"What are you doing here? Are you afraid she won't know me?" Madam Wu glared at Que'er warily. They had agreed beforehand to support each other, and either of them could use the other as a bargaining chip to resist the Fujin.
“As long as you say you don’t know, except for me, there’s no need for you to panic.” Que’er saw the panic in Wu’s eyes.
"Is there something you need?" Madam Wu knew that Que'er wouldn't come to see her for no reason.
"I've come to ask Your Highness for a favor. I want to be released from my status as an artist. Could Your Highness help me out?" Que'er knew that Wu's father was not an official in the capital, but he was said to be a military officer with considerable power, so he must have some money.
Relieved of her anxiety, Wu glanced at her and asked, "You've come to ask for money?"
Although she inwardly despised Que'er's shamelessness, knowing that Que'er was only there to ask for money and not for Li's sake, she naturally felt less nervous. When she initially suspected Wang's involvement, although she could have spoken to the Fourth Prince, she had no evidence, and Wang's denial would have been entirely futile, leaving her in the Fujin's eyes. Moreover, Li's usual disrespect for Wu and Wang, who were dependent on her, made her secretly pleased to see Li punished by the Fourth Prince.
Alas, this is the "friendship" between women in the inner quarters—merely for the sake of relying on favor. Once the other party is gone, the tree falls, and the birds and sparrows on it scatter.
When Que'er saw that she asked directly, she readily nodded and said, "Princess, you can't bear to see Que'er end up in the art gallery, can you?"
Looking at that bright yet shameless face, Madam Wu suppressed the anger in her heart and asked, "How much silver do you want?"
Que'er smiled gently, pursed her rose-red lips, and said, "Princess Wu's family is wealthy. I wonder if they would be willing to give Que'er five thousand taels of silver."
Wu narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "Five thousand taels? My monthly allowance is only thirty taels. Your demands are a bit too high."
Que'er's smile faded, and she said, "If the princess only had a few taels of silver as her allowance, how could she live so well? This servant sees that the furnishings in this room and the clothes on the princess's body and head are all beyond what a princess could afford. Look at Geng and Yin across the way, compared to the princess, they are simply too poor."
Although Wu was flattered like this, she felt no pride whatsoever. Instead, she felt a chill run down her spine, as if she were being stared at by a venomous snake.
"I don't have five thousand taels, but I do have three thousand taels. It's up to you whether you want it or not. Besides, if you push me too far..." Madam Wu knew that she was in the bird's clutches and couldn't avoid it even if she didn't give in, so she had no choice but to say this.
"What if you push her too far? If you dare to tell the master, Princess Wu knows all about the ways of the Fujin. She'll probably be unable to move under her control. Why should you be stingy with these five thousand taels of silver? I'll take the silver and head straight to the capital. I'll never set foot in the Fourth Prince's residence again. Don't worry, Princess, no one will mention that matter again. You won't be implicated." Que'er knew what Wu was worried about, and she spoke to her heart step by step.
Madam Wu stared at Que'er, pondering what she had just said, and could only nod helplessly.
Li Shi had fallen from power, but the Fujin (principal wife) hadn't touched her, which made Wu Shi uneasy. Wang Shi was already her woman; if she were to expose Wang Shi, it wouldn't do her any good and would only offend the Fujin. Wu Shi felt it was unnecessary, but this girl, Que'er, inadvertently discovered her thoughts. Wu Shi gritted her teeth and had no choice but to go into the inner room and take out her most treasured silver notes from her chest. These were all given to her by her mother; otherwise, how could she, a mere princess, live like this?
After taking the handkerchiefs embroidered by Geng, Lülan hurriedly left the west courtyard and headed towards the south courtyard.
Princess Gege kept an eye on the sparrow, and unexpectedly, she actually discovered her secret.
Green Lan was very unsettled, and she was walking almost at a jog.
Lanqin, along with Geng and Song, were playing cards while eating snacks.
Several personal maids were also serving behind their respective mistresses, except for Geng's personal maid, Lülan.
"Sister Geng, did you send Lülan to keep watch?" Lanqin asked suspiciously, as she hadn't seen Lülan return.
"Hmm. The reason why Que'er is so confident is probably because even the Fujin (principal wife) can't touch her. I just want to see who's behind her. Back then, Li Shi fell rather quickly. But everyone around her was fine." Geng Shi said meaningfully.
“Sister, you mean Wang and Wu? They used to rely on Li and were often neglectful of the Fujin. How come they are safe and sound after Li left?” Song asked.
“I’m afraid Wang is the Fujin’s person. Didn’t you see that every time she says something that could kill someone?” Lanqin said, holding a handful of playing cards.
"But didn't Lady Wang follow Lady Wu to join Lady Li? How did she become Lady Wang's woman?" Lady Song asked, puzzled.
“Sometimes, things aren’t always as they seem. Just because Lady Wang might have previously relied on Lady Li doesn’t mean she can’t rely on the Fujin again.” Lady Geng glanced outside and saw Lülan entering the courtyard.
Lanqin glanced at Madam Geng and said approvingly, "Sister Geng's eyes are always deep."
"Gege, Gege~~" Green Lan called out a few times before even entering the room.
"Come in quickly, and we can talk slowly." Madam Geng put down the cards in her hand.
"Nianxue, pour a cup of tea for Lülan," Lanqin immediately said to Nianxue behind her.
Nianxue quickly went to the high stool where the tea was kept, poured a cup of jasmine tea, and brought it to Lülan.
"Thank you, Princess Niu, thank you, Sister." Lülan took the tea and immediately picked it up to drink. She had been running all the way and her throat was so dry it was practically burning.
After finishing her tea, Lülan recovered and hurriedly said to Lanqin and the others, "I have been following Que'er and found that she actually went to our West Courtyard and then went into Wu Gege's room."
All three were startled. Madam Song couldn't help but say, "Que'er went to see Madam Wu? But Madam Wu has always been Madam Li's person, so it makes sense that she went to see Madam Wu."
Lanqin pondered for a moment, then slowly stood up from the table and said, "I feel that Madam Wu might know something. Why don't we go and visit Sister Wu together? Although she used to be a bit domineering and willful, she seems to be a straightforward person. Moreover, she has served Madam Li the longest, so the gap between her and the Fujin must be quite large. It's a bit strange that the Fujin seems to have forgotten about her now."
After thinking for a moment, Geng said, "Wu is much quieter than before. She stays in her room all day and doesn't come out much."
"Let's go see Princess Wu. It's boring for her to be all alone," Lanqin said casually.
After saying this, the three of them, each supported by their personal maid, left the South Courtyard and headed towards the West Courtyard.
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