspicious cloud and fortune patterns.
"Madam Wuya's craftsmanship is truly excellent. These little clothes are even better than those in the embroidery workshop," Lanqin said, picking out a few pieces to look at before putting them down.
"If the concubine likes it, then I feel that my efforts have not been in vain," said Lady Uya with a shy smile.
"Xi Cha, serve tea to Lady Wuya!" Lanqin said, feigning displeasure when she saw that Xi Cha hadn't served her tea. Actually, as a concubine, it wasn't against her manners not to offer her a seat or tea.
"Thank you for the tea, Consort. Consort, I don't know if you've heard, but there's a severe drought outside, and many disaster victims have flocked to the capital." Lady Uya frowned and said with concern.
“The drought outside must be quite severe, otherwise the Fourth Prince might have gone with Father Emperor to pray for rain,” Lanqin said.
"So Master went to pray for rain these past few days," Wuya murmured. She had no idea why the Fourth Master hadn't returned home for the past few days, but hearing Lanqin say it so easily made her feel uneasy. Didn't this mean that the Fourth Master had sent a message to the South Courtyard, but hadn't said anything to her side?
"I will not disturb Consort's rest any longer. I will take my leave!" Wuya stood up and curtsied to Lanqin.
"Yes, thank you for your kindness, Madam," Lanqin said.
After Wuya and her servants left, Cui Niang, holding the bundle of clothes, asked, "Should we really keep what she sent?"
"Take it and burn it secretly. She definitely won't use anything she sent. But don't do it in front of anyone," Lanqin said.
“Yes, regardless of whether she did anything wrong, we shouldn’t take the risk,” said Cui Niang.
Meanwhile, Uya and her servants walked silently under the scorching shade of the trees.
“Master, Nan Xiaoyuan certainly won’t wear it, so why did you go through all that trouble to make it and send it over?” Cuiyun said.
“She is a secondary consort, and I am merely a concubine. Even if she keeps giving me the cold shoulder, I still have to be attentive. It’s a matter of attitude; otherwise, the Fourth Prince will just think I’m being unreasonable,” said Lady Wuya.
"Yes, this servant is not as thoughtful as Madam," Cuiyun said hastily, seeing that Wuya's expression was not good.
“Judging from her belly, it must have been just a few days ago,” said Uya.
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