"Why do you have time to come today, sister? How are the eldest and second princes' studies going?" the Crown Princess asked, her words contradicting her true feelings. In this palace, no one hated this woman more than she did. However, the two of them had no choice but to pretend and say things they didn't mean, because they both served the same man.
"I haven't paid my respects to you for many days, and I feel quite uneasy. Please forgive me!" Li Jia said gently. "The Crown Prince has been going to Zhongcui Palace quite often lately. I wonder if the Crown Princess has heard about this?"
The Crown Princess sneered inwardly. She knew this daughter wouldn't come without a reason; she was probably here today because of the rumor circulating in the palace. Seeing Li Jia's lowered eyes and slanted posture, Guarjia felt a surge of pleasure: So she's finally getting to see my face!
“My sister has served the master for over ten years. How can she be like those gossipy little vixens and believe those rumors?” The Crown Princess said, touching the cloud pattern on her sleeve.
Li Jia knew that the Crown Princess was actually using the pretext of scolding Lin and Tang to insult herself. No wonder; she had suppressed her for over a decade and given birth to two princes for the Crown Prince. As the principal wife, how could she not feel resentment and anger?
“Sister, rumors are more dangerous than tigers. The Emperor is currently on tour and hasn't returned to the palace yet. If no one stops these rumors, it will inevitably affect the Crown Prince's reputation. If the Emperor is angry with the Crown Prince, it will be detrimental to you and all the sisters,” Li Jia said patiently to Guarjia, suppressing her anger. Actually, the Crown Prince disliked his Crown Princess because Guarjia lacked Li Jia's intelligence and understanding, and was also jealous and simple-minded.
Upon hearing this, Guarjia frowned slightly, revealing a hint of fear, and asked, "Then, in your opinion, what should we do, sister?"
Li Jia smiled coldly to herself and said, "The most urgent task now is to find out the source of that rumor. As long as we stop the source of the rumor, and then go through Consort Shu, we should be able to stop this truly malicious rumor."
Consort Shu, the aunt of the Guarjia clan, gave birth to the eighteenth son of Emperor Kangxi and was quite favored by him. Although she was no longer as old as younger concubines like the Holland, Consort Shu's favor remained considerable because the eighteenth prince was intelligent and quick-witted. It was because of this relationship with Consort Shu that the Crown Princess Guarjia was able to give birth to a daughter and secure her position as Crown Princess.
"Does my sister mean that someone deliberately spread such rumors?" the Crown Princess asked in surprise, because in her understanding, those servants would not dare to spread rumors about the Crown Prince at will.
"Indeed, otherwise, who would dare to easily frame the Crown Prince! The Emperor hasn't visited me for quite some time, so I've come to see you, sister, to prevent you from falling into the trap of those with ulterior motives," Li Jia said excitedly. Lin was right; she had given birth to two of Emperor Kangxi's eldest grandsons. If the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne one day, her son would likely be made Crown Prince. Therefore, no one was more anxious than her about the Crown Prince's slander.
A hint of joy flashed across Guarjia's face; Li Jia had finally fallen out of favor. Although she rarely served the Crown Prince anymore, seeing her nemesis of over a decade in the same predicament as herself finally brought some relief to the Crown Princess, a feeling she had been holding back for over ten years.
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