"Master, Lady Fucha has been confined to her quarters," Cui Niang said, bowing her head to Lan Qin, who was having breakfast.
"What's the reason?" Lanqin looked up at Cui Niang with a slight surprise. She had just entered the family yesterday. She was said to be very beautiful, from a prominent family, and a legitimate daughter. She should be a typical young lady from a respectable family. How come she was confined to her quarters by the Fourth Master so soon after arriving?
"She was talking nonsense and wandering around aimlessly! She actually ran into the front yard and bumped into the master," said Cui Niang.
Lanqin's heart skipped a beat, and she thought to herself: It seems that a troublesome person has arrived.
"Don't cause trouble. If Master says it's a house arrest, then it's a house arrest. Liu seems to be more obedient," Lanqin said.
"Yes, this Lady Fucha didn't even come to pay her respects to the master. She has quite a high opinion of herself," said Cui Niang.
"Whether someone has high standards or not is a gift from their parents, we can't ask for it! Fine, let's skip their greetings. I don't want to see them either," Lanqin said. She genuinely didn't want to see the Fourth Master's other women; she'd just choose to avoid seeing them altogether.
Meanwhile, Lady Nian was quite pleased to hear that the newly arrived Lady Fucha had been punished by the Fourth Prince. Of the two princesses who had entered, Lady Fucha was naturally of higher status, as her maternal family was in the capital. Although Lady Liu was the daughter of a governor, she was, after all, far away in Shaanxi. Seeing her being punished by the Fourth Prince, she thought to herself, "So she's not very bright; that's good."
"Master, Liu has arrived. She says she's here to pay her respects," Cui Ling said, walking up to Nian Shi, who was playing with a lion-maned dog.
"You paid your respects to Lady Niohuru yesterday, and only today do you remember your concubine? I won't see you!" Lady Nian raised her eyebrows and said.
“My lady, you might as well meet her. This Lady Liu is from Shaanxi. She told me that she wants to catch up with the concubine!” Cui Ling said.
"Oh? Okay, let her in then," said Madam Nian.
A moment later, Liu, supporting Hongqiao, walked into Nian's main room.
"This humble servant greets Consort Nian!" Lady Liu said with a curtsy.
Ms. Nian glanced at her and saw that she was plump and beautiful, and younger than herself, in the prime of her youth. She felt slightly displeased and decided to deliberately make things difficult for her.
Seeing that Lady Nian did not tell her to get up, Lady Liu remained in the squatting position until her legs started to ache. However, Lady Nian still seemed unwilling to get up, so she said, "I originally intended to pay my respects to Consort Nian yesterday, but Consort Niu told me that Consort Nian was not feeling well, so I dared not disturb her."
"Oh, then get up." Madam Nian paused for a moment, then snorted at Lanqin and said, "This little girl is so pretty and delicate. I'm sure Master will like her when he sees her."
Upon hearing Nian's words, Lady Liu quickly lowered her head and said, "In front of Consort Nian, I am truly an ugly woman. Everyone knows that Consort Nian is a beauty that can shame the moon and flowers."
Lady Nian was quite pleased with Lady Liu's compliments, and her mood improved considerably. She said to her, "Show Lady Liu a seat and serve her tea!"
After the two sat down according to their status as host and host, Lady Nian held the lion-maned dog and stroked its fur gently, saying, "Your father is the governor of Shaanxi, and he is a close neighbor of my brother."
Liu only dared to sit on one side. When she heard Nian say this, she immediately said, "What Consort Nian said is true! After I was assigned to the Fourth Prince's residence, my father immediately wrote a letter to me as soon as he heard that Consort Nian was also in the Fourth Prince's residence. He told me that I must be very respectful to Consort Nian and that Consort Nian would definitely take care of me."
Upon hearing this, Lady Nian's earlier resentment towards Lady Liu for going to pay her respects to Lanqin first and not coming to her place vanished instantly. She also knew that what Lady Liu said was true. Her elder brother, Nian Gengyao, had also sent a letter, telling her to take care of Lady Liu, so that she would have an assistant in the Fourth Prince's mansion.
Liu knew she could rely on the Nian family; her father had mentioned them in a letter. The reason she went to see Lanqin first yesterday was to avoid arousing Lanqin's suspicion that she intended to side with the Nian family.
"Liu, what's going on with that Fucha woman in your courtyard? Why was she confined to her quarters as soon as she arrived?" Nian asked.
"This, I don't know either. She returned to Chunhui Hall very late last night, and I don't know where she went. As soon as she came back, Su Peisheng, the personal eunuch of the Fourth Master, came and told the maids and servants who served her that she was confined to her quarters and not allowed to go out without permission, and then he left," Liu said.
“That servant Su Peisheng definitely knows. It’s just a pity that he’s from the South Courtyard. I can’t get anything out of him when I ask him questions,” said Lady Nian.
“If Consort Liu wants to know, I can try to find out from her maid. Anyway, we live in the same courtyard, and I’ve been keeping an eye on what’s going on with her,” Liu said tactfully.
"Hmm, you're smart. You came in together. She's your biggest rival. Whoever the Fourth Prince favors first will be more favored, you know? Right now, this Fucha woman seems to be out of her mind. She offended the Prince as soon as she arrived. What good days can she expect in the future?" said Lady Nian.
"Yes, I've remembered. Thank you for the reminder, Consort. I won't bother you any longer then," Liu said, rising to take her leave.
After Liu and her servant left, Nian smiled and said, "This Liu is quite clever. Having such a helper isn't a bad thing. Cuiling, how is things on Wuya's side?"
"Those who saw her said that she has gained weight and is much fatter than she was a month ago," Cui Ling reported.
"Haha, good, let her get fat. The fatter she gets, the bigger the baby will be, and the harder it will be to give birth. Anything can happen during a difficult childbirth," said Madam Nian, squinting her phoenix eyes.
"Your Majesty's plan is truly ingenious. She would never have imagined that your Majesty had something to stimulate her appetite in the water she was drinking. Anyway, it wasn't poison; it just made her appetite better," Cui Ling said with a smile.
"Hmm. Even if she realizes she's gained weight, it'll probably be too late. Haha, Uya, this concubine is going to let you taste the consequences of offending me. Cuiling, tell the kitchen to be careful and not let anyone find out. Judging from her current state, Uya will hardly lose weight again in just over five months," said Nian.
"Yes, Master, don't worry. He took our money and simply added an appetite-stimulating Chinese medicine to the water that Uya was drinking. It was done without anyone noticing," Cui Ling said.
"Hmm. It would be best to get rid of Wuya Shi without anyone noticing. Oh, right, I suddenly thought of something even better. If we could frame Nan Xiaoyuan for Wuya Shi's affair, that would be even better," said Nian Shi.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
