Leaving aside the turmoil in the palace, the news that the Fourth Prince had gained the Emperor's favor quickly reached the ears of everyone in the inner courtyard, even though the Fourth Prince tried to suppress the news.
The Fujin (Prince Consort) left the Ulanara residence rather late. Having spent the entire day at home, she hadn't had a moment's peace. Her mother hadn't made things difficult for her, but her words were full of complaints, leaving the Fujin in an awkward position...
Furthermore, her sister-in-law spoke to her in a sarcastic and sarcastic tone right in front of her. The Fujin (Prince's wife) was not a person with a good temper. As the wife of a prince, she naturally could not allow someone to embarrass her for no reason.
Besides, she herself was also full of grievances.
The Fujin (wife) had a rather unpleasant day at home. Finally, when dinner arrived, her sister-in-law suddenly spoke to her in a kind and gentle manner, the implication being that she still wanted her Honghui to promote the family.
The princess consort put on airs and refused to budge.
After leaving home and getting into the carriage, the princess's expression was neither good nor bad.
She had barely boarded the carriage when she overheard Granny Qian saying that news from the palace had already spread.
When Madam Qian told her that the Fourth Prince had pleased the Emperor greatly, the Princess Consort frowned. After a moment, she asked about the Second Prince.
Granny Qian said a few words for the Second Prince: "Our Second Prince has made a lot of progress since he came to the palace last New Year. He can now answer many of His Majesty's questions fluently... It's really quite good."
Granny Qian's praise was sincere, and her smile grew even wider. The Fujin (Madam) seemed to be infected by it, and finally a smile appeared on her face.
The Princess Consort nodded slightly, naturally needing no further modesty towards Granny Qian: "Our Second Prince is certainly excellent; his studies have improved considerably lately, which makes me, as his mother, very pleased. However… the Fourth Prince is even more accomplished than the Second Prince…"
Upon hearing this, Granny Qian echoed the words of the Fujin, "Yes, that's true... but we can't exactly cover the Fourth Prince's mouth..."
There was another layer of meaning behind these words, which the master and servant exchanged a glance about, needing no further explanation.
The princess wearily pressed her temples: "Of course not..."
Her voice was almost a murmur.
Ever since the incident with the eldest prince, the fourth prince has completely neglected her. The princess consort has suffered many reprimands, both big and small, over the past year, especially from the concubines in the palace, which she is well aware of...
Although she was not responsible for the incident involving the eldest prince, she was still unfairly blamed for it.
This is what frustrates the Fujin the most. She has been searching for evidence for the past year, but the longer time goes by, the harder it is to find anything...
Furthermore, Lady Li protected the Fourth Prince and the Second Princess so well that even if the Princess Consort wanted to harm them, she would find it difficult to find a suitable opportunity.
The princess is now caught in a dilemma, afraid to act rashly...
Granny Qian could only advise the Princess Consort: "Princess Wenxian's wedding is in two days, and I'm afraid you won't be able to find the time to attend."
The princess pressed her temples, but she had no clue what to do and eventually gave up.
She dared not gamble; she didn't know how she would end up if she angered the Fourth Master again and again.
Let's wait and see. After all, her Honghui is still capable, while Li's fourth prince is just good at playing the innocent...
The Fujin stopped thinking about it and instructed Yuru to open the storeroom and pick out two items that the child liked to send to the east courtyard.
Right now, she needs to demonstrate her competence and virtue as the fourth sister-in-law at Wen Xian's wedding: "Have all the gift lists from each family arrived? And the ones from the Tongjia family too..."
Yu Ru quickly handed over the thick booklet.
The princess, despite her exhaustion, watched and muttered as she wrote, "Tongjia..."
...
Meanwhile, in the palace, His Majesty had dinner with Princess Wenxian, and the father and daughter talked for a long time.
Wen Xian was raised by the Empress Dowager's side since childhood. She was quiet and gentle, and generous and dignified. In the blink of an eye, the little girl who used to clamor for her father to pick peach blossoms has grown into a graceful young woman.
The wedding date was set by His Majesty after consulting with Wen Xian herself, and peach trees were transplanted to Wen Xian's princess residence.
Wen Xian fought back tears, but they only started falling as he stepped back.
The Emperor personally wiped away his daughter's tears, watched her bow and leave.
After a long while, His Majesty slowly stood up. He did not choose a concubine, probably because Wen Xian had accompanied him to dinner that day, or perhaps because the fourth prince, Hongli, was so obedient at noon that the imperial entourage had arrived at Yonghe Palace.
As Wenxian's wedding day drew closer, Consort De was looking at Wenxian's dowry list by candlelight when His Majesty arrived at Yonghe Palace, checking each item one by one.
This is certainly not the first time today, nor will it be the first time in the past few days.
Upon learning that His Majesty had arrived, Consort De even pulled him aside to look at the dowry list once more. In the end, His Majesty added another dowry item, and Consort De did not refuse on behalf of Wen Xian.
"With you supporting Wenxian, I..." She remembered His Majesty's kindness.
After reviewing the dowry list, His Majesty looked at the betrothal gifts sent by Lady Tongjia. Hearing Consort De's words, he seemed to be thinking about something, and his eyebrows twitched slightly, but he did not respond.
"This Shun'an Yan, isn't this the same one as before..." His Majesty had seen the betrothal gift list sent by the Tongjia clan once during the first month of the lunar year, so he could roughly tell how much had been added.
Consort De's lips curled slightly, seemingly speaking up for Shun An Yan: "That's a good child, respectful and kind."
The Emperor remained noncommittal, then brought up another matter: "That brat came to me a few days ago... talking about the Fourth Prince..."
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