In the following days, the Third Prince continued his usual routine, frequently visiting Lady Yin and also occasionally going to Lanqin's place. Lanqin had already learned that the letter was no longer legible, which further confirmed Lady Yin's involvement in the matter.
The Third Prince was still unsure if Lady Yin had any connection to the letter. Lanqin wasn't in a hurry to bring up Lady Yin either. She simply agreed with the Third Prince to first find the maids who served in Lady Li's room.
That day, Nianxue invited the head nanny to the South Courtyard, ostensibly to discuss the delivery room arrangements with Lanqin. It was common knowledge that although the Fujin (princess's wife) was the head of the household, the head nanny wielded far more power than her. For instance, the head nanny arranged the residences of the various masters and the appointments of all personnel.
"This old servant greets Princess Niu, may Your Highness be blessed!" The head nanny bowed to Lanqin as usual.
"Granny, please don't stand on ceremony. Nianxue, please take a seat!" Lanqin, heavily pregnant, sat on the main couch.
"This old servant thanks Princess Xie. Princess, you must be almost eight months pregnant." The head nanny looked at the belly and felt that it was probably a son.
Lanqin smiled slightly as she noticed the head nanny's gaze lingering on her belly, and gestured for Xicha to serve tea.
The head maid picked up the teacup, opened the tea bowl, and smelled it once; she knew it was good tea.
"Is the nanny wondering whether Lanqin is carrying a boy or a girl?" Lanqin asked.
Seeing that Lanqin had seen through her thoughts, the head nanny laughed heartily and said, "Does Your Highness mind this old servant guessing whether it's a man or a woman?"
In the backyard, although the head matriarch wielded considerable power, she was still ultimately a servant. The mistress's pregnancy was naturally not something a servant could speculate about.
"It's just a guess, what's wrong with that? In any case, whether Lanqin's baby is a boy or a girl is not something that can be changed by the head nanny's guesses," Lanqin said frankly.
The head nanny knew long ago that this little princess was straightforward, had no airs towards the servants, and knew how to get along with people; indeed, her words were pleasant to hear.
"It would be best if the princess's delivery room were close to your bedroom. In my opinion, let's arrange it in the room on the left side." Seeing that Lanqin spoke so readily, the head nanny also spoke directly.
Currently, this room on the left has always been Lanqin's "storage room," where she stuffs whatever she has into it. Actually, that room isn't much smaller than the bedroom.
"The delivery room can be arranged by the head nanny. Lanqin invited the head nanny here today because there are things to discuss." Lanqin didn't believe in those things about the fusion of heaven and earth, or the rules of arranging things on the east, west, left, and right sides, and left those matters to the head nanny.
"I wonder what the princess has to discuss with this old servant?" The head nanny immediately perked up. Since this princess entered the manor, she hadn't really sought her out much. She had observed her for a long time and saw that the princess was someone who didn't like to cause trouble and was good at entertaining herself.
"Lanqin wants to know about three people from Granny: the maids of the late Madam Li, one named Xiangqiao, one named Que'er, and the other named Mingyan. Does Granny know where these three are?" Lanqin asked.
The head nanny's expression hardened slightly. She thought for a moment about why Lanqin had asked these people. Back then, when the Fourth Master dealt with Li Shi, it was indeed she who dealt with the people in her courtyard.
"Reporting to Your Highness, Mingyan was released by the Fujin (principal wife) because she was a maid who came with Li's family as part of her dowry. Xiangqiao and Que'er were both assigned by the Imperial Household Department, and according to the Fourth Prince's wishes, both of them were also released," said the head nanny.
"These two women are only twenty-five years old, why were they released?" Lanqin felt relieved, thinking: As long as they are still alive, they can be found.
"This is all the master's will. As for the others, they will all be reassigned to this old servant's side and their places will be changed," the head nanny said.
"Granny, Lanqin has a favor to ask. Could you please tell me where Xiangqiao and Que'er are?" Lanqin said, seeing that the head nanny was looking at her.
"Princess, may I ask why you wish to know the whereabouts of these two women?" the head nanny said again. "Princess is about to give birth, so it would be best if you didn't think about such unnecessary things."
Lanqin knew that the head nanny had misunderstood, but she couldn't tell her directly, after all, the head nanny was the Fourth Prince's confidante.
“You’re overthinking it, Granny. It’s because the Third Prince mentioned these people, saying they were his mother’s most trusted maids. He wanted to ask them about Li Shi. The Third Prince is only seven years old after all. Perhaps he misses his mother and wants to see if they have any of Li Shi’s belongings. It’s a keepsake,” Lanqin said.
“Princess, Li Shi has already been removed from the master's list of names, so she shouldn't be mentioned anymore. The Third Prince misses his birth mother; it's truly pitiful. This old woman doesn't want to break the rules of the manor, so I'll just tell you where one of them is. Alas, this woman is truly unfortunate. Leaving the manor, she's fallen to such a state; if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would be hard to believe,” said the head nanny. She was naturally allowed to leave the manor for various matters, and was actually more free than Lanqin, who was practically a mistress.
"I would like to hear the details," Lanqin said.
"It's that girl named Que'er. Her family was a poor Manchu family in the suburbs of Beijing. After she was sent away from the mansion, her brother and sister-in-law couldn't tolerate her. She probably had nowhere else to go, so she ended up in a brothel."
The so-called "music officials" were courtesans and entertainers who made a living through their talents. Some were prostitutes, and some were entertainers; there was no clear distinction between the two. In the Qing Dynasty, the government strictly prohibited patronizing courtesans and entertainers, but the demand was too great, so music halls were allowed to open, providing entertainment for high-ranking officials, wealthy merchants, and other affluent individuals. To put it bluntly, it was somewhat similar to the "Heaven on Earth" nightclubs of the 21st century.
"How did you end up in that kind of place?" Lanqin frowned. Could it be that she was sold there by her own brother?
"Alas, this old woman only heard it from someone. Someone in the manor said they saw her in such a place." The head nanny was very particular about rules and a clean background. It was a disgrace to the Fourth Prince's manor for a woman to leave this manor and go to such a place.
“I’m afraid we’ve lost our livelihood, but we should have had some savings before. Even if we went out, we shouldn’t have ended up in such a state,” Lanqin said.
After learning about Que'er from the head nanny, Lanqin wondered how she could meet Que'er.
There was no way she could leave the manor, and there was no capable person in the courtyard. Besides, how could a woman go to such a place?
"Princess, I do have a way to see Que'er." Nianxue saw that Lanqin was frowning, clearly troubled by what the head nanny had just said.
"What method?" Lanqin asked, looking up.
“Isn’t she an actress? We can just invite her to the manor to perform,” Nianxue said.
“That’s right, look at me, I’m so pregnant, my brain isn’t working so well anymore. Yes, the music hall also performs for high-ranking officials and nobles.” Lanqin said with a smile.
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