Not letting Qi Zhenzhen wonder for too long, Madam Qin took the initiative to state the purpose of her visit.
"Zhenzhen, I know my request is a bit unreasonable, but I'm truly out of options," Madam Qin said with a pleading expression. "Could you go to Prince Qin's mansion and see Mingzhu? Help me persuade her."
Qi Zhenzhen felt a bit troubled. Her relationship with Qi Mingzhu...
Besides, why would Qi Mingzhu listen to her advice?
"Mother, I'm afraid I can't help with this matter," Qi Zhenzhen said with difficulty.
"You can. Mingzhu is a proud girl. Before you returned to the mansion, she was your father's and the Old Madam's favorite. After you came back, due to some reasons of mine, she couldn't accept the change in status and felt unbalanced, leading her to act without discretion. Although she hasn't told me, she's my daughter, and I know what she's thinking. On the surface, she might look down on you, but in her heart, she sees you as a rival," Madam Qin said urgently. "You don't have to do much, just, just provoke her a little."
Provoke?
Was this Madam Qin's unique way of persuading someone?
"If she sees you doing well, she'll surely feel unconvinced. This unconvinced spirit will make her strive harder. With this drive, she might at least be able to manage," Madam Qin wiped away a tear. "Because of Mingzhu's situation, Prince Qin's mansion treats me with disdain. My sister-in-law hates Mingzhu deeply. So, even if my birth mother favors Mingzhu, she's old and lacks energy, and it's all to no avail. Before going to Prince Qin's mansion, Mingzhu told me not to worry about her, that she would be fine. But now, Fusu secretly sent me a letter saying she has no spirit, often weeps alone, and the doctors can't find anything specific. They say it's due to repressed emotions and overthinking. Since she's pregnant, they can't use too much medicine; the main thing is for her to rely on herself."
At this point, Qi Zhenzhen began to understand. Qi Mingzhu was likely suffering from prenatal depression. The doctors' diagnosis was not wrong, but in such a situation, if she couldn't figure it out herself, relying solely on medication would have little effect.
As for why Qi Mingzhu was depressed, it was probably due to her high aspirations, as Madam Qin had said.
Because her aspirations were too high, even after using means to enter Prince Qin's mansion, when she calmed down, facing her status, Qi Mingzhu must have been unwilling.
Women tend to overthink during pregnancy, and with Qi Mingzhu also having to face the wife of Prince Qin's heir and Qin Xuan's wife, her situation was imaginable.
"Zhenzhen, I know I wronged you, your mother, and Yi ge'er before, but those were my actions, and Mingzhu had nothing to do with them. Including Lu Chen's matter, all of that was me," Madam Qin said, tears streaming down her face. "I know I was wrong, and I'm willing to apologize to you and your mother. Whatever you want me to do, I'm willing. Don't worry, after I go back, I'll stay quietly in my courtyard and will never bother your mother."
Perhaps it was because she was also pregnant, but seeing Madam Qin like this, Qi Zhenzhen felt a sliver of softness.
"I'm not very good at comforting people, and Elder Sister might not listen to my advice. But I promise you, I can go to Prince Qin's mansion," Qi Zhenzhen sighed. "As for the outcome, I can't guarantee anything."
"Thank you, Zhenzhen," Madam Qin said gratefully. "Your willingness to go is already a sign of forgetting past grievances for me and Mingzhu. I'm only asking you because I have no other choice. Whether Mingzhu can come to terms with things or not, I will remember your kindness."