"What are you saying, sir? My big toe was bruised and sore from being hit by the bottom of her flowerpot, and it still hurts now," Zhao Jia said, frowning as she felt the pain in her foot.
"It's all Lanqin's fault for not paying attention and bumping into the Thirteenth Prince's wife. Please forgive Lanqin for her unintentional mistake." Lanqin realized that she had bumped into the other person, so she felt it was only right to apologize and said apologetically.
Seeing that Lanqin had apologized, and mindful that this was the residence of the Fourth Prince, Lady Zhaojia nodded to her and whispered, "Be more careful next time."
After Lanqin thanked them, she walked past them. Seeing that it was a small matter, the others turned their attention to the extremely beautiful woman in blue on the stage.
"Princess Niu, why are you only arriving now? I don't know why it took you so long to relieve yourself with Princess Dong. Was the servant not attentive enough?" The Fujin glanced at Lanqin and asked, feigning concern.
"Your Highness, after I finished relieving myself and Madam Dong, I lingered in the small garden for a while. Because I was so engrossed in admiring the fragrance of those few osmanthus trees, I was delayed in coming to watch the play. Please forgive me, Your Highness," Lanqin said carefully.
"Alright, it's just a bit late. Let's not say anything more and watch the show," Fourth Master said.
The princess wanted to ask a few more questions, but since the fourth prince had already spoken, she could only glance at Lanqin and exchange a look with Yanyu before saying nothing more.
At that moment, the Eighth Prince's wife, who was sitting in the corridor, said to Lady Dong, who was sitting next to them, "Does Lady Dong know this Lady Niu?"
Lady Dong was surprised that the Eighth Prince's wife would speak to her, so she immediately nodded and lowered her eyes, replying, "Girl Niu and I were in the same batch of imperial concubines, and we happened to be assigned to the same room to learn etiquette."
The Eighth Prince's wife and the Eighth Prince exchanged a glance, then looked at the Seventh Prince, and suddenly understood.
"You are acquainted with Fourth Brother's Princess Niu, why didn't you tell me?" Seventh Master said to Madam Dong in a low voice.
"I felt that this matter should not be known to you, my lord." Seeing the slight dissatisfaction in the Seventh Prince's eyes, Madam Dong said cautiously, "I just haven't found a suitable opportunity to tell you, my lord. Please forgive me."
Seventh Master was not a domineering person. Hearing what Madam Dong said, he didn't say anything more and said gently, "If you get to know any princesses in the future, tell me. I can let you go out for a walk from time to time. It will also be good for the child in your womb."
Hearing Seventh Master say this, Madam Dong's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and she sweetly agreed.
The Eighth Prince's wife, who was sitting to the side, overheard something and said, "Hehe, the Seventh Prince is really considerate to Consort Dong."
Seventh Master chimed in, "If we're talking about thoughtfulness, I'm afraid I'm no match for Eighth Brother. Everyone says that Eldest Brother and his wife have the best relationship, but I see that Eighth Brother and his wife are a perfect match, a truly loving couple that makes people quite envious."
The Eighth Prince's wife chuckled, raised her handkerchief to cover her mouth and laughed for a while. Then she stared blankly at the woman in blue on the stage, but she didn't know what she was thinking.
The play continued until late afternoon, when everyone took their leave after exchanging pleasantries with the Fourth Prince and his wife. After giving a few instructions to Madam Dong, Lanqin and the others returned to their respective courtyards.
That night, Fourth Master stayed at Lanqin's place as usual.
Upon learning that the Fourth Prince had still gone to the South Courtyard, Yan Yu angrily smashed the teacup that Fang Yun had given her. She had clearly done her best to help the Princess Consort organize the Fourth Prince's birthday banquet smoothly without making a single mistake, but he seemed not to see it at all, and still went to find that Niohuru Clan who hadn't done anything at all and had almost caused trouble.
"What? Can't you even tolerate this?" The Fujin was helping Li Mama walk in from the doorway when the water that had fallen on the ground almost spilled onto the bottom of her flowerpot.
"This concubine greets the Fujin!" Seeing the Fujin's serious expression, Yan Yu immediately bowed her head and said, "This concubine is just a little angry. That Niu Shi clearly took Dong Shi and left on her own today, almost causing the Fujin to lose face in front of the Fourth Prince. I think she did it on purpose."
"Alright, without your words, I intend to remove Niohuru." The Fujin walked to the main seat and sat down, gesturing for Yan Yu to sit beside her.
"Elder sister, this trip to the south is a good opportunity. Otherwise, we could have Fifth Brother eliminate this Niu family member without us even realizing it, saving us the trouble." At this moment, Yan Yu's eyes were filled with deep resentment and jealousy.
"Foolish! You're traveling with the Emperor. Do you think the Imperial Guards are all pushovers?" The Princess Consort glanced at Yan Yu, her eyes filled with murderous intent.
"What can we do then? Should we just let her enjoy the prince's favor? If Lady Niu gives birth to a prince, it will definitely be very detrimental to the eldest prince's position in the future." At this moment, Yan Yu only wanted to provoke the Fujin to come up with a way to deal with Lanqin, not to think about the eldest prince at all.
"This matter requires careful consideration. We must gradually remove her from the Prince's heart. Acting rashly will only bring trouble upon ourselves. I believe in you. Your looks and family background are superior to Niu Shi's. You will surely be able to reduce the Prince's favor towards her." Yan Yu only knew that she wanted the Princess Consort to get rid of Lan Qin for her, but little did she know that the Princess Consort was also pinning her hopes on her.
The two are sisters, so naturally they have similar thoughts; they both want the snipe and the clam to fight and the fisherman to benefit.
After seeing the Fujin off, Yan Yu, with a gloomy expression, washed, cleaned her face, and changed her clothes with the help of Yun Yuan and Fang Yun.
“Princess, if you’re unhappy, what the Fujin said makes sense. Getting rid of the South Courtyard isn’t something that can be done overnight. Your Highness is unparalleled in beauty; you’ll surely win His Highness’s favor.” Fangyun said carefully as she removed Yan Yu’s stockings.
“If we’re talking about beauty, there’s more than one beautiful woman in this inner quarters. Niu Shi isn’t exactly the most beautiful, so how come she enjoys the emperor’s favor among everyone?” Yan Yu said, frowning.
"Princess, I have an idea, but I don't know if I should say it." Fangyun, eager to gain Yanyu's attention, couldn't help but offer her suggestion.
Yun Yuan glanced at her and silently massaged Yan Yu's arm. Ever since Fang Yun arrived, she had started bypassing Yun Yuan, her personal maid, and getting closer to Yan Yu.
Yan Yu glanced at Fang Yun, a smile playing on her lips, and said, "Speak. If your method is good, this princess will certainly give you an important position."
Fangyun glanced at Yan Yu cautiously and continued, "My ancestors were incense makers. When the business was passed down to me, the family fell into decline, which is why I was forced to sell myself into slavery. However, I have studied incense making with my father since I was a child, and I am very knowledgeable about women's products such as rouge and face powder."
Upon hearing this, Yan Yu couldn't help but interject, "What exactly are you trying to say? Stop keeping me in suspense and just say it."
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