"What's going on? How did that woman get pregnant so quickly! Where is Lady Dong? Go and fetch Lady Dong for me!" Consort Li was so angry that she smashed a teacup on the floor.
Qiu Tang hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her, "My lady, please calm down. She's only a month pregnant, and it's still uncertain whether she'll be able to give birth! It's also unknown whether it will be a boy or a girl. How can she be compared to you? The Second Prince is at a very clever and lively age. Tomorrow, you can take him to pay his respects to the Prince. He will surely be pleased."
Li Jingyue laughed in anger, slapped Qiu Tang across the face, and said sternly, "What do you know? That bitch comes from the Manchu Banner Army and has a noble status. Now that her child is born, will my Hong Fen ever have a chance to rise again? What about Dong Shi? Didn't they say her father had already found the medicine? Why hasn't it been sent in yet!"
Qiu Tang was slapped and dared not say another word. The eunuch Wei Deyun and his concubine Dong rushed over in a panic.
"Master, Concubine Dong has arrived," Wei Deyun reported, bowing low.
It was late at night and the dew was heavy. Li called out urgently, and seeing Wei Deyun's appearance, it seemed that something serious had happened. Dong did not dare to delay, and after tidying herself up a bit, she quickly followed.
Upon arriving, he encountered Li Shi throwing a tantrum, and he knew he was in trouble; she was using him as a scapegoat again.
Reflecting on what happened in the mansion today, I understand now. It must be because of Lady Fucha's pregnancy that they were angered.
Li Jingyue was furious at the sight of Dong Shi's beautiful face. She grabbed Dong Shi's chin fiercely and asked in a sharp voice, "Didn't you say your father found the medicine? Why hasn't it been brought in yet? Are you doing this on purpose? Are you deliberately watching that little slut cling to my neck?"
Madam Dong was held so tightly she dared not move, and cautiously replied, "I found it, but it's not yet the day for me to go shopping on the first day of the month, so it hasn't been delivered yet."
Li Jingyue was extremely anxious, as if Changning's son would be born tomorrow, and urged her to find a way to bring the medicine in as soon as possible.
Li was going mad, forcing Dong to swear that she would die if she couldn't get the medicine, when the sound of a baby crying came from the side, which suddenly woke Li Jingyue from her madness.
"Did Hongfen cry?"
Qiu Tang hurriedly picked up the Second Prince Hong Fen, only to find that his face was flushed and his body was burning hot. She quickly exclaimed, "The Second Prince has a fever, Your Majesty!"
Li Jingyue panicked and hurriedly asked Wei Deyun to call the family doctor, while she took her son and comforted him.
Hongfen was only a little over a year old. The tiny child was crying so hard he could barely breathe, his little face burning red. The wet nurses and maids were all kneeling on the ground.
"Useless! You are all useless! How did you take care of the Second Prince? If anything happens to the Second Prince, I will report to the Prince and have them all beaten to death!"
After shouting, Li Jingyue worried that she might frighten her son in her arms, so she quickly patted the child. Seeing her son's distressed appearance, she was also extremely anxious.
Hongfen has always been healthy, so why would he suddenly have a fever?
What happened today? That bitch got pregnant, and her son got sick. Is it because her child is cursed to harm her son?
That must be it! Otherwise, why would Hongfen suddenly fall ill? The more Li thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
Then she turned to stare at Madam Dong, her tone sinister, "Go back first, and remember to bring the medicine in tomorrow. As long as Madam Fucha and her bastard son are dead, my Hongfen will be safe."
Stared at by Li Jingyue's venomous gaze, Madam Dong felt a chill run down her spine. She nodded blankly and left Fuyue Courtyard.
"Qiutang, go and invite Prince Beile." Li Jingyue squinted, forcing herself to calm down, and began to make plans.
Qingzhi Courtyard
The two had just finished a harmonious union, and Yinzhen, stroking the woman's lower abdomen in his arms, felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. He was truly happy; he longed for a healthy and clever son, especially one born to Changning.
The eldest son, Honghui, was sensible and well-behaved, but his health was really poor. Every time I saw him, he seemed to grow weaker. Even the imperial physician in the palace said that this child might not be able to reach adulthood.
His second son, Hongfen, was healthy and lively, but he really disliked Li Shi's arrogant and domineering nature and didn't want her to corrupt the child. However, Hongfen was still young, and he thought that in two or three years, he would raise Hongfen in the front yard and teach him personally, just like Honghui.
He only had one daughter. Although she was frail and couldn't stand the wind, he still managed to raise her to the age of three. Yinzhen gave her a Manchu name, Yierha.
He wasn't particularly satisfied with any of the three children, and only hoped that Yao Xian could give birth to a healthy child. A son would be even better, but a daughter wouldn't be a problem either; he would teach her well, and as a Manchu lady, she should also know how to ride, shoot, and fight.
While Yinzhen was still contemplating how to teach his child, Su Peisheng hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The Second Prince has a fever."
Upon hearing this, Yinzhen hurriedly got up and dressed, his movements slightly abrupt, waking Changning from her sleep. Still half-asleep, she could barely open her eyes and mumbled, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, you get some sleep. I'm going out to check things out, I'll be back to keep you company later." After saying that, he patted Changning and kissed her forehead. He left only after making sure Changning was asleep.
Fuyueyuan hurriedly summoned the palace physicians and then asked the palace gates to be opened to summon the imperial physicians. The commotion spread throughout the palace and beyond, and it was clear that the second son of the Fourth Prince was probably in bad shape.
Yonghe Palace
Consort De had just gotten up when she heard about the Fourth Prince sending someone to open the palace gates and summon the imperial physician last night. She couldn't help but frown and ask, "How old is that child?"
The nanny thought for a moment and replied, "He's over a year old."
"Alas," Consort De sighed, "I'm afraid this is not good. Such a young child cannot withstand even the slightest disturbance."
Seeing Consort De's forlorn and sorrowful expression, the nanny knew that the Empress had been reminded of painful memories. Of the three sons and three daughters Consort De had, only the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince survived. The Fifth Princess had also passed away two years prior after her marriage.
After grieving for a while, Consort De calmed down. Too many children had been lost, and she had become numb. "Whose child was it?"
"The child of Consort Li."
"Oh," Consort De thought for a while, then suddenly said, "The fourth prince sent a message yesterday saying that Lady Fucha is pregnant?"
"Yes, she said she's more than a month pregnant."
"Hmm," Consort De nodded. "The fourth prince only has two sons now. We don't know how long Honghui can hold on. If Hongfen has another accident, won't the manor be without any children? Let's see if Lady Fucha has the good fortune to do so."
Yonghe Palace was sighing, and Qingzhi Courtyard was also discussing the same matter.
Changning only vaguely remembered that Yinzhen went out last night and said he would come back to keep her company later. She only found out when she got up this morning that the Second Prince was seriously ill. She heard that even the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician was no longer effective.
"Amitabha, the child is innocent after all," Granny Zhang said in a low voice.
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