Niohuru got up very early, but after having breakfast, she did not rush to go out to the main courtyard.
Only after her maid, Huiyun, returned from outside did she begin to sway slightly from her seated position.
Huiyun quickly fetched a cloak from the side: "It's windy and snowy outside, why are you sitting in the wind? This servant waited until Master left the East Courtyard of the First Consort before returning to report. This servant was very careful and didn't let anyone else see me."
After reporting back, Huiyun couldn't help but sigh, naturally feeling sorry for her mistress: "You're being far too cautious. Everyone else is eager to run into the master, but you seem to prefer it. Every time the master rests in the east courtyard, you wait patiently for him to leave..."
Huiyun had other things on her mind that she didn't say. Every time she waited, she saw it with her eyes. Eight out of ten times, Consort Li didn't come out to see the Fourth Prince off. And on the two times she did come out, she didn't even reach the courtyard gate.
This is just too much... taking advantage of being favored and becoming arrogant.
Niohuru remained expressionless upon hearing this, merely raising her hand to adjust her cloak: "It's always good to be cautious and proper. The master won't like restless women."
This is what Niohuru observed with her own eyes over the past few days.
Huiyun pouted: "Consort Li..."
As if knowing what Huiyun was about to say, Niohuru glanced at Huiyun coldly, forcing Huiyun to shut up.
"Some things are better left unsaid, just understood in your heart."
Clearly, Lady Niohuru also didn't particularly like the previous Consort Li.
But wasn't the reason that the Fujin arranged for her to come to this courtyard in the first place so that she would compete for the favor of Consort Li?
Niohuru had never wanted to be a tool in someone else's hands, and even if she wanted to gain favor, she would not grant the wishes of the principal wife.
However, that concubine Li in front...
Niohuru lowered her eyes, but the resentment in them was still undisguised.
Over the past two weeks, although the master would occasionally go into the backyard, he spent most of his time resting with his concubine in the front.
Neither she nor Liu had the chance to receive imperial favor.
Counting the days, it's been more than two months since the master returned to the manor, but the number of times he can enter the back courtyard has been completely monopolized by the concubine of the East Courtyard.
Relying on the few ounces of flesh in her belly, she wasn't afraid of being disliked by her master after giving birth.
Niohuru thought with a hint of jealousy.
The concubine is pregnant and cannot serve her master. Isn't this a waste of their time?
I don't know what her intentions were, but even jealousy should have its limits.
Niohuru waited a while longer before slowly getting up: "Let's go to the main courtyard to pay our respects to the Fujin."
At this point, the concubine probably hasn't reached the age of marriage yet, so she won't run into them.
Huiyun supported her own princess, while Huixin held an umbrella on the other side.
Huiyun was a servant brought into the mansion by Niohuru. She originally wanted to say that her princess was dressed very simply today, but then she thought that there would be no master in the main courtyard later, so it was better to dress simply.
...
The resentment in Niohuru's heart was not only hers alone; Liu, who had just entered the mansion in the backyard, naturally had it too. The older people's feelings were much less intense.
Song was not happy, but since the Fourth Prince had at least come to see her once, compared to Bai Jia and Liu, Song felt inexplicably less disappointed, so in the end she didn't hold it against him.
Wu Shi has never been one to care much about favoritism. As long as the Fourth Prince thinks of the First Prince, she is happy. Right now, her only worry is the child that Li Shi is carrying.
Wasn't the pregnancy supposed to be unstable? How come Li's pregnancy is almost seven months along and she's still doing well?
The presence of a favorite in the backyard inevitably attracts attention, but when Li Chenjiao arrived at the main courtyard, she seemed completely oblivious to the complex and varied gazes of the people present.
After she sat down, she half-closed her eyes, looking languid.
Knowing that she was to pay her respects at the main courtyard today, Li Chenjiao got up when the Fourth Master got up, but she was starting to feel sleepy.
Indeed, sometimes you can't get up too early.
Song sat opposite Li Chenjiao, looking at Li Chenjiao's rosy face with a truly complicated expression.
Li's pregnancy is quite advanced, and although her belly has grown larger, her waistline was still noticeable when she walked in and sat down.
Looking at Li's complexion, although it was rosy, it was not swollen. Her face was still small, and her eyes were still watery. Because of the joy of her pregnancy, her eyes and brows had a different kind of charm.
She showed none of the haggardness and puffiness that others would experience upon joy, and it was unknown how Li maintained her appearance or what beauty formula she used.
There's one good thing about the Fourth Master's backyard: people don't say what they're thinking. Everyone keeps their thoughts to themselves, but no one dares to be the first to speak out.
So after Li Chenjiao sat down, everyone just talked about trivial things, and no one dared to say or do anything directly to Li Chenjiao.
After all, everyone has a brain.
The kind of conflicts depicted in storybooks might not even occur in the backyard of a grand mansion.
After all, their statuses are different. Even with the status of a concubine and a princess, everyone has to carefully consider their words and actions before speaking or acting.
Li Chenjiao herself quite liked this point; at least there wasn't anyone in the Fourth Prince's harem who was a complete villain.
After the princess came out, she only said some polite words.
However, compared to the others who kept their thoughts to themselves, the Princess Consort naturally had more right to speak.
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