Chapter 161 Control Group? May 18th, two princes in the Forbidden City...
On May 18th, two princes in the Forbidden City were married simultaneously, and firecrackers resounded throughout the palace. That evening, the palace banquet ended, and Cheng Qianyue could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Ruodie called for hot water to be brought over and said softly, "Master, you have been working very hard lately."
Cheng Qianyue hummed in agreement and took a hot towel to apply it to her face. While Lin Jia had taken over the matters concerning the prince's residence, she still had to manage the preparations for the six rites of the prince's wedding and the wedding banquet, making these days quite hectic. Especially today, a joyous occasion, she had been smiling all day and her face was stiff; she needed a hot towel to feel comfortable.
Ruodie said softly, "How about I comb your hair? That will make it feel more comfortable."
Cheng Qianyue said, "That's fine."
Before long, a servant brought up a peach wood comb. Ruodie gently combed her hair with the comb, again and again. The gentle touch of the comb did indeed make her head feel much more comfortable. She felt the blood flowing through her head. Cheng Qianyue comfortably narrowed her eyes, and after a moment said softly, "The First and Second Princesses will probably be coming early tomorrow morning; let's prepare in advance."
As Ruodie combed her hair, she said, "Yes, I understand."
The next day, before dawn, Cheng Qianyue got up. After getting ready, she prepared to receive the First and Second Princess Consorts. To be honest, Cheng Qianyue had only seen their portraits and had never seen them in person, so she was very much looking forward to seeing what the two princess consorts looked like. A little while later, Ruodie came in from outside to report, "Your Highness, has the Second Princess Consort arrived?"
Cheng Qianyue: ? Only the Second Prince's wife? She paused for a moment, then said, "Please invite her in."
Soon, the Second Princess Consort, Hesheli, entered and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings to the Noble Consort."
After Ruodie performed the proper courtesies, Cheng Qianyue quickly had someone help her up. "Good child, please sit down." Hesheli agreed, sitting upright in the chair, head bowed, a smile on her face. Her manners were truly impeccable; the matron must have properly taught her from the time of the arranged marriage until now. Afraid that Ruodie would feel uncomfortable sitting so stiffly, Cheng Qianyue said, "I don't have much to tell you, I just hope you and the Second Prince can live happily ever after." Then she took a box from the table and placed it in Ruodie's hands, instructing Ruodie to give it to Hesheli: "This is a small gift from your mother."
Hesheli quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty."
Cheng Qianyue sighed and looked at her with a smile, saying, "You had a big wedding yesterday and got up early this morning. You must be tired. Go back and rest."
Hesheli blushed slightly and whispered, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty."
After Hesheli left, Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but smile. But after a while, she still hadn't seen the First Princess, so she asked Ruodie, "Have you heard a letter from the First Princess?" She'd been wanting to ask this since earlier—why did the Second Princess arrive first? Shouldn't they have come together? Could it be that the First Princess overslept? Cheng Qianyue guessed this, and a teasing smile appeared on her face again.
Ruodie shook her head to indicate that she didn't know. "Should we ask someone?" she asked.
"No need for that," Cheng Qianyue said. "Maybe you were just too tired yesterday." Young people like that, maybe they were too energetic last night, hehe.
Less than half an incense stick later, the First Princess Consort, Niohuru, also came to pay her respects. Cheng Qianyue gave her the same greeting gift she had given the Second Princess Consort.
Niohuru pursed her lips and said, "I'm so sorry for the delay, please forgive me, Your Highness."
Cheng Qianyue didn't take it seriously at all, and said gently, "It's alright, don't worry, the rules in the palace aren't that strict." She repeated what she had just said to the Second Princess Consort, "Alright, I won't keep you any longer, go back and rest."
It's unclear what words touched her, but Niohuru looked extremely embarrassed, muttered "yes," and hurriedly got up to take her leave.
Cheng Qianyue smiled as she watched her departing figure. Ah, young girls after all, each one more easily embarrassed than the last. It was a pity that this good mood lasted less than fifteen minutes. Upon learning that the First and Second Princess Consorts hadn't come together because the First Princess Consort had gone to Xianfu Palace first, Cheng Qianyue's smile vanished.
Cheng Qianyue pursed her lips and muttered to herself, "After all, Consort Ke is the First Princess's mother-in-law, so it's reasonable for her to go to Xianfu Palace first." Although the palace values rank and status, it also values closeness and distance. But is the First Princess's behavior her own idea, or was she instructed by someone else?
After leaving Yongshou Palace, Niohuru's embarrassment gradually subsided, but when she saw the Second Prince's wife, Hesheli, coming out of Qixiang Palace, her shame returned. However, as the First Prince's wife and the Second Prince's sister-in-law, she quickly put on a dignified smile again.
Hesheli came over and bowed to her, and Niohuru returned the bow. Afterwards, the two groups walked together along the palace road towards the princes' quarters. Both were newlyweds of the royal family, and for a moment they didn't know what to say. However, although they didn't continue speaking, their occasional glances conveyed a tacit understanding.
After walking for a while, they arrived at Gan Dong Wu Suo. The first and second houses here were the residences of the First Prince and the Second Prince. The First and Second Princess Consorts arrived at their places, bid each other farewell, and then entered the gate one on the left and one on the right, one in front and one behind.
Hesheli breathed a sigh of relief after returning to the main courtyard, and then the question that had been nagging at her resurfaced. This morning, she had only packed her things to leave after the gatekeeper told her that the First Princess Consort next door had left, but when she arrived at Yongshou Palace, she didn't see her. She wondered if the Noble Consort hadn't kept the First Princess Consort company, which was why she hadn't seen her. However, as she came out of Qixiang Palace, she saw the First Princess Consort emerging from the direction of Yongshou Palace.
Hershey:...
Hesheli was somewhat bewildered at the time, but as the saying goes, "disaster comes from the mouth," so she didn't ask. But now, sitting on the kang (heated brick bed), she began to think about it. This morning, Consort Jing had sent someone to remind her to go to Yongshou Palace to pay her respects to the Noble Consort before going to Qixiang Palace, which she had done today. But the First Princess Consort seemed to be doing the opposite? She wondered, hadn't Consort Ke given the First Princess Consort any advice?
That's really strange.
However, Lady Hesheli quickly forgot about her surprise, because a servant relayed a message that the Second Prince would return from the Imperial Study to dine with her that morning. Lady Hesheli couldn't help but recall what happened last night, and her face flushed instantly. She whispered, "I understand. Tell the people in the Prince's kitchen to prepare in advance."
Her maid, Qiao'er, exclaimed happily, "The Second Master came back especially to dine with you, which shows how much he values you."
Empress Hesheli gave a gentle "hmm" and instructed her, "When we were at Qixiang Palace today, Mother said that the Second Prince likes sweets. Have someone prepare some sweet and sour dishes, and also prepare two servings of sweet soup after the meal."
At this time, the First Princess Consort, Niohuru, also received news that the First Prince would be coming, and she hurriedly ordered people to make preparations. When the First Prince indeed came in from outside in the morning, she quickly got up to greet him. After sitting down, they began to eat, during which they followed the rules of not speaking while eating or sleeping.
After the meal, a servant brought water for rinsing the mouth. Hongxi asked, "You must be tired, Madam. Did you visit Mother for me this morning?"
Niohuru nodded with a smile: "Yes, Mother said a lot to me, telling me to take good care of the master." She couldn't help but think of what happened that morning, and paused before saying: "First I went to Xianfu Palace to see Mother, and then I went to Yongshou Palace to pay my respects to the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine... gave me a pair of jade bracelets as a gift."
Hongxi's expression was quite gentle just now, but after hearing the name Yongshou Palace, his warmth diminished somewhat. He then said, "The Consort can keep what the Imperial Concubine gave you, but I think you look better wearing gold and silver bracelets."
Niohuru was taken aback by his words and paused for a moment, but quickly smiled and said, "Since you think gold and silver suit you, then I will not wear jade from now on."
Hongxi nodded and said, "Alright, I still have books to read. You should rest first." He lifted his leg to leave, but stopped after taking two steps, turned around and patted Niohuru's shoulder, but quickly strode away again.
Niohuru followed him a few steps, and after Hongxi disappeared from sight, she went to sit on the couch in the inner room. A moment later, she suddenly sighed. The palace maid Lüping thought she was worried that the eldest prince hadn't stayed for his afternoon nap, and gently comforted her, "The eldest prince has a good reputation for diligence, which was praised by the late emperor when he was alive."
Niohuru nodded and raised her hand, saying, "Help me to bed to rest for a while." But once she lay down, she couldn't fall asleep. She wondered if the First Prince, Consort Ke, and the Imperial Concubine had become so irreconcilable enemies.
This morning, upon waking, she prepared to pay her respects. The First Prince told her he had to study in the Imperial Study and couldn't accompany her. At the time, Lady Niohuru didn't take it seriously, simply nodding in agreement. But before leaving, the First Prince said in a deep voice, "Consort, can you discern the differences in kinship and social status?" Lady Niohuru immediately guessed what the First Prince meant. When it was time to leave to pay respects to her elders, she suddenly said, "Let's go to Xianfu Palace first."
Upon arriving at Xianfu Palace, Consort Ke's face lit up immediately upon learning that she had arrived first. She then kept telling her how to prioritize the First Prince, how to take care of him, and how not to let him be troubled by domestic affairs and affect his studies.
Niohuru agreed, but her heart was filled with anxiety. Although she had arrived at Xianfu Palace first, she had planned to greet her mother, then go to Yongshou Palace to pay her respects to the Noble Consort before returning. However, Consort Ke kept talking, and she couldn't get a word in edgewise. But if she continued, it would get late, and as the wife of the eldest prince, she couldn't afford to be seen as disrespectful to the Noble Consort. After enduring for a quarter of an hour, Consort Ke finally told her to leave. Niohuru felt a huge weight lifted off her shoulders.
Niohuru recalled her anxiety at that time, the kind look in the Consort's eyes when she was in Yongshou Palace, and the attitude of the First Prince. She couldn't help but sigh again.
She thought, even if she disliked the Imperial Concubine, she shouldn't do this. She was the Imperial Concubine, the one the Emperor favored to manage the six palaces. If the Emperor saw this, what would he think of their blatant defiance of her?
But could Niohuru do anything? No. Consort Ke was her elder, her mother, and the eldest prince was her husband; she, as the wife of the first prince, could not possibly do anything disobedient.
Finally, she thought, let it be for now. She and the eldest prince weren't close enough for her to persuade him. If something like this happened again, she would try to smooth things over and try to persuade him again after their relationship improved.
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