Jiaming continued, "Let's leave that aside for now and talk about that Niohuru clan. Her good fortune is well-known throughout the capital. Many people would want someone so fortunate, but some people can't afford her. After all, whoever takes Niohuru is blessed with good fortune by their side, and will be envied by others."
“What Master said makes sense. Is there anything else?” Xiao Hezi asked.
After thinking for a moment, Jiaming continued, "The Thirteenth Prince, a prince who lost his mother at a young age, is still so favored by the Emperor. He can't be brainless, so it can't be him."
Xiao Hezi nodded in agreement.
"As for the Fourteenth Prince, well, I'm not entirely sure. But judging from the Fujin's side, and from Liu Mama's whispers, it's not hard to guess that the Fujin is trying to match the Fourteenth Prince with Niohuru, which is why the Prince left the main courtyard in a huff."
Speaking of the Fujin (wife of the emperor), Xiao Hezi suddenly remembered something: "It seems that the Fujin visited the palace once recently."
"So it is very likely that the Fujin (Prince Consort) went to the palace and mentioned it to Consort De, and this so-called close person is very likely to refer to Consort De. Since Your Highness is Consort De's son, she is indeed very likely to seek your help if she cannot achieve her goal with you."
Just as Jiaming and the others had analyzed and guessed, they all chose the right answer. After getting the idea from Jiaming, the Fourth Prince left Peach Garden and headed straight for the palace.
After the Fourth Prince met Consort De, he began to persuade her to give up the idea of giving Niohuru to the Fourteenth Prince.
The Fourth Prince spoke too directly, and Consort De immediately became angry, "Fourth Prince, do you also want Niohuru, is that why you don't want the Fourteenth Prince to have her?"
"Mother, that's not what I meant," Fourth Master explained, frowning.
How could Consort De possibly believe it? Judging others by herself, she said, "Niohuru is a blessed woman. She has escaped so many calamities. You wouldn't want such a woman? Impossible, you..."
"Mother! You're overthinking it. Your son really didn't mean that." With that, he lifted the hem of his robe and immediately knelt down before Consort De to prove his innocence.
Consort De, whose relationship with the Fourth Prince had recently improved, was reluctant to let him kneel, and quickly stopped him, saying, "Why are you kneeling? Don't kneel before me, get up."
Fourth Master stood there, unsure whether to kneel or not. After all, he was afraid that his mother wouldn't believe him or listen to him.
Seeing this, Consort De couldn't help but take another step back, "Alright, Mother has been overthinking it, is that alright?"
Fourth Prince: "..." Mother, you've been overthinking it all along.
However, he didn't press the matter further and, taking advantage of his mother's obedience, pressed on with his efforts.
“Mother, please don’t be angry or interrupt your son. Listen carefully to what I have to say to see if it makes sense. If you still have the same idea after I finish speaking and still intend to give Niohuru to the fourteenth prince, then I will not stop you.”
Consort De nodded slightly with an air of aloofness, but she was still somewhat angry with the fourth prince, after all, he had just forced her to compromise by kneeling.
“Mother, have you ever thought about it? A woman as fortunate as Niohuru, with a far-reaching reputation, is not someone Fourteen can afford to marry.”
Consort De was furious. How could the Fourteenth Prince be so unworthy? He was a prince, far more noble than her. She wanted to retort, but remembering that she had just promised the Fourth Prince to listen to him, she swallowed back the words that were about to come out of her mouth.
The Fourth Prince continued, "The Fourteenth Prince is a prince, but other princes also want the Niohuru clan. The Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, the Third Prince, and even the Crown Prince want it."
The mention of the Crown Prince seemed to have been doused with cold water, instantly sobering her up considerably.
"If we princes marry such a blessed woman, wouldn't we be even more fortunate than the Crown Prince? Otherwise, how could we marry such a blessed woman? The only one more fortunate than the Crown Prince is Father Emperor. Mother, wake up! That woman, Fourteenth Prince can't afford her, and neither can I. Only the Crown Prince or Father Emperor would be fine with her. Otherwise, whoever wants her will become a thorn in their side."
Besides her good fortune, Consort De's intelligence also played a significant role in her rise from a palace maid to the rank of one of the four consorts.
When Consort De regained her senses, she broke out in a cold sweat at the thought that her fourteenth prince had almost become the target of public criticism.
"Thanks to you, Fourth Prince, for reminding me, otherwise I would have made a big mistake." Consort De admitted her mistake and didn't care about saving face in front of the Fourth Prince at all.
After that, Consort De not only understood the Fourth Prince's good intentions, but also grew closer to him. After all, she had just misunderstood the Fourth Prince, and he had patiently reminded her. If he didn't care about her and the Fourteenth Prince, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths.
Moved by this, Consort De thought that her previous reserve was perhaps inappropriate, so she asked the maid beside her to bring her some sachets that she had made in the past, saying, "These are for you."
This was the first time the Fourth Prince had received something made by Consort De herself. On his way out of the palace, he held the sachet hanging from his waist as if afraid of losing it or getting it dirty with dust.
After the Fourth Prince left, Consort De suddenly remembered something.
The reason she wanted to match Fourteenth Prince with Niohuru was because someone had mentioned in her ear that Niohuru was blessed, while Fourteenth Prince had married a concubine and taken a princess, but still had no children. So she decided to come to Niohuru, hoping that Niohuru's luck would bring Fourteenth Prince children.
Moreover, she narrowed her eyes. The time when the Fourth Prince's wife entered the palace happened to be shortly after she heard Niohuru say that she was blessed. She had even mentioned it to the Fourth Prince's wife. What did the Fourth Prince's wife say?
"Mother, your idea is good. I heard that she encountered a lot of trouble during the selection process, but she managed to avoid it all. She is indeed a lucky person. Maybe entering the Fourteenth Prince's harem will really bring her good fortune in having children!"
The fourth prince's wife was no fool; she was quite shrewd and resourceful. It was impossible that she didn't foresee that the fourteenth prince would become the target of everyone's criticism after taking Niohuru as a concubine.
This thought, though not consciously acknowledged, greatly diminished Consort De's impression of the Fourth Prince's wife, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Of course, she would not discuss how Consort De would deal with the Fourth Prince's wife in the future. She remembered that she had mentioned to the Emperor that she wanted to take a concubine from the Niohuru clan for the Fourteenth Prince. This matter needed to be resolved immediately. She needed to make it clear to the Emperor that the Fourteenth Prince did not want to take a concubine from the Niohuru clan.
In the residence of the Fourth Prince, at the home of Lady Hesheli, in a room, she was whispering something to someone.
"My lord, this is too dangerous. The palace is under tight security lately. If we are discovered, then..."
"It's just about waiting for the right opportunity," Hesheli said dismissively. "It's not like he's going to act immediately. Don't make any rash moves unless there's an opportunity that won't be noticed. Wait until you find a gap, then strike suddenly and make sure it's a sure hit."
"That would be acceptable."
"If you can, then go and deliver the message right away. Be careful not to get caught," Hesheli whispered to him.
"I understand, I will be careful."
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