Granny Zhao knelt down and skillfully massaged Consort De's legs: "Hey. The Princess Consort is still smiling, and Consort Li is as respectful and polite as ever."
Consort De chuckled lightly, then remained silent for a long while.
Finally, it was Granny Zhao who spoke first: "Her Highness's legs always ache in the winter, but Fourth Master is so concerned about her and sends her knee pads every year, made of the finest leather. Such filial piety is truly rare."
Knowing that Consort De was in a bad mood, Zhao Mama cleverly said something that Consort De wanted to hear.
Consort De smiled again, finally nodded, and opened her eyes after a while.
"The Princess Consort is clever, but sometimes she's not so clever. Fortunately, the Fourth Prince keeps her in check. Ever since the incident with the Eldest Princess, the Princess Consort has learned to be smart and quiet. However, after giving birth to the Second Prince, the eldest son in the household, her ambition has not diminished—she has a strong personality and needs someone to keep her in check."
Consort De talked on and on, and finally closed her eyes and shook her head helplessly.
"However, Li is quite suitable, but it's a pity that she is a Han Bannerman, which is a bit low in status. She only has one second princess, so she can't keep up with the Fujin."
Granny Zhao remained silent, listening quietly to Consort De's words.
Consort De shook her head again as she spoke: "Has the Imperial Household Department sent over the list of candidates for this year's grand selection of concubines?"
Zhao Mama paused in her leg-massaging motion, naturally understanding the unspoken meaning behind Consort De's sudden remark.
“The steward of the Imperial Household Department delivered it yesterday, but since both the Fujin (Prince Consort) and Consort Li were present at the time, I took the liberty of putting it away first.”
Consort De hummed in agreement: "Bring me the list of the Upper Three Banners so I can take a look."
Zhao Mama agreed, and then said, "I heard that Consort Yi, Consort Rong, and Consort Hui are all very concerned about this year's imperial examination."
Among the princes, there are none who choose one or two princesses before their wedding. It's not surprising that Consort Yi cares about the Ninth Prince, and Consort Hui has been worrying about the Prince Zhi's harem for a long time. But why is Consort Rong getting involved?
However, since the four imperial concubines all had their eyes on the triennial grand selection, the young women of high social standing and family background were naturally also being watched.
Consort De naturally understood what Granny Zhao meant. She remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "Alright, bring me the list of the Lower Five Banners to take a look."
Consort De had previously referred to herself as "I," but now she suddenly refers to herself as "this palace," the difference of which is self-evident.
Zhao Mama agreed, then went out of the inner palace to retrieve the list of candidates for the imperial concubines, and quickly returned to the inner palace.
Consort De wasn't in a very good mood at the moment. She half-closed her eyes, took the list, and slowly turned each page.
"Now that the Empress Dowager has fully recovered and is about to return to the palace, His Majesty can finally relax. I reckon he will soon be inspecting the Yongding River works."
The Yellow River has been a crucial matter throughout history, and the Emperor himself attached great importance to it. Every year, as long as there were no major events in the court, he would personally inspect it in the spring. Otherwise, he would send Grand Secretary Ma Qi and others to supervise the inspection.
Having served His Majesty for over twenty years, Consort De naturally had a good understanding of him. She paused for a moment, seemingly plotting something.
After a while, she suddenly dropped the list of candidates for the imperial concubines and slammed it lightly onto the octagonal table.
Granny Zhao remained silent, waiting for Consort De's instructions.
Consort De sat calmly and said, "Let's not rush the selection of concubines. I've chosen a Geng from the Han Banner. Her background is not bad. Her father's official position is neither high nor low, and he's not particularly outstanding. As for the other one—we'll wait and see."
Zhao Mama understood immediately: "Is Your Highness afraid that His Majesty will speak?"
Consort De glanced at her indifferently: "His Majesty has mentioned it to me before, that the Fourth Prince doesn't only have me as his mother."
As she said this, she suddenly chuckled.
Granny Zhao suddenly lowered her head.
Empress Xiaoyi was not someone who could be mentioned often in Yonghe Palace.
Consort De suppressed her smile, her composure evident even in her hair: "It's nothing. This status is actually a help to the Fourth Prince."
Granny Zhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said no more.
The fact that the Empress Dowager was exempted from having the Fujin (principal wife) accompany her in the palace for the first few days afterward can be considered as sparing Li Chenjiao from a painful ordeal.
In the main courtyard, the Fujin seemed to be pondering what Consort De had said. On the 14th, she sent a maid ahead of time to inform the Empress Dowager that she would be exempt from paying her respects the next day, and that the Lantern Festival celebrations would be held in the mansion. She said that the Empress Dowager was going back to the palace, so as not to disturb her peace.
Two completely unrelated things are linked together, and it seems like there's nothing wrong with either of them.
On the fifteenth day of the month, the Empress Dowager returned to the palace, and all the princes gathered before her. The Emperor himself was also present, making it quite a lively occasion.
A few days later, the Emperor inspected the Yongding River works.
The emperor personally selected Prince Zhi, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Eighth Prince, and others to accompany him.
This trip was neither too long nor too short, and in the end, the Fourth Master did not bring any of his female relatives from the inner quarters with him.
Besides, this wasn't something absurd; Fourth Master had no intention of bringing any female relatives along.
In addition, since the Emperor's order was given in a hurry, he didn't have time to give any further instructions and simply packed his bags before setting off with the Emperor.
The women in the backyard didn't go anywhere, but as usual, the Fourth Master left Fu Lu behind and a few words with her.
On the day of Jiaxu in the second month, His Majesty traveled by boat to inspect the waterways of Langcheng and Liucha, and personally gave instructions on the strategy for repairing the river.
During the journey, the princes accompanied the emperor. The Prince of Zhi and the Third Prince argued fiercely with His Majesty, but the Fourth Prince remained silent.
In February, the weather in the capital gradually warmed up, but Li Chenjiao, who was afraid of the cold, wore less clothing on the outside, but still wore thick clothing underneath.
She was dressed warmly, while the second princess was dressed like a little lucky doll, looking incredibly cute.
However, the girl had indeed gained quite a bit of weight, and Li Chenjiao could still barely lift her.
At this moment, Li Chenjiao was teasing the Second Princess: "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
She glanced at Qiu Ci, who looked hurried.
Qiu Ci quietly made a gesture with her fingers, indicating the number "four".
This is the fourth time this month that the chief physician has been summoned.
Li Chenjiao understood immediately and didn't say much in front of the Second Princess, but she glanced at Qiu Ci again and said, "You just keep an eye on things all day long."
Qiu Ci pursed her lips shyly.
Li Chenjiao looked at her again: "Have you prepared everything I asked you to?"
"Oh, the sachets we prepared for the eldest princess last time have been made again. We'll show them to the imperial physician when he comes to take her pulse, and then send them to the eldest princess."
Last time Li Chenjiao went to the palace in winter, she had originally agreed with the eldest princess to come and see Li Chenjiao in the spring. However, since the fourth prince was not in the mansion, it was not appropriate for Li Chenjiao to see the eldest princess, or rather, it was not appropriate for her to see anyone in the backyard.
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