Lanqin snorted inwardly, deciding not to argue with the Fourth Master about Wuya's character anymore. She'd already done her job; let the Fourth Master see what happened next.
"Qin'er, tomorrow I'll pass down the message that they should come and discuss anything with you. They don't need to tell me. Haven't I already entrusted all the affairs of the inner quarters to you and Nian Shi?" Fourth Master suddenly said.
Huh? What does this gentleman mean by that? Does he mean he's angry that they've come to ask him for help so many times?
"Yes, I will handle it, but they refuse to tell me!" Lanqin seized the opportunity to add a little more sour grapes.
"The master will send someone to explain tomorrow," Fourth Master said. He could forgive one or two instances of this going against his wishes, but repeated offenses made him uncomfortable. This showed a disregard for Lanqin, which meant a disregard for his rules.
Lanqin hadn't expected that Fourth Master was genuinely annoyed by their tricks this time, or perhaps her attempt to sow discord had been more successful? It seemed she couldn't be so careless in the future; she had to show her true colors in front of Fourth Master from time to time, otherwise, if she didn't assert her authority, they would all think she was a pushover.
That night, Lanqin slept peacefully in Fourth Master's arms.
The following day, as expected, the Fourth Master sent someone directly to Lady Wuya and Lady Nian to tell them that in the future, they should consult Lanqin directly about any matters and not always come to him. If Lanqin couldn't resolve something, then Lanqin should report back to him.
Upon hearing this, Lady Wuya nearly collapsed to the ground, unable to catch her breath. She had been so angry yesterday that she hadn't slept well because Cuiyun hadn't been able to invite the Fourth Master. Hearing his words this morning, it was clear that he was dissatisfied with her repeated attempts to invite him.
"Master, please be careful!" Cuiyun saw that Wuya had lost her balance and was sliding down, so she quickly grabbed her arm and said.
“How could he be so heartless to me, Princess?” said Lady Uya.
Cuiyun had long wanted to say that she herself was so impatient as soon as she got pregnant, which would definitely not end well, but she couldn't say it directly, because Wuya's temper was not as bad as before.
“My lady, you can’t just act on your whims anymore. This is the Fourth Prince’s residence, and there are rules for every household. You used to be the principal wife in the Xiao family, but here you’re just a concubine. A concubine has to inform the head mistress if she has something to say. Now the head mistress is in the South Courtyard, and you’re going over her to see the master directly. Isn’t that breaking the master’s rules?” Cuiyun had no choice but to say.
"Don't mention the Xiao family again!" Madam Wuya's face darkened. She felt a sudden panic, perhaps realizing that what she had been doing lately had annoyed the Fourth Master.
Cuiyun quickly said, "Princess, you should say the same thing: take good care of yourself during pregnancy. We should wait until the baby is born before we start taking care of it."
Wuya flattened her chest, nodded, and had no choice but to let Cuiyun help her back to bed to rest.
Meanwhile, Lady Nian was also furious upon receiving the Fourth Prince's words. Last night, Cuiling had reported encountering Wuya's maid in the south courtyard and repeating Cuiyun's words to her, which had nearly made Lady Nian smash things in anger. Adding to this, the Fourth Prince hadn't been able to be summoned, and this morning's words only made Lady Nian feel that she was being implicated by Wuya. Otherwise, her reasons were perfectly legitimate, and as a concubine, it was perfectly reasonable for her to discuss matters with the Fourth Prince. But being paired with Wuya made her an object of the Fourth Prince's dislike as well.
"It's all that bitch's fault! I, the concubine, will never let her get away with this." Lady Nian lost her appetite for breakfast. How could she possibly tolerate this humiliation, being caught in the crossfire? The Fourth Prince was clearly dissatisfied with Lady Wuya, yet she herself had been implicated.
"My lady, please don't upset yourself. She's just a princess, how could she possibly be on equal footing with you?" Cui Ling quickly said.
"But now, Master has also dragged me into this." The more Nian thought about it, the more she felt that it was all because of Wuya.
"Bai Zhi, you think carefully about how to make her uncomfortable, or better yet, by causing her to miscarry unexpectedly," said Lady Nian. "If she doesn't make herself look bad, she won't let the other person have an easy time either."
"Master, do you want Princess Wuya to have a miscarriage?" Bai Zhi asked in surprise.
“That’s right, isn’t she just showing off because of the baby in her belly? I, the concubine, will make her cry.” Lady Nian said.
"My lord, you should give up this idea. These days, the master values the offspring of the inner quarters very much. Don't accidentally ruin your relationship with him. That would be a loss." Bai Zhi advised.
"Bai Zhi, as long as it's done discreetly, the master won't know," said Madam Nian.
The maids in the room were all trusted servants brought by Madam Nian, and they would never betray her. That's why she dared to speak in front of them.
"Then let me think about it carefully," Bai Zhi replied, bowing her head.
"You don't need to think about it anymore. I, your concubine, have already come up with a very good solution. This method might just eliminate the future troubles." A hint of malice flashed in Lady Nian's eyes.
"Does Master have any ideas?" Bai Zhi asked.
“Come here, I’ll tell you.” Mrs. Nian curled her lips smugly.
Bai Zhi leaned close to her ear, and Nian Shi raised her hand, covered her mouth, and whispered a few words in her ear. Upon hearing this, Bai Zhi's eyes widened, and she looked at Nian Shi in surprise.
"Well, what do you think of my method?" Lady Nian said.
"Excellent! By doing this, almost no one will know. And the mistress hasn't harmed her. I truly admire you!" Bai Zhi said, looking at Nian Shi in surprise. She hadn't expected Nian Shi to come up with such a wicked yet flawlessly perfect method.
"Alright, I'll leave this to you. Luckily, we have spies in the kitchen, so we can do it discreetly, and no one will know. Isn't that Princess Wuya having a poor appetite? This concubine will help her out." Lady Nian said with a smile. But her smile was somewhat chilling.
In the following days, Uya didn't cause any more trouble. Seeing that she was behaving herself, Lanqin didn't bother to bother her anymore. Moreover, Uya's appetite suddenly and miraculously improved. Lanqin thought that pregnant women's appetites were just like that, and it was fine as it came. As long as she stopped causing trouble and stayed quietly in her room, Lanqin didn't want to see her.
Fourth Master also heard that Lady Wuya's appetite had improved, and wondered what method Lanqin had come up with. He was even more pleased with Lanqin. Lady Nian would occasionally come over to discuss the layout of the newly built house with Lanqin. Lanqin patiently discussed it with her. Instantly, the inner courtyard returned to tranquility.
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