After Madam Huang was buried, Consort Dowager Fang fell ill as soon as she returned to Prince Ding'an's mansion from the Duke Zhongyong's mansion.
The doctor said it was due to excessive fatigue and that she would be fine after a few days of bed rest.
The wives and young ladies of noble families were so delicate. They hadn't done any strenuous work, yet they were "overworked"?
As the mother-in-law was ill, Wang Qingyao, as the daughter-in-law, should naturally attend to her.
Not to mention ancient times, it's still like this in modern times!
Wang Qingyao was a dedicated person. This was her job, and she had no complaints.
With high salary and good benefits, she served with utmost sincerity. Moreover, there were maids all over the house. She only needed to feed Consort Dowager Fang a few mouthfuls when the medicine was served, or accompany her with a few words when she was bored.
Consort Dowager Fang's illness was not serious, so Wang Qingyao did not need to stay up all night.
The workload during the day was nothing to Wang Qingyao.
But the Old Consort Dowager was deeply moved, thinking Wang Qingyao was truly pure, kind, and filial.
Wang Qingyao felt a little guilty about being praised.
Hehehe...
As the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship between Wang Qingyao and Consort Dowager Fang eased, Yun Zhu became somewhat displeased.
However, she had suffered consecutive losses at Wang Qingyao's hands recently, and the matters she had done before had just passed. She did not dare to act rashly for the time being.
Therefore, the days of attending to the sick passed peacefully.
The West Garden of Kangping Courtyard was also very peaceful. No one took advantage of Wang Qingyao's absence to attend to the sick to flock to Xiao Yun. They all quietly worked on their embroidery.
Originally, Yin Zhu was worried that she and Coral couldn't manage four people. Now, she felt she had worried too much.
Moreover, she accidentally saw Jiang Jing and Qian Yu feeding each other moves and sparring, wielding their swords with such power and dazzling skill that her eyes widened. She began to ponder the matter of taking a new master again.
Jiang Jing and Qian Yu, however, were suffering.
The fathers of both of them were military generals, and they had liked wielding weapons since childhood. Embroidery was simply harder than climbing to heaven.
In just a few days, their fingers were pricked into holes.
Jiang Jing: "I want to play Dou Dizhu."
Qian Yu: "I want to drink."
Huang Shiyu: "Hold on a little longer. The Duke Zhongyong's wife just passed away. Everyone is wearing plain clothes. Don't give anyone a handle."
Bian Siyue sneered: "She's just an aunt, not a biological mother. Who would care about the concubine of the nephew?"
Naturally, she was lectured by Huang Shiyu again, who said she spoke carelessly and that misfortune comes from the mouth.
At this time, the registration documents for the four of them were also processed. In fact, they had been ready for a long time.
Xiao Yun himself was the Minister of Revenue and Prince Ding'an. When he gave an order, his subordinates treated it as the most important matter.
It was just that Xiao Yun had been busy recently, and there were various matters at home. It was delayed until now before he handed over the registration documents of the four to Wang Qingyao.
Wang Qingyao knew that being freed from servitude was a great joy for those with low status, so she called the four of them to play Dou Dizhu, deliberately losing money to make them happy, and then took out the registration documents for them to see.
The four of them didn't know what it was at first. When they opened it, they were all stunned. No one spoke, only the sound of rapid breathing could be heard.
After a while, the four of them looked up, their eyes red. Led by Huang Shiyu, they all knelt down and kowtowed to Wang Qingyao.
"Princess Consort, your great kindness is something we four will never forget."
"From now on, be it a mountain of knives or a sea of fire, as long as the Princess Consort gives the order, we four will not frown."
These bold words were a bit too much, weren't they?
They also kowtowed with sincerity. Three "dong dong dong" sounds made Wang Qingyao feel pain.
"It's not that serious, it's not that serious," she quickly gestured for the four to get up. "It's just a small effort, and it's not my credit. It was the Prince who ordered it to be done."
Huang Shiyu was very eloquent: "The Prince and the Princess Consort are one. The Prince's credit is the Princess Consort's credit."
Look at that mouth, look at that emotional intelligence!
Wang Qingyao said with a smile: "This is a happy occasion, and it should be celebrated properly. I have already ordered a banquet to be prepared for you. You can have a good time in the West Garden tonight."
Huang Shiyu hesitated for a moment and said, "The Duke Zhongyong's wife just passed away..."
Wang Qingyao waved her hand: "It's not a big deal, she's not your biological mother."
Huang Shiyu: "..."
Bian Siyue pursed her lips and smiled.
"Princess Consort, please join us as well."
"I won't join the fun. You can talk about your private matters," Wang Qingyao said. Seeing Huang Shiyu about to persuade her again, she added, "There will be plenty of time in the future. We will have many opportunities to drink and dine together."
Only then did the four of them give up.
At this time, Coral entered with a large box in one hand, and Zhi Zi and Yin Zhu entered together with a small box.
"Princess Consort, these are new materials sent from outside. The small box contains medical books, and the large box contains various books that mention medical skills or cases," Yin Zhu reported as she put down the box.
Wang Qingyao nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. You can go and rest."
Bian Siyue asked curiously, "Why is the Princess Consort looking for so many medical books?"
"Looking for something."
"Looking for what?"
Huang Shiyu quietly gave Bian Siyue a look: Shut up, what does it have to do with you? Did the Princess Consort ask you a question?
Wang Qingyao didn't care at all and said mysteriously, "I'm looking for a poison, a poison that can make bones turn green after death!"
Bian Siyue's eyes lit up: "I think I've heard of this poison!"