"Xiayu, take Shilan out to pay New Year's greetings to the ladies of the palace. Niohuru, stay here," Consort De said to them.
After the Fujin and Nianshi each helped their maids out, Consort De beckoned to Lanqin and said, "Lanqin, sit down next to me!"
Lanqin suddenly had a feeling that she was about to meet the wolf in sheep's clothing, but the wolf in sheep's clothing was her mother-in-law, the high and mighty Consort De, and she could not resist her, she could only obey, in this damned era of long braids.
Lanqin held Cui Niang's hand, the openwork tortoiseshell nail guards on her fingers making them appear exceptionally white and slender. This was the first time Lanqin had worn nail guards like these women from the inner palace; she had never liked wearing them before, always feeling they were too glamorous and inconvenient. Lanqin only wore them on occasions like this.
After Lanqin walked up to Consort De and sat down in the place she had designated, Consort De's gaze seemed less sharp than before.
"Lanqin, you have always been a good person. You bore two sons and two daughters for your teacher, and you hold a very special place in his heart," said Consort De.
Lanqin listened obediently, knowing that Consort De was not there to praise her. What was she going to say next?
“But the fourth prince is no ordinary man. He is a descendant of the Aisin Gioro clan, the Emperor’s fourth prince. Do you know that?” Consort De’s tone tightened again.
Is this telling me to stop clinging to Fourth Master and let him go to other women to have children? Lanqin thought silently to herself as she listened to her mother-in-law's admonition.
"I know, and I've never stopped you from going to the other ladies' places," Lanqin said, her heart aching. She hadn't expected Consort De to speak to her so directly, so she could only say this. She truly hadn't stopped the Fourth Prince; it was he who refused to go. Did she expect her to push him?
"Very well, His Majesty has already appointed two more princesses for the Fourth Prince. One is the eldest daughter of Lady Fucha, and the other is the eldest daughter of Liu Chengyun, the Governor of Shanxi. You two must get along well from now on," Consort De instructed.
"Yes, new people have arrived in the master's inner quarters, so we need to expand some rooms, otherwise there won't be enough room for them," Lanqin said.
"Hmm. How is Wanru?" Consort De then turned to Lady Wuya. Lady Wuya was, after all, just a concubine, and was even considered a laughing stock within the royal family, so Consort De couldn't speak up for her directly. Instead, she launched into a long speech, essentially telling Lanqin not to keep clinging to the Fourth Prince. She had already given birth to four children, and it was time for the Fourth Prince to have children with other women. After all, the more children the royal family had, the better.
Lanqin looked at Consort De. She had previously respected her, considering her a wise woman. However, even the most intelligent woman couldn't escape the limitations of her era, namely the inherent patriarchal concept of male superiority and female inferiority. Men could have multiple wives and concubines, and many children; women were not to be narrow-minded and hinder men from having more offspring.
"I've been busy taking care of my children and haven't had much contact with Madam Wuya. I wonder what you mean by that, Mother?" Lanqin said.
Consort De was also angry when Lanqin did not respond to her. After reading Wuya Wanru's letter, she already believed Lanqin's claim that she was ostracizing her niece. Now, seeing Lanqin's cold attitude towards Wuya, she felt even more that Lanqin was making things difficult for her niece.
"The concubine should not only take care of her own child, but also consider the future of the Fourth Prince. He is busy in the court every day. The affairs of the inner quarters have also been entrusted to you and Lady Nian. If you can unite and not quarrel, so that the Fourth Prince is at ease, he will be more adept at handling affairs in the court." Consort De said without distinguishing right from wrong, as if Lanqin was the one stirring up trouble and causing unrest in the inner quarters.
"Yes, Mother's teachings are correct. I will always follow Mother's teachings and would never dare to trouble you, Master," Lanqin said, suppressing her anger. If it were before, Lanqin might have argued with Consort De, but now, she was no longer alone; she was the mother of four children. She could no longer act impulsively; she had to carefully consider whether she could tolerate certain things, and what concessions she could make, to protect her children.
"I haven't been feeling well lately. Could you please hand-copy a copy of the Diamond Sutra for me? Once you've finished, bring it in," Consort De said.
Is she punishing herself? Copying scriptures! Lanqin glanced at Consort De, her anger swirling within her, but she suppressed it.
"Yes, I will copy it carefully when I get back, and then have Fourth Master give it to Mother." Lanqin knew that if she didn't suppress her grievances and anger at this moment, even greater punishment awaited her. She didn't know from whom Consort De had judged that she was being jealous and envious in the inner quarters, and even said that she was stirring up unrest in the inner quarters.
"Alright, I'm tired. You go and pay your respects to the Fourth Prince's wife and the others first," Consort De said, waving her hand.
As Lanqin emerged from the main hall of Yonghe Palace, a cold north wind blew in from who-knows-where, causing Lanqin to shiver involuntarily.
"Master, a hand warmer!" Cui Niang hurriedly handed the hand warmer she was holding to Lan Qin. Nian Xue also quickly tied a snow-white fox fur cloak around Lan Qin's neck.
Both of them had just heard Consort De's words and were indignant.
“Master, please don’t stand here, this is a windy spot!” Nianxue said.
“Yes, your mistress is right here in the eye of the storm, being watched. If Mother insists on promoting her, no one can stop her. And Master may not be without feelings for her either.” Lanqin looked at the several black crows perched on the palace wall.
"Then what should we do, Master? Why don't you go and talk to the Master?" Nianxue said.
“No, this is Consort De reprimanding the master. If we tell the master this, wouldn’t that be sowing discord between mother and son? If Consort De finds out, her impression of the master will only worsen,” said Cui Niang.
"He used to have a good impression of Master, how come he changed so suddenly!" Nianxue muttered.
“Now that the Emperor has bestowed upon my father the title of Prince Yong, and Hongli is so favored by the Emperor, Mother is worried that I will become spoiled and is taking this opportunity to give me a warning,” Lanqin said.
"But Master Ran was inexplicably punished by copying Buddhist scriptures?" Nianxue asked.
“Copying Buddhist scriptures is no big deal. What I’m worried about is what will happen next. After all, Uya is Mother’s own niece. If Mother gets involved, it will be difficult for Father.” Lanqin’s head ached at the thought. She looked back at the main hall, only to find it completely dark inside.
"Let's go, let's go see Consort Li, the Crown Princess's concubine," Lanqin said. She didn't want to go to the Fourth Princess's side again and continue to watch how she pretended to be something she'd not with those other concubines, and she certainly didn't want to become a tool for Consort Li to gain favor with the Crown Princess.
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