After seeing Qi Erha off, Sun Miaoqing had no time to rest. She then welcomed Shen Meizhuang, An Lingrong, and Consort Xin—no, she should be called Consort Xin now.
They all arrived with gifts and beaming smiles, immediately clamoring to settle their score at the card table.
While touching the mahjong tiles, Sun Miaoqing said, "The imperial decree to bestow titles upon the six palaces has been issued, and Sister Mei has obtained what she desired."
"The palace has been prepared. We will move in as soon as we return to the palace. Congratulations on your housewarming, Sister Mei."
Meizhuang's smile is always so gentle and virtuous, like an older sister, making people feel warm inside just by looking at her.
"It's all because of the Imperial Concubine that I've been fortunate enough to be promoted to the rank of Consort. Otherwise, with my seniority, it would have been a long time before I was promoted to the rank of Consort."
Sun Miaoqing said, "Sister Mei is good at flattering people. Even if this didn't happen, the Emperor would still promote her."
Consort Xin picked up a mahjong tile, smiled, and placed it in front of her, clearly quite satisfied. She then discarded a white tile from the side, saying unhurriedly,
"If even Consort Hui is like this, then I really don't know what to say. Having served the Emperor for so many years, if it weren't for the Noble Consort speaking up, would the Emperor even remember me?"
Shen Meizhuang said, "Sister Xin, why belittle yourself? Princess Heshu is the Emperor's beloved daughter. For the sake of the princess, the Emperor will also think of Sister Xin's good points."
Consort Xin thought to herself, she finally understood. What was the point of pleasing the emperor? She had slept with him for so many years, yet she was still not as good as Consort Cao.
It is said that her rank is low, her daughter does not allow her to live with her, and her rank is always at the bottom. Apart from the rewards within her allotted allowance, she doesn't receive much else throughout the year.
She's usually very generous to others, but when it comes to herself, she's incredibly stingy, like a miser.
She's not even as good as Consort Cheng. Ever since Sun Miaoqing became the head of the household, she's taken such good care of her. Whenever there's something good, she thinks of Consort Cheng, who's also a palace maid, and she's even taken good care of He Shu as well.
The jade bracelet on her wrist and the white magnolia hairpin in her hair were gifts from Sun Miaoqing.
Without comparison, there is no harm. No matter how unsuccessful Consort Xin was, seeing the things on her dressing table every day made her understand what she should do.
What does it matter whether she's favored or not? She can live a life of luxury just like Consort Cheng!
An Lingrong didn't say much, quietly looking at the cards in her hand, but her mind was elsewhere.
Seeing this, Consort Xin said directly, "Consort Jing, it's your turn to play."
An Lingrong then came to her senses and said apologetically, "It was my oversight, please forgive me, sisters."
Then, he randomly played a 50,000 tile, and Sun Miaoqing immediately pushed the tiles over.
"I won! A pure suit!"
An Lingrong said, "Sister Sun has such good luck. This is what they call being in high spirits when good things happen."
Shen Meizhuang said, "That's right, he has both a position and offspring, everything is perfect."
Sun Miaoqing laughed and said, "Don't just talk about me. Who knows, we might all be imperial concubines in the future, and no one will be lacking anyone else."
Consort Xin laughed and said, "Your Highness is just joking. Not everyone has this kind of good fortune."
"But Consort Jing seemed so engrossed in thinking about something just now; she didn't say much when she came over."
An Lingrong said, "It's nothing, I just suddenly thought of something."
"It just feels like there aren't many princes and princesses in the palace, and the emperor doesn't seem to be in a hurry."
"Actually, not long after we arrived at the garden, one day when Sister Huan and I were strolling around the Yuanmingyuan, we happened to meet the Fourth Prince."
Consort Xin exclaimed in surprise, "Fourth Prince? He was raised in the Yuanmingyuan Garden from birth, so he must be eight or nine years old now, right?"
An Lingrong nodded, "She looks about eight or nine years old. She's not very old, but she seems very sensible and polite."
Shen Meizhuang said, "I heard that the Fourth Prince's birth mother was of lowly birth and extremely ugly."
"Because of this, the Eighth and Ninth Princes reported it to the late Emperor, who severely reprimanded him and he almost lost his throne."
"Therefore, the emperor disliked the fourth prince very much and abandoned him at the Yuanmingyuan Garden after his birth, ignoring him completely."
An Lingrong said, "That's right. When we arrived at the Yuanmingyuan, the Fourth Prince knelt outside the Jiuzhou Qingyan Hall, wanting to pay his respects to the Emperor."
"The Emperor refused to even meet him, and later he was not allowed to attend the family banquet, saying that he felt uncomfortable seeing him."
"The time my sister Huan and I ran into the Fourth Prince, it just so happened that we bumped into him on his way back."
"Sister Huan felt sorry for the Fourth Prince, so she took him to see the Emperor from a distance and then sent him back."
“I followed him there. He was such a prince, but the furnishings in his room were not as good as mine. It’s pitiful to think about.”
Seeing the Fourth Prince's predicament, An Lingrong recalled her own time back in her hometown of Songyang.
At least she had her own mother to rely on, while the Fourth Prince had never even seen his birth mother.
Consort Xin said, "The Fourth Prince is pitiful, but don't let your mind cloud your judgment and mention him in front of the Emperor."
"If the emperor gets angry, won't it be unfair for you to suffer such a fate?"
An Lingrong said, "I only talked about it with my sisters in private, but the Fourth Prince is indeed so well-behaved and sensible that it breaks my heart."
[An Xiaoniao is probably thinking of herself. When Hongli was a little radish head, he was indeed pitiful and adorable. But after growing up, he became heartless, cruel, and ungrateful—even worse than his father!]
However, it's not surprising that he looks like that; people who haven't been loved don't know how to love.
[I wonder if Zhen Huan and Hongli will ever have a mother-son bond again in this life. If she can teach him well, perhaps she can raise him well too.]
An Lingrong's eyelashes trembled slightly. So such a thing existed? Sister Huan will raise the Fourth Prince from now on. The Fourth Prince is even more cold-hearted and ruthless than the Emperor?
Thinking of this, An Lingrong felt that he and she were indeed similar.
If she hadn't met Sun Miaoqing, given her previous personality, she would most likely have gone down a path of no return.
He harmed people as kind as Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang, and was also used by others. In the end, he harmed others and harmed himself. All his scheming was in vain.
Thinking of this, An Lingrong suddenly felt that there was still a chance for her fate to change, and perhaps Hongli could too.
She wanted to try it...
However, why would Huan-jie raise Hongli? Given her favor, he should have gained her favor soon.
Even if something unexpected happens and one has to adopt someone else's child, it shouldn't be the Fourth Prince.
unless......
An Lingrong glanced at Sun Miaoqing, but Sun Miaoqing didn't notice and was playing with the mahjong tiles in her hand.
The Emperor's eagerness to raise the Fifth Prince before was probably not just due to his rank; could it be that...?
An Lingrong gripped the mahjong tiles tightly in disbelief, concealing the fear in her eyes.
Yes, with the new concubine in the palace for so long and so many women around, how could any of them really be pregnant? No matter how unwilling one is to believe it, one cannot help but have doubts.
Her future son is likely to have a difficult birth!
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