Liu Zhaoxun remained calm, his hand resting on his lower abdomen, and when he looked at Consort Du, his eyes held a hint of mockery.

"you--"

"Alright, it's so noisy so early in the morning."

Xu Lingyu slightly raised her eyes, first glancing at Liu Zhaoxun, who nodded respectfully, then looking at Du Liangdi, who looked indignant.

The sarcasm in her eyes flashed by, but no one could see it clearly.

"If His Highness were here, he would be reciting your rules again. Consort, you should just sit here quietly."

As he spoke, he glanced at the person on his right. The person on the right was as aloof as ever, always the same in front of everyone, seemingly having no interest whatsoever in rank or the Crown Prince.

But this Lady Du was different; something always seemed to happen on two out of three days. She would either do something in front of the Crown Prince or get into arguments with Liu Zhaoxun and others. There was always something going on.

Li Shiyue remained silent, yet she clearly saw the expressions on the faces of those around her.

Du Liangdi was reprimanded, and the first person to her right who had entered the mansion with her was also a Liangdi, who was bowing her head and sipping tea, completely ignoring everything that was happening in the palace.

Liu Zhaoxun was the tallest of the remaining few. She stroked her protruding belly, her eyes slightly upturned, and almost forgot the hint given by Xu Lingyu just now. She quickly suppressed the joy in her eyes.

The other ladies-in-waiting, whose ranks were low, dared not utter a sound, but watched with concern. When they saw Consort Du being reprimanded by Lady Xu, they were all filled with joy.

Even when Du Liangdi glared at the group, some of them lowered their heads in fear, while others met her gaze without flinching.

Xu Lingyu turned around as if she hadn't seen him, and said with a hint of helplessness, "You've seen quite a few laughs since I entered the palace today."

Li Shiyue shook her head, no longer looking at the "war" in the eyes of Du Liangdi and the others below, and raised the round fan in her hand to cover her lips.

"On the way here, I spoke with the Princess of Zhao for a while and also met the Prince Consort."

Her expression was calm, and her tone was normal. Xu Lingyu suppressed her doubts, and things seemed to be going smoothly.

Knowing that Xu Lingyu had thought of this, Li Shiyue smiled and said softly, "She said a few words very calmly, but didn't do anything. She seems a little different from before, but she still has some of the spoiled nature of a young lady."

After all, she was the only princess of the dynasty, and some of her arrogance was something she had developed since childhood and could not change.

Hearing "I'm sorry" from her, and that she was willing to admit her mistake, was enough to surprise anyone.

Rather than attributing the success to the son-in-law Lu Cheng, it's more accurate to say that the Lu family maintained strict family traditions and did not bring any prejudice to the current princess of Zhao.

As they emerged from the main hall, only Consort Du and the lowest-ranking attendants walked slowly along the corridor. When they saw Li Shiyue come out, the attendants hurriedly curtsied and greeted her.

Du Liangdi swaggered over and reached out to take Li Shiyue's arm, but was subtly dodged.

Her smile faltered for a moment, but she still managed to lift it and say to Li Shiyue, "Is the county princess going to see the young master?"

Just now she was called the Crown Prince's wife, but after leaving the main hall she was called the County Princess. This Lady Du is probably wearing her little scheme on her sleeve.

Li Shiyue subtly dodged Du Liangdi's outstretched hands and watched her with a smile without saying a word.

"Actually, when I saw the county princess, I felt that we hit it off immediately and that we would definitely have a lot of fun together."

Du Liangdi had no choice but to speak, but the smile on her face became somewhat unnatural, and she lost her previous composure.

"Is that so?" Li Shiyue's tone was neither warm nor cold, nor did it seem very intimate. Her attitude was slightly ambiguous, leaving Du Liangdi unsure of where to begin her conversation.

Just as they were about to leave the inner palace, Consort Du could not contain herself and, disregarding the presence of others, spoke up: "Now that the Heir Apparent and the County Princess are married, I wonder what the County Princess's plans are?"

Li Shiyue looked at her with some confusion, seemingly not understanding what she meant by "plan".

Could it be that she's trying to interfere in their private life? Who does she think she is? Not only have the Duke of Rong and Madam Yang not said anything, but even Xu Lingyu hasn't mentioned it today. What right does Madam Du have to bring it up?

Li Shiyue suppressed her disgust and patiently listened to what Du's "plan" was about.

“I have a half-sister who has been in love with the young master for many years. Upon hearing of the young master’s wedding, she spent her days at home weeping. So I thought that with my influence, I could shamelessly ask the county princess for her hand in marriage. My half-sister would volunteer to become a concubine and enter the Duke’s mansion to serve the young master and the county princess.”

Du Liangdi's eyes were full of anticipation, as if she was certain that Li Shiyue would not refuse, and she felt that she could carry the Du family over at any moment.

However, it was clearly visible that the faint smile on Li Shiyue's lips gradually faded, and even her eyes showed a hint of disgust.

She didn't speak, but just looked at Du Liangdi with a half-smile on her lips.

"Ha, do you think your half-sister is some kind of treasure?"

A clear, cold female voice came from behind; it was Zuo Liangdi, who hadn't uttered a sound in the hall just now.

Her father was a third-rank censor in the imperial court, the same rank as Du's brother, except that they were civil and military officials respectively.

She stopped beside Li Shiyue, her eyes filled with obvious mockery. She looked at Consort Du and said with a sneer, "Young Master Xu and his wife are on their second day of marriage. They have come to the palace to express their gratitude and pay their respects."

"It's not like we've come to the palace to beg to serve a concubine in our household. Your Du family is far too impatient. She willingly becomes a concubine, willingly degrading herself without shame, and you expect her to show us any face? What face do you have left?"

"In the end, today is only the first time we have met the Crown Prince's wife. If we are talking about courtesy, it is between Your Highness and the Crown Prince's wife. Don't try to make yourself look good."

After Zuo Liangdi finished speaking, she didn't even look at Du Shi, whose face was turning ashen with anger. Instead, she turned to Li Shiyue, slightly curtsied, and then left.

Li Shiyue paused as she was about to return the greeting, but still slightly curtsied in return to her retreating figure.

I was just a little surprised by Zuo Liangdi's personality; her mouth is really quite likable.

His gaze fell on Du Liangdi's face, and the smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a cold expression, completely different from his previous close and friendly demeanor.

"I will remember the Du family's kindness. After all, it was only the second day of my marriage with my husband that the Du family couldn't help but send their illegitimate daughter into the household."

"But I can't make that decision myself. After all, it's only the second day of our marriage. If the Du family lady really wants to be my concubine, I'll go back and talk to my family about it. Du Liangdi, there's no need to be in such a hurry."

"Miss Du, there's no need to be in such a hurry. No matter who you marry, with the Du family's prestige, even if you're an illegitimate daughter, you can still be the mistress of the house. Why belittle yourself?"

Li Shiyue raised the round fan in her hand, glanced slightly to the side at the several officials who had been watching the commotion, and spoke in an even colder tone.