When Lingxiu returned, the situation in the main courtyard had changed. Hongshi had been taken away by the people sent by the Fourth Master, and all those who had served him were no longer needed, but were all sent back to the head nanny for reassignment. Not only that, but the expenses and number of servants in the main courtyard were also reduced, from the original sixteen maids to six; and from the original six rough-working old women to two. The Second Princess, Elinzhu, and the Third Princess, Namin, were also to be moved out. The Second Princess was sent to the South Courtyard, where Lanqin would personally take care of her. The Third Princess was sent to Wu Shi's place to be raised by her.
Afterwards, Song and Geng went to Lanqin to ask why the Fourth Prince chose Wu Shi instead of either of them. Lanqin explained it this way: Yan Yu's daughter was, after all, the Fujin's own niece, so naturally she wouldn't be raised here. Therefore, it was most appropriate to give her to Wu Shi, who had always been neutral.
In the main courtyard, only maids were allowed to enter and exit each day to collect necessary supplies and meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). No one else was allowed to enter or leave at will. In other words, apart from the Fujin (princess), all her maids and servants were no longer free to move around and had to stay with her under house arrest.
Lingxiu walked along and saw that the places that used to be bustling with servants were now completely empty. There were even overturned potted plants on the ground, but no one had picked them up. She had only stayed at the Unara residence for half a day, so how could the main courtyard have changed so much since she returned?
"Autumn Cicada~!" Lingxiu shouted instinctively.
"Sister Lingxiu, Qiuchan has gone to fetch water for the Fujin!" The door to the west wing opened, revealing Dongxue.
"Where have all the people gone?" Lingxiu had just entered the house when she saw the two unfamiliar old women who had opened the door. She had a bad feeling, but she didn't expect that in just over half a day, more than half of the people in the main courtyard would be gone.
“Sister, you don’t know, but just an hour ago, the head nanny led a group of people and took away the Second Princess, the Third Princess, and the Fourth Prince, along with most of their servants. The master has ordered that no one is allowed to enter or leave the main courtyard without permission,” Dongxue said.
Lingxiu stared at her in surprise as she spoke quietly, her mind racing with thoughts: The Fujin has completely fallen out of favor!! What good days does she have left?
"Sister Lingxiu, you should go and see the Fujin (principal wife). Only you can persuade the mistress." Dongxue was always honest.
Lingxiu's heart sank. She went to the Unalana residence early in the morning, carrying the Fujin's personal keepsake. She met Wuge along the way but did not see Feiyanggu. Wuge said that Feiyanggu was too old and no longer managed affairs. Lingxiu then told her younger brother everything about the Fujin.
Wu Ge, seeing that this was a matter concerning the inner quarters, simply said that if the Fourth Prince was going to verify it, he would naturally bring up the matter of the Fujin (Prince's wife) to smooth things over. However, during their conversation, Lingxiu seemed to sense that Wu Ge was rather unwilling to get involved in the Fujin's affairs any further.
The room was dimly lit; it was past dusk, and it was already quite dark outside, let alone inside. Furthermore, while eight large white candles were usually lit in the main room, only one was lit. Lingxiu felt uncomfortable in the darkness and groped her way to the Fujin's bedroom.
There were originally four candles in the bedroom, but now only two were lit, though it was still brighter than the main room. Lingxiu saw a human figure curled up on the bed.
"Madam, your servant is back!" Lingxiu called out.
The figure then stirred slightly, and a low, listless voice came from the bed: "Why are you only getting back now!"
He sounded quite resentful in his words!
Lingxiu's heart skipped a beat, and she replied, "Reporting to the Madam, I did not see Lord Fei Yanggu. I talked to Lord Wuge for a long time, asking him to think of a way to speak to the Master, but I noticed that Lord Wuge seemed to be making excuses."
Suddenly, the Fujin threw off the covers, sat up abruptly, her eyes red, and glared at Lingxiu, saying, "He dares to abandon me?"
Lingxiu had never seen the Fujin (principal wife) so disheveled. Her French hairpin was loose, and the hair on both sides of her temples fell down, making her look like a destitute and abandoned woman. Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying, probably under the covers.
"From what I understand, Lord Wuge is implying that the Duke of Ying's mansion is not what it used to be. He said that the Princess Consort used to have the First Prince, but now she has no sons. No matter how much he speaks to the Fourth Prince, it's all in vain." Lingxiu was still hesitant, but seeing the Princess Consort's distraught appearance, she didn't hold back and repeated Wuge's words verbatim.
"You ungrateful wretch! If it weren't for me, how could he have inherited the title of Duke of Yingguo! Now that he sees me, his wife, being schemed against by a bunch of vile women, he dares to say such things!" The wife grabbed the thin quilt covering her and said angrily. Back then, as the eldest daughter of Duke Fei Yanggu of the Ulanara Mansion, she was so favored in the mansion. Her half-brothers and half-sisters couldn't compare, and even her youngest legitimate brother wasn't as favored by Fei Yanggu and his wife. Perhaps because Fei Yanggu had many sons, he especially doted on his daughter.
Seeing that the Fujin was acting impulsively and only knew how to curse, Lingxiu felt a little contempt for her, but she did not show it on her face and said, "Fujin, please don't be angry. Now you need to rest and recover before you start making plans."
The princess said bitterly, "Now that I'm trapped here, how am I supposed to devise a plan?"
Lingxiu's heart skipped a beat, and she said, "Madam, have you forgotten? Don't we still have a pawn outside?"
“Yehe clan!” the princess said. “Wu clan has long been estranged from me. I gave Namin to her to raise, but she refused. Now that she sees me in such a sorry state, I’m afraid she’ll be even less likely to do anything for me.”
"My lady, Tao Hua owes you a huge favor. Your sister-in-law's indenture is still in your hands. If she doesn't work hard, you can still punish her," Lingxiu said. It turns out Tao Hua's brother was a spendthrift, gambling and whoring. The family relied on Tao Hua's money to marry him off, but he gambled her away at the casino. If it weren't for the lady giving Tao Hua a sum of money to redeem her, their family would have been ridiculed by the neighbors. Therefore, Tao Hua became the lady's person, silently keeping an eye on Yehe Shi for her.
"That little slut hasn't reported in a long time. She still hasn't found out how Yehe Shi gained favor. She's utterly useless," the Fujin said angrily.
"Don't worry, Madam. I can still come and go as I please. I will definitely keep Tao Hua under control for you. As long as we have her sister-in-law's indenture, we won't have to worry about her not working for you," Lingxiu said.
"Fine, now you're the only one I can use. Those maids all run away when they see I've lost favor; they're all useless." The princess was still unwilling to accept this and cursed bitterly.
"Madam, let me help you up. Qiu Chan's meal is probably coming back soon. You mustn't do this, lest those unworthy maids become disloyal," Lingxiu said with a smile.
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