So Shuwan asked a few more questions.

"What does it mean when Sister Ciyue says that the Fourth Prince has a heart that yearns for Buddhism?"

Niohuru Ciyue was probably a gossip lover too. Seeing that Shuwan asked so sincerely, she smiled and began to talk.

"That's right. Most people in the palace know that the Fourth Prince goes to Tantuo Temple almost every month to play chess and discuss scriptures with the masters there. There's even a specific time! It seems to be the 18th of every month."

Shu Wan was even more puzzled, and then casually asked, "Is it always the 18th of each month?"

"Not necessarily. It seems to have been changed a few months ago. At first, we went on the 15th of each month. Nobody knows why the time was changed."

Upon hearing this, Shu Wan suddenly understood. So that's how it is. Now it makes sense. No wonder.

If Shuyuan's target is the Fourth Prince, then everything makes sense.

So it seems that Shuyuan mistook someone for someone else.

Shu Wan couldn't help but laugh inwardly. What a wicked person gets their just desserts! Sure enough, those who do bad things will be punished. They even came to her with the wrong person. How could Shu Wan not feel satisfied?

Today, Shuyuan must have met the real Fourth Prince and realized she had mistaken him for someone else. She must be feeling bad. Thinking this, Shuwan became even happier.

Thinking this to herself, Shu Wan unconsciously smiled, which made Ci Yue feel that she was acting a little strange.

"Sister Shuwan, are you alright?"

Shu Wan withdrew her smile and said, "It's nothing, I just found it a bit interesting. I didn't expect that the Fourth Prince, as a prince, would be so Buddhist, going to Tan Tuo Temple every month."

When Ci Yue heard her say that, the strange feeling disappeared.

"Yeah, when I first heard it, I thought it was something someone made up."

Shuwan was overjoyed to hear such an important matter, and her tolerance for Ciyue, who never stopped talking, increased considerably.

Ci Yue didn't expect that her roommate, who had lived with her for so long, wouldn't mind her talking so much. She became even more enthusiastic and the two chatted for a long time before finally going to sleep.

Shuwan also extracted a lot of useful information from Ciyue's gossip, and Ciyue felt that Shuwan was so patient that she had a very good impression of her.

As the night passed, their shared love of gossip only strengthened their bond, and their relationship grew even closer.

As for Shuyuan and Tong Yunyao, it goes without saying that almost every day people point at them and whisper about them, but they just don't let them hear it.

The two frequently clashed. Tong Yunyao would make a scene, which annoyed Shuyuan to no end, but she still had to coax her gently.

Now, Shuyuan has placed all her hopes on Consort Tong.

That day, it seemed that Consort De had just remembered that she had a son who was going to marry a princess, and she began to frequently summon the young ladies-in-waiting.

Since Shuwan and Shuyuan came from good families, they were naturally among those summoned by Consort De.

Of all the young women selected for the imperial concubine examination, Shuwan was the one that pleased Consort De the most.

For no other reason than that Shu Wan's appearance did not conform to the current aesthetic standards, and besides, her status was sufficient to make her a prince's consort.

In order not to make His Majesty feel that he had mistreated Yinzhen, Consort De naturally dared not openly choose a consort of low social standing for Yinzhen. However, if she were to choose a consort that was perfect in every way for Yinzhen, Consort De would feel uneasy. Therefore, Shuwan caught Consort De's eye.

He comes from a wealthy family, but his appearance is not particularly outstanding.

Having served His Majesty in the palace for many years, Consort De understood men's character best. She could choose a plain-looking consort for Yinzhen and two beautiful and charming princesses for him. Then, without her having to do anything, the inner court would naturally be in turmoil, and her good son would inevitably suffer.

Thinking this way, Consort De treated Shuwan even better, and would call her to Yonghe Palace to talk from time to time.

Seeing Consort De's actions, everyone in the palace understood her meaning: she had taken a liking to Shuwan and intended to make her her daughter-in-law!

When Consort Tong learned of this, she became interested in this Shu Wan. To be able to catch the eye of Consort De, she must have some outstanding qualities.

Just then, she called her nieces Tong Yunyao and Shuyuan over. Since Shuyuan and Shuwan are sisters, they should know each other somewhat.

Consort Tong asked Shuyuan, "You and your sister are twins, don't you look remarkably alike?"

Shuyuan knew that Consort De frequently summoned Shuwan, and she was very anxious. Now, the Fourth Prince's jade tablet was with Consort De. When it came to choosing a consort for the Fourth Prince, Emperor Kangxi would definitely consider Consort De's ideas. If Emperor Kangxi listened to Consort De in the end, wouldn't all her scheming have been in vain?

Nobody wants to do something pointless.

Especially when she heard that Consort Tong had also inquired about Shu Wan's whereabouts, even though she knew that Consort Tong's true choice for the Fourth Prince's wife was Tong Yunyao, Shu Yuan couldn't help but feel panicked.

This made Shuyuan feel utterly powerless, as if she couldn't change history no matter what she did.

But faced with Consort Tong's questions, she had no choice but to answer. Then, in a moment of madness, she revealed that Shu Wan was infertile.

Of course, she wasn't stupid, so she couldn't just say it directly. She first answered Consort Tong's question: "This servant and my sister don't look very alike. Everyone in the family says that this servant looks like my mother, while my sister looks like my father."

As she spoke, Shuyuan looked at Consort Tong with a troubled expression.

"This servant has something to report, it concerns my sister's important matter, and this servant feels that I can no longer hide it. I beg Your Majesty not to blame my sister."

Consort Tong became interested. She could tell that this Shuyuan didn't have a good relationship with her younger sister, otherwise she wouldn't be playing with Yunyao every day.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!