“But ever since she came back, every record shows that the master stayed overnight at her place. Nian Shi and Yehe Shi have been sidelined.” The Fujin’s eyes were full of coldness. “If she gives birth to a son this time, wouldn’t that be like adding wings to a tiger?”
Lingxiu saw that the Fujin's face seemed to be shrouded in the coldest winter, and knew that she was afraid of Niu Shi.
“My lady, why don’t we spread another rumor, that the concubine has been staying at the estate for months without any record of sexual activity or menstruation, and who knows whose child she might be carrying? In any case, if she hears such a rumor, she might get angry and do something out of nowhere. Just like when you had me spread the news that the master wanted to make Lady Nian a concubine, now Lady Nian is probably already disliked by the fourth prince,” Lingxiu said.
"Are you sure you won't get yourself into trouble? Lady Nian is not as good as Lady Niu. Lady Nian's rumor might make the Fourth Prince uncomfortable, but this involves Lady Niu. If such a rumor really spreads, I'm afraid he will investigate it thoroughly, and in the end, it might even lead back to me. That would be a huge loss." The Princess gave Lingxiu a sinister look, her gaze seemingly filled with icy shards, which sent a chill down Lingxiu's spine.
Over the past few years, the Fujin had tried to harm Lanqin more than once or twice, but each time she managed to escape unscathed, which ultimately led to the Fourth Prince's indifference and disdain towards her.
“However, if it’s someone else who said it, then it has nothing to do with us. What do you think, Lingxiu?” The Fujin then concealed the coldness in her eyes and gave a faint smile, like the first light of dawn.
"Does Master mean to have Yehe Clan spread this rumor? Wu Clan is no longer useful, and Nian Clan is restless, so it can only be her," Lingxiu said.
"No, let Wu's people spread the word. She wants to keep herself out of trouble, but I, the Princess Consort, will not allow it. Yehe is still useful, and I don't want her to take risks so soon, especially not for something that won't fundamentally harm Niu. Nian is stubborn, and I can't stand her face. After thinking it over, I can only think of her." The Princess Consort gritted her teeth and said.
“Hongqian, the maidservant by Wu’s side, is her trusted maidservant, as is Yunxiang. Yunxiang is not as favored by Wu as Hongqian. If one of these two can be chosen, then Wu will have no way to defend herself,” Lingxiu said.
"Go and investigate those two girls' backgrounds. It's been a long time since I've bothered my brother; we need to find something for him to do," the Fujin said. Ever since Wuge sent people to Cui Niang's hometown to capture her family, only to suffer a crushing defeat and return empty-handed.
"Yes, this servant will take care of it right away." Lingxiu felt a surge of energy coursing through her body. She hadn't seen the Fourth Princess Consort with such an expression on her face in a long time. The cruel, cold, and cunning Fourth Princess Consort had come back to life!
Since entering the palace early this morning, the Fourth Prince has not come out. He has only sent people back to deliver messages, specifically to Lanqin and the Princess Consort.
Previously, the Fourth Prince would not have sent messages to his wife. In the past, when he entered the palace, he would often not return for several days, and he no longer paid much attention to his wife. Now that Lanqin has returned to the manor, the Fourth Prince was worried that she would miss him, so he asked Su Peisheng to come back and get a change of clothes, and also to tell Lanqin.
It was already time for dinner, and Lanqin was learning to tailor children's clothes from Madam Song. Su Peisheng came over.
"This servant greets Consort Su and Consort Song." Su Peisheng was covered in a fine layer of sweat. It was almost May, yet he was still wearing three layers of clothing, which made Lanqin feel hot. That's how the Fourth Prince was; even in the middle of summer, he would almost always wear three layers of clothing, or at least two.
"Xi Cha, go pour Eunuch Su a cup of cool tea. Take a rest first, there's no rush." Lan Qin quickly gestured for Xi Cha to pour tea for Su Peisheng.
"Thank you for your consideration, Consort Niu." Su Peisheng felt a warmth in his heart. Consort Niu was still the same as before, unlike those masters who didn't treat their servants as human beings, but as robots, as if they didn't need to drink tea or eat.
After Su Peisheng had drunk a few sips of tea and rested for a while, he said to Lanqin, "The master said that the concubine should rest well in the courtyard, and should not see anyone she doesn't want to see, nor should she go to the wife's place to pay her respects. He will return after he has finished dealing with this urgent matter."
"Eunuch Su, do you know anything about what's going on in the palace?" Lanqin couldn't help but ask. She wanted to know something about what the Fourth Prince was worried about.
Su Peisheng hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "This servant has been serving by Your Majesty's side for a day and vaguely heard that Your Majesty's grain supplies were burned by those northern barbarians, and Your Majesty is urged to quickly procure more grain."
Lanqin and Madam Song exchanged a worried look, and Lanqin said, "This is a really big deal. Master must be so worried that he can't sleep."
Song also said, "Yes, if the soldiers run out of food, their morale will be unstable. I didn't expect those northerners to be so cunning."
Lanqin pondered for a moment and said to Su Peisheng, "Eunuch Su, you should go back and pack your clothes. I also have something I need you to give to Fourth Master. I'll have Nianxue deliver it to the front yard for you later."
Su Peisheng readily agreed and left without further ado. He hadn't yet relayed the message to the Fujin (wife's husband), so he decided to let Zhao Quan go and quickly go pack his clothes.
After Su Peisheng left, Lanqin asked Nianxue to prepare the herbal tea packets she had made to reduce internal heat. Lanqin had told Doctor Liang about her idea and specifically asked him to make these herbal tea packets.
"Sister, you're good with your hands. Why don't you make a couple of sets of underwear for Master to wear underneath, so it'll be cooler?" Lanqin said to Song Shi.
Madam Song was startled. She hadn't made underwear for the Fourth Prince in a long time, only occasionally making socks as a token of her affection. She hadn't been favored by the Fourth Prince for a long time, and didn't want to try to impress him.
"What's wrong, sister?" Lanqin asked, noticing Song's dazed expression.
"It's nothing, it's just that I'm a little unfamiliar with your figure, sir," Song said, blushing as she spoke.
Yes, Madam Song has been out of favor for a long time. She probably only remembers the Fourth Prince from his youth. The Fourth Prince has changed in height and weight now, and she's a little worried that she won't be able to handle things well.
"Sister, I'll cut out the size, and you can sew it, okay?" Lanqin thought of this and took Song's hand.
“My sister can have Cui Niang do it, why drag me into it?” Song said.
“Because Master is also my sister’s husband. Now that the eldest princess is married, my sister should focus her attention on her husband,” Lanqin said.
"Qin'er!" Song called out, somewhat moved. Her heart wasn't truly barren; after all, Song wasn't even thirty.
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