Song Xibai's eyes narrowed slightly.
What does Princess Lu mean by this?
Princess Lu's words were clearly pointed at something.
Song Xibai lowered his gaze slightly.
"Judging from what Princess Lu is saying, is she blaming His Majesty and me for not taking good care of the Empress Dowager?"
Her expression was indifferent, revealing the aura of a palace master to outsiders for the first time.
Even the Princess of Wu, who had known her the longest, was secretly alarmed.
Princess Lu's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly waved her hand to explain, "That's not what I meant, Your Majesty, you've misunderstood. It's just that I haven't seen my grandmother in a long time and I miss her very much."
Song Xibai looked at her, but before she could speak, Princess Qin, standing to the side, spoke up with a puzzled expression.
"But in the past, our grandmother didn't really like us visiting her! At most, we'd pay our respects once a month. Sometimes, when she stayed at the Huangjue Temple, we wouldn't see her for months!"
Princess Qin's words were so direct that Song Xibai almost burst out laughing.
Princess Lu's expression stiffened slightly, but she quickly recovered.
"Sister-in-law Wang, even if you can't see your grandmother, you can't neglect your filial duty!"
Song Xibai smiled and said, "It is good that Princess Lu wants to fulfill her filial duties, but we are here in the palace! There is no need for Princess Lu to trouble herself."
Princess Wu nodded in agreement: "That's right, that's right. Sister-in-law, you're worrying too much. Would anyone in the palace dare to disrespect the Empress Dowager? So many eyes are watching! The imperial physicians check on the Empress Dowager's pulse every morning and evening, and I heard that her condition has stabilized a lot."
Princess Lu was surprised that Princess Wu was so sympathetic to Song Xibai. She cursed her as a sycophant in her heart, but she didn't show it on her face. Instead, she showed an apologetic expression and curtsied to Song Xibai.
"I'm the kind of person who doesn't think before I speak, so please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Song Xibai twitched the corner of her mouth. This wasn't just speaking without thinking; it was clearly intentional.
She smiled politely, her lips curving upwards: "Princess Lu, please sit down! Since we're family, let's speak frankly. What's this talk of forgiveness? Do you think I'd punish you for saying something wrong?"
These words clearly indicated that Princess Lu had said something wrong, but Song Xibai was magnanimous and did not take it to heart.
Of the people present, except for the Princess of Qin, everyone could tell what was going on.
Princess Wu smiled with narrowed eyes, while Princess Qi turned slightly to the side, covering her mouth with her handkerchief and coughing a few times.
Princess Lu twisted her beautiful eyes slightly, secretly annoyed.
If it weren't for the prince's orders, why would I have come here to suffer your temper?
She took a deep breath, forced a smile, and sat down. She picked up her teacup, touched it to her lips, and turned to look at Princess Wu across from her.
"Sister-in-law Wang, it must have been a long time since you last saw Consort Shu, right? I heard that my nephew was sick recently. I wonder how much Consort Shu must have worried about him!"
Princess Wu frowned.
"Sister-in-law, you should address Mother as Dowager Consort."
Princess Lu exclaimed "Ah!" and gently patted her mouth.
"Look at my memory, I got used to calling her that and for a moment I forgot. The Dowager Consort Shu has always been kind to the younger generation. My prince even said that when he was a child, the two consorts were as close as sisters, and the Dowager Consort Shu treated him very well. Speaking of which, now that my mother and the others have moved to Cining Palace, they live closer than before, so it's much more convenient to visit each other."
Hearing this, Song Xibai finally understood her intention.
After all that talk, it all comes down to the matter of the Dowager Consort!
Princess Consort of Lu always referred to her as "Shu Taifei" (淑太妃), but when mentioning the Prince of Lu's mother, she did not call her "De Taipin" (德太嫔), but only "Mother Consort" (母妃).
This stems from dissatisfaction with the demotion of Consort De.
Speaking of which, they've all become imperial concubines and consorts now. Whether their rank is high or low, it doesn't really matter. Song Xibai didn't expect that the Prince Lu's mansion would care about this.
This matter cannot be blamed on Yuan Shen; it was clearly Consort De who voluntarily requested to be demoted.
Song Xibai pursed her lips, her dislike for Princess Lu growing even stronger.
It's annoying when you can't just say something directly and have to go through all sorts of roundabout ways before you get to the point.
This is really upsetting.
Bang!
Song Xibai slammed the teacup down, the sound so loud that everyone turned to look at her.
"Is the Prince of Lu's residence dissatisfied with His Majesty? Consort De made a mistake and requested to be demoted, a fact known both inside and outside the court. If Prince Lu wants to seek justice for his birth mother, he can raise it in court or personally submit a memorial to His Majesty. Why only have you, Princess Consort, test him in front of me? We are all children of the imperial family; what can't be said openly? Does Prince Lu distrust His Majesty, or does he harbor resentment?"
Her tone was calm, but her words sent shivers down everyone's spines.
Princess Lu's expression changed drastically.
"No! No! That's not what Your Highness meant... This, this was all my own idea."
Song Xibai gave a soft snort.
"Was this really Princess Lu's own idea? I thought you and Prince Lu were deeply in love and had a wonderful relationship! I didn't expect that you two, husband and wife, don't share anything with each other?"
These words made Princess Lu's face flush red and then pale.
She didn't know how to reply.
Song Xibai didn't look at her, but turned to Princess Qi, revealing a kind and polite expression.
"Princess Qi, you must not follow her example. Only when husband and wife are of one mind and work together can they live a good life. If His Highness Prince Qi treats you badly, you can come to me and I will ask His Majesty to speak to him."
Princess Qi looked surprised and didn't dare to look at Princess Lu's expression. She could only get up, say thank you, and then whisper something.
"The prince is very good to me."
Song Xibai waved his hand, giving me a "don't hide it from me" look.
"Previously, the Zhao family all wanted to send their eldest daughter to Prince Qi's residence as a concubine. How could Prince Qi not like that?"
As soon as she spoke, Song Xibai suddenly covered her mouth, looking as if she had accidentally let something slip. Then she changed the subject and asked about the children in Princess Wu's family.
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