A power struggle among the women cast a shadow over the princes' brothers, making the women extra cautious in this peaceful courtyard.
Early in the morning, Consort Tong arranged a greeting ceremony, which was the first time the Eighth Prince's wife had seen Consort Tong since leaving the capital.
Qingyan arrived early and had breakfast with Consort Tong, only to discover that Consort Tong did not particularly like the Eighth Prince's wife.
"Your Majesty, I went to the kitchen to inquire, and it turns out that Eighth Princess Consort's breakfast is not yet ready." Shu also felt that this was a bit excessive. Empress Dowager Tong and Consort Tong had simplified their meals, and Emperor Kangxi even ate with them. Only Eighth Princess Consort was strictly following the rules of the palace. Many breakfasts that were prepared would simply be thrown away.
As soon as she finished speaking, Qingyan turned her gaze to the dining table, which was set with four or five side dishes that Consort Tong liked, a plate of porridge made with rouge rice, a bowl of bird's nest, and two or three baskets of steamed buns. This was a simple breakfast.
Today, since Qingyan rarely comes to dine, Consort Tong specially prepared a few extra dishes. At this moment, there are still some leftover dishes on the table, making a total of six dishes.
Before the princes left the palace to establish their own residences, they were given the same rank as princes of the first rank. The Eighth Prince's wife enjoyed the same treatment as a prince's wife, and each meal only required a dozen or so dishes, which obviously put the chefs in a difficult position.
"Little darling, look at this Eighth Prince's wife, she really has a big air about her." Consort Tong had no good feelings towards the Guo Luoluo family. In the palace, Consort Yi had caused them no shortage of trouble.
Qingyan listened helplessly; she was now a sounding board, waiting for Consort Tong to vent her frustrations.
Even Consort Yi's connections within the palace were exposed, and Qingyan smiled helplessly.
Later, Lady Yin Genjue paid her respects and rescued her, finally stopping Consort Tong's nagging. She remembered what Consort Tong had said and prepared to tell Yin the truth, as she often couldn't understand Consort Tong's coded language.
Today, Lady Yin Genjue Luo wore a blue casual dress. The two of them rarely wore bright red clothes in front of Consort Tong. In the royal family, Consort Tong had the highest status, but she was not the principal wife. Therefore, Consort Tong rarely wore red palace dresses.
"Elder sister, are you getting used to Songkelierha?" Consort Tong asked.
“Very good, he hasn’t woken up yet,” Yin Genjue Luo Shi reported.
Inside the main hall, the two were the primary consorts. After Yinqi's two concubines entered, they quickly greeted the masters present.
"Let's kowtow." Consort Tong waved her hand; these two were considered lucky.
Yinqi had a bad relationship with Consort Yi, and the Eighth Prince's wife rarely spent time with him. Therefore, she would not harm Yinqi's female relatives.
However, Yin was different. Consort Yi always took care of Yin. In fact, the Eighth Prince's wife often entered the palace when she was young and was often left to live in the palace.
The two girls were very reserved, sitting obediently on the armchairs, not daring to say another word.
Consort Tong sat on the throne and looked around. She noticed that only the Eighth Prince's wife had not yet arrived. Everyone was waiting patiently. The Fifth Prince's two daughters dared not say a word and sat upright on half of the armchair.
"Your Majesty, the Eighth Princess Consort has arrived!" Shu walked in from outside the palace. Qingyan specifically checked the clock and found that she was already half an hour late, which would definitely be a big mistake.
According to the customs of the Qing Dynasty, it was best for juniors to arrive 15 minutes early when paying their respects.
The Eighth Princess Consort stepped into the main hall. She was dressed in a bright red princess consort's palace dress, and her hair was styled in two buns with a peony gold hairpin. She wore three pearl earrings on each of her hands. This was the exclusive attire for princess consorts.
Consort Tong frowned slightly as she watched the Eighth Prince's wife bow respectfully, but she did not tell her to rise.
A quarter of an hour later, the Eighth Prince's wife took a small step, which was definitely a form of punishment. The Eighth Prince's wife had never been punished since childhood, and Prince An had never been harsh on her, always spoiling her.
"My dear mother, what did I do wrong?" the Eighth Prince's wife asked, looking up.
Qingyan secretly thought things were going badly. Consort Tong hated being contradicted the most, and the Eighth Prince's wife had directly crossed Consort Tong's bottom line. It seemed that this time's greeting would not be peaceful.
"Eighth Prince's wife, when will Shu tell you when she's coming?" Consort Tong asked directly.
The women around her all lowered their heads, saying no more, and none of them offered any further hints to the Eighth Prince's wife.
The Eighth Prince's wife stood up abruptly, staring directly at Consort Tong with resentment in her eyes.
"My dear mother, is this how you punish me for something so trivial?" the Eighth Prince's wife protested.
Immediately, the hall fell silent; no one uttered another word.
"Even if you don't follow the rules, you must still abide by palace regulations outside the palace," Consort Tong coldly commanded. "Does leaving the palace mean you can relax?"
The Eighth Prince's wife lowered her head, and from Qingyan's direction, one could see her pouting, which made her feel amused.
As time passed and the princes gradually started their own families, the struggles between their wives intensified.
"Still not convinced?" Consort Tong sneered.
The Eighth Prince's wife stopped speaking and let Consort Tong lecture her. In the deep palace, the Eighth Prince's wife rarely went to Chengqian Palace to pay her respects. She would always sit upright in the back and never say a word.
“Noble Mother, that’s not how it is,” the Eighth Prince’s wife said resentfully.
Consort Tong looked at the Eighth Prince's wife, preparing to give her a chance to explain.
“When living outside, who would follow the rules of the palace? Even the time for paying respects is no longer at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). Besides, the Empress Dowager hasn’t come out, so why should we still follow the rules?” The Eighth Princess Consort sneered.
Consort Tong laughed directly. The confrontation between the Eighth Prince's wife and Consort Tong made the women tremble with fear.
"You all need to be extra careful on this trip," Consort Tong instructed.
There would be night raids, and it was inevitable that someone would be watching their group. There were too many informants and unsafe factors in the villa.
“Yes, we rarely go out,” Yin Genjue Luo Shi quickly replied.
Qingyan smiled. The children were all there, so there was no time to go out. In particular, the twins often wanted to go out, and Qingyan had to keep trying to calm them down.
"My dear mother, is there a time limit for returning home?" the Eighth Prince's wife asked directly.
Having arrived in the south, the Eighth Prince's wife realized that she hadn't gone shopping yet, and if there were a curfew, she would definitely be late if she wanted to go for a stroll.
"Yes!" Consort Tong replied immediately.
Qingyan rolled up her handkerchief, secretly wondering to herself, as Consort Tong did not directly mention the curfew time.
The Eighth Prince's wife expressed her dissatisfaction with Consort Tong. Yin Si always said that Consort Tong had a very high status in the palace, and now she had to be respectful at all times and absolutely could not treat Consort Tong the way she treated Consort Yi.
Whenever the Eighth Prince's wife encountered something unpleasant, she would vent her anger on Consort Yi.
"Eighth sister-in-law, you must return after nightfall," Qingyan replied with a smile.
The Eighth Prince's wife was satisfied; at least she could go out for a stroll before nightfall, which was quite good.
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