That evening, when only the mother and daughter were left, Changning asked, "Mother, why are you and the Fujin so close?"
This time, Madam Suochuoluo looked much more serious, her accent had become normal, and she spoke standard Mandarin. Her deep and thoughtful expression was exactly what one would expect from a noblewoman from a prominent family.
It seems that the kind and amiable Lady Fucha with her thick Northeastern accent was just a mirage.
"Changning, your mother has told you a lot about the past dynasty. In your opinion, what is the current state of the court?"
How is the political situation in the court? Prince Zhi and the Crown Prince are currently on very good terms, while Suo'etu and Mingzhu have long been irreconcilable enemies. However, Prince Zhi is too reckless. Now, the Eighth Prince is in charge of the Imperial Household Department and can be considered a rising star.
However, Changning knew that the final winner was not the Prince Zhi, not the Crown Prince, not the Eighth Prince, but the Fourth Prince, Yinzhen.
Seeing Changning deep in thought, Lady Suochuoluo continued, "The princes are gradually growing up, and the Emperor is getting older. The change of the dynasty and the succession to the throne have long been on the surface. At present, besides Prince Zhi, the Crown Prince, the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Tenth Prince, the Third Prince, Prince Cheng, and the Fourteenth Prince have also shown some interest."
At this point, Lady Suochuoluo paused, then looked directly into Changning's eyes and asked, "What about Fourth Master?"
Changning's heart trembled. The Fourth Master, of course, also harbored ambitions to ascend to the throne.
Changning didn't say it aloud, and Suochuoluo didn't press for details.
“The Princess Consort is intelligent. She shares this sentiment and understands that you are all in the same boat. As long as Honghui is alive, you will not become enemies.”
However, Changning remembers that Honghui died young in history...
Looking at Honghui's health now, I don't know how many more years he can hold on...
That means they must get Yinzhen on the throne before Honghui dies. But it's still early, and all they can do is try their best to prolong Honghui's life.
Once Honghui dies, although the Fujin (wife) will still restrain herself for the sake of the glory of the Ulanara clan and assist the Fourth Prince in ascending the throne, it is hard to guarantee that she will not harm the children.
Changning felt a pang of anxiety, a sense of being caught between a rock and a hard place.
Seeing this, Lady Suochuoluo quickly grasped Changning's hand tightly, saying, "Ning'er, remember, Lady Fucha is your support. As long as Lady Fucha is here, you will never fall."
Changning seemed relieved and touched her belly. "Mother, I know Fourth Master won't treat me like that."
Seeing the disapproving look in Suochuoluo's eyes, Changning forced a smile. "I'm carrying his child. As long as I don't do anything to harm the offspring, he will always protect me. Mother, I'm not love-struck."
"Pfft," Sochoro laughed out loud. "Love-obsessed," that's an interesting term.
With that laugh, the atmosphere in the room became much more relaxed.
The mother and daughter snuggled together and fell asleep.
During the days that Suochuoluo had been here, Changning's life was arranged in a very clear and orderly manner.
When I wake up in the morning, I take a walk around twice, and then have breakfast.
Breakfast was quite to my liking; sometimes it was tofu soup or barley porridge, sometimes it was pearl and jade dumplings or bean cake, and sometimes it was bamboo shoot and pork noodles or yam soup.
After breakfast, don't rush to digest. First, drink some tea to calm your mind, and then you can engage in recreational activities.
Changning usually starts by reading travelogues. When she gets tired of reading, she picks up a needle and thread to make small clothes for the children and sachets for her mother and fourth uncle.
Then have a snack as a treat.
Then, with the help of Granny Zhang and Zhuiyu, they walked around the courtyard a couple of times as exercise, and then they could rest and sleep.
When you wake up again, you can have your meal.
Dinner is usually ordered by Changning himself, plus a special meal prepared by Suochuoluo.
That day, Changning was particularly craving braised pork ribs, especially the marrow inside the ribs, which was oily and fragrant. Just thinking about it made Changning's mouth water.
After finishing the braised pork ribs, Changning and Suochuoluo began preparing the things the child would need.
These past few days, Sochoro has been making several bibs for Changning. These bibs are worn around the neck and shoulders of children to prevent saliva and food from soiling their clothes.
The bib neckline is round and can rotate freely, secured at the ends with buttons or ties. The fabric is pure cotton, soft and comfortable.
The mother and daughter chatted while doing needlework.
"Have you arranged all the wet nurses, maids, and eunuchs to serve the child?"
"Not yet. Granny Zhang has selected six maids and is training them. I plan to give Yulan and Yuqiu, who are by my side, to the two children as head maids."
"Yulan and Yuqiu are my second-class maids. They are both calm and steady, and they are very conscientious. They never try to take credit and are quite capable. There used to be a girl named Yuzhu who was favored by me, but she was overshadowed by these two."
Hearing this, Lady Suochuoluo nodded. "That's how a person who takes care of a child should be. They must be dutiful and not try to take over the young master's ideas. They must also be capable and have some skills to take good care of the child."
Changning continued, "We're still looking for a wet nurse. As for the eunuchs, the master said he's handed them over to Zhang Qilin. He's found about ten young eunuchs, and the master will choose eight when he returns."
Sochuo Luo was satisfied. "It seems that Fourth Master still cares about you quite a bit. As for the wet nurse, Mother will find a few people with clean backgrounds from among the clans. Their whole families are under our control, so we can trust her with our care."
Changning blushed slightly but did not deny it.
"Master, Madam, the Fujin (princess's wife) has made preparations and sent someone to invite you over!" Tingfeng reported as he entered.
Changning nodded. "Mother, let's go. This time, let's speak Mandarin properly."
Suochuoluo rolled her eyes at her and said irritably, "You brat, you're trying to tell your mother what to do now."
Changning chuckled and pursed her lips.
The mother and daughter set off, with Suochuoluo having several boxes of gifts carried behind them.
Because of the cold weather, the princess consort placed several more charcoal braziers in the main courtyard, and served mutton hot pot and spicy seafood dry pot on the table.
As soon as you enter, you can smell the aroma of mutton and chili peppers.
When Changning and Suochuoluo came in, they happened to see Tang Gege swallowing her saliva.
The princess consort greeted her warmly, "Madam, you've arrived! Were you cold on your journey?"
"No, no, thank you for the fox fur cloak, Madam. I wore it and didn't feel any wind at all. It's very warm. If you ask me, Madam is so thoughtful. She even thought of such a small thing."
Although Suochuoluo praised her verbally, she didn't show much gratitude on her face. It was more like an elder in her family praising a younger person for being sensible, but surprisingly, it wasn't annoying.
The lady of the house returned the favor, saying, "Not at all. Honghui's cough has improved a lot these past two days, thanks to the box of medicinal herbs that you sent. The doctor said they are all the right medicines for his condition and are not easy to find."
At this point, the princess was truly moved.
What kind of relationship could she possibly have with Lady Fucha? The reason she repeatedly befriended Lady Fucha was simply because that box of medicinal herbs was extremely important to Honghui; it could be considered a life-saving medicine.
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