The following day, Prince Zhi reluctantly bid farewell to Baoyue. He could not stay there; he had to return to his Prince Zhi residence to contend for the position of Crown Prince.

These past few days, the wife of Prince Zhi, Lady Irgen Gioro, has had her eyelids twitching. Prince Zhi has sent her a message by carrier pigeon, saying that he has returned from the front lines and will arrive in the next few days.

Lady Jue Luo wanted to dissuade him, but she knew Prince Zhi's temperament and knew she couldn't change his mind. Besides, the capital really needed him back at this time. The Crown Prince was practically deposed, the Thirteenth Prince was exiled, and all the princes in the capital were restless and making their own moves. Prince Zhi had never been convinced of the Crown Prince's worth, and he certainly couldn't miss such a good opportunity.

Lady Jueluo received a letter saying that Prince Zhi would return to the capital in the next day or two. For the next day or two, she frequently stood on the veranda in front of her main hall, gazing towards the entrance of the courtyard.

"Madam, please go inside and rest for a while. Otherwise, it won't be warm enough for your rheumatism to take it," Guihua, the personal maid of the First Madam, advised.

"It's alright, this blood fox fur cloak is very warm." The First Princess Consort wore a red fox fur cloak, held a flat-bottomed gilded brazier in her hands, and wore a headdress made of red gold, which was quite heavy. Lanqin would never wear such a headdress; it could really bend a person's neck.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade her, Guihua had no choice but to stand at the door with the First Princess and look around.

Suddenly, a person walked up to the main courtyard gate; it was indeed Mu Jin, another servant of the Jue Luo clan.

"Your Highness, the wet nurse from the Second Princess's side has come to report that the Second Princess's illness has improved somewhat. Please rest assured, Your Highness." Mu Jin walked lightly towards the covered walkway.

"Yes, Second Princess is frail. Have the maids attend to her diligently. If anything goes wrong again, I, the First Princess, will not let it go lightly." The First Princess's face showed an unusual sternness. She was usually a gentle mistress, born into the prestigious Irgen Gioro clan, and the youngest daughter of Khorkun, making her very favored. Since marrying Prince Zhi, the couple had always been harmonious and affectionate, envied by the other princes' wives. Prince Zhi had few concubines, and since marrying his wife, he had almost exclusively favored her, so she had few worries. Her only drawback was that she hadn't given birth to a son, only two daughters.

"Yes, I have already instructed them that if the Second Princess catches a cold again, they should be dragged out and beaten immediately," Mu Jin said.

Just then, a servant suddenly ran in through the door. It was Lu Zi, the errand boy from the main courtyard, who had been sent by the Jue Luo clan to wait for Prince Zhi at the main gate.

"He's back, he's back, Madam, the Prince is back!" Xiao Luzi ran all the way to the steps where Madam was standing and bowed deeply.

"Where?" Jue Luo asked excitedly as she took a few steps down.

"The prince has already returned to the front courtyard to change his clothes. He told me that he will come to see the princess in a little while," Xiao Luzi said.

Jue Luo smiled with relief, quickly raised her hand to adjust her headdress, and said to Guihua, "Quickly check if my hair is messy?"

Seeing the princess's nervous expression, Guihua and Mujin both covered their mouths and laughed, saying, "The princess's hair is combed very well, not messy at all."

Seeing the maids laughing, Jue Luo waved her hand and walked into the room with a slightly embarrassed expression, saying, "Quickly make tea, make the Prince's favorite Houkui tea."

Guihua and Mujin hurriedly followed the Fujin into the house, while Xiaoluzi retreated with a grin.

As soon as Lady Jue Luo entered the room, she looked at herself in the bronze mirror several times. She was already thirty-five years old, past the age for women to have children. However, because she had been pampered since childhood and Prince Zhi had always doted on her, she still looked quite young.

“Princess Consort, stop taking pictures, you’re quite beautiful. When has the Prince ever complained about your appearance?” Guihua was a trusted maid of the Jueluo clan, so she could say such things to her.

"You brat, I've spoiled you lately. I'll teach you a lesson." Jue Luo feigned anger and lightly tapped Guihua with her handkerchief.

Mu Jin had already brought out the Monkey King tea, which was Prince Zhi’s favorite. Watching Gui Hua and the Princess Consort chatting and laughing, she happily said, “The Princess Consort and the Prince have not seen each other for eight or nine months. They must have missed our Princess Consort terribly.”

Jue Luo Shi usually relied on Guihua and Mujin the most. Now that the two maids were teasing her, she was both angry and amused, and said: "You two little hussies, I'll get rid of you and marry you both off."

Guihua and Mujin are nearly twenty-five years old this year, which can be considered old maids. They were the best of the best who were promoted from among the maids after Jueluo married Prince Zhi. The maids who came with Jueluo as part of her dowry have all married long ago.

Both Guihua and Mujin blushed. Because of the Jueluo clan, the two had already been betrothed to decent Manchu men. One was engaged in May of this year, and the other in July.

Guihua said, "My lady, I really can't bear to leave you." As she spoke, the smile on her face gradually faded.

Seeing this, Mu Jin also suppressed her smile and said, "Yes, this servant is also reluctant to part with the Fujin. After she gets married, I don't know what her life will be like. Maybe it will be worse than here with the Fujin."

Women like Guihua and Mujin, who entered the palace as maids, generally had to wait until they were twenty-five to be freed from their servitude and marry, unless their masters bestowed a special marriage upon them. Because they were already past the ideal marriage age, their choices were very limited. Guihua and Mujin were able to find decent Manchu men thanks to the arrangements made by the Jueluo clan, who also provided them with special dowries.

"What are you afraid of? You must come to see me often in the future, you know?" Lady Jue Luo was also a little sad. In this mansion, apart from Prince Zhi and her two daughters, the maids who served her day and night were the closest to her.

"Alright, alright, let's not upset our master. He's back, we should be happy," Guihua quickly interjected, trying to smooth things over.

Just then, the maidservant outside, who was lifting the curtain, greeted him: "This servant greets Master!"

Jue Luo quickly composed herself, stepped onto the flowerpot-soled shoes and walked to the threshold of the bedroom, leaning against the door frame as she watched the man walk in.

Prince Zhi had changed his clothes; he wore a light blue brocade robe with black fur trim on the cuffs and collar, and a warm hat with black fur trim on his head.

"This concubine greets Your Highness!" Lady Jue Luo felt a surge of warmth in her heart and immediately curtsied.

"Fujin, look at you, you've gotten so thin!" Prince Zhi noticed that Lady Jueluo was wearing an autumn-colored cheongsam, and all the jewelry on her head was a gift from him.

"Your Highness has lost weight while you are out on military campaigns, while I am safe and sound in the manor. How could I possibly be as hardworking as Your Highness?" said Lady Jue Luo.