Madam Lü wrapped her arms around Qiao Chuyue’s waist while Yinqiao clung to her legs.
The two of them strained together until their faces turned red.
“His Highness only just left, and you’re already rushing to make trouble for Zhu again. If His Highness finds out, what then?!”
Unexpectedly, Qiao Chuyue truly listened to reason.
She immediately stopped struggling, told them to let go of her, then turned and sat down in a huanghuali wood chair.
“Nanny is right. If I go now while His Highness is away, people will definitely accuse me of bullying others with power. I’ll wait until he returns before teaching that bitch a lesson.”
Madam Lü had just begun to relax when those words nearly made her collapse again.
Thankfully, Yinqiao quickly supported her and brought over a small stool to help the old nanny sit down.
Sweating anxiously, Madam Lü slapped her thigh repeatedly.
“My lady! At this point, how do you still not understand? Right now, His Highness values Zhu the most. If you continue provoking her again and again, what will His Highness think of you? No matter how deep the affection, it’ll eventually be worn away.”
“Besides, Zhu is merely a twice-married woman with no background. She’s only temporarily favored and won’t amount to much.”
Qiao Chuyue understood the good intentions behind Madam Lü’s words.
But she simply loved Gu Zhancheng too deeply and could not tolerate sharing his affection.
Her eyes reddened as she pouted pitifully.
“Nanny, I just can’t understand it. I’m the legitimate daughter of a great general’s household, yet I can’t even compare to a little widow.”
“This isn’t some imperial examination ranking scholars by merit. Even the old academics at the Hanlin Academy couldn’t untangle matters of love.”
Madam Lü sighed heavily.
“Besides, it’s only one new woman entering the manor, and you’re already this jealous. The imperial selection is approaching soon. By then, who knows how many more women may enter. Are you planning to spend every day fighting and screaming?”
Qiao Chuyue became slightly dazed, confusion appearing on her face.
“Then according to Nanny… what should I do?”
Madam Lü patted her hand comfortingly.
“All this love and affection is unreliable. In this old servant’s opinion, having a child is far more practical. As long as you give birth to a little heir, you’ll share an unbreakable bond with His Highness. Only then will you truly become family.”
Madam Lü had said these words many times before.
But Qiao Chuyue had never cared much.
She believed that with His Highness’s favor and the support of her natal family, she had no need for petty tricks like using children to secure affection.
But now it seemed children truly made a difference.
Take Concubine Lin, for example.
Though she had never been favored, ever since becoming pregnant, His Highness would visit and show concern whenever he had free time.
If she herself became pregnant, then for the child’s sake, wouldn’t she see Gu Zhancheng every day?
As for Zhu Xinyan — she was merely some insignificant little thing.
Why should she lower herself to compete with such a cheap woman?
After finally sorting out her thoughts, Qiao Chuyue bit her lip and said,
“Nanny, go out of the manor immediately and inform my mother. Have her find someone to prepare some fertility medicine to nourish my body. I can’t wait to get pregnant.”
Honestly, she was the type to act the moment inspiration struck.
His Highness wasn’t even in the manor — who exactly was she planning to conceive with?
But Madam Lü wisely kept those thoughts to herself.
After all, the young mistress had finally become motivated to bear children. Better not crush her enthusiasm.
News that Qiao Chuyue wanted revenge on Zhu Xinyan quickly spread to Qingfu Pavilion.
Qiao’er commented,
“Consort Qiao is pretty crazy, but Madam Lü seems decent. At least she managed to stop her.”
Lounging lazily on a couch while fanning herself with a white jade round fan, Zhu Xinyan mocked disdainfully,
“Old Qiao’s condition has been remarkably stable all this time. Besides, why should I fear her? With Ruixue around, could we really lose to her? I’m worried Ruixue has no opportunity to put her skills to use.”
Qiao’er was speechless.
So Miss had already decided to throw Ruixue into battle.
Suddenly remembering that servants had mentioned the lotus flowers in the eastern garden were blooming beautifully, Zhu Xinyan proposed,
“I’ve been lying around so much lately my limbs are practically degenerating. While Li’er is napping, why don’t we go admire the lotus flowers?”
Qiao’er immediately opposed the idea.
“Ah! Going out at noon? Aren’t you afraid of melting under the sun? This servant refuses to go.”
Zhu Xinyan rolled her eyes at her.
“Look at you. Ruixue and I will go. We won’t bring you.”
Then she linked arms with Ruixue and left.
The manor’s lotus pond was carefully maintained by dedicated gardeners.
The lotus flowers bloomed brilliantly — vibrant and full of life.
But no matter how beautiful the scenery, it couldn’t withstand the blazing sun overhead.
Ancient times had no sunscreen.
After standing by the pond under the scorching heat for a while, Zhu Xinyan deeply regretted her decision.
Afraid Qiao’er would mock her again when she returned, she retreated into a nearby pavilion.
The garden steward had already received word of her arrival.
The moment she sat down, servants immediately brought tea and fruit platters.
The watermelon had already been cut into seedless cubes, and even the grapes were peeled.
She didn’t need to lift a finger.
Sitting comfortably on soft cushions, eating fruit while someone fanned her from behind, Zhu Xinyan admired the lotus pond scenery through layers of gauzy curtains.
Suddenly, she felt her death had truly been “worth the price.”
At the very least, she was no longer a miserable office worker cramming into subways and grinding through endless 996 schedules.
Nor did she need to survive on chemically engineered junk food every day.
She hadn’t earned much money in her previous life, but she certainly sacrificed plenty of lifespan.
Fortunately, heaven had shown mercy, cut her losses in time, and restarted her life in full lazy mode.
With the gentle breeze blowing over her, Zhu Xinyan gradually grew drowsy.
She called the maids over to continue eating the fruit while she herself lay down to rest.
But the moment she closed her eyes, harsh yelling and scolding erupted outside.
Following the sound, she saw a young maid kneeling nearby while a stout old woman yanked her by the ear and cursed at her viciously.
At this scorching hour, aside from Zhu Xinyan and her own maids, there was no one else in the garden.
Creating such a commotion was obviously meant for her to see.
Zhu Xinyan neither wanted to interfere nor leave such a comfortable place.
So instead, she ordered a maid to fetch some cotton.
Qingfu Pavilion was just outside the garden, so the maid returned quickly.
Zhu Xinyan rolled the cotton into tight little balls and stuffed one into each ear.
After confirming she could no longer hear anything, she once again followed the principle of “out of sight, out of mind” and peacefully reclined back onto the couch.
Just as she had guessed, the maid and old woman were indeed actors.
A few days ago, the Princess Consort had ordered Concubine Wei to find a way to place someone inside Qingfu Pavilion.
Concubine Wei lacked the ability to accomplish such a task directly, yet she also couldn’t disobey the Princess Consort’s command.
So while His Highness was absent from the manor, she decided to exploit Zhu Xinyan’s sympathy by staging a pitiful drama.
Today, upon learning Zhu Xinyan had left Qingfu Pavilion, she hadn’t even bothered eating lunch before hurrying over with her people.
Meanwhile, she hid behind decorative rocks to secretly observe.
But after waiting quite some time, she realized Zhu Xinyan simply ignored the entire scene.
Even the two servants were baffled.
They had never heard this concubine was deaf!
They were shouting this loudly — how could she still sleep?!
The two exchanged glances with Concubine Wei.
Following her signal, they moved even closer to the pavilion.
Deliberately raising her voice, the old woman shouted,
“You little slut! You’re useless at proper work and only know how to slack off and play tricks all day!”
Facing toward the pavilion, the maid cried out dramatically at the top of her lungs,
“I haven’t eaten or drunk anything for three days! I don’t even have strength left in my body! Please, Nanny, spare me!”