"This humble servant greets the Fourteenth Princess Consort!" Nian Shi entered the main room, which was filled with gold, silver, and precious stones. She saw Wanyan Shi seated in the main seat, behind her a huge jade carving of a lady. All the furniture in the room was made of ebony, worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.
In truth, as the principal wife, Wanyan could refuse to receive Lady Nian, but since the Fourteenth Prince had no secondary consort, she was the only one who could receive him. Wanyan had always disliked secondary consorts; taking a concubine was one thing, but creating a secondary consort, a half-wife, half-concubine, was truly irritating. Consort De seemed to still care about this daughter-in-law, and thus hadn't designated a secondary consort for the Fourteenth Prince.
"Consort Nian, please rise! Rui Xiao, offer Consort Nian a seat and serve tea!" Wanyan said, adopting the demeanor of a principal consort. Her eyes were devoid of warmth. She was inherently proud and arrogant. She had seen Consort Nian a few times in Consort De's palace and did not particularly like this Consort Nian who liked to flatter and use money to gain favor.
After sitting down, Lady Nian glanced around the main room and saw that everything there was of the finest quality. The value of each item on the display shelf was beyond her comprehension. No wonder Consort De treated her so well; she truly was a princess of immense wealth and privilege, far beyond the reach of daughters of lowly officials like herself.
"I wonder what brings Consort Nian to my place today?" Wanyan asked, noticing the surprise on Consort Nian's face as she looked around her main room.
"Hehe, actually, I came to tell the Fourteenth Prince that he is currently in our residence. I was afraid that the Fourteenth Prince would worry, so I came specifically to inform him," said Madam Nian, her expression softening.
Wanyan was completely taken aback that Nian had come for the Fourteenth Prince, especially since the Fourteenth Prince was at the Yong Prince's residence. The Fourteenth Prince hadn't told her he was going to the Yong Prince's residence!
Seeing that Wanyan was indeed shocked by her words, Lady Nian hurriedly added, "Moreover, the Fourteenth Prince was taken back by Consort Niu from our household. The servants said that she personally took him to the front courtyard to settle him in. They said the Fourteenth Prince was so drunk that he was unconscious!"
Wanyan stared at Nian with wide eyes, her anger almost reaching its peak. A long-dormant rage rose from the depths of her heart, but she suppressed it and said with a straight face, "Oh, how did the Fourteenth meet Niohuru from your household?"
When Lady Nian saw that she addressed Lanqin directly as "Niohuru Shi", she knew that Lanqin must be angry, so she quickly said, "This, I don't know. I came here specifically to let the Fourteenth Prince know, because I was afraid that the Fourteenth Prince would worry."
Wanyan recalled her uncle's letter regarding the people around the Fourth Prince, which mentioned the Nian family as a significant source of support for him. This further fueled her dislike for Nian. She wasn't grateful to Nian for speaking up for her; instead, she felt Nian was there to gloat.
"Understood, I will send someone to fetch the Fourteenth Prince," Wanyan said coldly.
Seeing her expression, Madam Nian was furious inside, but she still had to smile and say, "Then I'll take my leave. It's getting late, and our master will be back soon."
Wanyan simply got up and had her maid see Nian off.
When Lady Nian walked out of the Fourteenth Mansion, her face was calm, but as soon as the door closed, her face immediately turned frosty: Lady Wanyan, when our Prince ascends the throne, hmph, this concubine will make you come and pay your respects to me!
Meanwhile, Wanyan was throwing a tantrum in her main room. She hadn't expected that the Fourteenth Prince, who had run off early that morning to meet with some subordinates, would now be brought back to the Fourteenth Prince's residence by Niohuru.
Was he deceiving himself? How could he be with Niohuru?
"Madam, the master may have encountered Consort Niu," his personal maid Rui Xiao advised.
"Encountered her? That Niohuru clansman has always been unruly. Let's go to the Yong Prince's residence to fetch her." Wanyan said angrily.
After taking a bath, Lanqin went for a nap and slept until dusk. When she woke up, she asked about the Fourteenth Prince.
"Master, the master has returned. He should be in the front yard with the Fourteenth Prince right now!" Si Hua said as she helped Lan Qin put on her embroidered shoes.
"Ah, Master is back?" Lanqin asked.
“Yes, when Master returned, he made a special trip to the South Courtyard. Seeing that Master was asleep, he went back. We servants had no choice but to mention the Fourteenth Prince’s matter to Master.” Si Hua said cautiously to Lan Qin.
Lanqin suddenly felt a bad premonition. Would the petty Fourth Master mind if she brought the drunk Fourteenth Prince back?
"Master, I noticed that Your Majesty's expression turned somewhat unpleasant after hearing my report," Si Hua said.
"Oh no, that man really is angry!" Lanqin said. "But I saw Fourteenth was drunk, I can't just ignore it!"
"Yes, Master, you don't need to worry too much. Perhaps Master and the Fourteenth Prince are already having a pleasant conversation," Si Hua comforted him.
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