"Master, Master!" Ping'er suddenly called out as she walked in from outside.
"What's all the fuss about? Don't frighten the master," Hongqiao said, rolling her eyes at Ping'er.
“Master, the master is here. I think he’s coming this way,” Ping’er said.
Lady Fucha was startled. She said, almost in disbelief, "Are you sure they're coming this way?"
"Yes, this servant saw that they were coming this way," Ping'er said excitedly. Because Lady Fucha was out of favor, she and her maids had suffered countless scornful looks and mistreatment.
"Hongqiao, come with me to greet them." Madam Fucha quickly got up, straightened her clothes and hair slightly, and then took Hongqiao's hand to walk to the door of her room.
The Fourth Prince was striding towards them with his long legs. Lady Fucha was standing at the door of her main room when she saw Lady Liu standing at the window across the way, looking in their direction. She smiled slightly at Lady Liu, and then saw that the Fourth Prince's robes were almost upon them.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness!" Lady Fucha quickly curtsied, slapping her handkerchief aside. She thought to herself: I can't let this opportunity slip away again. Now, Lady Niohuru is favored, and she's different from what I remember.
"Get up," Fourth Master said indifferently, then brushed past Lady Fucha and went into the house.
As soon as the maids served tea to the Fourth Master, Lady Fucha took the sachet that she had sewn for him from Hongqiao and said to him, "Your Majesty, I made this for you when I had some free time. It contains carefully selected calming herbs. If Your Majesty could wear it, it would be very good for your health."
It turned out that during the time that the Fourth Prince had neglected her, Lady Fucha had gradually come to realize that she could no longer be so direct in expressing her feelings to him, as that would only frighten him and make him wary and resentful of her. So, she began to sew various things for the Fourth Prince. In the past, the Fourth Prince had received socks, handkerchiefs, and other items made by Lady Fucha. He accepted them all without giving any response.
When the Fourth Prince saw that Lady Fucha was persistently sewing various small items for him, he was slightly moved and said, "You're so thoughtful." After saying that, he took the sachet from Lady Fucha's hand.
The sachet was quite exquisite, made of a deep dark green silk satin, with a lotus pond embroidered on it in light gray silk thread. The lotus leaves were lush and the lotus flowers stood tall, making it very pleasing to the eye.
"The sachet is well made," Fourth Master said, hanging it around his waist.
When Lady Fucha saw that the Fourth Prince had hung it up right in front of her, she was overjoyed and quickly said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness."
"It's getting late, wash your face and rest." Fourth Master came here to relieve some physical needs, and besides, he had neglected Lady Fucha for a long time, so it was time to give her some of his favor. He had spoiled that little woman too much, and she dared to go see other men behind his back.
The Fourth Prince couldn't possibly understand Lanqin's thoughts at this moment. As an ancient person, steeped in feudal culture and situated at the center of the power struggle within the imperial court, it was already quite remarkable that he treated Lanqin with any special regard. But our Comrade Lanqin, at this moment, was still trapped in her modern logic. The two were completely incompatible, yet they expected each other to understand.
Concealing her inner elation, Lady Fucha softly responded and gestured for the maid to fetch water. Although she hadn't served the Fourth Prince in this life, she had been favored for a period in her previous life and was actually quite familiar with his body.
After the maids helped the Fourth Prince wash his hands and face, Lady Fucha personally washed his feet. This made the Fourth Prince feel even more favorably toward her. At this moment, he had just been somewhat hurt by Lanqin's actions, and Lady Fucha's humble attitude greatly satisfied his masculine feelings.
After washing up, the two undressed and got into bed. Following her memory of the Fourth Prince's preferences, Lady Fucha tried her best to appear petite and delicate to please him. Sure enough, this tactic worked very well, and given the Fourth Prince's particular need for a woman to submit to him at that moment, the night was filled with passionate intimacy.
Meanwhile, Liu felt somewhat annoyed when she saw that Fourth Master had finally gone to the house across the street.
“Princess, she hasn’t been deflowered by the master yet, and today is her first night. Why are you getting angry with her?” said the maid Qiuwen.
“That’s true. She entered the manor at the same time as me, and this is the first time you’ve been to her room. Perhaps you’re thinking that you haven’t consummated your marriage with her yet.” Madam Liu’s expression softened.
“That’s right. Speaking of which, she comes from the Fuca clan, which is a prominent family. Master can’t ignore that,” Qiuwen said.
“That’s right. But when it comes to family background, no one can compare to Consort Nian now,” Liu said. Thanks to Consort Nian’s deliberate arrangements, the Fourth Prince had favored Liu several times.
“That’s right. As long as the princess relies on Consort Nian’s powerful backing, our lives won’t be difficult. As for Lady Fucha, she can keep the master for three days; that’s what makes her capable,” Qiuwen said.
"Alright, I'm tired too. Let's fetch some water to wash our faces. Tomorrow we still have to go pay our respects to the concubine." Liu yawned, covering her face with her handkerchief.
“Princess, your period hasn’t come for several days this month, has it?” Qiuwen suddenly asked.
Upon reflection, Liu realized it was true, and her heart suddenly pounded: "Am I pregnant?"
Qiuwen immediately said, "Why don't we go and tell Consort Nian now to have a doctor come and take a look?"
"No rush, no rush, we'll talk about it tomorrow." At this moment, Liu was filled with joy at the fact that her period had not started, and the worry that the Fourth Prince would favor Lady Fucha immediately disappeared.
"If Master could get pregnant, that would be a real blow to the guy on the other side!" Qiuwen said.
"Don't be too happy yet. Let's wait until the doctor examines you tomorrow." Actually, Madam Liu was quite pleased. If she were pregnant now, it would be perfect. The South Courtyard and the Fourth Master were at odds, and she could take advantage of this opportunity. The South Courtyard had just gained favor, and if she became pregnant, the Fourth Master's attention would be entirely on her.
The next day, after leaving Lady Fucha's room, the Fourth Prince, as was customary, took some items from his storeroom and gave them to her as a reward. Lady Liu went to pay her respects to Lady Nian early in the morning and mentioned that her period hadn't started. Lady Nian immediately sent someone to fetch Doctor Lin to examine her, and sure enough, Lady Liu was indeed pregnant.
Fourth Master had gone to the morning court, so he couldn't tell him yet. Liu Shi, supporting Hong Qiao's hand, walked back, overjoyed. She was so lucky; she had gotten pregnant so quickly.
As they walked into the courtyard, they happened to run into Lady Fucha and her maid, who were also taking a walk there. Lady Liu greeted them, saying, "Sister, you've finally come out! It's been so long since I've seen you out for a stroll."
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