Lüdou’s first thought was to hurry and tell the Princess!
She had only taken two steps when she stopped.
Lüdou remembered how the Princess was always saying that she wanted a sibling.
Besides, the Princess had transferred her here to serve the Princess Consort. She must have known long ago that the Princess Consort was pregnant.
Lüdou bit her lip, her heart torn.
She did not want anyone to take the Princess’s place.
If the Prince and the Princess Consort had a child of their own, what would happen to the Princess?
Twisting her handkerchief in her hands, Lüdou paced back and forth in the corridor.
Suddenly, she remembered something she had overlooked.
The Prince was afflicted with an illness, which was why the Princess Consort had remained childless for so long.
So how had the Princess Consort suddenly become pregnant?
And who exactly was the father of the child in her belly?
Lüdou was certain it could not possibly be the Prince!
Her eyes widened.
She seemed to have discovered an earth-shattering secret!
No wonder the Princess had specifically warned her, when sending her here, not to tell anyone about the Princess Consort’s condition.
Including the Prince!
Lüdou covered her mouth.
What was she going to do?
Once the Princess Consort could no longer hide her pregnancy, would she be silenced?
She did not care if she died. What worried Lüdou was that the Princess might be implicated.
The Princess was in charge of the household now!
Lüdou’s heart was in complete turmoil.
She wanted to find Duoduo and discuss it with her, but she did not dare leave.
What if someone came by and discovered that something was wrong with the Princess Consort?
Lüdou could not even imagine the consequences.
The handkerchief in her hands was nearly twisted to shreds.
The Princess was helping the Princess Consort conceal this from the Prince!
If only this child could disappear without anyone noticing…
At that thought, Lüdou vigorously shook her head.
No!
She could not do that.
This was the Princess Consort’s first child.
A woman in the inner household without a child to rely on had a miserable life.
Lüdou also understood perfectly well that since the Princess had sent her here to serve the Princess Consort, she clearly did not want anything to happen to the child in her belly.
Lüdou bit her lip.
Forget it!
She would simply do what she was supposed to do and avoid disappointing the Princess.
She believed that no man could tolerate his wife cuckolding him.
Whether the child could be born safely was another matter!
Once Lüdou had made up her mind, her emotions gradually settled.
All she had to do was obey the Princess, keep her mouth shut, and take good care of the Princess Consort.
It was only a matter of a few months. In the blink of an eye, it would be over.
After Lüdou made her decision, her attitude changed somewhat.
Su Xian clearly noticed that Lüdou never spoke unnecessarily. Whatever she instructed, Lüdou did exactly as told.
Whenever Su Xian did not call for her, Lüdou would quietly stand guard outside the door, making sure no one came in to disturb her.
No matter what time Su Xian woke up in the morning, there was always hot food waiting for her.
Lüdou also prepared all kinds of nourishing soups for her.
For the first time, Su Xian felt completely at ease with this kind of arrangement.
The moment her head touched the pillow at night, she would sleep soundly until noon the following day.
After eating, she would work on her embroidery. When she grew tired, she would take a stroll around the courtyard.
For the first time, Su Xian experienced the blissful, carefree life Xu Jinxin had once described.
At last, she understood the longing that had filled Xu Jinxin’s face at the time.
But that was a story for later.
Duoduo had only been managing the household for two days when she received an invitation from the Li residence.
“Princess, this was sent over by Madam Li,” Lianxin said, handing Duoduo an invitation.
“She said the chrysanthemums in their residence are in bloom and invited the Princess Consort over to admire them!”
Duoduo opened the invitation and saw that it specifically requested that her mother bring her along.
It even said that it would be livelier with the child there.
Duoduo smiled. Madam Li had practically spelled out that she wanted her to come.
Duoduo picked up the invitation. “I’ll go ask Father!”
Duoduo took Lianxin with her to the outer study.
At that moment, Xiao Yi was looking at the man seated before him.
“Big Brother, I’m truly envious of you!” Prince Rui glanced around the room.
The spot where the painting had once hung was now empty, making the room look especially bare.
Xiao Yi lowered his eyes to the teacup in his hands.
“The man who watches others fish envies them, but there is nothing to envy,” he said, his voice sounding somewhat dispirited.
Prince Rui felt awkward and gave a strained laugh.
“Big Brother, I found a painting that I think is quite good.”
“Bring in the painting,” Prince Rui called toward the door.
The guard standing outside immediately entered, carrying a painting.
“Big Brother, I went to great lengths to find this painting.”
“I’m sure you’ll like it very much!”
Prince Rui motioned for the guard to present the painting to Xiao Yi.
Yunxiao glanced at his master before accepting it.
When the painting was unrolled, it revealed an image of the Buddha expounding the scriptures.
Xiao Yi gave it a brief glance, then lowered his eyes again without any expression.
Seeing this, Yunxiao rolled the painting back up and placed it on the table.
Prince Rui kept watching Xiao Yi, but unfortunately, there was not the slightest change in his expression.
He could not figure out what his elder brother was thinking.
“Big Brother, I paid a great deal of money for this painting!”
“I heard that it was personally consecrated by a revered monk!”
“Fourth Brother hopes the Buddha will bless you and restore your health as soon as possible!”
Clink!
The lid of the teacup made the faintest sound as it touched the cup.
Xiao Yi lifted the teacup, his expression extremely unpleasant.
“Yunxiao, see our guest out!”
When Prince Rui saw that Xiao Yi was angry, a smile appeared on his face.
“Big Brother! I spoke without thinking! Please don’t be angry!”
“Fourth Brother came today because there is something I wish to discuss with you!”
Xiao Yi slammed the teacup down on the table.
“There is nothing for us to discuss!”
“If you refuse to leave, I will!”
With that, Xiao Yi awkwardly pushed his wheelchair, seemingly intent on leaving.
Seeing that Xiao Yi was serious, Prince Rui hurriedly stood and pressed down on the wheelchair.
“Big Brother, Fourth Brother was wrong!”
“Please accept my apology!”
“I sincerely wish you well! If you dislike the painting, I’ll burn it as soon as I leave!”
Xiao Yi’s face remained cold. “Fourth Brother, leave.”
“I have no desire to be dragged into your conflicts.”
“I’m nothing but a cripple. I can’t help you with anything!”
Seeing that Xiao Yi had made his position clear, Prince Rui decided to speak frankly.
“Big Brother, we’re on the same boat now!”
“Big Brother, as long as I can ascend that throne, you will have no shortage of wealth and glory!”
“Rest assured. By then, you will be the regent—second only to one person and above all others!”
“Big Brother! If you don’t believe me, I can swear an oath!”
Xiao Yi turned his head and glanced at Yunxiao. After Yunxiao and the guard withdrew, they closed the door.
Prince Rui’s eyes flashed with delight when he saw this.
“Big Brother, Fifth Brother’s men have already reached the frontier.”
“If he manages to defeat the barbarians, then half the court officials will certainly throw their support behind him.”
“Big Brother, why don’t you send word to the army and have them find a way to…”
