Mother Jin and Roland responded in unison.
"The eldest young master did not go back with Concubine Lin." Mother Jin said again.
"Oh? Could it be that the prince kept her here?" Li asked.
Mother Jin nodded. "I think so too. Ever since the prince's wedding, he's been paying more and more attention to the eldest young master. Last time when he paid his respects to the princess, the prince specifically instructed him about the eldest young master's affairs. A few days ago, he sent the eldest young master to the outer courtyard. He kept the eldest young master here today. I wonder if he has some ideas?"
Mrs. Li shook her head. "The eldest young master is the prince's eldest son and will inherit the family business. He is already seven years old this year, and it is time for the prince to pay attention to him. However, the prince was too busy in previous years and had no time to worry about the affairs of the palace. Now that he thinks about it, I am afraid he wants the princess to take more care of him."
"Princess? How is that possible? Will the princess control the eldest young master?" Mother Jin asked in confusion.
"It's not up to her to decide whether to intervene or not. No matter what, the princess is also the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family. No matter what, she won't be like that shallow-minded person who bothers the young master to win his favor."
Upon hearing this, Mother Jin sighed, "Tell me, does the prince know that the eldest young master is being used and tortured by Concubine Lin like this?"
"Of course I don't know. Not to mention that the prince doesn't return to the inner palace often. As long as the prince feels guilty about the late princess and trusts the Lin family, he won't think too much. This young master is the hope of the Lin family. No one wants the best for him more than the Lin family. Besides, the young Lin family's behavior is the most superficial. After so many years in the inner palace, she has cultivated many connections. Who would dare to talk to the prince?"
Mother Jin shook her head. "You're right. I still remember that Concubine Lin did love and care for the Young Master for the first two years. After she started to torment the Young Master, you even mentioned it to the Prince, but he questioned you, thinking you had some ulterior motive."
Mrs. Li thought of that incident and smiled coldly, "Yes, it's not my Li family, so I don't need to worry about it anymore. But I'm afraid that Xiao Lin's play will not be easy to perform in the future. Look, today's plan didn't succeed."
Mother Jin hummed, "I just hope the prince can come to the inner palace more often and see through Concubine Lin as soon as possible. To be frank, the prince is really pitiful. He originally thought that after marrying a new princess, he could go out into the world without any worries, but he didn't expect that the princess would make him worry so much."
Hearing this, Roland said indignantly, "Hmph, the princess is the same. She's not satisfied with marrying our prince. Doesn't she know what kind of reputation she married into? The prince treats her with such courtesy, which is a great favor. But she keeps making trouble every other day. When will there be true peace in the inner chambers of this mansion?"
"Shut up! Do you think you can talk about the princess?" Li stared at Roland and said sternly.
Roland reached out and gently patted her cheek, "It was my fault for being too talkative. I won't do it again."
"Go and take this jacket to the second young master and let Mrs. Zhao see if it fits him." Mrs. Li handed the jacket to Roland.
Watching Roland leave, Mother Jin said softly, "Don't be angry, Roland is telling the truth."
Li sighed, "I know this is the truth. I also hope that the prince can marry a princess who is sensible, prestigious, and has a clean background, and can get along with us. She can take good care of the inner courtyard of the Rui Palace and deal with the troublemakers like Xiao Lin and Wu. But things have not turned out as we wished. This is also something that the prince cannot disobey. It is an imperial decree."
At this point, Li stood up and looked at the snowflakes gently drifting outside the window. "I understand the hardships the prince has endured along the way. Such a good person, yet no one loves him, no one cares about him, and he has to constantly look after others. I remember the prince was fifteen or sixteen years old that year. I don't know what Prince Duan said that upset the crown prince."
"The Crown Prince had his eunuchs play a trick on Prince Duan, but Prince Duan discovered it and, after the Imperial Concubine Xiang, took Prince Duan to the Emperor to demand an explanation. Fearing punishment from the Emperor, the Crown Prince pushed the Prince out without consulting him beforehand. The Prince, upon hearing the Crown Prince's accusation that he had done it, could not deny it. However, he didn't know what the Crown Prince had done, so he simply kowtowed to the Emperor and said he was wrong. When asked what he had done wrong, he didn't know how to explain it, but he just kept saying it was wrong. This caused the Emperor to pick up his inkstone and throw it at the Crown Prince."
Mother Jin picked up the handkerchief and handed it to Li. Li gently pressed the corner of her eyes and said, "It's a pity that I am stupid and can't help the prince at all."
"It's not your fault, it's that you're powerless. Although you nominally have the power to manage the inner chambers, look at what good has fallen into our hands. It's all thankless work. The silver is in the hands of Concubine Lin, and the job of managing people is in the hands of Madam Hai. Alas, last time you wanted to return these things to the princess, but she refused to accept them."
Li waved her hand. "Forget it. It's only a matter of time. As long as I have one day in my hands, I'll do my best. Tomorrow is the day to pay my respects to the princess. Bring me the embroidered muff and I'll add a few more stitches."
Mother Jin should go down and get it.
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