In March, the Fourth Prince's full moon celebration had just ended, and Wu Shi had completely lost her power to manage the household. At least for a while, she was unable to inquire about the affairs of the household.
She had witnessed the excitement yesterday, and she had to admit that the Fourth Prince's full-moon celebration was much grander than that of her First Prince.
"This is the advantage of becoming a concubine," Lady Wu sighed last night.
The Wu family dares not act rashly now.
Just by looking at the gift list for the Fourth Prince's full moon banquet, Wu could guess some things about the Fourth Prince's attitude towards his wife.
This is good news for the Wu family.
Among all the princesses, she was the only one who raised a prince, and he was the eldest son in the household. This was Wu's only advantage, and she naturally hoped to become another concubine in the household.
She only schemed for the sake of the eldest prince; only if the eldest prince prospered could she herself gain status through her son.
While Lady Wu was constantly hoping her son would become a dragon among men, the Fujin (the wife of the emperor) was also desperately longing for a son.
She dared not make any big moves here either, for no other reason than that she was afraid, lest she inadvertently displease the Fourth Master again.
So the Second Prince was taken to the front yard, and the Princess Consort held back for more than half a month and did not go to the front yard to see the Second Prince.
She could only endure it until the Second Prince's birthday in April.
On the last two days of March, the Fourth Master did not go into the backyard again, but rested in the front yard.
Even now, the concubine of the East Courtyard, Li, still enjoys the most favor in the inner courtyard.
On the first day of the fourth lunar month, the morning sun shone gently through the thin clouds into the courtyard, illuminating every budding flower.
A gentle spring breeze carries the fragrance of flowers, making people feel refreshed and relaxed. Even after the lively full-moon celebration, everyone seemed to still have some lingering excitement.
In the main courtyard, Concubine Xu was, as usual, the first to arrive. She was always the most proper and courteous of them all.
Liu arrived shortly afterward. She was dressed very simply today. She was originally a bright and beautiful woman, so her simple attire seemed a bit awkward.
As soon as Liu arrived, Yu Ru, who was by the side of the Fujin, invited her to the inner room.
Afterwards, Wu and Song arrived one after the other. Neither of them looked too good. It seemed that they had run into each other on the way, and it was estimated that the two of them had quarreled again on the way.
Despite her calm and composed nature, Wu always reacted as if she had been hit by a firecracker whenever she encountered Song.
Bai Jia arrived soon after, neither too early nor too late, and quietly sat down in the seat below the concubine.
However, the concubine had not yet arrived.
Lady Niohuru arrived even later. She had also drunk some wine the day before, and woke up this morning with a headache and feeling rather unwell. Even now, after taking her seat, she still looked listless.
However, Lady Niohuru was already quite late leaving the courtyard today, and there seemed to be no movement from the side concubine in the east courtyard. It was unclear whether she, like Lady Niohuru, had gotten up late, or if there was some other reason.
Niohuru closed her eyes slightly, something flashing in them.
When everyone had arrived, Liu came out a moment later, but the Fujin (principal wife) did not follow.
When Song saw that it was Liu who came out, she snorted, clearly looking down on Liu.
Wu remained expressionless and silently took a sip of tea: "It is we who have been complacent."
Despite being watched by everyone, Liu felt no embarrassment at all, and simply sat down with a smile.
Everyone waited a while longer, and Song was the first to get restless and glance at the sky outside.
"Look, it's almost time for the morning greetings, isn't it? Consort, are you... late?"
Wu replied, "Let's wait for the Fujin (princess) to come out and speak."
Mr. Song chuckled.
Judging from this scene, it seems that unless Madam Li from the East Courtyard comes, the one inside probably won't come out.
Bai Jia remained silent. She appeared calm and composed, but her heart was pounding with anxiety.
She was naturally worried about the concubine; what had happened out of nowhere?
She picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and tried to calm herself down.
However, her hands trembled uncontrollably, almost knocking over the teacup. She quickly placed the teacup back on the table and covered her mouth with a handkerchief to hide her panic.
Everyone remained silent, waiting for the Princess Consort to appear.
Only Song occasionally glanced outside, her face showing an expression of anticipation for a good show.
She secretly rejoiced that she had gotten up early today and arrived to pay her respects to the Fujin before the appointed time. Otherwise, given the Fujin's temperament, she would probably have used this opportunity to establish new rules.
However, if Lady Li really humiliates the Fujin in this way, she would naturally be happy to watch the Fujin and the Consort have a good show.
Just then, they heard footsteps coming from inside the room, and everyone quickly stood up and bowed.
The princess came out from behind the screen and sat down in the head seat.
Everyone said in unison, "Greetings to the Princess Consort."
The princess nodded slightly and said, "Get up, all of you."
Her gaze lingered on the empty seat below her for two seconds longer.
After everyone was seated, they remained silent, waiting for the Princess Consort to speak first.
"Go and ask the concubine in the East Wing what's wrong. Is she feeling unwell or has something gone wrong?"
Yu Ru nodded and left.
The princess consort had a dignified and composed demeanor.
Bai Jia secretly glanced at the Fujin at the head of the table, only to see that she had a faint smile on her face, but her eyes were somewhat cold.
Her heart tightened, and she couldn't help but look towards the door.
As soon as she looked over, she saw the curtain at the door being lifted by a maid from the main courtyard, and a figure walking in.
However, it was not the concubine, but Qiu Hu, the head maidservant of the concubine.
"Greetings to the Princess Consort and all the ladies." Qiu Hu bowed.
The Fujin looked at her and asked, "Where are your concubines?"
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