"What? You gave the bracelet that I, the primary wife, bestowed upon you to the secondary wife?" The primary wife sat up abruptly and exclaimed.
Yehe Shi remained in her bowing posture, staring into the sharp, icy eyes of the Fujin, and said, "Yes, I saw that she liked it, so I gave it to her when the opportunity arose. That way, I don't have to go to her courtyard every day to wear it."
The princess raised an eyebrow and said, "You're afraid your body will be harmed by those musk beads, aren't you!"
Yehe felt a chill coming from the direction of the Fujin. Perhaps it was the coolness of the room. She had just been feeling hot and humid, but as soon as she entered the room, she felt a bone-chilling cold.
“I went there every day, which aroused her suspicion. Seeing that she liked the bracelet, I gave it to her as a convenient excuse.” Yehe said hurriedly, bowing her head. “Peach Blossom was there, and that Cui Niang was already subtly mocking me for going there so often.”
The princess looked at the peach blossoms, and the latter nodded, indicating that this was indeed the case.
“That thing is in her dressing table, and even if she doesn’t wear it, it will still harm her. It’s much better than me wearing it when I see her.” Yehe added, “I also told her that Nian was pregnant, and from my observation, it seems that the concubine doesn’t know.”
Seeing that what she said made sense, the princess softened her tone and asked, "Are you sure she didn't notice anything wrong?"
Yehe felt a sudden tingling and numbness in her legs, and her legs couldn't take it. She stumbled and almost collapsed to the ground. Seeing this, Taohua quickly stepped forward to support her, preventing her from falling.
"Sit down and talk," the princess said, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"That bracelet looks very beautiful, and the workmanship is exquisite. Who would have thought that something was hidden inside? Judging from the way Consort Yehe looks, she really likes that bracelet." Yehe said slowly as Taohua helped her to sit down on a guest seat.
"Very good, you still told her that it was a gift from me, the Fujin (princess)," the Fujin said with slight relief.
"No, I said this was a dowry gift given to me by my mother," Yehe Shi said again.
"Hmm. Then let's see if these two bracelets of mine can work. Judging from their respective pregnancies, the effects should appear soon. Hehe, I really want to see that moment arrive, to see the pain and tears on their faces, just like the despair I felt when I lost my eldest prince." The princess laughed absentmindedly for a few moments, but the laughter sounded like the cawing of a crow, grating to the ear.
Yehe secretly glanced at the Fujin and felt that her heart had long been twisted, even insane.
"I'm afraid Lady Nian is overjoyed right now, but let's see how long her joy lasts. This one in the South Courtyard, if nothing unexpected happens, her unborn child will likely be lost in half a month. Alright, Lady Ye, for your hard work this time, I, the Fujin, will not treat you unfairly. Lady Nian is pregnant, and I have already written to the Fourth Prince to send her back to rest and recuperate. As for who will replace her to serve the Prince, you can go." The Fujin said, her smile, which was more like a grimace, fading from her expression.
"Thank you, Madam. But I think that if Madam can cure the poison in my body, I will never dare to disobey Madam's wishes in the future," said Yehe Shi.
The princess was taken aback, and looked at her with a very apologetic expression, saying, "Oh. What you have in your body isn't actually poison, it's just a kind of smoking addiction. It's the same as how I, the princess, pound medicine and smell snuff every day. And there's no antidote for this kind of addiction. If you want to quit, you can only endure it yourself. If you can endure it for ten days or half a month without touching it, that's considered quitting one layer. You have to endure it for another month or two to quit completely."
Upon hearing this, Yehe Shi had already cursed the Fujin a hundred times in her heart, but she couldn't show it on her face and had to appear humble and submissive.
"Thank you for informing me, Madam. I will take my leave now." Madam Yehe stood up, curtsied, and then withdrew.
Lingxiu helped the Fujin stand up and move around a bit, saying, "Why did you tell her, Fujin? Let her keep thinking that the antidote for this poison is in Fujin's hands, so we can keep her under our control forever? Now that Fujin has told her she knows, I'm afraid she will really quit her opium addiction. When we no longer have the means to control her, she won't be so obedient."
The Princess Consort walked to the window, lifted her tortoiseshell nail guards inlaid with rubies and emeralds, and gently touched a potted clivia plant. She said, "Without my support, she can't get what she wants, just like Lady Yin back then. Only with desire can an alliance of interests be formed. If I keep controlling her with opium and deprive her of hope, it will be worse. Look at her now, she's so thin she's almost unrecognizable. Even if the Master comes back, he won't like to see her like this, so sickly. If she can pull through, I'll admire her."
Meanwhile, as soon as Yehe returned to her room, she ordered Yuhen and Yulu to serve her. Taohua wanted to serve her closely, but she was chased away.
"Princess, you've finally come close to both of us," Yu Lu said, crying.
“Yuhen and Yulu, I’ve wronged you two for a while. I had no choice but to be controlled by the Fujin’s opium addiction. Now I’ve done what she wanted to do. If I can just endure it for half a month, I can quit. Yuhen and Yulu, are you willing to help me?” Yehe Shi said. She was terrified of that deadly opium paste, but if she didn’t smoke it for a day, it felt like a thousand ants were crawling all over her. But if she continued to smoke like this, she was afraid she wouldn’t even be able to bear looking at herself.
"Smoking addiction?" The two girls looked at each other in bewilderment.
"In short, you can't let me touch that stuff again. Understand? From now on, you'll keep me here. No matter what I say, you're not allowed to open the door or go looking for anyone. Just wait until my addiction wears off, and then everything will be fine," Yehe said, trembling. Although she desperately wanted to quit the ever-present addiction, the thought of spending over a dozen nights of hellish torment in this house filled her with fear.
“Alright, we will definitely do as you instruct, Princess. You’ve lost a lot of weight lately, it must be the effects of this opium addiction,” Yuhen said.
"That's right, anyway, I absolutely never want to touch this stuff again. You all have to help me quit. No matter how much I beg you, don't budge, understand?" Yehe said, trembling.
Seeing that Yehe Shi spoke with utmost seriousness, the two maids nodded vigorously. However, the next ten days or so that they spent with Yehe Shi were days they would never forget.
After learning of Yehe's plan, Taohua naturally went to report to the Fujin (principal wife). However, the Fujin simply smiled and told her to go back and keep an eye on things, without doing anything else.
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