The maid's road to success

Xing'er stood in the yard, watching the maid carry the blue dress into the inner room. The Sixth Prince will come here after dinner today. Although Liu Yan no longer needs Jiaoyan to keep the Sixth Prince, because of the baby in her belly, the Sixth Prince will come to see Liu Yan from time to time. The Sixth Prince likes to see Liu Yan wearing clothes of this color the most, so Liu Yan will wear it often.

Liu Yan put on her clothes and walked slowly around the room. She couldn't move much, but in order to make the Sixth Prince pay more attention to her, she would occasionally practice her walking manners. She didn't want to walk unsteadily like other pregnant women.

"Girl, don't go. You can't walk any longer. The pregnancy-preserving medicine is getting cold. You should drink it now."

Liu Yan nodded, held the maid's hand and sat down, frowning as she looked at the bitter medicine.

"I don't know how long I have to drink this. There's a bitter taste in my mouth every day."

After Liu Yan finished drinking the medicine, the maid immediately handed her mouthwash, and then brought her sweet cheese to help her reduce the bitterness.

"Girl, just hold on. Everything will be fine once the little boy in your belly is born."

Liu Yan nodded and looked at the maid in front of her with dissatisfaction.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me girl anymore? I'm pregnant now, what does it mean to call me girl?"

Liu Yan touches her belly every day and fantasizes that she can rise to the top after giving birth to a child. It would be best if the Sixth Prince can really become the emperor, so that she can become a noble concubine by giving birth to a child. Is it possible that her child can also become the most noble person in the world? The maids still call her a girl, but that's not okay.

"I know I was wrong, grandma."

Liu Yan didn't want others to call her aunt, as if it was reminding her that even if she was pregnant, she could only be the Sixth Prince's concubine. Since she had spent so much effort to seduce the Sixth Prince, she didn't just want to be a concubine of low status.

Liu Yan covered her belly, and the sinking feeling came back. She was a little worried. She was still so young, how long could she last? Did she walk too much just now?

The Sixth Prince arrived when it was getting dark. Jingnan Lane had already prepared his favorite meals. Liu Yan served him diligently. While eating, the Sixth Prince looked at Liu Yan's belly. Her waist was still very thin. Her hand slowly touched her belly and moved up. Her chest seemed to be fuller.

Liu Yan shyly pulled his hand down.

"Your Highness, you forgot that the doctor told us not to..."

The Sixth Prince put down his hand in disappointment and lost his appetite for food.

"My Lord, please don't be angry. I'm scared."

Upon seeing this, the maidservant nearby immediately called in the two young maids serving outside the door to serve the Sixth Prince.

When the Sixth Prince saw two girls as white and tender as water onions standing beside him, one massaging his shoulders and the other feeding him soup, all his dissatisfaction disappeared. He comforted Liu Yan and told her not to feel sad and to take good care of herself.

As they were about to go out with the two maids, Liu Yan suddenly covered her stomach and sweat broke out on her head.

"My Lord, my stomach hurts. My Lord, my stomach hurts."

Liu Yan still cared about her image at first, but later she started wailing and screaming in pain.

The Sixth Prince's original intention to have some fun with the two maids was gone, and he shouted to the housekeeper to call the doctor over quickly. The small courtyard in Jingnan Lane suddenly became a mess.

Xing'er took the opportunity to go out to the entrance of the alley, found the beggar who had been squatting there, and whispered to him.

"Liu Yan's pregnancy can no longer be saved."

She hurried back to the yard. The beggar picked up his bowl and cloth bag and left. The doctor came over, accompanied by the servant.

"This lady has bled a lot from below. The fetus cannot be saved. Please accept my condolences."

Liu Yan felt the hot blood flowing out from below, and her heart was suddenly filled with grief. She pulled at the Sixth Prince's clothes.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the child is gone, our child is gone."

The Sixth Prince looked at the doctor with a gloomy face.

"Examine it carefully. The fetus has been stable. How could it suddenly disappear? Examine it carefully for me."

When Liu Yan heard this, she felt very uneasy and her eyes became evasive. She had already felt like she was falling two days ago, and she had conceived this child by taking strong drugs. What would she do if the pregnancy was discovered?

Liu Yan believed that it was because her constitution was too cold that she lost the baby. The doctor was always uneasy when checking her all around and she was shaking all over. The Sixth Prince thought she was just too sad.

"Madam seems to have something that can harm the fetus, and it smells faintly of red flowers."

When Liu Yan heard this, her face turned ugly and she lowered her head to smell around. Ever since she became pregnant, she has been very careful and nothing that could harm the fetus could be brought into the yard.

"Impossible. I was very careful when I was pregnant. I didn't even dare to touch hawthorn or peach kernels. I didn't dare to eat cold food no matter how hot it was. How could I let safflower enter my house?"

Liu Yan asked him to check carefully where the smell of safflower came from. The doctor checked carefully and finally pointed at Liu Yan's clothes.

"Madam's clothes have a light smell, but it is indeed the smell of safflower. Madam has a weak constitution, so she dare not touch anything like this, let alone wear clothes with safflower next to her body."

Liu Yan hurriedly took off her bloodstained clothes and threw them on the ground, angrily scolding the maid who was serving her today to come in.

"Grandma likes green clothes the most, so I chose this one. It's not me, it's really not me. Oh, this dress was sent to the embroidery workshop because some of the pink pearls on the stamens fell off."

Liu Yan picked up the clothes and looked at them carefully. The pink pearls on it were completely different from the previous ones. They were smaller and redder than before.

The doctor pulled a few off, smelled them, and licked them.

"This is a pearl soaked in safflower. It is white in color, but you can see that its color is not just red, but also slightly yellow."

Liu Yan bit her lips and her eyes turned black. She didn't expect that no matter how careful she was, she still couldn't prevent it.

"Master, someone killed our child. Someone killed mine and Master's child."

The Sixth Prince immediately gathered people to search the entire courtyard of Jingnan Lane to see who dared to take action in the courtyard he was protecting.

That night, a whole yard of people knelt on the ground, from the steward of the palace, the embroiderers in the embroidery room, to the maids and servants in Jingnan Lane.

"Your Highness, how dare we add anything to this lady's clothes? We don't know anything about red flowers, and we didn't know that this lady was pregnant. These pink pearls were bought in the store, and we used them."

The embroiderers in the embroidery room were crying like pear blossoms in the rain. They were all girls from ordinary families and had never seen such a scene before.

When the Sixth Prince heard Liu Yan's crying, he immediately became angry and ordered his men to hold them down and beat them one by one. Then he found the wrong person, a woman who was wailing and begging for mercy.

"I said, I said, stop fighting."

The servant brought the old woman to the front.

"No, no, no, three days ago, a pearl fell off grandma's clothes, and it was Xiaorui who took it to the embroiderer. That day, I was out buying vegetables, and I saw Xiaorui and a man holding hands and walking into an alley. When I followed them, I couldn't see Xiaorui anymore. The man had a big mole on the back of his neck, I saw it clearly."

The Sixth Prince immediately thought of the Sixth Princess's wet nurse's son who had a big mole on his neck, so he asked someone to bring Xiao Rui over for questioning.

"I didn't. Mrs. Chen is framing me. I was rescued by grandma, how could I betray her? You know, I have been with grandma for almost three years and have never done anything to hurt her."

Liu Yan helped the maid out and pointed at Xiao Rui and said.

"You've been finding excuses to go out a lot recently. I think you're unwilling to tell the truth. Send someone to bring her brother and sister-in-law. But I don't trust anyone now."

When the servants saw that the Sixth Prince nodded in agreement, they took their swords and prepared to go out. Xiao Rui rushed forward and told Liu Yan not to believe the evil people's slander.

Seeing that Liu Yan was unmoved and wailed for a long time, the servants came in with two children aged seven or eight and threw them on the ground, then they became anxious.

"Don't hit them, don't hit them. I'm telling you. I'm telling you everything."

This was the first time that the Sixth Prince had his own offspring who was killed. In a rage, all the suspects were beaten with sticks and the murderer had to be found. Xiao Rui's sister-in-law was brought in and the servant kicked them twice. The child, who was only a few years old, could not bear it and cried for his sister.

"It was Steward Liang. He found me and said he would redeem me. I was fooled by him and just put the clothes in the embroidery shop next door. Usually, grandma's clothes are sent to Zhuque Street. That day, I lost my mind and was anxious to follow Steward Liang, so I just sent the clothes to the nearest embroidery shop."

The servants pinned the owner of the embroidery shop to the ground and beat him half to death before pulling him up.

"I didn't harm grandma. I bought that box of pearls from a traveling merchant. The price was 30% cheaper than what I usually buy. I wouldn't dare drug this lady even if I borrowed a few orders."

The guards went to the address given by the innkeeper, but did not see any trace of the merchant he mentioned. However, an innkeeper testified that he had seen the traveling merchant. When he came, he was still an ordinary person and could not be recognized as a traveling merchant at all. He left with a box on his shoulder the next day. The innkeeper also said that the man spoke with a Kyoto accent.

After listening to all the stories, the Sixth Prince had already guessed who the murderer might be. No, he had thought of those few people who might be the murderer from the very beginning, but without evidence it was difficult for him to be sure.

When Manager Liang was brought in and knelt on the ground, he knew that the matter had been discovered. However, he did not expect that he and Xiao Rui were seen hanging out together by the old woman and exposed.

He had never expected that an old woman would see him and notice the mole on his neck.

"Your Highness, don't believe the rumors. I'm not the only one with the mole. The Sixth Princess has been taking care of the palace's affairs, and she's always thinking about someone who can leave a child for Your Highness. The concubines and aunts in the palace have all been asked by the princess to take care of their health. Miss Liu has always resented the Sixth Princess for not letting her into the palace. It's very likely that she deliberately staged a play to frame the princess. There are so many masters in the palace, and none of them can get pregnant. How could Miss Liu be so lucky to get pregnant? I remember that the doctor in the palace also examined Miss Liu and said that she had a cold syndrome and it would be difficult for her to get pregnant."

Manager Liang quickly thought of an excuse. Liu Yan never expected that Manager Liang would confuse right and wrong. She had been so eager to get pregnant and had been so careful, but it was because of the Sixth Princess' jealousy that the fetus in her belly was killed, and he actually turned the tables on her.

"Your Majesty, I know that I am of humble origin and unworthy of leaving your bloodline. I have never thought of entering the palace. You know that I just want to have a child with you, so that when I am old and ugly, you will have a child to accompany me. I have never been greedy for your status. After I became pregnant, I have been raising the child carefully. Your Majesty was angry many times because I refused to serve him, but I did not dare to gamble. Your Majesty, you are wise."

The Sixth Prince was a little skeptical at first because of what Steward Liang said, but Liu Yan's words made him sober up. During the time when he and Liu Yan were most affectionate, he also said that he wanted Liu Yan to enter the palace, but Liu Yan herself refused, saying that if she entered the palace, she was afraid that she would bring gossip to the palace and let others attack the Sixth Prince, so she lived in Jingnan Lane.

This was also because the Sixth Prince loved Liu Yan and was considerate, so he bought the house specially under Liu Yan's name and let Liu Yan choose the servants to serve her. When she became pregnant, she also said that she did not want the child to be brought back to the palace, and asked him to be more considerate of the princesses and concubines in the palace, and not neglect the princess he had married and the women in the palace for Liu Yan's sake.

The Sixth Prince didn't know that Liu Yan didn't want to enter the palace because she was afraid that she would not survive if she entered, nor did he know that she wanted the child to stay with him and be raised by him personally, rather than being brought into the palace to become someone else's child. He only thought that Liu Yan was considering her own safety and reputation.

The Sixth Prince kicked Steward Liang in the chest.

"How dare you stir up trouble? Beat him up and make sure you get the truth out of him."

Manager Liang refused to admit it and refused to give in even when he was beaten to a bloody pulp. He did not say anything wrong about the Sixth Princess until he passed out and kept complaining.

The owner of the embroidery workshop was quick to react.

"I'm a businessman, and most people I meet will have an impression of me. The prince asked me to redeem myself. If I can see the traveling merchant, I'm sure I can recognize him."

There are no clues about Xiao Rui now, and Manager Liang is very stubborn, so we can only put our hopes on this person.

The chief steward personally took the shopkeeper to the Sixth Prince's Mansion to check everywhere. No one in the Sixth Prince's Mansion saw the person the shopkeeper mentioned. Or was it the person Liu Yan mentioned who was not in the mansion?

The Sixth Prince immediately thought of the people in the Sixth Princess's dowry farm, and asked the steward to look for them one by one. Sure enough, the man was found at noon the next day, hiding in the farm in the east city.

"I am innocent. I am the princess's dowry. How can I go back and become a peddler?"

Seeing that he was still stubborn, the Sixth Prince asked the innkeeper to come over. Both innkeepers said that he was the traveling merchant selling pearls. Seeing that he had been pointed out, the man knew that he would not be able to leave alive if he did not confess today. He collapsed on the ground as if he was deflated, and was sobered up by a basin of cold water poured on him.

"It was Steward Liang. Steward Liang told me to take these pearls and sell them around here. I must make sure that all the embroidery shops on this street buy these pearls. At first, they refused to sell them. I lowered the price a lot before they bought them all. Steward Liang rewarded me with fifty taels of silver and asked me to hide in the farm for a year or so after the task was completed."

When Manager Liang heard that this person had actually spoken out, he knew very well that he could not confess that everything was done by the princess, so he immediately changed his statement.

"It was because I couldn't stand Liu Yan's arrogance. I don't know what medicine she gave you. The Sixth Princess was personally selected by the Empress Dowager. She was your legitimate wife, but you ignored her for this woman. She is a daughter of an aristocratic family, but you favored an actress. So many people laughed at her and slandered her behind her back. She did so much and helped you so much, but you only had this woman in your heart. Where did you put her? I did everything. I seduced Xiao Rui to have sex with me and asked her to send the clothes to the nearby embroidery workshop. I soaked the pearls with safflower. I did it all. I feel sorry for the Sixth Princess. Such a lowly woman can only deceive you. She is the most greedy in her bones. It's difficult for you to have children. What method did she use to make you give up the concubine and change your mind? And what method did she use to get pregnant with the child? Only she knows it. It's all retribution, all retribution."

The Fourth Prince did not expect to hear such exciting news when he just came to see the Sixth Prince after being released from house arrest. He stood at the door with a playful look on his face. The Sixth Prince never expected that he would say such a thing, and even mentioned the difficulties of having children? Why?

But when he saw the Fourth Prince at the door, he immediately thought to himself that things were not good. The matter of keeping a mistress outside was hidden from the Grand Empress Dowager. The Grand Empress Dowager couldn't bear to see Liu Yan always asking him to deal with it, but he couldn't bear to do so. Keeping a mistress outside was a small matter. At most, he would be scolded by the Grand Empress Dowager.

However, if the conspiracy of his princess' steward to murder his concubine's child were exposed, the Sixth Prince's Mansion would be in the spotlight. In addition, the steward of his own mansion said that he had difficulty in having children. If this were to be exposed, would those officials whom he had worked so hard to win over still support him?

After all, who would support a prince who is destined to have no children to ascend the throne?