Chapter 45 The red candle burns empty

In the back hall, Li Jing's women were all waiting here.

Seeing him leading Li Shaofeng in, they all stood up.

Li Jing let go of his son's hand and sat on the main seat with a dignified manner.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Everyone stood up and saluted him.

"Please sit down!" He waved his hand casually.

Present were the two concubines Feng and Tian.

There are also three concubines: Mei, Xu and Wu.

Aunt Mei was Li Jing's personal maid, and was promoted to a concubine by the former Princess Zhou. Aunt Xu was the daughter of the local prefect when the prince went south. Aunt Wu was given by a local tyrant in the southwest.

Both concubines Xu and Wu were outstandingly good-looking.

Aunt Xu played the pipa very well, and was also good at writing poetry and songs.

As for Aunt Wu, her face was like a lotus facing the sun, and her body was like a willow swaying in the wind. During the Mid-Autumn Festival of the year she entered the palace, she danced with long sleeves under the moon, and the prince drank a few more glasses of wine when he saw her...

Just as Chunman said: Since last night, several people have been changing their clothes and combing their hairstyles in their rooms until midnight.

At this moment, everyone had their hair tied high with pearls and jade, and wore silk clothes and perfumed dew, and they behaved in the best manner.

In the hall, behind each person stood two respectable maids.

Everywhere reflects the luxury of the royal palace life...

In fact, Li Jing had fewer women around him than other princes. There was no jealousy, power struggle, or even dirty tricks.

This is not easy! Even if the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace is well-known, there are still rumors that the concubines are making trouble.

However, the rear quarters of Prince Qi's mansion are very peaceful and stable, and there are probably many reasons for this!

First of all, Li Jing was a man who was obsessed with official business and had no feelings for women. No matter how pretty or suitable a woman was, he would not favor her exclusively. He even seldom ate or talked with her. He never gave anything to anyone specially. It was all about you, me, and everyone else.

At most he would get one more piece on his birthday, but it was just taken from the warehouse according to the rules and had no personal touch.

His own clothes were also taken care of by someone special, so the women were not responsible for that.

Aunt Mei had been keen on making underwear for him for many years, so he accepted it. Other than that, everything was done according to the rules.

Moreover, he always had a stern face and was very strict with himself and others. If a word or an event went against his will, the consequences would be serious, so everyone was a little afraid of him.

Also, the original Princess Zhou was elegant and noble, and she would not and would not use such despicable means to suppress concubines.

But now, there is no principal wife in the mansion, and Concubine Feng is just the housekeeper. She comes from a humble background and is not that strong.

On weekdays, everyone had good food, clothing and shelter, and the children were still young, so there was nothing to fight over. When Zhao Ma was the housekeeper, she had a solid foundation of rules and regulations, and Concubine Feng would not easily violate them... There was no need.

Over the years, only two major events occurred in the palace, one of which was the death of Princess Zhou.

One is that Aunt Mei had a miscarriage in July.

Although it's a big deal, after checking...

Princess Zhou was seriously ill and depressed.

Aunt Mei... The doctor said it was due to an unstable fetus, and there was nothing special about it.

The prince is very wealthy, but he only supports a few women, all of whom are well-dressed and well-fed, but have nothing to do. Peaceful life will become boring after a long time. They all hope that the prince can go to their room more often, and they all want to have children!

Just like now, the women were in love and looked at the prince with shining eyes! Even Concubine Feng wanted to have more children to consolidate her position.

Only Aunt Mei's eyes were slightly wet. When she saw the prince and Li Shaofeng, she would think of her poor child...

"I heard that the prince has won several great victories. Congratulations to the prince!" Concubine Tian smiled and pushed the little girl beside her, "Jingjing, go and see your father!"

The little girl was about two or three years old, with a chubby face. She was very cute and extremely obedient. She bent her short legs and knelt down, "Jingjing greets father!" She spoke clearly and in a very proper manner.

When Shao Ge'er saw this, he remembered what he had learned before and ran over and knelt down, "Greetings, Father!"

Princess Wenxiu saw that she could no longer sit there, so she got up, knelt in front of them, and bowed again.

Looking at his children, Li Jing said with a smile, "Get up! I will send the toys that your father brought for you to your rooms later."

Shao Ge'er and Jing Jie'er got up and ran towards their mother.

Princess Wenxiu turned around and returned to her seat, and was helped by a maid to sit on a chair. Her posture was dignified and somewhat inappropriate for her age. But her small body actually looked a little lonely.

Li Jing couldn't help but feel nervous and thought: This time when I come back, I must take some time to accompany her.

"Everything is alright at home?"

Everyone nodded in response.

Concubine Feng said, "Everything is fine at home. I have recorded all the important events, and you can read them when Your Majesty is free. I have also recorded the birthday gifts for the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress."

"Okay." Li Jing nodded.

"Besides, I have received a lot of invitations recently. I have made a list according to the time and the people. Please take a look... If you have any plans, I will make arrangements!"

Li Jing nodded but said nothing.

"Your Highness, I also have something to give you." Concubine Tian said.

"Okay, I'll go get it from your room later!"

When Concubine Tian heard this, she was secretly delighted, "Yes. Then... the prince will not leave for a short time after he comes back this time, right?" She also wanted to have another son.

"I probably won't be leaving in the short term... Even if I do go out, it won't be for too long. But there are a lot of things to do in the capital, and I can't stay idle."

"Your Majesty!" Concubine Feng said, "I have prepared dinner. Would you like to pass it on? Would you like me to have a drink with you?"

"There are still many people waiting ahead. Just follow the routine! Oh, there is one more thing... I adopted a girl in Xinzhou. She will arrive in the first year, so you should clean up a yard and settle her down. Also..."

When they heard there was a new person coming in, everyone became nervous.

Concubine Feng took a quick look and didn't see Miss Zhou Jiu. She couldn't help but be a little alert. It's not to mention that Miss Zhou Jiu's mind is more meticulous than Zhou Li's. She didn't even enter the room. If she was here, she would be embarrassed to hear this, right?

He was distracted for a moment, then quickly listened carefully.

"Zhou Dong will return to Beijing to take up his post in the middle of next year. His wife and children will go to Beijing with that woman. He has been away from Beijing for many years and has no place to live in the capital. You should discuss with Madam Zhao how to arrange for him. Please try to take care of him."

"Yes." Concubine Feng responded.

"Let's go here first and settle down!" After saying that, Li Jing stood up and left.

Everyone stood up to see him off. Concubine Feng was sharp-eyed and quickly picked up her cloak and chased after him, "My Lord, put on a cloak!"

Li Jing stopped and didn't look back. He took the cloak and walked away.

In the front, there were several tables of food and wine in the side rooms. There were no outsiders present, but only his subordinates, staff, and housekeepers.

Seeing him coming, everyone bowed to him.

"No need to be polite."

Someone said, "Your Highness, you need to rest after a long journey. We have prepared a brief report on the matters at hand. Your Highness, please read it first. We are always ready to answer your inquiries."

"Everyone has worked hard over the past two years. If there is nothing urgent to do, I will take a look at the briefing first. Let's eat first!"

After dinner, we chatted and forgot about time.

The women in the back house were still awake at this late hour. They lit red candles and sat alone in the shadows. They all left their doors open, but they didn't know whose room the prince would go to today.

Concubine Feng thought she would come to her because...she was different from others. Her heart was beating wildly as she touched her burning ears.

Concubine Tian thought that the prince would come to her place. Isn’t a box full of banknotes attractive enough?

Unfortunately, they waited for so long...

After Li Jing finished his discussion, he went straight to sleep in the front yard.

(End of this chapter)