“Princess, this servant has already found out the route the Fourth Prince takes home every day,” Hongqiao said as she approached Lady Fucha, who was standing by the window tending to a potted plant.
Since Hongqiao returned to Lady Fucha's side, she has been even more devoted to Lady Fucha, doing almost everything herself, which has earned Lady Fucha's great trust in her.
"Hmm. Who's with them?" Fucha asked.
“There was a maid named Lanqi and another maid named Chunying. Every morning, they would carry the Fourth Prince to the front yard. Around noon, they would carry him back. Basically, after his afternoon nap, they would carry him to the front yard again between 1-3 PM and 3-5 PM, until 5-7 PM when they would carry him back. This was almost every day,” Hongqiao said.
Since returning to Fucha's side, she had been observing Hongli's daily routine according to her instructions. After more than half a month of observation, she knew exactly when Hongli left the South Courtyard, when he returned, when he ate lunch, when he took a nap, and when he went to the classroom in the front courtyard for class.
The Fourth Prince specially opened a school in the front courtyard for his sons, and the girls, including Wuxiha, continued to attend the same school that Lanqin had set up for them. Not only that, Lanqin also specifically instructed people to hire governesses to teach the girls about household management and etiquette. Although Lanqin didn't want her two daughters to develop the delicate temperament of Qing Dynasty princesses, she also couldn't completely raise them to be princesses who didn't understand the rules of this era; they would still be princesses in the future.
"Father's men should have gotten their hands on that stuff by now!" A layer of frost seemed to settle over Fucha's face. Ever since she had been drinking safflower tea for over two months, her body had become hot and bothered, and she hadn't been able to conceive. She believed that Lanqin was to blame for her condition, and thus her hatred for Lanqin intensified, leading her to resolve to take revenge. Her target was now the Fourth Prince, Hongli.
“I went out to check yesterday, but it hasn’t happened yet. Please be patient, Princess, and don’t be impatient,” Hongqiao comforted her from the side. She now meets with Baizhi at the agreed place every few days to keep her informed of what’s happening on Fucha’s side.
"There's another matter, have you found out?" Fucha turned around, put down the small scissors in her hand, and washed her hands in the basin of water that Ping'er brought over.
“Oh, this servant has tried to ask the maids who serve Geng, but, but they don’t seem to know anything!” Hongqiao said cautiously, glancing at Fucha.
"That's why Madam Geng saw Hongzhou being personally escorted to the front courtyard; clearly, something was up," said Madam Fucha. It turned out that after the front courtyard primary school opened, Madam Geng had intended to discuss Hongzhou's matter with Lanqin, but the Fourth Prince had already sent word that Hongzhou should also attend the school. Madam Geng had no choice but to reluctantly send Hongzhou there.
“However, I did find out that this Lady Geng used to have a very good relationship with the South Courtyard, but for some reason, she hardly ever came to visit anymore,” Hongqiao said.
Lady Fucha picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said, "Continue the investigation! Perhaps I should visit the next concubine; maybe she knows something."
Hongqiao tensed up, afraid that she would discover her secret affair with Lady Nian, and quickly said, "Yes, the concubine and the princess are now one, and they will meet often."
When the mistress and servant arrived at the East Courtyard, Nian was tending to the flowers and plants.
Pots of colorful chrysanthemums filled the front courtyard of the main house in the east wing. Seeing Lady Fucha and her servants enter, Lady Nian greeted Lady Fucha, saying, "Sister, come quickly and help me see how to arrange these flowers."
With Hongqiao's help, Lady Fucha walked to Lady Nian's side, looked at the chrysanthemums of various colors, and said, "I didn't know there were so many colors of chrysanthemums. They are so beautiful."
Ms. Nian smiled proudly and said, "These were specially cultivated in the greenhouse. Their shapes and colors are all different, they're very beautiful!"
Lady Fucha said, "Nowadays, everyone in the flower room is thinking of recipes to please the concubine."
Ms. Nian smiled and said, "What brings you here today, little sister?"
Lady Fucha said, "My sister has something she doesn't understand and wanted to ask the Consort. The Consort arrived earlier than you, so she probably knows more than you."
Ms. Nian asked, "What does my sister want to know?"
"Sister, a few days ago I saw Lady Geng personally escort the Fifth Prince to the front courtyard, and she looked quite reluctant to part with him. I heard that Lady Geng and the South Courtyard used to have a very good relationship, but now they don't keep in touch. Do you know the reason behind this, sister?" Lady Fucha asked.
Ms. Nian smiled and said, "Come on, let's go inside and have some tea. I'll tell you slowly."
The two walked into the house hand in hand. After the maids served tea and snacks, they began to talk about Lady Geng. Lady Nian also told Lady Fucha about the Fifth Prince's true identity and mentioned the legend that the stars of literature and martial arts had descended to earth at their birth.
"No wonder Madam Geng looked like she was facing a life-or-death separation!" Madam Fucha said, suppressing the shock in her heart.
“That’s right. Lady Geng is quite plain-looking. How could the Prince favor her? Now the Fifth Prince is already her son,” Lady Nian said.
"Is that so? Nan Xiaoyuan is actually willing to give her life to someone else to support her?" Fucha said.
"I don't know. She actually had two sons. Heaven is so unfair. A woman like her, who would do such a thing to prevent others from getting pregnant, actually got four children," Madam Nian said meaningfully.
Upon hearing this, Lady Fucha seemed to recall her medicinal soup, and her face immediately turned pale as if she had been pricked with a needle.
"Oh dear, look at my mouth! I shouldn't have said something that would upset my sister," Mrs. Nian immediately said, feigning apology.
"It's nothing. I've always been clear about right and wrong. I will never forget who wronged me," Fucha said through gritted teeth. Nian, standing to the side, took in the fierce look that flashed across her face.
"Sister, why are you inquiring about Lady Geng? Do you intend to use her feelings for the Fifth Prince to deal with the South Courtyard?" Lady Nian probed.
"I haven't thought of anything yet, but the more we know about the enemy, the better we can counter them. Niohuru is not perfect; if we can find her weakness, we can defeat her. As the saying goes, strike the snake at its seven inches," said Fucha.
年氏很满意富察氏对兰琴的仇恨，她乐得在一旁看好戏开场。于是，年氏便跟富察氏讲了许多兰琴的事情，从她与福晋的恩怨开始说，讲了她们每一次相争的结果，最后讲到了两个阿哥的出生等。
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