Thinking of this, Qiao Rongjin suddenly remembered that the original host had already been demoted to a concubine. In the Prince’s residence, her status was only slightly higher than that of a servant. When facing those above the rank of “madam” in the inner courtyard, she even had to refer to herself as a slave. The thought alone made her feel exhausted.
The hierarchy in the Prince’s inner courtyard was strictly defined: one Princess Consort, two Side Consorts, five Madams, and an unspecified number of concubines.
The Princess Consort was the Prince’s lawful wife and also the woman with the best family background in the entire estate. She was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel. Her mother also came from a prestigious background as the eldest legitimate daughter of the Loyal and Brave Marquis household—she was a true noble lady of a great aristocratic family.
As for Concubine Ye, she had previously been demoted from Side Consort due to wrongdoing and became a concubine. The other Side Consort position had always remained vacant, so there were currently two empty Side Consort slots.
At present, the “Madam” rank in the Prince’s residence included Madam Chen (the female lead), Madam Wu, Madam Qin, and Madam Yan.
Madam Chen, the female lead, was a concubine bestowed upon the Prince by the Noble Consort. She resided in Luoyan Residence.
Madam Wu was a maidservant also bestowed by the Noble Consort and now lived in Qionghua Pavilion.
Madam Qin was the Noble Consort’s niece and lived in Meiyuan Courtyard.
Madam Yan was a Yanzhou-trained courtesan presented by one of the Prince’s subordinates. She lived in Linfeng Residence. She had given birth to a pair of twins for the Prince and was greatly favored by both the Prince and the Noble Consort. Even Emperor Jingyuan in the palace often inquired about her.
The original host’s background was not the best in the Prince’s inner courtyard, but it was not bad either. She was the legitimate eldest daughter of Qiao Yunshan, a fifth-rank official serving as a Director in the Ministry of Revenue. She entered the Prince’s residence through the imperial selection of concubines and was granted the rank of “Madam” upon arrival. In the end, she fell due to jealousy of the female lead and ultimately met a tragic end.
The Prince currently had nine children—five sons and four daughters. Qiao Rongjin carefully sorted through the information in her mind.
The eldest son, Shizi Qi Shao, was the legitimate heir of the residence and was ten years old.
Qi Huai, born of Madam Wu, was second son, seven and a half years old.
Qi Zhao, born of Madam Chen (the female lead), was third son, six years old.
Qi Yi, born of Madam Yan, was fourth son, five and a half years old.
Qi You, the original host’s son, was five in order (fifth son) and four and a half years old.
Princess Qi Shu, the eldest legitimate daughter of the residence, was eight and a half years old.
Qi Jing, born of Madam Qin, was second daughter, eight years old.
Qi Lin, daughter of Concubine Ye (formerly Side Consort Ye), was third daughter, six years old.
Qi Jiao, one of Madam Yan’s twin daughters, was fourth daughter, five and a half years old.
Qiao Rongjin couldn’t help but sigh inwardly—this Prince was truly capable of having children.
Just as she finished sighing, she suddenly heard footsteps approaching. She immediately composed herself and looked up to see a maid walking toward her.
She remembered this was a cleaning maid in Haitang Courtyard, seemingly named Zhuyun. In her memory, this girl was extremely quiet and dull. She had been chosen as a maid after the original host moved into Haitang Courtyard.
Her appearance was plain, with nothing remarkable about her. Her figure was thin and weak, and the maid uniform of the Prince’s residence hung loosely on her body. A sense of lifelessness seemed to surround her. Because of this, no one had been willing to choose her as a personal maid at the beginning. The original host selected her precisely because she was so unremarkable and dull, believing she would never attract the Prince’s attention. After the original host was confined for a time, Zhuyun had been “borrowed” by Madam Ye to help in Ningxiang Courtyard and only returned after Madam Ye’s incident.
Having sorted all this out, Qiao Rongjin asked, “What is it?”
“Reporting to my lady, the Princess Consort has sent someone to summon you. She says the Fifth Young Master has developed a high fever.”
Zhuyun’s hoarse voice rang out, and Qiao Rongjin suddenly stood up.
High fever!
Immediately, she recalled that in the original story, Qi You had indeed fallen ill—but it had only been a mild cold, not a high fever. What was going on?
She had no time to think further and quickly said, “Zhuyun, come with me to Jinxiu Hall.”
Jinxiu Hall was the Princess Consort’s courtyard, where Qi You had been staying recently.
Zhuyun was slightly surprised. She did not expect her mistress to remember her name. After all, in Haitang Courtyard she was almost invisible and rarely even saw her master. Today she happened to be the only maid left in the courtyard because Qinglian had gone out, so she was the one who came to report.
“Yes, my lady.”
She was always quiet and simply obeyed orders.
Qiao Rongjin knew well that in this ancient world, child mortality was extremely high. Even a common cold could be fatal. Now that she had taken over the original host’s body, she had a duty as a mother to go and see.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Qiao Rongjin and Zhuyun arrived at Jinxiu Hall.
Inside, the Princess Consort and the Prince were already seated at the top. Below them sat Madam Wu and Madam Yan, who had come to argue before the Princess Consort earlier. The entire hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
Just earlier, the Prince had reprimanded the Princess Consort for failing to properly care for the Fifth Young Master Qi You. The maids and nannies responsible for him had all been dragged away for punishment. Madam Wu and Madam Yan, who had originally been arguing fiercely, now did not dare provoke either of the estate’s masters and could only sit quietly.
At that moment, movement was heard outside the door. Everyone turned to look.
Then, all of them held their breath.
None of them had ever seen Qiao Rongjin like this—without makeup, dressed simply. Yet she was shockingly beautiful.
Because she was injured, a white bandage was wrapped around her head. She had likely rushed here, so she was now gasping for breath, clutching her chest. Her slender waist looked as if it could be encircled with one hand. Her figure was delicate like a willow branch, her eyelashes like soft feathers lowered slightly, carrying a fragile, sickly beauty.
Everyone present was stunned.
The Princess Consort, Madam Wu, and Madam Yan all instinctively looked toward the Prince. He too was staring at Qiao Rongjin, momentarily lost in thought.
Madam Yan, who had always been confident in her beauty, suddenly felt a sting of jealousy. In comparison, the others also felt an unpleasant sense of inferiority.
The Prince quickly regained his composure, slightly surprised. Qiao Shi seemed different today—not only in appearance but also in temperament. But he dismissed it as nothing more than a passing thought.
Qiao Rongjin, meanwhile, was completely unaware of the reactions her arrival had caused.
After catching her breath, she stepped into the main hall. Seeing not only the Prince and Princess Consort but also Madam Wu and Madam Yan present, she felt a flicker of confusion, but her main concern remained Qi You’s condition.
“I greet the Prince, Princess Consort, and the two Madams.” Her manners were flawless.
Zhuyun also followed suit in greeting them.
The Prince looked at her slightly disheveled appearance and guessed it was because of Qi You. But hadn’t she disliked Qi You? Why this sudden concern now? Had she suddenly developed maternal conscience?
He had originally agreed to send someone to notify her because Qi You’s condition was very serious and uncertain. As his birth mother, she should at least be informed.
Now it seemed that Qiao Shi was not entirely indifferent after all. Thinking this, the Prince’s gaze softened slightly.
“Rise.”
“Thank you, Prince, Princess Consort.”
Qiao Rongjin straightened and quickly asked, “Prince, how is Qi You now?”
The Prince’s expression darkened slightly. He gestured toward the inner room.
“Go see for yourself.”
Child mortality was always high. He could not guarantee Qi You would survive. Thinking of this, he regretted sending the child to the Princess Consort’s care. She already had her own children—how could she fully care for another’s child? If they had discovered Qi You’s condition earlier, things might not have become so serious.
Qiao Rongjin entered the inner room and immediately saw the child lying on the bed from a distance.
He looked extremely thin and small—at four and a half years old, he looked more like a three-year-old. A maid was wiping his sweat and tucking in the blanket, while two physicians nearby were discussing treatment. One of them was the familiar Doctor Zhao.
Qiao Rongjin quickly stepped forward. The maid was startled, but upon seeing her, she hurriedly stepped aside.
The child’s face was flushed red, as if trapped in a fever dream he could not wake from. His small hands were moving restlessly, his brows slightly furrowed. His face bore a faint resemblance to the original host, even more refined in appearance. Even at such a young age, one could already imagine how strikingly handsome he would become in the future.