Chapter 38 Detailed Explanation
"As for the two who came with you, I heard from my aunt, especially Yu Mama's cousin's niece. My aunt said she wasn't interested in this."
Su Qing had never heard of this and looked up in confusion.
"It is said that Mother Yu first brought her into the West House because she was thinking of her own daughter." Qing Rui continued.
"Is Mother Yu's daughter in the East Palace?" Su Qing asked.
"Yes, it's Concubine Qiao who is beside the prince. She has been favored for a few years, but now she is old and has no children. Maybe she is getting anxious and wants to bring another one in." After Qing Rui finished speaking, she looked at Su Qing, with a look in her eyes that said, "You know what I mean."
Su Qing nodded. She understood this matter, but she didn't understand why women in ancient times would be so eager to become concubines.
"So, she should just be a transition to the Fourth Young Lady, and will come to Shanzhi Hall after Aunt Qiao has made arrangements. As for the niece of the Guangzhu family, I just heard that she went to the Fourth Small Courtyard. I haven't found out what she plans to do, but she will just move up slowly."
Su Qing nodded. Everyone had different ideas. Ruchun should be thinking that no matter how difficult Meng Qi was to serve, it was better to be with the young lady than to be in the kitchen. At least she would be familiar with him.
"I heard from my aunt that you didn't get along very well with these two when you were at the West Residence?"
"Well, the one from Yu Mama's family is called Wanxiang, and the one from Guangzhu's family is called Ruchun." Su Qing explained how Ruchun wanted to frame her and let her sister in.
Qing Rui sat up and said, "Oh, I haven't heard of this. Doesn't Auntie know about this?"
"They probably don't know. Cai'er found out for me. She's the sister who came into the West House with me."
Qing Rui frowned, "It seems that you should be careful. That Wanxiang might have some ulterior motives. But no matter what, you all just arrived. She has to stand firm even if she has some ideas. Besides, if something really happens, I am still there. Whether it is Mother Yu or the Guangzhu family, their dignity in front of the Crown Prince's wife is still behind me."
Su Qing smiled and said, "Yes, sister, don't worry, I will do my job well, will not cause trouble to you, and bring honor to myself."
Qing Rui burst out laughing at Su Qing's words, "Okay, let's leave your assignment as it is for now. I won't get married until next spring, so I have to make arrangements for you before then. I still say the same thing, the fourth young lady's temper is too changeable, and she is still young now, who knows what she will be like in two years, so if you can't stay with her, then don't stay, I will slowly look for someone for you."
"Sister, I see that Young Master Lang is avoiding the Fourth Miss, and the Madam is extremely fond of her."
Qingrui looked up out the window. Su Qing stood up and stuck her head out. There was only one maid in the yard, wiping the porch pillars.
"It was difficult for the fourth young lady to be born. I heard about it from the old people after I entered the mansion. It turned out that the wife of the prince had given birth to a young lady. If she was still alive, she would be the second child. The wife of the prince gave birth to two sons in a row. She was very happy when the second young lady was born. At that time, the Meng family already had five young masters. Although there was an eldest young lady, she was from the third master's family, and the lady didn't like her at all. So when the second young lady was born, even the marquis would occasionally ask her to bring her over to have a look.
"They said she was adorable and very lovable, and calling her daddy or mommy would melt anyone's heart. But I didn't expect that she would die when she was three years old."
Su Qing exclaimed when she heard this, "Is he sick or..."
"It was an accident. The second young lady is taboo in the mansion. No one can mention it. I heard from the old people in the mansion that the second young lady died strangely. The wife of the prince cried all day after losing her daughter and couldn't calm down for a long time. It is said that before the second young lady's accident, the wife of the prince had not been with the prince for a long time. But for some reason, the prince came to the wife's room again for a while, and not long after, she became pregnant with the fourth young lady.
"But when the fourth young lady was pregnant, the Crown Prince's wife was already old, and she was too sad because of the second young lady's matter, and her body and mind were exhausted. As a result, the Crown Prince's wife was very cautious throughout the whole process of being pregnant with the fourth young lady, especially when she was about to give birth, she lay in bed for three months. The birth was also very dangerous. Not only did she bleed heavily, but the fetus was not in the right position. Fortunately, she invited the palace's special nanny who was responsible for delivering babies for the harem early on, so that the fourth young lady was born smoothly, but the Crown Prince's wife had to take care of the baby for a whole year."
Su Qing nodded. No wonder the fourth young lady was doted on so much. Firstly, it was difficult to get her, and secondly, all the love he had for his previous daughter was placed on this young lady.
Qing Rui lowered her head and thought for a while, then whispered, "Nowadays, the Crown Prince's wife doesn't take care of the affairs of the mansion very much. It's usually the Second Madam and the First Young Mistress who take care of things. I heard that the Third Madam and the Second Young Mistress also want to intervene. Remember, as long as you don't offend the Fourth Young Mistress, everything else will be fine."
Su Qing naturally knew this. Thinking about how the eldest young lady Jiang wanted her to go to Young Master Lang, and how Meng Qi just shook Song's arm a few times to keep her, and Jiang had to put on a smile, she knew that she had to take it slow. It seemed that it was not easy to work with the fourth young lady.
"As for the fourth young lady's wet nurse, Madam Liu, she won't care too much as long as it doesn't harm the fourth young lady. So, the most important thing for you now is to maintain a good relationship with the people in the fourth young lady's courtyard. No matter who they are, even those servants, even though they do rough work, they are always good at saying something bad. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sister, I know. You must be respectful to Madam Liu, obedient to Jiaohong and Jiaoxing, and patient with those third-rate maids. If there is anything, talk to Sister Jiaohong more often, and get along with other people in the courtyard in a friendly manner."
Qing Rui nodded with satisfaction. Fortunately, she was a reasonable person. When she went to the West House and heard that her aunt had adopted her daughter, she was really surprised. After learning the whole story, she actually felt that Mother Liu was a bit hasty. She could repay the favor in other ways, even if it was giving more money or getting her to the East House by herself if she had the chance.
At night, Mother Liu hugged her and told her the reason. She said that one time Su Qing went to her vegetable garden to pick vegetables. When she bent down, she showed a part of her body and found a crescent-shaped birthmark. The daughter that Mother Liu did not raise also had a birthmark in the same shape, but in a different position. Mother Liu felt that everything was God's will at that time. Two people who were not related to each other had such a deep intersection. Not to mention that Su Qing helped her, even the way they got along later made Mother Liu often wonder what her daughter would be like if she were still alive.
Mother Liu gave such an excuse, Qing Rui couldn't say anything more, after all, she was her aunt. She thought that as a girl, single and without anyone to rely on, she wouldn't make a big mistake that would implicate Mother Liu. She still had more than half a year, so it shouldn't be a problem to watch over her, give her some advice, and help her take care of things.
Looking back at what I said today, Su Qing understood what was going on and felt relieved. As long as she could see the difference in his features, it would be fine.