"My lady, I heard that a carriage from the Ulanara family came and took Zhou Chan back," Qingxue said in a low voice.
Qian Shengyan snapped out of her reverie and nodded, "I understand." She paused, then asked, "How is the Fujin?"
"Miss Xinrui was sent away, but the Fujin... doesn't seem to be in any danger." Qingxue didn't understand what Qian Shengyan was asking.
Qian Shengyan rubbed her fingers against the hem of her sleeve, pondering for a moment: "Qingxue, you said..." She paused, then suddenly remembered something, "What did Princess Liu give to Miss Xinrui last time?"
“It’s a statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy who grants children…” Qingxue said, puzzled.
Qian Shengyan suddenly stood up and hurriedly went out, but when she reached the door, she felt it was not right. After hesitating for a moment, she turned back and instructed Qingxue: "Send a young maid who looks unfamiliar to Yue Di Yun Ju to convey my message that the Princess should be careful with the jade."
"Be careful with the jade pieces?" Qingxue didn't understand, but seeing Qian Shengyan's confident expression, she quickly replied and left.
A moment later, Qingxue returned and said, "This servant found Yueji, who sweeps the corridor, and sent her to Yuedi Yunju. She is the prince's woman."
"Okay." Qian Shengyan breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing Qingxue still looking at her with a puzzled expression, she smiled helplessly, "I'm not worth guessing, am I..."
"My lady, please stop! I really want to know!" Qingxue was getting anxious.
Qian Shengyan glanced at her with amusement: "The Fujin said that it was a fertility-enhancing drug that her eldest uncle had found. If it was only given to Xinrui, it wouldn't be unreasonable if it had some aphrodisiac effects. But if that were the case, Madam Ulanara would have told the Fujin the truth. But the Fujin not only gave it to Miss Xinrui, but also took it herself. How come she's alright?"
"Perhaps, the Fujin did not eat it, but in order to escape punishment, she only said that she ate it?" Qingxue guessed.
Qian Shengyan nodded: "That is indeed possible, but I think that compared to adopting her sister's child, the Fujin would prefer a child of her own."
“That’s true…” Qingxue nodded.
“When I went with the Prince just now, the Princess Consort’s expression was a bit strange when she saw me. Then she made an excuse to take me to the warm pavilion, but asked the Prince to wait in the inner palace.” Qian Shengyan laughed. “It seems that if I don’t go, the Princess Consort will do something.”
Qingxue understood: "This is a double insurance for the Fujin. If she can conceive on her own, she can also help with pregnancy; if she can't, she can bring out Miss Xinrui."
“I guess that might be the case, but according to Miss Xinrui, she had a reaction shortly after taking the medicine. Perhaps it wasn’t just the medicine that caused the problem, but some other factors as well…” Qian Shengyan guessed.
Qingxue wasn't stupid, and after hearing Qian Shengyan's message to remind the Fujin, she suddenly realized, "Your Highness means, that Guanyin who grants children..."
"Perhaps I'm overthinking it. Didn't the Princess Consort have someone check it?" Qian Shengyan smiled helplessly. "I just had this suspicion and was just reminding the Princess Consort."
“This servant thinks that the master’s guess might be right. Otherwise, why would Consort Liu be so guilty when she gave away such a wonderful Guanyin statue that grants children, with such a good meaning and such a high price?” Qingxue sighed. “Even if Consort Guo and Consort Geng did not see what happened, Consort Liu’s behavior that day was still very strange.”
"Perhaps we're overthinking things..." Qian Shengyan's eyes flickered slightly, then she sighed, "I was really meddling!"
Qingxue laughed as she quickly made the bed, saying, "His Highness once said that Master is a truly kind-hearted person, and His Highness is absolutely right!"
Qian Shengyan: ...
Oh dear, she was embarrassed by what I said.
Her thinking was actually very simple: every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt has its debtor. Since Nian and Liu dared to take action, it should be known so that Ulanara could retaliate, and then... she could watch the show.
Tsk, she's so unkind!
The two chatted and tidied up. It was getting late, so Qian Shengyan went to wash up and change into her nightgown with Qingxue's help. But she didn't want to sleep right away, so she sat on the small couch for a while.
"Aunt Qingxue, Aunt Qingxue!" A female voice rang out from outside. Qingxue responded and said to Qian Shengyan, "Master, it must be Yueji who has returned. I'll go and see."
"Okay." Qian Shengyan sat on the small couch, resting her chin on her hand and looking out the window, suddenly feeling a little confused.
It's unclear who Nian Shi was trying to harm—Ulanara Shi, or Miss Xinrui? Or perhaps Liu Shi herself made a change, explicitly stating that the so-called gift was for Xinrui?
Perhaps it was a twist of fate. If Zhou Chan hadn't come so abruptly, everyone would have just witnessed Miss Ulanara's madness, instead of things escalating to this point where a perfectly good girl has lost all her innocence. How can she possibly survive in this era?
Why.
Qian Shengyan suddenly felt a little disheartened, thinking that she was too naive to watch a play, which was full of tragedies from the feudal era, soaked in human blood and tears.
When Qingxue went out and came back, she saw that Qian Shengyan was already lying on the bed, seemingly about to fall asleep.
She walked over quietly: "Master?"
"Hmm? How is it?" Qian Shengyan tilted her head to look at her.
Qingxue couldn't figure out Qian Shengyan's attitude, so after a moment's consideration, she decided to state the facts objectively: "After Yueji went to deliver the message, the Fujin quickly ordered someone to find a nanny who was somewhat skilled in the art of the Banner and Yellow Banners to come and check the room one by one. Finally, she found something wrong with the Guanyin statue that was supposed to grant children."
"Hmm? What's wrong with it?" Qian Shengyan asked curiously.
"The old woman said that it smelled like medicine, so the princess had someone smash the Guanyin statue. They found that the jade statue was hollow inside, with a medicine packet in the middle. The smell was coming from that medicine packet," Qingxue said.
Qian Shengyan frowned slightly: "Didn't the Princess Consort have someone check it?"
"That old woman said that the jade statue has no gaps, only a very small hole at the bottom, and the medicinal smell will slowly diffuse out. It needs to be left for a long time to be effective." Qingxue seemed to know all the details.
Qian Shengyan was speechless for a moment. After lying on the bed and thinking for a while, she suddenly asked, "What will happen to Xinrui after she goes home?"
Qingxue was taken aback by the question and hesitated before replying with some difficulty, "Perhaps I will marry Zhou Chan, perhaps..."
"Become a nun, or... hang yourself, is that it?" Qian Shengyan closed her eyes and sighed.
Qingxue was somewhat puzzled. After standing there for a moment, she asked softly, "Master... could it be that you want to?"
“I think it’s no use doing anything, I’m not her mother.” Qian Shengyan sighed. She could do something by relying on Prince Yong’s power, but then again, that was the Fujin’s family. How could a concubine interfere in the Fujin’s family’s affairs? Did she think life was too easy?
There's no way around it.
She had once been soft-hearted and begged Yinzhen not to take Xinrui into the household. She didn't want to see another young girl gradually fall into obscurity. But... if she had known that this would be her fate, she would have urged Yinzhen to grant the princess's wish sooner.
"Asleep?" Yinzhen lifted the curtain and walked in. Qingxue was startled and curtsied before retreating.
Qian Shengyan tried to get up to bow, but Yinzhen pressed her shoulder down and said, "You should sleep. There's been some trouble at Yue Di Yun Ju again, and I have to go check on it."
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