Meanwhile, the Fujin was still not resting. She asked Lingxiu to fetch snuff and lay down on the chaise longue to sniff it.
"What a pity that all that effort was wasted today. The Princess Consort's plan was so meticulous, a perfect three-birds-with-one-stone scheme, yet she managed to save the day." Lingxiu knelt beside her, massaging the Princess Consort's calves.
“Yes, if that Ushiha choked and died, and the Fourth Prince publicly favored Yehe, do you think this double blow would cause the girl in the South Courtyard to have a premature birth on the spot?” The Fujin sighed. “If she can’t take this blow and has a premature birth on the spot, she might give birth to a stillborn child or a sickly child who won’t grow up. It’s really killing three birds with one stone.”
“Fujin, don’t be discouraged. Now, with the Yehe clan controlling the South Courtyard, and the Nian and Wu clans also eyeing it covetously, Niohuru’s days are not easy,” Lingxiu said.
"I hope so. I'm a little curious, though. How did Yehe manage to make you so infatuated with her? This is unprecedented. In just over ten days, she's taken up half of my time. Ju Taohua said that every time we go to her, we make a ruckus until late at night." The princess sniffed her snuff and squinted her eyes as she spoke.
“Yes, I’m very curious too. In terms of beauty, she’s not as good as Nian Shi, and she’s not as quick-witted either. At first, Master didn’t pay much attention to her either,” Lingxiu said.
"Have Peach Blossom keep an eye on things, and try to figure out exactly how she won over the Fourth Prince's heart," the Fujin said, closing her eyes.
“Yes, I will go and talk to her tomorrow,” Lingxiu said.
In the south courtyard, Granny Zhou packed her things overnight. Lanqin, still mindful of their mistress-servant relationship, gave her fifty taels of silver, but while she was spared the death penalty, she couldn't escape punishment. Granny Zhou was given thirty strokes of the cane before leaving. Lanqin sent someone to take her and her one-and-a-half-year-old son home in a carriage. It was late at night, and it wasn't safe for an injured woman to carry a child.
Ushiha had already fallen asleep, and the Fourth Master deliberately didn't go over, wanting Lanqin to handle Zhou Mama entirely. After learning of Lanqin's decision, he said with considerable dissatisfaction, "That servant was careless, why did you give her money? In my opinion, she should be given fifty lashes!"
Lanqin glanced at the Fourth Master, but remained silent. Seeing that Lanqin ignored him, the Fourth Master walked over, turned her shoulders, and forced her to look at him, saying, "Is it because of the Yehe Clan that you're angry with me?"
Lanqin turned her head away, still refusing to speak to the Fourth Prince. She knew that the Fourth Prince's recent favoritism towards Yehe Shi had attracted attention in the inner quarters, and she understood that as a man not yet thirty, his sexual desires were quite strong. With her pregnant belly, she was difficult to serve, so others would inevitably have to take on more of the responsibility. Lanqin had mentally prepared herself for this, trying her best not to dwell on it, not to be jealous or resentful, and to focus on giving birth to her child. However, seeing Yehe Shi sitting so casually beside the Fourth Prince in the Fujin's room, seemingly with his hand being held by him, Lanqin felt a stab in her heart, even disappointment and heartbreak. She was heavily pregnant, yet the Fourth Prince could still show such favor to another woman in front of her.
"I have something to say to you. You may all leave." Fourth Master said to the people in the room when he saw that Lanqin was still acting awkwardly.
Cui Niang and Nianxue, along with several other maids, quietly withdrew. They had grown accustomed to the Fourth Master's presence and preferred to avoid him.
"What does Master have to say?" Lanqin asked bluntly after he dismissed the servants. She hadn't spoken earlier, partly because she knew the servants' presence would have offended the Fourth Master. Sigh, when did Lanqin have to start caring about such things?
"I've been going to the Yehe Clan's place a lot more lately, and you're unhappy about that." When Fourth Master said this, he sounded like a child who had made a mistake, explaining his error to his parents or teacher.
Lanqin smiled inwardly. She wasn't truly heartbroken; rather, she had long accepted the reality of polygamy in this era, knowing that her desire for a lifelong, monogamous marriage was a pipe dream, like a stone springing from an egg. Therefore, her anger had its limits. As long as Fourth Master was genuinely good to her, and as long as her child wasn't tormented, our Lanqin had already compromised and was prepared to live her peaceful life in this wicked feudal society.
However, on the surface, Lanqin still kept a straight face. She was indeed unhappy. What woman could bear to see her husband holding hands with another woman while she was pregnant?
Hmph! Lanqin still felt a tightness in her chest when she thought about how the Fourth Master had allowed Yehe Shi to sit in the seat that was originally meant for her in front of so many people.
"Whom the master favors is none of my business!" Lanqin retorted angrily.
"Qin'er, I wasn't a lecherous man before, was I?" Fourth Master said suddenly when he saw that Lanqin was finally willing to talk to him.
Ah, a lecher?
Lanqin looked at Fourth Master in surprise and subconsciously asked, "Why would you have such a question, Master?"
In Lanqin's mind, or rather, in historical records, compared to his son Qianlong, or even the mighty Kangxi Emperor, Yongzheng was remarkably clean-living and self-disciplined, almost like a Puritan. After becoming emperor, he had only fifteen consorts and a few sons and daughters. In modern times, a man with fifteen wives would be considered a womanizer, but in the old society, especially as the emperor, Yongzheng was truly a very self-disciplined ruler. Kangxi had approximately eighty consorts, over thirty sons, and twenty-odd daughters; Qianlong had over a hundred consorts, but his ability to father children was less than his grandfather's, with only a dozen or so offspring. Some historians have suggested that this wasn't due to Qianlong's lower prolificacy, but rather his inferior control over the harem; many of his offspring were killed by his two empresses. Kangxi, on the other hand, was a true winner in life: emperor, beautiful women, many children, and a far-reaching reputation—truly the most remarkable emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
The Fourth Master said somewhat embarrassedly, "I don't know what's wrong with me lately, but my needs in that area are particularly strong. But unfortunately, you're feeling unwell right now and can't serve me. So I'll have to find someone else. Yehe Clan, Yehe Clan..."
The Fourth Master was still puzzled when he mentioned Yehe Shi. He didn't want to explain it too clearly, for fear of upsetting Lanqin. Had he told her that he was becoming increasingly infatuated with Yehe Shi's body?
Lanqin listened, touched that Fourth Master was so open with her, but she still felt a little uneasy. After all, no woman would be happy if a man told her that he was infatuated with another woman.
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