Amidst the bustling activity in Wanfang Anhe, not far away in Yuedi Yunju, Yanruo closed the courtyard gate, glared at a few nosy maids, then turned back to the courtyard and softly said to Ulanara, "Master, it's time to go back for lunch."
"Hmm." Ulanara responded casually, turning another page of the book in her hand. "I'll use it after I've finished reading it."
"Yes," Yanruo replied, but the way she kept shifting her feet revealed her unsettled state of mind. After reading a passage, Ulanara put down her book and looked up at her: "What's wrong? Why are you so restless?"
“Your Majesty…” Yanruo pursed her lips, feeling truly sorry for Ulanara. “No matter what, Consort Qian is just a concubine. How dare she live in Wanfang Anhe… What kind of place is that? If she were in the mansion, wouldn’t that be equivalent to living in the Prince’s front courtyard? This… what kind of behavior is this, Your Majesty?”
“It doesn’t matter who she is, Qian Shi. What matters is that the Prince likes her and that the Prince is willing.” Ulanara said with her eyes lowered, her tone calm and even, but the scroll in her hand was already deeply creased from her grip.
Yanruo, oblivious to what was happening, continued, "Perhaps Your Highness should try to persuade him? The Prince may have acted rashly; this matter is truly inappropriate..."
"Ha, how much influence do I have with the Prince that I would dare to advise this person?" Ulanara chuckled self-deprecatingly, put down her book, got up and went back to her room, saying as she walked, "Don't keep your eyes on Peach Blossom Village anymore, Qian is a lucky one."
"Master..." Yanruo didn't understand, but she didn't dare to overstep her bounds, so she could only bite her lip and curtsy, "Yes."
Upon entering the inner hall, the light dimmed suddenly, and Ulanara closed her eyes uncomfortably. Yanruo came over, took her hand, and helped her remove her cloak and sit at the table. Just as she was about to call for food, she heard Ulanara say unhappily, "I have no appetite, take everything away."
"Master...Master, please at least eat some?" This wasn't the first time that someone had put food on the table but then didn't want to eat it, but Yanruo still pleaded. She served a bowl of lily porridge to Ulanara, saying, "Master, please have some lily; it will soothe your heart and lungs."
Ulanara frowned and took a couple of sips of her drink, then ate a couple of bites of vegetables at Yanruo's request. She then waved her hand and said, "Let's clear it out. Don't make such a mess next time."
"This is the master's allowance." Yanru managed a smile. "In our manor, only the master's allowance can compare with that of the prince."
These words left Ulanara in a daze, but a moment later she burst into laughter. Her laughter was rather strange, which frightened Yanruo so much that she dared not approach.
“Silly Yanruo, you really think… never mind.” Ulanara hesitated, then picked up her book and headed towards the courtyard. Yanruo mustered her courage and stepped forward to persuade her, “Your Highness, it’s too cold outside. Why don’t you stay inside? If Your Highness finds it too dark, I’ll light a few more lamps…”
"Never mind." Ulanara wasn't interested in reading either; she simply didn't see it as something worth doing.
But Yanruo's naivety suddenly piqued her interest in chatting. After dismissing everyone, Ulanara looked at Yanruo with a smile and said something that was like a bombshell: "Do you know that since Qian entered the manor, her allowance has been based on the prince's allowance?"
"What?" Yanruo was shocked. She couldn't believe it. "This... I didn't know, but... when Qian Shu Fujin entered the manor, wasn't she only a Gege?"
"Hmm, just a princess, but look at her, she's never lived the life of a princess." Ulanara smiled sarcastically. "Geng is pregnant, but she can only live in Li's courtyard. She's lucky if she gets three rooms. Not to mention Wu and Song, whose courtyards combined aren't even as big as Qian's."
"This servant doesn't understand..." Yanruo said softly, not daring to guess.
“What’s there to not understand? Lady Qian… just happened to hit the Prince’s sweet spot.” Lady Ulanara stroked the armrest of her chair, her smile growing colder. “That year, Hongyun had just died, and Hongshi was the only prince in the household. Before, Hongshi was the youngest, and the Prince and Lady Li doted on him. Suddenly, he became the eldest son, but he wasn’t the kind of son the Prince liked…”
"Wasn't Princess Geng already pregnant at that time?" Yanruo whispered.
“Geng has never been favored by the Prince. If it weren’t for the fact that several princes had reached marriageable age during the imperial concubine selection that year, and only one Geng had entered the household, she would never have gotten pregnant.” Ulanara took a deep breath. “When I saw Qian, I knew… the Prince would like her.”
“Master…” Yanruo felt indignant for Ulanara, “Master is kind-hearted.”
"Ha, she's just a servant girl, she doesn't even have a family, she's so lowly. Even if she becomes rich and gains the prince's favor for a few days, what good will it do? Once she becomes arrogant and shows her stupidity, she will be despised by the prince like Geng Shi." Ulanara said in a low voice, "I just didn't expect her to have such a mindset."
At that time, no one in the Prince's mansion could win his favor, and he only had one son, Hongshi. But when Madam Qian arrived, she filled the two gaps that the Prince lacked the most.
"The Fourth Prince was pleasing to the eye, and Lady Qian was also clever in her ways, which made the Prince linger over her every day..." Lady Ulanara couldn't say for sure when it started, but Lady Qian went from being a plaything to someone who was truly in Yinzhen's heart.
Was it because of her second pregnancy? Or because of the days they spent together in Rehe? Or because when the prince was seriously ill, Qian stayed by his side and took care of him without ever leaving him?
But any woman in the backyard could do all that!
Why, why her of all people!
At this point, Ulanara could no longer control her emotions, and a crack of her surging jealousy appeared: "Now that the Prince can dismiss Li's concubine to make room for her, perhaps in the future, I, as the primary wife, will also have to give up my position for her!"
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