"Sister Song, what exactly happened between you and the former Li Shi and Fujin in the past ten years that made Cui Niang afraid to leave the palace, preferring to die there rather than come out?" Lanqin handed Wuxiha to Nianxue, who was standing to the side, and then took Song Shi's hand and walked towards the crabapple tree in the courtyard.
"Sigh, what could it be? It's just wives and concubines fighting over things. Back then, my first pregnancy and Li's first pregnancy were probably both sabotaged by her. My child didn't live more than a few days after birth, and hers only lived for a few months. Cui Niang was the most outstanding among the first group of people the Fujin served when she entered the Prince's service. Apart from Li Mama, she was the Fujin's most favored." Song Shi still felt a lingering sadness when she thought of that child who died young, a boy.
"Alright, sister, Qin'er won't ask anymore. It's my fault for reminding you of those sad memories." Lanqin naturally noticed the sadness on Song's face and quickly shook her hand, apologizing.
"It's been so long, look at me, I still can't let go." Madam Song immediately hid the sadness in her heart and forced a smile.
"If it were Qin'er, she wouldn't forget either. How could you not know anything about what she did?" Lan Qin said indignantly.
Madam Song sighed and said, "She comes from such a prominent family. On the surface, she appears dignified, generous, kind, and gentle, but in reality, she is ruthless and cruel. Our master is a cold-hearted man; he wants evidence. As the Fujin (principal wife), she naturally holds all the favorable evidence. Even Li Shi, who was so favored, died mysteriously during her first pregnancy."
Lanqin sighed helplessly, though she didn't agree with Song's assessment that the Fourth Master was a cold-hearted person. However, she couldn't say this to Song. If Lanqin said the Fourth Master wasn't cold-hearted, wouldn't that be blatantly showing off how special she was to him?
“If Cui Niang is willing to come forward and testify, then wouldn’t all the things that Fujin has done be exposed?” Lanqin said.
“Cui Niang used to serve the Fujin (the Princess Consort), so she must have known something that forced her to stay in the palace. However, Qin’er, Ulanara is backed by the Ulanara family, and Cui Niang is backed by her family. Since she is willing to die in the palace, it is because this is the only way for her to protect herself and her family,” Song said helplessly.
"This is outrageous! Using Cui Niang's family as leverage!" Lan Qin exclaimed indignantly. Her strong-willed nature was deeply affected; she detested this kind of bullying and oppression.
“Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty by the founding emperor, the eight major Manchu clans have been the most powerful noble families. My sister’s Niohuru family is one of them, while Li and I are from the Han Banner. We have no family to rely on outside, so how can we go against her? Besides, she is the principal wife.” Song said with a resigned tone.
“Sister, you shouldn’t be so humble. Since Cui Niang is in trouble, as long as Lanqin helps her settle her family, she will have no worries,” Lanqin said.
Madam Song grasped Lanqin's hand and said excitedly, "From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were not like us. Now, you and the Fujin are at odds. Your elder sister, Geng sister, and Wu sister will definitely stand by you and support you to the best of their ability. But dealing with the Fujin requires a long-term perspective. Now that the First Prince is gone, although she has adopted the Fourth Prince, he is not her biological son. Moreover, the Fourth Prince is still young, and his potential is yet to be seen. You are so favored by the Prince, you will surely have another child in the future. As long as you give birth to a son, you will definitely be able to stand up to her."
Lanqin stared blankly at Madam Song, never expecting that the usually gentle Madam Song would think so much.
"What's wrong, little sister? Did what I said scare you?" Seeing Lanqin looking at her with a blank expression, Madam Song smiled apologetically.
"No, Sister's words have impressed me greatly. Sister has always been indifferent to worldly affairs, but I didn't expect her to have such a deep mind. I haven't thought that far ahead, but if she doesn't do anything, I don't want to compete with her." Lanqin said, but in her heart she thought: The Qianlong Emperor was the choice of history; he doesn't need me, his time-traveling mother, to fight for him.
“Sister’s words may be a bit far-fetched. Right now, the most important thing is to protect Wuxiha. There’s still a long way to go,” said Song.
Meanwhile, after examining Yan Yu's body, Doctor Wu went straight back to the front yard to report.
After Doctor Wu left, the Fujin helped Lingxiu walk to the front yard.
Fourth Master had just heard Doctor Wu's report that Yan Yu died from "Datura," a flower containing potent poison throughout. It seemed that Yan Yu had directly chewed and swallowed the flowers, the poison directly invading her internal organs, causing her rapid death. There was no time to save her, especially since she must have ingested the flowers last night, and no one had time to rescue her.
"Datura? Where did this flower come from?" The Fourth Prince was also a little suspicious, but he thought that his wife had no reason to harm her own sister. Moreover, she was always gentle and kind, so how could she be so vicious?
Alas, although our Fourth Prince is known for his aloofness, when it comes to managing the household, he's really no different from any other man. Ulanara is also adept at acting, and his mind isn't really on the household, so it's understandable that he's being deceived by his wife.
“I happen to see a few of these flowers in the main courtyard. These flowers originally came from India and are extremely beautiful, but few people know that they are actually highly poisonous. However, as long as you don’t eat them, it’s fine to admire them,” Doctor Wu said, bowing.
"When did the main courtyard ever grow such datura?" Fourth Master asked in confusion. He couldn't recall when the main courtyard had ever grown such exotic flowers and plants, but he wasn't sure because he rarely visited.
"Su Peisheng, the message comes from Dahai," Fourth Master said, staring at Doctor Wu.
A short while later, the flower room manager, Dahai, came running to the front yard, his face covered in sweat.
Fourth Master generally never deals with You Dahai. If there are any needs for flowers, plants, or trees in the mansion, it is the head nanny who directly gives the orders.
"This servant You Dahai greets Your Highness!" As soon as You Dahai entered, he immediately performed a grand salute, knelt down, and kowtowed to the Fourth Master to pay his respects.
"From the sea, are there any datura flowers in the greenhouse?" Fourth Master asked directly without even urging him to get up.
"Reporting to Master's flowers, the greenhouse has cultivated a total of three-tenths of an acre of datura, which started last year." You Dahai did not dare to look up, but answered with his head covered, which perfectly concealed the slightly flustered look in his eyes at this moment.
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