After laughing, the two of them stood close together, saying nothing, just staying quietly.
The atmosphere, however, was extremely harmonious.
Several people withdrew from the incense shop.
What I fear most is that once the Empress becomes the Empress, she and His Majesty will become estranged. After all, being the Empress involves many responsibilities and is certainly not an easy task.
They had to consider their status and reputation, so they inevitably had to do things against their conscience. But the Empress was an extremely intelligent person.
Or perhaps she was born to be His Majesty's man.
Now that we see this, everyone feels much more at ease.
In any case, Your Majesty is still young. It would be terrible if you fell out of favor after becoming Empress.
It was fate, really. Consort Sang gave birth to His Majesty's eighth princess on the eleventh day of the seventh month.
For generations, none of the people who came from Baiye Kingdom have been able to produce a prince.
However, both Consort Wan and Consort Sang were sensible and dutiful, and although they both gave birth to princesses, they were both favored.
His Majesty did not favor them much, but he did not neglect them either.
In particular, the sixth princess, being with the seventh princess, was also pampered quite a bit.
The eighth princess was the youngest of them all, and she received a considerable amount of rewards.
At this time, Consort Sang had also finished her postpartum confinement. After all, she didn't want to miss the Empress's grand ceremony.
The delivery went smoothly. Although pregnancy was really tough, labor itself was quick. I was in labor in the morning and gave birth that afternoon.
So, a month is usually enough for postpartum confinement.
At this moment, after watching the wet nurse feed her, she dressed and prepared to go to Consort Wan's place.
"Your Highness, if you wish to see Consort Wan, why not summon her? You should at least rest a little longer," the servant said.
"I'll go."
"Your Highness, why did you ask her to come? How could she not come?" the maid said, forbidding it.
“Dewdrop, when are you going to change?” Sang Congfei sighed.
Dewdrop asked, puzzled: "Was I wrong?"
"Of course you're wrong. You just can't change your old ways of thinking. Back in Baiye Kingdom, I was royalty, and she was the daughter of a subject. She was lower than me. But in Dayan, her status is the same as mine. Her daughter was born earlier than mine and receives more favor. In His Majesty's eyes, who do you think he remembers more? Does His Majesty care about my status as a member of the Baiye Kingdom's royal family?"
"But..." Dewdrop was still somewhat unconvinced.
“Dewdrop, we’ve come all this way, and it’s a blessing that we can get along so well and help each other. I only ask that we sisters can stay this close forever. We still have decades to live. She’s so good to me; she’s never tried to put me down because of the past. She’s so good to me, why should I put on airs?” Sang Congfei said patiently.
Of all the people who served her, only Dewdrop and another person were truly her closest confidants.
"Yes, I was wrong. I didn't mean to ask you to do anything, I just felt... Never mind, I understand." Dewdrop sighed.
"It's good that you understand. As long as the Empress can keep things under control, the harem can be more peaceful. But even if the concubines don't cause trouble, there are still countless servants below. Although I am the master and they are the servants, which one is easy to deal with? You also came from the royal family of Baiye Kingdom with me. How do those who are not favored and have no children have a hard time? We are already doing very well. So we should be even more careful."
The dewdrop replied guiltily.
Consort Wan is truly wonderful; she is neither arrogant nor impatient, and she is also intelligent.
It's truly remarkable that these two sisters can support each other.
Consort Wan quickly called Consort Sang in as soon as she saw her: "It's already the second half of August. Just call me if you need anything. What if you catch a cold coming here?"
"It's not even night yet, how could you catch a cold? I did come to see you because I have something to say. I was busy before and didn't have time, but now that I've come, I want to tell you about what's been going on lately." Consort Sang took the small blanket that Consort Wan gave her and covered her knees with it.
The two people sat down, leaving only the person closest to them.
"Sister, please speak your mind."
"Actually, it's nothing else. I heard from the Sixth Princess yesterday that the Seventh Princess wants to go out soon?" Consort Sang asked.
Because of their close relationship, the Sixth Princess often went to visit the Eighth Princess.
“This was all agreed upon beforehand, so let her go if she wants. I won’t hide it from my sister. I suppose my chances of having another prince are slim. The Empress wants to send the Seventh Princess away to study, mostly because she’s worried about her future. I feel the same way. The Sixth Princess and the Seventh Princess are close, and I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity. Although I’m reluctant to let her go, I can’t just think about the present,” Consort Sang said.
“But have you considered that Her Majesty the Empress’s body is unable to bear children again? That means the future Crown Prince… cannot be her child. Over the years, she has offended many people. Yes, she has been good to us, and I accept that she has been good to us; I don’t care about the future. But what about the children? What if the next Emperor has any designs on her? What will happen to the Seventh Princess? What will happen to the Sixth Princess?” Consort Sang’s words were the truth after becoming a mother.
“I’ve thought about this. Sister, we… came from Baiye Kingdom, and we owe a great deal to Her Majesty the Empress for how we are where we are today. Neither of us has helped her much. At least over the years, I have received a lot of favors from Her Majesty, together with the Sixth Princess.”
“When the night was quiet, I thought about it carefully. What my sister said makes sense, but in this world, how can one have benefits without taking risks?” Consort Wan sighed, “Of course, there may be a situation like what my sister said, but I trust Her Majesty the Empress more. Even if that situation really happens one day, I will accept it. The Sixth Princess should accept it herself.”
Consort Sang paused for a moment, then sighed, "It's a pity that the Eighth Princess is still young, otherwise it would be good if she could go with us."
"It's alright, His Majesty will definitely arrange for many people to go together. I heard that the Fifth Prince will also be going." Consort Wan said with a smile, "His Majesty has put a lot of thought into this. He is afraid that the guards will not be attentive to the princess, so he asked the Fifth Prince to go as well. But actually, there is no need for that. General Yan is still in Bailu Prefecture."
Consort Sang shook her head: "Sigh, sometimes I think about it, and that's how it is when you value someone. You're always worried about gains and losses. His Majesty is the emperor, but he's also a father. At least to the Seventh Princess, he's a truly good father."
The two exchanged a glance, which could be considered a tacit understanding.
No need to say anything more.
They're not the type to overthink things. Having traveled so far, they can no longer rely on their parents back home; they have to rely on themselves.
Once you've made a choice, stick to it. If you're wrong, so be it.
Following the Empress's investiture ceremony, there will be another investiture ceremony for Consort Mei Hui in September.
Everyone else had a bad year, so they all postponed it until next year.
Consort Mei is now second only to the Empress in status, as she has three princes under her command, which is quite formidable.
Therefore, her investiture ceremony was also very lively.
However, Consort Mei showed great respect to the Empress.
The matriarch of the Cheng family never expected that the illegitimate daughter she had once manipulated would become so successful; it was too late for her to regret it.
Consort Mei was also ruthless. Over the years, although she had taken care of her own family, she refused to take care of the children born to Madam Cheng.
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