Chapter 392: Disdain and Hate (3)

Beside her sat a young man, dressed in finery, handsome, and with a somewhat austere demeanor. Yet, the smile on his face seemed quite friendly. He said to Concubine Dong Shu, "You play this little piece quite well."

This person was none other than Concubine Dong Shu's son, the ninth prince, Prince Ding, Fu Xiuyi.

Concubine Dong Shu glanced at Fu Xiuyi with a smile and waved her hand, causing the person playing the little tune to suddenly stop. Concubine Dong Shu smiled and said, "You played well, take some money."

A flicker of joy flashed across the face of the girl playing the little tune, and she hurriedly took her zither and went downstairs. Everyone in the Mingqi Palace knew that the servants in the Shufang Palace had the most comfortable lives, because Concubine Dong Shu was a kind person and treated the servants with great kindness. For example, at this moment, just playing a group of zithers would earn you a generous reward.

"Everyone, leave." Concubine Dong Shu glanced at the other palace servants, who followed suit and withdrew. In a flash, only Concubine Dong Shu and her son were left in the palace.

"Mother's methods of training servants are becoming more and more sophisticated." Fu Xiuyi said with a smile.

"It is better to show kindness than to make enemies," Concubine Dong Shu said with a smile, "Mother has told you this many times."

"Yes, yes, yes." Fu Xiuyi sighed, "It's a pity that in my position, it's much easier to make enemies than to show kindness."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Dong Shu's smile faded a little, and she asked, "Your father has been worrying about the matter of the mighty general these days. Are you sure about that?"

Concubine Dong Shu had always stayed out of Fu Xiuyi's affairs. Harem officials were forbidden from interfering in government affairs, especially since Emperor Wenhui had nine sons, all of whom were troublemakers. It was better to hide one's shortcomings than to display them. Now that the timing was unclear, Concubine Dong Shu wasn't afraid of being a "disfavored" concubine.

"Your Majesty, Father, has always been concerned about this matter, so he naturally wouldn't raise it with such urgency." Fu Xiuyi said, "The evidence I presented happened to be exactly what Your Majesty wanted, so it will only go smoothly."

"I know you have an idea." Concubine Dong Shu shook her head and said calmly, "But Xiaojiu, the situation is tense right now, so you'd better be more careful. Don't take all the credit. Let them fight. When they get tired of fighting, it won't be too late for you to take action."

"Your son will listen carefully to your mother's instructions." Fu Xiuyi said hurriedly.

Concubine Dong Shu smiled, then suddenly thought of something and said, “Last time when I asked Madam Shen to bring Shen Miao into the palace, you told me to make sure Shen Miao didn’t hear our conversation… What’s going on?”

The last time Luo Xueyan and her daughter entered the palace, Fu Xiuyi had previously instructed Concubine Dong Shu not to let Shen Miao be present. So later, Concubine Dong Shu had Tong Yao take Shen Miao out.

"What does mother think of the fifth young lady of the Shen family?" Fu Xiuyi asked.

"She's good-looking and will be a beauty in the future. But she's too gentle and reserved, so she'll probably be easily bullied." Concubine Dong Shu looked at Fu Xiuyi. "I heard she once had a crush on you, but she doesn't seem as bad as the rumors say. Although she's not bright and intelligent, she's not a complete fool either."

Fu Xiuyi smiled slightly: "Mother is such a picky person, but she can't find anything bad to say about her?"

Concubine Dong was stunned. She appeared tolerant and accommodating on the surface, but secretly she was extremely picky. Fu Xiuyi was now old enough to marry, and he was quite good, so there were some wealthy families out there who wanted to marry their daughters to him. Of course, there were many ladies from famous families among them, but Concubine Dong always found fault with them, thinking they were not worthy of her son.

Although these words did not praise Shen Miao, they did not disparage her either. If one thinks about it carefully, they are even somewhat biased towards Shen Miao. Among the young ladies from official families, this is the first time that Concubine Dong Shu has evaluated someone so kindly.