Song Anxin smiled politely, raised her glass, and drank the wine.
She knew without an introduction that this was the Second Prince, and that these two princes were the ones secretly vying for the throne with the Crown Prince.
When she arrived, she inquired about the current situation of the court. The eldest prince was the most prominent and favored by the emperor because his mother, Consort Liang, was the emperor's most beloved concubine. Even though the emperor had neglected the eldest prince for a period of time after the incident involving the Flying Cavalry Captain, the eldest prince soon returned to the emperor's side.
This is arguably the Crown Prince's biggest threat at present.
The second prince's mother was of low status and died young, but the second prince won the emperor's favor with his intelligence and talent, and also won over many court officials. Among them, his power is currently the weakest.
Although the Crown Prince's maternal family, the Yan family, was the most powerful, it was precisely because of this that they were constantly suppressed by the Emperor.
The celebration banquet didn't end until evening. As soon as Song Anxin stepped out of the imperial city gate, she saw Feng He, Song Anbang, and Sun Lixi at the entrance.
Only high-ranking generals were allowed to enter the palace to meet the emperor, so after Feng He entered the capital to receive his reward, he went to reunite with Song Anbang and the others.
"Mom, you're out! My uncle, aunt, and I have come to greet you." Lin Fenghe immediately went to meet her mother when she saw her.
Song Anbang's refined face was filled with excitement and joy: "Sister, congratulations on your promotion! News of the war in the northern frontier has already reached the capital. That gunpowder is truly a miraculous substance. We students are all talking about you, and so are the people in the streets of the capital. They all admire and are grateful to you."
Sun Lixi smiled and said, "Sister, husband, it's getting late. Let's go back and let you get some rest. We can talk again tomorrow. Sister, Granny Wei has already boiled water and made the bed in the courtyard, waiting for you."
Although the Emperor had bestowed the mansion upon her, it still needed to be tidied up before she could move in. She didn't need to worry about that; General Yan had told her before the banquet that he had sent word to his household servants to help her clean.
The gifts bestowed by the Emperor have all been delivered to her residence, where Qingshan and Qingyun are watching over them. She and Fenghe will move in after the house is cleaned up. Therefore, she and Fenghe will temporarily stay in the small courtyard rented by Song Anbang and Li Xi.
She was overjoyed to see Song Anbang and Li Xi again after so long. After a bumpy journey of more than half a month, she had been looking forward to taking a good bath to relax. So the group got into the carriage and headed to the small courtyard rented by Song Anbang and Sun Li Xi.
Unexpectedly, Song Anxin was intercepted as soon as the carriage arrived at the courtyard gate.
Song Anxin looked at the person in front of her with a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"Consort Hui, we meet again." The Second Prince smiled at Song Anxin from inside a luxurious carriage. "May I ask Consort Hui to come aboard and have a chat with me?"
Song Anxin roughly knew what he wanted to do. She bowed and said calmly, "Second Prince, you don't need to worry about me. I am just a court lady with no real power. After my brother finishes the imperial examination, I will set off to return to Linjia Village in Ningdu County."
She had just discussed it with Feng He and Song Anbang in the carriage. Given the complicated situation in the court, it would be best for her, a court lady with no real power but great talent, to return to Linjia Village and dedicate herself to the court.
“Oh, what a pity for Lady Hui’s talents,” the Second Prince said. He was not annoyed by the rejection, but his smile did not diminish. “Lady Hui, are you really not going to reconsider? I can give your son an official position that is more important than that of the Prince of Zhan’s Mansion, and I can also help your younger brother with both the provincial and palace examinations.”
Song Anxin shook her head: "Thank you for your favor, Second Prince. My wife and son cannot be ungrateful."
The Yan family played a significant role in her rise to her current position, and Feng He was highly valued by the general in the military camp. General Yan even introduced Feng He to the crown prince. No matter what, they must stand firmly on this ship.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince was a benevolent heir apparent, and the Empress educated him very well.
"Hui Shuren is not only talented but also loyal. It's a real pity that she's a woman." The Second Prince's smile deepened, making him unfathomable.
Without saying anything more, he lowered the carriage curtain and instructed the driver, "Let's go."
The luxurious carriage slowly drove out of the alley. Lin Fenghe looked at the carriage with a heavy look in his eyes: "The Second Prince is the most cunning. I'm afraid he won't give up so easily."
Song Anxin frowned. She knew that she couldn't avoid these power struggles now that she had come to the capital. She had just entered the capital and was named Hui Shuren, a favorite of the emperor. Probably no one would make a move against her at this time. It would also be difficult for Feng He to make a move against him in the Zhan Shi Mansion and the Crown Prince's Mansion.
However, when she looked at Song Anbang in front of her, it would be much easier to make trouble for him since the imperial examination was just around the corner.
Song Anbang and Lin Fenghe are both smart people and they both thought of this.
Song Anbang said with a tense expression, "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely pay more attention. Now that I am a scholar, as long as I do my job properly, it won't be so easy for them to get to me."
Lin Fenghe said, "I will also explain this matter to the Crown Prince, and I believe the Crown Prince will help protect my uncle."
Song Anxin nodded. The imperial examination was on the ninth day of the second month, which was only a few days away.
“Anbang, for the next few days you should stay home and focus on preparing for the imperial examination. The day after tomorrow, Fenghe and I will move to my Shuren residence. You and Lixi will move there together as well, so that your elder sister can feel more at ease.”
Song Anbang agreed; at this critical juncture, he would not hesitate.
Two days later, Song Anxin moved into her own residence, a four-courtyard house in an alley far from the capital. It was in a quiet location and not too far from the city streets, which Song Anxin was very satisfied with.
"Shuren, someone has delivered housewarming gifts outside. Why don't you go and take a look?"
Qingfeng entered Song Anxin's courtyard to report for duty.
Song Anxin was checking the inventory list of her mansion's storerooms, all of which were gifts bestowed upon her by the emperor. Upon hearing this, she temporarily put down what she was doing and went outside, thinking that they were probably sent by the Marquis of Dingguo or General Yan.
When she arrived at the front yard, she was stunned to see pieces of huanghuali furniture being moved into the yard.
"My goodness, Lady, this is all top-quality rosewood! This whole courtyard must be worth at least a thousand taels of silver."
Granny Wei exclaimed in admiration.
A servant respectfully handed the invitation to Song Anxin. When Song Anxin opened it and saw the Third Prince's signature, her expression changed drastically. She immediately said to the servant:
"You are from the Second Prince's residence, right? Take all this furniture back and tell the Second Prince that I appreciate his kindness, but I really cannot accept such a valuable gift."
“Hui Shuren, I’m sorry, I was only responsible for delivering the gifts. You can talk to my master about this.” The servant replied respectfully. “I have delivered all the gifts, Hui Shuren. I will take my leave now.”
After saying that, he hurriedly left with the other servants who were moving furniture, as if afraid that Song Anxin would send someone to chase after him.
Song Anxin was really in a bind. The Second Prince was so blatantly giving her such an expensive gift, wasn't he putting her in an unjust position?
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