Guarjia originally only wanted to embarrass Lanqin here, but seeing that she refused to admit it, she raised her eyebrows and said, "I clearly saw you take a small cushion and put it under your knees when you were kneeling just now."
Upon hearing this, some people fell silent, averting their questioning gazes and beginning to don their cloaks as they headed towards their mothers' palaces.
Fourth Princess Consort glanced at Lanqin a few times and said to her, "Let's go, Mother is waiting for us."
Guarjia saw that no one said anything, but she noticed that Lanqin silently took out the small cushion from her sleeve and handed it to Cui Niang to put away.
"Let's go, what are you still standing here for?" The Third Princess felt that she had made Guarjia lose face, so she glared at her a few times and headed towards the inner palace.
Lanqin found it quite amusing to see Guarjia's face turn pale and then red, so she abandoned her and went straight with the Fourth Prince's wife.
"Girl Consort Gua, that's true. You only arrived this year, so you probably don't know. Everyone here has something to put on their knees, except for you, who's just sitting there like an idiot. Go and go with your wife to put some on your knees." Fifth Princess Consort said with a smile, and then left with her maid.
Guarjia only wished there was a hole to crawl into. She had intended to embarrass Niohuru, but unexpectedly, she became the laughingstock herself.
The Fourth Princess remained silent the whole way, and Lanqin didn't want to say anything either. She didn't know if the Fourth Princess had brought a cushion, but judging from the reactions of the others, someone must have.
When the two arrived at Yonghe Palace, they saw that Consort Cheng had come again, followed by the Seventh Prince's secondary consort, Lady Shu, the Thirteenth Prince's consort, Lady Zhaojia, and the Fourteenth Prince's consort, Lady Wanyan.
Consort De ordered the palace maids to light all the braziers in the main hall, as everyone had moved inside, and the warm pavilion was no longer spacious enough. Consort De then had tables and chairs prepared, along with various pastries and sweets. Although it wasn't the New Year, this festival was considered the most important holiday for the Manchus. It was said that there would be fireworks and a palace banquet that evening.
The three primary wives naturally sat down at one table. Lanqin and the Seventh Prince's wife, Lady Shu, sat with Consort Cheng at another table, while the eldest and second princesses naturally sat beside the primary wives. The two younger children were also held by their wet nurses and stood in front of Consort De, being teased.
"Mother, is Princess Wenyi coming back?" Wanyan asked suddenly, holding a chestnut cake in her hand. "I just heard from the Third Princess Consort that the young lady is coming back."
Upon hearing this, Consort De handed a rattle drum to a palace maid beside her and said, "Yes, Princess Wenyi, who was married off to Mongolia, is coming back to visit her family."
Consort Cheng chimed in, "I heard that the rewards from Yanxi Palace this time are twice as generous as those from other places. I'm afraid Consort Rong will have to come out this time."
Lanqin didn't understand the affairs of the palace; she just peeled peanuts and put them in her mouth.
A shadow crossed Consort De's eyes as she said, "Consort Rong has been out of the public eye for many years. Her daughter is just visiting her family now. Once this period is over, things will be back to normal."
Lanqin glanced at the pearl hairpin in Consort Cheng's hair, feeling it looked somewhat familiar. After thinking for a moment, she realized she had seen it before. Lady Shu was quiet and reserved, sitting there impeccably clean, occasionally offering Consort Cheng a piece of pastry.
“Niu’er, the men won’t be coming back today, so we women will be having dinner together. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and talk to the cooks? I’m going to dine with the Emperor later, so you can all eat here together.” Consort De seemed unwilling to say more to Consort Rong and changed the subject.
Lanqin inwardly groaned, knowing that Consort De's intimacy towards her did not bring her any peace of mind, but instead blatantly drew her hatred.
The two proper wives, Fourth Prince's wife and Fourteenth Prince's wife, are sitting here, yet she, a mere concubine, is being asked to speak up. Clearly, she's setting herself up for trouble.
"Your Majesty, the weather is rather cold. Why don't we order a hot pot to eat together? It won't take much effort; the cooks in the kitchen can arrange it perfectly," Lanqin politely declined.
Consort De was originally going to attend a palace banquet, but she told Lanqin this only so that he could help take care of the people in the room.
"Very well, then I'll trouble you and Niu'er to look after things like this," Consort De said. The Fourth Prince's wife was cold and had never interacted with her much. The Fourteenth Prince's wife was too young, still a child; how could she be asked to do anything? The Seventh Prince's concubine and Lady Zhaojia were guests; they couldn't be asked to do anything either.
After it got dark, Consort De changed her clothes and attire again, and went to the Qianqing Palace with the help of a palace maid.
Consort Cheng held little Hongshi's hand and began counting the seven stars in the courtyard. Wuxiha was still too young and was already exhausted. After drinking his milk, he was taken to the warm pavilion to sleep.
"I can't help it, since Consort Niu is so favored by Mother, she arranges everything we eat." After Consort De left, Consort Wanyan couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.
Lanqin looked at her as if she were Shi Si, a rebellious teenager in his rebellious phase who thought he was something special.
"If the Fourteenth Prince Consort has a better arrangement, I am willing to follow her arrangements," Lanqin said with a smile.
Sure enough, the Fourteenth Prince's wife was immediately embarrassed upon hearing this. How could she possibly arrange meals? She had lived a life of luxury since birth and had never worried about what to eat. Her words were only spoken out of resentment after hearing the Fourth Prince's wife say, "You should keep a close eye on the concubines in your household."
"Mother clearly asked you to make the arrangements for us, yet you're pushing it onto me?" The Fourteenth Princess Consort said angrily, her face flushed.
"I wouldn't dare. I only voluntarily stepped aside because I saw that the Fourteenth Princess Consort seemed to want to make the arrangements herself. Since the Fourteenth Princess Consort doesn't want to make the arrangements, then I will make them myself." After saying that, Lanqin stood up, patted her hands that were peeling peanuts, removed the red skins, and left the main hall with a smile.
Consort Cheng was holding little Hongshi and pointing at the stars in the sky.
The winter night sky is filled with countless stars, all hanging like diamonds in the sky.
Lanqin suddenly remembered that the pearl flower on Consort Cheng's head seemed to be from last year, only the style was slightly different. She guessed that the gemstones on it had been removed and new jewelry had been made. Although the style was slightly different, the main elements were still the same. No wonder it looked familiar.
Since divorcing his wife, Lady Nara, the Seventh Prince has never remarried. He has only two daughters, the Second Princess, born to Lady Shu, and an Eldest Princess, born to a concubine.
"Consort Cheng, Hongshi is quite heavy. You'll get tired carrying him like this," Lanqin said gently as she walked to their side.
"I'm not tired. The Fourth Prince is just too adorable. I'm so unlucky; I haven't even had a grandson yet. Sigh." Consort Cheng lowered her voice as she said this, probably because she was afraid that Lady Shu inside would hear her.
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