The two little princesses didn't speak loudly, but unfortunately, they were not far from the nine-year-old prince, Fulin, who had just turned four, so the clever, chubby little boy immediately heard his two older sisters' voices.
He gaped, "Sixth Sister, Ninth Sister, that fairy sister is actually your mother? Why isn't your mother in the palace?"
The young prince's innocent words, spoken loudly and clearly, finally caught the attention of the other concubines.
The concubines, who had been sitting quietly in their seats as decorative figures, with their eyes fixed on the emperor, finally shifted their attention to the princes and dukes.
Consort Shu covered her lips, concealing the schadenfreude in her eyes, and said, "Oh, so the two princesses are still looking for their biological mother? That lady can no longer be considered the princesses' mother, so the princesses can't just call her that."
"And the Ninth Prince, how can you casually comment on others? 'Fairy Sister,' oh, the Ninth Prince is too joking."
Fu Lin blushed and looked at Consort Shu, honestly saying, "That's a fairy sister, much prettier than Consort Shu!"
Consort Shu's lips twitched. This brat.
Nazhalute has been out of the palace for a long time, and was still given to a minister by the emperor. She is an old woman who has given birth and was once the emperor's woman. She doesn't believe that Nan Chu will treat her well. Maybe she doesn't even know how old she is now.
Consort Shu thought maliciously for a long time.
Seeing her son's face flushed red and Consort Shu's face turning slightly pale, Bumbutai, as Fulin's mother, naturally had to speak up for her son.
"Fulin is still young. Surely Consort Shu wouldn't hold a grudge against a child."
Bumbutai smiled gently as she spoke, her delicate features exuding generosity and gentleness, perfectly embodying the magnanimity of an empress.
Consort Shu felt like vomiting just looking at it.
The women of Khorchin are all like this, acting as if they are all principal wives, even though they are just one of the emperor's concubines, just like her.
Consort Shu replied with a forced smile, "You're right, sister. How could I possibly hold a grudge against Fulin?"
"Mother Shu, you still haven't told me if the fairy sister I saw was the mother of Ninth Sister and Sixth Sister?"
Just then, a naive boy's voice suddenly broke in from the side.
Consort Shu: "..."
Bumbutai: "Ahem, Fulin, you mustn't be rude."
"That's right. Fairy Sister is the most beautiful person I've ever seen, even more beautiful than Mother Chen?"
The child's voice finally caught the attention of Hailanzhu, who had been gazing at Huang Taiji with admiring eyes.
Her beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she gazed at Fulin, her sister's biological prince, with a look of sorrow.
"Fu Lin, do you think the fairy sister you saw is prettier than me?"
As Hailanzhu spoke, she felt a hint of disdain in her heart.
So even the tone of voice carried a hint of that.
Fu Lin keenly sensed the hint of disbelief in Hai Lan Zhu's tone.
He nodded vigorously.
"right!"
Hailanzhu became somewhat interested and lazily asked Fulin, "Then tell me, which one is it? Point it out so I can see?"
Fu Lin: "Then..."
"Ninth Brother!"
Marie interrupted him, looking at Hailanzhu with a firm gaze, "Mother Chen, Ninth Brother was just joking, Mother Chen doesn't need to take it to heart."
Mary said this because she was worried that if Chen Eniang and the others saw Eniang's true appearance now, it would cause Eniang a huge trouble, so she interrupted the Ninth Prince.
Hailanzhu turned her gaze to the sixth princess, whom Huang Taiji still favored, her eyes filled with scrutiny.
But Marie did not back down, her eyes fixed on Hailanzhu.
The atmosphere became somewhat tense.
Bumbutai interrupted the somewhat tense atmosphere, "Hahaha, Fulin's aesthetic sense is just that of strange and weird things. The other day he saw a flower with half a leaf missing and insisted that it was beautiful. Why should you mind him, sister?"
Upon hearing Bumbutai's words, Hailanzhu's expression relaxed slightly, and she said in a light tone, "Is that so?"
"Yes, let's drink and eat. Today's dishes are prepared by the Emperor's new Han chef. Sisters, you must try them."
Bumbutai's words immediately made the scene more harmonious, as if the earlier commotion had dissipated.
Unfortunately, there was one troublemaker among the concubines.
Consort Shu took a sip of wine, smiled, and asked Fu Lin, "Ninth Prince, you say there are people prettier than Consort Chen? I don't believe it. Why don't you point one out and let me see?"
Provoked by Consort Shu's words, Fu Lin could no longer resist the reminders from his two elder sisters and mother. He immediately pointed at Qing Yin, who was sitting with Nan Chu in the distance, and said, "Look, the sister in the lake-green dress is a fairy!"
Now it was Bumbutai's turn to freeze at the corner of his mouth.
After finally managing to persuade them, Consort Shu and her foolish son leaked the information, causing Bumbutai a headache, especially when she saw her sister Hailanzhu looking up again in the direction her son was pointing.
Bumbutai comforted herself: Oh well, that's how her relationship with Zhalute is going to be. Out of sympathy for her former colleague, she can't control what happens next.
Bumbutai thought this to herself, but she didn't expect that her sister Hailanzhu would have such a frightening expression when she saw Zhalute, and she even dropped the wine glass in her hand.
The glass wine cup shattered on the ground with a startling sound.
Furthermore, Hailanzhu's face was extremely pale, and she looked at Huang Taiji above with an almost panicked expression.
Absolutely, absolutely not, can the Emperor see Zhalute now. She was prettier than Zhalute back then, but now Zhalute is so much prettier than her, and that ethereal, aloof feeling she exudes is exactly the kind of beauty the Emperor likes, the kind she's been deliberately projecting.
The sound of a wine glass breaking startled Huang Taiji above. Huang Taiji glanced at Qingyin in the distance with complicated emotions, then looked back at Hailanzhu, whom he had doted on for many years.
Hailanzhu was pale, and a broken wine glass lay beside her.
In fact, Hailanzhu's behavior was considered improper in front of the palace, but Huang Taiji had favored her for so many years, so he did not blame her and even asked her with concern.
"What's wrong?"
Hailanzhu: I wanted to ask you if you regretted driving Zhalute out of the palace. But before she could finish her sentence, Hailanzhu swallowed the words and forced a smile.
"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."
Huang Taiji frowned. "Then I'll let you go back to the palace to rest first."
Hailanzhu's face froze, her nails digging tightly into her palms.
Now that Jarut has become like this, how could she possibly bear to leave the Emperor in the space where he is with Jarut, even though there are many other people around?
"No need for that, I'll be fine after a rest."
Huang Taiji frowned slightly. "You're not feeling well, you should go back. Mu Yuanxiu, escort Consort Chen back to the palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Mu Yuanxiu was Huang Taiji's chief eunuch.
"Please, Your Majesty."
Eunuch Mu greeted Consort Chen with a smile.
Consort Chen was completely frozen, but she had no choice but to leave.
She suddenly felt a little timid and didn't dare to ask the emperor if he really regretted driving away Zhalute because of her.
She walked away stiffly.
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