“My surname is Qiu, and I am the one who guards the chrysanthemum garden,” Qiu Mama said quickly.
“Alright, you may go ahead and think about it. Once I have informed the Fujin (princess), I will come looking for you,” Lingxiu said.
After the two parted, Lingxiu went to the room where the coal had just been distributed as usual and asked them to send some red charcoal to Fujin.
When Lingxiu returned to the main courtyard, she saw Hongshi, who was already sixteen years old, coming out of the Fujin's room and coming towards her.
"Aunt Xiu, Mother is looking for you." Hongshi had grown a head taller than Lingxiu, and his handsome face resembled that of Li Shi, who had passed away many years ago. In the past seven years, Hongshi had been under the tutelage of renowned teachers hired by the Fourth Master, and had received high praise from his teachers, who said that he was knowledgeable and had a good memory, and that his writing was also excellent. The Fourth Master had also focused on cultivating Hongshi.
"Yes, thank you for informing me, Second Prince," Lingxiu said to Hongshi. After Hongshi walked past her, presumably heading to his room, Lingxiu turned her gaze away and quickened her pace to enter the main room.
Fourth Princess Consort was still wearing a light blue cheongsam, but the color looked a bit older than before. She wore a blue jade hairpin, and her face, which was no longer young, had become thinner. There were fine lines at the corners of her eyes and on her forehead, and her eyes were no longer as sharp as they used to be.
"Madam, I went to the front courtyard and got some red charcoal. Is there something you need from me?" Lingxiu asked. She was now the head maidservant by Madam's side and no longer specifically served Madam's daily life.
"Oh, you saw Hongshi just now, didn't you?" The Fujin waved to the two maids standing in the room, signaling them to leave. The Fujin always avoided speaking to these maids; it had become a habit of hers over the years.
“I see, the Second Prince has grown taller again. Consort, the Second Prince seems very filial?” Lingxiu said.
"Is it just appearances? He is quite filial to his wife, so it's not like I raised him for nothing all these years." The wife said with a slight smile.
“Yes, even though the Princess Consort has the Second Prince, she will still be the Fourth Princess Consort of the Yong Prince’s Mansion. In the future, she will be the Empress!” Lingxiu’s eyes lit up when she said those two words. If the Princess Consort becomes the Empress, it means that she will be the most important person by the Empress’s side.
"Hehe, then we must help the Second Prince win over his father's favor. Right now, Hongshi's marriage is a very important matter," said the Fujin.
"Didn't the Second Prince get engaged to the second daughter of the Irgen Gioro family a few years ago? Her grandfather was a first-rank Grand Minister of the Interior, and her father was a third-rank Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. Their family is quite wealthy," Lingxiu said.
“But she is only the second daughter, and she is the legitimate daughter born to a second wife, which cannot be compared with the legitimate eldest daughter born to the first wife. It is best not to arrange this marriage,” the Fujin said with a stern face.
“Don’t want it? Your Highness has already made a verbal agreement with that old man Irgen. If you go back on your word like this, they might have something to say, and besides, Your Highness might not be willing either,” Lingxiu said.
“Verbal agreements are unreliable and can be returned if one is unwilling. I have a niece who is thirteen years old this year, and she is a perfect match for Hongshi!” said the Fujin.
Lingxiu was shocked. So that's what the Fujin was planning. She wanted to marry her niece to Hongshi, so that she would be both mother-in-law and aunt, making them even closer relatives.
“Madam, it won’t be easy for you to get the Prince to change his mind. We can’t see him easily these days, so how can we change his mind?” Lingxiu felt that Madam was just being wishful. If the Fourth Prince didn’t agree, it would be difficult for her to arrange a marriage between relatives.
“With Father still alive and Inge having already inherited the title of Duke of England, what’s wrong with his legitimate daughter?” the Fujin said.
"Madam, is this the Duke of Ying's idea?" Lingxiu asked hurriedly.
“Of course, how could he not want to marry another daughter from the Ulanara family?” the Fujin said, a glint of light flashing in her eyes, which she quickly concealed.
“Madam, why don’t we let the Second Prince speak to the Prince himself? After all, this is the Second Prince’s own marriage. Wouldn’t it be better if he himself took a liking to Miss?” Lingxiu said.
Upon hearing this, the Fujin nodded and said, "That makes sense. Then I will write a letter and ask my niece to come to the manor for a short stay immediately."
Lingxiu nodded, remembering the old woman named Qiu, and said to the Fujin, "Fujin, I saw an old woman in the front yard today. She was the old woman who guarded the Chrysanthemum Garden. Do you remember a maid named Shuiling?"
The princess raised an eyebrow and said disdainfully, "Isn't she just that maid who successfully climbed into the bed of someone else?"
“Exactly. Today, Qiu Mama went to beg the charcoal distributor to exchange some black charcoal for her. But she was refused,” Lingxiu said.
The princess consort pondered, "You want me to help her? She's just a concubine, and she doesn't even have the prince's favor. What would I do with her?"
“Madam, don’t forget, she’s been a first-class maidservant who has served that person for six or seven years. She knows him better than you do. If you secretly help her, she might bring you something unexpected,” Lingxiu said.
"Competing for favor is impossible now. My greatest hope now is Hongshi. It doesn't seem worthwhile to win over an unfavored concubine," the Fujin said, somewhat disagreeing.
“Madam, Shui Ling is a woman who can climb into someone’s bed, so she must be bold and cunning. She is currently in dire straits, and if you help her at this time, she will definitely be grateful. Besides, supporting her would only make enemies for the South Courtyard,” Lingxiu said.
Perhaps it was the last sentence that had the effect, because the Fujin finally agreed to Lingxiu's idea. She had Lingxiu take a maid and secretly deliver a basket of red charcoal to Shuiling, who lived in the Chrysanthemum Garden.
After returning home, Qiu's mother told Shui Ling about Lingxiu, which startled her. After thanking Qiu's mother, Shui Ling nestled in her not-so-warm quilt, lost in thought.
The Fujin wanted to extend an olive branch? But she was by no means a kind person; just think of all the women she had used, all of whom met tragic ends. Shui Ling couldn't help but shudder and rejected the idea of contacting the Fujin.
But before she could even think about it, Lingxiu, accompanied by a maid carrying a basket of charcoal, quietly entered the Chrysanthemum Garden as dusk fell.
Because Qiu Mama was worried about Shui Ling, she took the initiative to ask Zhang Mama to let her go to bed early. So when Ling Xiu and the little maid came, Qiu Mama immediately opened the door for them and led them into Shui Ling's room.
After having dinner, Shui Ling felt sleepy and had already gone to bed.
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