The Third Princess stood in front of the bronze mirror, looking left and right for a long time, when the cloth seller draped the cloth over her again.
"If the Princess Consort were to wear a qipao made of this fabric again, she would surely be stunningly beautiful," the shopkeeper said earnestly.
"You certainly have a sweet tongue, Qiu Hong, reward her!" The Third Princess knew these servants were just flattering her, but she liked it nonetheless. She had money and status, so why couldn't she be fawned over by these servants?
Qiu Hong took out a piece of silver weighing about two taels from her purse and stuffed it into the servant's hand.
"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness. You are beautiful and kind-hearted, and you will surely be blessed with great fortune in the future," the servant said sincerely.
"Oh? Then tell me, what exactly is this 'great fortune'?" the Third Princess Consort asked with a smile.
The young waiter was immediately embarrassed. He was just a waiter, and those words were taught to him by Manager Lu. He had no idea that the man in front of him was Prince Yi's husband.
Seeing that the young waiter couldn't handle the situation, Manager Lu hurriedly said, "How could we lowly people possibly fathom the blessings bestowed upon Her Highness the Princess? Go and make her a cup of tea, quickly!"
The waiter immediately went to make tea.
"Manager Lu, then tell me, what kind of good fortune will this princess consort have in the future?" The Third Princess Consort seemed determined to get to the bottom of this question.
"Hehe, Your Highness, please come to the private room and have a seat. I'll have them wrap this piece of cloth for you," Manager Lu said, bowing.
"Alright, I'll take them all. But you have to tell me first, otherwise I won't take a single one of these things," the Third Princess said arrogantly, staring at Manager Lu.
"Yes, yes! Your Highness, please, please!" Manager Lu said hurriedly.
When the Third Princess was led to the third floor, to the area reserved for these noble ladies, the waiter had already brought up the finest tea.
"Your Highness, please, please have some tea!" said Manager Lu.
"No rush, I'm waiting for your explanation!" said the Third Princess.
"Hehe, Your Highness." Manager Lu was about to speak, but when he saw that there were two maids standing next to the Third Princess, he looked at the Third Princess with embarrassment.
"Qiuhong, Yancao, you two go out and see if there's anything else suitable for me. You don't need to serve me here," said the Third Princess Consort.
"Yes!" Qiu Hong and Yancao curtsied and withdrew.
"Now you can tell me!" said the Third Princess Consort.
"Yes, Your Highness, I believe Prince Yi has great potential now. You see, the struggle between the Crown Prince and Prince Heshuo is an undeniable fact. They've been fighting for it for years, and it's still the same situation. Your Highness, Prince Yi is already a prince; you mustn't choose the wrong side at this time," said Manager Lu, with a cunning and shrewd air.
"Are you saying that our Prince should find a safe place to cool off at this time?" the Third Princess Consort asked. She was just asking casually, but somehow, Manager Lu's words resonated with her.
"As the ancients said, 'It's good to have a big tree to lean on for shade.' Prince Yi should think carefully about who he will follow in the future. Wouldn't the Princess Consort's good days be just around the corner as well?" Manager Lu said with lingering interest.
In fact, the Third Prince's wife was also pondering these matters. Although the Third Prince and she were not of one mind, given the current situation, no one could help but worry.
"Manager Lu, you certainly know how to talk. Alright, I'll take all of these today. If you have anything else good, just tell me," said the Third Princess.
"Yes, this servant will definitely report to the Third Princess Consort." Manager Lu thought to himself, he hadn't said anything, so why was the Third Princess Consort so happy? Sigh, the world of the powerful and rich is unfathomable!
The Third Princess Consort returned home satisfied with the jewelry box and the fabric.
After the Crown Prince returned to the palace, he immediately went into his own bedchamber and stayed there without coming out, instructing no one to disturb him.
As dusk settled, Crown Princess Shi listened to A Bao's report on the Crown Prince's affairs at the Prince Heshuo's residence, glancing at the nail guards on her hands as she listened.
"Can the Crown Prince take the antidote?" Shi asked.
"As soon as Your Highness boarded the carriage, this servant administered the medicine to you," Abao replied, bowing.
“Yes, very good. Starting tomorrow, tell the Emperor that the Crown Prince is suddenly unwell and cannot attend court,” said Madam Shi.
"Yes, the Crown Prince told me that the Crown Princess is still keeping an eye on the Third Prince's wife. If we can get her to persuade Prince Yi to file this complaint, we'll have to see what we do," A Bao said.
"I understand. You go and serve the Crown Prince well, help him get through this period, and then we can get rid of Prince Heshuo." A golden light flashed in Shi's eyes.
After A Bao left, the Crown Princess stared at A Bao's departing figure with a hint of mockery.
"Your Majesty, are you just going to watch this eunuch stand there with His Highness the Crown Prince like this?" said Shi Yan, a palace maid standing nearby, with disdain.
"What, you can't stand him being favored?" Shi Shi turned her face away and glared at Shi Yan.
"This servant dares not, Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Shi Yan immediately knelt down in front of Shi Shi and said.
All of these maids had their names changed by the Crown Princess, and they all started with the character "Shi" (石), such as Shi Yan (石燕), Shi Cao (石草), Shi Qing (石青), and Shi Hua (石花). The Crown Princess became increasingly strict in the palace, especially during the period when the Crown Prince was deposed. The Crown Prince seemed to care about no one anymore, but he began to pay more attention to Shi Shi.
"Get up. All of you, keep a close eye on those wretches. Now that His Highness no longer favors them and has taken a liking to eunuchs, isn't that better? At least eunuchs can't have children!" Shi Shi said.
"Yes, after Your Highness's important matter is accomplished, this eunuch will be at your disposal as you wish," Shi Yan said, suppressing the jealousy in her eyes. It turned out that she had already been taken in by the Crown Prince, of course, at Shi's behest. However, after sleeping with her once, the Crown Prince forgot all about her. This was a classic case of failing to climb into the Crown Prince's bed. Therefore, how could she not feel jealous and resentful that this eunuch named A Bao had gained the Crown Prince's favor!
"Of course. Don't worry, as long as the Crown Prince changes his title one day, you'll at least be a noble person!" The Crown Prince said, giving a stick and then a sweet treat.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I don't want anything else, I'll be content just to stay by Your Highness's side and serve you," Shi Yan said obediently.
"What has that vile woman Li been doing lately?" the Crown Princess asked.
“Li Shi hasn’t been trying to get close to the Crown Prince much lately, but those newcomers aren’t exactly well-behaved,” Shi Yan said.
"Hmph, it's all a waste of effort. The Crown Prince now prefers men, so no matter how alluring they are, it's like casting pearls before swine," Shi Shi sneered sarcastically.
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