Lady Zhong admired and approved of the Fujin's methods and this rule, as it would reduce the number of accidents in the inner courtyard and make her life easier.
She was just a lowly princess, without a distinguished family background, without the Fourth Prince's favor, and without any children. If something really happened to her, how could she protect herself?
Although she was bestowed upon her by the Imperial Noble Consort and had always been clinging to the Fujin's coattails, it would be difficult to explain if something happened. Therefore, it would be best if nothing happened, so that she could be at ease.
Speaking of currying favor with powerful figures, Zhong felt that her actions had been somewhat effective.
The courtyard that the Fujin arranged for her was quite nice in the backyard. It was close to the main courtyard and not far from the small garden. There was also a pomegranate tree that she liked planted in the courtyard, which made her very satisfied.
Zhong felt fortunate that she had always been honest and dutiful, hadn't done anything else, and had always followed the Fujin (the wife's husband) as her staunch supporter. See, there are indeed benefits to it.
When I left Chengqian Palace, Zhou Mama's words were still ringing in my ears. They were indeed true. Following the Fujin meant I would have plenty to eat. Otherwise, how could a mere princess like me have such a good place to live?
This incident strengthened Zhong's resolve to follow the Fujin (principal wife), and she was wholeheartedly devoted to her, vowing never to betray her.
Yunyi provided Zhong Shi with a courtyard that was indeed quite nice. She lived there all by herself, and Yunyi even planted a pomegranate tree, which Zhong Shi liked.
Zhong Shi hadn't actually said it herself. After all, pomegranates have many seeds and hold a special place in the hearts of women in the inner quarters. She didn't dare to say it openly, for fear that the Fujin would misunderstand.
However, Yunyi was not a true woman from ancient times, so she didn't feel that she had broken any taboos. She was quite generous to her "little brothers" who followed her.
Of the four princesses, Zhong's courtyard is the best, followed by Song's, who has a clear head.
The courtyards of Li and Wuya were not so good. Although they were also lived alone, they were not as good in terms of size and location.
This arrangement brought joy to some and sorrow to others. Zhong was satisfied, Song was content, but Li and Wuya were not so happy.
In the three years since she entered the Prince Yong's household, Lady Li has seen through his true character and realized how wrong she was in her actions back then.
Back then, she was young and impetuous, and in pursuit of her own goals, she angered the male head of the household. In the end, she had neither a child nor any affection, and all her efforts came to naught.
But Li was not one to give up easily. She remembered everything that happened today, and one day, she would definitely...
After finishing the moving, there was the housewarming banquet at the mansion, followed by Yunyi's preparations for her son's first birthday party. She was busy for a moment.
Honghui showed great intelligence from a young age. As the only prince in the mansion and the eldest son of the legitimate wife, he was highly valued by Yinzhen.
Yunyi hadn't taught him how to do the first birthday celebration beforehand, but perhaps it was fate, or perhaps the object had the scent of his father, but Honghui ended up grabbing a seal that Yinzhen had placed on the table, which everyone jokingly said meant he was going to follow in his father's footsteps.
After Honghui's full moon celebration, the imperial concubine selection began as scheduled. One by one, eligible young women entered the solemn and majestic Forbidden City, awaiting their destiny.
Inside the Prince Yong's residence, everyone was talking about it, wondering if anyone would be allowed to enter.
The last time a new concubine entered the household was two years ago when Yunyi was pregnant. Consort De bestowed one concubine upon Wuya, and Imperial Noble Consort bestowed one upon Zhong. There were only these two.
Two years have passed, and Yinzhen has been granted the title of Prince of the Second Rank. There are quite a few people eyeing the position of his concubine.
In this selection process, Tongjia's niece was also among the participants, and everyone was speculating whether this Tongjia princess would become the concubine of Prince Yong.
In fact, Tongjia Gege's status was good enough to be Yinzhen's primary consort, but since the position of primary consort was already taken, she could only aspire to the position of secondary consort.
Yinzhen was merely an adopted son of Lady Tongjia, not her biological son. It was understandable that the Tongjia family sent a girl from their household to win over Yinzhen and solidify their relationship with him.
After passing the preliminary and secondary selections, the young women entered the Chuxiu Palace to learn the rules and wait for the final palace selection.
On this day, which was not the usual time for paying respects, Lady Tongjia summoned Yunyi to the palace.
The recent rumors about Princess Tongjia entering the Prince Yong's mansion to become his concubine have spread to many places. Yunyi has also heard about this rumor and has prepared herself mentally for it.
He originally thought that Lady Tongjia was going to talk to him about choosing her niece to enter the household, but he didn't expect it to be the complete opposite.
"Mother, are you saying that my sister is already engaged?"
Patting her daughter-in-law's hand, Tongjia smiled and told her not to worry.
"Yes, Lan'er is already engaged and is just waiting for the imperial concubine selection to end so she can ask the emperor to grant her a marriage. So, don't take those rumors to heart and just live your life with Yinzhen."
Heart-to-heart talks are more common with mothers than with mothers-in-law.
Tongjia raised Yinzhen and loved him as her own son. She was also very kind to her daughter-in-law Yunyi, showing no signs of being a wicked mother-in-law.
Yunyi was also surprised that Tongjia would say such a thing, which caught her off guard and caused her to lose her composure.
After a long wait, the imperial concubine selection finally came to an end. As Tongjia had said, Princess Tongjia was betrothed to a prince of the imperial family and did not enter Yinzhen's harem.
What surprised Yunyi was that Kangxi didn't send anyone over this time either, which was really strange.
The eldest prince, the crown prince, and the third prince all had their harems filled with people by Emperor Kangxi, but Yinzhen seemed to have been forgotten, with no one there.
Yinzhen, who kept his merits hidden, would certainly not tell his young wife that he had refused his father's favor and had not asked him to send someone over.
Since no noblewoman from a prominent family has entered the household, Yunyi has other ideas about the position of Yinzhen's secondary consort.
During a casual conversation, she took Zhong's hand and said something ambiguous.
On the way back, Zhong's heart was pounding, and her thoughts were all jumbled up.
I... I think I haven't misunderstood what the Fujin meant. She meant that if I gave birth to the prince, I would be promoted to a secondary Fujin?
Zhong had been in the household for over a year and was generally favored, but she had not conceived. This was because she was secretly using contraception.
She followed the Fujin (principal wife), so naturally she dared not get pregnant casually. Moreover, when she entered the mansion, the Fujin was still pregnant and did not know whether it was a boy or a girl.
In Zhong's mind, it would be best to wait until the Fujin gave birth to the eldest son and obtain the Fujin's permission before having a child. This way, she wouldn't be offended by doing something wrong, and she could live peacefully in the inner courtyard.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
