True to his word, Yinzhi led Dong'e Hailan on a tour of the Forbidden City before returning to the Prince's quarters and summoning all his concubines and princesses.
Looking at the row of pretty women standing in front of her, some plump and some slender, Dong'e Hailan thought, "The Third Prince is truly blessed with good fortune."
There were too many officially recognized concubines to count on one hand, not to mention the palace maids who were favored by Yinzhi but were still considered servants.
Fortunately, Dong E Hailan was already prepared. When she saw these people, she was neither angry nor intimidated, and casually said a few words according to the rules.
The only concubine of slightly higher status, Lady Tian, appeared gentle and kind, like the flowing water of Jiangnan, and did not cause any trouble to provoke the mistress.
The meeting between the matriarch and her favored concubines was so amicable that there was not a trace of the smoke of war.
Yin Zhi was very pleased with himself. His wives and concubines lived in harmony, which made him look like a capable man.
After seeing all the people she needed to see, Dong E Hailan was finally able to sit down and rest.
She removed the heavy hair ornaments from her head, styled her hair in a simple bun, and looked at Yinzhi: "Your Highness, shall I go to Yuqing Palace and meet with Consort Tong?"
Yinzhi looked at her, puzzled: "Not for now. Although Father and Grandfather love her so much now, things might not be the same after the Crown Princess is born in a few years. You are my primary wife, and Consort Tong is still a secondary wife. If we start a relationship without proper communication, people will think that I am flattering the Crown Prince, so that even my primary wife has to associate with the secondary wife?"
Despite his occasional excessive favoritism towards his concubines, when it comes to the distinction between his principal wife and concubines, he values it more than anyone else.
"I heard that Fourth Brother and Consort Tong are very close, and he dotes on Princess Tana like a precious jewel," Dong E Hailan said softly.
Yinzhi waved his hand: "Fourth brother's current maternal family is the Tongjia clan. Consort Tong's two older brothers are very powerful in the court. Consort Tong also saved the Imperial Noble Consort's life back then. With such connections, it's fine to be close to her. Besides, Tana is second brother's eldest daughter. She is of the same generation as her father, not her birth mother. It's not excessive for fourth brother to dote on her."
Yin Zhi's analysis was very logical, and Dong E Hailan looked up at him with admiration: "This concubine will listen to you, Master."
"I was young and ignorant before, and I said some rude things to Consort Tong. I will have a chance to make up for it in the future," Dong E Hailan said, lowering her head slightly, somewhat embarrassed.
Yinzhi paused for a moment: "Speaking of that matter, I acted impulsively back then. I apologized to the Crown Prince during the New Year, and the Crown Prince and Consort Tong will not hold it against you anymore, so you don't need to worry about it. Your eldest sister-in-law is outside the palace, and you can't see her often. Your third sister is getting married in June, so if you're not busy, go and visit her often. And Mother too. Mother is quite lonely, so you should spend more time talking to her."
Yin Zhi rattled off a long list of things, and Dong E Hailan responded to each and every one of them.
"Anyway, with your mother around, you can just listen to her in everything," Yin Zhi concluded.
“You’re right, Master. Mother is the pillar of strength for both of us. I will certainly listen to Mother’s teachings more often in the future,” said Dong’e Hailan.
In just one day, Dong'e Hailan completely changed the arrogant and domineering impression she had left on Yinzhi. In her place, she became a gentle and virtuous woman, so obedient that Yinzhi loved her dearly.
Yinzhi and Dong'e Hailan were overjoyed, while the pregnant First Lady and Yinti paced anxiously outside the palace.
The midwife and the imperial physician specializing in gynecology had been staying at the First Prince's residence for five days, ready to serve at any time.
Judging from the pulse, it should be about time for the baby to be born, but after waiting and waiting, there was still no reaction.
This left Yinti, who was waiting for his primary wife to give birth to his eldest son, with only peace and tranquility in his heart.
On March 11th, the day Dong'e Hailan returned home to visit her parents, the First Consort gave birth to a daughter. This was Yinti's third child and his third daughter.
Yinti stood outside the house, listening to the midwife announce the good news, his heart filled with mixed emotions of sorrow and joy.
Thankfully, the Fujin is alright, but how come she's a Gege (a concubine of the third rank)?
Yinti stood blankly under the old tree in the courtyard, looking up at the sky.
The maids were still changing basins of bloody water, and he couldn't go into the room to see the First Princess Consort.
"Your Highness, the Third Prince and his wife have come to pay a visit." The chief steward of the First Prince's residence came in from outside to report.
Yinti, his face expressionless, said in a flat tone, "At this hour, the palace gates should be locked by now, right? When did they arrive?"
"When the Third Princess Consort arrived, the Princess Consort had just given birth to the princess." - Head Steward.
Yinqi's calm face instantly changed color: "I knew it!"
His wife was originally capable of bearing him a legitimate eldest son, but Yinzhi was ignorant and brought a woman with him, turning his legitimate eldest son into a legitimate third daughter.
Yinti, without any reason, began to complain about Yinzhi, and said in a fit of temper, "I won't see him, let them go back."
What kind of intentions do they have, coming over just when the lady of the house is about to give birth?
His wife was lying in bed screaming in pain; how could he possibly be in the mood to entertain guests? He didn't even want to see his own brother, let alone a brother from a different mother.
Yinti felt wronged that he had another daughter, but he still stared longingly at the blood-soaked delivery room.
He had to go and keep the Fujin company, lest she worry too much and harm her health.
A woman as good as his wife will surely give him a son.
When the Grand Steward arrived, he had already guessed this outcome, and he had prepared his reply to Yin Zhi along the way.
"Third Prince, Third Princess, the Princess has just given birth to a princess. The imperial physician instructed that Your Highness must stay by her side to calm her down and put her mind at ease. Your Highness said that he appreciates your kindness and will invite you to visit the mansion another day." The head steward said tactfully.
The Grand Eunuch had been by Yinti's side for many years. Ever since Yinti left the palace and opened the gates, he had been in charge of receiving people and dealing with them. Ordinary people had to bow and give him a smile when they saw him.
Yinzhi wouldn't go that far, but he knew to give him face.
“It was my oversight as the younger brother. I had originally planned to take my wife to meet my sister-in-law since it was a rare opportunity to leave the palace, but it seems I'll have to wait a while longer. Congratulations to my elder brother and sister-in-law on the birth of your daughter. We'll head back now,” said Yin Zhi.
After seeing off Yinzhi and Dong'e Hailan, who had come and gone, the chief steward continued to report to Yinti with a smile, acting as a messenger.
He relayed the message word for word, but he controlled the tone entirely on his own.
After listening, Yinti said coldly, "You're here to laugh at me, aren't you?"
The First Princess Consort slowly woke up and happened to hear these words.
Unaware of the details, she weakly asked.
Yinti immediately smiled tenderly, carefully wiping the sweat from her forehead and then using a damp cloth to moisten her chapped lips.
"My third brother and sister-in-law just came. They probably just finished their homecoming visit and stopped by on their way. They're so clueless. Luckily, you were already in labor when they came, otherwise it would have been a real problem. I think Consort Tong is much better. All the girls in our family like her; she must be a good person."
Tong Wanyan was praised again and again by Yinti and the First Princess without her knowledge.
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