That brat, when I talked to him about the contraceptive medicine in the backyard, he actually said he was afraid they wouldn't be able to have a good baby.

After asking in detail, I learned that the ridicule he received for giving birth to "four daughters," coupled with the matter of Consort Fan's twins, made Yinzhi feel that no one in the inner palace could produce anything good, so he forbade them from having any more children.

Consort Hui realized that there were no suitable people in the inner palace. Last year, during the imperial concubine selection, she wanted to select two people to enter the princes' quarters, but unfortunately, the emperor fell ill, so the plan was shelved.

Now that the First Princess Consort is pregnant and it's inconvenient for her to serve, we can't very well refuse, can we?

I don't know if it's because mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law are natural enemies, but when two women cherish the same man, conflicts are bound to arise.

In fact, Consort Hui had some hidden thoughts. She didn't like her son's single-minded focus on his wife, but his wife hadn't done anything wrong. On the contrary, she was respectful and sensible, and she didn't mistreat those who weren't born to her, not only her own children.

She had two children who were very much to her heart, but she always felt uneasy, thinking that her daughter-in-law was dominating her son.

How should I put it?

As a mother, before her eldest son got married, she looked forward to his marriage; after his marriage, she looked forward to them having grandchildren. Now that they have grandchildren, seeing their family so happy and the couple so loving, she feels uneasy.

Before, when the eldest son came here, he would talk about his mother every few words. Now, especially in the last two months, although he doesn't mention his wife often, it's clear that he's very satisfied. Consort Hui felt a pang of jealousy, as if her son was no longer her own.

Feeling blue and sad.

Consort Hui eagerly looked at the list of candidates for the imperial concubines, but after a long time, she became discouraged again. Very few noblewomen from the Mongol banners would remain; the list was now filled with candidates from the Manchu and Han banners.

This year, all the good-quality women have been betrothed. I'd like to choose some with superior colors; the requirements for concubines aren't so high. I couldn't find a single one left from the entire Manchu banner system. Those with average or above-average colors have all been chosen; they were all taken by the imperial concubines during the New Year, all through connections with the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager never made decisions on her own; she would report the needs of the imperial clan's wives to the Emperor, and the Emperor would agree to most of them. He rarely asked for a primary wife, and he almost never asked for a secondary wife. Generally, the imperial clan's wives who were retained would be selected from among the princesses.

The selection is all over now. Last year during the imperial selection, there were a few Han soldiers with good colors. I thought they would be registered, but the emperor didn't even glance at them. Now they've all ended up in the backyards of the imperial family.

The rest were all undesirable. Consort Hui probably knew her son's preferences; if she chose these, they would be nothing more than decorations in the First Prince's residence.

Alright, the selection process has already begun, so let's open our eyes wide and choose two good ones.

It's annoying. Because of my upbringing, the eldest prince is very wary of these bondservant women. No palace maid has ever tried to climb into his bed. Even if I selected two for him, he probably wouldn't care. This is all because my upbringing was too thorough.

However, thinking about it, Consort Rong and Consort Hui became smug again.

I heard that the Third Prince took both of his maids as his concubines just a few months after his marriage. If it weren't for Consort Rong keeping him in check, he might have even been given the title of princess. Consort Rong was furious for those few days.

The Third Prince's wife was no ordinary person; her maternal family consisted of the daughter of a powerful duke or marquis. She had a falling out with the Third Prince, making Consort Rong a laughingstock in the eyes of everyone in the harem.

Thinking about it this way, the eldest son's family isn't so bad after all.

Humans are afraid of comparison.