“Otherwise, I’ll keep an eye on Lady Li, and you can keep an eye on Lady Niu. If you need my assistance, just tell me. However, Lady Niu’s influence isn’t deep yet, so removing her from the master’s heart won’t be too difficult. Lady Li, on the other hand, has given birth to the Second Princess, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince. She is my real threat. The incident with Honghui and the Fourth Prince’s drowning are both inextricably linked to this woman. I must catch her red-handed. Otherwise, it won’t be so easy when the next opportunity comes.” The princess said heavily, as if she couldn’t sleep a wink whenever she thought about how the First Prince’s death was a setup.
That day, the Fourth Prince took her to the palace to pay their respects to Emperor Kangxi and Consort De. Consort De's words were still vivid in her mind. Honghui had passed away, and as the primary consort, she had to be magnanimous and tolerant, treating the illegitimate son as her own. She had to maintain the peace of the Fourth Prince's household, and she had to be neither jealous nor biased, doing everything a primary consort should do.
On the way back in the carriage, the Fourth Prince took her hand and said, "Let's have another legitimate son."
It was these words that prevented the Fujin from succumbing to the overwhelming grief of Honghui's death; she never expected that the Fourth Prince would say such a thing.
Regardless of the Fourth Prince's purpose, those words acted like a shot in the arm, giving the Fujin the strength and confidence to continue being the primary Fujin.
"Good, it would be great if what Fangyun developed could be of use. If Niu Shi's skin gets rotten, I'm afraid Master won't want to see her anymore." Yan Yu hadn't served the Fourth Master for quite some time, and it seemed she hadn't been able to see him since returning. Seeing Lan Qin receive the Fourth Master's favor before her, she was already driven almost mad with jealousy towards Lan Qin.
"You must be careful before you act. Now that Geng Shi knows, if you use her again, you'll only be inviting trouble. Be extremely careful when dealing with Niu Shi. You know how much the master cares for her. Don't touch her unless you're absolutely certain." The Fujin had already made her move several times, and each time Lanqin had managed to escape danger. Was it just luck?
"Don't worry, elder sister, Yu'er will be careful. Elder sister, what do you think of Geng Shi?" Yan Yu asked.
"Geng has always been low-key and cautious. Even I, the Fujin, have never been able to find any fault with her. Are you trying to win her over?" Fujin glanced at Yan Yu and asked.
“Exactly. Although Geng is low-key, Yan Yu observed her words and actions and realized that she is actually a cunning person. Although she is on good terms with Niu, she did not speak up when I confronted Niu. On the contrary, Song, who is usually silent, suddenly spoke up. Therefore, I think Geng is only superficially on good terms with Niu,” Yan Yu said.
The princess nodded and said coldly, "How many of the women who can survive in this inner quarters are simple-minded?"
Yan Yu fiddled with the colorful tourmaline beads on her fair wrist and said softly, "Then I'll go try it. Eldest sister, do you know anything about the Geng family?"
The princess said, "His father, Geng Dejin, was a commander under Bo Gu in the Northeast Camp. He was a Han soldier, but I don't know anything else about him."
Yan Yu said in a cold voice, "Elder sister, why don't we have Father send someone to investigate her family background? If you want to control someone, you have to find out about her background first."
The Fujin raised an eyebrow and said doubtfully, "Can you really persuade Geng Shi? She is an extremely peaceful person, at least that's how I see her."
Yan Yu continued, "Then let Father investigate thoroughly. I believe everyone has their weaknesses."
The princess nodded in agreement without saying anything. Yan Yu sat in the princess's room for a while, then, supported by Yun Yuan, she left the main courtyard and went to the small garden outside the west courtyard to admire the flowers.
The layout of the Fourth Prince's mansion is actually square. The east and west courtyards were where the Fourth Prince's concubines and various princesses lived, respectively. The front courtyard was the Fourth Prince's residence, and the south courtyard was a small house in the southeast corner of the front courtyard, where Lanqin lived. The north courtyard was the main courtyard, corresponding to the Fourth Prince's front courtyard. In the middle were the garden, various small gardens, pavilions, and waterside terraces.
Yan Yu, supporting Yun Yuan's hand, led her to a small garden. There, they saw that the autumn hibiscus were in full bloom, their snow-white stamens swaying gently in the autumn breeze.
"Princess, how about I accompany you to apologize to Princess Niu?" A voice came from behind the hibiscus bushes.
“Alright, I think I’ll go see Lanqin another day. Besides, I didn’t do anything. I just didn’t say those words like Madam Song did, so why should I apologize?” Madam Geng’s voice rang out as expected.
“I’m afraid that this will make Princess Niu feel distant from you,” said Lülan.
"I doubt it. Lanqin has always been cheerful, and I've known her the longest," said Madam Geng, sitting in the pavilion, embroidering on a hoop.
“But since Niu Gege returned, she hasn’t come to see you on her own initiative. In my opinion, Niu Gege is not as enthusiastic towards you as you are,” Green Orchid said in a low voice.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Every time I go to Lanqin’s, she shares the best food and toys with me. How can she be anything but enthusiastic? Lülan, I only allow you to speak freely in front of me because you are my personal maid, but I don’t want to hear such words a second time.” Madam Geng’s voice became stern. She rarely scolded Lülan.
"Yes, this servant will not dare to do it again next time," Green Orchid replied.
Upon hearing this, Yan Yu and her servant walked over the hibiscus bushes and immediately saw Geng Shi and her servant sitting in the pavilion embroidering.
"Sister Geng, why must you compromise like this? In my opinion, Madam Niu doesn't care about you at all. Otherwise, I never heard Madam Niu mention you once on the way out with Fourth Master." Yan Yu said this deliberately to sow discord between Madam Geng and Nie. In fact, she rarely met Lan Qin, so how would she know if Lan Qin had mentioned Madam Geng?
Green Lan's lips moved, but mindful of Geng's reprimand earlier, she dared not say anything more.
Madam Geng's expression froze for a moment, then she smiled again and said, "I heard that many things happened to my sister on her journey. It doesn't matter whether she mentions me or not."
Yan Yu continued, "Actually, you're a smart woman, and I love dealing with smart people. It's not difficult for you to get the master's attention. As long as my elder sister makes a few arrangements, it'll be much more reliable than you relying on the Niu family. You clearly have a bright path to take, but you insist on crossing that narrow bridge. It really makes me worry about you."
Geng put down her embroidery frame, stood up, and said to Lülan, "I feel a little tired. Help me back."
Then, she walked to Yan Yu's side and said to her, "Sister, please sit here a little longer. I won't keep you company any longer."
Yan Yu persisted, saying, "Okay, when you have time, you can come to the main courtyard to talk to your elder sister. She really likes it when you come."
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