After breakfast, Su Lan personally led the servants to deliver the invitations. At each house she visited, she was personally received by the head wife. Su Lan was taken aback by such high-level treatment, but she quickly returned to normal.
The wives must have treated the twins with such courtesy because the emperor favored them.
Qingyan sat in her study, flipping through the menu for the Chrysanthemum Banquet of the various households. This time, she didn't want to be different.
The twins are favored, and if she were to create a new menu, their family would become incredibly famous, which would be a significant problem for both Yin and her.
"Master, your servant is back!" Su Lan had delivered all the invitations and then hurried into the study to serve you.
Qingyan nodded, frowning as she looked at the list in her hand, determined not to stand out too much.
"Is there a problem?" Qingyan asked curiously, noticing Sulan's hesitant expression.
Su Lan, who had seen much of the world, rarely hesitated or stammered.
Could it be that someone is making things difficult for her? Or is someone talking behind her back?
A bunch of questions popped into Qingyan's mind, and she hoped Sulan would speak frankly about them.
Inside the study, the maids all stood respectfully around the room with their heads bowed, ready to receive Qingyan's orders. Sulan glanced around, and Qingyan understood immediately.
"Suzhu, you all go out first and wait in the courtyard," Qingyan ordered directly.
The autumn sun won't cause the servants to get heatstroke; in fact, getting some sun is good for their health.
After the maids left, Su Lan walked to her side, bent down and whispered in her ear, "Your Highness, the invitations went very smoothly, and the Crown Princess and the Third Prince's Consort personally received you."
The Crown Princess and the Third Prince's wife were at odds with their master. In the past, when they sent invitations to the mansion, both of them would have their head maids dismiss them.
Um? !
Qingyan was also puzzled. Aren't the maids usually the ones who come out to greet us?
In the past, the Crown Princess held herself in high esteem and never personally received guests, which was quite unusual.
"During the Chrysanthemum Banquet, Su Zhu personally stayed in the kitchen, ensuring that she didn't miss a beat in anything from selecting ingredients to cooking." Qing Yan understood that these two were probably up to no good.
No matter what they want to do, she has to be careful.
“Yes, this servant will go and inform Suzhu,” Sulan nodded in response. “My lady, the Crown Princess also asked if she could bring Consort Li along.”
As soon as the words were spoken, Qingyan was stunned. The Crown Princess and Consort Li were not on good terms and would never appear together at a sister-in-law's banquet. This time...
"Hmm?" Qingyan asked, puzzled.
“Consort Li is likely pregnant. Although the Imperial Hospital has not yet given any definitive news, I am certain of it. My fellow villager works at Yuqing Palace, and it is said that Consort Li has not changed her clothes for two months,” Su Lan reported in a low voice.
Two months without changing clothes?!
She was startled. The Crown Princess was pretending not to know, but secretly she wanted to get rid of Consort Shi's child. She couldn't take the blame for this.
Despite being the eldest son of the Crown Prince, Hongxi's birth made him more prestigious than the eldest sons of the other princes.
"Go and refuse the Crown Princess. Tell her that I am only hosting a banquet for the primary consort. If Consort Li comes, she will also feel awkward." Qingyan was determined not to back down. She couldn't even get involved in something that would harm the royal offspring.
Later that evening, the Crown Princess's maid arrived at the villa with Qingyan's reply. Upon hearing the report, the Crown Princess chuckled.
"Your Highness, it seems that the Fourth Princess Consort has noticed something?" the nanny asked the Crown Princess. "Is there someone from the Fourth Princess Consort by Consort Li's side?"
"No, she just doesn't want to cause trouble. Fourth sister-in-law has always disliked getting involved with her sisters-in-law!" The Crown Princess envied Qingyan, who didn't have to deal with her sisters-in-law. When they held banquets, Qingyan almost never went.
The Crown Princess held her teacup, took a sip, and looked outside. The Crown Prince rarely visited her courtyard, and Consort Li had taken control of the affairs of the villa.
The chrysanthemum banquet was well organized, but Qingyan's statement that only the primary wife was invited, and that it would be awkward for the concubines to attend, was enough to anger Li Shi.
"My lord, shall we take action and get rid of that scourge?" The old nanny had originally planned to eliminate the troublesome child in the concubine's womb at the Chrysanthemum Banquet.
Even if the Crown Princess discovered it, she could only say that the concubine was careless.
"No need," the Crown Princess said decisively. "Little Darling should know that the other man is pregnant, which is why she doesn't want to cause trouble."
Qingyan's entourage is full of hidden talents; Yin must have given Qingyan a considerable number of men.
In his early years, Suo'etu had said that if the Fourth Prince Consort were this pampered little princess of the Ulanara clan, she would definitely be the biggest rival of Yuqing Palace.
Therefore, when Suo'etu wanted to make a move during the selection of concubines in De, who would have thought that His Majesty would directly issue an edict making Qingyan the Fourth Prince's Consort.
"What?!" The old woman broke out in a cold sweat. If the Fourth Princess Consort knew... how many people outside would know the news from Yuqing Palace?
"Don't panic, Granny, Xiao Guai won't tell anyone!" the Crown Princess reassured her.
Qingyan believed in avoiding trouble and wouldn't get involved in other people's backyard squabbles if it didn't affect her and her children.
"Master, we can't let that threat linger, can we? That person hasn't said anything, they must be holding back their thoughts." The Golden Festival has passed, it probably wasn't meant to please you, Master.
"Keep it. I want to see if that one can give birth." The Crown Princess's lips curled up slightly. The Eastern Palace was different from other places. In addition to vying for the Crown Prince's favor and the status of their children, they also had to consider whether their offspring could grow up safely.
The Crown Princess's gaze was somewhat unfocused. The sunlight outside the door was a bit dazzling. How long had it been since she had strolled in the sunlight like she had before her marriage?
On the other side, Qingyan sat cross-legged on a soft couch, his right hand supporting his chin, trying hard to recall if there were any oversights in the banquet he had arranged.
Fortunately, she used the matter of Consort Li to refuse the visits of the concubines, so the primary wife should no longer have any further thoughts.
“We must be very careful about what enters our mouths.” Qingyan did some calculations. The women from the Imperial Household Department’s powerful families who were invited to the banquet were basically all female relatives. Therefore, if the primary wife gave birth to a son, she would be the strongest obstacle for those people.
At this moment, she regretted following Yin's arrangements and holding this banquet. If she hadn't held the banquet, she wouldn't have had so many problems to worry about.
Seeing that her master was troubled, Su Lan wrote down the points that her master emphasized.
"Master, should we ask the master for help?" Su Lan was not sure if Su Zhu could take care of everything.
On that day, they had to serve many wives, and if anything happened to one of them, Qingyan's side would be held responsible.
"Alright." Qingyan thought for a moment. The Yuqing Palace, the Third Master's, and the Fifth Master's backyards were not very peaceful. She had to be careful.
During dinner, Yin ate with her. Qingyan whispered to Yin, hoping he would help a few capable people. Her face was full of flattery. He reached out and pinched her cheek.
"It depends on your performance tonight. If you serve me well, I'll agree!" Yin whispered with a wicked grin in her ear. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
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