The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

Luoyu had already been eagerly waiting in the courtyard.

As soon as she saw them, she rushed over. “Grandmother, Aunt!”

Upon seeing her daughter’s current state, Yun Shuyao felt much more at ease. Luoyu looked great, her complexion was rosy, and there was a sparkle in her eyes.

After entering the room, Yun Shuyao first walked around, carefully inspecting everything, while the elderly lady held her granddaughter’s hand and spoke to her.

“Are your symptoms severe now?”

“Grandmother, I’m fine. As long as I don’t eat anything fishy, I can eat everything else.”

Hearing this, the smile on the elderly lady’s face grew even brighter. “That’s good, that’s very good.”

“Is there anything you’re particularly craving?”

Luoyu replied, “I mostly crave meat…”

As they were talking, Yun Shuyao was also listening while inspecting the courtyard. She didn’t find any issues for the time being.

Among her dowry servants, two were knowledgeable in medicine, and Luoyu herself had also studied it. If anything were to happen, it was like having three layers of defense.

Extremely poisonous or dangerous substances wouldn’t easily make it past the gates of the Fourth Prince’s residence, which made her safety more secure.

When Yun Shuyao returned, the elderly lady nodded at her, feeling that the habit of studying medicine was worth passing down.

Looking at her second granddaughter now, the elderly lady believed Aunt Yun’s insistence on this was the right decision.

Even if one isn’t particularly interested, learning some medical knowledge is beneficial.

She then reminded Daiyu.

Even if Daiyu didn’t enjoy it, she should still learn a little.

Just look at her second sister—knowing some medical knowledge brings so much peace of mind.

After all, this is the Fourth Prince’s inner residence!

In the future, it will be the emperor’s inner residence!

Here, there are plenty of ways to kill without spilling blood.

Medicine may be strictly controlled, but does that mean no one would take the risk?

Of course not.

There are always people willing to do such things, no matter the time.

Seeing that her aunt had finished checking, Luoyu smiled as well.

Her aunt had learned more advanced skills than she had.

And even more advanced than the two maidservants.

Yun Shuyao saw her smile and smiled as well, but then she became serious: “Just because there’s nothing now doesn’t mean there won’t be in the future. Don’t let anything others send you get close to you, and don’t use incense either—it’s the easiest way for people to act. Never let food or drinks leave your sight. Even so, if you find anything suspicious, just stop using it.”

For women in the inner residence, they didn’t have the grand ideal of saving the world. The benefit of learning medicine was to understand pharmacology, preventing themselves from being harmed, and also knowing how to take care of themselves to live better.

The greatest challenge for a woman is childbirth.

Before her daughter became pregnant, Yun Shuyao would advise her to avoid it and not get pregnant too early. But now that she was already expecting, Yun Shuyao wouldn’t say such things anymore.

It no longer mattered—once pregnant, there was no turning back. Fortunately, her daughter’s health had always been good, so the chances of a safe delivery were high.

Yun Shuyao asked, “Now that you’re pregnant, how has the household reacted?”

Luoyu smiled, “Fourth Lord is very happy. His birthday is at the end of the month, and with this good news, he’s even happier.”

The Fourth Prince highly valued having children.

The Fourteenth Prince and the Fourth Prince share the same mother.

But his eldest son, born in the 42nd year, was from the Shushujueluo clan.

The second son, also the eldest son of the primary wife from the Wanyan clan, was born this year.

His eldest daughter was also born in January of this year, and now there is another person in the Fourteenth Prince’s household who is about to give birth.

The Fourteenth Prince is only seventeen years old this year.

The Fourth Prince is already twenty-seven.

“The primary wife is a kind and reasonable person, and she follows the rules. As long as I follow the rules, everything will be fine.”

The old lady understood and nodded, “Following the rules is good. And what about the others?”

She was mainly referring to Concubine Li.

Concubine Song has seniority, but she lacks favor and children. Even if she wanted to do something, the threat wouldn’t be as great as from Concubine Li.

Luoyu slightly furrowed her brow.

This was also something she worried about.

With her bad temper, if she acted impulsively, it wasn’t impossible for her to do something rash.

“She will also understand the rules.”

Luoyu wasn’t afraid of the obvious schemes. How could they frame her? Physical strength? In that area, she was confident.

As for things in secret, Luoyu would tighten the fence around her, not giving the other side any chance.

The old lady said, “As long as you are clear in your heart.”

She felt a bit concerned, knowing that in matters like this, they couldn’t help. Luoyu would have to rely on herself.

Next, Yun Shuyao talked to Luoyu about many aspects of childbirth, reassuring her. Luoyu, having learned about the potential challenges and how to address them, felt much more at ease, calming her once restless heart.

They stayed until it was time to leave, and as they departed from the Fourth Prince’s residence, Yun Shuyao glanced back at the estate.

It was currently a Beile’s residence, but in a few years, it would become a prince’s mansion, and later, it would be the future emperor’s residence.

In this large house, there was only one male master, and everyone else was his dependents. However, none of them would be fully content with just being dependents—they would strive for more.

For the women of the master, the path to success was through childbirth. That was the easiest way for them to achieve merit.

Being a prince’s woman and being an emperor’s woman were different.

The competition would be fiercer, and the situations they’d face would be even more complex.

The Fourth Prince favored her now, but what about in the future?

Would Luoyu be able to hold her ground in such intense competition?

If she remains childless, things could be uncertain, but as long as she gives birth, even if she falls out of favor, her life wouldn’t be too bad.

Take Concubine Song as an example.

She had two pregnancies, though neither child survived, yet her status remains higher than those who have never borne children.

As for whether this child is a boy or a girl, Yun Shuyao wasn’t biased towards sons, but the reality is that sons are more valued. They can establish their own households, and if they’re exceptional, they might even have a chance to compete for the throne.

If it’s a daughter, that’s not bad either. If she’s capable, she could marry into a family in the borderlands and possibly wield significant local power, becoming a heroine.

The political environment there is more relaxed compared to the capital.

The capital might seem more prosperous, but it’s also where feudal centralization is strongest, making it extremely difficult for women to rise to power. Even with ability, their paths to advancement are limited.

If advancing for men is like playing on normal mode, for women aiming to gain power, it’s like nightmare mode—not even in the same league.

And then there’s Kangxi, who was not only prolific but raised capable children, leading to the infamous “Nine Lords’ War.”

When they returned, Lin Ruhai was already there. He had come back earlier than usual today and asked, “How is Luoyu?”

The old lady gave him a smile, “She’s doing very well.”

Lin Ruhai couldn’t help but smile, “Good news!”

Daiyu and Chenyu were eager to hear more details.

The old lady never tired of talking about it. As they wanted to listen, she gladly shared more with them. Every now and then, she would regretfully glance at Chenyu, thinking if it weren’t for their insistence on waiting until next year, he might also be preparing to welcome a great-grandchild by now.

Chenyu: “…”

Whenever this topic came up, he could only choose to change the subject. The Lin family was filled with joy, but this happiness didn’t last long, as an unexpected situation arose a few days later.

The old lady’s grandnephew, Xie Zimo, was employed in the capital. He had passed the imperial examination in the 43rd year of Kangxi’s reign, becoming a jinshi and then a shujishi, just like Yun Shuyou’s second brother, Yun Yan. They were not only from the same examination class but also both shujishi.

After Xie Zimo passed the exam, his wife brought their family to the capital and bought a house there, after which Xie Zimo also moved out.

As the eldest son of the Xie family, it would have been inconvenient for him to live at the Lin family residence while working in the capital. Although the old lady was reluctant, she agreed to his moving out and even helped him find a suitable house.

They kept in touch frequently.

But now, Xie Zimo and his wife, Madam Wu, had come to the door in a state of panic. Madam Wu had offended someone; usually, it wouldn’t be a serious matter that couldn’t be resolved easily, but she had offended no ordinary person. She had offended Long Keduo’s concubine, the notorious Li Sier.

The old lady furrowed her brows tightly. “How could you offend her?”

Madam Wu, in tears, recounted the story.

In truth, she was quite innocent.

She had gone out to pray, and on the way, she encountered a carriage. She was in front, and the other carriage was behind. Because the other carriage was quite imposing and moving quickly, she had someone pull over to let it pass. At that time, she didn’t even know who it was.

It was simply because there were many nobles beneath the Emperor’s feet, and she didn’t want to cause any trouble, so she took the initiative to yield.

Unfortunately, the other party seemed to think that she had moved aside a bit too late. When the two carriages were parallel, the other carriage driver’s whip struck Madam Wu’s horse. The horse, suddenly hit, became startled, reared its hooves, and then crashed into the carriage in front.

That was exactly the carriage that Li Sier was riding.

Although it was just a slight collision, the people on the other side reacted quickly and managed to control their horse, but it seemed that they had sustained some bruises.

On Madam Wu’s side, she also ended up with a bruise on her waist.

One could say she was innocent; if the other party hadn’t whipped the horse, the incident would never have happened. But if Li Sier were a reasonable person, she wouldn’t have such a notorious reputation in the capital.

When Madam Wu realized who was inside that carriage, her heart sank. She hurried to apologize and make amends.

Even though she didn’t want to accept this baseless “accusation,” Madam Wu didn’t want to jeopardize her husband’s career.

There were far too many precedents for this kind of situation.

But Li Sier refused to accept her apology; she was furious.

If it hadn’t been for Madam Wu’s quick reflexes, she would have almost been shoved down.

If the other party hadn’t been in such a rush to find a doctor, Madam Wu suspected she would have really been beaten in public.

She quickly sent gifts to appease the situation, but it still didn’t work. Feeling helpless, she turned to the Lin family for help.

Upon hearing the whole story, the old lady’s chest heaved with anger: “This is outrageous!”

“It’s simply unreasonable!”

“Too much bullying!”

Madam Wu wiped her tears and said, “I implore you, grand-aunt, to lend a helping hand.”

The old lady remembered that her nephew was currently an official in another location, and her grandnephew held a minor position, which likely explained why Li Sier was so unyielding.

The Lin family was different.

Her son was now a third-rank official and served as an aide in the Inspection Bureau. As long as Li Sier wasn’t insane and Long Keguo wasn’t either, they wouldn’t blow such a minor conflict out of proportion.

However, she asked, “Are you sure the other party isn’t seriously injured?”

Madam Wu nodded. “I’m sure. My horse was startled, and the carriage was shaken more violently.”

She only had bruises, while the other party was definitely not as serious. At the time, Li Sier had even shown up; although she looked pained, there were no signs of bleeding.

The old lady said, “I understand.”

Even if Li Sier was injured, it would only be due to her own fault. Yet, she was in a powerful position and was quite arrogant, especially with Long Keguo’s indulgence—how infuriating! The old lady noted this down.

When Lin Ruhai returned and heard about the incident, his brow furrowed. “Li Sier, it’s her again. This is truly outrageous. Mother, leave this matter to me.”

Lin Ruhai’s approach to this situation was different from how he would deal with Xie Zimo.

Many people believed that it was only a matter of time before Lin Ruhai entered the cabinet; once someone retired, he would have the highest chance of being promoted, and he had a good reputation among scholars.

Even Long Keguo was not willing to offend him too much.

If Li Sier was this arrogant and overbearing without discretion, she would have already been dealt with by someone. At this time, Long Keguo didn’t hold that high position of power yet.

What everyone was considering more was the face of the Tongjia clan.

After Lin Ruhai intervened, the matter settled down, and he had to let it go.

There were people who wanted to lodge complaints, but the higher-ups were unwilling to get involved, deeming it unimportant. The censors understood the emperor’s intentions; as long as it didn’t escalate into a big issue, no one would keep pursuing it relentlessly.

When Yun Shuyao later went to see Luoyu, Luoyu asked about the details of the incident. She had vaguely heard some people talking about it.

After Yun Shuyao explained, Luoyu frowned and sighed softly. “Auntie, there was a time when we encountered a similar situation at a teahouse.”

In that instance, a young woman was buying jewelry in a shop when Li Sier showed up and also took a liking to the same piece. The young woman didn’t yield immediately, so she was publicly slapped in the face. Later, when the young woman went to apologize, her gift was deemed too meager. The family of the young woman was targeted, her future was damaged, and she was dismissed and sent home. Ultimately, she chose to end her life.

Because her family held a minor position, they couldn’t afford to offend the Tongjia clan.

A good person just vanished like that.

Later, when Luoyu was participating in the selection, she encountered the young woman’s sister.

She worked very hard during the selection process because she wanted to rise and seek revenge for her sister; the selection was the only way she could think of to achieve that.

Yun Shuyao recalled, “What happened to her in the palace?”

Luoyu remained silent for a moment, then lowered her gaze. “She is still a low-ranking court lady. Her status isn’t high, and she receives little favor from the Emperor. She might not even see the Emperor once a month.”

Wanting to take revenge on the Tongjia clan is simply a fool’s dream.

She couldn’t help but sigh, “Power is truly a wonderful thing.”

If her father didn’t hold a position of authority, she wouldn’t have been able to enter the estate as a secondary consort, and her cousin’s family would likely be facing great misfortune right now.

She repeated, “Power is truly a wonderful thing.”

It’s a thing that can save lives.