Chapter 15 Grand Concubine
The Crown Princess had already arrived at the rear hall, chatting with several of the Crown Prince's concubines. But the most conspicuous was the favored Consort Guo, dressed far more extravagantly than the others. The women sat together, seemingly a scene of riotous laughter and conversation, devoid of the usual undercurrents.
The Crown Princess did not notice Zhu Yuhuan, but Hu Shanxiang saw her daughter's dejected look at a glance and keenly realized that she was uneasy.
When Zhu Yuhuan came over, Hu Shanxiang pulled her to her side and asked softly, "What's wrong? I saw you were worried when I came back."
Zhu Yuhuan was unusually speechless, and after a while he finally said, "Nothing..."
Seeing that she was unwilling to speak, Hu Shanxiang did not force her, but simply said, "It's your father's birthday today, don't look so gloomy."
Zhu Yuhuan looked up at Hu Shanxiang, and sure enough, he saw a smile on her face that she rarely showed. It was unusually gorgeous against her pomegranate red dress, but the smile was not clear and real, and it made her look a little uncomfortable. He didn't know if it was because Zhu Yuhuan was used to Hu Shanxiang's cold face that he felt that she didn't seem to be suitable for such a smile.
Zhu Yuhuan liked the smile on Hu Shanxiang's face when she looked at her more.
Before Zhu Yuhuan could speak, the concubines beside her all looked at her. Li smiled and said, "Isn't this our female general? Are you back from martial arts training?"
Hu Shanxiang lowered her head and looked at Zhu Yuhuan. She saw that she had regained her usual demeanor and replied with a smile, "The concubines are teasing me again. It was my great-grandfather who told me to exercise well and take care of my younger brothers and sisters. Stay healthy and don't be sick all the time."
Seeing this, Hu Shanxiang couldn't help but sigh in her heart and worried about her daughter's future.
Her daughter was naturally thoughtful. Although she was intelligent, there was an old saying that "deep love does not bring longevity, and excessive wisdom does bring harm." How could Hu Shanxiang not worry?
Hearing her say this, several concubines laughed.
"Our Huanhuan is worthy of being the treasure in the emperor's palm. She understands the emperor's mind best."
"Yeah, how can there be a young lady as carefree and unrestrained as Huanhuan? Shanxiang is really lucky."
"I heard from Zhan'ao that Huanhuan is studying hard and learning quickly."
"That's great! When Mengqiu gives birth to the crown prince's eldest son, he will be able to study and learn to read with Huanhuan."
Sun Mengqiu also smiled and said, "If Huanhuan's brothers and sisters can have even a little bit of her charm in the future, then your highness and I can rest assured. It's all thanks to the emperor, the crown prince, and the crown princess for their good guidance."
The Crown Princess glanced at Sun Mengqiu and said nothing. However, she was naturally very happy to hear them praising Zhu Yuhuan like this, and not forgetting to praise her grandmother's contributions. She smiled and said, "Huanhuan is smart. If he wasn't born smart, he would look stupid even if he followed the God and the Fairy. Just like some stupid people, he probably thinks he is very smart."
As soon as the Crown Princess finished speaking, the eyes of Concubine Guo next to her darkened, but she remained calm and praised: "The Crown Prince has been loved by the Emperor since he was young. A tiger father will have a dog son, so Huanhuan will naturally not fall behind."
Just by looking at the way her five fingers on the armrest of the chair tightened slightly, it was enough to see that Concubine Guo Ci was not as calm as she looked. However, Concubine Li Ci quickly agreed.
Unfortunately, Concubine Guo was no match for the Crown Princess. The fact that she had Zhu Zhanji as her "good and holy grandson" ensured that Concubine Guo would never have a chance to turn things around. Zhu Gaochi had a short life, so even if Concubine Guo was favored, she would not be able to make any waves.
Zhu Yuhuan had no intention of getting involved in the war between these two grandmothers. He simply ran over and took the Crown Princess's arm, saying, "Grandma, when does the show start? What show did you choose? Huanhuan hasn't seen it yet."
The Crown Princess reached out and tapped her forehead, saying, "When your grandfather comes back, our family will have a feast. After we've had enough food and wine, we can go watch the show."
"good."
Zhu Yuhuan had just responded when a palace maid came running over and said to the Crown Princess, "Your Highness, Concubine Hu has come to congratulate the Crown Prince on his birthday and is speaking auspicious words in front of you."
The Crown Princess smiled and said, "She's thoughtful. After she's spoken to the Crown Prince, ask her to come over and join in the fun." She smiled at Hu Shanxiang, hugged Zhu Yuhuan tightly in her arms, and said, "It just so happens that you two sisters don't talk together often. When you meet, it's usually for official business. Let's take this opportunity to reunite."
The Crown Princess praised Hu Shanwei in this way, partly because she was a Shang Gong, and partly to give face to her daughter-in-law, Hu Shanxiang. Now that Sun Mengqiu was pregnant, everyone assumed she was carrying the future Crown Prince. She was also secretly worried that her daughter-in-law would be looked down upon, so she naturally wanted to give Hu Shanxiang enough glory in public.
Sun Mengqiu stroked her belly with one hand and looked at Hu Shanxiang with an expression of envy and longing, mixed with a hint of sadness.
Who wouldn't envy her family, enjoying such a prestigious status? If she had been able to successfully become the Crown Prince's Consort, even if he wouldn't allow her sisters to serve as officials in the inner court, he would at least summon her family to the palace on a day like this to reunite with her... And if she did give birth to my eldest son, he could bring his mother into the palace as well, and reunite mother and daughter, right?
It would be great if the baby in this belly was really a boy as everyone says.
When Zhu Yuhuan heard that Hu Shanwei was coming, his eyes lit up, and he did not notice Sun Mengqiu's expression.
For her, it is very important to ease the relationship between Hu Shanwei and Zhu Zhanji, at least not to the point of tension.
Hu Shanxiang spoke softly, "Although today is the Crown Prince's birthday, it's not right for the palace maids to be on equal footing with the masters. Mother, why should you keep Concubine Hu here any longer? According to the rules of previous years, after rewarding the six concubines, let them leave."
Seeing that she was still abiding by the rules and etiquette, the Crown Princess couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She glanced at Sun Mengqiu and said, "You are always so cautious and thoughtful."
Men in this world only know how to marry virtuous women, and they control good women like clay figures without realizing it. They are even less aware of the heavy burden on their wives. They only know how to pamper concubines who live comfortably under their wives. Even the royal family is not immune to this.
Seeing this, Concubine Li Ci smiled and said, "It is because of the Crown Prince's cautious nature that the Crown Prince's Concubine is a perfect match for him."
Everyone else agreed, and although Sun Mengqiu also laughed, the smile was not as genuine as before.
She simply lowered her head to prevent herself from starting to think about her childhood sweethearts.
Zhu Yuhuan listened to their conversation and whispered to the Crown Princess, "Grandma, Huanhuan is curious about Liu Shang's gift and wants to go see it."
The Crown Princess was a little puzzled and said, "Why are you looking at that? In the past, they only had the same things, such as clothes, robes, and jewelry. Nothing special."
Zhu Yuhuan shook her arm and said coquettishly: "Huanhuan, do you want to see it——"
"Okay, okay, but you have to come back when the banquet starts. You can't stay with your father like you did in the past. There are only men in front of you."
Zhu Yuhuan nodded like a chick pecking at rice and said, "Huanhuan understands."
Although Zhu Zhanji had previously clearly expressed his resistance to Hu Shanwei, what if Hu Shanwei's "gift" could change Zhu Zhanji's mind? He had to give it a try.
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