A thunderclap resounded through the sky.
At this moment, the Fourth Master, sitting in the south courtyard, had a gloomy expression. Lanqin sat to one side of him, with Madam Song and Madam Geng below her. Sitting opposite Lanqin was Madam Wu, who had just told the Fourth Master what she knew about Madam Wang's speculations about Madam Li.
"Su Peisheng, summon Wang Shi!" Fourth Master jumped up from the couch and said to Lanqin, "You should rest here. With such a big belly, aren't you afraid of disturbing the baby by walking around?"
Lanqin knew he was angry because she had pretended to faint, but then she thought that he was also worried about her. Although his words were harsh, he cared about her.
"My lord, I am fine. Wasn't I implicated in the matter concerning Princess Yu? If I don't go, it might not be appropriate," Lanqin said as she slowly stood up with Nianxue's support.
"Go to the front yard, everyone." Fourth Master glanced at them, but didn't say anything, and strode out first.
Song, Wu, Geng, and Lanqin exchanged glances and then followed them out. Lanqin, supported by Nianxue and Xicha, walked slowly at the back.
When Zhao Quan saw that Su Peisheng was not there, he immediately ran over to serve the Fourth Master, but was scolded by him and forced to leave.
The Fourth Prince entered the study, a room that was usually off-limits to ordinary people. It was the first time for several of the princesses to enter this place. Although Lanqin had been here before, she rarely entered the study.
"Why don't you sit down right now?" Fourth Master's tone was still unpleasant, but it was also out of consideration for Lanqin.
Seeing that all the women were present, he had no choice but to say to them, "Please find a seat and sit down."
Meanwhile, Wang was resting in her room when Su Peisheng suddenly arrived, startling her so much that she quickly came out of the room.
"Oh, Master has ordered me to deliver a message to Consort Wang, requesting that you come to the main courtyard." Su Peisheng used to rarely come here; he usually sent his servants to deliver messages to Madam Song and Madam Wang. His personal visit today naturally aroused Madam Wang's suspicion.
"May I ask, sir, what is it that the master needs?" Madam Wang gave Hongying, who was serving her, a meaningful look. The latter understood and immediately went inside to fetch her purse.
"Please, Princess, follow me. I dare not inquire about my master's affairs." Su Peisheng spoke in a businesslike manner. He was always sparing with words when dealing with princesses who had no favor from the emperor, but he was not the type to fawn over the powerful. His tone was polite and his expression respectful.
"Father-in-law, take this and buy some tea." Madam Wang took the purse that Hongying had taken out and personally handed it to Su Peisheng.
"What are you doing, Princess? This servant is just a servant, I dare not accept your reward," Su Peisheng declined. He only accepted the purse because he was selective about who he accepted it from. Lanqin had given him many large purses before, and he hadn't refused them because he knew Lanqin was favored by the Fourth Prince. Accepting her purse meant he would keep an eye on things for her, which would benefit him. But the purse from Wang Shi, though not small, was from someone the Fourth Prince had never even noticed. Accepting her purse meant he had to keep an eye on things for her. This servant wasn't greedy for money; Su Peisheng was just that kind of servant.
Wang's face froze, and she felt a little embarrassed, but seeing that Su Peisheng wouldn't accept it, she could only awkwardly stuff it into her sleeve.
Along the way, Wang tried to talk to Su Peisheng several times, but he subtly deflected her every time.
When Madam Wang followed Su Peisheng into the study, the room was filled with seated princesses. Madam Wang's heart skipped a beat, but she had already sent another maid in the room to inform the Fujin (principal wife), of course, behind Su Peisheng's back.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness." Madam Wang walked to the Fourth Master's desk, curtsied, and said.
"Qiujing, did you put that witchcraft doll under Li's bed?" The Fourth Prince felt a deep unease when he thought of Li. Although he had doted on her for almost ten years, her actions—causing the death of the First Prince and the drastic change in the Third Prince's personality—had exceeded his tolerance. Now that Wang had been accused by Wu, although he didn't like Li, he couldn't allow her to do as she pleased in his household.
Wang trembled. Although she had a premonition of something, she never expected it to be this.
"I don't know where you heard this, Your Highness. I have no grudge against the late Li Shi and have no reason to frame her. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Highness." Seeing that the Fourth Master did not tell her to get up, Madam Wang could only squat down and say this.
"Get up first. Ruyi, what do you have to say?" Fourth Master called to Madam Wu.
Wu stood up and walked to Wang's side. The latter quickly took a few steps back and said, "Sister, what are you saying? You and I used to joke around with Li Shi. Don't you know what I'm like?"
Wu ignored him and said to the Fourth Prince, "Not only me, but there is another person who knows. Please have her come over immediately."
Fourth Master raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who?"
Wu said, "Sparrow!!"
Madam Wang hurriedly concealed the shock in her eyes, pondering how to dispel the Fourth Master's suspicions. She tried hard to recall the events of that time, trying to find out what flaw she had overlooked so that Madam Wu and Que'er would know.
Fourth Master said, "Weren't all the maids around Madam Li sent away? Where am I supposed to find this person now?"
Lanqin quickly interjected, "Master, Que'er came to see me today. She said she was stranded in an art troupe and wanted me to help her get rid of her status as an artist."
Fourth Master was taken aback, glanced at Lanqin, and said in surprise, "Among that group of courtesans today, was Que'er among them?"
Lanqin nodded, and Wu Shi quickly added, "Que'er is indeed inside, and she went to my place. I heard her say that she also went to see the Fujin (principal wife), saying that she wanted the Fujin to help her get out of the household registration."
The Fourth Prince's face grew increasingly grim. How could this involve so many people? And what was the connection between the Princess Consort and this Sparrow?
"Master, the Princess Consort has arrived." Zhao Quan's voice came from outside. He was waiting outside to do things that Su Peisheng couldn't attend to.
Lanqin's eyes flashed, and she thought to herself: Have they gotten wind of this?
Then the Fujin entered, supporting an unfamiliar maid. Chunliu, who was usually by her side, was gone, and Li Mama followed behind.
The Fourth Prince gestured for his wife to sit beside him, and all the princesses rose to greet her.
"Why are you here?" Fourth Master asked, glancing sideways at the question.
"I came here to discuss with the head nanny about assigning a few maids to the eldest princess's room, but the gatekeeper told me that all the young ladies were in the master's study, so I came to see what happened," the princess said with a puzzled look.
Pack!
Looking at the woman who had once been so dignified and virtuous in her heart, only this one word came to mind. She had thought she could quietly be a favored concubine in the backyard, but the wife kept making moves, and she had no choice but to deal with them.
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