The Eighth Prince's wedding was set for the seventh day of the eighth lunar month. Everyone still remembered the Seventh Prince's wedding in May. The fact that the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince's weddings were one after the other was bound to attract attention.
The Fourth Prince has been using the excuse of having matters to attend to at the Ministry of Revenue these days, which is of course true. The construction of the Rehe Imperial Palace, which was delayed last year due to disaster relief efforts, is finally being put on the agenda.
They avoided any direct confrontation with Prince Zhi.
However, although Prince Zhi accepted the task, he did not frequently visit the Imperial Household Department, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Revenue. Instead, he often inquired about the Emperor's well-being from his father's side.
This reduced the number of times the Fourth Prince encountered Prince Zhi.
However, the Eighth Prince continued to visit the Imperial Household Department as frequently as ever.
Fourth Master gave Seventh Master a few pointers, and Seventh Master nodded in agreement, taking them very seriously.
On the day of the Eighth Prince's wedding, the Princess Consort and the Fourth Prince left the mansion together early in the morning.
The Fujin understood the Fourth Prince's meaning. After entering the palace, she went to Yonghe Palace first, and then waited for the Seventh Fujin to arrive before going to Ganxi Sisuoli together with the Seventh Fujin, Nara.
The princes who did not establish their own residences lived in the Ganxi Fourth Palace from a young age.
Before the Fourth Prince's wedding, when Song Gege first entered the Fourth Prince's backyard, she also stayed in the Ganxi Fourth Residence. When the Fujin (Prince's wife) got married, Li Chenjiao and Bai Jiashi also stayed in the Ganxi Fourth Residence for some days.
However, the Fourth Prince was granted his title early, and his mansion was built before his wedding. Not long after the wedding, the Fourth Prince's mansion was completed, so naturally he no longer lived in the Fourth Palace in Ganxi.
The titles of the Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince were only bestowed by His Majesty this spring, and their mansions have not yet been completed. The Seventh Prince's wife, Lady Nara, is currently living with the Seventh Prince in the Fourth Palace of Ganxi.
The Fujin patted the hand of the Seventh Fujin beside her and said, "I've been through this too. The Fourth Fujin of Ganxi has suffered some injustices. Don't pay any attention to her today."
Although the residences of the young men in the four hamlets of Ganxi were not separated by only one wall, they were still very close to each other.
In the past, the Fujin (principal wife) often heard the arguments between the Third Fujin and the Third Prince, who lived in front of her, while she was in the Fourth Residence.
Nara was a carefree and insightful woman. At this moment, she simply laughed heartily and said, "Eighth brother's wedding is a joyous occasion. Fourth sister-in-law is too kind. Let's go in and take a look."
When the Fujin saw that Nara didn't respond, she pouted.
What are you pretending for? Everyone knows the temperament of the Eighth Prince's wife, Lady Guoluo. She hasn't even married into the family yet, and she's already asking about the Eighth Prince's backyard. I heard that she even throws a tantrum when the Eighth Prince adds a maid to teach him about bedroom matters.
Whose primary wife behaves like this?
The first wife and the seventh wife entered the backyard. The first wife, Lady Irgen Gioro, had already arrived and was talking to the fifth wife.
The wedding sedan chair of the Eighth Prince's wife, Lady Guoluo, has not yet arrived.
Looking to the other side, the Third Prince Consort, Lady Dong'e, was talking to Consort Cao, but judging from Lady Dong'e's expression, they were probably about to start arguing.
The Fujin then pulled the Seventh Fujin away from the two women, saying, "Third Sister-in-law, why did you bring Cao Shi along too—" the Fujin complained.
Among the princes who have been granted titles, the Prince of Zhi's harem is relatively quiet, as he has not yet appointed a secondary consort. The Third Prince's harem already has two secondary consorts, one from the Zhao family and the other from the Cao family. Later, the Fifth Prince's harem will also appoint a secondary consort.
As soon as the princess uttered these words, she suddenly thought of her own backyard.
Thinking of Wu, who was about to give birth, and Li, who had always been favored, he felt terrible.
Looking at his newlywed wife beside him, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy, but he maintained a very composed demeanor on the surface.
Everyone tacitly refrained from making an appearance for the Crown Princess Guarjia, who had not shown up today. Guarjia had been ill ever since her father resigned from his post.
Indeed, Guarjia was such a proud person that even the Fujin (wife of the emperor) couldn't help but feel a little sad.
However, every family has its own troubles, and the current wife is worried about Wu's request to be promoted to the rank of secondary wife after giving birth.
After the Eighth Prince's wedding ended, while the Fourth Prince was still watching over the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Princes, the Fujin (princess) quietly went to Yonghe Palace.
"It's almost time for Consort Wu to give birth, and everything in the manor has been prepared. However, childbirth is not easy for women, and Consort Wu should take good care of herself after giving birth."
The Fujin's words seemed to be out of concern for Wu's health, but in reality, she was implying that Wu would give birth at a later time, and that the formalities of learning etiquette after being granted a title would inevitably be detrimental to Wu's health and postpartum recovery.
Naturally, they also hoped to use this opportunity to delay the matter of requesting the title of concubine.
Consort De naturally understood, but she pretended not to: "You are a good child, considerate of Madam Wu, but these matters can be taken care of by Granny Xu and the others—right now you should also take care of your own health."
The Fujin (principal wife) always brings up the fact that Li Chenjiao (principal wife) cannot have children, but now the Defei (consort) is urging her to do so.
Consort De's meaning was very clear: you don't need to worry about Wu's childbirth, it's more important to focus on your own pregnancy.
Upon hearing this, the Fujin naturally had to rise and apologize, and the topic of requesting a title was thus lightly brushed aside by Consort De.
The Fujin couldn't quite figure out Consort De's attitude. She sat for a while longer, but when she left Yonghe Palace, her complexion was much worse.
After seeing the Fujin off, Consort De looked somewhat tired: "They're all such a worry."
Granny Zhao dared not respond.
"Is it absolutely certain that Wu's pregnancy will be successful?" Consort De asked again.
"Your Majesty, rest assured. Learning from Song Gege's experience, this time the Fourth Prince has had his men keep a close watch on things. Xu Mama has also sent word back that everything is in order."
Consort De finally gave a satisfied "hmm": "Where is Lady Xie?" She asked casually because she was in a good mood.
Granny Zhao looked troubled: "I heard from Granny Xu that the Fourth Master has not yet summoned him."
That makes it very clear.
Consort De sighed softly, "Is the Fourth Prince still blaming me?"
This is also why Consort De didn't give the Fujin a definite answer earlier. After what happened with Lady Xie last time, Consort De had already figured out a lot more.
The fourth son doesn't like her stuffing more things into his backyard; it's useless and only alienates the mother and son.
The same principle applies to the fourth prince's request to appoint a concubine in his harem.
The fourth prince had said last year that he was not in a hurry to ask for the title of concubine, so Consort De would not easily promise him the title of concubine.
The decision to appoint a concubine to the fourth prince was ultimately based on his satisfaction; after all, she was his concubine, not for her to see.
Although she was satisfied with Wu Shi, it wouldn't work if the fourth prince didn't like her.
Moreover, seeing the Fujin's probing intentions, Consort De was gradually considering whether Wu Shi was a suitable candidate for a secondary Fujin.
That would cause chaos in the fourth son's backyard, preventing any trouble from arising.
"Invite the fourth prince over later," Consort De instructed.
Zhao Mama bowed and agreed. She was quite clear about her master's attitude, and was naturally happy to see the mother and son have a good talk.
"I called you here today to ask for your opinion. Do you have any plans to establish a secondary consort? If so, do you have anyone in mind?"
"My son is currently considering establishing a concubine," the Fourth Prince said.
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