Fangfei Garden

The two boys, Hongyun and Hongshi, surrounded Li Shi, secretly peeking at the tall figure in the room, their eyes filled with lust.

Yinzhen sat upright on the kang, frowning and silent. Every time his two sons saw him, they were timid and shrinking back, truly lacking the demeanor of a royal prince. So what if he could eat people? In the end, he was far from being the legitimate son.

Li gathered her two sons together and winked at the wet nurse beside her. The wet nurse understood and took the little prince away.

“Master, they are still young,” Madam Li said cautiously, glancing at the person in the main seat.

Yinzhen raised an eyebrow. They're still young. There's an old saying that you can tell what a person will be like at three years old, and besides, one of them is five and the other is two.

Seeing that his face was even worse, Madam Li quickly changed the subject, "Since Sister Tong has returned to the manor, I have not yet paid my respects. I am pregnant and do not know if Sister Tong is doing well in the other residence." After saying that, she touched her belly, secretly thinking about that hen that does not lay eggs. She had made a big fuss about having the master bring her back to the manor, and let her show off first.

Seeing Li's protruding belly, Yinzhen's gloomy expression eased, and he gave a faint "hmm," saying, "She prefers quiet, so don't go to Lan Courtyard unless necessary. Take good care of yourself."

Li Shi stiffened slightly. Her husband's words were barbed, implying that she was restless and would cause trouble. She was slightly angry inside, but replied in a low voice, "I know."

Once she gives birth to another son, she'll be so ashamed. She's been in the manor for a year now, and there's been no news of her. She's just a hen that doesn't lay eggs.

Nan Yi, the hen that Li Shi mentioned that doesn't lay eggs, got up early today and took Qingyun to pay her respects to the Fujin. Last time she paid her respects, the Fujin was sick and replied from behind a screen, saying that she was afraid of passing on her illness. Today was the first time they would have a formal meeting.

Upon entering the hall, one finds seven or eight strikingly beautiful women standing or sitting inside.

Yinzhen, the head of the group, sat upright. To his left was a dignified young woman, and to his lower right sat a pregnant woman. When Nan entered, everyone stared at her, forgiving her for being the last to arrive. But she ignored them and went straight up to greet them.

After sitting down below the Fujin (wife of the emperor), he raised his head and looked Nara up and down. He thought to himself, "Not bad. Her appearance is above average and her figure is moderate. Among the wives and concubines, her looks are not outstanding, but she has a graceful temperament."

The pregnant woman opposite me is probably Consort Li. Because she is far along in her pregnancy, her body is swollen, her complexion is sallow, and she has light spots appearing. She looks quite unsightly. Alas, having many children also brings its own troubles.

The other women were all quite beautiful, but to be honest, none of them could compare to her. When she first saw her own face, she was terrified. It was about 60% similar to her modern appearance, but with a striking and unique aura.

"This is the first time Sister Tong has met everyone since returning from the other residence. Let the younger sisters below greet her," Nara said with a light laugh.

A soft, sweet voice rang out, and Nan, glancing at her teacup, casually said, "Greetings, everyone."

The perfunctory response drew dissatisfaction from the crowd. A beautiful woman in green scolded, "Consort Tong, are you looking down on your sisters?"

Nan took a sip of tea, glanced at her, and remained silent.

The woman in green was on the verge of tears. "My lord, what about the concubine?" She was someone Yinzhen had brought from the palace, and she believed she had some standing in his eyes. Tong Shi's blatant disregard for her was incredibly disrespectful.

Yinzhen looked at Madam Tong and, seeing that she ignored him, coughed to signal her.

"Who are you?" Nan Yi put down his teacup, his tone arrogant yet calm.

"Pfft—" Yinzhen, who was drinking tea, was choked by the tea.

Nara remained silent, fiddling with the handkerchief in her hand.

The woman in green stomped her foot, her pretty face flushed red. How arrogant was Madam Tong! The master was right there, yet she showed no restraint. Her eyes instantly filled with tears as she stared at Yinzhen. Nan Yi also glanced over. She hadn't done anything, had she? Why did she look so wronged?

"What bad luck, it's so early in the morning, it's ruining everyone's mood."

She pouted, and Yinzhen frowned, glared at the woman in green, and said in a deep voice, "Step back." The woman in green, Madam Song, seemed not to believe him, covered her face and ran out.

The other women dared not speak further. Nara tightened her handkerchief, and Tong—

"Sister Tong, Sister Song didn't mean it, please don't hold it against her," Li chuckled. Now, Song was going to hate her to death. She didn't need anyone to stir things up, she made an enemy for herself. She laughed at Li for being so stupid. After saying that, she also pretended to be pregnant.

Nan Yi pursed her lips and said, "Sister Li is right. Whether it's a big deal or not is a bit much. I'm a straightforward person, unlike you who can hold a grudge."

Li choked, forced a smile, and ignored her. After a while, she figured it out and became smug again. She said to Yinzhen, "Your Majesty, the two young princes quarreled with me last night, saying they miss their father. When will Your Majesty have time to go see them?"

She spoke to Yinzhen in a sweet, boastful voice, while casually casting a proud glance at the surroundings.

Everyone looked at her with envy and jealousy. She had given birth to two children and was pregnant with another one. She was really lucky, but they couldn't do anything about it.

Upon hearing this, Lady Nara's expression darkened, and she nearly crumpled the handkerchief between her fingers. She thought about how she had been silent ever since giving birth to Honghui, and how she had drunk countless doses of medicine but her stomach remained empty. Meanwhile, Lady Li was pregnant one after another, which made the master look at her differently. She had tried to harm Lady Li several times, but she had escaped unscathed, which was truly hateful. However, she was powerless to do anything about her. She was already furious, and when she heard the master's words, she almost gritted her teeth.

"I'll go this afternoon," Yinzhen agreed to Li Shi after thinking for a moment. When he mentioned his son, his expression softened, and the corners of his mouth turned up, showing his pleasant mood.

Li was very excited to receive confirmation. She looked at Tong and said, "Sister Tong has been in the household for over a year now, hasn't she?"

The implication in his words was quite obvious, which drew Yinzhen's attention.

Nan Yi remained silent, finding it incredibly boring. She was about to lose her temper when she overheard Nan Yi's provocation. She snorted coldly, as if everyone else was like her.

"Yes, so you're quite relaxed, unlike Sister Li who's pregnant and still has to take care of the little prince. Look, you've even forgotten to dress up. Oh, Sister Li, you seem to have developed some spots on your face. You should take care of yourself and not just focus on the little prince, making yourself look like yesterday's flowers." Not only did she say that, but she also stared intently at Li's face.

"Boom"

"when"

"Screech—" Various collision sounds and subtle, suppressed snickers instantly filled the room. Li Shi, embarrassed and ashamed, covered her face with a handkerchief. She saw that her master was also looking at her out of the corner of her eye. She wanted to find a gap in the wall to crawl into and embarrass herself if she didn't come out.

Let her stir up trouble, let her bully the weak—these were cunning words, and everyone felt a sense of satisfaction. Li was pregnant and had been intercepting people from all sides. Hearing these words, she probably wouldn't dare to come out and embarrass herself before the baby was born.

Yinzhen's lips twitched, glancing at the mischievous Tong Shi out of the corner of his eye. She really dared to hurt people, and he also thought it looked bad. Pregnant women all seemed to act like this. Seeing that Li Shi was ashamed and indignant, he quickly spoke up to defuse the situation, "Alright, let me talk about something important. In a few days, I will be going on an inspection tour with Father Emperor. The return date is uncertain. This time, the Fujin will accompany you, and the affairs of the mansion will be temporarily managed by Tong Shi, with the steward assisting. If there are any matters that cannot be handled, you can write to inform me or the Fujin for a decision."

Everyone was surprised and disappointed upon hearing this. They had thought that the selection would be made from among them, but the fact that the Princess Consort was accompanying the Emperor left them all somewhat disheartened. They could compete with anyone else in the household, but not with the Princess Consort.

Nan Yi was taken aback, then refused, "No, I'm not good at managing a household. You should entrust this important task to someone else."

Even the Orchid Courtyard was managed by Aunt Qiu. Managing such a large mansion would probably exhaust her. Besides, she didn't want to compete with the primary wife for power in the inner courtyard; it would be a thankless task.

Our goal isn't the backyard of the Fourth Uncle, but the vast expanse of the outside world.