The next day, as soon as the hour of Mao arrived, Duoduo woke up.
She climbed out of bed quietly, getting down before she started to put on her clothes.
Duoduo's movements startled Baihe, who was sleeping on the footstool keeping the night watch.
She hurriedly got up, just about to speak.
"Shh!"
Duoduo held up a finger, signaling Baihe not to wake the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
On the bed, the Princess Consort of Pingyang was sleeping soundly.
Baihe nodded, and then helped Duoduo get dressed.
Then, Baihe quickly helped comb Duoduo's hair.
Duoduo smiled at Baihe, then tiptoed out the door.
Lüzhu at the door hurriedly came forward to greet her, "Princess, are you going back to your room first, or going to practice martial arts?"
"I'll go straight to practice. If I go back, I'll be late again and get punished."
Duoduo quickly ran towards the training area.
Inside the room, the Princess Consort of Pingyang turned over, suddenly feeling an emptiness in her arms.
She opened her eyes at once.
"Duoduo?"
Baihe, who was tidying up the bedding nearby, hurriedly replied.
"Your Highness, the Princess has already gotten up and gone to practice."
"When did she get up? How did I not know?"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang rubbed her eyes.
Had she actually slept that heavily? She didn't even notice Duoduo getting up.
"Your Highness, the Princess just left."
"When she got up just now, she was so quiet that she even startled this servant!"
"She wouldn't let this servant make a sound, for fear of waking you."
Baihe reported with a smile.
"What time is it now?" The Princess Consort of Pingyang closed her eyes, feeling so sleepy.
"Your Highness, it is just the hour of Mao. Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
Baihe tucked the corners of the quilt for the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang tried hard to open her eyes.
"I won't sleep anymore. Baihe, help me up."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang reached out her hand, and Baihe hurriedly stepped forward to support her.
"Your Highness, it is still early, why aren't you going back to sleep?"
Baihe asked while helping the Princess Consort of Pingyang dress.
"I should also get up and exercise. They say 'the whole day's work depends on a good start in the morning'. In a while, we will take a stroll in the garden as my exercise."
Baihe couldn't help but beam with a smile.
"That is a wonderful idea, Your Highness. The flowers in the garden are blooming beautifully, and the air is fresh."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang put on her shoes and got out of bed.
A little maid outside the door brought in the washing items.
The little maid served the Princess Consort of Pingyang as she washed up, while Baihe tidied the bed.
After getting properly dressed and groomed, the Princess Consort of Pingyang walked out of the room with Baihe's support.
The two walked slowly towards the garden.
"The morning air is indeed very good, filled with the fragrance of flowers."
"Baihe, from now on, you all should just wake me up at this time."
"Later, when my health improves, I will ask the Prince to teach me some moves to strengthen my body."
Baihe pursed her lips and smiled.
"Yes, this servant has noted it down."
"The Prince will surely be overjoyed to know that Your Highness wants to practice martial arts."
A smile appeared on the face of the Princess Consort of Pingyang.
"It is hardly practicing martial arts, just learning some simple moves to keep fit."
"So that I won't be like Lin Meimei, always looking sickly."
Baihe nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Your Highness, you should nurture your health well."
"Once your body is well, perhaps you could conceive an heir or a princess for the Prince. How wonderful that would be!"
The Princess Consort of Pingyang withdrew her hand and scolded with a stern face.
"Haven't I told you all not to say such things anymore?"
"If this reaches the Prince's ears, I will not protect you!"
"I warned you before never to bring up this topic again."
"How long has it been, and you have already thrown my words to the back of your mind?"
"The Prince might think that I, as his wife, am restless and unfaithful!"
After the Prince of Pingyang injured his back, he also lost his function in that regard.
If Baihe's words reached the ears of the Prince of Pingyang, she would absolutely not escape punishment.
Even the Princess Consort of Pingyang would be implicated.
Baihe dropped to her knees with a thud.
"Forgive me, Your Highness! This servant was wrong!"
Baihe raised her hand and slapped herself across the face.
"It is all because of this servant's foolish mouth. This servant deserves to be beaten!"
Baihe gritted her teeth and slapped herself again.
In just a moment, several finger marks appeared on her face, showing that she had used a lot of force.
"Enough, go back and reflect on your mistakes! I don't need you to serve me here."
Baihe was a dowry maid of the Princess Consort of Pingyang and had followed her all the way from the capital to Xianyang, so their bond was naturally very deep.
However, precisely because of this, the Princess Consort of Pingyang was very angry.
If it were any other maid who repeatedly broke the rules like this, she would have had her beaten with boards and sold off long ago.
But it just had to be her dowry maid, for whom she always held some affection.
In the eyes of others, Baihe's words represented her own intentions.
If the Prince of Pingyang had heard what was just said, he would definitely think she was hinting at something.
A husband with a physical disability, yet his wife was thinking about having children all day long.
Wasn't this a desire to have an affair?
If she angered the Prince of Pingyang and he gave her a letter of divorce, how would she have the face to live in this world?
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was furious, and her steps unconsciously quickened.
No, this time, she absolutely had to give Baihe a severe punishment.
If she still couldn't realize her mistakes, she would sell her off!
Thinking of this, the Princess Consort of Pingyang felt upset and distracted.
She stumbled, stepping on something, and almost fell forward.
"Your Highness, be careful!"
Along with a crisp voice, a pair of hands reached out from behind the Princess Consort of Pingyang and supported her.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang steadied her feet, breaking out in a cold sweat on her back from the fright.
She looked at the maid, who seemed to be a second-class maid from her courtyard.
"What is your name? Why were you behind me?"
The maid curtsied in greeting.
"To answer Your Highness, this servant is Sangju. Sister Baihe asked me to come and serve you."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang was a bit surprised.
"Rise. Did Baihe really call you over?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Just now, this servant was fetching something and happened to pass by the garden."
"Sister Baihe told this servant to hurry over, saying it was unsafe for Your Highness to be alone in the garden."
"This servant quickly trotted over and happened to see you, which is why I called out."
Sangju was articulate and explained the matter clearly.
The Princess Consort of Pingyang nodded.
Baihe was good in every way and genuinely cared for her, but sometimes she just lacked tact.
"Sangju? Alright, Baihe is unwell, so you will temporarily take her place."
Sangju hurriedly curtsied.
"This servant obeys."
Any other maid would have been beaming with joy by now.
Seeing that Sangju remained calm and composed, the Princess Consort of Pingyang felt somewhat satisfied with this maid.
"Rise. Support me, let's stroll through the garden."
The Princess Consort of Pingyang pointed ahead; she wanted to go see the peonies.
The peonies the Prince of Pingyang had picked for her had withered, and she wanted to pick two more to replace them.
Sangju supported the Princess Consort of Pingyang to the edge of the flower bed, only to see that there wasn't a single peony left.
