While the Tong family in Shengjing was overjoyed, Tong Wanyan in Yuqing Palace was not so happy.
She looked at the sobbing girl kneeling before her and felt extremely annoyed.
Li Jia sat to one side, her face flushed, too embarrassed to speak when she looked at Tong Wanyan.
The backyard of Yuqing Palace is now very peaceful. Li Jia follows Tong Wanyan's lead and never causes trouble.
Tong Wanyan reciprocated by giving her a life of luxury, and she lived a very comfortable life.
If things continue like this, everyone will be happy and the whole family will be joyful.
But there are always people who have to cause trouble to make life easier for others.
Little Li Jia is just so unhappy!
Li Jia had been in Yuqing Palace for almost half a year. Her family background was decent, and she was now quite docile. After Tong Wanyan spoke to Yinreng, she was allowed to invite her family to visit her.
Who knew that when Li Fujin came, she brought her lively and lovely little sister with her.
That's good too. She loves her younger sister very much, and she's very happy to be able to see her.
Overjoyed to be reunited with her mother and sister, she spoke many heartfelt words. She even pleaded with Tong Wanyan to let her sister stay at Yuqing Palace for one night.
Now, looking at it coldly, what kind of thing did she leave behind?
The imperial harem is ruthless, and so is the bride's family!
Seeing that she was out of favor and wasted the position of the Crown Prince's concubine, he eagerly brought over a fresh-faced young girl.
That delicate flower bud was so much prettier than the one she had been tormented in Yuqing Palace.
But, no matter how beautiful she is, can she compare to the person in front of her?
How can mortal flowers compare to those of the celestial realm? They don't even know their own worth.
"You say you and Master are deeply in love?" Tong Wanyan looked at Xiao Lijia with a half-smile.
Li Jia was dressed in a rose-pink dress, the fabric of which seemed to be the only one she had acquired a few months prior.
Li Jia's slender waist was as delicate and supple as a willow branch.
She said sweetly, "Yes! The Crown Prince said he likes me very much. Consort, you are a magnanimous person, you certainly won't stop this servant from speaking to the Crown Prince, will you?"
Li Jia was so angry that she fell backward, her eyes red. She never expected that little Li Jia would say such shameless things right away.
Women in brothels wouldn't be so direct.
Li Jia retorted angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? The Prince has never set foot in the North Courtyard, so how could you have seen him? Consort Tong is kind, but have you ever considered that if your nonsense were spoken by someone else, they would be dragged out and beaten to death on the spot?"
Little Li Jia wasn't afraid at all; she was very confident.
"Is my sister jealous of me? Just because my sister can't please the Crown Prince, she thinks my sister is no good either. How ridiculous! The Crown Prince likes my sister, that's what he said himself. Can Consort Tong really say no to the Crown Prince?" Little Li Jia was young and fearless, and dared to speak her mind.
Tong Wanyan rested her chin on her hand, looking utterly bored.
Suddenly, she felt that this scene seemed familiar.
She glanced at Li Jia, then at little Li Jia. The two sisters shared a striking resemblance in their eyes and brows.
Tong Wanyan blinked, remembering that Li Jia had used this trick before the New Year.
When Li Jia's eyes met hers, she immediately understood with a blush.
Her face flushed, she lowered her head and whispered angrily to Lady Li Jia: "You shameless thing! If you begged and pleaded to pay your respects to Consort Tong just for this, then get back to the palace and don't come in my name again."
Lady Li was not intimidated at all: "Does my sister want to stop me from entering Yuqing Palace? My sister is just like you, the Consort Tong, and she can't tolerate anyone else?"
After retorting to her elder sister, Lady Li Jia looked up at Tong Wanyan with a fawning smile: "Consort Tong, this servant is willing to follow your lead from now on. Now that you have the eldest grandson of the Emperor, you must be short of people when it is inconvenient for you. This servant does not ask for the Crown Prince's exclusive favor, it would be enough if you allowed this servant to spend a few days with the Crown Prince occasionally."
Little Li Jia's defection was swift and decisive; she didn't forget to kick her own sister while she was down.
They're clearly sisters, yet they've turned against each other over a man; they've truly been blinded by greed.
Especially since this man was someone they couldn't possibly win over.
Tong Wanyan sighed, feeling somewhat sorry for Li Jia.
She abandoned her spectator's mentality and said seriously, "Do you know that there is no one in the entire backyard of Yuqing Palace who can hide anything from me?"
Little Li Jia asked, her eyes still wet with tears, "What do you mean?"
Tong Wanyan looked at her with amusement; the little girl was so adorably silly.
"My lord probably didn't know you were slandering his reputation like this, otherwise, not only you, but even Consort Li wouldn't have fared well. I know your intentions; you want to climb the social ladder and live a royal life. But, things often end badly, and people with poor judgment are not uncommon. If you go back now and don't cause any more trouble, I'll pretend today's events never happened. If you still dream of rising to the top in one step, I'll have no choice but to have you sent to the Li family's ancestral temple."
Tong Wanyan spoke slowly and deliberately, which frightened Xiao Lijia so much that she immediately stopped crying.
"You are a concubine!" Lady Li Jia said in disbelief.
"So what? Even the Crown Princess doesn't have the right to arbitrarily arrange people for the Prince. The Prince's status is so noble that his bedmate must be carefully selected from among thousands of people," Tong Wanyan said.
Little Li Jia's face flushed red, and she cried uncontrollably, "I don't believe it! I'm going to find the Crown Prince. He says he likes me very much, and we're engaged!"
Her expression of despair made it seem as if Yinreng had truly pledged his life to her.
Just then, Yinreng appeared.
Yinreng looked at Lady Li Jia coldly; she looked like a wilted cabbage, who would want her?
"Who does Your Highness like?" Yinreng's calm and even voice sent shivers down one's spine.
Upon hearing the sound, Xiao Lijia turned her head and saw the gentle and elegant man, her gaze immediately becoming infatuated.
She had never seen such a handsome man before. He was born with an air of nobility, and although he was reserved and proud, he was not arrogant.
"This servant greets..." Little Li Jia had been greeting people for a long time, but no one had told her who the person in front of her was.
Yinreng walked straight to Tong Wanyan's side and sat down expressionlessly.
Lady Li Jia stepped forward respectfully and bowed: "This humble concubine greets Your Highness."
Little Li Jia was as if in a dream, staring blankly at Li Jia's movements.
"Are you the Crown Prince?" Little Li Jia asked hesitantly.
Yinreng raised an eyebrow. Could it be that he was dressed in the apricot-yellow Crown Prince's everyday clothes and still couldn't tell his identity?
This color, besides him, there is no one else in the entire palace who can use it.
"I heard that you two have become engaged?" Yinreng's words startled Lady Li Jia.
Lady Li knelt down in a panic and hurriedly kowtowed: "Your Highness, please forgive me. I was ignorant and mistook you for someone else. I spoke nonsense. Please forgive me!"
Comparing people and goods, the one she fell deeply in love with was not the Crown Prince at all.
With such a gem preceding it, no matter how brightly a broken stone is polished, it is still just a broken stone and cannot compare at all.
But that person clearly accepted his status as the crown prince.
What benefits could one possibly gain from pretending to be the crown prince in the palace?
Little Li Jia was completely bewildered; she didn't know what she had done wrong. All she knew was that she was doomed this time.
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