The cannon fodder character in the Dream of the Red Chamber's story of a substitute bride tries to rewrite her life 12...
Although Jia Hui felt annoyed and wanted to scratch the Eighth Prince's wife a couple of times, she smiled and greeted her, "Greetings, Eighth Prince's wife. It's been a long time. Why do you look so haggard? Have you been having too many worries lately?"
Getting angry is bad for your health; Eighth Prince's wife should try to be more easygoing. Too much anger not only harms your health but also makes you look older.
The Eighth Prince's wife sneered: "It's only been a few days, and Princess Rui's tongue has become quite nimble; she's even learned to use tricks like a dog catching a mouse."
Jia Hui still smiled, but her words were sharper than knives: "You've misunderstood, Madam. I just heard that one of the concubines in the household is pregnant, and I was afraid that Madam would be sad, so when I encountered her, I thought I should show some concern."
It's my fault, I don't know what's wrong with me, but ever since I got pregnant, I've become very emotional about everything, especially when I see other people sad.
Perhaps every mother becomes this nagging and worrisome! I've caused the Lady to misunderstand; I apologize to her here.
After saying this, Jia Hui smiled apologetically, turned around, and walked with Mingrui toward the Empress Dowager's palace.
It's said that two kinds of people can't sleep in the same bed. How could Mingrui not know that Jia Hui was using a feigned retreat to advance, deliberately showing weakness to provoke the Eighth Prince's wife?
He immediately played along with her: "Huihui, you're just too kind-hearted. Some people are like dogs biting Lü Dongbin—they don't appreciate kindness at all. They're not worth your concern."
You didn't see the fierce look in her eyes when she glared at your stomach just now; it gave me goosebumps.
Some people, unable to conceive themselves, are jealous of others who are. We have absolutely no connection to her, yet she's so jealous of you; imagine how much more jealous the women in the Eighth Prince's harem must be.
Let me tell you, that princess who's pregnant in the Eighth Prince's backyard has a very low chance of losing her baby. You'll see!
Upon hearing this, the Eighth Prince's wife nearly fainted from anger. Who would have thought that Mingrui's casual, fabricated words would actually come true?
The reason why the Eighth Prince's wife was reprimanded by both the Empress Dowager and Consort Hui when she entered the palace this time was because the princess's child was lost.
But honestly, she really didn't lay a hand on him this time!
She knew that the Eighth Prince aspired to the throne, and that there had to be a child in the household. Since she couldn't conceive, someone else would have to bear the child. So, no matter how painful it was for her, she endured it and didn't take action to get rid of the child in that princess's womb.
Who would have thought that the wretched woman was so unlucky and useless that she could trip and fall while walking normally, causing her to lose the baby in her belly.
Then this huge black pot was slammed onto her head. No matter how she explained, no one believed her, not even the Eighth Prince.
The Empress Dowager and Consort Hui took turns reprimanding her and punished her by making her copy the "Precepts for Women" one hundred times.
She was furious; that bastard Prince Rui was deliberately making sarcastic remarks. If they weren't in the palace, she would have chased after him and kicked him to death.
It's truly a case of a tiger fallen into the plains being bullied by dogs. If Guo Luoma were still alive, who would dare to bully her like this?
If she, Guo Luoma, had sat in that position back then, she would be the most noble princess in the world now, and those two damned bitches would have no chance.
The Eighth Prince's wife, growing angrier the more she thought about it, walked very fast, but before she had taken more than a few steps, she tripped and fell flat on her face.
This time the fall was more severe than the last one. After being helped up, I was dizzy for a while before I recovered.
Her forehead was throbbing with pain, and when she touched it, she found a huge bump. Enraged, she pinched her maid, Moxiang, hard to vent her anger.
Mo Xiang knelt on the ground, weeping and kowtowing repeatedly, begging for mercy: "Princess Consort, Princess Consort, please forgive me... Princess Consort, please calm your anger and forgive me..."
The Eighth Prince's wife was also stunned by this sudden situation; she didn't even look where she was.
She had just been reprimanded by the Empress Dowager at Cining Palace, and hadn't gone far after leaving the palace when she started showing off her power and disciplining her maids. Anyone who saw this would have something to say!
Mo Xiang's pleas for mercy grew louder and louder, completely unaware of what was happening. Mo Xiang was in pain all over from being pinched, but secretly she was overjoyed.
Hongyu saved her life; without Hongyu, she would have died of illness on that snowy night.
It was Hongyu who risked punishment, spent all the money she had, and ran to the Imperial Hospital to beg for medicine for her.
Later, because of this incident, Consort Hui punished him by making him kneel for several hours, almost ruining his knees.
Her mother died early, and after her father married a stepmother, he became her stepfather and sent her to this cannibalistic palace to work as a maid.
Sister Hongyu was the last warmth she had left in this world. Now, she had nothing left to cherish.
As long as she could get the Eighth Prince's wife into trouble, she would have no regrets no matter what price she had to pay.
She bribed the physician in the Eighth Prince's residence, who also deeply resented the Eighth Prince's wife, to administer a secret medicine from the previous dynasty called "Crimson Ashes."
This medicine is colorless and odorless. Even the imperial physicians in the palace would not be able to detect anything wrong if they did not know this medicine.
The medicine has been administered for half a year now, but it has no effect. The Eighth Prince's wife is only losing control of her temper more and more, and yet no problems can be found.
The Eighth Princess Consort, exhausted from wringing, glanced at Mo Xiang with disdain: "You lowly servant, aren't you going to come and help me? You have no sense at all! Wait till we get back, I'll teach you a lesson!"
The Eighth Prince's wife flew into a rage as soon as she left Cining Palace, and the news of her beating and scolding her personal maid quickly spread throughout the palace.
Consort Liang hid in her room and cried. Consort Hui sneered, thinking that the Eighth Prince, that two-faced scoundrel, was either born of her own flesh and blood or not on her side at all.
The Emperor told her to reprimand them, and she did, but the Eighth Prince and his wife were one who outwardly complied but inwardly defied him, and the other who turned a deaf ear. What could she do? They weren't her own mother.
When the news reached the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Kangxi was furious but laughed instead. He thought that the Eighth Prince's wife's actions were a great disrespect to the Empress Dowager and a contempt for imperial power.
As for the Eighth Prince's wife, she's truly finished this time. If Emperor Kangxi had been furious, that would have been fine, but he wasn't angry. He simply issued an edict reprimanding the Prince An's household for failing to properly educate their daughter.
The women of Prince An's mansion were nearly devastated; they were sitting at home when trouble came out of nowhere.
Kangxi's move was a decisive blow. After the Prince An suffered the consequences, he issued a strict order to all branches of the family that anyone who dared to have any further dealings with the Eighth Prince's residence would be expelled.
He also instructed the gatekeeper that whether it was the Eighth Prince or his wife, they should all return to where they came from, because the Prince An's mansion was too small to accommodate such a great figure.
This was just the appetizer; the real punishment was yet to come. The Eighth Prince was stripped of all his titles by Emperor Kangxi and became a bald prince.
What's even more remarkable is that Kangxi used this opportunity to bestow titles upon his sons. The eldest, third, fourth, and fifth princes were all granted the title of Prince.
The seventh prince was granted the title of Prince Shun, the ninth prince the title of Prince Duan, the tenth prince the title of Prince Dun, and the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth princes the title of Beile.
Now, among the adult princes, only the Eighth Prince is still a bald prince; there is no greater way to destroy someone's spirit than this.
The Crown Prince happily closed the door and laughed for a long time in his study. Prince Zhi laughed so hard at home that he couldn't straighten his back. He had long seen through the Eighth Prince. On the surface, the Eighth Prince followed his lead, but in secret, he had been trying to win people over.
In the past two years, he has heard many people praise him, saying things like he is gentle and refined and respectful to scholars.
Haha, now that's good. All the other princes have titles, but he's the only bald prince. Let's see who would still want to follow that bald prince.
The Eighth Prince's wife was so angry that she started smashing things again. When the Eighth Prince entered the room, he saw the mess on the floor and almost had to be sent away because he couldn't catch his breath.
"Have you made enough trouble? You want me to die even faster, don't you?"
The Eighth Prince's wife, looking aggrieved, called out to him, "My lord~"
The Eighth Prince sighed, pulled her to the study, and gestured to several maids to clean the room.
"Father Emperor just issued an edict demoting me to a bald prince, and you're smashing things at home. Are you trying to make Father Emperor think that I'm not convinced and want to defy the edict?"
I've told you so many times, control your temper when you're out. This is the palace, not a place where you can run wild.
Your mother had just finished scolding you, and the next thing you knew, you were at the gates of Cining Palace, unleashing a furious tirade against the maids, hitting and yelling at them. You claim you weren't indirectly criticizing them? Who would believe that? Would your father believe you?
What's wrong with you lately? You've become increasingly irritable. Prince Rui and his wife are deeply favored by the Emperor; I've repeatedly told you not to clash with them, why can't you remember?
Princess Consort of Prince Rui is pregnant and has just settled into her pregnancy. She came to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, but you scared her off with just a few words.
When the Empress Dowager saw that her complexion was off, she immediately ordered the imperial physician to be summoned. The physician said that she had been frightened. Coincidentally, you were scolding and beating the maid at that moment. The Empress Dowager was so angry that she almost fainted.
"You know how filial Father Emperor is to Grandmother Emperor. She's so old, and her temper has always been very kind. And yet you still managed to offend her. What can I say to you?"
The Eighth Prince's wife looked aggrieved: "You actually yelled at me? Do you think I wanted to get angry? I don't know what's wrong with me. I tried to hold back, but it's like there's a ball of fire burning inside me, ready to explode at any moment. I just can't control it."
The Eighth Prince frowned: "It sounds like you've been drugged. Someone, go and quietly fetch the royal physician."
The Eighth Prince's wife was about to explode in anger: "Those quacks in the household are nowhere near as reliable as the doctors from the Imperial Hospital. Send someone to get a warrant and go to the palace to fetch Physician Liu..."
"Have you forgotten what I just told you? Father Emperor just issued an edict demoting me to a bald prince, and the imperial physician was immediately summoned to the mansion."
Regardless of the reason, in the eyes of the Emperor and everyone else, this was an expression of dissatisfaction with the Emperor's decree. "Are you trying to defy the imperial order?"
The Eighth Prince's wife pouted and sat there without saying a word. The steward soon brought over the household physician.
The imperial physician carefully took the Eighth Prince's wife's pulse: "Your Highness, this is due to excessive liver fire..."
The Eighth Prince's wife impatiently interrupted the physician: "It's liver fire again, can't you say something else?"
My health is clearly getting worse, but all you say is that I have liver fire. Every time you prescribe some medicine to reduce the heat, it's more bitter than bitter herbs, but it doesn't work at all.
The physician was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy: "Your Highness, please calm down. My medical skills are shallow, and I only diagnosed that he had excessive liver fire."
Although the princess's pulse was somewhat irregular, there were no other obvious symptoms.
Perhaps it's because I've had too many worries lately, my mind is too heavy, and my diet is not right, which has caused me to get irritable and emotionally unstable...
The Eighth Prince's wife jumped to her feet: "This is outrageous! I think you're a quack! Guards, drag him out and beat him with sticks..."
The Eighth Prince stopped his wife and gently instructed the physician, "Go down first and think carefully about whether there are other possibilities for the wife's illness, such as being poisoned by secret medicine."
In short, the Princess Consort's health is of utmost importance; a suitable prescription must be devised quickly and meticulously.
The physician, feeling as if granted a pardon, quickly bowed and withdrew, while Mo Xiang walked past him carrying the medicine.
The two people walking past each other quickly exchanged a glance, then went back to their own business as if nothing had happened.
In the study, the Eighth Prince's wife stomped her feet in anger: "Your Highness, why did you stop me? What use is such a quack doctor? Just beat him to death."
You have no idea how burning and miserable I am. My temper is getting increasingly out of control, and if this continues, I'm going to go crazy.
The Eighth Prince frowned, a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart. Although he knew nothing of medicine, he could sense that his wife's temper had been unusually erratic lately.
Although she used to have a quick temper, she was never this irritable, resorting to violence at the slightest provocation.
He thought for a moment and comforted the Eighth Prince's wife: "Don't worry, I'll have someone secretly investigate to see if someone has tampered with it. Your illness came on strangely, and it's probably not that simple."
The Eighth Prince's wife gritted her teeth in hatred: "If I find out who harmed me, I will make her wish she were dead."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Master, I think it's all related to those bitches in the backyard. If you ask me, just tie them up and beat them hard. If it hurts, they'll confess."
The Eighth Prince felt his head start to ache again. His wife seemed unable to understand human speech these days, and he couldn't reason with her at all. This matter was suspicious, and he should find a reliable person to investigate it thoroughly.
Jia Hui never expected that her scheme to frame the Eighth Prince's wife would be so effective. Kangxi was truly shrewd; he understood the meaning of "killing someone by destroying their spirit."
Among the adult princes, only the Eighth Prince was bald. Anyone with a brain knew that there was no future with him.
But doesn't the Eighth Prince's wife seem a bit too easily angered? Is this the kind of person the shrewd and calculating Prince An's granddaughter is? Really?
Mingrui noticed Jia Hui's confusion: "Although I am not in good health and have been staying at home, I have heard my cousin and his wife say some things about the Eighth Prince and his wife."
It's not hard to tell from her sister-in-law's words that although the Eighth Prince's wife was proud, she would never have done something as foolish as directly beating and scolding a maid in the palace, especially outside the Empress Dowager's Cining Palace.
In my opinion, she's most likely been drugged. There was a secret drug from the previous dynasty called "Crimson Beauty Elixir," which would make the user extremely impulsive and irritable, unable to control their temper. It does resemble the Eighth Prince's wife's current state somewhat.”
Jia Hui looked shocked: "There really is a secret medicine from the previous dynasty? How do you know about this medicine? Is there an antidote?"
"The Eighth Prince's residence should have its own physician, just like ours, and imperial physicians should regularly visit to check on his health. If someone were to drug the Eighth Prince's wife, would they be able to hide it from the physician?"
Mingrui put his arm around Jia Hui and walked towards the bedroom: "I heard it from someone else. They used to be in poor health and were bored lying in bed all day, so they liked to listen to people tell stories."
My mother had an old nanny who came from the palace and knew many of the palace's secrets. At that time, I listened to her stories as if they were just stories.
She was the one who told me about Zhu Yan Jin, and she also mentioned a lot of other random medicines.
It was also said that Consort Dong'e did not actually die of illness, but was poisoned by a secret drug called "Red Beauty Intoxication."
Upon hearing about Consort Dong'e, Jia Hui perked up: "Quickly, quickly, tell us the story of the love and hate between Emperor Shunzhi and Consort Dong'e."
Mingrui shrugged helplessly: "I don't know much about this either. It's getting late, let's get some rest."
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