Princess Fuyun was indeed a rare beauty. Although she was already in her thirties, she had a jade-like skin with no signs of wrinkles or spots. Her features were delicate and noble, her deanor exuding sharpness. Dressed in a deep purple palace attire, she looked even more dignified and majestic.
With an indifferent glance at the maid kneeling down below to offer her greetings, Princess Fuyun did not speak but looked at the servant standing by her side.
Understanding the cue, the servant looked down on the little maid with a lift of her chin, and in a cold voice asked, "What has changed over there?"
The little maid did not dare to look at the servant as she lowered her head and softly spoke, "Today another doctor arrived, but the doctor’s carriage entered through the front gate. Later, the doctor stayed in Seventh Master’s quarters for an hour before leaving. It was only then that I realized the doctor was a woman! I thought it was odd and ca to report to Your Highness."
A woman?
Surprise flickered across the servant’s face as she quickly turned to look at Princess Fuyun.
Although there were few female doctors practicing dicine, there were indeed so. The puzzling part was what kind of doctor could enter through the front gate of the Cui Mansion. Even the Imperial Physicians from the palace would enter through the middle gate when they visited.
Princess Fuyun’s brows slightly knitted as she directly asked the little maid, "What did the woman look like? Did you manage to find out her identity?"
The little maid, unexpectedly interrogated by the princess herself, anxiously replied, "Your... Your Highness, the woman seed very young, and quite lovely. If it weren’t for the dical box on her back, I wouldn’t have been able to tell she was a doctor. As I cannot get near Seventh Master’s quarters and everyone around him is Old Lady Cui’s people, I couldn’t find out the identity of that female doctor."
Princess Fuyun appeared thoughtful as she turned to look at her servant.
The servant hurriedly offered, "To enter through the main gate, either the female doctor’s dical skills are exceptional, or her status is extraordinary. There are a few female doctors in the capital, but none famous for their dical prowess. However..."
She paused for a mont, noticing Princess Fuyun’s slightly raised eyebrows, and continued, "Just because there’s no well-known female doctor in the capital doesn’t an there aren’t any elsewhere. Moreover, I’ve never heard of any Commandery Princess or Lady studying dicine in any of the prince or princess residences. This female doctor must have been invited from sowhere else by Old Lady Cui and the others!"
Princess Fuyun listened without comnt and continued to question the little maid, "How about the doctor’s dical skills? Has that bastard child woken up?"
The little maid shook her head quickly, her face sycophantically eager as she said, "Reporting to Your Highness, when I left, the Seventh Master, oh, the bastard child had not yet awakened. I faintly heard Old Lady Cui’s crying from the room; it seems he is not doing well."
Princess Fuyun’s expression remained the sa, but a hint of satisfaction flashed across her face, "In that case, I should pay a visit. After all, she is his legitimate mother."
The servant flattered, "Your Highness is generous. If it were any other princess’s residence, they wouldn’t even acknowledge a concubine’s son, let alone a princess visiting one!"
Princess Fuyun slowly stood up, her crimson lips curling slightly, seemingly with a sharp sting, "That bastard is the Prince Consort’s only offspring; naturally, I should give him more attention."
Seeing this, the servant hurriedly bowed her head, daring not to speak further.
Everyone in the Cui family and the Princess Residence knew that the bastard child was a thorn in Her Highness’s side. If it weren’t for the many years that the bastard had been far away in the south, with Old Lady Cui’s strong protection, and Her Highness’s consideration for the Prince Consort’s feelings, he would have died many tis over by now.
However, even the closest servants dared not speak much about offspring in front of Princess Fuyun. After all, in the nearly twenty years that Princess Fuyun had been married to Old Master Cui San, she had produced nothing.
Princess Fuyun changed into a bright red palace dress, accompanied by more than ten servants and nannies, and proceeded to boldly enter Cui Pingan’s quarters.
The doorman at the gate did not dare to stop her, only calling out loudly, "Princess Fuyun has arrived!"
The shout clearly traveled into Cui Pingan’s bedroom, where Old Lady Cui and Cui Qingrou heard it distinctly.
Old Lady Cui stood up, letting a maid by her side tidy her clothes. A hint of sarcasm flashed in her eyes, "Xiaoqi has been sick for so ti now, and she hasn’t sent anyone to inquire about him. Today, she’s co herself; it’s as if the sun has risen in the west."
Hearing this, Cui Qingrou glanced at her nephew, who was oblivious to everything on the bed, a trace of worry crossing her eyes, "I just hope she’ll be lenient for Xiaoqi’s sickness and not make things difficult for him."
These words were not without reason. When Princess Fuyun married into the Cui family, Cui Pingan’s mother was pregnant with him. Though she reluctantly beca a concubine, the love between her and Old Master Cui San remained strong. Old Master Cui San did not favor Princess Fuyun; on their wedding night, despite others’ urging, he staunchly refused to visit the bridal chamber and stayed with Cui Pingan’s mother instead.
It was this that fueled the already resentful Princess Fuyun’s hatred for Cui Pingan’s mother to an extre. On the day after the wedding, when Cui Pingan’s mother went to offer her greetings to Princess Fuyun, she was t with a cushion filled with spike-studded mats prepared by Princess Fuyun. That ti, Cui Pingan’s mother almost miscarried.
There were more than one or two such incidents. With Old Master Cui San’s impulsive nature, and Cui Pingan’s mother fearing that rising conflicts with Princess Fuyun would affect his career, she hardly dared to bring it up with him.
In this manner, Cui Pingan’s mother spent her days in constant anxiety, which affected her pregnancy, leading to a difficult labor. Eventually, she bled to death after giving birth.
Yet, the death of Cui Pingan’s mother did not quench Princess Fuyun’s jealousy; in fact, her resentnt grew stronger because she had borne her husband’s first child, and she directed all her anger toward Cui Pingan.
Although Princess Fuyun had not directly caused Cui Pingan’s death, he was constantly plagued by minor illnesses. Then, on his fourth birthday, soone, in an attempt to curry favor with Princess Fuyun, pushed Cui Pingan into a frozen lake during winter—nearly killing the child...
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