After Si Hua arrived, under the watchful eyes of Fourth Master and everyone else, Si Hua, following Lan Qin's instructions, recounted what had happened that night. She said she hadn't pushed Liu Shi; she had simply failed to catch her when she slipped. She admitted that she had acted foolishly and should have rushed over immediately to cover Liu Shi before she fell, so that Liu Shi wouldn't have fallen so badly.
After saying this, Si Hua began to cry, crying so sincerely, so regretfully, so heartbrokenly, as if she were grieving for the child who had been killed in the accident before he was even born.
When Lady Nian and Lady Fucha saw Si Hua's expression, they were dumbfounded, as they hadn't expected her to say such a thing. They thought Si Hua would vehemently deny it, just like before. With Lady Nian pressuring the Fourth Prince, who would he choose to believe?
If even a maidservant can't win against Madam Nian, what will the Nian family think?
Lanqin took in the changes on the faces of Nian Shi and Fucha Shi. Sure enough, she had guessed correctly. As soon as Sihua admitted her mistake, they were at a loss for what to do.
"Now that things are clear, Si Hua simply failed in her duty, so fine her three months' wages." Fourth Master looked at Lan Qin, quite satisfied that she had managed to get Si Hua to behave this way.
"Your Highness, she harmed Consort Liu so badly, how come she was only fined three months' wages? If everyone is punished like this, the servants will stop working so hard!" Lady Nian exclaimed.
“What Consort Fu is right. What Lady Liu just said was that she felt someone push her from behind, not that Si Hua didn’t catch her in time,” Fucha said softly, her head lowered.
"I've already sent people to investigate the spot where Liu fell. Sure enough, the ground there isn't very smooth; there are some stones. Liu probably bumped into a stone and that's why she fell," Fourth Master said.
"Has His Highness sent people to investigate?" Lady Nian asked doubtfully when she heard the Fourth Prince say this.
"I sent someone to check on her a few days ago. Si Hua simply couldn't catch her in time. It happened suddenly, and it was dark, so it's understandable that she couldn't hold on properly. Now, I'm fining her three months' wages as punishment. Shi Lan, do you think my punishment is unfair?" The Fourth Prince said gently to Madam Nian. But Madam Nian clearly felt that the Fourth Prince's calm and collected manner made her feel even more powerless to resist.
"Well, let Liu stay at Chunhui Hall and recuperate. Have the storeroom send some tonics over there. Tell her not to overthink things. I'll visit her when I have time," said the Fourth Master.
Seeing this, both Madam Song and Madam Wu fell silent, for the Fourth Prince's punishment was quite lenient. They were only slightly surprised that Si Hua suddenly admitted she hadn't caught her in time, and looking at Lan Qin, they saw a clear signal for them not to interrupt.
"On behalf of Consort Liu, I thank Your Highness for your consideration. Your Highness, please rest assured, I will visit Consort Liu more often," said Consort Nian.
"Thank you for your trouble, Shilan. I've been busy with official duties lately and haven't had a chance to visit you and Hongsheng. Sheng'er is almost four years old now, it's time to send him to school for his early education." The Fourth Master didn't mention Liu Shi, but instead asked Nian Shi with concern.
Lady Nian looked at the Fourth Prince with a slight bewilderment and said, "Hongsheng is doing well, but I am a little worried about sending him to a private school. I was just about to talk to Your Highness about Hongsheng's early education."
"Alright, let's talk about it when I get to your place. Let's leave it at that for today. You may all go back now," Fourth Master said to the group.
As Lanqin, supported by Sihua, walked out from the front yard, Song and Wu came up from behind.
"Qin'er, what exactly happened? Did Si Hua really fail to stop her in time?" Madam Song asked, puzzled.
"Qin'er, it seems to me that you and Master have already discussed this matter and are handling it this way?" Wu Shi said.
Lanqin looked behind her and saw that Lady Nian and Lady Fucha had also come out. She said, "Let's go, we can talk as we walk."
Watching Lanqin, Song Shi, and Wu Shi's retreating figures, Nian Shi looked quite smug. The fact that the Fourth Prince had just shown concern for Hongsheng made her feel that he was finally starting to value her.
"Consort, Si Hua's sudden remark seems pre-planned. Did the woman in the South Courtyard have her maid say this beforehand?" Fucha asked.
"What do you mean by this? Did you know about the Prince's decision all along? That's why you had her maid say such things?" said Madam Nian.
“It’s not impossible,” said Lady Fucha.
“No, why would the Prince want a maid? Does he think I’m not even as good as a maid?” Lady Nian was clearly unwilling to accept this idea and immediately interrupted Lady Fucha’s conjecture.
"I was overthinking it, please don't worry, Consort. Now that the Prince has begun to show affection to you, this is the best thing for us. I congratulate you on regaining the Prince's favor," said Lady Fucha.
“Well, the Prince’s lenient punishment of Si Hua is simply out of consideration for Niohuru, and he can’t bear to punish her severely. In that case, let’s win back the Prince’s favor first, and then find an opportunity to deal with them. Wouldn’t that be a piece of cake?” said Lady Nian.
From that day on, the Fourth Prince would occasionally visit the Yue family, and even hired a private tutor for Hongsheng to give him his early education. Sometimes, the Fourth Prince would also visit the main courtyard, but he would only talk and leave, never staying overnight!
Immediately afterwards, the Fourth Prince summoned his wife, Lanqin, and Lady Nian to the front courtyard alone and explained to them the redistribution of power within the Fourth Prince's household. Lady Nian was now in charge of almost everything in the household, including meals, house maintenance, and household chores, while Lanqin was only responsible for finances and liaising with the accounting department. The Fourth Prince's wife was mainly responsible for receiving visiting guests and did not actually manage anything.
Lanqin was happy to hand over some of the miscellaneous tasks in the manor to Nian Shi, so that she would have time to quietly do some things she liked. However, she couldn't show that she was very happy.
Lady Nian was smug, believing that Lanqin's situation was a prelude to the Fourth Prince's rejection of her. By stripping Lanqin of some of her power, Lady Nian felt much better. The Fujin remained unchanged, as if everything was irrelevant to her.
From then on, Lanqin shut herself in her room and began to live her own life, no longer having to see so many stewards or read endless record books. She invited Song Shi and the others over to play cards and chat, and the days passed quickly.
After the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival arrived. On this day, it was time for these members of the imperial clan to enter the palace again. This time, the Fourth Prince planned to bring his principal wife and two secondary wives to pay their respects to Consort De.
In order to please Consort De, Lady Nian specially had her brother send over some fine things to present to Consort De.
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