She was just about to open her mouth and argue with Prince Ling when Zhenzhu suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Secondary Consort Wei shook her head violently, trying to break free of Zhenzhu’s restraint.
Zhenzhu used all her strength to keep her from making a sound.
“Your Highness, please be magnanimous and spare the secondary consort!”
“The Second Young Master is still ill. Perhaps, with the secondary consort caring for him, he might get better?”
“People say that mother and child are connected by heart. The Second Young Master is so intelligent—he will certainly be able to feel it!”
As she spoke, Zhenzhu pressed Secondary Consort Wei’s head down, forcing her to kowtow to Prince Ling.
When Secondary Consort Wei realized that Zhenzhu had no intention of letting go, she sank her teeth into Zhenzhu’s hand.
Prince Ling was startled when he saw the ferocious expression on Secondary Consort Wei’s face.
In the past, Secondary Consort Wei had been a graceful, generous, and understanding beauty.
But after being locked up for several days, she looked haggard. Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were not only wrinkled but covered in grime.
At a glance, she looked like a completely different person from the woman she had once been.
Disgust flashed through Prince Ling’s eyes.
“Someone, take the master and servant back! Without my permission, they are not to leave their courtyard even once!”
In the end, Prince Ling had still shown her a sliver of mercy.
Perhaps it was because of their son. Perhaps it was because of their past relationship.
Or perhaps he had other considerations.
Whatever the reason, he did not mention locking her in the dark room again.
“Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness! This servant will take the secondary consort back at once!”
As she spoke, Zhenzhu helped Secondary Consort Wei to her feet.
Secondary Consort Wei struggled, unwilling to leave.
In the end, however, Zhenzhu and the older maids dragged her away.
The room finally fell silent.
The image of Xiao Yunlin from earlier once again appeared in Prince Ling’s mind.
“Ugh!”
Prince Ling spat out another mouthful of blood.
He stared blankly at the blood staining the quilt for a moment.
Then, with remarkable calmness, he lifted the quilt.
“Someone!”
A guard pushed open the door and entered.
“Change it,” Prince Ling ordered coldly.
Before long, news of the arrangements for Secondary Consort Wei reached Princess Consort Ling’s ears.
“What? The Crown Prince actually spared that wretch’s life?”
Princess Consort Ling found it incomprehensible.
Prince Ling had never been one to easily forgive anyone who harmed him.
So why was this time different?
“Crown Princess, regardless of what happened, the Second Young Master has become a fool. From now on, no one can compete with the heir for the position of heir apparent.”
“Secondary Consort Wei is no longer a threat to you.”
“From now on, the rear residence of this manor will still have to rely on you!”
A cold smile appeared on Princess Consort Ling’s face.
“Is that all? Not a chance!”
“She actually dared to set her sights on me. If I don’t kill her this time, I’ll never be able to swallow this anger!”
“Right. You said His Highness’s old illness has returned?”
The maid hurriedly nodded. “Yes! The main kitchen is preparing medicine for His Highness and the Second Young Master.”
A vicious glint appeared in Princess Consort Ling’s eyes.
She took a small paper packet from a drawer in her dressing table.
“Find a way to pour this medicine into His Highness’s dose.”
The maid was frightened.
“Crown Princess, please don’t do anything foolish!”
“If something happens to His Highness, you…”
Princess Consort Ling shot her trusted maid a glare.
“I’m not asking you to poison him! What are you afraid of?”
“This medicine will merely make His Highness incapable of fathering children.”
“From now on, His Highness will have only An’er as his son!”
“The throne can only belong to An’er in the future!”
After saying this, Princess Consort Ling shoved the packet into the maid’s hand.
“Hurry and do it. With the manor in chaos, this is the perfect time to make a move!”
The maid held the packet as though it were a scorching-hot coal.
“Yes, Your Highness. This servant will go at once!”
The maid bit her lip and hurried away.
An incense stick later, the maid returned, her face covered in sweat.
She nearly tripped when she entered the room, her legs giving way beneath her.
“Crown Princess, thank goodness this servant went quickly!” she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Princess Consort Ling, who had been sketching an embroidery pattern, raised her head.
“Did it work?”
The maid nodded.
“This servant waited until the kitchen woman preparing the medicine had left, then took the opportunity to put the medicine into the pot.”
“When this servant returned just now, I saw Nanny Rong leading people toward the kitchen.”
At that, the maid hesitated, as though she wanted to say something but did not dare.
When Princess Consort Ling heard that it had succeeded, she lowered her head and continued sketching, failing to notice the maid’s expression.
After a while, she set down her brush.
“You didn’t put the medicine in the wrong pot, did you?” Princess Consort Ling asked, still somewhat uneasy.
The maid hurriedly shook her head. “No! By the time this servant arrived, the Second Young Master’s medicine had already been sent away.”
Princess Consort Ling nodded.
“Very well. You’ve worked hard.”
“Go to the chest and take ten taels of silver. Consider it your reward.”
The maid quickly knelt to thank her. “Thank you for the reward, Crown Princess!”
Princess Consort Ling examined the embroidery pattern in her hand and sighed.
“Unfortunately, I’m going to be busy again.”
“Help me finish the remaining patterns.”
The maid opened her mouth, but in the end, she steeled herself.
“Crown Princess, this servant also heard something just now.”
Princess Consort Ling set the pattern aside.
She was in an excellent mood. “Why are you hesitating? If you have something to say, say it!”
“Reporting to the Crown Princess, this servant heard that His Highness…”
The maid faltered again.
Princess Consort Ling shot her a glance. “What is wrong with you today? Why do you keep stopping halfway through your sentences?”
The maid trembled all over. Lowering her head, she quickly blurted out the rest.
“This servant heard that His Highness has handed the authority over the rear residence to Nanny Rong.”
Princess Consort Ling shot to her feet.
“What? Are you sure you heard correctly?”
The maid hurriedly fell to her knees.
“This servant was worried that I had heard wrong, so I made a point of asking around.”
“His Highness personally gave the order. Nanny Rong is to manage the rear residence.”
Princess Consort Ling stood stunned for a moment. Then she suddenly began to laugh.
At first, it was merely a cold chuckle.
But as she continued, the chuckle grew into wild laughter.
She laughed so hard that she doubled over, as though she had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
The maid was frightened and stared blankly at Princess Consort Ling.
“Crown Princess, please don’t be upset!”
“As the saying goes, while the green hills remain, there will never be a shortage of firewood!”
“Besides, perhaps His Highness is concerned about your health, since you have not yet recovered. That may be why he has asked Nanny Rong to manage things temporarily.”
“Once you recover, the household authority will surely return to you!”
Seeing Princess Consort Ling laughing so hard that she could scarcely breathe, the maid grew even more frightened.
Princess Consort Ling’s stomach began to ache from laughing, and she collapsed into her chair.
Gradually, the laughter faded, and the smile disappeared from her face as well.
What remained was an icy chill.
“In the end, neither that wretch nor I won!”
“His Highness truly is cold and heartless!”
Princess Consort Ling’s face was filled with mocking amusement.
“A moment ago, I was regretting that I had drugged His Highness.”
“But now it seems that compared to him, I am still far too kind!”
