Chapter 45 Misunderstanding Old Ten's Salty Fish Sisters

The Imperial Concubine absolutely refused to believe that Consort Yi didn't care about the Ninth Prince.

Although it was the Fifth Prince's birthday today, it was a rare opportunity for him to stay overnight at Yikun Palace.

Even if Consort Yi valued her eldest son and cherished the Fifth Prince who was not raised by her side, she would not have loved her eldest son and ignored her second son, nor would she have been so indifferent to the Ninth Prince, and even abandoned him in Yongshou Palace after he ran away from Yikun Palace.

There must be some misunderstanding here.

If Consort Yi didn't love her son, the Ninth Prince, why would she send so many gifts to Yongshou Palace? Consort Yi and the Noble Consort were close, and Consort Yi knew best that the Noble Consort didn't care about those gifts at all, but she still sent them to express her gratitude.

Besides sending gifts, when she was feeling better, Consort Yi also visited the Imperial Concubine several times to sincerely thank her for taking care of Yinzhen and to plead with her not to refuse Yinzhen's visit to Yongshou Palace.

The Imperial Concubine Gui and Consort Yi were friends in the past. Initially, it was just because Yikun Palace and Yongshou Palace were adjacent to each other, and the two lived close by and often bumped into each other on their daily journeys. Gradually, they became acquainted and developed some friendship in the palace.

Later, Consort Gui and Consort Yi actually became quite good friends because they were compatible in temperament and got along quite well.

Consort Yi was cheerful and outspoken, while Consort Gui was gentle and dignified, yet possessed a deep understanding of human nature. They had no conflict of interest, appreciated each other's temperaments, and lived close by, so it was quite natural for them to be friends.

Recently, however, because Yinzhen frequently visits Yongshou Palace and spends every day playing with his brother Yin'e, Consort Yi has become somewhat subservient in front of the Consort, no longer displaying her former forthright and generous nature.

If Consort Yi didn't truly love Yinzhen, she would never have gone to such lengths.

Consort Yi was different from Consort De; she never intended to use her son to gain favor. When the Fifth Prince was sent to the Empress Dowager, Consort Yi never became overly close to him. Why? Because she didn't want the Empress Dowager to develop any resentment towards the Fifth Prince.

If the birth mother frequently interferes in the relationship between the adoptive mother and the adopted son, how can the adoptive mother feel comfortable, and how can she develop deep feelings for the adopted son, and love and care for him in every way?

Unlike Consort De, who feigned affection for the Fourth Prince to gain the Emperor's favor without considering his well-being, Consort Yi did not put on any act. She did not think about how the Fourth Prince, who was raised by Consort Tong, would be treated if her behavior alienated him.

Lan Zhi knew that Consort Yi and Consort Gui were on good terms, and that Yin Tang often came to Yongshou Palace to play with Yin E. However, her mistress was Consort Gui, and she only thought of Consort Gui and Yin E wholeheartedly.

At this moment, Lan Zhi said softly, "Isn't it inappropriate for Your Majesty to bypass Consort Yi and interrogate the Ninth Prince's wet nurse? Why not take advantage of the fact that the Ninth Prince and the Little Prince are taking a nap together and do not need the wet nurse's care for the time being, and send his wet nurse back to Yikun Palace to be dealt with by Consort Yi?"

Standing to the side of the dressing table, Lanzhi opened the drawer and took out the remaining half of the jasmine essential oil.

Unscrew the cap of the glass bottle, Lan Zhi poured some essential oil into her hands, rubbed them until they were slightly warm, and then gently massaged the Consort's head: "Your Highness, please take a nap. This is a matter within the Yikun Palace, and it would be inappropriate for you to interfere rashly. It would be better to let Consort Yi handle it herself."

The refreshing fragrance of jasmine filled the air. The Imperial Concubine blinked wearily, and her almond-shaped eyes, which were just like Yin'e's, welled up with tears from exhaustion. Even after removing her makeup, her beautiful face, as fresh as a lotus emerging from water, showed a hint of fatigue.

With a slightly helpless smile, the Imperial Concubine feigned annoyance and scolded, "It's all Yin'e's fault. He makes me sleepy every noon. Without a midday nap, I have no energy all afternoon."

Lan Zhi gently massaged the Consort's temples and replied with a smile, "Your Majesty's complexion has improved a lot recently, which shows that practicing the Five Animal Frolics with your master and taking an hour-long walk every day is effective. Your Majesty should continue to do so."

The Imperial Concubine certainly understood this principle. She merely complained a couple of times, but in her heart she was very pleased with Yin'e's filial piety and never thought of stopping the exercise.

After yawning, the Consort, who was so sleepy that she could hardly stay awake, was helped by Lan Zhi to lie down on the canopy bed. Her long, thick, waterfall-like hair was placed behind her, as slender and supple as dense seaweed.

Yin'e went to the side hall to take a nap with Yin Tang, while the Consort did not go to the warm pavilion and rested in the inner bedroom.

Perhaps it was a mother's heart that was connected to her son's, or perhaps it was a tacit understanding; in any case, both Yin'e and the Consort felt that there was something wrong with Yin'tang's wet nurse.

Even assuming, hypothetically, that Yinzhen's wet nurse didn't harbor any ill intentions, and that she wasn't the one stirring things up, since she was always following Yinzhen around, she must know what happened and could at least say something about it.

It's unclear what Consort Yi uncovered during her interrogation, what exactly happened, and how the misunderstanding between Consort Yi and Yinzhen arose. Why did Yinzhen rush to Yongshou Palace in such agitated state, while Consort Yi seemed oblivious and showed no concern for his safety?

After waking from her afternoon nap, the Imperial Concubine, not planning to go out again, changed into a set of everyday clothes that were about 80% new and wore a simple and elegant half-tie hairpin. She also added a tassel hairpin to the side of her hair to prevent it from looking too plain.

After drinking a cup of warm water to moisten her throat, the Imperial Concubine decided to go to the side hall to visit her son.

Just then, Consort Yi arrived at the palace. It seems she had timed it for the Imperial Concubine's afternoon nap, waiting until the Imperial Concubine had woken up before visiting Yongshou Palace.

Seeing Yin'e's thoughts, the Consort hesitated for a moment before not sending anyone to the side hall to fetch the Ninth Prince. She wondered if the Ninth Prince was still angry, and whether seeing Consort Yi would cause him further trouble.

Before understanding the full picture, the Imperial Concubine believed that it was better to act than to remain still. She did not intend to act rashly, fearing that her intervention would only make things worse and damage the relationship between Consort Yi and the Ninth Prince.

The Imperial Concubine rose and went to the main hall to receive Consort Yi. Upon entering the hall, the Imperial Concubine saw that Consort Yi's face was pale and her complexion was extremely poor. Although her features were still delicate and bright, her beauty was not as good as before; due to her haggard appearance and lack of vitality, Consort Yi's complexion had diminished by at least three-tenths.

Upon seeing the Imperial Concubine enter, Consort Yi rose to greet her, a smile playing on her lips. However, the smile on her pale, bright face was forced, and one could vaguely discern the anger, grievance, and sadness that she had not completely concealed in the corners of her eyes and brows.

The Imperial Concubine stepped forward and took Consort Yi's hand. The two exchanged a hand-holding greeting, and the Imperial Concubine then helped Consort Yi sit down. It was quite alarming to see Consort Yi standing there with her pregnant belly showing.

Consort Yi's belly wasn't big, but her body was too thin. Although she looked graceful and slender, and her figure hadn't changed due to pregnancy, her thin body paired with her already showing belly made people worry that the fetus in her womb might not be getting enough nutrition and might be born small and weak.

"What exactly happened?" the Consort asked with concern. "The person who went to Yikun Palace to report the news came back and said that you didn't care at all, and let the Ninth Prince play in Yongshou Palace and then pick him up in the evening. I knew there must be some misunderstanding."

When Consort Yi was asked by the Imperial Concubine, she felt the genuine trust and concern in her words, and her eyes reddened. She covered her mouth with her handkerchief and cried.

Although the sight of a beautiful woman shedding tears is extremely beautiful, Consort Yi was now overwhelmed with grief, anger, and resentment.

In addition, Consort Yi's pregnancy was not going well, and she was already suffering greatly during her pregnancy. Now, with two more discomforts combined, she was in even more agony and suffered a major blow to both her body and mind.

Consort Yi felt utterly desolate. Even outsiders cared so much for her, yet her own blood-related elder sister wanted to harm her and sow discord between her and her son, causing her to fall out with Yinzhen… Ha, what a good sister she was!

"It's a family scandal, so I won't tell you and make you laugh, sister." Consort Yi wiped away her tears and looked at the Noble Consort pleadingly, explaining why she had come to ask for help. "I would like to ask you to take care of Yinzhen for a few days. I'm afraid I won't be able to look after him these days."

The Imperial Concubine readily agreed, as it was not a difficult matter. Moreover, Yin'e and the Ninth Prince were brothers who stood shoulder to shoulder and had a good relationship; the Imperial Concubine was happy that her son would grow up with the Ninth Prince.

They had grown up together since childhood, and would have each other's company in the palace. It wasn't about them forming cliques or gangs, but rather that Yin'e would be too lonely on his own. When he entered the Imperial Study, the Consort wouldn't be able to see him often. With the Ninth Prince by his side, the Consort would feel more at ease.

It was certainly not a problem to let Yinzhen stay in Yongshou Palace for a few days, but Consort Yi could not be too hasty in dealing with Consort Guoluo.

The Imperial Concubine frowned slightly, her expression showing some worry: "She is, after all, the Sixth Princess's birth mother. For the sake of the Sixth Princess's reputation, you can't go too far. Otherwise, even if Imperial Concubine Tong doesn't pursue the matter, the Emperor will still inquire about it when he comes back from his southern tour."

“I know my limits.” Consort Yi smiled, but could not hide the bitterness between her brows. “It’s not that I can’t tolerate her, but she never gives up and keeps trying to sow discord. I’m really afraid that if she succeeds, she will cause a rift between me and Yinzhen.”

With a long sigh, Consort Yi spoke with a melancholy tone, but she had already made up her mind: "It seems we are not destined to be sisters for life. I don't intend to do anything to her, I just want to send her far away, and I never want to live in the same palace as sisters again."

The Imperial Concubine nodded slightly and personally took Consort Yi's hand to see her off. She also solemnly promised that she would take good care of the Ninth Prince while Consort Yi was dealing with Consort Guo Luoluo, so that Consort Yi could rest assured and not have to take care of both.

Consort Yi didn't want to air her dirty laundry in public, so she didn't tell Consort Gui what had happened. However, Yin'e easily got the whole story out of Yin Tang, who was in a much better mood after waking up and no longer had that sullen, pouty face.

After waking up from their afternoon nap, neither Yin'e nor Yin'tang got up immediately. Instead, they lingered in their warm blankets for a while, whispering to each other under the covers.

It turns out that Yinzhen's angry outburst at Yongshou Palace was not because of a dispute with Consort Yi.

After Yin'e left Cining Palace today, Consort Yi did not linger and returned to the Western Six Palaces with the Fifth Prince and Yin Tang.

Upon returning to Yikun Palace, Consort Yi felt unwell. Firstly, the journey had been somewhat bumpy, and secondly, the smell of meat she encountered while celebrating the Fifth Prince's birthday at Cining Palace made her feel nauseous.

Consort Yi was already feeling unwell, and her temper became somewhat out of control during her pregnancy.

Back at Yikun Palace, Yintang didn't want to play with the Fifth Prince. Instead, he wanted to go to Yongshou Palace to find Yin'e. Yintang had also been influenced by Yin'e to take a nap every noon. He would get sleepy at that time and didn't want to listen to Consort Yi and play with the Fifth Prince.

Consort Yi, in a fit of anger, reprimanded Yinzhen, telling him to be more sensible. Yinzhen, being impatient, sensitive, and short-tempered, not only retorted but also ran away while Consort Yi and the Fifth Prince weren't looking.

Knowing that he was going to Yongshou Palace, Consort Yi was not in a hurry. She thought that she couldn't do anything with this little devil, so she might as well let him go to Yongshou Palace to play with the Tenth Prince. She just told Yinzhen's wet nurse to keep a close eye on him and not let him get into any trouble.

Although Consort Yi was not entirely satisfied, she had to admit that Yinzhen preferred playing with the Tenth Prince rather than the Fifth Prince, who shared the same mother.

Ultimately, Yinzhen and Consort Yi only had a few words exchanged, which wasn't a real conflict.

Neither of them was angry at the time. After the incident passed, Yinzhen was no longer upset, and with Consort Yi's gentle words of comfort, the mother and son were able to reconcile as before, without leaving any rift. It's even possible that Yinzhen would forget about the incident altogether while playing around without Consort Yi's comforting words.

However, just as Yinzhen left the main hall and was about to leave Yikun Palace for Yongshou Palace, he encountered Consort Guoluo, who had been lying low for a long time and had finally found an opportunity.