He Yue did not deny that what Thirteen said was right.
Without the Empress Dowager's decree, Heyue would have already entered the Tenth Prince's residence under the arrangement of the Eighth Prince's wife.
Even though the Tenth Prince had feelings for Heyue, how long could those feelings last?
In ancient times, not everyone could maintain such enduring affection; couples like Ama and Thirteen were rare.
With her pride, could Heyue truly live under the control of the primary wife as a secondary consort?
She thought she was unwilling, otherwise she wouldn't have married Thirteen so easily.
While the Empress Dowager's decree certainly played a role, the fact that Heyue was granted the title of principal wife was also a significant reason why she did not resist.
It was precisely because she chose to marry Thirteen that Heyue was able to have such a happy life now.
It's perfectly normal for Thirteen, being a person from ancient times, to hold a grudge about what happened back then.
Heyue pouted and glanced at him sideways: "Where did you see that I have feelings for the Tenth Prince?"
"Isn't that right?" Thirteen didn't believe for a second that Heyue had never liked the Tenth Prince, and her eyes were filled with hatred as if she wanted to devour her.
He Yue rolled her eyes, too lazy to explain: "Think what you want! You're incredibly stupid!" After saying that, she turned around and faced away from him, seemingly genuinely angry.
Thirteen, however, sensed something else in those words, and a flash of inspiration struck him, causing him to burst into laughter.
But seeing Heyue with her back to him, he couldn't help but feel guilty and carefully hugged her: "Alright, alright, it was my fault. I shouldn't have overthought things. Don't be angry, okay?"
He Yue ignored him, but a slight smile appeared on her lips.
The next morning, the thirteenth prince dressed himself neatly and went to court.
This was the first time the thirteenth prince had officially appeared in front of the public since the first crown prince was deposed.
Although the Heyue couple had been living in Jiangnan for the past few years, in the eyes of these people in the capital, Thirteen had always been confined to his residence.
Now that he has not only been released, but also granted the title of Beile, it is clear that the Thirteenth Prince has regained favor and his future is limitless.
To outsiders, this is a cause for celebration.
Regardless of what the other brothers thought in their hearts, they had to offer their congratulations on the surface.
Heyue entered the palace to pay her respects to Lady Wuya, who had been newly promoted to Imperial Concubine the day before. Of course, Lady Wuya had not yet undergone the investiture ceremony.
The fourth consort, Ulanara, the fourteenth consort, Wanyan, and the sixteenth consort, Guoluo, were all present.
The birth mother of the Sixteenth Prince was Consort Wang. Because Consort Wang's status was insufficient to raise a prince, Emperor Kangxi entrusted the Sixteenth Prince to Consort Wuya of the First Palace for upbringing.
Last October, the sixteenth prince, Yinlu, married this petite, lively, and cheerful Guoluo woman. This August, Guoluo woman gave birth to the sixteenth prince's legitimate son, and it seems that she is quite favored.
After chatting for a while, Heyue spoke with the Sixteenth Prince's Consort, Guoluo, whom she was meeting for the first time before leaving the palace. The two got along very well, and Heyue invited her to visit her home often before parting ways.
Upon returning to the manor, Heyue sent out invitations to all the wives to come to the manor for tea and flower viewing.
The purpose of drinking tea and appreciating flowers was twofold: firstly, to celebrate the reappearance of the Thirteen Couple in the public eye and to allow them to gather with everyone.
Secondly, it was also an opportunity to probe the attitudes of the various government departments.
The most important thing for them right now is to keep a low profile, but what good is it if they keep a low profile? Others won't look down on you or stop resenting you because of it.
Since that's the case, why not be more flamboyant and face everyone openly?
Among those who were invited were the wives of the princes from various households, and their attitudes represented the attitudes of Thirteen's many brothers.
After all, the situation is different now, and Thirteen has experienced such ups and downs. Those who were once close or distant may not be the same as before.
We need to clearly see who our enemies are, who our friends are, who we can befriend, and who our adversaries are.
This is extremely important for our future situation.
Because the deposed crown prince and the eldest prince were imprisoned, neither the former crown princess nor the first wife came. Starting with the third wife, all the wives from the household, whether friendly or hostile, came.
The banquet was held in the western pavilion, next to the garden. Since it was autumn, one could see large, colorful chrysanthemums and camellias in full bloom, a truly beautiful sight.
These were all sisters-in-law who hadn't seen each other for a long time, and many of them genuinely congratulated the harmonious couple, such as the Fourth Prince's wife, Ulanara, the Fifth Prince's wife, Tatara, the Twelfth Prince's wife, Fucha Yuxiu, and the Sixteenth Prince's wife, Guoluo.
Fourth Sister-in-law had already met her yesterday. When Yuxiu saw Heyue, tears welled up in her eyes. She held Heyue's hand and exclaimed, "You're finally back!"
Although it was just a short sentence, the excitement and joy in their hearts were genuine and could be clearly felt.
Yuxiu was unaware that Heyue and his wife had gone to Jiangnan. She had always thought they were being kept in the mansion, and she must have been worried sick about them all these years.
Thinking about how she had kept it from her all these years, Heyue felt really bad. It seemed she would have to confess to Yuxiu when she had the chance.
I hope she won't be angry.
"How have you been all these years? How has the Twelfth Prince treated you?" He Yue was most concerned about Yu Xiu's situation over the years.
Even without asking, He Yue could tell that Yu Xiu's eyes and brows showed no signs of distress, but rather a great deal of happiness, indicating that she had been doing very well all these years.
“How could I be unwell! Last year I gave birth to a princess, you know. Without Aunt Ping, both children survived safely. The imperial physician also said that the children are very healthy.” As she spoke, Yuxiu was both relieved and emotional: “I never thought that it was because of Aunt Ping that Master’s children died one by one. Although everything is in the past now, it is still a regret. Master cherishes his two children very much now, and is afraid that there will be any more mistakes.”
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