"When was the datura tree in the main courtyard moved there?" Fourth Master had already believed most of it, so he asked.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the two datura plants in the main courtyard that were already in bloom were transplanted by this servant last month. The Princess Consort happened to visit the flower room to admire the flowers once and saw this flower from Southeast Asia, India. She said it was very beautiful, so she ordered this servant to transplant two plants there," replied You Dahai.
"Oh. Then do you know that this flower is highly poisonous?" Fourth Master asked again.
"This servant knows, and I have also told Lingxiu from the Fujin's quarters that this flower can only be viewed from afar and should not be placed near the mouth or nose for appreciation." You Dahai felt cold sweat pouring down his back.
"Su Peisheng, go and summon Lingxiu." Although the Fourth Master had already believed the words of the two servants, as Lanqin had said, there was still some doubt as to whether the datura flower was put into Yan Yu's mouth by someone else or whether she had taken it herself.
Meanwhile, the Princess Consort, wearing enamel-gold nail guards, brushed her hand over a pot of pink camellias and said, "Dahai has been following me for a long time, and last night he brought over those two blooming datura plants. After this incident, I will reward him handsomely. Wu Youcai is quite clever; he will say whatever I tell him to say. Now, if you just tell the Prince that Yan Yu secretly hid the flowers in her sleeve and committed suicide when no one was around, I'm sure the Prince will stop investigating."
Lingxiu quickly nodded in agreement and said flatteringly, "Your Majesty is truly thoughtful, and I admire you greatly. The Nan Xiaoyuan people are really overestimating themselves by trying to use this matter to control Your Majesty."
The princess's lips curled into a cold smile as she said, "There's plenty of time. I'd like to see just how long her favor will last."
Lingxiu followed the servant who came to deliver the message to the front yard, where she saw the Fourth Master sitting in the main seat with a dark expression on his face, while Wu Youcai and You Dahai stood with their heads down.
"This servant, Lingxiu, would like to offer my New Year's greetings to my master," Lingxiu said hastily, bowing.
"How did Yan Yu obtain that datura flower? She was taken back by the Fujin (principal wife), how could she be allowed to hide that flower?" Fourth Prince stared at Lingxiu's face and asked.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, after our Lady brought Princess Yu back, she ran around the courtyard like a madwoman. It took us a long time to restrain her. I think she took advantage of that opportunity to pluck the flower. Please forgive us, Your Majesty, we were careless and allowed Princess Yu to do such a thing." Lingxiu knelt down with a thud and prostrated herself on the ground, kowtowing.
"Why did Yan Yu run away like that?" Fourth Master basically believed the three men's explanation.
"She said that she had fallen to this state because the Fujin (principal wife) hadn't helped her, and she kept insulting the Fujin for not helping her," Lingxiu sobbed, as if the Fujin had suffered a great injustice and had to bear the reputation of being suspected by others.
"Truly stubborn! Get up. Go back and tell the Fujin to raise Hailan well. Yan Yu's matter is settled. She will be buried according to the standards for a concubine." The Fourth Prince waved his hand at the group, ordering them all to leave.
When it was time for lunch, the Fourth Master still came to the South Courtyard.
Seeing Lanqin playing with two children, Xichen, who was already six months old and could crawl on the ground, and Wuxiha, who was less than two months old, Lanqin was lifting Xichen's arm and leading him to chase after her.
"You mother are crazier than the child. Wuxiha is so small, she can't even lift her neck yet, and you're already teaching her to walk?" Fourth Master couldn't bring himself to be angry, but Lanqin's behavior really didn't seem like that of a mother taking care of a child.
“Who says our Wuxiha can’t even lift her head? Didn’t you see, she even smiles at Xichen?” Lanqin glanced at Fourth Master and laughed.
"Come here, let your father hug Ushiha." Fourth Master glanced at Xichen. Although he didn't send him away, he was still uncomfortable.
“Xichen isn’t there, let me hold him. Lunch has been prepared and we’ll eat with the children later.” Lanqin saw that Fourth Master was reluctant to hold Xichen, so she deliberately insisted that he hold him.
Just then, Xichen crawled to the Fourth Master's feet, raised his head and grabbed the hem of the Fourth Master's robe, making some incoherent noises.
"Master, look, Xichen wants you to hold him. Hold him." Lanqin picked up Wuxiha and said.
Looking at the little boy clutching the hem of his robe, Fourth Master's resistance lessened. However, he still couldn't bring himself to treat the child as his own without any reservations.
The wet nurse serving Xichen stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do. The master clearly didn't want to hold him, but the concubine wouldn't let them interfere.
"Nanny, take Xichen away." Fourth Master finally couldn't hold back and shouted at the nanny who was caught in the middle.
Seeing that Fourth Master still refused to hold her, Lanqin didn't insist any further and quickly said to the wet nurse, "Go, take her downstairs to wash her, and bring her back for dinner later."
Seeing that Lanqin was holding Wuxiha and not saying anything, the Fourth Prince felt a little uneasy. He said in a deep voice, "I have already investigated. She has taken datura. It has nothing to do with the Princess Consort."
Upon hearing this, Lanqin felt a surge of anger and retorted, "You can investigate, Master. There's no need to tell me this."
After saying that, she carried Wuxiha into the bedroom, leaving Fourth Master standing there.
The Fourth Prince, upon seeing this, also snorted in anger, then lifted his robe, turned around, and left.
Seeing that Lanqin and the Fourth Prince were arguing, Nianxue had no choice but to follow them inside and advise, "Princess, why are you doing this? The Fifth Prince is not the master's own flesh and blood after all. It's understandable that the master doesn't have feelings for him and doesn't want to hold him. Besides, as for Yan Yu's matter, she's already dead. Is it worth getting angry with the master over her?"
"Am I angry with him because of Xichen? I'm not angry with him because of Yanyu either. Look at the tone of his voice just now, as if he was just giving me a report. I've already said that suspecting the cause of Yanyu's death is not an implication. If it has nothing to do with the Fujin, then it has nothing to do with her. Why did he talk to me like that, as if I were a treacherous concubine trying to murder the main wife? It's really irresponsible!" Lanqin said angrily, her eyes reddening as she spoke.
In the past, even if Fourth Master had stormed off like that, Lanqin wouldn't have cared much. But ever since she met Wuxiha, she couldn't bear the slightest grievance.
Meanwhile, Fourth Master walked briskly. Su Peisheng jogged behind him, thinking to himself: These two clearly care about each other, yet they quarrel over someone unrelated. What's the point?
It wasn't until three days later that the people in the other courtyards learned that Lanqin and the Fourth Prince had quarreled. The Fourth Prince didn't go to the palace for several days in a row, going to the palace early every morning to handle official business. When he returned, he would stay in the front courtyard and not go anywhere else.
Yan Yu was buried quietly, but her poor mother, Liu, only found out after the burial. She went and made a scene with Fei Yanggu, and then fell ill.
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