"Princess, don't be angry. This servant specially asked Doctor Wang for a prescription to help women conceive. He said that by simply changing the dosage of these few herbs, it can really help with conception," Nianxue said hurriedly.
"No need, I don't want to owe Yang a favor. If I use this prescription she provided, I'll feel guilty when I have the chance to retaliate against her later." Lanqin said angrily, refusing to even look at the prescription again. Lin Mengyao was always clear about her gratitude and resentment. Yang's despicable behavior made her feel like she had swallowed a fly. It was fortunate that she had gone to the palace a few days ago to deliver a letter to the Dutch, unaware that she had already been plotted against by Yang.
“Princess, now that you are no longer by Madam’s side, how can you retaliate against Madam Yang?” Nianxue said.
"I can't think of a way right now, but I believe there will be an opportunity in the future. Yang's methods are really too much. I will definitely teach her a lesson she deserves when I get the chance!" Lanqin slammed her hand on the desk angrily, her eyebrows raised and her almond eyes wide open. She was extremely angry. Being schemed against like this today, and being powerless to fight back, made her feel furious, but she really had no way to do anything about it.
“Princess, don’t get upset and hurt yourself.” Nianxue said again; “If I may say, why don’t you try this prescription? If you really get pregnant, I’m sure Yang will be furious when she hears the news.”
Upon hearing this, Lanqin pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said, "These things are merely for conditioning the body; they are not decisive for a woman's ability to conceive. I believe I can get pregnant. You should burn this prescription quickly to avoid causing trouble. I don't need any conditioning; I just need to accurately calculate my ovulation period, and then..."
When Nianxue heard the term "ovulation period," she didn't understand it, but she knew the general meaning. As for what Lanqin said next, she immediately blushed.
Lanqin suddenly stood up, raised her clenched fist, and shouted, "Nianxue, I'm going to start trying to conceive! Haha, you all have to keep an eye on me!"
Upon hearing Lanqin's loud commotion, Nianxue quickly raised her hand to cover Lanqin's mouth and hurriedly said, "Princess, please keep your voice down. It's best not to let anyone know."
Seeing her nervous expression, Lanqin asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Nianxue said, "If you want to conceive a child with the master, it's best not to let anyone know. It's best not to let anyone know for the first three months. It's not too late to tell the master once the pregnancy is stable. I'm afraid that some people don't want you to have a child."
Upon hearing Nianxue's words, Lanqin said, "Are you afraid that someone wants to harm me?"
Nianxue nodded heavily and said in a low voice, "I still feel terrified when I think about what happened to Consort Yin last time. If it weren't for the fact that Master trusts Consort Yin, we would probably be the ones being punished now."
Lanqin glanced at Nianxue's slightly tense face, then at the sunlight filtering through the Xuan paper, and then at the yellow pear wood furniture and priceless ancient calligraphy and paintings around her. She felt a sudden sense of enlightenment.
That's right. Having transmigrated into the body of the Fourth Prince's concubine, it's impossible for her to have children smoothly. Every woman in the inner quarters has her own agenda; otherwise, why would the Fourth Prince have so few children? The matter of Madam Yin is still shrouded in mystery, and she hasn't even figured out who is trying to harm her.
At this moment, Lanqin suddenly understood the difficulties of being the Fourth Prince. All the women in his harem wanted his favor, but how many of them truly cared for him? Otherwise, why would they repeatedly kill unborn fetuses?
...
In the blink of an eye, three months had passed, and the osmanthus tree in Lanqin's courtyard was suddenly bursting with blossoms. During this time, Lanqin had been exercising and calculating her ovulation period, while also having Nianxue fetch Doctor Zhou from the manor to prescribe nourishing medicine. She had previously heard that one should drink folic acid, take vitamins, and calcium supplements before pregnancy to ensure a healthy baby. However, these things were unavailable in the Qing Dynasty, though there were plenty of genuine Chinese medicinal herbs. Therefore, our Comrade Lanqin naturally wouldn't neglect herself, instructing Doctor Zhou to first prepare herself for pregnancy and childbirth before officially starting. Little did she know that Song's first daughter had died shortly after birth because her mother hadn't taken proper care of herself during pregnancy. Furthermore, in these times three hundred years ago, when modern medicine was underdeveloped, an unhealthy child might not survive. Lanqin didn't want to risk her health and her child.
"Princess, the medicine is ready. Please drink it while it's hot," Xicha said, carrying a blue-and-white porcelain bowl with intertwined floral patterns to Lanqin, who was learning to tie a ruyi knot.
"Ugh, this medicine tastes awful. Have you prepared the dried apricots?" Nianxue glanced at the bowl of brown liquid. She was sitting on the couch learning to tie various knots, because the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and Fourth Master's birthday was also coming soon. Lanqin thought for a long time about what kind of gift to give Fourth Master. After much thought, she decided to learn to tie a Ruyi knot herself, because she thought that needlework and such were too difficult to learn and it was also difficult to become a master. Only the Ruyi knot tied with red silk thread was the simplest, and the meaning was similar.
"Princess, please drink your medicine. Here are some dried apricots!" Nianxue immediately handed the dried apricots in her hand to Lanqin.
Lanqin put down the knot she was half-tied, picked up the bowl of medicine Xicha handed her, took a sniff, and felt a wave of nausea rise in her stomach. But she suppressed the discomfort and drank the medicine down in one gulp, right down the rim of the bowl.
"Quick, dried apricots." As soon as Lanqin finished drinking, she immediately reached out to Nianxue for dried apricots. It wasn't until she ate two or three dried apricots that she was able to barely suppress the discomfort in her stomach.
"Why does this tonic prescribed by Doctor Zhou taste so awful?" Nianxue couldn't help but complain, then handed the bowl to Xicha.
"Princess, please be patient a little longer. Once you've finished all this medicine, your body will be almost fully recovered." Nianxue noticed that Lanqin's complexion had improved recently and quickly added, "Princess's complexion is much better than before!"
"Alas, the path to having a child is so long! Heaven, please grant me a precious child!" Lanqin wailed, clasping her hands together and raising them above her head, saying with a "sorrowful" tone.
She was used to spouting nonsense in front of these girls without any restraint, and Nianxue and the others were also used to Lanqin's occasional astonishing remarks. Seeing Lanqin's pleading expression, Nianxue and Xicha exchanged a smile, then turned and left to do their own things.
"Huanbi, is the plum juice ready for today? Master will be back and wants some." Lanqin lowered her hands from behind her palms and asked as if she remembered something.
"Princess, don't worry, everything is ready. I'll put the teapot in the ice basin to chill it in a bit," Huanbi said as she entered the room.
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