In the East Courtyard, after hearing the imperial decree bestowing a name upon her, Li Gege smashed a set of teacups. The servants, already familiar with their mistress's habit of smashing things at the drop of a hat, skillfully cleaned up the broken porcelain pieces and took them away.
"Princess, you're pregnant with the prince, you can't be so angry," said the wet nurse, Madam Jin, earnestly advising Princess Li after she had finished venting her anger.
“Now that the master has a legitimate son, he no longer sees us, mother and son.” Li Gege said sadly, clutching her handkerchief. “He hasn’t come to see me for so long.”
Granny Jin sighed. Being a concubine meant having to be mentally prepared. If the master didn't come, she had to find a way to get him to come: "Princess, you know the princess's temper. The master is only doing this because of the eldest prince. In time, he will naturally remember how good you are."
"You must always be gentle, happy, beautiful, and kind," Granny Jin said, then reminded her, "Besides, you still have the eldest princess."
"What use is she!" Li Gege became even angrier upon hearing this. "Granny Jin, why am I so unlucky? If she were a prince, the master wouldn't be ignoring me now. It's all her fault!"
"The imperial physician said I'm most likely having a son," Li Gege said, her spirits lifting. "His safe delivery is what I'll rely on for the rest of my life."
Granny Jin wanted to advise Princess Li to treat the eldest princess better, but she was afraid it would backfire.
In her opinion, the master valued the eldest princess very much. Sometimes, even if he didn't come to see his own princess, he would take her to the front yard, which was the study, a place that could not be entered without a summons.
Why can't my own princess understand?
"Is the eldest princess crying again?" Li Shi heard the sounds coming from the warm pavilion and felt a surge of frustration. "Is the wet nurse dead? What use is she if she can't even soothe one child?! She cries all day long, it's disheartening to watch. If she can't be soothed, we should have the physician prescribe some medicine. How can I rest if she keeps wailing like this?"
Granny Jin quickly went to instruct the wet nurse to take good care of the eldest princess.
Li Gege touched her belly and began her daily prenatal education. The doctor told her that as long as she talked more, the baby would understand, and early communication would help cultivate a better relationship.
Her child will definitely be better than the princess's child.
She was absolutely convinced of this.
***
"Good nanny, if you can't wipe your body, you can at least wash your hair with hot water, right? Honghui already dislikes the smell on me."
Yi Hua had discussed this with the wet nurse countless times. While the wet nurse was always easy to talk to, she remained adamant on this matter: "Madam, once a woman has had a proper postpartum period, she can recover from any illness, big or small. At this time, you must not catch a cold, be exposed to wind or water. Just bear with it and it will pass."
“Prince Honghui loves his wife the most, but it’s because of her that he’s being pushed away. Look how sad he is, he’s even crying.” Hongxiao said with a face full of disapproval. “Our prince is so well-behaved. He’s never cried since he was born. If you keep acting like this, he’ll really ignore you. Let’s see if you cry then.”
"You little busybody," Yi Hua said helplessly, continuing to endure.
Seeing that the Princess Consort had finally given up the idea of washing up, Granny Chen quickly changed the subject: "Princess Consort, for the past half month or so, His Majesty has been having Su Peisheng take Prince Honghui to see him. He hasn't come to the main courtyard even once. He even stayed at Madam Li's place for two nights. This servant was wondering if His Majesty was angry on the day of the baby's third-day celebration?"
Yi Hua yawned, not caring much: "Li is six months pregnant, it would be wrong for him not to go see her. How can I face anyone in this state? If Master doesn't come, he doesn't come. But if he does, I'll kick him out."
“Madam! You’re talking like a child again.” Chen Mama earnestly advised, “If I may be so bold as to say it, you and the master were always so respectful to each other, but you lacked a bit of warmth. Now that Prince Honghui is here, it’s the perfect time to cultivate your relationship. If Li Shi also gives birth to a son in the future, you should think of the prince, not just yourself.”
According to historical trends, Li's child would not have lived long.
Yi Hua thought to herself, having gotten used to being waited on hand and foot for the past ten days or so, she was really reluctant to adopt the mindset of an employee and try to please her boss again.
"Then let's deliver a bowl of winter melon and barley pork rib soup. Both barley and winter melon are good ingredients for removing dampness and relieving summer heat. The weather right now is the beginning of the plum rain season, which is very pleasant."
"Yes, this servant will go and prepare it right away," Yu Xiao replied happily.
Yi Hua went to bed early. She had just given birth and hadn't recovered her energy yet when she heard Chen Mama calling her anxiously.
"Madam, wake up, something has happened to Yuye."
"Yu Ye?" Yi Hua had some impression of this maid. She was a woman with a somewhat alluring appearance. She never stepped forward to do any work, but she was always very enthusiastic whenever Yinzhen or Honghui came.
Fortunately, she had Granny Chen and Hong Yuxiao by her side to keep her in check, and ordinary maids could not get close to serve her.
"Yes, that wretched girl. Yu Xiao ate something bad and has been having diarrhea. Yu Ye offered to run errands for her, but who would have thought that this girl would be so audacious, claiming that you, Madam, ordered her to serve the master. And her attire was so daring!" Granny Chen grew increasingly angry, nearly tearing the handkerchief in her hand. "The master is always unmoved by temptation; he punished Yu Ye with a beating, and she's doing it now. That wretched girl keeps saying she was acting on your orders, what are we going to do?"
Yi Hua sat up and hugged the quilt. This matter was indeed difficult to handle. Yu Ye had been serving in the main courtyard, and Yin Zhen had neglected Yi Hua for more than half a month. It was reasonable to send a beautiful maid over to curry favor.
If Yi-Hua hadn't been the person involved, she would have believed it too.
Yinzhen must have been furious.
Indeed, when Yinzhen saw Yu Ye, whose chest was mostly exposed and who was trying to make physical contact with him, his face darkened.
Su Peisheng, with his sharp eyes, immediately signaled his apprentices to drag her away.
It wasn't until the woman kept referring to herself as "Fujin" that Yinzhen finally ordered her to be punished with a cane.
The pork rib soup that had been simmering for half an afternoon went untouched.
Yinzhen held the book, not turning a page for a long time, the prayer beads in his hand turning one by one, showing his distress.
Su Peisheng bent over and advised, "Master, this girl looks unfamiliar. She is probably not someone close to the Fujin. In my opinion, this matter is very likely something she did on her own to frame the Fujin."
Yinzhen looked up at Su Peisheng and said, "You seem to be familiar with the maids in the main courtyard."
Su Peisheng lowered his head even further: "This servant often goes to deliver messages, and over time I have come to understand that the Princess Consort is only served by Chen Mama and Yu Xiao."
Yinzhen snorted coldly. His recent neglect of the main courtyard was not because he was dissatisfied with Yihua's performance at the baby's third-day celebration. On the contrary, he admired her strong and assertive nature as a mother.
However, she was, after all, the Crown Princess, so he had to maintain the proper demeanor. It wasn't for the Crown Princess's benefit, but for the Crown Prince and the Emperor's.
This neglect should have ended by the time she finished her postpartum period, but I didn't expect her to be in such a hurry!
Su Peisheng thought for a moment and continued, "Your Highness, think about it. When has the Fujin ever sent anything to your study before? The study is an important place, and the Fujin has always known to avoid suspicion."
Yinzhen: ...
This reason strangely convinced Yinzhen. This woman had rules ingrained in her bones, so naturally she wouldn't do something so shameful.
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