Consort De was still in a bad mood because of the Fourteenth Prince's affair, so she did not keep the Fourth Prince and his family. After the meal, the Fourth Prince left the palace with his wife, Lanqin, and the children to return to their residence. The Thirteenth Prince and Lady Zhaojia also left Yonghe Palace together.
“Thirteenth Brother, why don’t you stay in Consort Cheng’s palace? It will save you from running around. You’ll have to come in again early tomorrow morning,” said the Fourth Prince.
“I don’t want to trouble Mother, and it’s not a hassle anyway. I don’t have any children, but it’s Fourth Brother and Fourth Sister-in-law’s children who are causing trouble,” Thirteen said. These words stunned Zhao Jia Shi behind him. In fact, Thirteen hadn’t meant anything by her; it was just a casual remark.
The Fourth Prince did not respond to this, and instead walked with the Thirteenth Prince, talking about the events at the palace banquet.
Following behind the Fourth Prince's wife, Lady Zhaojia felt deeply resentful. The Thirteenth Prince's words showed absolutely no regard for her feelings.
The Fourth Prince's wife slowed down and started talking to Lady Zhaojia, asking her some questions and giving her some advice on how to serve her husband.
After leaving the Forbidden City, the Fourth Prince gave a few instructions to the Thirteenth Prince, and then, together with his wife and Lanqin, boarded their respective carriages and headed back to the mansion under the moonlight.
Lanqin felt sorry for Wuxiha and specially asked the wet nurse to bring the baby into her carriage. The baby was only three or four months old, yet she was working so hard from dawn till dusk. Lanqin thought she would leave the child at the manor tomorrow and let Sister Song and the others visit him at the South Courtyard for a couple of days.
At that time, Song, Geng, Wu, and Yin prepared a feast in Wu's room in the West Courtyard. She specially took out some silver and added some dishes in addition to the usual allowance.
“Sister Song, among us sisters, you served the Fourth Prince the longest. You should say a few words at this banquet today.” Although Wu Shi is now close to Lan Qin and the others, she seems to have been disliked by the Fourth Prince since Li Shi’s death. Now, like Song Shi and Geng Shi, she is practically invisible. Song Shi still has a eldest princess, so the Fourth Prince always remembers her; Yin Shi has the Third Prince and often sees the Fourth Prince as well.
“My sisters are all still young, and they will have more opportunities to serve Fourth Master in the future. Don’t be discouraged. Let’s all behave ourselves and there will always be opportunities to serve him,” said Madam Song.
Geng nodded. Wu was somewhat skeptical, but as a prince's concubine, even if things were this way, this was how her life would be. Yin remained silent, only raising her cup to accept Song's toast.
"Speaking of Sister Yin, you're the best off. You've raised the Third Prince, so even if you can't have a son or daughter in the future, you'll have someone to rely on," Wu said, changing the subject to Yin.
"Why be so sentimental, Sister Wu? As Sister Song said, Sister Wu is still young, charming and beautiful, and will surely regain the Fourth Prince's favor," Madam Yin said carefully.
"Then I'll take your good wishes to heart, sister. Come, let's all drink this cup." Wu seemed to be in a bad mood tonight, which Song and Geng noticed, and Yin naturally noticed as well.
Suddenly, a beautiful firework burst open in the dark sky. It turned out that in addition to the palace, some wealthy Manchu families outside the palace also set off fireworks.
When the Fourth Prince and his entourage returned to the mansion, the banquet at Madam Wu's place had just been cleared away, and everyone went back to their respective rooms.
After instructing the maids to clear away the cups and dishes, Hongqian noticed that Madam Wu was sitting alone on the couch, seemingly lost in thought. She said, "Princess, you seem to be talking a bit too much today. I noticed that even Princess Song is a little displeased."
Wu Shi narrowed her eyes, touched the gilded agate bracelet on her wrist, and slowly said, "She has a princess, and besides, she is indeed not young anymore. Even if she serves the master, it is probably difficult for her to have another child. I am only twenty years old, how can I just sit and wait for death?"
Hongxi looked at Wu Shi and said with some concern, "Princess, you've already gotten close to Consort Niu. If you reveal such information now, you might offend her."
Wu glanced at Hong Qian and said coldly, "The reason we were trying to curry favor with her was because Li Shi was gone and the Fujin was eyeing me. It was just to protect ourselves. Now, Niu Shi is almost the only one favored by the emperor. She's not as good as Li Shi back then, who at least allowed us to share her favors."
Hongxi carefully observed Wu's expression and asked, "So now, does the princess want to side with the Fujin again? But she's the one who caused the princess to be unable to have a child during those years despite being favored by the emperor."
A fleeting look of unbearable pain crossed Wu's face, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "There are no eternal enemies. They can be switched whenever needed. By relying on the Fujin (Prince Consort), I might still have a chance. Look at how Yin managed to raise the Third Prince; without the Fujin's help, it wouldn't have been so easy. Song is old and faded; she's already given up. Geng is plain-looking and practically invisible. So they willingly rely on Niu. But I, Wu Ruyi, am different. I have beauty and a family. Why should I remain here in obscurity?"
Hongqian nodded and said, "What you say is true. Now that Wang Shi is imprisoned in Zhanghuatai and Yan Yu is gone, the Fujin is all alone with only Yin Shi. If you, Gege, were to side with the Fujin at this time, you might actually be trusted by her. But in the future, Gege, be careful. Don't eat or wear anything she gives you."
Wu's face was slightly flushed, perhaps from drinking some wine. Her pink cheeks were radiant with a renewed charm, as beautiful and dazzling as a blooming rose.
“To gain the trust of the Fujin (wife of the emperor), there are still some things that need to be done. She is very suspicious, and without showing some sincerity, it will be difficult to regain her trust,” said Madam Wu.
“Right now, the person the Fujin fears most is Consort Niu. If the princess wants to return to the Fujin’s side, she can only use her as a stepping stone,” Hong Qian said.
“Let’s wait and see. The South Courtyard is now surrounded like an iron barrel, so it won’t be easy to do anything. However, I have already thought of a way to regain my position as the Princess Consort,” said Madam Wu.
"What method?" Hongxi asked, puzzled.
"Hongqian, you will leave the manor tomorrow to do something for me," said Madam Wu.
Meanwhile, when Madam Song passed by the South Courtyard, she stopped, looked at the faint light inside, and asked the gatekeeper, Granny Wang, if she had returned yet.
"Your Highness, did Consort Wu drink too much today? It sounds like she's unhappy about Consort Niu's exclusive favor." Qingping noticed that Madam Song had been silent the whole time and knew that she must be thinking about this.
“Even you could tell. Wu used to follow Li and was favored for a while, so she's probably not that docile,” Song said.
“However, the concubine is very good to us. What does Consort Wu think? Is she going to start a fight with us again?” Qingping said.
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