In the days that followed, Lady Nian would find excuses to visit the Fourth Prince at the Hall of Mental Cultivation almost every few days. The Fourth Prince was well aware of Lady Nian's intentions, but since she was still a Noble Consort and had borne him children, even though the Nian family was becoming increasingly presumptuous, the Fourth Prince still showed her some leniency.
As Lady Nian emerged from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, her face flushed as she recalled their earlier conversation, feeling a touch of shyness. Seeing Lady Nian's smiling face, Cui Ling teased, "Your Majesty, do you find the weather particularly hot and humid lately?"
Ms. Nian was taken aback and said, "No, it's almost autumn, how could it be so muggy..."
Cui Ling covered her mouth and chuckled, whispering, "Why is Her Majesty always blushing? Could it be that the Hall of Mental Cultivation..." Nian Shi reacted, glaring at Cui Ling who held up a round fan to shield her face, feigning anger, "How dare you make fun of me! You deserve a beating..."
Cui Ling dodged with a playful laugh, then said to Madam Nian with a smile, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant just feels that Your Majesty and the Emperor have been very affectionate lately, like an ordinary married couple, and I am truly happy for Your Majesty..."
Lady Nian said absentmindedly, "Is that so? But recently His Majesty has indeed been very kind to me... I wonder if it's because I recently used a beauty cream and restored my appearance that His Majesty treats me as before..."
Cui Ling quickly said, "Your Majesty, please don't overthink it. A beautiful woman is sought after by gentlemen. Even ordinary men like beautiful women, let alone the Emperor, who is the Son of Heaven and values appearance even more. As long as the Emperor treats Your Majesty well and dotes on you, that's enough..."
Sitting in the sedan chair, Lady Nian said softly, "Indeed..." Then she said to Cuiling, "Go and prepare more ointment. I want to become even more beautiful, so that the Emperor can never take his eyes off me again..."
Cui Ling quickly agreed and returned to Yikun Palace to help Lady Nian rest. Then she hurried to the Imperial Household Department to fetch some pearls. As soon as she stepped out, she saw a little maid hiding in a corner, crying and sobbing.
Cuiling recognized the maidservant as someone who usually followed her, someone quick and diligent, and squatted down to ask, "What's wrong? Why are you crying like this? Her Highness has just recovered and can't bear to see people cry. Don't upset Her Highness at this time, or you'll get a beating..."
When the little maid saw that it was Cuiling, she quickly wiped away her tears while sobbing, her nose red and looking extremely aggrieved: "Sister Cuiling, I didn't mean to cry. I heard some people talking badly about our lady on the way, so I argued with them for a bit. I didn't expect them to actually hit me."
After saying this, the little palace maid showed Cuiling the scratches on her arm.
Cui Ling was taken aback. She helped the little maid up, vaguely sensing something was amiss, and asked carefully, "What bad things did you say?"
The young maid glanced around timidly and stammered, "They...they said that our Lady must have taken some kind of magic pill to restore her beauty and regain the Emperor's favor...They also said...they also said that Lady is clearly old and faded, and no matter how much she tries, it's useless, and sooner or later the Emperor will dislike her..."
Upon hearing this, Cui Ling flew into a rage and said angrily, "Who is spreading these rumors and causing trouble? If Her Majesty finds out, she will definitely not let them off easily..."
The little maid cried, "Sister Cuiling, is it true that our Lady has fallen out of favor with the Emperor...?" Cuiling quickly covered the little maid's mouth and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense. The Emperor has made up with her recently. How could she have fallen out of favor?"
"As for the person spreading the rumors, if I catch her, I'll tear her mouth apart!" Cui Ling said through gritted teeth. Seeing that Cui Ling was angry, the little maid lowered her head and dared not say anything more.
"Keep everything you saw and heard today to yourself, and whatever you do, don't let Her Majesty find out..." Cui Ling instructed the little maid, but in her heart she was thinking about how to explain to Madam Nian.
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