On the other side, a stunningly beautiful young woman sitting at the other end smiled slightly, covering her mouth as she watched the suddenly tense atmosphere.
"Alright, why are you so nervous? No matter what His Majesty does, as long as it's good for us, that's fine."
“Mengxin is lively, and besides, there are only a few of us sisters in this palace, so Second Sister doesn’t need to be so nervous.”
Hearing that someone had come to her rescue, Xia Mengxin nodded with tears welling up in her eyes.
Yes, yes, my second sister is too fierce.
Xia Yuanya rolled her eyes at Xia Mengxin, who had raised her head again after listening to the Third Princess speak.
But seeing Xia Mengxin's ingratiating smile as she secretly looked at her, she couldn't help but soften her heart.
After all, she was the little sister she had taken care of for so many years.
Forget it, I won't talk about her today.
Xia Mengxin could tell from her second sister's expression that the matter was over. She couldn't help but smile gratefully and looked at her third sister, Xia Jingyao, who promptly gave her a gentle pinch.
Xia Jingyao, also known as the alluring young woman from earlier, is number three. She is the daughter of Consort Dong and is only one month younger than Xia Yuanya.
Of the four sisters, if we only consider appearance, it has to be said that the third princess is the most attractive.
But what Xia Jingyao admired most about her was not her appearance but her intelligence; the phrase "wise in a foolish way" perfectly describes this clever woman.
Whether in her past life or this one, Xia Jingyao was exceptionally beautiful, but she was known among the people for her virtue and kindness, earning them praise.
In her previous life, she also married into a tribe that was part of the grasslands and Mongolia. If she hadn't died in childbirth due to health reasons, the Mongolian king would probably have already changed his surname to Da Xia.
While Xia Jingyao was with her eldest sister, trying to figure out the young emperor's purpose, Qingyin was also in the palace thinking about her third sister's abilities.
My third sister is so intelligent, she's a real political whiz!
Such a talented person is far too idle in the harem.
Qingyin squatted on the table, lit a lamp, and flipped through the memorials, thinking with a hint of resentment.
Cough, it's definitely not that she thinks other people are too idle.
—
Over there, Xia Jingyao, who was chatting with a few friends and occasionally interjecting with a question about how to arrange a birthday party, suddenly covered her mouth with a handkerchief and sneezed.
"cough."
...
Several girls looked on with concern.
Xia Jingyao smiled gently, feeling a warmth in her heart. Ignoring the ominous feeling rising in her heart, she said with a smile, "I guess I caught a chill from the recent cold wind. I'll be fine after having a bowl of ginger tea when I get back."
"Third sister, you're not feeling well. Just drinking ginger tea won't do. We need to call the imperial physician to take a look," Xia Mengxin said disapprovingly.
Xia Xiyue nodded, "Fourth sister is right. Third sister's health has always been poor, so we need to ask the imperial physician to take a look before we can be at ease."
"Alright, alright, I promise I'll get the imperial physician when I get back." Xia Jingyao nodded with a smile.
The princesses gathered together to discuss how to hold the birthday banquet before slowly separating.
— — — — — — — — — — — —
The Princess's birthday banquet, whether anticipated or not, finally arrived.
At the Eighth Prince's residence, a dignified and elegant middle-aged woman dressed in a purple robe looked on as if she were oblivious to a middle-aged couple who appeared to be a loving pair of women.
The group consisted of the Eighth Prince, Xia Chengde, his beloved concubine Li, and his princess.
On the other end, the one with a cold and world-weary expression was naturally the Eighth Prince's Consort.
Consort Li, with her pitiful appearance and well-maintained delicate face, nestled in Xia Chengde's arms. When the man wasn't looking, her eyes looked at the Eighth Prince's wife with disdain and arrogance.
She said softly, "Your Highness, I will not be able to accompany you to the eldest princess's birthday banquet today. I will have to ask my sister to take care of Hong'er and Shuyi."
Xia Chengde scoffed, "What can she take care of? Hong'er and Shuyi are smart. With me looking after them, nothing unexpected will happen."
Sure enough, upon hearing the man's words, Consort Li couldn't help but reveal a smug expression in her eyes, and she looked at the Eighth Prince's wife with a boastful look.
But when her gaze fell upon the Eighth Princess's unwavering, seemingly arrogant expression, she couldn't help but stiffen, a hint of jealousy and anger rising in her eyes.
Her body trembled.
Xia Chengde noticed her movement and asked reassuringly, "What's wrong?"
Consort Li's expression changed, and she raised her head, revealing a pitiful look. She was on the verge of tears, and her face was flushed: "Isn't it because Your Highness is leaving that I already miss you?"
Having been with the Eighth Prince for many years, Consort Li had long since mastered the style that the Eighth Prince liked.
As expected, Xia Chengde's expression softened upon hearing Consort Li's words, and his gaze towards her became even more affectionate.
The confident and magnanimous Eighth Prince comforted his beloved concubine, and even glanced at his Eighth Princess with a smug look in his eyes.
Standing behind his mother, Xia Yuemin noticed that gaze, and a flash of anger crossed his eyes. He lowered his head to hide his expression.
She thought with disgust and bitterness: When the old man was young, with his grandfather watching over him, he was quite slim and handsome. Now... ha, he's a greasy, balding fat man. I don't know how that pretentious concubine Li could still act coquettishly in front of that disgusting face.
As if she could read her son's mind, the Eighth Princess gently tugged at Xia Yuemin's hand, which was hidden in her wide sleeve.
Hold on.
Xia Yuemin understood her mother's meaning, and the expression in her eyes became even more composed.
When he looked up, his handsome face and eyes were devoid of any emotion.
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