Yuan Yue walked in, holding the dress Meng Wan was going to wear on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Meng Qi flipped through it and said, "Okay, this is it. Just have it delivered a day in advance."
Turning back to Madam Liu, he said, "If you want to compete, then compete. I hope they don't see me. Besides, no matter how well I dress, can I surpass the princess? There are two adult princesses in the palace. One is Princess Yong'an, who is the apple of the Empress' eye, and the other is Princess Fanghua, who is the apple of the Emperor's eye. How can I deserve to draw their attention to me?"
After saying this, Meng Qi sat back down, thinking about Emperor Jing'an's children.
Emperor Jing'an had more sons than daughters. He had five princesses in total, but the eldest princess never made it to adulthood. The second princess was the daughter of the emperor's aunt's cousin, but unfortunately, this cousin died young, leaving behind only a daughter who developed a limp due to excessive force from the midwife during childbirth. As a result, she developed a sensitive and petty personality. The emperor, deeply concerned about her, kept her close to the Empress and raised her alongside Princess Yong'an, providing her with the same level of comfort and well-being as the legitimate princess.
There is no need to talk about Yong'an. She and her brother, Prince Cheng, have opposite personalities and do not seem like they were born from the same mother.
As a legitimate princess, Yong'an had plenty of reasons to be proud, yet she was also chaste and sensible. Every day, she spent time with the older, illegitimate daughter of Fanghua, and it was always she who gave in. She was the rare master in the palace who wasn't manipulated.
The remaining two princess mothers had low positions and were young, so Meng Qi had almost no impression of them.
Among Emperor Jing'an's sons, five reached adulthood.
The Crown Prince, the late Empress's only son, was appointed Crown Prince at an early age and has held the position for over thirty years. Now 38, he has only one daughter, born to the Crown Princess. While there are many women in the Eastern Palace, none have conceived. The Crown Princess is so anxious that she's even burning incense in Henan and Shanxi. It's said that the Crown Prince suffered a childhood illness, leaving him weak and struggling to have children. This is a key reason why Prince Cheng and Prince Duan disregard the Crown Prince and dare to challenge him.
Prince Duan, the second son of the Emperor, was born to Concubine Xiang. As mentioned earlier, Concubine Xiang had a fiery temper. Originally a military officer, the Xiang family had only one daughter, Concubine Xiang. Raised as a boy from a young age, she was competitive and dared to compete with men. Unfortunately, the Xiang family's decline was evident with each successive generation. The current head of the household was Concubine Xiang's brother, a man who begged his sister for a living. While Prince Duan's temper wasn't like Concubine Xiang's, his brains were like his uncle's: a complete idiot. He was forbidden to speak against her and had to be praised. He had no talent but loved to show off, a man who could do more harm than good.
The third prince did not grow up and died early.
Prince Jing, the fourth prince, was born to the virtuous Consort. He presented himself as a refined and elegant young man, gentle and polite, always smiling modestly. He never interfered in matters and enjoyed good relationships with his brothers, earning him the Emperor's favor. He was also known for his generosity, especially among the palace maids and eunuchs of the previous dynasty. Even just showing the way or helping to find something would earn him a reward, making him a highly regarded and popular figure.
The fifth prince, Prince Cheng, had a fiery temper, easily ignited without needing to be lit. Born to the current queen, he looked down on everyone, especially the crown prince, as he believed that since the previous queen was gone and his mother was now the queen, he had to be the crown prince. Therefore, he always treated the crown prince as if he were air, and even Prince Rui, who was close to the crown prince, had many flaws in his eyes. Prince Cheng also had a special habit, which was to like young girls. Many people catered to his taste and sent many underage girls to the palace. It was said that there were young girls carried out of the palace every month, which was really a sin.
Thinking of this, Meng Qi thought of another person, a girl from the Meng family named Meng Zhi. In the spring, the Meng family gave her to Prince Cheng. She only found out later that it was Meng Hai's idea. The Song family had searched through all the girls in the Meng family and chose her.
In their previous life, they had no contact with Meng Zhi before she got married. However, after she married Prince Rui, Prince Cheng took her out a few times during palace banquets and when their brothers gathered together. It seemed that Prince Cheng liked her very much.
Later, when King Cheng failed, she had no idea where she went or what happened to her.
Next is the sixth prince, Prince Rui, who is the same person Meng Qi married in her past and present life.
Meng Qi sighed. There were two paths before her. Which path should she choose?
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