Meanwhile, after leaving the Qian Yuan Palace, Di Jinghan felt extremely bored and knew he couldn't tease the palace servants anymore; he had to restrain himself. Otherwise, he might cause his beautiful sister-in-law to worry excessively, harming her health and leaving her with a bad impression.
Seeing her princess wandering aimlessly, Ning Hui reminded her, "Princess, the two concubines are probably still waiting in the plum garden of the Imperial Garden."
Di Jinghan pursed her lips, her eyes filled with suspicion: "Is that so? I think those two are good at changing their tune depending on the situation. They've been waiting all morning and no one's come, so they'll probably leave on their own."
"Besides, I heard that my sister-in-law was bullied to tears by Consort Wu and those two women last time. I have to stand up for her!" Di Jinghan felt extremely sorry for her when she thought of her beautiful sister-in-law's aggrieved appearance with tears in her eyes.
"What the princess says is very true." Ning Huiyuan was unaware that her princess harbored thoughts of revenge, and now she had nothing to say.
"Ning Hui, don't worry, nothing will happen. Let's go find Second Brother!"
"Yes, Princess."
The master and servant turned left and headed towards the palace where Emperor Jingyuan resided. The eunuch guarding the palace gate, upon seeing the newcomers, couldn't help but sweat and hurriedly stepped forward to greet them: "Your servants greet the Princess."
"Rise. I'm here to see my second brother. Is he in the palace right now?" Di Jinghan said casually, glancing inside.
"Your Highness, the Prince is not in the palace right now. He went to the Plum Garden early this morning and has not yet returned." The two eunuchs looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Alright, I understand. Ning Hui, let's go to the Plum Garden." Di Jinghan inwardly cried out in alarm, "What if Consort Liu and Noble Lady Li are in trouble?"
Seeing their young mistress leave so swiftly today, the two eunuchs couldn't help but beam with joy: "Your servants respectfully see the Princess off!"
——Plum Garden
After bidding farewell to Emperor Jinghan, Consort Li and Consort Liu arrived at Plum Garden. However, due to the authority of Prince Yuan, they only dared to wait in the cold wind at the entrance and did not dare to go in on their own.
The two waited and waited, but Princess Changning did not appear, let alone the Empress. Their hopes and anxieties turned into disappointment, and finally into exasperation.
The two, whose clothes weren't particularly warm to begin with, had been standing in the cold wind all morning, their cheeks turning red and their hands icy cold. They ran to a nearby pavilion to escape the chill. The pavilion had wind curtains around it, which provided some relief, but in the freezing weather, it was like a drop in the ocean.
"Xingchen, do you think this might be the Princess playing a trick on us?" Consort Li huddled together with her maid, keeping each other warm. Liu Xingchen, the Beauty, was also close by on the other side.
Liu Meiren trembled, her words slurred: "It's probably... another trick of the Eldest Princess. Perhaps we should go back."
As the two were talking, Di Jingyuan appeared at the entrance of Plum Garden. He was talking to a slightly older palace maid, who was listening respectfully with her head down, nodding occasionally.
"Isn't that Prince Yuan?"
Consort Li curled her lip indifferently: "Prince Yuan has always disliked the palace, so he won't help us."
“That makes sense, but that day, he knelt in the snow in the Qian Yuan Palace for a long time without getting up. It was Prince Yuan who pleaded for us. I suppose he is not a person who cannot distinguish right from wrong or who is heartless.” Consort Liu said hesitantly.
"Don't forget, it was Prince Yuan's doing that day that Consort Shu, no, Consort Wu, fell into such a miserable state."
“But Prince Yuan didn’t target us that day!” Liu Meiren said innocently.
Consort Li rubbed her forehead, nodded helplessly, and looked like she was saying, "You're right about everything."
Liu Meiren had really set her sights on Di Jingyuan, pulling her girlfriends out of the pavilion: "Come on, how will we know if we don't try! At most we'll be ridiculed, nothing else will happen."
Consort Li had no choice but to follow. The two of them walked over gracefully, their faces showing ingratiating expressions, trying their best to appear natural.
The two were of low rank and were required to bow to the prince. Emperor Jingyuan had just finished instructing Qiu Xiang on some important matters when two extra people appeared beside him, followed by four maids. He frowned uncomfortably.
"Greetings, Prince Yuan."
Di Jingyuan tried his best to maintain his composure and nodded slightly: "My two young masters."
Di Jingyuan and Di Jinghan, being siblings, both disliked the smell of perfume on the two people in front of them, and knew that they were both opportunists.
Consort Li and Lady Liu straightened up, exchanged a glance, and were momentarily speechless.
Di Jingyuan didn't want to pay attention to them and turned to leave.
In her haste, Consort Liu pleaded, "Prince Yuan, please wait."
A hint of displeasure flashed across Di Jingyuan's face as he stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from them: "Is there anything else, my two young masters?"
Consort Liu quickly pulled Consort Li forward and knelt at Emperor Jingyuan's feet, her face filled with sorrow: "Please, Your Highness, help us two concubines."
Di Jingyuan's once gentle smile was now utterly disgusted. He turned to look at the two men, subtly taking a step back: "Why do you two perform such a grand gesture?"
"Your Highness, our lives in the palace are difficult. The Imperial Household Department often deducts our allowances. Please, Your Highness, plead with Her Majesty the Empress on our behalf," said Consort Liu.
"Please, Your Highness, have mercy! We two concubines have made a mistake on this trip, but we are truly desperate." Consort Liu's eyes were filled with hope. She had heard that only Prince Yuan was the most gentle person in the palace, so she thought he would not leave her to die.
Emperor Jingyuan, being a member of the royal family, was quick-witted. If he were to bring this up with his elder brother, the empress would be accused of mistreating the harem and would be criticized by the court and the people, which would cause her distress.
Besides, these two people are not related to her at all, and they made her cry so sadly a few days ago. She really doesn't know why these two women think that she is really helping them.
It was common knowledge in the palace that concubines who were not favored and of low birth were unpopular, and no one ever dared to break this unspoken rule. Therefore, in order to make their lives more comfortable, they constantly schemed and vied for the emperor's favor, but none of this concerned him.
However, now that the two of them are openly asking her for help, this matter will probably spread throughout the palace and the court within half a day, which is very disadvantageous to her!
Now, he's in a bit of a dilemma.
The two were still kneeling on the cold floor tiles, looking at him pitifully with hopeful eyes: "Your Highness..."
"Please rise, both of you." Di Jingyuan said calmly, pacing slowly to the side, deep in thought.
Both Consort Liu and Noble Lady Li were completely baffled. Whether Prince Yuan would help or not remained unclear, which was truly worrying.
As time passed, Di Jinghan arrived at the entrance of Plum Garden and saw this strange scene: a prince and two concubines. What kind of combination was this?
"Second Imperial Brother!" Di Jinghan called out to Di Jingyuan in a raised voice. Upon seeing his younger sister appear, Di Jingyuan had a sudden inspiration!
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