Chapter 162: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
**Chapter 162: Madame He**
Someone was approaching.
However, they were still some distance away.
Upon hearing the voice, Qi Wangfei felt it sounded familiar.
She instinctively turned to look and saw that the person was less than five meters away.
When she recognized who it was, she smiled and greeted, "Madame He."
Madame He, seeing Qi Wangfei turn, hurriedly took her child's hand and walked a few steps closer.
In Madame He's hand was a delicate little girl with a pale complexion and a frail body.
The little girl was very pretty but exceptionally quiet, resembling a doll that could only blink.
As Madame He quickened her pace, the little girl kept up with surprising speed.
Qi Wangfei noticed that the girl's face had turned even paler and that beads of sweat had formed on her forehead, which made her heart race with concern.
She raised her hand and said with a smile, "No need to hurry; we aren’t rushing to the sermon. Take your time."
Madame He was aware that her pace was too fast for the child to handle.
However, when out in public, one had to consider etiquette.
Hearing Qi Wangfei's gentle reminder, she quickly bowed her head and thanked her, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."
Since they were somewhat familiar, Qi Wangfei waved her hand dismissively, glancing at the child before gently asking, "How is your second daughter’s health?"
The five-meter distance was not far, and by the time she spoke, Madame He had already led her second daughter over.
Upon hearing the question, Madame He sighed lightly. "It's still the same."
Mentioning this topic brought her a sense of worry.
Qi Wangfei felt a pang of sadness as well.
Madame He's second daughter was only two years older than Suisui, still just a child.
At this moment, she quietly followed her mother, her large eyes filled with anxiety and curiosity as she looked around.
Since her mother told her to stay quiet, she obediently allowed herself to be led.
Other children at seven or eight years old would often be rowdy.
Yet Madame He’s second daughter, at seven, was so quiet that it was heartbreaking.
Qi Wangfei observed that the child appeared thinner than the year before.
In the capital, children of noble families often grew robustly by the age of nine or ten.
This was also why the Empress Dowager had previously hesitated regarding Suisui's status.
Looking at Madame He’s second daughter, who appeared frail, Qi Wangfei couldn't help but feel that her situation was indeed precarious.
It was hard to say whether she would survive.
But such unkind words should not be uttered indiscriminately.
Qi Wangfei merely cast a cursory glance, making sure not to show even a hint of pity in her gaze, afraid of being misunderstood.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Madame He intended to take her second daughter to the sermon as well.
They both aimed to pray for their children, and since Madame He was gentle in nature and not fond of mingling with the powerful, Qi Wangfei invited her to join.
Madame He accepted graciously, repeatedly apologizing for the trouble she was causing.
To this, Qi Wangfei felt a bit guilty.
The reason she invited Madame He was to avoid a possible encounter with Madame Tang later, as she did not want to hear her ramble on indefinitely, trying to ingratiate herself.
With a third party present, Madame Tang would likely tone it down a bit.
As they walked and talked, it wasn’t long before they ran into Madame Tang.
Had it not been for her previous suspicions, Qi Wangfei might not have thought much of it.
But given her prior conjectures, and having witnessed certain behaviors that now seemed to confirm her doubts, encountering Madam Tang made her feel somewhat awkward.
Fortunately, there was good news: Tang Lingheng was not with her.
He probably got tired around noon and was taking a nap now, right?
She wondered if he would be restless again after waking up from his nap.
With these thoughts, Qi Wangfei felt a headache coming on.
She thought it best to bring Xiao Liu and Xiao Qi along.
The children were young, so their lighter academic load wouldn’t be an issue.
Mainly, she felt uneasy about Suisui being alone without other children to accompany her.
Madam Tang was a woman very adept at socializing. Upon arriving, she quickly absorbed the conversation that Qi Wangfei and Madame He had been having, seamlessly taking over the dialogue.
Some people just have that knack.
They can easily seize the initiative in conversations.
However, since Qi Wangfei didn’t feel like competing for attention and Madame He was not inclined to either, it was easier to let Madame Tang take the lead.
Moreover, Madam He was mindful of the Princess Consort's position, and thus maintained a bit of decorum around Madam Tang.
So the three families walked together towards the sermon venue in the afternoon.
As the weather was warm, the sermon was held in a spacious classroom on the eastern side.
It was quite a large area, and by the time they arrived, the master had already begun speaking.
There were many attendees present. Although some had gone to gather wild vegetables, many still remained to listen.
Everyone maintained a basic level of silence.
After Madam Tang arrived, she too quieted her voice and ceased her chatter.
She intended for Tang Youqing to take the two children to play, wanting her daughter to make a good impression in front of Qi Wangfei.
Madam Tang was indeed considering the prospect of marrying Tang Youqing into the Qi's.
If she were to marry into the Qi's, she would become the legitimate wife of the heir and eventually the matriarch of the Qi Residence.
Since the Prince was the Emperor's younger brother, even after his passing, when his sons were distributed their territories, that heir would certainly be the most esteemed one.
At that time, Tang Youqing would be the head of the Prince's household, managing all affairs.
Wasn't that much better than becoming a secondary consort in the Crown Prince's palace, eventually serving as a concubine to the new Emperor?
In truth, Tang Youqing was not keen on abandoning the wealth of the Eastern Palace to marry into another family.
The mother and daughter had differing opinions on this matter.
However, Tang Youqing could not go against her mother’s wishes at the moment and had to comply for now.
At this time, when she heard her mother suggest she take care of the two children, Tang Youqing nearly blurted out in protest: Why should she be the one to take care of them?
She had no desire to deal with these noisy little brats!
Tang Wu had already been noisy enough, and the siblings had already clashed more than once.
At her young age, Tang Youqing still had trouble managing her expressions.
Thus, her displeasure was plainly visible on her face.
Neither Qi Wangfei nor Madam He were fools and easily noticed her attitude, so they smiled and gently declined the suggestion.
Madam He naturally said, "I thought it would be beneficial for Erniang to come and listen to the sermons, to bathe in the Buddha's light; perhaps it would help improve her health? The sermons are indispensable."
Upon hearing this, Qi Wangfei was suddenly inspired and smiled as she said, "I came here to pray for the children as well, so naturally, we should bring her along to listen to the sermons."
After clarifying, Qi Wangfei looked down at Suisui and gently asked, "Isn't that right, Suisui?"
Suisui had been holding onto her mother, occasionally observing the two beautiful older sisters.
Children's preferences are very simple.
If you harbor no malice, then you seem like a good person.
Tang Youqing bore no ill will; she just looked impatient.
Therefore, she kept a stiff expression, showing no sign of a smile, which made Suisui a bit anxious.
In contrast, Suisui felt fond of the equally curious but more gentle-eyed Erniang.
When her mother asked, Suisui smiled at Madam He's second daughter.
When it came to answering her mother’s question, Suisui quickly nodded, "Yes, Mother."
The child's voice was crisp and decisive.
Upon hearing this, Qi Wangfei couldn’t help but feel delighted.
Her child seemed to have made considerable progress today!
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