Of course, despite this, Ulanara was, after all, the wife of a prince chosen by Emperor Kangxi. She could be confined to her quarters, neglected, or even die of illness, but she could never be sent back to her maternal home.
In the end, only Granny Wu was sent back to Ulanara's family.
Su Peisheng personally escorted her back, and he not only saw Wu Mama off, but also a handwritten letter from Prince Yong, which clearly described all the good deeds Wu Mama had done "behind the Fujin's back" over the years, and stated: "Our Prince Yong's mansion cannot afford to employ such a servant."
There's no need to elaborate on how apprehensive the Ulanara family was; just look at the daily requests for an audience sent to the garden to see how anxious they were. Unfortunately, Ulanara was confined to the Moon Cloud Residence and could not see anyone, so only Qian Shengyan could see the Ulanara family's requests.
She sighed, carefully placed the invitation in a small box, and asked Qingxue to take it away and keep it safe. She planned to give the invitation to the Fujin after her confinement was lifted, but she didn't know if the Fujin would still dare to see the Ulanara family by then.
Yinzhen was clearly angry with the Ulanara family.
This isn't the first time. They're clearly a family of servants, yet they still dare to meddle in the Prince's backyard. Now, Yinzhen is ruthlessly cutting off their overreaching hands and has once again confined the Princess Consort to her quarters at the end of the year. He even specially sent two nannies to accompany her in reciting scriptures. If the Princess Consort still can't understand after all this, Yinzhen probably won't give her a third chance.
With Li Shi's work completely finished and Nian Shi still recovering from childbirth, the power over the entire garden had completely fallen into Qian Shengyan's hands.
As a result, the servants in the entire garden became increasingly cautious around Peach Blossom Village. Not to mention Aunt Qingxue, even Green Cloud had gained some prestige when she went out.
Moreover, since Yinzhen either never entered the inner courtyard or stayed in Peach Blossom Village, Qian Shengyan had both power and favor, making her life incredibly easy.
Now that her life is better, naturally some people can't stand it.
In the lush and tranquil courtyard, Madam Geng finally welcomed the Fifth Prince after his recovery. Busy caring for the child, she naturally couldn't attend to anything else, and—
It was agreed that the rash was only for smallpox inoculation, but the Fifth Prince's face was not properly cared for. Now the little boy is covered in scars, and Madam Geng cries every time she sees it, feeling extremely distressed.
So Li Shi refrained from provoking her at this time. However, after seeing the Fifth Prince once, Li Shi had a good idea.
The reason why Lady Nian was so favored was because her son and daughter pleased the prince. Lady Li wanted to see if her two children, whose appearances were ruined due to neglect, could still make the prince think about them every day.
Just before the beginning of winter, Madam Li arrived at Peach Blossom Village with two new outfits. She smiled and playfully teased Qian Shengyan, "I liked Fuerguochun the moment I saw her, and it reminded me of the Third Princess when she was little… Oh my, look at those long eyelashes, so beautiful…" She smiled and gestured for her maid to hold up the box. "The weather is getting colder, and I had some good fabric, so I thought I'd make some for the children. The Third Prince and the Fifth Prince already have some, and I thought I couldn't forget the Fourth Prince, and our little princess too, so I made two outfits for her. Sister, take a look, are they alright?"
"The stitches are so fine, sister, you've really put your heart into this." Qian Shengyan touched the smooth lining with delight. "Qingxue, hurry up and accept it!" She then stood up and bowed to Madam Li. "Thank you, sister."
"Oh dear, there's no need to be so polite with me," Madam Li said with a smile, covering her mouth with her handkerchief. "I was just thinking that if the children could have a hot pot together for the Winter Solstice to make it more lively, that would be nice. What do you say, sister?"
“Sister is absolutely right,” Qian Shengyan said with a smile, her eyes lowered.
Li laughed even more heartily, and chatted with Qian Shengyan for a long time before leaving satisfied.
As soon as she left, Qingxue held the box and asked Qian Shengyan, "Master, what is this?"
"She meant that Hongli and Foerguochun should wear these clothes on the winter solstice." Qian Shengyan frowned, picking up the two beautifully made jackets between two fingers. She couldn't believe that this was something Li Shi would do.
Even if Qian Shengyan is currently favored and in power, she doesn't believe that Li Shi knows how to curry favor with her.
Or perhaps, Lady Li was trying to present a virtuous image to the prince?
...It's not that Qian Shengyan looks down on her, but really, Li Shi is too old to get pregnant again, and her rank is already that of a concubine with no further promotion. Moreover, the eldest son in the mansion, Hongshi, is her own son. If Li Shi really had the brains to please Yinzhen, she would be better off urging the Third Prince to study hard.
Unable to think of anything else, Qian Shengyan could only put it aside for the time being. She instructed Qingxue to put the baby jacket away carefully, so that the two children wouldn't find it, and also to keep it from the prince for the time being. As for the rest…
Qian Shengyan suddenly remembered something: "We haven't visited the Fifth Prince since he recovered. But the way he got sick was strange. Smallpox is a contagious disease, and the Fifth Prince has never seen anyone else before. How could he suddenly fall ill?"
“This servant thought about it a few days ago. Does Your Majesty know that nowadays, young masters in various mansions can only be vaccinated against smallpox at the age of seven or eight? But even with such a mild vaccine, the young masters have to endure three to five days for the smallpox to appear, and they have to stay at home for half a month to recover before they can be seen in public.” Qingxue had already made up her mind, so when Qian Shengyan asked, she naturally answered all her questions. “This servant was thinking that the Fifth Prince is only two years old. He has contracted a disease like smallpox, and… how could he recover so quickly?”
"You mean..." Qian Shengyan suddenly looked up, and Qingxue nodded gently at her.
Qian Shengyan frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then instructed Qingxue: "Go and investigate whether anything happened before the Fifth Prince fell ill. Or... investigate anything related to Consort Li and Lady Geng."
"Yes, this servant will take care of it right away," Qingxue replied, and immediately went out.
Qian Shengyan, however, felt uneasy. She counted on her fingers and couldn't help but feel that the Fifth Prince's smallpox had come and gone strangely. Moreover, none of those who served him closely had been infected. Could this smallpox be a hoax?
As she pondered this, Qian Shengyan's eyes grew increasingly dark. She clenched her fists, looking at the wooden box still lying to the side. The embroidery of the little jacket inside was exquisite and luxurious, but who could see the sinister intentions hidden within?
Li, you better not let me find out that you're planning to do anything to Hongli and Foerguochun, or else don't blame me for being ruthless!
Soon, Qingxue found a useful piece of information—in early October, when the weather had just turned cold, Gengshi had personally made a cotton vest for the Fifth Prince. Because she was the Fifth Prince's birth mother, and she knelt before the Fujin and begged for a long time, the Fujin finally took pity on her and allowed the Fifth Prince to wear the cotton vest.
Then, less than half a month later, the Fifth Prince contracted smallpox.
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