Shi Fujin was gentle and polite. When she spoke to you, it was like a cup of warm water—comfortable and gentle, without any aggression.

The years and wisdom that have honed her have made her incredibly generous and approachable.

Tong Wanyan never thought about the Crown Princess and her family, perhaps as a way of escaping.

But when Shi Fujin took the initiative to approach her, she did not avoid her.

"I was just telling the truth," Tong Wanyan said gently.

Her serene features were as gentle as jade, and the purity in her eyes showed no trace of the repression of women in the harem or inner quarters.

When Shi Fujin saw Tong Wanyan for the first time, she knew that Tong Wanyan was truly living a good life in Yuqing Palace.

“Then this servant must also express my gratitude. I originally planned to visit Yuqing Palace and specially prepared gifts for the princes and princesses. It was inconvenient to take them out when we were at Ningshou Palace, so I can only give them to you in the corridor now.” Shi Fujin said, pointing to the maid behind her who was carrying a wooden box.

Tong Wanyan smiled and said, "It doesn't matter where it is, the thought is the most important. Thank you for thinking of me, Madam Shi. I don't have a proper way to return the favor, so I can only say thank you."

If she gives the reward to Consort Shi today, how will she face the Crown Princess in the future?

Try to prevent any potentially unpleasant things from happening.

Shi Fujin understood Tong Wanyan's implied meaning and thought more highly of her.

When Shi Fujin returned to the Shi residence, Shi Xiuzhu immediately went there upon hearing the news.

"Mother, what do you think of Consort Tong? Is she a fairy like the Fairy Maiden of Mount Gushe?" Shi Xiuzhu was very curious about Tong Wanyan's appearance.

People who didn't know better might have thought she wanted to compete with Tong Wanyan in terms of beauty, which is why she was so eager to find out.

Madam Shi playfully tapped Shi Xiuzhu's forehead: "She's an extremely beautiful girl, so clear-headed, with both a beautiful face and a beautiful heart. Even someone like your mother, who worries about you, still finds nothing wrong with her when I go to see her."

Shi Xiuzhu felt a huge weight lifted from his heart: "Then I'm looking forward to life in the palace. With such a beauty by my side, I'm sure I won't be lonely."

"I really don't know if your grandfather gave you this name well or badly. You're such a nice girl, but you're almost like a boy. If you hadn't been born from my belly and grown up right under my nose, I would have thought you were a boy." Shi Fujin had a terrible headache.

“Of course it’s a good thing. If I were to fight with ordinary women over men, wouldn’t I be the one who gets hurt in the end? Men expect women to be magnanimous and devoted to them, how is that possible? Mother, to put it bluntly, don’t you feel uncomfortable when you see those concubines in Father’s backyard?” Shi Xiuzhu said frankly.

Shi Fujin grabbed her ear: "You even dare to talk nonsense about your father, huh?"

"To be honest, my father is extremely good to me and respects my mother. He is an impeccable man in the Qing Dynasty. But the habit of having a woman by his side is indeed not good. One should only have one person in the relationship for life. Why have another person in the middle who will only cause trouble for both of us?" Shi Xiuzhu covered his ears and said stubbornly.

Shi Fujin had no temper with her attitude: "Now I am glad that your father and grandfather raised you as a boy. In the future, even if you can't be a gentle and smiling wife by the Crown Prince's side, you can still be a virtuous helper and give him advice. You won't be a useless Crown Princess."

Shi Xiuzhu smiled obsequiously, got up and massaged Shi Fujin's shoulders: "Mother, I was born with an outward-pointing gait, and I can't do it without teaching you this way, Father and Grandfather."

Heaven knows that she walked very carefully and was never happy, all to avoid being scolded by the governess sent by the emperor.

Shi Fujin was completely speechless: "You wretched child."

"You gave birth to me! Just yesterday you said I was your precious darling, the child you'd cherish for a lifetime." Shi Xiuzhu was incredibly shameless.

Shi Fujin was too weak to talk to her. When it came to matters of a woman's proper conduct, Shi Xiuzhu could drive a man mad.

"Mother, could you draw a portrait of Consort Tong for me? Your exquisite painting skills shouldn't be wasted on the troubles of the inner court," Shi Xiuzhu said with great regret.

Consort Shi raised her hand and slapped the hand off her shoulder: "Don't even think about it. Portraits of the women in the harem cannot be shown to the common people. You can't even look at them secretly. That's the rule. In two years, when you enter the palace and spend time with Consort Tong, you might get tired of looking at them by then."

“No, no, a woman’s beauty is timeless. Like Mother, you are now a magnificent peony. When I was little, you were like a peony or magnolia. Father said that when Mother was young, she was spirited and must have been like a bright red rose,” Shi Xiuzhu said.

"You're the best at sweet talk. Save all those sweet words for the beauty you'll be spending every day with in the future. Your mother doesn't want to hear them anymore," said Consort Shi, her words contradicting her true feelings.

Look at the smile on her face, it's impossible to hide it even if she covers her mouth.

Shi Fujin had a lot of things to do, and Shi Xiuzhu's arrival at the main house was a good opportunity to help her with some of the accounting tasks.

Now the whole family is no longer worried about the future, especially Shi Xiuzhu, who is full of anticipation.

When Tong Wanyan returned to Yuqing Palace, she asked Xia Zhu to open the gift that Shi Fujin had given her.

The wooden box contained some exquisite little items: a jewel-encrusted sword, a wooden bow and arrows, an exquisitely crafted butterfly hairpin, and a gold lock.

Making children's things well takes a lot of effort.

The items that Shi Fujin gave were just right for Tana and Hongzhao's age; they were presentable and elegant, showing that she had chosen them with care.

Tong Wanyan said to Chunque and Xiazhu, who were curiously looking at the wooden box, "The things that Shi Fujin sent are very nice."

Xia Zhu said, "Is Your Majesty really happy? That's the future Crown Princess's mother. The Crown Princess hasn't even entered the palace yet, and her mother has come to see Your Majesty first. I wonder what she's up to."

Chunque hurriedly walked to the window and looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping.

Seeing that the people sweeping were all outside the yard, she walked back and stood next to Tong Wanyan.

"Xia Zhu, watch your words." Chun Que had a lot of headaches about Xia Zhu's personality.

Xia Zhu pouted, feeling unconvinced; she was worried about her master.

The master is simple and kind, and his heart is only for the Crown Prince. What if the Crown Princess interferes in their relationship in the future? How heartbroken he will be.

The thought of Tong Wanyan possibly weeping by the window made her heart ache.

Tong Wanyan chuckled softly, "I know you're worried about me. But think about it carefully, if the Emperor really wanted to favor someone else, could I have stopped him? I've been in the palace for over two years, and even when I was pregnant with Tana and Hongzhao, the Emperor never favored another woman. Others may not know this, but how could you not?"

Xia Zhu and Chun Que, who used to help Yinreng climb over walls and through windows into the South Courtyard, nodded solemnly.

"So, I trust you, Master. Even if something unexpected happens, at least we've been inseparable for years, and that makes me happy," Tong Wanyan said.