My wife used to be the wife of a prince, now she is the wife of a duke.
Regardless of anything else, her status outside the home was always a cut above that of the Fifth Prince's Consort and others.
Now that the relationship between the Fourth Prince and his wife has soured, she can see it clearly from the sidelines. It's very difficult for the Fourth Prince's wife to gain any favor from Consort Li now, otherwise she wouldn't have pushed out Consort Liu and the virtuous girl from the Ulanara clan.
Since we can't have a loving relationship anymore, it's good enough to maintain a good public image.
A consort is, after all, a consort. As long as she doesn't commit any crimes that the imperial family cannot tolerate, her position as the consort of a prince will never be shaken.
Yu Ru knew perfectly well that although the Fujin (principal wife) seemed indifferent on the surface, she could see clearly that the Fujin was always thinking about the master of the front courtyard.
Upon learning of the master's accident last night, the Fujin rushed to the front courtyard without even having dinner, let alone on other days.
After hearing what Yu Ru had said earlier, the Fujin fell into deep thought.
In this backyard, apart from Liu Shi who is somewhat obedient, the rest of the Fujin (principal wife) is really not pleasing to the eye no matter how you look at them.
The Princess Consort was truly reluctant to assign those few eyesores and troublesome individuals to serve the Fourth Prince during his illness.
But she also understood in her heart that given the current situation, it would be very difficult for her to gain the Fourth Prince's favor...
The Fujin leaned back weakly, but didn't make up her mind immediately. She waved her hand and said, "This matter is not urgent. Even without my orders, those restless people in the back courtyard would still rush to the Fourth Prince's front courtyard one after another. What's important right now is to have Granny Qian go to the front courtyard and ask the Fourth Prince's opinion. Now that the Fourth Prince has been granted the title of Prince, should the mansion hold a grand celebration?"
The Fujin (principal wife) no longer dared to make decisions on her own. According to her idea, such a joyous occasion as the Fourth Prince being granted the title of Prince should naturally be celebrated in a grand manner. Back when the Third Prince was granted the title of Prince Cheng, a grand banquet was held for three days and three nights in the Fourth Palace of Ganxi.
However, the Fourth Prince's injury has not yet healed. The imperial physician said that he needs to rest for at least three months to recover. The Fourth Prince is always a low-key person, so the Princess Consort did not make a decision on her own. Instead, she cautiously asked Granny Qian to go to the front courtyard to ask the master for his opinion.
Furthermore, this time only the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince were granted the title of Prince, while the Fifth Prince was left out. If he were to hold a grand banquet at his own residence, it would be somewhat likely to incur resentment and offend people.
The Fujin (principal wife) felt this deeply, after all, she had been quite disdainful of the Third Prince's lavish banquet back then.
At this critical juncture, the princess consort preferred to be cautious in everything she did.
Just as they were talking about Granny Qian, she came in from outside.
"Madam, the lady of the manor has come to inquire about... the matter of the master being granted the title of Prince..."
The princess gave a soft "hmm" and, after explaining the situation in a few words, told the story of what she had originally intended to ask Granny Qian to inquire about in the front courtyard.
Granny Qian nodded in agreement: "The Princess Consort did a very good job. Even if the Madam were here, she wouldn't be able to find a single fault with it. This servant will go right away."
As for what Yu Ru said, the Fujin did not tell Qian Mama. The Fujin was still undecided about the matter and was too lazy to tell Qian Mama.
The Fujin waited for half the morning before finally receiving a belated reply from the Fourth Prince of the front courtyard.
Fu Lu came to tell us that the Fourth Master was still ill, so we shouldn't disturb his peace and quiet while he recuperated. We should discuss everything after he recovered.
The princess felt relieved upon hearing this reply; this time, she hadn't misunderstood.
The Princess Consort had Yu Ru personally see Fu Lu off, and then generously rewarded all the servants in the backyard, giving them an extra month's worth of bonuses.
Now everyone knew that the Fourth Prince had been granted the title of Prince Yong, and everyone in the mansion, whether servants or masters, was naturally overjoyed.
Li Chenjiao was the last to receive the news. After returning from the front yard, she felt a little dizzy. She drank half a bowl of mint water and lay down on the soft couch in the outer room for a while.
The Second Princess had originally been chattering away, preparing to come and play with her mother after breakfast, but she was instead led by several maids and Madam Chen to play with the Fourth Prince, who was still half asleep.
Although Li Chenjiao had not yet woken up, the maids and servants in the East Courtyard already knew that their master had been granted the title of Prince Yong.
The maids and servants were naturally delighted. Their master had become the Prince of Yong, so their own concubine would be the Prince's concubine. Wasn't that a joyous occasion?
When Li Chenjiao woke up and heard about this incident, she didn't say whether it was good or bad, but she still rewarded the servants in the East Courtyard with their monthly allowance.
After admiring the servants, she listlessly rested her chin on her hand and looked at the spring scenery outside the courtyard.
Green Bamboo, who stood guard to the side, dared not utter a word, but occasionally glanced at Li Chenjiao, as if she could see a hint of sadness in her mistress's eyes.
She was racking her brains trying to figure out why her master was unhappy when she saw him turn to her with great interest the next second: "Is there any more mint water?"
Green Bamboo exclaimed, "Yes, yes, yes, there are many more in the small kitchen!"
Li Chenjiao then waved for her to go and get it.
It was certainly a good thing that the Fourth Prince had been granted the title of Prince, but it didn't seem to make much difference to her. At most, it would just mean a slightly higher salary and monthly allowance. She might as well think about what to have for lunch today.
After going to the front yard, Li Chenjiao felt much more at ease. The Fourth Master looked pale, but his health was probably fine.
What Li Chenjiao cares about most now is the Second Princess's birthday.
In the blink of an eye, the second princess will be two years old.
Li Chenjiao had already prepared a gift for Aman: a golden Ruyi scepter made of pure gold, over a foot long. Li Chenjiao had personally drawn the design and had Xiao Luzi find a master craftsman to melt it down from pure gold. The lotus pattern on the handle alone took the craftsman more than half a month to complete. The gemstone beads adorning the scepter were also personally selected by Li Chenjiao, all the same size and in various colors such as red, blue, and green.
However, Li Chenjiao was unable to lift the golden ruyi now; the pure gold ruyi was indeed quite heavy.
Li Chenjiao had prepared this since last year, and it was ready when her mother came recently. Her mother liked it very much, and Li Chenjiao herself liked it too.
The little girl is sure to love the golden Ruyi.
However, this thing is difficult for the Second Princess to pick up in a short time, so it can only be put away for now.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
