Chapter 89: It

After Aunt Qiu came in, she first reported to the Princess Consort of Qi about the progress of inviting Chi Gu Gu into the residence.

Aunt Qiu has already sent the peony to Zhuangzi to request someone.

Chi Gu Gu previously taught Prince Qi, is advanced in age, senior in experience, and has considerable standing in the Qi Wang Fu.

This time the Princess Consort of Qi invites someone over, also intending to save face for Concubine Su, letting her understand her own status.

Chi Gu Gu is outside the city; it will take some time to come over.

The Princess Consort of Qi nodded after hearing: "I understand."

After saying that, she prepared to have Aunt Qiu invite Liu Dafu over.

Sui Sui's hair hasn't grown yet, but there's no rule against wearing other ornaments.

The Princess Consort of Qi looked at the little girl's empty ears and prepared to pierce both ears for Sui Sui.

However, she's not skilled at this, so she must ask Liu Dafu to come and see whether to pierce now or wait a bit longer.

After the piercings are done, careful aftercare is needed, otherwise the wounds may easily become infected.

The Princess Consort of Qi hadn't spoken yet when she heard Aunt Qiu mention something else: "Yesterday the Sixth Prince and the young lady brought back a potted plant. This morning I specifically asked the steward who came from Zhuangzi why it only sprouted and didn't grow seedlings. He said it's probably due to insufficient temperature, and if convenient, we could send it to Zhuangzi's greenhouse; once the seedlings grow tall and the outside temperature is similar, they can be planted in the ground. Master, what do you think…"

The steward has already returned to his duties; if we want to send it, we need to dispatch someone again.

Aunt Qiu must know the master's intention before making arrangements.

The Princess Consort of Qi originally thought: just send someone over.

However, before she could speak, she felt the little girl nestled in her arms shift.

Sui Sui, hearing that it was her flower, widened her eyes and whispered, "Mother Consort, is this my flower?"

The soft, milky voice was heartwarmingly gentle.

This felt completely different from the voices of those stinky boys.

The little girl spoke close to her chest, and the Princess Consort of Qi felt her own heart melt along.

The words that were about to be spoken were forcibly changed by the Princess Consort of Qi: "Hmm, it's Sui Sui's flower. Sui Sui, would you like to go with Mother Consort to Zhuangzi to plant flowers?"

As for returning to the natal family, that's a matter to discuss with her older brother.

We'll talk about it later, later.

Accompanying the daughter is more important!

What is Zhuangzi?

And where is it?

Sui Sui, not understanding, whispered, "Will brother go?"

The Princess Consort of Qi wanted to bring Sixth Prince along, but his lessons have been delayed for over a month; she fears he will fall behind, become even more averse to learning, and end up totally clueless!

The Princess Consort of Qi shook her head, thinking of this: "Brother still has lessons, but in the afternoon we can see him; they are going to Zhuangzi for mounted archery class."

Hearing that they could see brother in the afternoon, Sui Sui nodded happily.

The little head bobbed repeatedly, gently tapping the Princess Consort of Qi's nape.

The fluffy little head brushed against the side of the neck, feeling a bit itchy and soft.

The Princess Consort of Qi couldn't resist, stroked Sui Sui's little head, then lifted the child and walked out.

Before leaving, the Princess Consort of Qi called Steward Li Shu over: "If there is any matter in the residence, you may consult the two side consorts. For truly urgent matters, you can go to Zhuangzi to find me, or to the other courtyard to find the Prince."

After speaking, the Princess Consort of Qi, still uneasy, thought and added: "Better go directly to Zhuangzi to find me, and not disturb the Prince."

Li Shu responded promptly.

The Princess Consort of Qi quickly prepared, took Sui Sui, and rode a carriage toward Zhuangzi.

Because they were in Jing Cheng, the Princess Consort of Qi rode in a Wangfu carriage.

The carriage was high‑spec, luxurious, and the interior was very spacious.

After entering, Sui Sui marveled at the carriage's opulence while carefully leaning close to Mother Consort.

The carriage was huge; Sui Sui felt she needed to stay close to Mother Consort, lest the carriage's movement cause her to roll to the side.

With such a big carriage, rolling around once would probably leave her bruised all over, right?

Sui Sui obediently stayed close, and the Princess Consort of Qi also liked holding the little girl.

If she weren't limited by stamina, she would actually still want to hold her.

However, her stamina truly doesn't allow her to hold her for long.

The Princess Consort of Qi was already pondering, considering joining a physical training class to work on her own fitness.

The Princess Consort of Qi was away from the residence for a while before the two side consorts finally received news.

Ren Ce Fei was selecting her outfit for the day; hearing that the Princess Consort had left, she hurriedly signaled the maid Xianglan: "Quick, quick, we must rush out too. If there's really something, don't involve me; I can't handle it."

The maids quickened their pace, and shortly after the Princess Consort, Ren Ce Fei also went out.

A side consort of the Wangfu holds a status higher than that of a concubine, exempting her from the morning greeting to the Princess Consort; for daily outings, as long as she files a report, she won't be overly constrained.

As soon as Ren Ce Fei stepped out, Meng Ce Fei learned of it.

At that moment she was having her hair done; upon hearing the news of Ren Ce Fei leaving the residence, she gritted her teeth: "She ran off again, dumping everything on me!"

With the Prince and Princess Consort absent, the two side consorts temporarily manage affairs.

Now that one has run off, Meng Ce Fei really can't afford to run again.

Finally she could only ask through clenched teeth: "I heard Zhou Shi went to the Princess Consort last night and fell ill after returning?"

The maid Shuxiang, who was styling her hair, replied softly: "I heard that's the case."

This matter left Meng Ce Fei quite puzzled: "That shouldn't happen; the Princess Consort usually spends her days in the rear courtyard peacefully, so how did she get sick? What could have happened?"

The confusion within the Wangfu, Sui Sui didn't know about.

She accompanied Mother Consort out, and bought a lot of snacks along the way.

Many of the items were things Sui Sui had never seen before.

She ate a lot for breakfast, but right now she actually can't eat anything.

But that doesn't matter; Sui Sui still feels the pleasure she gets after seeing delicious food.

Before, those foods were far from her; Sui Sui might get beaten even just for taking an extra look.

Now, those things are close to her, close enough that she can reach them with a stretch of her hand, and if she wants to eat, she can unwrap them anytime.

Sui Sui occasionally feels somewhat unreal, as if she were dreaming.

She from time to time reaches out her hand, lightly touches it, the oily paper wrapping the snacks.

Princess Consort of Qi watched from the side as the little girl's movements resembled a kitten's, her expression unconsciously softening: "Sui Sui, if you want to eat, just open it; don't be afraid, they're all bought for you by Mother Consort."

Hearing Mother Consort say that, Sui Sui shook her head: "Mother Consort, I'm not hungry yet."

The little girl said she wasn't hungry, and Princess Consort of Qi didn't insist, gently patting her head: "When you're hungry, we'll open them; after you finish, Mother Consort will buy more."

Sui Sui obediently nodded; her fingers stopped poking the snacks, and instead, following the curtain, she quietly looked at the scenery outside the window.

Second watch.