"Now that things are settled, what are Your Highness's plans?" Jue Luo asked.
“Fu Heng is old, I don’t need him anymore,” Yin Ti said angrily.
"Your Highness, don't forget that Fu Heng served alongside Father Emperor in his younger days, alongside Fei Yanggu, and was also a General of the Cavalry. Although he no longer holds military power, his protégés and former associates are still in the army!" Jue Luo reminded him.
"He is merely an old friend and disciple. My prestige in the army is no less than his now," Yinti said dismissively.
“If His Highness doesn’t care about this, then you, Fucha Fuheng, need not worry about it anymore,” said Lady Jue Luo.
"Yes. It's all because of that Hongli in the palace. Aren't all these people just flattering the fourth prince because they see that Hongli is highly regarded by the Emperor?" Yinti said.
“Father’s regard for that child is extraordinary. Your Highness, didn’t you say that someone has already made a move against him?” Jue Luo asked.
"Yes, the Qianqing Palace is now like an iron fortress; not even a fly could get in. Liang Jiugong is keeping a close watch on it. It's said that a eunuch who served Hongli was sent to the Shenxing Division. But nothing has come of it since then," Yinti asked.
"Your Highness, who sent that letter to Mother Consort? And who is it that has taken action now?" Jue Luo asked.
“I think it might be the third prince. He deliberately said in front of you that there was also such a letter in Consort Rong’s palace. Isn’t that just a blatant attempt to cover something up?” Yinti said.
"Your Highness thinks it's the Third Prince? But I think it's the Crown Prince!" said Lady Jue Luo. "Right now, the most anxious one should be the Crown Prince. Your Highness, think about it, now that he's been reinstated, isn't he more concerned about Father Emperor's attitude than anyone else?"
"Didn't the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince always have a good relationship? The Fourth Prince used to be the Crown Prince's shadow, always following him around." Yinti said disdainfully.
"Your Highness said that was in the past. What about now? Prince Yong has served in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel for a long time. Now, when Father Emperor has any important matters, he also likes to entrust them to him." Lady Jue Luo felt helpless about Yin Ti's poor political acumen.
"Then who was behind this?" Yinti asked.
"It could be the Crown Prince, or it could be someone else. The most important thing for Your Highness right now is to make a good impression on Father Emperor. And then..." Lady Jue Luo hesitated, finding it difficult to bring herself to say that she wanted her husband to have a son with another concubine.
“The Princess Consort is still young. If we try harder, we can still have another child,” Yinti said quickly, understanding what the Jue Luo clan meant.
Jue Luo smiled faintly and said, "I am already over thirty-five, how can I still be an old clam bearing pearls? This time, a few new sisters have come. Your Highness should visit them more often, so that they can give birth to a prince soon."
"Rongpei, I am truly grateful to you. I do not wish to have children with other women. At this moment, you are the only one in my heart." Yinti said with a heart full of guilt, thinking of Baoyue's matter.
Lady Jue Luo's heart trembled. In truth, she didn't want her husband to sleep with other women, but as the Grand Consort, she had to be responsible for her husband's offspring. If her husband didn't have a prince, or if it was said that he didn't have many princes, then it was all because she was unworthy and hadn't been a good Grand Consort. Consort Hui spoke to Lady Jue Luo several times, her words implying blame for not ensuring that Yinti had a large family.
“Your Highness, I know how much you love me. But now you must have a prince, and the more the better. If you don’t go to your sisters’ side, it would be a dereliction of duty on my part,” said the First Princess Consort.
Yinti also knew about the suffering of the Jue Luo clan, and of course he also knew that his mother and father were not very satisfied with her, simply because he had too few sons.
That night, Yinqi stayed overnight at the residence of another concubine, while Lady Jueluo stayed in her own room tending to her Buddhist prayers. She was already thirty-six years old, had given birth to two princesses, both of whom were now married, and she herself had become a maternal grandmother.
"Madam, it's late, you should rest." The old nanny beside her said to the First Madam, who was reciting the Diamond Sutra with her eyes closed.
"How is Hongshen?" the First Princess asked with her eyes closed.
"The little prince is asleep now. He hasn't vomited up his medicine anymore," the nanny said. Hongshen was the prince born to Baoyue, and he was now being raised by Lady Jueluo. Every time this child was mentioned, Lady Jueluo felt a pang of pain in her heart. His existence was a constant reminder of how much Yinqi had once loved other women. The other women could be said to have been chosen by Kangxi or Consort Hui, but Baoyue was someone he had actively fallen for, and even had a child with.
“Hongshen is becoming more and more lovable. Yesterday, he even called me ‘Mother’,” said Jue Luo Shi, opening her eyes.
"Yes, isn't the Fujin his mother? He is your mother too," the nanny said.
“Yes, this child will be my support from now on. It’s all my fault for having so few male heirs,” said Lady Jue Luo.
“It can’t all be blamed on the Princess Consort. The Prince has always favored her and wouldn’t get close to any other women,” the nanny said.
“But that would be my dereliction of duty. As the principal wife, I must not stop my husband from getting close to other women. Even if he refuses, I must persuade him. Otherwise, it would be my dereliction of duty. Nowadays, the prince has few male heirs, which has always been a concern of Father Emperor. It's just a pity that I am getting old now, and it is not easy for me to give the prince another son. So how can I stop him?” said Lady Jue Luo.
"Sigh, everyone wants to be the principal wife, but it's not easy to be the principal wife!" The nanny patted Jue Luo's back and said.
“Granny, I’m really a little unwilling. Wasn’t Fei Yanggu’s wife the Fourth Prince’s wife, born when she was forty?” Jue Luo said.
"Does the Princess Consort mean she still wants to try again?" the nanny asked.
Jue Luo nodded and said, "What the Prince lacks now is a legitimate son. If I, the Princess Consort, can give birth to a legitimate son for him, then Father Emperor will not have this attitude."
The old woman nodded and said, "Why don't we go and pray to Guanyin Bodhisattva at Tantuo Temple? I've heard that she's very effective at granting children."
Jue Luo shook her head and said, "It's better to rely on yourself than to pray to Guanyin Bodhisattva. I should drink some medicine that will help me conceive. Granny, call the doctor tomorrow and have him prepare a special fertility-enhancing soup for me."
The nanny nodded, stayed with Jue Luo for a while longer while she prayed, and then helped her to bed. It was truly not advisable for a woman to become pregnant after the age of thirty-five, especially since in ancient times there was no technology to predict the condition of the fetus, making complications more likely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
