Danzhu looked at the smile on her face and said in a low voice, "It seems that after the wedding night, the relationship between the princess and the prince is different."
The previous cold politeness seemed to have turned into sweetness.
Especially before they consummated their marriage, the prince was never seen frequently visiting the inner courtyard, let alone showing particular favor to any of his wives. But unexpectedly, after the princess was drugged, the prince seemed to have developed a taste for it.
Whenever she went to tidy up the house and bed, she would blush with embarrassment upon seeing those marks.
Moreover, the girl's attitude towards the prince has changed a lot.
Shen Youying slowed her pace, lowered her eyes, and said, "After consummating the marriage, it's naturally different."
Danzhu shook his head: "I think the prince likes the girl very much."
Shen Youying's cheeks flushed slightly again. Just as she was about to say something, she saw Consort Xiao and several other ladies walking towards her. They bowed respectfully to her and said, "Your Highness."
Shen Youying's pounding heart suddenly felt like it had been hit, and plummeted to the bottom. The blush on her face also faded, and she subconsciously put on an impeccable smile, nodding slightly and saying, "Consort Xiao, there's no need for such formalities."
Consort Xiao rose and said softly, "I heard a few days ago that the Princess was ill, so I thought I'd come to visit." As she spoke, she carefully examined Shen Youying's face and, seeing that her complexion was rosy and she did not look sick, smiled and said, "Judging from the Princess's rosy complexion, it seems that you have already recovered?"
The fact that Shen Youying had been drugged at Prince Chen's residence could not be made public. Xue Shen only told the outside world that she had suddenly fallen ill and had been recuperating at Tingmei Pavilion for a few days.
But Shen Youying herself knew what had happened in those few days, and when Consort Xiao mentioned it, she looked a little uncomfortable: "Yes, I'm all better now. Thank you for your concern."
She didn't want to offend someone who was smiling, so she welcomed them in and instructed Bai Luodanzhu to serve tea.
Accompanying Consort Xiao were two other ladies. One was young and plump, named Wen Yao'er, and was called Lady Yao. The other was petite and delicate, with an oval face, named Xia He, and was called Lady He.
The three chatted over tea, and inevitably the topic of the backyard came up. Madam Yao blinked at Shen Youying and said gratefully, "Speaking of which, since the Princess Consort entered the mansion, the Prince has come to the backyard less often, and our lives have become much easier."
Shen Youying paused slightly, naturally understanding her meaning.
It is said that before she married into the Prince's Mansion, Xue Shen basically stayed in the courtyards of those ladies in turn. Sometimes, when he was in the mood, he would even summon two or three ladies at the same time.
While the rumors outside were indeed exaggerated, even the parts that weren't exaggerated didn't sound too pleasant to Shen Youying.
She lowered her eyes and smiled, "Your Highness's temper has improved a lot lately."
"This is all thanks to the Princess," Madam He echoed.
Shen Youying gave a perfunctory smile and lowered her eyes to drink her tea.
After the three finished their tea, seeing that she didn't seem to be in high spirits, they tactfully took their leave.
Once outside Tingmei Pavilion, Madam Yao dropped her feigned childish smile and pouted, saying, "You all saw it?"
Madam He's expression wasn't exactly cheerful: "It seems our guess was right, the Prince and the Princess have indeed consummated their marriage." She glanced at Consort Xiao subconsciously and said, "And they haven't rested at all these past few days."
Although the princess was dressed conservatively, they were all experienced and could immediately spot the unusual thing about her.
Madam Yao puffed out her cheeks, somewhat displeased, and shook Consort Xiao's arm: "The Prince never touched those women sent in before. Even if he was forced to pretend, he would use drugs to make us stage the scene. How come this time..."
She felt indignant on behalf of Xiao Xueying: "Sister Xueying has waited for so many years."
Consort Xiao pinched her cheek and said softly, "Don't talk nonsense. We are all just subordinates. How can we presume to guess what the prince is thinking?"
Madam He said, "The Prince has become increasingly unpredictable in recent years. I was thinking that if anyone could be chosen to serve the Prince, it would definitely be Sister Xueying... I didn't expect that an outsider would beat me to it."
She recalled the princess's charming and alluring appearance and sighed, "But then again, with the princess's looks, let alone men, even I might not be able to be a virtuous person."
Consort Xiao's composed expression faltered for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. She shook her head and said, "Your Highness is a man of great vision and will not be swayed by beauty. You must have other plans."
Madam He, however, thought it was not necessarily true.
Besides Xiao Xueying, she, Wen Yao, and two other people were all chosen from the Red Chamber and placed in the backyard of the Prince's Mansion. Their purpose was to keep an eye on these restless women in the backyard and, when necessary, to leak information without leaving a trace.
The King of Qin's infamy today is largely due to their efforts.
Having followed the Prince of Qin for a long time, and being in the backyard of the Prince's mansion, they knew more than others.
For example, although the King of Qin was not as tyrannical and bloodthirsty as rumored, his temperament was indeed unpredictable and far from benevolent. She had personally witnessed the King of Qin behead a traitor—that person was originally a spy trained by the Red Chamber, who was transferred to the Prince's residence because of a shortage of people. As a result, she was easily bribed and attempted to leak information about the Prince's residence, but before she could succeed, the King of Qin discovered her scheme.
At that time, the King of Qin ordered his men to gag and tie up the woman, and then summoned all the women in the backyard. In front of everyone, he raised his knife and beheaded her, the warm blood spraying all over the yard.
At that time, she felt that the King of Qin looked at them as if they were nothing but weeds.
He rarely gets angry, and as long as he does his job properly, he is relatively stable.
Xia He felt that such a ruthless and decisive person would not pamper a woman he did not like in order to achieve his goal, and the other women sent into the backyard had already confirmed this.
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