"My lord, I have prepared the meal. Please take your seats and dine with Hongshi." Seeing that the meal had been brought out and set, the Fujin walked behind the Fourth Prince and Hongshi and said to the father and son who were still muttering about goldfish.
"Okay, Father, Mother is calling us for dinner." Hongshi's chubby little face was indeed very endearing.
Fourth Master nodded, then stood up with Hongshi, took his little hand, and sat down at the dining table together.
The Fourth Prince glanced around at the dishes on the table. They were still very plentiful, but there wasn't anything he particularly liked. Perhaps he had gotten used to eating in Lanqin's small kitchen. Looking at these dishes specially prepared for the First Princess Consort, he really felt a bit tasteless.
However, Hongshi seemed to like it very much. He especially loved sweet and sour carp strips and ate several bites in a row.
“This child especially loves to eat fish, but he is too young to remove the bones. So I specially instructed the kitchen to make this sweet and sour carp strips for Shi’er, with all the bones removed. It won’t be troublesome for him to eat.” The Fujin picked up another bite for Hongshi, which was more than three bites.
The Fourth Prince saw this and sighed inwardly: Perhaps her love for Hongshi is genuine; she has completely disregarded the rules of our ancestors.
Hongshi was just a child after all, and he was already full after eating some. His wife asked someone to take him out to digest his food.
"Father, Hongshi has gone out. You and your stepmother can enjoy your meal." Hongshi spoke like a little adult, which made the Fourth Prince unable to resist touching his cheek.
"You may all leave. You don't need to serve here anymore." After Hongshi left, the Fourth Master waved to the maids who were standing by with their heads bowed.
The crowd looked at the Princess Consort with slight surprise. Seeing that she remained silent, they immediately curtsied in response and withdrew one by one.
"My lord, this braised pigeon with yam is quite good, please have some." The princess consort personally picked up the soup ladle and ladled soup into the fourth prince's bowl.
“Hongshi truly respects his wife, and his wife truly loves him, doesn’t she?” The Fourth Prince suppressed all his tenderness, his face expressionless, and stared straight at his wife as he spoke.
The princess's hand, which was pouring soup, froze on the spot when she heard these words.
“My lord, Hongshi is my life now. Ever since the First Prince passed away, I have missed him every day and have not had a single day without sorrow. Since Hongshi came, I have truly begun to forget the pain of losing the First Prince,” the Fujin said. After saying this, she slowly withdrew her hand and the spoon.
"Then, I will have my principal wife adopt Hongshi into your family, so that he will become your son," the Fourth Master said. Although it sounded like a joyous occasion, the Fourth Master spoke solemnly, without a trace of happiness on his face.
Although Hongshi had been raised by his mother, Lady Li, for a year, it was only as foster son; he had not been formally adopted by the principal wife. Hongshi was still the fourth prince born of a concubine. However, the fourth prince's words implied that Hongshi would no longer be a son born of a concubine, but a legitimate son.
The Princess Consort naturally understood the Fourth Prince's intention in saying these words. After her heart skipped a beat, she calmed down and quickly said, "I am guilty. The Third Prince has been assassinated one after another, and now it seems that I am also involved. I will be terrified every day until this matter is investigated. If I adopt the Fourth Prince into my family at this time, I am afraid that I will be criticized."
A barely perceptible smile flickered across Fourth Master's lips, but it was so faint it was almost imperceptible.
"Your Majesty has investigated the matter thoroughly. Yin Panchun, of the Yin clan, is ungrateful for the Emperor's favor and lacks any sense of morality. She has repeatedly plotted to harm others in her quest for the Emperor's favor. The ginseng found in the Third Prince's earthenware jar was her doing, and the lily of the valley pollen is also inextricably linked to her. Although the pillow was not found, all the evidence points to her. Therefore, I hereby bestow upon her a cup of poisoned wine as a token of gratitude for the Emperor's grace." The Fourth Prince spoke these words without looking at his wife; he merely gazed at the food on the table as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, the Fujin's face lit up with joy. Although she had anticipated this moment, hearing the Fourth Prince say it actually put her at ease. As for Madam Yin, hmph, she's more trouble than she's worth. I was already planning to give her a bowl of poisoned soup, and now…
The princess's expression changed slightly, but the fourth prince obviously didn't notice. Her hand, which was under the dining table, unconsciously clenched.
"My lord, although Lady Yin's crimes are heinous, we were sisters after all. Why don't I go and send her on her way? After all, she once bore you an imperial heir," the Fujin said with an impeccably harmonious smile. She was afraid that if the Fourth Prince discovered Lingxiu's arrangements, Lady Yin would already be on her way to the underworld.
The Fourth Prince looked up at his wife again and again, and finally sighed and said, "Very well, you may go then."
The princess smiled and asked, "What should we do with Madam Yin's personal maids? I think they're all involved, so why don't I deal with them as well?"
The Fourth Prince stared blankly at his wife's face. He suddenly remembered that Lanqin had once said that it was enough to just send those maids away; there was no need to take their lives. Servants often had no choice in their actions; if they had a choice, they certainly wouldn't have acted this way.
"Master, is something wrong?" Seeing that the Fourth Prince had not responded and seemed to be lost in thought, the Fujin had no choice but to call out several times.
"The maids and others have already been sent out, so let's leave it at that," Fourth Master said, following Lanqin's suggestion.
"My lord, have mercy! Let it go. Since they've already been driven out, let them go. But in the future, we must not be so lenient with such mistresses and servants," said the Fujin.
"Once this matter is settled, I will take my concubine to stay on the estate for a while. My wife will stay in the manor and be well looked after. I don't want anything else to happen." After saying this, the Fourth Prince got up and left.
As for Madam Yin, a meal of four dishes and a soup was laid out in front of her, showing no skimping on the food. However, she didn't touch a single bite.
"Princess, you're skipping breakfast and lunch. You'll get hungry if you keep going like this," Yuhen advised.
"I'm not hungry, are you? Take it and eat it." Madam Yin said to the two maids with a strange smile.
“If even the princess doesn’t eat, how dare we servants?” Yuhen said.
“I’m tired of all this greasy food. I want to eat roasted sweet potatoes. Go to Sister Wu’s place and ask her for two pieces for me,” Madam Yin suddenly said.
Yuhen and Yulu exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves, "Has this Princess Yin lost her mind? Why would she refuse a perfectly good meal and insist on eating that cheap roasted sweet potato?"
"Then this servant will go and ask Consort Wu for it." Yuhen winked at Yulu, signaling her to keep a close eye on Madam Yin.
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