When Song Wanning entered the palace, she happened to meet Wu Junrou at the palace gate.
Wu Junrou's family had just added a concubine, which had cooled the relationship between her and Master Yin. Previously, none of the concubines were as beautiful or well-mannered as Wu Junrou, and Master Yin had always listened to her. Now that Yuan Xian was in the Song residence, she had a firm grip on Master Yin's heart, and Master Yin had even less contact with Wu Junrou. He would often visit Yuan Xian's courtyard whenever he had nothing to do, leaving Wu Junrou angry but helpless.
Yuan Xian was even more of a soft nail who knew nothing about anything. No matter how she pleaded, it was useless. She had to plan carefully to deal with Yuan Xian, which gave her a headache.
Wu Junrou had suffered such a huge setback at the hands of Song Wanning, so naturally, she didn't have a good face towards Song Wanning. But in the end, there was no evidence to implicate Song Wanning, so on the surface, it was all Wu Junrou's fault.
She said she would take a concubine for the Prime Minister, but ended up taking a concubine for her own master, making the Prime Minister lose face. Now, Wu Junrou was not only uncomfortable in the mansion, but also had a bad reputation outside.
When Song Wanning saw Wu Junrou, she smiled and greeted her without any prior grudges. "Aunt, I'm here to visit the palace today. I'm not sure what the difference is between the peonies in the palace and those outside. We're here to see something new."
Wu Junrou forced a smile, but her eyes were practically spitting fire. "I've been to the palace a few times and the peonies there are indeed much more beautiful than those elsewhere. Since my niece hasn't seen them properly, I should take a good look today. As the Prime Minister's wife, you should learn the rules of the palace. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't know anything, which would bring disgrace to the Prime Minister's Mansion."
After hearing this, Song Wanning still had a faint smile on her face. She only said, "Aunt is right. I have learned my lesson. In the future, I will definitely learn how to be a good wife and not embarrass the Prime Minister."
The two were talking when they arrived at Concubine Xian's Dehua Palace in the blink of an eye.
The virtuous concubine is now favored, and Dehua Palace is also an extremely spacious palace. The peonies planted there are now in full bloom. It is not surprising that Princess Xiangyu would use this excuse to invite Song Wanning into the palace.
Song Wanning had just entered the palace when she looked up and saw Liu Yuyuan standing inside. The Pingyuan Marquis's family was prominent, so naturally they were among those invited by Princess Xiangyu.
Now that the virtuous concubine and the princess have not arrived yet, the ladies in the palace are talking in a quite relaxed manner.
When those ladies saw Wu Junrou, their expressions were quite strange. They must have heard that Wu Junrou had taken a concubine for the Prime Minister but ended up taking a concubine for Master Yin.
This matter now sounds really disgraceful to outsiders, and it doesn't seem like something Wu Junrou would do, but the fact is that it is so, and even Wu Junrou's explanation is useless. Now there are even rumors that the relationship between Master Yin and Wu Junrou has gradually faded, and Wu Junrou wants to take a concubine for him in order to win back her husband.
However, Wu Junrou felt that it would be awkward to publicly announce that her husband had taken a concubine, so she took a concubine for her husband under the pretext of taking a concubine for the prime minister.
That's how rumors are in the capital. Once they start, they spread as badly as they can.
Wu Junrou once stood at the highest moral ground, but now she was being criticized like this. However, Wu Junrou remained dignified and maintained a respectable appearance.
Song Wanning stepped past Wu Junrou and approached Liu Yuyuan to speak. Liu Yuyuan held Song Wanning's hand and said happily, "I thought you would come, and today I see you're here. It's really rare to see you. We only met briefly on your wedding day, and we haven't seen each other much since."
"I'm so happy to see you today," Song Wanning said, moving closer to look at Liu Yuyuan's clothes. She was wearing an autumn-scented skirt with plump peony flowers embroidered on the hem. Seeing this, Song Wanning laughed out loud and said, "This dress really suits you today."
"Don't tease me. I was thinking of getting another one made at the shop, but the business was so good that I forgot about my skirt. None of my other clothes are as pretty as this one, so I thought I'd wear this one. It's perfect for the occasion." Liu Yuyuan, noticing Song Wanning's expression, also joked, "I see you look much better now. I'm afraid you're having a good time following the Prime Minister."
Liu Yuyuan glanced back at Wu Junrou standing behind her, then took Song Wanning's hand and walked two steps to the side, saying in a low voice, "I've heard about your aunt's affairs. Now it's spreading all over Shengjing. She took a concubine for her master but still tried to uphold the reputation of doing good for the Prime Minister. It's really embarrassing for you and got you into trouble for no reason."
"We're all family, I can't turn my back on them, right?" Song Wanning smiled faintly. "People in the capital always say the Prime Minister is unkind, but I don't think so now. Look at what kind of relative this is? The bride has only been married for a short time, and he's already arranging for me to take in a concubine. I thought it was all the elders' good intentions, but who could have known that something like this would happen later? It's really chilling."
Liu Yuyuan agreed with what she said, and she tutted her tongue twice. She looked at Song Wanning and smiled slowly, "Now that this incident has made the ladies in the capital see through her true colors, I'm afraid your life will be easier."
"I don't think so." Song Wanning shook her head slightly and laughed again, "There's no point in worrying now. We can only take it one step at a time."
The two of them whispered for a while, and soon Concubine Xian came with Princess Xiangyu.
But there was someone else who had arrived, someone Song Wanning had never seen before. He looked to be a man of eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a brocade robe embroidered with gold thread, looking very elegant. His overall aura was unmatched, but his expression was a bit cunning, making it difficult to tell his true depth.
Song Wanning squinted her eyes at the man above her and whispered in Liu Yuyuan's ear, "Who is this man?"
Liu Yuyuan leaned close to Song Wanning and whispered, "This is the current fifth prince, Prince An Xie Ke."
The current dynasty's surname is Xie. The emperor had more than a dozen sons, but unfortunately some died or became disabled. Now, there are only five sons still alive, and all five sons covet the throne.
Although there is a crown prince, it is a pity that Crown Prince Xie Cheng failed to inherit the emperor's wisdom and decisiveness, and instead has become somewhat mediocre. In the current court, the most popular figure is the current Prince An Xie Ke.
Xie Ke was born to Concubine Xian, and that was why Concubine Xian was so favored.
Nowadays, the power struggle in the court is undercurrent. Yin Yichen alone holds all the power in the court, so he will naturally be feared by the princes.
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