Chapter 45 Resentment in the Heart
As soon as Zhu Youtong heard that his sister was coming, he immediately jumped off the stool and walked with his short legs to greet his sister who was still babbling.
Sun Mengqiu came in from outside, still feeling cold. Seeing Zhu Youtong coming over, he hurriedly said, "Wait, Tongtong, don't get the cold air from me. If you get sick, my young master, His Highness, and Huanhuan will all be worried."
Zhu Youtong didn't care, but just smiled and said, "Sister is busy and has not finished a lot of homework. I'm afraid she can only rest after all the officials in the capital have rested."
Sun Mengqiu stepped forward to greet him. Hu Shanxiang repeatedly asked her to stand up. Then she took Zhu Hanjia from the wet nurse's hands, touched her rosy little face, and said with a smile, "Seeing that Hanjia is in such good health, the prince and I are relieved. The most important thing for a child is good health. Otherwise, you will worry a lot."
Sun Mengqiu sat down and said with a smile, "She was born with a good body. When she was born, she was trying her best to torture me. I was so scared that I thought I would not be able to make it through this stage."
Zhu Hanjia had seldom seen Hu Shanxiang since she had learned to speak human language, so she seemed a little strange to him and did not dare to babble.
Seeing this, Hu Shanxiang handed Zhu Hanjia back to the wet nurse and said, "Hanjia is here, you two sisters can go inside and play."
Zhu Youtong hadn't really wanted to sit at the table and study, but after hearing this, he felt as if he had been granted amnesty. He immediately took Zhu Hanjia to play by the bed, and even started to introduce them to her naggingly: "Hanjia, look, this is the doll my sister made for me. This blue kitten is called Doraemon..."
Zhu Hanjia was still young, and was very curious about the various strange dolls, so he started playing with them.
Hearing the two children talking about their own things, Sun Mengqiu and Hu Shanxiang couldn't help but smile at each other, but after laughing, Sun Mengqiu felt a little uncomfortable.
Ever since Zhu Zhanji was named the crown prince, Sun Mengqiu's house has been extremely bustling with people coming and going from various palaces. After many matters were settled, Sun Mengqiu realized that Hu Shanxiang's house was deserted, and he couldn't help feeling uneasy.
She heard that Hu Shanxiang often visited Empress Zhang. Sun Mengqiu naturally knew that Hu Shanxiang was not the kind of person who would secretly complain. However, Empress Zhang, her mother-in-law, had experienced more than twenty years of swords and bloodshed, and was no ordinary person. Even when the Lady of Pengcheng (Empress Zhang's mother) mentioned the old story of the Crown Princess's appointment, she remained calm. Sun Mengqiu was really worried that she would be dissatisfied with her, and by then Sun Mengqiu might not even know how she fell.
Sun Mengqiu stayed in the palace for too long. Hu Shanxiang had a good sister, Hu Shanwei, who was planning the future for guests, but Sun Mengqiu was alone. If she did not try her best to maintain relationships, she would inevitably be trampled upon by thousands of people in the palace, and she would not be able to live a peaceful and contented life like Hu Shanxiang.
Hu Shanxiang noticed her uneasiness and smiled, comforting her: "Hanjia is still young and needs her mother's care. It's understandable that you're so busy. How could mother not understand? She won't make things difficult for you, so don't worry."
Seeing her say this, Sun Mengqiu could only suppress her uneasiness. She smiled and said, "Your Highness is so kind. With your words, I feel relieved." She seemed a little embarrassed and greeted, "Your Highness, are you going to help Tongtong learn?"
Hu Shanxiang nodded slightly and said, "Yes, Huanhuan is busy with her studies now, so I can no longer be with her like before. It would be better to let her start learning as soon as possible and find something for myself to do so as not to disturb Huanhuan's quiet studies."
Sun Mengqiu had naturally heard about Zhu Yuhuan attending the lectures with Zhu Zhanji. Zhu Zhanji usually stayed at her place, so how could Sun Mengqiu not know that this so-called Prince's Daily Lecture was actually a class for Zhu Yuhuan alone, which was completely different from the education method of other princesses and counties who had a simple education under the guidance of a teacher when they were young and then learned women's writing. This alone was enough to show how favored Zhu Yuhuan was.
Even though she knew that this did not represent Zhu Zhanji's favor, Sun Mengqiu still couldn't help feeling sad.
When she was pregnant, everyone in the palace was looking forward to her pregnancy. They treated her with the same care and concern as they did for the principal wife, Hu Shanxiang. They even seemed to be overshadowing her. But after she gave birth to a daughter, everyone seemed to change their attitude and forgot about her. Instead, they turned their attention to Zhu Yuhuan, the Princess of Shunde.
Even though Sun Mengqiu reminded herself countless times that her daughter would become a princess in the future, she still couldn't help feeling depressed.
Even if she were also a girl, could her daughter enjoy the same treatment as Zhu Yuhuan? To be favored by the emperor and empress, to study under great scholars and famous generals... Sun Mengqiu could not imagine it, nor did she dare to imagine it.
From the moment she was rejected in the selection for the Crown Prince's Consort, Sun Mengqiu never dared to dream of anything else, even though the position should have belonged to her, not Hu Shanxiang, who had easily replaced her at the behest of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau. Especially after meeting Hu Shanxiang, and spending seven years with her, Sun Mengqiu knew better than ever that she wasn't a bad person, and that entering the palace as a concubine wasn't her original intention.
She can't blame anyone for all this. If she has to blame someone, she can only blame herself.
She blamed her for not having the fate of becoming the Crown Prince's Consort, the Crown Princess' Consort, or the future Queen, even though she entered the palace early. Even her daughter was still inferior to others...
Ruilan was startled to see Sun Mengqiu distracted in front of the Crown Princess, and hurriedly whispered, "Second Concubine? The Crown Princess is talking to you..."
Hearing the harsh word "Second Concubine", Sun Mengqiu suddenly came back to her senses and realized that she had been thinking too much. She smiled awkwardly and said, "I am sorry..."
Hu Shanxiang didn't care. Instead, she asked worriedly, "Have you been too tired recently? If you feel unwell, don't bear it. I'll call the imperial physician..."
Before Hu Shanxiang could finish her words, Sun Mengqiu hurriedly interrupted, "I'm not feeling unwell..." She looked at Hu Shanxiang and tentatively said, "Normally, when the imperial physician came to check my pulse, I was there too. I asked him to check my pulse with me. If I really was feeling unwell, he would have noticed it long ago."
Hu Shanxiang smiled and said, "That's great. I can rest assured knowing that the prince is looking after you."
Sun Mengqiu was stunned. She looked at Hu Shanxiang's expression carefully, trying to find any emotion other than worry on the face in front of her, but she found nothing.
She was full of resentment, but Hu Shanxiang was as spotless as a mirror, which made her feel inferior.
As a wife, virtue is paramount, and one must not be arrogant, jealous, or promiscuous. Is this why she lost? Even if she is favored by everyone, she will never be able to become a dignified and virtuous princess consort.
Sun Mengqiu couldn't help but feel sad. She whispered, "I...will go back first." Without waiting for Hu Shanxiang to reply, she said to Ruilan, "Go and bring Hanjia here. Let's go."
Ruilan was startled and subconsciously glanced at Hu Shanxiang's expression, but she didn't show any dissatisfaction. Instead, she spoke gently, "Be careful on the way back. It's been snowing hard lately, so don't catch a cold."
Zhu Youtong was originally introducing his dolls to Zhu Hanjia one by one, but he saw Ruilan come in around the screen and picked up Zhu Hanjia. It was obvious that Sun Mengqiu was planning to take her home.
Zhu Youtong got out of bed puzzled. Looking at the curtain that had been closed after Sun Mengqiu left, he asked in confusion, "Why... did he leave?"
Hu Shanxiang didn't care and said, "Concubine Sun has her own reasons. Don't pry into her."
"oh……"
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