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Lu Man didn’t pay much attention to the attitudes of the two side consorts. Her existing bias against them was further fueled by Song Mo’s suspected poisoning. Hence, she continued to ignore them.
Having received help from Song Ming previously, Lu Man had gathered some detailed information about his family.
Song Ming’s father, Late Prince He, had a good relationship with the Emperor during his lifetime. Since his early demise, the Emperor had shown special favor towards Song Ming, his sole surviving son. Song Ming was considered diligent, unlike some other noble relatives who were arrogant and unruly. He was mild-tempered, sincere, filial, and eager to learn and progress. He was one of the three relatives whom the Emperor was willing to have the Crown Prince closer to, the other two being Prince Shuo and Princess Changting.
Song Ming’s deceased legitimate wife was from the Cheng family, belonging to the Marquis Yingming’s household. She had passed away two years ago due to illness. Concubine Jiang’s father held the position of Junior Minister in the Ministry of Works, a fourth-ranking official, while Concubine Wei’s father was a third-ranking official in the Imperial Guards. The pregnant one was Concubine Wei.
Concubine Jiang appeared more reserved, speaking less, seeming to have a humble background. Concubine Wei seemed more astute, with a clear and sweet voice, a slightly prominent belly, and a lively demeanor. She constantly wished for the Princess’s speedy recovery. Given the limited number of residents in the Prince He’s Mansion, her pregnancy stood out, possibly indicating that the Princess and Prince Song Ming highly favored her.
Feeling the air in the room grow stuffy with more people around, and knowing she needed to administer acupuncture to the Princess soon, Lu Man furrowed her brow slightly.
Sensing Lu Man’s displeasure, the Princess’s personal maid, quietly reminded them, “The Princess needs rest…” She had been entrusted by Prince Song Ming to handle such situations if Lu Man hesitated to speak up.
Understanding the unspoken message that they were being asked to leave, Concubine Jiang and Wei respectfully took their leave. Concubine Wei attempted to reach out to Song Mo, but he shyly dodged her advances.
In a hushed tone, Song Mo said, “Father says I am the host today and should treat Sister-in-law well.”
Smiling, Lu Man approached and took Song Mo’s hand, leading him alongside the two Concubine out of the room. Misinterpreting her actions, Concubine Wei and Jiang thought Lu Man was seeing them off. They perceived Lu Man, a daughter from a modest family, as lacking in etiquette since she escorted them while holding the young prince’s hand.
As they exited the room, Concubine Jiang turned back and said with a smile, “Young Master, please be careful. It’s cold outside, don’t catch a chill.”
Song Mo stared blankly at her, unsure of her intentions, as Lu Man led him towards the East Courtyard.
Concubine Wei’s giggling laughter sounded particularly piercing as she remarked, “Oh my, Sister Jiang seems to have misunderstood.”
Concubine Jiang blushed deeply, feeling embarrassed.
Lu Man felt exasperated. It was clear they had misunderstood, yet she found herself being treated as if she had done something wrong.
Upon entering the East Courtyard, they heard Sweet Pea meowing from a tree.
Looking up, they saw a yellow and black-striped cat hanging from the snow-covered branches. It was a small cat with a long tail, swaying back and forth on the branch. Sweet Pea was clearly frustrated – not only was it unable to roam freely, but it couldn’t even meow as it pleased. Its naturally loud voice made it quite uncomfortable to stifle its sound.
Lu Man said, “Come down, I’ll introduce you to a new friend.”
With that, Sweet Pea leaped into Lu Man’s arms with a swift motion.
Song Mo exclaimed in astonishment, thoroughly intrigued.
Addressing Song Mo, Lu Man explained, “This is Sweet Pea, a very clever cat. It can climb trees, bow, do forward and backward flips, and even help you fetch things like handkerchiefs and shoes…”
Seeing Song Mo’s eyes light up with excitement, she placed Sweet Pea into his arms, saying, “Have fun with him. I need to go back to administer acupuncture to the Princess.”
She then let Qingqing accompany Song Mo to play in the West Wing.
Song Mo’s nursemaid, Tang, seemed reluctant, her expression slightly darkening. However, witnessing the joy on the young master’s face, she hesitated to intervene, torn by her conflicting feelings.
Pretending not to notice the nursemaid’s disapproval, Lu Man intentionally turned a blind eye. Her plan was to use Sweet Pea to strengthen the bond between Song Mo and herself and perhaps even employ it as a scout to observe whether Song Mo was truly poisoned.
After washing her hands in a copper basin, Lu Man resumed acupuncture for the Princess.
Meanwhile, in the West Wing, Song Mo was having a delightful time playing with Sweet Pea, who entertained him with various tricks, causing him to burst into laughter.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Tang reminded Song Mo that, despite how fun the cat may be, it was still an animal and could scratch or bite. However, Song Mo was so enamored with Sweet Pea that he disregarded her cautionary words completely.
By lunchtime, both Song Mo and Sweet Pea were having a great time. Upon hearing Qingqing mention that Sweet Pea had a special silver plate for dining at the PrincessChangting’s mansion, Song Mo promptly asked for a high table to be brought to the dining table. Subsequently, a silver plate was placed upon it, filled to the brim with a plateful of meat.
Watching Sweet Pea eagerly devour the pointed pieces of meat, Song Mo’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Lu Man noticed the bright red circles around Song Mo’s mouth, which, while naturally attractive, could indicate underlying health issues. As a physician, she knew that overly red lips could be a sign of poor health, particularly concerning in cases of suspected poisoning, evoking a sense of concern.
Engrossed in watching Sweet Pea’s antics, Song Mo was no longer interested in entertaining guests or having his meal. After a while, Tang apologized and sat down, taking charge of feeding Song Mo.
Lu Man observed the presence of fish ball soup on the menu that day, with Tang feeding Song Mo three fish balls. However, continuous consumption of fish balls alone did not necessarily indicate anything significant.
After lunch, Song Mo was reluctant to part with Sweet Pea and insisted on taking him back to his courtyard for a nap. Lu Man initially disagreed but eventually relented after seeing Song Mo’s tearful plea.
Clutching onto Lu Man’s skirt, Song Mo pleaded, “Sister-in-law, I really like Sweet Pea.”
Lu Man had to compromise and allowed Qingqing and Sweet Pea to accompany Song Mo to his courtyard, with the condition that Sweet Pea return in the evening.
Song Ming returned towards the end of the afternoon. Dressed in a dark blue embroidered robe and wearing a five-bead gold crown, he exuded elegance and nobility.
After paying respects to the Princess and exchanging smiles with Lu Man, he graciously acknowledged her. As she kneeled in return, Song Mo’s presence flitted through her mind.
Song Ming mentioned that the birthday celebration had been lively, with even the Crown Prince personally extending his wishes. Both the Emperor and Empress had graciously bestowed gifts.
He had also taken the time to visit Princess Changting at the Crane Pavilion to pay his respects and express gratitude to Lu Man. Princess Changting was delighted with the reading glasses and noted how her vision had significantly improved.
However, the old Marquis had been quite displeased with Lu Man’s absence, causing a commotion. Rumors circulated that he had intended to visit the Prince He’s Mansion with Song Ming to find the “granddaughter-in-law”, only to be dissuaded by Princess Changting and Marquis Jiang.
Feeling remorseful, Princess He expressed her regrets, saying, “If old Marquis Jiang’s health worsens due to this commotion, it will be my fault.” She held Lu Man’s hand, apologizing and thanking her repeatedly.