Li He quickly responded to Nangong Xin’s inquiry, informing her that the princess had granted her consent.
Nangong Xin, having lost the will to converse further, waved Li He away dismissively, urging him to leave.
Without a word, Li He complied and departed.
Shortly after his departure, wet nurse Zhao and Yuewan arrived at Nangong Xin’s quarters, seeking an audience with the queen consort.
Nangong Xin glanced at Cuihe, who upon understanding the situation, promptly went out to greet them, "Greetings, wet nurse Zhao. Greetings, Miss Yuewan."
Wet nurse Zhao, with a smiling countenance, responded, "Greetings, Miss Cuihe. Yuewan and I, at the princess’ behest, have come to pay our respects to the queen consort."
"Please, wet nurse Zhao, please, miss Yuewan," Cuihe hastened to usher them in. "The queen consort is awaiting your arrival."
Wet nurse Zhao nodded and smilingly followed Cuihe, accompanied by Yuewan. They then entered the inner hall and paid their respects to Nangong Xin.
This was the first time they had met the famed queen consort since their arrival at the royal palace. They were taken aback by the queen’s youth and beauty. They wondered how such a beautiful woman was not favored by the king. Wet nurse Zhao found it admirable that the king was so dedicated and devoted; Yuewan, however, thought it was a waste that such a beauty was neglected by the king. It was no wonder that their young mistress had been compassionate enough to let her live, knowing her affinity for beauty and her tendency to show leniency to those possessing it.
Nangong Xin might have made things difficult for Li He, but she wouldn’t do the same to wet nurse Zhao and Yuewan. She was frustrated that Su Rong chose to spare her life and insisted on her performing laborious tasks using the pretext of the Nangong family’s ancestral tomb. She understood that Su Rong was not seeking another pair of hands to work. Su Rong was aware that despite his refusal to enter the Imperial Harem, his palace had seen no lack of palace women. Thus, there were plenty of women willing to wield the Phoenix Seal and it didn’t necessarily have to be her. As such, although she was disgruntled, she knew better than to let it get the best of her.
No one wanted to lead a miserable life when they could enjoy a comfortable one. She’d rather die than live a life of misery.
Therefore, following Yuewan and wet nurse Zhao’s formal greetings, Nangong Xin accepted their formalities in a calm and amicable manner. She invited them to seat themselves and commenced discussing palace affairs with them.
The palace was now different from what it had been before. Whether she had been lax or strict before didn’t matter. The king, regardless of who he loved or didn’t love, kept himself locked away in his sleeping quarters, leaving the harem women to their own devices without playing favorites.
But now, the princess had arrived—the princess, who was the fiancé of Lord Thursday, was now residing in the palace, along with the people brought along from her household. With the large number of people, it was necessary to consolidate the rules of the palace and ensure everyone adjusted quickly. This would prevent any mishaps and pave the way for a smooth future.
She also had to address the issue of the harem women. Some might want to voluntarily return home. They would be given a sum of silver and released. Those who didn’t want to leave would be handled according to the palace regulations. This was to ensure that there would be no incidents where younger, fairer women set their sights on the princess’ handsome husband-to-be.
Therefore, Nangong Xin decided to put aside her former despondency. She accepted the Phoenix Seal, and once again took up the queen’s responsibilities. Having served for many years as the queen consort, trained by the Nangong Family to assume the role from an early age, she was capable of taking everything into consideration. This even compelled wet nurse Zhao—who had previously served by the Grand Empress Dowager of Daliang— to praise her discreetly.
After a night of discussion, wet nurse Zhao and Yuewan joined Nangong Xin for dinner before departing from the queen’s sleeping palace.
Once they were far enough away and no one was around, Yuewan began to speak softly to wet nurse Zhao, "Wet nurse Zhao, I never expected the queen consort to consider the princess’s interests to such an extent. Even thinking about girls who might try to allure Lord Thursday, how unexpected. I can’t help noticing the similarity with the mistress."
Wet nurse Zhao chuckled, whispering back, "Human nature is quite complicated. Both the queen consort and princess left a margin for life. We can only live in harmony with one another because we both understand our bounds and honor each other’s space. Remember, ’Give an inch, take a mile.’
Upon hearing this, Yuewan was a little confused. She clung to wet nurse Zhao’s arm, "Ahhh, wet nurse Zhao, I’m so tired, I don’t want to work anymore."
Wet nurse Zhao reminded her, "Think of your monthly allowance. It’s equal to my wage."
Yuewan was exhausted. "The monthly allowance won’t save me, I’m too weary."
Wet nurse Zhao added, "On top of the monthly allowance, we each have an independent house in the royal capital. It was given to us along with the followers of the princess as a reward for their service, so we have what all the others have."
Yuewan immediately straightened up, her eyes wide, "Wet nurse Zhao, why didn’t you tell me sooner?"
Wet nurse Zhao smiled, "I was afraid you would be too excited. I thought it would be best to keep it a secret."
Yuewan was so happy she wanted to jump. "Ahhhh, the king is too kind! Even we have our own houses."
"Not only that – where the house is located is a prime area in East City where officials reside. It’s a place you wouldn’t be able to buy even if you had the money." Wet nurse Zhao added.
Yuewan was deliriously happy, "Long live the king!"
Wet nurse Zhao covered her mouth, "Keep your voice down in the middle of the night! Now that you are a woman of the very center of the palace, someone that everybody has to call Miss Yuewan, don’t bring shame to the princess."
Though Yuewan closed her mouth immediately, she couldn’t contain her excitement. "Even though I plan to stick to the mistress for the rest of my life, it’s still delightful to have my own house." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
She cheerfully shook off wet nurse Zhao’s hand, returning to full energy once more, "Wet nurse Zhao, we must go out and take a look at our houses someday. I’m so excited to see what my house looks like."
"Hold on, hold on! Let’s wait until all the palace affairs are settled, and everything about the princess and Lord Thursday has been properly arranged." Wet nurse Zhao motivated Yuewan, "So, you can’t slack off. Once we return to the royal capital with the princess and Lord Thursday and move into the royal palace, let’s help the queen consort to sort everything out as early as possible."
"Alright!" Yuewan nodded repeatedly, "I’ll get up early tomorrow."
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