A few days later, Changning received news that the Thirteenth Prince's Consort, Zhaojia Yunchun, had given birth to a son, her second son.
The fourteenth prince's wife, Lady Wanyan, had just given birth to a son and was currently in confinement.
When the Thirteenth Prince's eldest son turned one month old, a banquet was held, and the wives and concubines of all the princes and princesses attended. Changning was no exception.
Having not seen the Fujin for a long time, Yan Hua is now much more composed. Since she regained control of the household, she has been working diligently and has not caused any trouble. She also avoids Chang Ning whenever possible.
When they met at the banquet, the Fujin smiled at her, and Changning returned the smile. Neither of them spoke.
Why bother? We've already fallen out.
Upon arriving at the Thirteenth Mansion, Zhao Jiayunchun was the first to greet them.
She and Changning were close, and she immediately said with a smile, "Finally here! I just finished my postpartum confinement the other day and haven't had a chance to see Hongmin and Hongchen yet. How are they? I heard from Fifth Sister-in-law that they've grown up to be very strong."
"She can eat and sleep well, which makes things much easier for her." Changning saw that her complexion was rosy and her voice was loud, so she knew that she had taken good care of herself during her postpartum period and was happy for her.
Yun Chun quickly took Fourth Princess's hand and asked her with concern, "Fourth Sister-in-law, you're here! It's been so long since I've seen you. I heard you were sick a few days ago, but are you feeling much better now?"
Yan Hua smiled and nodded: "Alright, let's hurry and come see the young prince."
"The child is sleeping inside, let's go in."
After saying that, the three of them went into the inner hall together.
The primary consort and the secondary consorts were clearly distinguished, forming two distinct groups.
Although the thirteenth concubine, Lady Wusu, was young, she was now put in charge, mainly responsible for entertaining the other concubines. She was shy and reserved, and didn't dare to speak much with her sisters-in-law. Fortunately, Wanhe was also there and could help her with the arrangements.
Now that they saw Changning had arrived, the two of them were overjoyed and rushed over to talk to her.
As the group was chatting enthusiastically, they heard a particularly sharp and clear female voice from not far away.
“Our master is certainly working very hard, what could Seventh Sister-in-law possibly understand? Not everyone has the ability to provide disaster relief for Father Emperor, so there’s no use in being envious!”
Changning looked in the direction of the sound and, sure enough, it was the Eighth Prince's wife, Lady Guoluo.
Wanhe pursed her lips and whispered, "Ever since the Eighth Prince was given an important position by the Emperor, and was put in charge of the Imperial Household Department and went to provide disaster relief, the Eighth Princess Consort has been getting too cocky."
Changning frowned: "It's already the height of summer, why isn't the disaster relief effort over yet?"
At this point, Consort Tian from the Third Prince's residence had something to say.
She was originally a princess, but her son was killed by the principal wife. Later, through the Third Prince's request, she was promoted to a secondary principal wife. Changning had met her before at the Mulan Hunting Grounds, and she had even reminded him of the unusual activities of Consorts Huiyi and Huiyi in the palace. The two had some acquaintance.
Lady Tian is well-informed. Even when she was just a young princess, she was able to find out news from the palace. It's not surprising that she knows the progress of disaster relief now.
"The disaster relief work is long over. The grain and money have been distributed, and we've treated as many people as we can. The Eighth Prince has been delayed in returning, mainly because he's being held up by officials there. However, the news that has reached the capital is that the Eighth Prince is kind-hearted, capable, and has properly resettled the disaster victims, and he also has the reputation of a wise prince. It's really hard to say what the actual situation is."
Tian's face showed a hint of disdain: "I heard that the Eighth Prince is coming back in the next couple of days. Whether this is good or not is hard to say! It's not like the Emperor's sons haven't gone to provide disaster relief before, and the Fourth Prince also went to control the floods on the Yellow River. If they really had merit, the news would have reached the capital long ago, and the Emperor would have already rewarded them. Why hasn't a word of it reached us this time? It's all just the Eighth Prince's people talking to themselves. The Eighth Princess is still so short-sighted; she doesn't understand anything and is already getting cocky."
When it comes to the Eighth Prince's Consort, Lady Guoluo, it seems that everyone has the same attitude: they look down on her arrogant and domineering attitude.
However, Changning thought to herself that she was a woman who was deeply in love and valued the Eighth Prince more than anything else. Would she deliberately hold him back?
Or was she just bluffing, afraid that others would realize that something had happened at the Eighth Prince's residence?
While she was still pondering, Guo Luoluo Shi, smug and self-satisfied, sat to the side ignoring everyone.
Fourth Princess Consort Yan Hua also looked down on her behavior. Regardless of the Eighth Prince's current situation, she needed to remain calm and not tarnish the Eighth Prince's reputation. Yet she insisted on creating such a commotion.
However, seeing her arrogant demeanor, it's unlikely anyone would suspect that the Eighth Prince had acted improperly during the disaster relief efforts. If he were truly to be convicted, would his wife still be so confident?
It seems that the Eighth Prince has indeed accomplished a great task this time.
Tian was indeed very shrewd and tactful; in no time, she had gone from gossiping about the Eighth Prince to talking about the Cheng'en Duke's mansion.
"I heard that the eldest prince of the Chengen Duke's mansion is immoral. A few days ago, at his father-in-law's banquet, he took his father-in-law's concubine as his own. Now she is his beloved concubine, and even the original wife is overshadowed by her."
What?
Changning said that his brain capacity was not enough.
I recognize each word individually, but why is it so difficult to understand when put together?
Seeing the incredulous looks on their faces, Tian became even more smug and spoke with even more enthusiasm: "I had to go through a lot of trouble to find out this. That concubine is no ordinary person either. They say she is charming and passionate, alluring and seductive. She can steal a man's soul with just one glance. Longkodo was completely infatuated with her."
“Originally, in his father-in-law’s mansion, this concubine was able to squeeze the first wife out of her place. Now that she has married Longkodo, his first wife is no match for her and is being bullied terribly.”
The thirteenth concubine, Lady Wusu, was so shocked that her mouth gaped open: "This, this concubine is so amazing... What's her name?"
"I heard his name is Li Si'er. He's just a Han Chinese, probably someone who uses his looks to please people."
Changning was also extremely shocked.
Although she hadn't heard much about Li Si'er, she knew about Longkodo!
Tong Guowei's son, Empress Xiaoyiren's younger brother, and Yinzhen's maternal uncle.
When Yinzhen ascended the throne, he still needed the strong support of this uncle.
In The Legend of Zhen Huan, there is also a romantic storyline between Lord Longkodo and Consort De. Although Changning knows this is meant to be a joke, it does not diminish the importance of this lord.
I never expected Longkodo to play such a fancy game!
He even keeps his father-in-law's concubine as a pet. It's truly eye-opening.
That evening, Changning mentioned this Li Si'er to Yinzhen.
Yinzhen's face was stern, and his tone was somewhat displeased: "This Longkodo is really making a fool of himself."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
