Since they had specifically mentioned her, Lanqin couldn't remain silent; that would be impolite.
"This humble servant, of the Niohuru clan, greets the Eighth Princess Consort." Lanqin curtsied slightly.
The Eighth Princess Consort moved gracefully to Lanqin's side. Her eyes had already scanned Lanqin up and down seven or eight times, and she thought to herself: "She doesn't look particularly outstanding."
“Our Lady Chen is your cousin!” The Eighth Prince’s wife walked up to Lanqin. “Look at your skin, it’s really amazing. No wonder Fourth Brother dotes on you!”
What kind of talk is this! Is this a reminder that all her sisters are just concubines? That her favor is all due to her body? Lanqin felt a little stifled.
"Chen Ruzhu, the concubine of the Eighth Prince, is my cousin." Lanqin later heard that the Eighth Prince still favored her, but she didn't know whether she was truly favored.
"They really are sisters from the same family; they even look a bit alike," the Eighth Prince's wife said meaningfully.
“Eighth Sister-in-law, let’s go pay our respects to Consort Rong and wish her a Happy New Year,” said Ninth Prince Consort Dong’e. Ninth Prince Consort was truly peculiar. Chief Steward Lanqin had only met her a few times, and each time she did, she remained silent. Unlike the other primary consorts who were adept at social maneuvering and charming, and unlike the first and fourth prince consorts who were composed and dignified, she seemed rather transparent, not at all like a primary consort. She seemed to dislike being the center of attention.
"Since Consort is going to Consort Hui's place later, why don't you wait for me to come along?" The Eighth Consort had her eye on Lanqin.
“Alright, Eighth Sister-in-law, I’ll wait for you. Let’s go pay our respects to Consort Hui together.” Wanyan said first. Fourteenth Prince spends all his time around Eighth and Ninth Princes, so why is Fourteenth Princess Consort also revolving around Eighth Princess Consort?
Lanqin had no choice but to stay and wait for the Eighth and Ninth Princes' wives with Xinyi.
After they finished paying their respects to Consort Rong, Lanqin and Xinyi, as secondary consorts, could only follow behind the three primary consorts as they headed towards Consort Hui's Zhongcui Palace.
Lanqin had no intention of getting involved with the other wives, so she deliberately lagged behind Xinyi by a few steps. This was Lanqin's first time walking among the palaces like this, and of course, it was her first time since she transmigrated.
Because Zhongcui Palace was located at the very back of the Eastern Six Palaces and furthest from Qianqing Palace, it was clear how highly Consort Hui regarded Emperor Kangxi. The Eighth Prince's wife and Lady Wanyan were talking, which made Lady Wanyan laugh a few times. The Ninth Prince's wife, standing nearby like a shadow, did not interrupt.
Consort Hui looked radiant. Lanqin, Xinyi, and several other concubines followed behind the primary consort to pay their respects for the New Year.
"Alright, all of you, get up. Sit here with me. It's the dead of winter, and it's very cold outside!" Consort Hui said magnanimously, her face beaming with pride. Lanqin couldn't help but wonder to herself, "Is Prince Zhi really going to be made Crown Prince?"
The people sat down around Consort Hui in order of rank and princes, and tea, fruits and snacks were immediately served.
"Where is my sister-in-law?" The Eighth Prince's wife spoke warmly to Consort Hui. Since the Eighth Prince had been raised by Consort Hui since childhood, she was naturally closer to the wife of the Prince of Zhi than to others.
"Of course, I've skipped the New Year's greetings. ****, you've lost weight! I see you've slimmed down quite a bit." Consort Hui addressed the Eighth Prince's wife by her given name, showing their close relationship. Actually, since Consort Liang was promoted to the rank of Consort and had her own palace, the Eighth Prince's wife had been going to Xianfu Palace to pay her respects to her mother-in-law, so she naturally visited Zhongcui Palace less often. However, deep down, the Eighth Prince's wife preferred to be closer to Consort Hui, the Eighth Prince's adoptive mother. After all, the Nalan family was more beneficial to the Eighth Prince's grand ambitions, wasn't it? Consort Liang was merely from the Xin Zhe Ku (a low-ranking official position), and no one in her family held official positions anymore; no matter how close they were, it wouldn't make a difference.
"Thank you for your concern, Consort Hui. I've probably been indulging in some snacks lately." As the Eighth Princess Consort said this, she couldn't help but glance at Lanqin sitting opposite her.
Lanqin felt as if a vicious gaze was slicing across her body. Upon seeing that it was the Eighth Prince's wife, she thought to herself: I'm not the Eighth Prince's concubine, so how did I offend you? Could it be that Chen Ruzhu has gained the Eighth Prince's favor? Is she implicated here?
"Everyone knows what's troubling you. Among the dozen or so princes' wives, besides our eldest son, the eighth prince cherishes his wife the most," Consort Hui said with a smile.
A blush flashed across the Eighth Prince's wife's face, but her smile was not genuine, and a strange expression flickered across her face.
"Is there some unruly concubine causing trouble in the household?" Consort Hui, clearly fond of the Eighth Prince's wife, asked upon seeing the expression on her face. The Eighth Prince's wife used to frequently come to pay her respects and bring gifts to Consort Hui, so Consort Hui was quite fond of this half-daughter-in-law.
"I'm sorry to have worried my mother. They're just a few princesses; I can handle them." The Eighth Prince's wife was also a proud person, so naturally she was unwilling to reveal her shortcomings in front of Lanqin and the other concubines.
Lanqin silently breathed a sigh of relief. If it really was about Chen Ruzhu, she felt uneasy listening to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law exchanging experiences on dealing with concubines.
"You two, one is from the fourth prince's family, and the other is a concubine from the seventh prince's family, right?" Consort Hui turned her head and looked in Lanqin's direction.
Lanqin and Xinyi immediately stood up from their seats and curtsied, saying, "This concubine is Niohuru, a secondary consort of the Fourth Prince's household." Xinyi naturally followed suit and introduced herself.
Consort Hui nodded and said, "The Niohuru family once produced an empress, Empress Xiaozhaoren, but unfortunately she only reigned for half a year. Unexpectedly, the daughters of the empress's family are all extraordinary."
When Consort Hui spoke these words, she seemed to be recalling the splendor of Empress Niohuru, but the meaning behind her words was clearly sarcastic. She couldn't speak of the deceased empress to her face, so she could only talk about her descendants.
Lanqin pretended not to understand and didn't respond; Xinyi naturally followed suit and remained silent.
"What exactly is wrong with Fourth Sister-in-law? Why don't we pick a day to go and get her checked out?" Third Princess followed in and sat down next to Eighth Princess.
This time, Lanqin couldn't pretend to be stupid. Since they had asked her such a question, she naturally had to respond. However, the Fourth Prince had only informed his wife of his illness and hadn't mentioned anything else.
"The Princess Consort caught a cold a while ago, and for some reason, it got worse and worse, and she couldn't get out of bed. Our master even went to ask Physician Yang to take a look at her. Although she is getting better now, she is still very weak and needs to rest." Lanqin emphasized the words "rest".
Everyone's expressions changed upon hearing this, but the Eighth Prince's wife said, "Actually, our Eighth Prince's residence is closest to the Fourth Prince's residence. Why don't we go and take a look sometime?"
Seeing that the Eighth Princess Consort had said this, Lanqin had no choice but to reply, "I will go back and report to the Princess Consort."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com