Chapter 60 Greetings and Gifts
Hongli treated his primary consort, Fucha Langhua, with respect, allowing her to rest in the main courtyard for seven days before letting her summon the concubines in the mansion.
For the past seven days, Fucha Langhua had enjoyed herself immensely, her heart and soul completely devoted to Hongli. When the seven days ended and she learned she would be receiving tea from the concubines, she felt somewhat uncomfortable. However, she remembered her status as the primary consort and did not show it.
With the added confidence given by Hongli's favor and high regard, Fucha Langhua was not flustered at all.
But she wasn't flustered; someone else was. Su Lian, the personal maid she'd brought from the manor, couldn't help but speak up as she dressed her in the morning.
“My lady, the prince only has three concubines now, but we must be wary of all three. Consort Tongjia's family is powerful, not inferior to our Fucha clan. Consort Qing comes from the imperial family, and Princess Gao is the prince's childhood sweetheart, deeply favored by him…”
Fucha Langhua frowned and interrupted her, "Alright, don't worry. I am the primary consort. As long as I remain composed, what does it matter if I am a concubine?"
She still remembered her uncle Ma Qi's words of advice before her marriage: the prince's future was extraordinary, and it was normal for him to have several concubines of high status. As long as she remained calm and fulfilled her duties as the primary consort, her future...
Fucha Langhua's mind was in turmoil for a moment, so she didn't notice the change in Sulian's eyes at all.
Seeing that the Fujin didn't seem to care, Sulian felt that the old lady was right; she should share her mistress's burdens.
"Meow--"
"Woof woof—"
Suddenly, the sound of a small animal came from outside the door. Before Fucha Langhua could ask, a maid in the courtyard came in and reported, "The Prince's beloved pet has run into the main courtyard."
"Frostflower and Frost Orange?" Fucha Langhua asked, somewhat surprised.
Su Lian flattered, "Your Highness's beloved pets are quite intelligent. It seems that Your Highness has been bringing the two little ones to the main courtyard often these past few days, and they've remembered you, so they've come specifically to find you—"
Su Lian's words made Fucha Langhua overjoyed. Since entering the manor, she had known that the cat and dog could be considered the young masters of the manor. Having seen the prince's affectionate attitude towards the two, Fucha Langhua naturally took them to heart as well.
It is said that pets are the best at understanding their owners' feelings. Their initiative to run to the main courtyard proves that the prince has always been thinking of her.
Fucha Langhua was pleased. Although she knew no one would cause trouble, she still instructed, "Don't hurt them. Let them move around on their own."
As soon as Fucha Langhua finished speaking, a pure white kitten's paw peeked in. Soon, a pure white cat, as white as snow and with an elegant posture, walked in, followed by a lazy-looking orange puppy.
"Meow--"
"Woof woof—"
The two little ones seemed to greet Fucha Langhua, slowly walking to her legs and lying down.
"Sure enough, these two little ones are close to the Princess Consort—"
Su Lian sighed in admiration, while Fucha Langhua couldn't stop smiling, completely unaware of what the two little ones at her feet were exchanging thoughts in their minds.
[Wang - Is this the "Executive Vice Queen"?]
[Meow - That's right, the professional master of tricking her master, the number one underdog, is none other than Su Lian! But in this situation, she shouldn't need to make decisions for her master, right?]
[Woof - Well, let's take a look then. Our owner sent us here to keep an eye on her. Want to bet?]
【Meow - What are we betting on?】
[Wang - We all heard outside the door that Fucha Langhua didn't have that idea, so let's bet on Su Lian to see if she'll still add something to the others' rewards. I bet she will!]
[Meow - I'll bet she won't. Fucha Langhua's position as the primary consort is secure; Sulian probably wouldn't do anything unnecessary.]
[Woof - Well, let's see. If you lose, give me your game privileges.]
[Meow - No more gambling, no more gambling. The host said you can't play games.]
[Woof - If you don't agree, then I'll tell my owner you secretly "Timi" -]
[Meow - I promise, I promise, okay?]
Forced to agree to the bet, Shuanghua, still angry, slapped it with her cat paw. Shuangju, not to be outdone, retaliated with a puppy punch. The two little systems soon began to physically fight each other.
Seeing this, Fucha Langhua couldn't help but sigh, "These two little ones have such a good relationship."
The two were stunned for a moment, then separated instantly, neither looking at the other.
At this moment, a pretty and elegant palace maid walked in from outside the door. She bowed to Fucha Langhua and said, "Greetings, Your Highness. I am Lianxin from the front courtyard. I am responsible for taking care of Shuanghua and Shuangju. I did not expect these two little ones to come and disturb Your Highness. I have come to apologize."
Upon hearing that she came from the front yard, Su Lian immediately narrowed her eyes and scrutinized her, her gaze full of vigilance.
Fucha Langhua smiled gently, "It's alright, I like them both very much too. Let them play in the main courtyard."
"Yes, thank you, Madam."
"Madam, it's time to pay your respects." Su Lian stepped forward, gave her a glare, and helped Lang Hua walk towards the main hall.
"Let's go then, don't keep the girls waiting."
Unexpectedly, as soon as Fucha Langhua stood up, the two little creatures that were lying on the ground instantly got up and followed her step by step.
"Madam, why don't I take them away?"
Noticing this, Lianxin quickly stepped forward to speak up, but Fucha Langhua waved her hand and said, "It's alright, let them go if they want to. I'm sure the younger sisters know their identities and won't mind."
Empress Fucha Langhua couldn't help but have a little bit of a show-off mentality.
Lianxin realized it, but since the Fujin had already spoken, she naturally had no objections.
Pretending not to notice Su Lian's scrutiny and glare, Lianxin smiled and followed, "Then this servant will go with the Fujin. This servant will wait outside the hall. Please feel free to give any instructions if you have any questions."
"Very well, then I'll trouble Lianxin to accompany me."
Fucha Langhua was quite polite to the people around the prince.
...
"Greetings to the Princess Consort."
When Fucha Langhua sat down at the head of the table, the three people sitting on either side stood up in unison and bowed to her in greeting.
“Please rise, my three sisters. Now that you’ve entered this Prince’s residence, you’re family. There’s no need to be so formal.”
Empress Fucha Langhua displayed the demeanor of a primary consort, gently calling out to her.
Tong Jia Zhilan was composed, Qingying felt awkward, but Gao Xiyue, who had always been pampered by Hongli, remained cheerful and naive. She was the first to speak when she heard Fucha Langhua's words.
"Thank you, Madam. Madam, I haven't seen Shuanghua and Shuangju for several days. Oh, they're with you!"
Lianxin, who was waiting outside the door, was speechless for a moment when she heard Gao Xiyue's words. Xiyue really hasn't improved at all. If you didn't know better, you would think that she was deliberately making trouble for the Fujin.
Fucha Langhua froze upon hearing this, and Tongjia Zhilan couldn't help but glance sideways. Was Gao Xiyue really going to fight with the Fujin?
As for Qingying, she was still lost in her own sadness and emptiness.
But seeing Gao Xiyue laughing and joking, with a pure look in her eyes, the two were relieved. Judging from Gao Gege's appearance, it didn't seem like she was doing it on purpose.
Fucha Langhua smiled again and replied, "When I was doing my hair this morning, the two of them came running over and followed me closely. I couldn't bear to stop them, so I brought them along. I hope the three of you won't mind?"
"Of course not."
Tong Jia Zhilan also gave face by replying, "Who doesn't know that this is the prince's beloved pet? Who would dare to dislike it?"
Fucha Langhua nodded and instructed Sulian, "Bring up the gifts I prepared for my sisters."
"yes."
Su Lian withdrew, and thinking of Gao Xiyue's "disrespect" just now, she made up her mind, replaced the original gift given to her, and served it up.
"This is a red-gold lotus bracelet, a tribute from Annam, bestowed upon me by the Emperor. Today, I present it to my two concubine sisters..."
Fucha Langhua glanced at the newly designed gold hairpin, frowned slightly, and then looked at Su Lian before saying, "Sister Xiyue is so elegant, this lotus gold hairpin is a gift for you. From now on, the four of us are all sisters..."
Regardless of whether they liked it or not, the three of them happily accepted the gifts from the Princess Consort and said they would wear them often.
The atmosphere in the hall seemed just right. Su Lian followed the instructions and came downstairs. Just as she was about to hand over the items on the plate to the three people, a cat and a dog that had been lazily lying on the ground wagging their tails suddenly stood up and barked wildly around Su Lian.
"Meow!"
"Woof! Woof!"
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