"This servant...this servant doesn't know how the little prince caught a cold again..." The wet nurse couldn't help but kneel down in fright, and then everyone else knelt down as well.
Inside the room, only the Fourth Prince and his wife were standing, while Yan Yu was sitting on the edge of the young prince's bed.
"Doctor Wu, I think you should brew some medicine for the young prince. The two wet nurses and maids who are in charge of taking care of the young prince should each be given twenty strokes of the cane. They should serve the young prince first, and once he recovers, they can go and receive their punishments," said the Fourth Prince.
No one dared to refuse. Doctor Wu glanced at Yan Yu and immediately led Chun Tao out to get the medicine and prepare it.
The Princess Consort and the Fourth Prince watched over the young prince for a while before preparing to leave. After all, their presence wouldn't help the young prince; as long as he took his medicine on time and received careful care, he should be fine.
"My lord, why don't you stay and keep the young prince company? He hasn't spent any time with you yet. They say children are only happy when they see their parents, and now that he's ill, I feel truly sorry for him. If you stay here with him, the young prince might recover faster," the princess suddenly said.
Upon hearing this, Yan Yu immediately added, "That's right! The little prince and princess are really hoping their father will come and hold them and smile at them." Actually, these tiny babies only sleep and eat all day; they don't recognize anyone. Right now, their closest relative is naturally their wet nurse.
The Fourth Prince had originally planned to go to Lanqin's place, but now that he saw what the Princess Consort said, he felt that what she said made sense, so he agreed.
Yan Yu was overjoyed. She glanced at the Fujin (principal wife), then picked up the little princess who had already woken up, walked to the Fourth Prince, and said to her, "Hailan, come and see, your father has come to see you."
The little girl looked quite like the Fourth Master, with big eyes, jet-black pupils, and snow-white sclera. Surprisingly, she wasn't shy around the unfamiliar faces and smiled at the Fourth Master.
Well, this is a real father after all. It seems daughters are indeed their fathers' lovers from a past life.
Fourth Master took the child from Yan Yu's arms. He had never held a child before, and this was his first time. He was quite nervous.
Su Peisheng watched from the side, thinking to himself: Well, I guess we won't be able to go to the South Courtyard today.
Sure enough, because he was worried about the young prince and Hailan was with him, the Fourth Prince sent Su Peisheng to deliver a message that they would not be having dinner at the South Courtyard today.
Lanqin's belly was big and round. Gengshi and Songshi were talking with her when Su Peisheng sent a little eunuch to convey the Fourth Prince's message.
Lanqin agreed and asked Nianxue to give the little eunuch a bunch of grapes from the courtyard. She noticed that he was sweating profusely when he came to deliver the message.
Lanqin's grape trellis is laden with purple and green grapes, each the size of a cat's eye, and it's a delight to look at.
Right now, the three sisters are sitting at the eight-immortal table set up in the yard, enjoying the cool air. On the table are grapes, apples, candied fruit, and other things that pregnant women love to eat.
"I heard that the young prince of that family is in trouble, and he has summoned his wife and the fourth prince. Is the prince staying with the child at her place right now?" Geng said.
"Sister's information network is quite impressive," Lanqin said nonchalantly. Fourth Master certainly wasn't just hers; he had other children to care for. As long as she was the most special one in his heart, wasn't that enough?
"I heard it from the servant who pounds medicine for Doctor Wu. Speaking of which, this young prince seems to have always been in poor health, getting sick every few days," said Madam Geng.
"Let's see how lucky he is. It's strange, this young prince doesn't seem as good as the young princess, and he was born first." Madam Song's complexion has improved a lot recently, perhaps because the Fourth Prince spends four or five times a month with her. She thought she would never be able to enjoy his favor again, but unexpectedly, she has seen the Fourth Prince again.
“Sister Song is right. Hey, look, Sister Song’s outfit today is really beautiful!” Lanqin suddenly changed the subject.
Today, Song was dressed in a light blue double-breasted gown with a moon-white skirt. Her hair was styled in a soft, updo, and she wore a pair of butterfly tassel hairpins on each side. The style was quite exquisite, and it was clear that this was not the usual attire of a princess.
"Yes, sister, those butterfly tassel hairpins on your head are so beautiful. Would you be willing to give one to your younger sister?" Madam Geng teased with a smile.
When the two women spoke to her, Madam Song blushed. Indeed, the pair of hairpins were a recent gift from the Fourth Prince.
"Take it, you silly girl, you can wear your sister's things." Madam Song tried to take off the hairpin on the left, but Madam Geng pressed her down with one hand.
“It was just a joke with my sister, why did you take it so seriously? She looks really good in them, they were meant to be a pair, it wouldn’t be good if they were separated,” said Madam Geng.
“Sister Geng is absolutely right. However, Sister Song, I heard Master mention the eldest princess’s marriage the other day. Sister, you must be careful. At this time, as her birth mother, you still have a say. You must try to secure where the eldest princess marries,” Lanqin said.
Oh dear, this damn feudal society! Girls start talking about marriage at the age of eleven or twelve. Song is only thirty. In a few more years, she might become a grandmother.
Upon hearing this, Madam Song's smile faded, and she said seriously, "Sister, judging from what Master means, what family does he intend to marry the eldest princess to?"
Clearly, Fourth Master did not mention it to Madam Song.
Sigh, he didn't mention it to his birth mother, he'll probably mention it to his wife.
"Master means to arrange a marriage for the eldest princess as soon as possible, so that she won't have to marry far away in the future," Lanqin said, patting Song's hand reassuringly.
“That’s true. Who knows, if we need to arrange another marriage in the future, our eldest princess is the master’s eldest daughter, and she’s reached the right age,” said Madam Geng.
"Sister Song, what are your thoughts? I reckon the master has already mentioned it to the Fujin (wife)," Lanqin said.
Madam Song's gaze darkened, and she said, "What good intentions could she possibly have! Seeing that I am on good terms with my sister and the others, I'm afraid she'll do something for the eldest princess. No, I have to ask the master about this. As her birth mother, I should at least have a say when it comes to my daughter's marriage."
Upon hearing that it concerned the eldest princess, Song's gentle nature was immediately overwhelmed by her maternal instincts.
Lanqin smiled and nodded, saying, "Sister, this matter depends on the timing. You keep an eye out, and I'll keep an eye out for you too. It would be best to arrange a marriage for our eldest princess in the capital."
Madam Song nodded gratefully, but her earlier ease was ultimately dampened by her worry about the eldest princess's marriage.
"Let's order food. Since they're not coming today, the three of us can eat together," Lanqin said.
"Okay, it's no fun eating alone at home. Let's have some fun as a trio," Geng said, clapping her hands. Since she came to terms with herself, she hadn't been the same as before; instead, she seemed to have changed her personality and become more lively. How one lives is up to oneself. Since one can't have everything, one might as well live a more carefree life.
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