As they paused, the wet nurse brought in Hongxuan, who was still half-asleep.
.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Hezi immediately stopped talking.
Jiaming snapped out of her reverie about the gossip in the backyard. She picked up Hongxuan, gestured for the wet nurse to leave, and then spoke up, saying, "If my Hongxuan were to be subtly criticized by Hesheli, I would want to... well, eat her if I wanted, but I really would tear her apart."
"What the concubine said sounded a bit off, I think so too, but what exactly is wrong with it?" Hongtao, whose brain was never as smart as Jiaming and Xiao Hezi's, frowned and asked somewhat confusedly.
Jiaming didn't speak, but only glanced at Xiao Hezi indifferently.
Upon receiving this meaningful look, Xiao Hezi immediately understood and explained, "If you repeat what I said about the concubine in a sarcastic tone, I believe you will understand."
Hongtao hadn't yet recalled what Xiao Hezi had said about the concubine's words when Xiao Hezi paused for a moment and then continued, "Actually, the concubine was just mocking the eldest prince for his poor health. He's already six years old and still getting sick. Her words implied that the eldest prince wouldn't live long."
Hongtao's eyes widened instantly, and she exclaimed in disbelief, "My God, this concubine is far too presumptuous!"
"Alright, Xiao He, you can continue." Jia Ming wasn't there to hear Xiao He's explanation or Hong Tao's sighs, but rather to hear the gossip.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hezi paused, then, remembering where he was in the conversation, he continued, "After the concubine left the main courtyard, the main wife was very angry. It is said that she smashed several valuable porcelain items that came with her dowry. After returning to the Lotus Courtyard for a while, the concubine, along with people and gifts, went to the Li Courtyard to visit Li Shufu, also said to be to visit the ailing Prince Hongshi."
Just like when she went to the main courtyard, Hesheli calmly presented the gift to Li, and after Li smiled and accepted the gift, she opened her mouth and made a sarcastic remark about Prince Hongshi. Then, she deliberately brought up Li's sore spot.
On the surface, he seemed to be praising Li for being able to give birth, but in reality, he was mocking her for being able to give birth but not raise the children, for having many children die, and for being utterly useless.
Then, the conversation shifted to Prince Hongshi, the only surviving member of the Li family.
"Oh dear, Xiao Hezi, why are you pausing? Tell me quickly, what did the concubine say?" Hongtao, who was also in the room listening to Xiao Hezi's account, suddenly became anxious.
Granny Sun coughed twice, and Hongtao suddenly remembered that her mistress was still here. This was not just a time for servants to gossip.
Jiaming glanced at Hongtao and saw that she knew she was wrong and even shrank her neck. She immediately shifted her gaze to Xiao Hezi.
Xiao Hezi instantly seemed to channel a woman's inner voice, kindly reminding him, "Hey, Sister Li, you have to be careful and take good care of Prince Hongshi!"
Upon seeing this, Jiaming immediately understood that it was Xiao Hezi playing Hesheli. Recalling Xiao Hezi's previous brilliant performances in playing two roles, Jiaming's eyes lit up, and she was very much looking forward to it.
After saying this, Xiao Hezi suddenly produced a handkerchief from somewhere and quickly covered his mouth, saying with great concern, "Alas, your first two sons are both gone. I don't know if it's your fault as a mother, oh no, perhaps your sons weren't healthy, or some other reason. In any case, learn from the past, you must take good care of Prince Hongshi..."
Next, Xiao Hezi returned to his old ways, once again playing two roles: Hesheli and Li. He portrayed one as verbally humiliating the other, while the other was filled with anger at being humiliated. Their back-and-forth banter amused Jiaming and the others.
Granny Sun, who had never known that Xiao Hezi possessed this skill, was quite surprised by his abilities.
.
Even after that, the days of the concubine causing trouble for the principal wife and Lady Li in the pear courtyard were not over yet.
One day, Jiaming overheard from Xiao Hezi that the concubine had personally led a group of people to escort several maids who had spoken ill of her behind her back to the main courtyard, and then made all sorts of sarcastic remarks about the concubine's poor management and lack of virtue.
In short, during the days when the concubine and the fourth prince did not consummate their marriage, Lady Hesheli used various methods to find fault with the principal wife and Lady Li of the pear courtyard.
This made Jiaming and the others enjoy watching the show. At the same time, having Hesheli help share the burden also relieved her, after all, she still vividly remembered the cold looks in the eyes of the Fujin and Li Shi after she got off the carriage on her way back from the palace.
At night, Jiaming woke up once again because of the arrival of the Fourth Master.
Waking up in the middle of the night every day has made Jiaming a bit grumpy in the morning. However, she doesn't dare to be too direct and can only offer her opinion indirectly: "Master, I'm telling you, you're so busy during the day and you're tired. It's so late now, you should rest earlier. Why are you coming to my place? It's taking up too much of your time."
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master raised an eyebrow and said, "What, you're not welcoming me?"
Jiaming pursed her lips, slightly avoiding Fourth Master's gaze, and recklessly uttered three words: "Not welcome."
It's really annoying to be woken up in the middle of the night! Moreover, if the fact that the Fourth Master often comes to Peach Blossom Courtyard in the middle of the night were to be leaked, I believe I would most likely be torn apart by all the women in the harem.
Moreover, Hongxuan is still young. If those women target him, and do so openly without resorting to underhanded tactics, disregarding the possibility of being discovered, becoming the target of their anger, or directly attacking him, it would be impossible to defend against them.
"Oh?" Upon hearing Jiaming's words, Fourth Master immediately narrowed his eyes.
A sense of danger instantly gripped Jiaming's heart. She felt a pang of unease. "I knew I shouldn't have said that," she thought. "Why did I blurt it out?"
After thinking it over, Jiaming immediately said cautiously, "Your arrival at this time not only delays your rest time, but also repeatedly wakes up the sleeping maids. Of course, I am not worried about myself, but I am most worried about your health. In short, neither of us can sleep well. If we don't sleep well, we won't be in good spirits. If we are in bad spirits, you will probably be less productive in your work during the day."
It was as if she had never said those three words—"not welcome"—at all.
Jiaming was pretending he hadn't said it, and Fourth Master was pretending he hadn't heard of it.
He hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "That's true!" Then, changing the subject, he suggested, "How about I come over in the evening? That way, it won't disturb you, and it won't bother me either..."
"no!"
"This won't do, that won't do, Ming'er, what do you mean?"
"Of course, if you're going to go, go to another courtyard. Don't come to Peach Courtyard!" But even though Jiaming had these words on the tip of her tongue, she didn't dare to say them out loud.
He squinted at someone, his entire body radiating an increasingly oppressive aura.
Jiaming reluctantly gave in, saying awkwardly, "Hehe, please continue! You can come over again in the middle of the night, as long as you don't mind being tired or not getting enough sleep. Suddenly, I feel that being woken up isn't so bad, after all, I can catch up on sleep during the day."
(To be continued.)
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