"This humble servant greets Consort Fu! May Consort Fu be blessed with good fortune and peace!" Lady Fucha wore a light pink cotton robe inlaid with white fur, and a set of red marrow stone headdress, making her appear delicate and frail.
Looking at this woman who was younger than herself, Nian wanted to make things difficult for her, so she pretended to pick up the teacup on the table without asking her to get up.
"Hmm, the tea from Wudang Mountain is quite good. Cuiling, what did the master bring back for this concubine this time?" she asked deliberately.
"Replying to Consort Hongqiao, this time the Master brought you precious herbs from Wudang Mountain, as well as tea and a set of musical instruments from Ezhou," Cuizhu said, glancing at Hongqiao.
Lady Fucha half-squatted, and because she was wearing a lot of clothes in the winter, her legs were still very sore. Seeing that Lady Nian was deliberately making things difficult for her, she was not angry with her and continued, "No one can compare to the position of the concubine in the master's heart. We can only look up to her in the dust."
Seeing that Lady Fucha was willing to say such things, Lady Nian realized that she had come to curry favor with Lady Fucha. So she said, "Oh dear, look at me, I've forgotten about my sister. Get up quickly. Cuiling, serve Lady Fucha tea."
Hongqiao immediately stood up and hurried to help Fucha Shi up. Both of them had some soreness in their legs and feet, and Fucha Shi stumbled and almost fell over.
"Thank you, Consort!" Lady Fucha said with a smile to Lady Nian after sitting down.
"It's been almost a year since Princess Fucha entered the manor. Now, Liu, who entered the manor at the same time as you, is pregnant. I wonder what Princess Fucha thinks about this?" Nian knew that this Fucha always considered herself to be of noble birth and didn't take her, a member of the Han Banner Army, seriously. So, she had just wanted to make things difficult for her, and now she was even more impolite in directly mocking her.
To everyone's surprise, Lady Fucha was not angry at all. Instead, she said with a regretful look, "I came here today because I have figured it out. I came here specifically to discuss with Consort Fu the matter of dealing with the South Courtyard together."
Lady Nian was surprised by her directness. She glanced at her a few times and said, "What are you saying, Consort Fucha? Consort Niu and I have always been very close sisters. Are you trying to sow discord between us?"
Lady Fucha said, “Consort, you don’t need to hide it from me anymore. I know that you are already tired of Niohuru, the daughter of a fallen family. What makes you think you can win my heart? Only someone like Consort Nian, who comes from a wealthy family and is young and beautiful, can truly win our hearts.”
Upon hearing this, Lady Nian was immediately struck by what she had in mind and said, "Very well, Princess Fucha, you've come today because you've thought things through. Then I, your concubine, ask you, what exactly did Lady Liu do at the Yuanmingyuan Garden? Why was she confined by the prince, and why can't even my people enter?"
In fact, when Liu was sent back to be confined to her home, Nian had sent her spies to investigate, but the head nanny had sent people to guard Liu's room tightly, so no one could enter and no one could leave.
"I have come here to report this matter to Consort Fucha," Lady Fucha said with a smile. Then, she recounted to Lady Nian everything that had happened at the Yuanmingyuan Garden in great detail, leaving nothing out.
After hearing this, Mr. Nian sat there in astonishment, speechless for a moment.
"That little vixen is utterly foolish. She's already pregnant, yet she's so incredibly stupid as to get entangled with an actress. She only has herself to blame," Madam Nian said angrily.
“Consort, Lady Liu has already been deposed. Even if she gives birth to a prince, the Prince will no longer favor her. A woman who has had an affair has lost her chastity. Most men would not tolerate her, let alone our Prince. How could a prince like him tolerate her? He is only sparing her life because of her unborn child,” said Lady Fucha.
Lady Nian sighed, not for Lady Liu, but for the fact that Lady Niohuru had defeated yet another princess who could threaten her.
“Princess Fucha, you just said that you wanted to work with me to deal with Niohuru. So tell me first, how do you plan to deal with her?” Lady Nian asked.
"Family influence! Niohuru has already given birth to two daughters and a son. In terms of offspring, no one in the inner quarters can compare to her. Now, the Prince favors her, and her only weakness is her family background. Consort Nian goes without saying; her family's influence is undeniable, and even the Prince cannot ignore it. My great-grandfather fought alongside Emperor Taizong. The Fucha clan is widespread throughout the court and the country, and I'm sure Consort Nian understands this, so I won't go into details," said Fucha. "Now that Niohuru almost exclusively favors the Prince's inner quarters, how can we make the Prince suspicious of her and stop favoring her? There is only one way: to put pressure on the Prince from the outside."
After listening carefully, Lady Nian felt that Lady Fucha's words made some sense, and then asked, "How can we put pressure on her? She has very little contact with Niohuru's family, so how can we find fault with her?"
"Consort Fu, suppress the Niohuru clan's descendants. As long as their descendants hold official positions in the court, suppress them, even find fault with them. If someone commits a crime, deliberately provoke them and make a big scene," said Fucha.
“The Niohuru clan is also a Manchu clan, and their descendants are all over the court and the country. How can we suppress them? What you’ve said is as good as saying nothing!” said Lady Nian.
"I've heard that Niohuru's father is a fourth-rank official, but has he never made a mistake? It's just that no one has pointed it out yet. Why don't we start with her father?" said Fucha.
Lady Nian frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Then we'll have to trouble Princess Fucha. My sister has some uncles and brothers in the Censorate, right? Let them put in a good effort and make things difficult for her family. We'll see how she handles it."
Lady Fucha cursed inwardly, but she had already anticipated this outcome, so she said, "Consort, we need to put in effort not only outside, but also within the inner quarters. For example, this time, you could try to build a relationship with the Fourteenth Prince's wife and curry favor with Consort De. After all, the Fourteenth Prince has just had a legitimate son. Having Consort De's trust will be very helpful in regaining the Prince's favor."
Lady Nian said, "Yes, you're right about that. I, the concubine, have already prepared New Year's gifts for the Fourteenth Prince without you having to remind me. And Lady Liu, although she's been deposed, we can still make good use of her pregnancy."
Fucha understood what Nian meant; she was being asked to get closer to Liu, since she and Liu lived in the same courtyard.
"I understand," said Lady Fucha.
“Alright, Lady Fucha, we’re all in the same boat now, we should help each other. You should quickly write a letter to your father, and I, as a concubine, will also inform my elder brother,” Lady Nian said.
After Lady Fucha left, Lady Nian's mood improved, as if she had found a good way to deal with Lanqin.
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