Wang was escorted back to her room by Zhao Quan and two servants.
The Fourth Prince said he would go to Zhanghua Terrace immediately. Lady Wang almost collapsed to the ground. She hoped the Princess Consort could persuade him. She did try, but the Princess Consort's words were almost useless. The Fourth Prince's attitude was very firm; even Li Momo was beaten to death, and the Princess Consort's pleas were to no avail.
"Heh, at least I'm still alive!" Madam Wang thought to herself. She regretted taking on this responsibility, but it was too late now. Even if she told the Fourth Prince that she was acting on the orders of the Fujin (Madam's wife), it wouldn't change his mind about her punishment.
Wang was pulled along like a puppet by Hongying all the way back.
Fourth Master's intention was that Madam Wang could only bring one maid to Zhanghua Terrace, and could only bring a few sets of her clothes and jewelry; she could not bring any other belongings.
Upon learning that Lady Wang was about to go to Zhanghua Terrace, Zhao Quan's tone naturally lost its respect. Standing in the room, he said to the two maids serving Lady Wang, "Only one of you can go with Lady Wang. Simply pack your jewelry and clothes and then come with me. You have only a short time; if you are late, you cannot bear the consequences if the master blames you."
Hongying and Ruizhu were both personal maids who came with Madam Wang. Since a princess was entitled to two maids, Madam Wang did not send anyone else to serve her at that time.
This is why Lady Wang has never been favored by the Fourth Prince: she is self-righteous and has never realized where she went wrong.
In the 41st year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Lady Wang and Lady Wu were selected from the imperial concubine selection process and betrothed to the Fourth Prince by the Kangxi Emperor to become princesses.
Wu was bright and beautiful, while Wang was delicate and pretty; each had her own unique characteristics and strengths, and both held hope for their future.
On their first night together, the two entered the mansion together. As usual, the Fourth Prince held a banquet in the main courtyard of his wife's residence.
Wang still remembers that she was wearing a rose-red cheongsam, lost a round of mahjong, and wore the best set of ruby and emerald and gold headdress that her mother had kept at the bottom of her trunk.
When the Fourth Prince arrived, she secretly glanced at him and fell in love. Madam Wang was genuinely delighted. Before entering the manor, she had heard that the Fourth Prince was a cold-faced prince, supposedly rigid and strict, taciturn, and extremely difficult to get along with. However, when she saw him, it was truly love at first sight.
That night, the Fourth Prince still chose Wu Shi and spent the night at her place first. Wang Shi was very disappointed at the time, as she had thought that she would definitely win the Fourth Prince's favor before Wu Shi.
Later, Wang tried to find various opportunities to appear in front of the Fourth Prince. She had met him by chance and even took it upon herself to send him some snacks a few times, but she still failed to win his favor.
Gradually, Madam Wang began to realize that she must have done something wrong to be neglected by the Fourth Prince, but she just couldn't understand what she had done wrong.
Alas, Wang Shi will probably never admit that the Fourth Prince was indifferent to her. A man's indifference to a woman has nothing to do with her appearance.
"Has Princess Wang decided who she'll take?" Zhao Quan asked impatiently. If Princess Wang were to go, it would be tantamount to being crippled by the Fourth Master; she might simply die there. He no longer needed to be polite to her.
“Hongying, come with me.” Without a second thought, Madam Wang said. Compared to Ruizhu, Hongying usually served Madam Wang more often, and she was also more charming.
Hongying and Ruizhu were helping Wang Shi tidy up her things, while a servant watched closely, making sure she didn't bring too many clothes or jewelry that exceeded the rules.
“Hongying, Princess Wang specifically requested that you come with her. Bring a few of your own clothes as well,” Zhao Quan said as he walked up to the inner room of the Wang family.
Hongying was packing while simultaneously figuring out how to avoid going to Zhanghuatai with Wang Shi. Going to Zhanghuatai meant she would have to grow old and die there with her, unless the Fourth Prince granted her special permission to leave.
“Okay, wait a moment, I’ll clean a few more clothes.” Hongying replied reluctantly.
Hongying walked out of the inner room with mixed feelings and saw that Wang Shi was sitting there with a blank stare, as if she had lost all her vitality.
She lost all desire to go with him; what future could she possibly have with such a mistress? She knew of the connection between Lady Wang and the Fujin (the wife of the deceased). Lady Wang had done so much, yet she had ended up like this; she truly wasn't a capable person.
Hongying went into her bedroom, tidying her clothes while pondering how to bring it up with Madam Wang.
Lady Wang looked down at the pink cardamom in her hand, suddenly recalling how, before she entered the manor, her mother and father had summoned her to their room, telling her to serve the Fourth Prince well so that one day she could bring glory to the family. Once she entered the manor, she was like water spilled from a cup, no longer protected by her parents, and like a rootless duckweed, she had to fend for herself in the Fourth Prince's household. Now, even if she died, her parents probably wouldn't see her; at most, they would send her an imperial edict, like Lady Li had.
“Princess, I have something to say to you.” Hongying walked into her room and went to Wang Shi’s side.
"Speak," Wang said, unsure of what Hongying was going to say.
“Hongying told the princess that she came from the manor. Now that the princess has been punished by the master, Hongying should be by her side to serve her. But once the princess goes to Zhanghua Terrace, she will be almost completely isolated from the outside world. Think about it, who will still remember the princess? I think someone needs to remind the princess from time to time so that the princess can have any hope of getting out,” Hongying said.
After hearing her say that, Madam Wang realized it made sense. If Hongying went in with her, who would remind the Fujin (Madam's wife)? Ruizhu was completely unaware, so it was better to take Ruizhu in with her and let Hongying stay outside to remind the Fujin and find an opportunity to plead for her.
"You don't want to go to that place with me, Princess?" Madam Wang finally managed to clear her head a little and asked, staring at Hongying.
“Princess, I truly only wanted to leave a way out for you, otherwise I would have served you faithfully. If you don’t trust me, then I have no face to say anything more,” Hongying said sincerely, bowing her head.
"You can stay outside. If you're lucky enough to be assigned somewhere to serve, don't forget to tell the Fujin (the wife of the deceased). Otherwise, you can forget about leaving the manor without my permission. Mother has left your indentures with me," said Madam Wang.
Upon hearing this, Hongying shuddered. How could she not have thought of that? She and Ruizhu had both been sold into the Wang family. Unlike other servants, they were not allowed to serve as slaves for life without their master's permission.
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