Tong Cheng'er and the Fifth Prince's wife followed the nanny to the main hall of Cining Palace. When they arrived, they saw the Empress Dowager chatting and laughing with the nanny beside her.

Seeing them approach, the Empress Dowager said with a smile, "The wife of Prince Yinzhen and the wife of the Fifth Prince are here. They were just talking about you! They came over as soon as they were talking."

Upon hearing this, the two men smiled joyfully and bowed to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager told them to get up quickly.

When Tong Cheng'er and the Fifth Prince's wife sat down, the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Granny, have someone bring tea. It's freezing outside, you must be tired."

Tong Cheng'er smiled and shook her head: "Grandma, what are you saying? As a junior, it's only right that I show you respect!"

Fifth Princess Consort smiled and chimed in, "Fourth Sister-in-law is right. It is what a junior should do to be filial to you."

The two women accompanied the Empress Dowager, chatting casually. The Empress Dowager had a good impression of both of her granddaughters-in-law.

Needless to say, the Fifth Prince's wife was the one who raised him. She had no biological children or grandchildren in her life, so she raised the Fifth Prince as her own grandson, and naturally she was close to her.

As for Tong Cheng'er, that's easy to explain. After Emperor Kangxi returned from Mongolia, he brought back a lot of Mongolian specialties made by Tong Cheng'er for the Empress Dowager.

Although the taste is slightly different, the raw materials are all from Mongolia. The beef and mutton tastes just like home, even though the cooking methods are different.

In her middle and old age, without the pressure of survival, as the most honored old lady in the world, she lived a life of luxury. The only thing that made her feel uneasy was being far away from her homeland.

That's why I like things from my hometown.

In addition, she already had a good impression of her granddaughter-in-law Tong Cheng'er, so naturally she felt even better now.

As they chatted, the topic shifted from polite small talk to drinking milk tea. Nowadays, milk tea has become a trend in the palace; with milk tea available, who needs tea anymore?

However, when talking about milk tea, we also touched on Mongolia.

The Empress Dowager took a sip of milk tea, feeling pleased: "I heard from the Emperor that you were the one who started this tea-selling business?"

Tong Cheng'er: "Actually, it's not really. My granddaughter-in-law just had a craving and thought the milk tasted fishy. We brought too much tea, so she asked the chef who was good at tea snacks to see if he could make something fancy. Who would have thought he would actually make something?"

Seeing that she didn't take credit, the Empress Dowager felt even more that this granddaughter-in-law was good.

"That's because you have a good idea. If other people thought the milk tasted bad, they probably wouldn't drink it. If you ask me, you're quick-witted and smart."

Upon hearing this, Tong Cheng'er blushed and said shyly, "Grandma is not as good as Grandma says. I am just a little bit clever."

The Empress Dowager was not young anymore, and seeing her favorite younger relative blush with shyness made her feel even more pleased.

"You deserve a reward, child."

After saying this, he instructed his men to bestow many good things upon Tong Cheng'er, and the Fifth Prince's wife also received a considerable amount of benefits.

Although the Fifth Prince's wife did not receive as many rewards as Tong Cheng'er, she was content. She had a clear understanding of her own position; she was a woman who had married into the family from a higher social standing, and she was self-aware enough to be grateful for the benefits she received.

Time passed quickly as they talked, and soon the Third Princess Consort arrived, heavily pregnant.

After bowing to the Empress Dowager, he said a few auspicious words.

The Third Princess Consort arrived, followed by the First Princess Consort, and then the Crown Princess.

After a while, the concubines of the harem also came together. Only concubines of the rank of concubine or above were qualified to enter Cining Palace to pay their respects. Consort Wuya was an exception, as she was still under house arrest.

With so many people, things get lively. And since it's the inner palace, it's impossible for the concubines not to have conflicts. It's common for them to use words to trip each other up.

At this time, Cining Palace was basically the domain of Kangxi's concubines. The younger generation, led by the Crown Princess, were drinking milk tea and eating snacks.

Where is Tong Cheng'er? She and the Third Princess Consort are chatting quietly.

The two were chatting enthusiastically when Consort Hui suddenly said, "The Fifth Prince is already married and became a father last year. When will the Fourth Prince's wife make him a father too? If you're not up to the task, don't delay the Fourth Prince's future."

Tong Cheng'er was dumbfounded. How did the conversation turn to her?

However, she was able to handle the situation.

"Thank you for your concern, Mother Hui. Our master said that there is no rush to have children. My eldest brother doesn't even have a legitimate son yet. He told me to wait a little longer."

As for what to wait for?

Of course, we'll wait until the eldest prince's legitimate son is born.

Upon hearing her words, everyone present, except for Consort Hui and the First Princess Consort, couldn't help but smile.

The fact that the eldest prince has no luck with sons has almost become a joke, and people still want to talk about him! Now they've been talked about!

Consort Hui was embarrassed by Tong Cheng'er's retort, but no one sympathized with her. She had only herself to blame for her own actions, having provoked Tong Cheng'er first.

Consort Hui naturally couldn't stand such treatment, and said sarcastically, "How can you speak to your elders at such a young age? Well, Consort Wuya probably doesn't have the energy to teach you how to conduct yourself."

Tong Cheng'er was displeased upon hearing this. Although she also looked down on Consort Wuya as her mother-in-law, she was being implicated in her words.

Tong Cheng'er smiled and said humbly to Consort Hui, "I am not as old as Consort Hui. If I have offended you in any way, please do not take it to heart. As for the matter of your teachings, if Consort Hui is curious, you can come to Yonghe Palace to keep me company. I think you would welcome me."

That's a really harsh statement.

Firstly, it was a sarcastic jab at Consort Hui for being old.

Secondly, it implies that she should go to Yonghe Palace to accompany Consort Wuya, who has been confined to her quarters for a long time. Yonghe Palace is now almost like the Cold Palace. This statement is almost like directly cursing Consort Hui to be confined to her quarters.

Consort Hui understood, and almost everyone in the hall understood. The Empress Dowager sat at the head of the table, smiling broadly as if she didn't understand. As for whether she actually understood, no one knew.

The Empress Dowager never interfered in these matters; otherwise, Consort Hui wouldn't have dared to cause trouble for a junior like Tong Cheng'er in Cining Palace.

Almost everyone understood, except for Consort Hui herself and her daughter-in-law, the First Princess Consort. Everyone else looked like they wanted to laugh but were too embarrassed to, which made Consort Hui very annoyed.

She had previously heard from the servants below that the Fourth Princess Consort was sharp-tongued and that Consort Wuya, her mother-in-law, was not getting along well with her. She didn't take it seriously, thinking that Consort Wuya had become mentally unstable due to being confined to her quarters.

Unexpectedly, she had really misunderstood Consort Wuya. It wasn't that she was stupid, but rather that her daughter-in-law, Tong Cheng'er, was too sophisticated; no ordinary person could outwit her.

Consort Hui's face darkened, and she was furious, but she dared not say anything more. She had finally witnessed the Fourth Prince's wife's venomous tongue, so how could she dare to provoke her again?

The others, observing this situation with indifference, couldn't help but tell themselves that the Fourth Princess Consort had a sharp tongue and was not to be trifled with. The key point was that His Majesty also thought she was virtuous, which made her even more untouchable.

After that, Tong Cheng'er felt much more at ease. The hall was still filled with the same "smoke and fire" as before, but the smoke of the "war" never blew towards her again.