The Fourth Prince was still young, and the sudden death of Lady Li did not have much impact on him. Lady Li had spent little time on the child since he was born, and even once used his falling into the water to attract the Fourth Prince's attention.
The Second Princess was almost ten years old, and the Third Prince was six. Naturally, they were more affected by their mother's sudden death than the Fourth Prince. Although the Second Princess had been raised in the main courtyard for a long time, during the years when Lady Li was favored, the Second Princess often returned to visit her. Sometimes, the four of them—the Fourth Prince, Lady Li, the Second Princess, and the Third Prince—would spend many harmonious days together. At one point, Lady Li almost asked the Fourth Prince to let the Second Princess, Elinzhu, return to her side. The Fourth Prince naturally objected. Firstly, his wife had raised Elinzhu since childhood, and although she wasn't his biological daughter, the affection they had for each other over the years couldn't be easily taken away. Secondly, the Fourth Prince also considered Elinzhu's feelings; she had grown up with his wife and long considered herself her daughter. Suddenly asking her to move out wouldn't necessarily be good for her.
One day after Li's sudden death, the Second Princess suddenly developed a high fever, which greatly frightened the First Princess, who was with her day and night.
The second princess's wet nurse immediately informed the princess's wife.
"Dr. Zhou has already prescribed medicine, but it's useless for her?" Ever since the Fourth Prince arrived, the Fujin has been preoccupied with him and has shown even less concern for her two concubine daughters.
"The Second Princess's illness is quite severe, sometimes relapsed and sometimes worsened, which is really hard to fathom." The Second Princess's wet nurse, Granny Meng, carefully observed the Princess's expression, afraid that she would blame them, the servants, for not taking good care of the Second Princess.
Just after the Fujin heard Li Mama's report, the person who went in to deliver the potted plants reported that Niu Shi had indeed not used the charcoal, saying that she had a dream in which someone told her not to use it, so she did not use it.
Hearing this news, the Fujin was already in a bad mood. Now, seeing Meng Mama come to talk to her about the Second Princess, she coldly said, "How have you servants been taking care of the Second Princess? Go find Doctor Zhou again and have him prescribe more medicine. I am not a doctor, so it will be of no use for me to go."
Granny Meng had come to report this because she was afraid of being scolded by the Princess Consort, and she wanted the Princess Consort to make a decision. But what she got in return was some words. Naturally, she had a decision in mind, so she curtsied and left.
After she left, Granny Li said to the Princess Consort, "Princess Consort, this old servant feels that at this moment, you should not ignore the Second Princess. Instead, you should have someone serve the Second Princess properly."
The Fujin was displeased that Lanqin had not fallen for the disease, and upon hearing Li Mama's words, she frowned and said, "She's just a little maid, sickly and weak. It's a waste of all the good food and drink I've provided for her all these years."
Li Mama sighed and said with a heavy heart, "Madam, you should go and see the Second Princess. She probably heard about her birth mother's sudden death and is having a hard time accepting it, which is why she fell ill. And most importantly, we can't let the Fourth Prince think that Madam has mistreated the two children that Madam left in the main courtyard."
Perhaps it was that last sentence that reminded the Fujin that she couldn't let the Fourth Prince feel that the Second Princess and the Fourth Prince were being mistreated by staying with her at this time.
“What you say is absolutely right, Madam. Let’s go see the Second Princess while the Fourth Prince is taking his afternoon nap.” The Princess Consort was now doting on the Fourth Prince as if he were her own flesh and blood, just like she had doted on the First Prince back then.
The Fujin, supported by Granny Li, arrived at the Second Princess's room, where a strong smell of Chinese medicine wafted through the air. Granny Meng and two maids who served the Second Princess took turns caring for her, but the latter remained unconscious and had a persistent high fever.
"Elinzhu, my good child, you still have your mother here, don't be afraid." The Fujin walked to the Second Princess's bedside, sat on the edge of the bed, and took her small hand that was sticking out of the quilt.
When Granny Meng saw that the Fujin (principal wife) was finally willing to come and see the Second Princess, she was so happy that she hurriedly urged the two maids to brew the medicine, while she stood beside Granny Li and watched the Fujin comfort the Second Princess.
The second princess slowly opened her eyes and said with her mouth slightly moving, "Mother, don't worry, Zhu'er is alright."
When the Princess Consort saw that the Second Princess had woken up, she was overjoyed and said, "Go and bring the Second Princess a cup of warm tea. Good child, get well soon, so that you and your elder sister can write and embroider for your stepmother."
The Second Princess felt so sad that she could hardly breathe when she thought of Li's sudden death. After all, she was a ten-year-old girl, and she couldn't possibly be indifferent to the life and death of her birth mother.
"Mother, will I never see you again?" The Second Princess was in her most vulnerable state at this moment. She would never normally mention Li Shi in front of the Fujin.
“Good child, your mother has passed away. But she has entrusted you to your stepmother in the end. Your stepmother will definitely treat you well and find you a good husband in the future.” The princess said softly, raising her hand to brush away the stray hairs that were damp and stuck to the second princess’s forehead due to the high fever, and then touched her tender face.
Tears streamed down her face as her delicate eyelashes trembled. Having heard of her birth mother's passing, the Second Princess was already half a grown-up, and it was impossible for her to remain completely indifferent to Li's sudden death. Hearing it from the Fujin's mouth, she couldn't help but burst into tears.
The Fujin (Prince Consort) didn't actually have much maternal affection for the Second Princess. She only adopted her because of the Li family's status. At the time, she arranged for wet nurses and maids to care for the two sisters. After giving birth to the First Prince, the Fujin showed even less personal care to her two illegitimate daughters, merely listening to the reports from the head maid every day.
At that moment, the Fujin felt a surge of disgust upon seeing the Second Princess crying for the woman who had caused her to lose her only son.
However, she couldn't scold the Second Princess at this moment. On the contrary, she should fulfill her responsibilities and have the magnanimity of a legitimate mother.
She absolutely must not let the Fourth Master see even the slightest bit of her mistreatment of Li's two children.
With this powerful thought in mind, she removed the handkerchief from her chest and kept wiping away the Second Princess's tears, saying words of comfort to her.
Just then, the dull sound of boots echoed outside. It was the Fourth Prince, who had finished dealing with both palace and household affairs. He had heard that the Second Princess hadn't been feeling well for several days and had been preoccupied with her. He was also considering that the recent passing of Lady Li had been a significant blow to the Second Princess and the Third Prince. Sure enough, the Second Princess had fallen ill, and after confiding in the Fourth Prince, the Third Prince felt much better.
"How is Erlinzhu?" The Fourth Prince appeared in the room and saw his wife sitting on the edge of the bed, wiping away the Second Princess's tears with a handkerchief.
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