"How can we go with the flow?" Minghui asked.

"My lord," Qiu Wen said, "Zhang and Mao are both old and faded, and no longer favored by you. As for Chen, she is cunning and seductive, and not of one mind with the Fujin. Didn't you just say that you want to have more children? Why don't you personally ask Consort Yi to bestow a few concubines upon the Fujin? It would be best if they were from the Guo Luo family, so that they could be loyal to the Fujin and serve the Fujin."

The Eighth Prince's wife laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "I never thought that I, Guo Luominghui, would still have to find concubines to secure the emperor's favor in the end."

Seeing that the Eighth Princess Consort still couldn't accept reality, Qiuwen frowned and said, "Your Highness, even if she was born to a concubine, she will still be respected as your legal mother. Your Highness doesn't need to mind too much."

The Eighth Prince's wife raised her noble head and remained silent for a long time.

Meanwhile, the Eighth Prince still visited Lan Chen Ruzhu's Huichun Courtyard. Zhang and Mao were indeed old and faded, and feared the Fujin (Prince's wife). The Eighth Prince had lost interest in them. Since giving birth to the Second Princess, Chen Ruzhu had become gentle, considerate, and sensible; moreover, she was only seventeen or eighteen years old, naturally catching the Eighth Prince's eye.

"Where is Hailanzhu?" Eighth Master asked.

"Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you. Hailanzhu has gone out to play. Shall I send someone to call her back?" Madam Chen said with a slight smile.

"No need, let her go play! Come, play the zither with me for a while," said Eighth Master.

Seeing that the Eighth Master's expression seemed rather unpleasant, Madam Chen knew that he was upset. She quickly gave Yu Fen a wink, and then went to the Eighth Master herself and said, "Master, then Ru Zhu will accompany you to play the zither. Your favorite red ginseng tea has been brewed."

Chen Ruzhu had figured out the Eighth Prince's temperament, and she also learned from Zhang Shi about the life the Eighth Prince had lived since his marriage. She gradually figured out the Eighth Prince's likes and dislikes, and finally got closer to him by relying on the Second Princess.

Winter nights seem to come early; darkness fell quickly. The Eighth Prince naturally stayed overnight at Madam Chen's place. His wife leaned against the doorframe, a rabbit-fur handkerchief tucked into her hand, gazing at the crescent moon outside.

"Master, dinner is already cold. Please go and have some. Eighth Master hasn't come out since he went to Huichun Courtyard," Qiu Wen said.

"I never imagined that when Chen Shi came in, he wouldn't even give Eighth Prince a second glance, but today she's managed to keep him firmly in her grasp. Life is truly unpredictable!" said Eighth Prince's wife.

“My lord, please consider my words. Chen is still from the Fourth Prince’s residence, and our lord may not trust her. As long as you take the initiative to send two people to our lord’s room, what’s there to be afraid of Chen? She only gave birth to a princess, not a prince,” Qiu Wen said.

“Qiuwen, I will not give him away willingly. To do so would be to negate the first half of my life, Guo Luoluo Minghui. Since it has already come to this, changing it halfway will only make things worse,” said the Eighth Prince’s wife.

Seeing that she couldn't persuade the Eighth Prince's wife, Qiuwen could only say, "My lady, you must cheer up. How about I accompany you to the temple to pray for a child again? As long as you..."

“Qiuwen, you’ve been saying these things for so many years. You may not be tired of it, but I am,” said the Eighth Prince’s wife.

Qiuwen sighed and could only advise Minghui to take care of herself and not let Chen Shi defeat her. The two of them pondered for a long time, but still couldn't come up with a plan to deal with Chen Shi.