He Zhuo originally didn't want to pay attention to it, thinking that the rumors would fade away after a while. But now that he saw someone using this rumor to cause trouble, he decided to make an example of them.
And that is indeed the case.
Yinzhi placed high hopes on his eldest son and doted on him, keeping him by his side every day, discussing matters together in the front courtyard, and entrusting some of the affairs of the mansion to his heir, Hongyu.
The rumors quickly proved false.
Granny Shi and Granny Da acted quickly and found out that it was Consort Shumulu, but she was clever and did not take direct action.
The two concubines in her room were the ones who took action. Because they had not served the emperor in the past few years since they entered the household, their status in the mansion was somewhat awkward, and they harbored resentment.
Even so, since the people in her room took action, she, as a concubine, could not escape responsibility.
Since his two concubines gave birth to children, Yinzhi had never shared a room with any of the women in the inner quarters again, a fact that Hezhuo was well aware of.
Although the number of days each concubine receives remains the same—three days per month—they simply chat under the covers. Others may not know, but surely they and their personal attendants do?
Yinzhi made no attempt to conceal anything.
As time went on, the women in the back courtyard all found out. Naturally, some of them were unwilling to accept it, but there was nothing they could do. They could only make sarcastic remarks with hidden meanings. The one who stood up for her was punished by He Zhuo by copying the rules of the manor and the virtues of women, and then she quieted down.
They can't stir up any trouble.
After all, the master, Yinzhi, still spent the night at the concubine's place.
If the man doesn't touch you, it's because you're not capable enough. Shumulu was young and bold, so she used all sorts of seductive tricks, like red gauze.
The first time, Yinzhi simply ignored him; the second time, he stormed off and didn't step into her room for three months. When Yinzhi missed the Ninth Prince, he wouldn't even enter Shumulu's courtyard, but instead had him carried to the front yard. This finally calmed Shumulu down.
Unexpectedly, this Shumulu clan was only pretending to be quiet; in reality, she harbored resentment and seized the opportunity to cause trouble!
As for Consort Nalan...
She was used to it. Since entering the manor, although the prince followed the rules and visited her three days a month, he spent half of that time chatting under the covers. She only needed the prince to come to her place. She also knew that with her looks and talent, her master did not like her, so she did not have too many extravagant desires.
Now that she's finally had a child, a daughter is fine, she's content. Besides, she has her adopted son, the Fifth Prince, so she's been behaving herself, neither causing trouble nor daring to cause trouble.
As for the princesses in the back courtyard, the difference lies in whether or not they bear children.
For those who gave birth to children, Yinzhi would visit them every two or three months, not just every month, but at any time. Occasionally, he would even stay overnight. Among the concubines in the inner courtyard, only Concubine Guan and Concubine Qian gave birth to sons, while Concubine Fan and Concubine Ruan gave birth to daughters.
Guan was old and had long lost the desire to compete for favor. Besides, he had sons and daughters, and the master would only visit her occasionally. She was content, after all, her appearance was quite ordinary in this inner courtyard.
As for Fan Gege, it was even easier. After her twin daughters got married, she had made a vow to be a vegetarian, chant Buddhist scriptures, and pray for her daughters day and night. Her daughters were married far away, and she was always worried about them, afraid of hearing bad news. She was also getting old and no longer had the mind to compete for favor.
Princess Ruan was born into the Prince Zhi's household after the establishment of the Prince's residence. Although she gave birth to a little princess, she didn't dare to do anything seductive.
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