"Your Highness, you are overthinking it. My mother just has a sore throat and is currently chatting and laughing with Consort Cheng and the others in the palace. If Your Highness wishes to visit her, my mother will certainly welcome you." Although Lanqin didn't dislike Consort Yi, she still had to defend her mother-in-law and say a few words.
Consort Yi glanced at her coldly for a few moments before slowly saying, "Then I'll go visit my sister when I have some free time." After saying that, she withdrew her gaze and resumed her aloof and superior demeanor as Consort Yi.
Watching Consort Yi's palanquin slowly disappear into the distance, Aunt An and Lanqin continued walking forward.
"Consort Yi, relying on being the eldest daughter of the Guo Luo Luo clan, is always making things difficult for Your Highness. Now that she and Your Highness are jointly managing the harem, she often does things that annoy Your Highness," Aunt An said.
As Lanqin walked, she carefully interjected, "Presumably Consort Yi feels that Mother's background is inferior to hers. However, the fact that Mother was able to give birth to the Sixth Prince and then the Fourteenth Prince shows that the Emperor's affection for Mother is extraordinary."
Aunt An smiled slightly and said, "That makes perfect sense. When our Empress gave birth to the Fourteenth Prince, she was already twenty-eight. Consort Yi was only twenty-one."
Lanqin tacitly agreed, thinking to herself: Alas, these women do not harbor much hatred for each other, but because they share the same husband, they inevitably become life-or-death rivals from the moment they enter the palace.
"Mother is kind and gentle, and acts fairly and prudently, so naturally Father Emperor values her. Consort Yi comes from the Guo Luo Luo family, so Father Emperor has to show her some favor as well. Mother really doesn't need to be upset. In my opinion, the Emperor truly likes you from the bottom of his heart, and you are also useful, which is why you have always held the Emperor's favor. Consort Yi is favored by Father Emperor because of her family's favor. As for how much favor Father Emperor has between Consort Yi, I dare not speculate. But just from the point of being favored by the Emperor, Mother is better than Consort Yi." Lanqin spoke the truth. She wasn't praising Consort De and criticizing Consort Yi, but from this perspective, Consort De was able to rise from an unknown woman to a high-ranking concubine, share the same favor as Consort Yi, and even give birth to a son at the "advanced age" of twenty-eight, which shows that the Emperor's favor was extraordinary.
Aunt An had never heard such words before, and was surprised, gaining a new perspective on Lanqin.
When the two returned to Yonghe Palace, Consort Cheng and the others were no longer there. Consort De was no longer lying down as she had the day before, but was looking at some account books presented by the Imperial Household Department in the warm pavilion of the main hall.
Lanqin took the sesame fruit to the small kitchen first. She planned to personally teach Xiuzhu how to stew this monk fruit and snow pear soup for Consort De. Aunt An went into the warm pavilion to report.
"Your Majesty, the Consort has personally gone to the kitchen to stew that monk fruit and snow pear soup for you," Aunt An said after paying her respects.
"Well, hopefully her folk remedy will work a little." Consort De's mind was clearly on those account books.
Granny De gestured to Aunt An to be quiet, so the two nannies stood quietly, waiting for Consort De's question.
"The Golden Banquet Festival is almost here. This year is different from previous years, as it marks the centenary of our Holy Ancestor Emperor's birth. His Majesty has said that it will be a grand celebration. Two sets of new clothes and jewelry have been specially added to the wardrobes of all the palaces," said Consort De.
"Your Majesty need not worry. The Imperial Household Department will take care of everything. Your Majesty only needs to take a look and check the numbers," said Granny De.
"It's not as simple as you make it out to be. The ladies in all those places are so sensible. They can fight tooth and nail over a little bit of fabric of a good color. Sigh, I'm bound to run into her again," Consort De said.
Seeing the displeasure on Consort De's face when Consort Yi was mentioned, Aunt An quickly said that she and Lanqin had encountered Consort Yi in the passageway outside the satin storehouse.
"Oh, she went to the satin storehouse?" Consort De asked, looking up.
“I’m looking in that direction, it should be there. The concubine also told me about Her Highness and Consort Yi, and it made me feel better,” said Aunt An.
"Oh. What did she say?" Consort De put down the account book in her hand and asked seriously.
"The concubine said that the Emperor treats Consort De with his heart, but only with power to treat Consort Yi. It seems that Your Highness is more favored by the Emperor," said Aunt An.
After listening, Consort De pondered for a moment and said, "Go and have her come over."
Aunt An agreed and hurriedly went out of the warm pavilion to find Lanqin.
Meanwhile, Lanqin was tending the stove, watching the monk fruit bubbling and tumbling inside the clay pot.
She missed Fourth Master and her children. But here, she couldn't utter a single word about missing home.
"Consort, Her Majesty is calling you! Just have them watch over the medicine soup." Aunt An walked into the kitchen and saw Lanqin standing in front of the small stove, lost in thought.
"It'll be ready soon. Why don't we wait a little longer and pour out the soup and take it over together?" Lanqin suggested.
"You should let them keep an eye on things; Her Highness might have something to ask you." Aunt An didn't tell Lanqin that she had told Consort De what Lanqin had said. Lanqin, unaware of this, followed Aunt An out of the kitchen.
The two women entered the warm pavilion and saw Consort De still looking at the list. When she saw Lanqin come over to pay her respects, she raised her eyes to look at Lanqin and said sternly, "Niohuru clan, do you know your mistake?"
Lanqin was caught off guard by Consort De's sudden remark and was quite at a loss for words. Aunt An was also surprised by Consort De's anger; she had thought Consort De would be pleased.
"Lanqin is dull-witted and doesn't know where she did wrong. Please give her some pointers, Mother," Lanqin said quickly, bowing.
She knew that this wasn't the Fourth Prince's residence, nor the South Courtyard, where she could say whatever she wanted, but she really hadn't said anything out of line.
"To casually discuss the ladies of the palace is to show no respect for one's superiors," Consort De said angrily.
Lanqin felt like a thousand grass mud horses were galloping through her mind. She thought, "Aunt An, you've really got me into trouble. Did you tell Consort De those things about me again?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt An's expression changed immediately. She knelt down behind Lanqin and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have said those things beforehand. Please punish me if you must."
Consort De looked sternly at Aunt An and said, "You're not young anymore, and you've been with me for over a decade. How can you still act so erratically? How could you say such things in a place like that? What if Consort Yi sent someone to follow you and listen in? Even if no one listens, as a prince's concubine, it's extremely disrespectful to discuss other concubines."
“Your Majesty, the Consort is still young and doesn’t know what’s going on in the palace. Please consider that the Consort only said those things to comfort Your Majesty…” Aunt An pleaded.
"You receive a monthly salary. You still have the nerve to plead with others. You've been with Granny De for so long, how can you still be so ungrateful?" Consort De said, still refusing to show any emotion.
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