He Zhuo waved his round fan: "This Crown Prince's wife comes from the Guarjia clan, a powerful family. Her father is a count and also a commander with great power. No matter what, the Crown Prince will not mistreat her."

Instead of worrying about this and gossiping about that, you should worry about whether a concubine will be chosen for our household during this year's imperial concubine selection."

Upon hearing this, Granny Shi was startled and looked up at the First Princess: "This, this can't be right. Our master hasn't been granted a separate residence yet, nor does he have a title. According to the rules of our Qing Dynasty, only princes can have secondary princesses."

"Besides, Your Majesty, you have given birth to three princes for the eldest prince, three legitimate sons. His Majesty, for the sake of his grandsons, has also..." Granny Shi couldn't continue. As a nanny who had worked in the Empress Dowager's palace, she knew that our His Majesty always made decisions unilaterally.

Moreover, even if it's just choosing a concubine, as long as Consort Hui speaks up and the list is fine, Emperor Kangxi will agree.

This matter has nothing to do with whether the wife is the legal wife or whether she has given birth to a child.

If your mother-in-law wants to take a concubine for her son, you, as the daughter-in-law, not only cannot stop her, but you also have to take care of the arrangements!

Isn't that awful?

Donghui was also somewhat surprised: "Has the Princess Consort heard some rumors?"

He Zhuo chuckled when he saw how nervous the two of them were.

"I was just joking with you." After saying this, He Zhuo received a reproachful glare.

“I take every word of your words to heart, and this is no laughing matter! There’s a pregnant woman in the backyard right now, but Consort Guan is a member of the Han Banner Army and her family isn’t very powerful. If a concubine of noble birth were to give birth to a prince, wouldn’t she be able to rival our prince?” Donghui said, stamping her foot angrily.

Donghui didn't specify which prince, but she was referring to Hongfang and Hongwei. Emperor Kangxi valued Han learning and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, and his subordinates naturally followed suit. Therefore, the sons born to concubines could never compare to Hongyu, the eldest legitimate son.

Granny Shi remained silent.

This year's contestants include Consort Hui's niece. Although she is only the daughter of a sixth-rank official, with the identity of Consort Hui's niece, it is not impossible for her to become the master's concubine. She secretly wanted to investigate this Princess Nalan. Originally, she only thought that she would enter the inner courtyard as a princess, but now she had to take precautions.

"Our master hasn't had a princess enter his harem since his wedding. Before, Consort Hui only gave him concubines, and now another one has been lost in the harem."

This year, the Empress will definitely select a few more candidates. As you all know, even her own niece is running. Furthermore, the three princesses in our inner quarters are all from the Han Banner, so this year the Empress will likely choose two from the Manchu Banner.

He Zhuo gave an explanation.

Donghui and Granny Shi exchanged a glance and both nodded.

"As you all know, the princes' quarters in the palace are not very spacious, and Fangwan and a few others are already living in Zhilan Courtyard. If a princess were to come, it would be barely enough room, but we can't let a princess live in the concubines' quarters."

“There are many young children in the main courtyard. We need to keep an eye on them. If they are newcomers, we don’t know their character and they might fall into our trap.”

The two remembered that Prince Hongyu had suffered several times and that the First Princess Consort had also had a miscarriage. They felt a chill run down their spines and secretly thought that they had been too relaxed these days and needed to tighten their belts.

Okay, let's not talk about this anymore.

The mansion outside the palace is already under construction and renovation. My husband and I estimate that we will move out next year or the year after.

"Donghui, you and the rest of you are my dowry. Except for Chunfen, who is two years younger than me, you are all of marriageable age. Before I entered the palace, I told you that I would make sure you all became proper wives in a grand and glorious way. Now you can take your time to find suitable partners. After I leave the palace, I will give you a generous dowry and marry you off."

Donghui immediately pledged her loyalty: "This servant will not marry. This servant will always serve by your side, my master. This servant cannot leave you, my master. Please do not abandon this servant!"