The Consort of the Heir breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to take her leave.
Though inwardly furious, she knew that given Luo Wanqing's status, she could never truly win an argument.
The Consort of the Heir sighed inwardly, lamenting her misfortune.
She hurried back to her own courtyard, opened her private vault, and selected several valuable gifts. Thinking that this whole mess had arisen from her well-intentioned attempt to find medical help for her daughter-in-law, and now that such a huge problem had occurred without her daughter-in-law uttering a word, she felt uneasy.
With this thought, she sent someone to invite Lu Jingning.
The person returned quickly, holding a sandalwood box. "The young madam is unwell. When I arrived, the household physician was present. The young madam struggled to get up and gave me this, asking me to bring it back to the Consort of the Heir."
The Consort of the Heir opened the sandalwood box and looked. Inside were several precious gemstones.
She's quite clever, she thought. If she can't come, she can't come.
The Consort of the Heir quickly arranged the gifts and assigned people to escort them. Not daring to delay, she hurried to find the Princess of Qin's Consort again.
The Princess of Qin's Consort examined the items brought by her daughter-in-law and saw that they were prepared with sincerity.
"Let's go."
The entourage proceeded in a grand manner to the Hundred Herbs Hall. This time, neither the Princess of Qin's Consort nor the Consort of the Heir dared to be arrogant. Their attitude towards the shopkeeper and others at the Hundred Herbs Hall was exceedingly cordial.
"Our patron has been traveling extensively and has just returned to her chambers to rest," the shopkeeper said. "If Your Highness the Princess of Qin has no urgent matters, please return another day."
This was an undisguised attempt to make things difficult.
Although the Princess of Qin's Consort was displeased, she knew that no matter how the Crown Princess of Nanchang tried to humiliate them, they had to endure it. Only when the Crown Princess's anger subsided would this matter be resolved.
The smile on the Princess of Qin's Consort's face grew wider. The Consort of the Heir, having been her daughter-in-law for decades, knew that the more her mother-in-law acted this way, the greater her own inner fury. Thinking that this situation was her fault and that she would inevitably face retribution later, she felt increasingly aggrieved.
"Shopkeeper, you must admit it's not a good look for so many of us to be standing here. Could you perhaps allow us inside and arrange a room for us? Rest assured, we are sincerely here to apologize to Patron Luo, and we certainly wouldn't disturb Patron Luo's rest," the Princess of Qin's Consort said even more amiably.
Her humble and deferential approach finally appeased the shopkeeper. He no longer blocked them but led them to the back courtyard. As for when their patron would wake up, that was no longer his concern.
After making the arrangements, the shopkeeper withdrew without assigning anyone to serve tea.
When the Princess of Qin's Consort saw that no one from the Hundred Herbs Hall was around, she finally let her face fall. In all her years, she had never felt so humiliated. When she had chosen a daughter-in-law for her son, the girl had been quite clever, and over the years, she had managed things to her satisfaction. How could she have become so muddled after becoming a mother-in-law herself?
"Mother, please calm your anger. When we return, I will accept any punishment without complaint," the Consort of the Heir said, humbling herself.
The Princess of Qin's Consort snorted, "There's no use in saying all this nonsense now. You should pray that the Crown Princess doesn't hold a grudge. Only if she doesn't hold a grudge can this matter pass. If she does hold a grudge, the entire Prince's Estate will suffer because of you."
Half an hour later, someone came to invite the Princess of Qin's Consort and her entourage, saying that their patron had woken up.
The Princess of Qin's Consort took a deep breath, suppressed her inner frustration, and made her expression appear more amiable. Once this was done, she rose and followed the people from the Hundred Herbs Hall to pay their respects to the Crown Princess of Nanchang.