Yinzhen did not stay overnight at Nian Yunrong's place that night. After Qingyan returned with the medicine, she did not cook it immediately, but told him about her concerns.
"Consort, the prescription His Highness gave you seems to be a bit too urgent. I'm also a little confused. Why don't we send it back to the Nian residence and have the lady and master have someone take a closer look before we take it?"
Nian Yunrong was a little angry; this Qingyan was meddling far too much.
"Qingyan, this medicine was given to us by the Prince. Do you think the Prince would not know if we switched the medicine? Besides, the Prince feels sorry for me because I want to have a child but I have never been able to. This shows that the Prince cares about me. You should not mention this matter again."
Hearing her master say this, Qingyan dared not say anything more and had no choice but to obey.
Nian Yunrong was overjoyed that Yinzhen had brought up the matter of the child with her.
That evening, Yinzhen went to his wife's courtyard.
Ulanara thought her plan had fallen apart, but she didn't expect that her overthinking was unnecessary.
The main reason for Yinzhen's visit was to discuss with Ulanara the Emperor's upcoming inspection tour of Rehe.
"Father has decided to inspect Rehe and preparations have already begun. This time, Your Highness may also go."
"Is Your Highness worried about the affairs of the manor?"
Yinzhen smiled; he knew that Ulanara was capable.
“I know you’re capable. However, since you’ll be away for quite a while, I’ll have Jing Shu help you with the arrangements. After all, there are three children in the household now, and Niohuru is pregnant. You can’t manage everything by yourself.”
Hearing that Yinzhen wanted Consort Li to help him handle the affairs of the household, he felt relieved.
Since Li Jingshu was released from confinement, she seems to have become a different person. Apart from matters concerning Hongshi, she spends most of her time in her own courtyard and rarely interacts with other people in the mansion.
"Your Highness has considered everything very well. I will obey your command."
Seeing that his wife's expression was calm, Yinzhen felt somewhat relieved.
Since losing Honghui, he had been worried about his wife's condition, so he rarely interfered in matters of the inner quarters and mostly left them to his wife to manage.
Now it seems that my worries were perhaps unfounded.
The following day, Empress Ulanara specifically sent someone to inform all the courtyards that the daily greetings for that day were canceled. After breakfast, she specially sent her trusted confidante to invite Li Jingshu over.
"This humble servant greets Your Highness, may Your Highness be blessed."
"Sister Li, there's no need for such formalities. Please rise. Someone, bring tea."
Li Jingshu knew that Ulanara wouldn't easily summon her, so she guessed that she might have something to ask her.
She sat down properly to one side, took a sip of tea, then put the tea down and wiped her lips with a handkerchief.
Ulanara had been observing Li Jingshu's actions, and was secretly surprised. This Li Jingshu seemed different from before.
No, she's different from the crazy Li Jingshu of before. The current Li Jingshu is more like the one she was when she first came to serve the prince.
"Sister Li, the reason I invited you here today is that I have something to discuss with you."
"What are you saying, Madam? Just give the order. There's no need to 'discuss' it."
Ulanara nodded virtuously:
"Yesterday, the Prince came over and mentioned that the Emperor is about to inspect Rehe. He said he would also be going for a while. This time, the Emperor's inspection of Rehe will last for quite a while, and there are many affairs in the manor. The Prince would like you to help me handle them for a period of time."
Since Li Jingshu was confined to her quarters, all her rights have been taken away. Even though she has now been restored to the status of a concubine, she has no real power.
Of course, she didn't want to argue anymore.
“My lady, I have not been involved in the affairs of the household for a long time, and have been focusing on Buddhist worship. Consort Nian is younger and more capable than me, so I think it would be more appropriate for her to take over.”
Regardless of whether Li Jingshu's words were true or false, Ulanara was still very satisfied with her humble attitude.
Today, Nian Gengyao is doing a very good job as the governor of Sichuan and enjoys the emperor's deep trust.
Even the prince said that Nian Gengyao was "content with a simple life to avoid favoritism" and was a talented person. She would never give Nian Yunrong the opportunity to interfere in the affairs of the manor.
“Sister Li, the Prince and I both trust you. Now that Hongshi is growing up, it’s time for you to do some things.”
Sensing that something was off about Ulanara's tone, Li Jingshu had no choice but to agree.
Seeing that Li Jingshu had agreed, Ulanara smiled again.
“Since Your Highness and Consort trust me so much, I naturally cannot betray that trust. Your Highness is accompanying the Emperor on his inspection tour of Rehe this time, and I suppose you will bring several of my sisters with you. In addition, Sister Wanru is currently pregnant, so why don’t I help my sisters take care of their children?”
Ulanara was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected Li Jingshu to offer to take care of the child.
Everyone knows that the prince cherishes these children in the manor. He appears strict on the surface, but he actually dotes on them.
"Since my sister has spoken, I naturally have no reason to disagree. How about this, since my sister Niohuru is currently pregnant, why don't you also take care of her as well?"
"Your concubine obeys."
In fact, this was Ulanara's true purpose, but she didn't expect that it was also Li Jingshu's true purpose.
Now that Princess Niohuru has given birth to a son and comes from a prominent family, and is currently pregnant, many eyes are inevitably watching her.
She had a vague feeling that someone would definitely make a move this time, so she offered to take care of several children so that the Fujin would also entrust her with the care of Niohuru Gege.
Li Jingshu wanted to use this opportunity to find out the real reason for Hongyun's death back then.
After bidding farewell to the Fujin, Li Jingshu returned to her own courtyard, went to the inner room, lit some incense, and knelt before the Buddha statue.
Previously, she had misunderstood, wanting everyone to experience the pain of losing their child. Later, while under house arrest, she received an anonymous note saying that Hongyun's death was not due to illness, but rather a deliberate murder.
She carefully recalled the scene and realized that Hongyun's death was indeed very sudden; he passed away before he even had time to receive treatment.
Everyone cursed her for not keeping a close watch on her, and she herself felt guilty for a long time.
Now that the prince has lifted her confinement, she must find out the truth about this matter.
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