When Princess Rongxian got married, Consort Rong hid in her room and cried uncontrollably.

Her beautiful, expressive eyes were red and swollen from crying, resembling peach pits.

Her family felt that she had finally made it in the palace, and now she could just enjoy her life and, incidentally, protect her brothers in the family.

They never considered that even crying in the Forbidden City had to be done in secret, how pitiful that was.

The number of times the princess was married off in the palace was not a one-off event. The Imperial Household Department arranged everything smoothly, giving this princess, who was most favored by Emperor Kangxi, the most respect.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jia Rong and Princess Shuo entered the palace to see Tong Wanyan under the guise of being her sister-in-law.

Upon arriving at Yuqing Palace, she first swiftly bowed and paid her respects, then embraced Hongzhao and kissed him passionately.

Hongzhao's fair and tender face was soon covered with lip prints.

Fortunately, Tong Wanyan knew that the rouge on the lips of royal women was mostly made by hand by the palace maids who picked flower petals, so it wouldn't matter if she ate a mouthful of rouge.

"Why are you only hugging Hongzhao? Is there any aunt who is this biased?" Tong Wanyan said deliberately.

Jia Rong and Shuo Gege waved their hands with a smile: "I would like to hug Tana, but she won't let me. Besides, with her sturdy build, my arms would probably be sore from hugging her for a while."

As Jia Rong and Shuo Gege said, Tana quickly scrambled to the side and hid as soon as she arrived.

Although she was young, she knew that this beauty had a good relationship with her mother and loved to kiss and hug her whenever she saw her. She couldn't afford to offend her, so she could only avoid her.

Of all the people, Fourth Uncle was the best. Tana played with her little wooden carving, quietly reminiscing about her Fourth Uncle.

Tong Wanyan couldn't help but laugh: "After not seeing you for so many days, looking closely now, you've become even more mischievous thanks to your older brother's pampering."

When Tong Qinian was mentioned, Jia Rong and Princess Shuo blushed: "Deciding to marry my husband was truly the wisest decision I ever made."

A mother-in-law who doesn't interfere in family affairs, a father-in-law with a generous temper, a half-brother who is honest and simple, and a husband who dotes on his wife—such a good husband's family is hard to find even with a lantern.

Even if her marriage to Tong Qinian was considered a step down, they were still from a wealthy family, so how could she be considered a step down?

She is the daughter of a prince, born into nobility, and will not be diminished by marriage.

"When the Emperor bestowed the marriage upon me, several gossipy cousins ​​were always hanging around me, their eyes gleaming. I saw them at a flower-viewing banquet a few days ago, and they all came to ask me what tricks I had for managing my husband. They're two-faced, really..." Princess Jia Rong said with a hint of pride.

She had every reason to be proud. Tong Wanyan liked to see her as proud as a peacock spreading its tail feathers. A woman should live so freely and unrestrainedly.

“You have a bad temper, so if you don’t want to talk to them, just ignore them. With our family’s current status, we don’t need to think about having thousands of retainers. It’s best to be an upright and loyal minister and follow the Emperor’s lead,” Tong Wanyan said.

Jia Rong and Princess Shuo nodded in agreement: "My sister thinks the same way as my husband. The Tong family is the Emperor's maternal clan. Now you have a royal heir, and I have also married my husband. In terms of bloodline, our family is the closest outsider to the royal family. Besides, my husband often serves in the Emperor's court and is highly regarded by the Emperor."

“Actually, this is for the best. I know you don’t like socializing, and you only get along with those you get along with and ignore those you don’t. With your eldest and second brothers suddenly gaining power, your mother must be too tired to socialize. Even if a direct descendant of the Tongjia clan leads you into this circle, you won’t get used to it in a short time,” Tong Wanyan said slowly.

Jia Rong and Princess Shuo listened and agreed repeatedly: "My sister is smart, she is absolutely right. In any case, our husband is smart, so our family will not be bad off."

"By the way, did you go to congratulate Princess Rongxian?" Tong Wanyan asked.

Princess Jiarong laughed and said, "Don't worry, sister. I won't forget whose name you used to enter the palace. When I went to see Rongxian, I happened to run into Consort Rong crying. Compared to the emperor's daughter, I, the daughter of a prince, am actually living a better life."

Tong Wanyan declined to comment.

The man Rongxian married was considered the best young talent in Mongolia. Both Emperor Kangxi and Rongxian herself did their best in this marriage.

“Consort Rong’s tears were not just for Princess Rongxian’s marriage,” Tong Wanyan said.

Princess Jiarong raised an eyebrow and smiled. There were no outsiders present, so she spoke frankly, "That's right. Although I don't live in the palace, I still visit people there often. Without Rongxian speaking well of Consort Rong and the Third Prince in front of the Emperor, who knows how many conflicts will arise in the future."

Tong Wanyan wholeheartedly agreed, but unfortunately, Yinzhi and Yinreng had a bad relationship before, and even she and Princess Rongxian had never interacted.

Otherwise, she might have had more people to talk to in the palace.

Jia Rong and Princess Shuo came here not only to visit Tong Wanyan.

"Besides telling my sister that everything is fine at home, I have another matter to discuss with you." Jia Rong and Gege's expressions suddenly turned serious, which puzzled Tong Wanyan.

They always talked about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, or about interesting tidbits in their boudoirs; there was nothing that would make them wary or serious.

"What's wrong?" Tong Wanyan asked, puzzled.

"May I ask my sister to dismiss the others?" Jia Rong and Princess Shuo whispered.

Chunque and Xiazhu, sensing the signal, led all the palace maids who were serving nearby out. They even carried the younger, less obedient Tana and Hongzhao out as well.

Not only that, the windows on both sides were wide open, allowing a clear view of whether anyone was eavesdropping outside.

"Sister, we've found out a bit about your background." This was the real purpose of Jia Rong and Princess Shuo's visit.

Tong Wanyan's hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and a drop or two of the clear green tea splashed onto her hand, but she didn't have the energy to wipe it away.

“Am I not my mother’s daughter, but the daughter of my father’s concubine? It’s just that I was given to a different concubine instead of the one from Miao territory.” Tong Wanyan’s voice trembled slightly.

She tried to remain calm, but her heart was pounding with anxiety.

Neither Jia Rong nor Gege Shuo expected that, not long after she married Tong Qinian, they would be willing to let her participate in such an important matter.

People would be too busy trying to hide it from others, how could they let a newlywed bride know?

Considering her own identity, Jia Rong and Princess Shuo roughly understood some of the reasons.

"You guessed it too, didn't you?" Jia Rong and Princess Shuo asked.

Tong Wanyan forced a smile: "I'm already married to you, so as long as I'm not the daughter of a rebel, that's fine."

The Tong family could not possibly have any connection with the rebels, so even though Tong Wanyan realized that her background was not simple when Tong Wanle died, she did not investigate further.

She's already married and has children, so what's the point of finding out the identities and social standing of her biological parents?

No matter how high one's social status, one will not become the Crown Princess; no matter how low one's social status, one will not be driven out of the palace.

“With your face that resembles the Empress Dowager, you must be of the Tong family bloodline. However, not from a collateral branch,” said Princess Jiarong Heshuo.

If it's not a collateral branch, then it must be a direct descendant.