The Empress Dowager and Tong Wanyan looked at Consort Yi expectantly, and Consort Yi smiled.
"The Dong'e family has always been extremely skilled at educating their daughters. Originally, the Third Princess Consort was the legitimate daughter, and even though she was knowledgeable and experienced at home, she couldn't apply that knowledge to her, so she was inevitably a bit overconfident and lacked practical skills. Ever since she was given a cold shoulder by Consort Tong last time, and then told Peng Chun's family about it, all the tricks of the trade in the inner court have come out."
"To put it bluntly, people inevitably have two sides; no one can be completely consistent inside and out. The Third Princess Consort has suppressed her spoiled nature and is subservient to Yinzhi, acting as a gentle, obedient, and beautiful princess consort. How could Yinzhi resist that? Just look at the damaged items reported by Yinzhi's concubines in the backyard; you can tell how much he has been spoiling this primary princess consort lately."
"Third Consort's little schemes aren't bad; a woman always wants to please her husband after marriage. Consort Rong's attention has been entirely focused on Yinzhi these past few years, so it's understandable that she's paid more attention to him. Seeing Yinzhi constantly praising Third Consort makes her feel resentful. She made Third Consort pay her respects to her every day, and Third Consort actually did it, going to wait for her before dawn. Young people can manage to get up early for a few days, but Consort Rong has always been a light sleeper and doesn't sleep well. Even if she doesn't see Third Consort immediately when she arrives, she still has to get up. Every few days, her face becomes much more haggard."
"Empress Dowager, guess what happened after Consort Rong's plan failed?" Consort Yi was having a good time talking to herself, but she couldn't keep it to herself; she had to get the Empress Dowager involved.
Consort Rong and Consort Yi were both consorts, so the Empress Dowager showed no discomfort when she showed favoritism.
Her curiosity was piqued: "Tell me what happened this time?"
While the Empress Dowager was speaking, Consort Yi took a sip of water to moisten her throat.
She continued with great enthusiasm, "She changed the rules, making the Third Princess serve her meals every morning and noon. This kind of thing doesn't happen between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law in our palace, but there are a few ministers outside who, relying on their noble families, deliberately make these rules. In short, Consort Rong is the mother-in-law, and she has her daughter-in-law serve her meals, so there's no way she can find fault with it."
Consort Yi paused here with a mischievous glint in her eye, and the Empress Dowager looked at her anxiously.
Having never experienced the struggles between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law, the Empress Dowager truly knew nothing about these matters.
Tong Wanyan seemed to have guessed something; her beautiful eyes sparkled with an indescribable mischievousness and liveliness.
Consort Yi adored her intelligence and wit, and occasionally her mischievousness.
"Has Consort Tong figured it out?" Consort Yi asked.
The Empress Dowager turned her head to look at Tong Wanyan expectantly. Tong Wanyan said without reservation, "I have roughly guessed that they made a move in terms of the meal service. Please tell me the specifics of how they did it, Consort Yi."
"As expected of the Empress Dowager's beloved daughter-in-law, she is the most intelligent among your granddaughters-in-law. You guessed it right away," Consort Yi praised.
Consort Yi praising Tong Wanyan made her happier than directly trying to please the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager said happily, "I like that she is smart and upright, and doesn't resort to scheming."
"The Third Princess Consort listened to Consort Rong's words and served her a meal. Originally, the palace maids who served us knew how to read the room and would serve her the dishes she liked. But the Third Princess Consort did not. She picked out all the dishes that Consort Rong did not like and served them to her. In fact, everything that was served was for Consort Rong to eat, but there were always a few dishes that she did not like."
"Consort Rong said she was tactless, but she argued firmly that those dishes were suitable to eat now and good for Consort Rong's health. She spoke eloquently about medical matters. Once, when Yinzhi was listening, he even praised her for being filial to Consort Rong, which infuriated Consort Rong."
"These two incidents alone were just the beginning. Later, Consort Rong decided to strike at the heart of the matter. The Third Princess Consort had just married into the family and was newlywed with Yinzhi, so she naturally couldn't stand Yinzhi being close to other women. Consort Rong then bestowed three princesses upon Yinzhi and told the Third Princess Consort to take them back with her."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager frowned and scolded, "Foolish!"
"Isn't that foolish? When Yinzhi is still growing, it's never good for him to be so fond of women. The prince's quarters are only so big, and everyone knows that his harem is overflowing. With Consort Rong's bestowal of such gifts, there's no room left for his concubines in the harem." Consort Yi looked down on Consort Rong's actions.
"The Emperor ordered Consort Gui to reprimand Consort Rong a few days ago, was it because of this matter?" The Empress Dowager asked, recalling the events of the past few days.
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