Five years later, the third prince passed away. Seeing Ren Jiayu's grief, the fifth prince was so anxious that he stayed in the third prince's mansion almost from morning to night. He helped with the funeral and family affairs of the third prince, accompanied Ren Jiayu, and took care of her and her son.
I only occasionally find time to go home and change clothes.
But Wang Xipei seemed to be relieved, and the man seemed to be more lively.
The fifth prince was extremely annoyed. He rushed over and scolded, "My third brother has passed away. Father, Mother, and the Third Emperor's wife are all heartbroken. How can you be a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, and a younger brother's wife? Have you done anything for your Third Emperor's wife? You are so cold and indifferent. You must be vicious at heart and unworthy of being a human being!"
Wang Xipei lowered her head and silently endured the insults. At first, she was very sad and always wanted to defend herself. She felt that it was a misunderstanding and it would be fine if it was resolved.
Later, I couldn't help but laugh at myself for being stupid. What misunderstanding was there? I just didn't love or care and was hurting people without restraint.
She breathed a sigh of relief, simply because the Fifth Prince was not in the mansion, and the feeling of oppression and suffocation was much less.
Now it seems that I can really see a way out, as if my instinct for survival is longing for that little bit of light.
When the Fifth Prince finished his scolding and turned to leave, Wang Xipei suddenly asked, "Can we get a divorce?"
The Fifth Prince's heart was filled with anger. He turned around and looked at Wang Xipei with icy eyes that seemed to be filled with poison. "Using other people's misfortunes to build your own hopes? Then you should be a little unfortunate too."
Wang Xipei seemed to take a moment to react, but at least she had some recollection of what she had done before. When the Fifth Prince turned and left again, she spoke to his back, "Am I not unfortunate enough? It's been five years. Third Prince's misfortune was not caused by me, but what about my misfortune?"
The fifth prince sneered, "What misfortune have you experienced? Have you lost your husband? Have your children lost their father?"
Wang Xipei was speechless. It turned out that favoritism could turn a person into this state.
Concubine Chen felt that her son's behavior after the death of the Third Prince was too extreme: "If you want to help, let your wife go, it's better than you being there all day long.
Your third brother just passed away, so why are you so close to his wife? You're not afraid of gossip, but isn't she, a widow in mourning, afraid?
These princes who left the palace and set up their own homes at a young age were not that close to their mothers. More often than not, they shared the same honor and disgrace with their mothers, but they did not understand each other's thoughts.
But Concubine Chen's last words obviously touched the Fifth Prince. He brought Wang Xipei to the Third Prince's residence and ordered her to help with the funeral ceremonies.
Wang Xipei had to wear the royal attire and a heavy headdress to handle the work. She took over rashly, and the Fifth Prince was unwilling to hand over the work to her clearly, so he asked her to ask the servants for everything. There were many and complicated things to do, no matter how big or small, so she had to be busy from morning to night in the Third Prince's Mansion.
The job of helping with the funeral arrangements was taken on by the Fifth Prince in front of the Emperor and Empress, and in the end, the one who worked like a dog was Wang Xipei.
Ren Jiayu knelt in front of the coffin with her three-year-old son, and whenever someone came to pay their respects, she would always express her gratitude and bow.
The Fifth Prince was extremely distressed and often asked Ren Jiayu to take the youngest son to rest, with various excuses: change clothes, the child was hungry, go have a cup of tea, eat a few snacks to fill his stomach, the soup was ready, and if he continued crying, he would have a headache, so he should lie down, and it was time for dinner...
Every time Ren Jiayu went to rest, he would not come back for a long time, and here relatives were required to kowtow to express their gratitude. The Fifth Prince naturally had to accompany Ren Jiayu, so he asked Wang Xipei to kneel here instead.
At the end of the day, Wang Xipei was so busy that she hadn't eaten a single grain of rice. Her face was pale as she knelt before the coffin once again, but she still thought cheerfully: "It's almost over. The unique skill of kneeling in the ancestral hall that I learned in the boudoir can still be put to use."
The Fifth Prince looked at her little movements and couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly, and he also thought of her former agility and brightness.
She had been so obedient and busy all day helping Ren Jiayu, the Fifth Prince thought that if she remained obedient, it wouldn't be a bad idea to leave her a place in the palace as a concubine. She had managed the palace well over the past few years, and staying would also help Jiayu.
Don't you want a child to gain a foothold? First, demote her to a concubine on the grounds of being childless. If Jiayu doesn't mind, you can give her a child.
Wang Lingyi accompanied her husband, the young marquis Jiang Heng, to pay her respects, and discovered that the person kneeling before the coffin to express her gratitude was actually her own sister. Her pale face inexplicably matched the mourning shed.
Looking around again, Ren Jiayu and the little grandson of the emperor were nowhere to be seen, nor were any of Wang Xipei's four maids who came with her as a dowry.
Wang Lingyi helped her sister up. Even though she had experience, her legs still felt like they were being pricked by needles. Wang Xipei supported her sister and bent her knees and legs. It took a while for her to recover and stand up straight.
Upon inquiry, it turned out that Wang Xipei was doing this job. After all, it was not in her own house. The people who asked her for help had no explanation, and most of the servants were perfunctory and could not do anything. As a last resort, the four big maids were sent to various places to take charge.
Wang Lingyi left two of her clever maids to Xi Pei, and told them not to do any other work but to take care of Xi Pei.
Xi Pei finally had water to drink and food to eat, and she could use a hand warmer and cloak when she left the house. The two maids even took off their thick knee pads and gave them to Wang Xi. Xi Pei couldn't help but smile. She loved to play, and these two maids were just the right size for her.
Wang Xipei thought that if she could hold on until the funeral was over and Ren Jiayu became free, she could divorce him.
Unexpectedly, the Fifth Prince said coldly, "She is still in mourning. We still have to wait for two or three years. Just wait and see."
The Fifth Prince had already seen Wang Xipei counting the dowry. Seeing her relaxed expression, anger rose in his heart again. He didn't understand where this anger came from, but since it made him angry, he would definitely not let her get what she wanted.
The disappointment on Wang Xipei's face further stimulated him. She said, "Can't we just get a divorce first?"
The fifth prince said, "You can manage the household now, make soup for Jiayu and her son, and even take charge of the funeral ceremonies on Jiayu's behalf. It's so useful, why not use it?"
Wang Xipei's expression changed, and the fifth prince left with a satisfied smile.
Wang Xipei asked, "Why do you hate me so much? I never hurt you or Ren Jiayu."
The fifth prince didn't understand either. Although he was cold and indifferent to her at first, he didn't get angry with her. But he didn't care. So be it. He still had to accompany Ren Jiayu today and take her son to ride a pony.
The Fifth Prince's favoritism and care for Ren Jiayu and her son was obvious to anyone with eyes. Every morning, he would visit the Third Prince's residence to see what their plans were for the day. If he was needed, he would accompany them; if not, he would make arrangements for them and then leave.
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