When Fourth Master left the South Courtyard, he left with the words, "Come over for dinner tonight," and then departed. Lanqin, dressed in her undergarments with her long black hair cascading down to her waist, leaned against the doorframe, watching the blue hem of his robe disappear around the corner.
Although the Fourth Prince didn't give her a clear answer last night, his last words probably implied that he might be able to have a monogamous marriage like in Western societies.
Isn't that just too intriguing?!
Lanqin's inner desire as a female fan of BL (Boys' Love) was satisfied to a certain extent.
"Princess, let me help you comb your hair and change your clothes!" Nianxue saw the languid and listless expression on Lanqin's face and knew that she was thinking about something that none of them could understand.
Lanqin said "Oh" and then followed Nianxue to change her clothes and comb her hair like a puppet on a string.
“Princess, I’d like to send Huanbi to the clothing workshop today. We can take this opportunity to check her room and see if there’s anything unusual.” Nianxue hadn’t slept well all night. She couldn’t sleep with one eye open until she got rid of Huanbi, this “traitor.”
"Well, I'll leave this to you. Don't be too obvious until you have concrete evidence," Lanqin said helplessly. She had no experience dealing with servants; in the past, she would sever ties with those who betrayed her. But now, she was the mistress, and she had absolutely no experience in handling such matters.
At this moment, Xicha walked in from outside and said to Lanqin, "Princess, the tailor has delivered a snow fox fur cloak. Princess, it's so beautiful. The embroiderer is waiting outside; she wants to let you try it on yourself to see if it fits."
When Lanqin heard that the snow fox fur cloak was finished, she immediately became interested. It is said that this kind of fur was worth tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, in the 21st century.
"It's freezing cold, let her come in and warm up quickly, I'll be right out," Lanqin instructed.
Nianxue styled Lanqin's hair into a small double bun, casually adorned her with a few red silk flowers, and added teardrop-shaped pearl earrings to her ears. Paired with a light lotus-colored cloud-patterned cotton robe, she looked charming and clever.
The embroiderer, carrying a large bundle, followed Xicha into the main room, while Lanqin happened to walk to the door of the side room.
"This old servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed!" The embroiderer had a very good impression of Lanqin. She was not picky, and was kind. Every time she brought her clothes, she would return the purse. She had no airs of a mistress, spoke politely, and was generous to others. Naturally, a servant would like such a mistress.
"Quickly, let me see that cloak." Lanqin walked impatiently to the embroiderer's side and grabbed the bundle from her hand.
Nianxue and Xicha walked over to the embroiderer's side, and the four of them opened the bundle together. The embroiderer personally lifted the snow fox cloak inside, and shook it as if displaying a rather proud work of art. The fox fur on it rippled and trembled slightly like duckweed on the waves.
It is pure white, without a single impurity. Its fur is glossy and feels incredibly soft and comfortable to the touch.
"Princess, try this on. It goes perfectly with your robe," the embroiderer said with a smile, trying to please her.
Lanqin nodded, and the embroiderer and Nianxue together draped the rather heavy snow fox fur cloak over Lanqin's shoulders. After the sash was fastened, Lanqin's complexion appeared three shades lighter, drawing admiration from the embroiderers.
"It fits the princess perfectly. This old servant has never seen anyone wear this snow fox cloak so well." The embroiderer's words were as sweet as honey. She knew in her heart that this princess had always been favored by the Fourth Prince, and this time the fur she was assigned was the best. Although the fur assigned to the Fujin was red fox, which was also of very good quality, it was still not as rare and precious as snow fox.
"Nianxue, give Zhang Xiuniang a purse. They must have put a lot of effort into making this coat." Lanqin felt a warm glow inside; fur was indeed very warm!
After Zhang Xiuniang took the purse, thanked her for the reward, and left, Lanqin became restless. She really wanted to go out and enjoy the snow scenery.
It was already the coldest time of winter outside, and Lanqin had caught a cold from building a snowman, so Nianxue absolutely refused to let her go out again.
"How are your cotton-padded clothes coming along?" Lanqin, wearing a snow fox fur coat, stood under the eaves and looked up at the icicles hanging from the eaves.
"I just asked Zhang Xiuniang, and she said they're rushing to finish it," Nianxue replied, puzzled, when Lanqin suddenly asked about it.
"Go and have Huanbi check how the cotton-padded clothes are being made. It's so cold, and you don't have enough clothes. It wouldn't be good if you caught a cold," Lanqin said.
Nianxue glanced at Lanqin and nodded in agreement.
At this moment, the Fujin (principal wife) had summoned Li Shi and Yan Yu to the main courtyard for a conversation, naturally about what had happened the previous night. Yan Yu was still somewhat weak, but she had no choice but to come because she was a direct victim, and the Fujin had specially arranged for her to be carried in a sedan chair to be brought over.
The Fourth Prince had already heard about last night's events from the head nanny, and was now sitting with his wife on the main couch, listening to Lady Li recount the events of yesterday.
Doctor Zhou was naturally present; as the only doctor in the household, his words often carried significant weight.
"So, someone put safflower in that pot of tea. Everyone drank it, but safflower is very bad for pregnant women, so everyone except Yan Yu is fine?" Fourth Master asked Doctor Zhou after hearing Li's words.
"Yes, safflower is an herb that can promote blood circulation, regulate menstruation, remove blood stasis, and relieve pain. If pregnant women take it, it can cause miscarriage or even fetal distress. Fortunately, Princess Yan didn't drink much of that tea yesterday. After I found out, I immediately gave her a neutralizing medicine, which is how she managed to save the baby in her womb," Doctor Zhou replied carefully.
"Canlian, the tea was brewed by the people in your room, and they are all there. Now that this has happened, do you have anything to say?" Fourth Master turned to stare at Madam Li and asked.
Madam Li immediately straightened her back and said excitedly to the Fourth Prince and his wife, "My lord, I did not allow anyone to put anything in that pot of tea. Just think about it, if it were really me, I should have immediately sent someone to take away that pot of tea. Would anyone be so stupid as to leave themselves a clue?"
The princess's gaze swept coldly over Li Shi, staring into her eyes as she said, "What you said, Sister Li, seems to make some sense, but little do you know that there is a saying called 'the thief crying 'stop thief''?"
Ignoring the Fujin's provocation, Li Shi stood up with tears in her eyes, knelt down in front of the Fourth Prince, and said, "Your Majesty, I know that the red flower was found in my courtyard, and the person also had an accident in my courtyard. I do have an inescapable responsibility. But I really did not do those things. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty."
Seeing the woman who had been weighing on her heart for ten years kneeling less than three feet away from her, the Fujin felt an inexplicable sense of catharsis. She wished she could slap this woman a dozen times and then have her slowly sliced to death to avenge the grievances she had suffered for the past ten years.
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