"Thank you for your concern, Madam. I am tired now and need to sleep. Please excuse me for not being able to entertain you. Please go back home. Once I have recovered, I will definitely come to the main courtyard to pay my respects to you in person." Lanqin deliberately kept her eyes closed and said this with an air of "arrogance."
The Fujin's expression changed, and she was immediately embarrassed and didn't know how to respond. Even though Lanqin was speaking to her like this, she couldn't afford to lose her temper. It wasn't the Fujin's place to get angry at a pregnant woman lying in bed, and the Fourth Prince wouldn't side with her when he returned.
The princess stared at that profile, about to flick her sleeves and turn to leave.
"Wait, Nianxue, beat that ill-mannered girl. Can't she even offer a proper greeting to this concubine?" Lanqin suddenly opened her eyes and stared at Lingxiu.
Lingxiu also looked at the person lying diagonally on the bed in surprise. She had forgotten to bow because she saw that Lanqin's eyes were not open.
"Yes." Nianxue walked up to Lingxiu, raised her hand, and slapped her hard. With a loud crack, she used almost all her strength.
The princess watched in horror as Lingxiu was beaten, almost unable to believe that her own maid had been assaulted like this.
"What does Consort mean by this?" the Princess Consort asked angrily.
"I was merely following the advice of the Fujin to teach a lesson to another maid who didn't know her manners. Lingxiu just saw me, the Fujin, but didn't bow. Shouldn't she be slapped?" Lanqin remained lying on the bed in the same position.
The Princess Consort was taken aback by Lanqin's direct confrontation and was speechless for a moment. She simply flung her sleeves and walked out. Lingxiu covered her face and glared angrily at Nianxue before quickly following her out.
Seeing the way the Fujin and her entourage were humiliated, Cui Niang and the others felt relieved and all smiled.
"Nianxue, go and rub your face with an egg," Lanqin said again.
"My lady, I'm not in pain." Nianxue's eyes were filled with tears. Just now, Lanqin had confronted the Fujin directly to vent her anger, which made her feel very grateful, but also a little scared. "My lady offended the Fujin to my face for my sake, I am ashamed!"
"If I don't offend her, will she let me go? Fourth Master just left, and she still dares to come to my door to bully my people. It's impossible for us to coexist," Lanqin said calmly.
Seeing this, Cui Niang walked over to Nianxue, patted her shoulder, and signaled her not to provoke Lanqin any further.
"You don't need to go and collect the punishment; she probably won't be coming back," Lanqin instructed.
Meanwhile, the Fujin (principal wife) held her breath the whole way, walking faster than usual. Lingxiu and several other maids followed behind her, not daring to breathe.
"How dare she openly oppose me!" The princess suddenly stopped in her tracks, speaking through gritted teeth, a stark contrast to her usual gentle and serene demeanor.
"Madam, she's already injured. We'll have plenty of opportunities. Please don't get upset," Lingxiu quickly stepped forward to comfort her.
"Damn it, they still couldn't get rid of that child in her belly this time. Sigh, the people in Wuge's household are getting more and more unreliable," the Fujin muttered. It turned out that the people suddenly riding horses and driving away the crowd in the street wasn't accidental. The Fujin had taken advantage of Lanqin's visit to her parents' home yesterday to send Lingxiu to inform Wuge in the Duke of Ying's mansion, who had been following Lanqin. They planned to use the method of driving away the crowd to knock Lanqin down when she alighted from her carriage, thus eliminating the child in her womb without anyone noticing.
“She’s already been hurt. I saw her lying in bed, and she doesn’t look well. She might not be able to keep the baby. Madam, why don’t we go back and think of something else? Let’s see if we can give our concubine another heavy blow. Maybe she won’t be able to keep the baby.” Lingxiu had already hated Lanqin to the core after being slapped by Nianxue in front of everyone. So at this moment, she couldn’t wait to see Lanqin lose her child and fall into despair.
The princess gradually calmed down, looked at Lingxiu, and said, "Let's go see Princess Yehe. It seems like I haven't seen her for many days."
Looking at the expressions of the primary wife and Lingxiu, Wu Youcai, though he hadn't heard what they were saying, could tell they were talking about the secondary wife from earlier. He hadn't expected that even the principal wife would suffer a setback in the secondary wife's room, unable to retaliate.
"Dr. Wu, you should go back first. I'll accompany the lady to the garden for a stroll." Lingxiu walked to Wu Youcai's side and said to him.
Wu Youcai quickly agreed, bowed, and took his leave.
The Fujin, supporting Lingxiu's hand, and several accompanying maids walked towards the north courtyard. Because it was already summer, the intense sunlight was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes, and the lush greenery flowed freely through the courtyard like an ink painting.
The Fujin (Prince's wife) hadn't visited this inexpensive courtyard in a long time; it was located in the northeast of the Fourth Prince's residence, furthest from the front courtyard. Just as the Fujin reached the gate, she unexpectedly bumped into Lady Song. Lady Song was dressed in a light lake-blue qipao, her headdress simple, exuding a serene and detached air.
"This concubine greets the Fujin!" Madam Song bowed, but her words and demeanor showed no respect whatsoever; it was merely a perfunctory gesture.
"Does Consort Song know that the concubine bumped into someone on her way back from her parents' home? You two have always been very close sisters, why don't you go and see her?" the concubine said sarcastically.
"What? The concubine has been knocked down?" Madam Song was shocked, a flash of anxiety crossing her eyes, but she was not so irrational as to act without restraint.
"Yes, go and take a look." The Princess Consort's lips curled into a half-smile.
"This concubine takes her leave. This concubine will go see the concubine now." Although Song did not understand why the concubine was so kind, she really wanted to see Lanqin at the moment, so she hurriedly bowed and took her leave.
After Song and her maid had walked away, Lingxiu asked the Fujin, puzzled, "Why did you tell her, Fujin?"
The princess sneered, "Let them worry. Anyway, she can't stand being upset or anxious right now. I'll just give her some impatience and anger."
When Lingxiu helped the Fujin into Yehe's room, it was empty and seemed devoid of human presence. Only when they entered the courtyard did the Fujin and her maid see several maids standing together talking.
"You audacious lackeys, what are you all doing?" Lingxiu shouted angrily.
Several maids who were serving outside hurriedly came over to pay their respects.
"Where is your princess?" the Fujin asked in a calm voice.
“Yes, inside the house,” said a maid with a round face.
"Princess Yehe hasn't come these past few days, and I'm worried about her. What's wrong with her?" the princess asked.
"Your Highness, the princess seems to be ill," the maid said tremblingly.
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