Chonghua Palace is the palace of the crown prince. From the first time Li Shiyue came here, she witnessed the magnificence of the palace.

After Lady Yang entered the palace yesterday, she was summoned to the palace by Lady Xu today. There was nothing special about it. Even Old Madam Xu said that she should just treat it as a trip to the palace to relax and not think about anything.

She even suspected that Old Madam Xu knew something, and whether it was just her imagination or not, Xu Lingyu seemed to be treating her more kindly.

"Princess, please stay here for now. Your Highness still has palace affairs to attend to. If you have any instructions, please just call me."

Tong'er is a second-class maid in Chonghua Palace. When Li Shiyue entered the palace, Chunling was not allowed to follow her according to the rules, which is why Xu Lingyu pointed Tong'er over just now.

The three large golden characters "Luanjingju" floated above the red palace gate. We stepped through the vermilion palace gate.

Chonghua Palace is a separate palace garden, enclosed specifically to house the Crown Prince's wives and concubines. It takes about half an hour to walk here from Xu Lingyu's main hall, and this place is quiet and far away from the Crown Prince's front hall.

"Princess, rest assured, the two ladies-in-waiting do not reside nearby. Knowing that you prefer quiet, Her Majesty specifically instructed them to do so." Tong'er looked to be about the same age as Chunling, but she was remarkably perceptive.

However, she didn't stay long before someone came to invite her; it was someone from Consort Fu of Pixiang Palace. But the people of Chonghua Palace weren't so ignorant as to tell Li Shiyue about this directly. Xu Lingyu was the first to know, and after declining, she sent someone to tell her to rest well and not to pay any attention to Pixiang Palace.

Since Princess Chunhui married far away, the Pixiang Palace has been deserted. Even though the Emperor still goes there, he doesn't visit as often as before.

In the palace, favors are always bestowed upon certain individuals. Consort Fu is not young and has no prince to rely on. Even if Xu Lingyu has no intention of mistreating her, the servants below her may not necessarily treat her harshly.

Who knows what she was thinking at that moment? Xu Lingyu had no intention of putting her little cousin between Chonghua Palace and Pixiang Palace. Li Shiyue simply nodded in agreement: "I'll listen to my cousin."

Tong'er glanced up without leaving a trace, seemingly surprised, but said nothing and left.

After spending two days in the palace, Li Shiyue stayed in Chonghua Hall with Xu Lingyu. She was not sure what would happen on the first day, but after figuring out the time when the Crown Prince would arrive, she estimated the time in advance and went to Luanjing Residence.

Furthermore, Li Shiyue would only appear when the other concubines paid their respects to Xu Lingyu; otherwise, she rarely came out.

However, on the fourth day after she entered the palace, it was the day that Consort An, the birth mother of Prince Zhao, was promoted to Noble Consort, so Li Shiyue could not not show up.

Consort An's palace was located southeast of Chonghua Palace. Passing through the many palace gates, the countless long streets all looked exactly the same. If it weren't for Tong'er and the little eunuch leading the way, Li Shiyue probably would have gotten lost long ago.

Consort An came from a humble background, and her rank as a consort was conferred by the Empress Dowager. Over the years, she managed to become Consort An through the influence of Prince Zhao.

The palace was located in a remote area, and normally on such a joyous occasion, the palace gates should have been bustling with activity. However, there was no one serving at the palace gates at this time.

Li Shiyue looked puzzled, but when she turned her head and saw Tong'er shaking her head slightly, she understood what was going on.

After being belatedly welcomed inside, she saw Consort An in the main hall. Her eyes and brows held a peaceful quality, perhaps because she had not experienced much in the palace. Her lowered eyes added to her gentleness.

"Congratulations on your joyous occasion, Your Highness. Since Your Highness is currently unable to attend, I have come on your behalf. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

When the Emperor intends to visit the Imperial Palace in a while, Xu Lingyu, who is now in charge of the affairs of the six palaces, is naturally too busy to spare any time.

Consort An's lake-blue palace dress was not elaborate, but her hair was styled in a rather elaborate snake bun, with only a few hairpins and ornaments. The only valuable item was the hair ornament attached to the snake tail at the back of her bun.

She shook her head, her gaze sweeping over Li Shiyue with a warm smile: "She looks unfamiliar. If I'm not mistaken, you must be the Princess of Yichang County."

Li Shiyue smiled slightly: "Yes, Consort has a good eye."

Consort An smiled, glanced at what Tong'er was holding, and said without changing her expression, "Go and put the things away. Don't let the county princess's people hold onto them for too long."

After saying that, she looked at Li Shiyue and smiled apologetically: "No one usually comes here. The people below don't know the rules, so please don't take it to heart."

When Li Shiyue came in, she glanced around out of the corner of her eye. Consort An was now a principal consort, but there weren't many people serving her in the palace.

She knew Chonghua Palace well. As the crown prince, he never advocated extravagance. On the contrary, Chonghua Palace was simple and frugal, and everything was done according to regulations.

The palace before them was different. It couldn't be described as luxurious, but it was far too simple, unlike the residence of a lord of a palace.

Perhaps noticing Li Shiyue's confusion, Consort An poured her a cup of tea and handed it to her after she sat down: "No one usually comes here, and the Emperor rarely comes either. I just want some peace and quiet, so I haven't asked for any new furniture or decorations over the years."

"Fortunately, Her Majesty is considerate and I have never lacked anything. I am quite happy and carefree when the palace gates are closed. If the county princess is willing, she can come and visit. In any case, it is just me in this palace."

Her words carried a hint of sadness, and her gaze towards Li Shiyue seemed to reveal what she was thinking.

The gaze was intense yet tinged with worry. When Li Shiyue brought Tong'er out, she couldn't help but ask.

Tong'er looked around, then lowered her voice: "After Consort An gave birth to Prince Zhao, Prince Zhao was not raised by his birth mother, but by his wet nurse. So after Prince Zhao became sensible, he never showed much affection to his birth mother."

No wonder Consort An, being the birth mother of a prince, shouldn't be living in such a quiet place. Those gazes were probably directed at someone else through her.

Xu Yunci was at home after court today, but the Emperor summoned him to the palace again. After leaving Funing Palace, he went straight to Chonghua Palace.

Seeing Xu Yunci arrive, Xu Lingyu was naturally surprised. Looking at him in his official robes and looking calm and composed, Xu Lingyu raised her eyebrows slightly: "You've finally decided to come to the palace today? Yesterday, His Highness invited you, but you said you were too busy."

Putting down her brush, Xu Lingyu's fingers gripped the edge of the table, her gaze fixed on Xu Yunci, unwilling to miss any change in his expression.

The latter picked up the hot tea served by the maid, took a sip, and felt the tea fragrance go down his throat, which was very comfortable.

"Next month, His Majesty wants to go to the Imperial Palace, meaning that the Duke's Mansion will also go. The reason I was sent to the palace is to discuss with His Highness the ministers and their families who will travel together."

After Xu Yunci finished speaking, she seemed to remember something and looked around: "Isn't Yan Yan with her elder sister?"

Xu Lingyu leaned back and glanced at Xu Yunci, who remained indifferent.