Consort De shrank back, lowering her head, unable to speak.
Seeing this, Lady Jiazhen’s tone did not soften.
She had come to realize that when dealing with Consort De, one had to be stern and sharp-tongued.
The slightest carelessness, and she would jump out to cause trouble!
“Your Highness, you are not the mistress of this palace, at least not yet. It’s far from the time when you can step forward to set rules and issue commands!”
Above Consort De was Empress Zhu, above Empress Zhu was His Majesty, and above His Majesty was the Empress Dowager.
These three legitimate masters have no complaints, so what reason do you have to be dissatisfied?
Lady Jiazhen patiently asked Consort De,
“Your Highness, do you think the Empress Dowager treats Lady Liang and the Lady of Cheng’an County as court ladies or as young relatives from her own family?”
Consort De, now subdued, replied softly,
“…They are treated as young relatives from her own family.”
Lady Jiazhen continued,
“Your Highness, in all fairness, is it a heinous crime for Lady Liang and the Lady of Cheng’an County not to play with the eldest princess?”
Consort De whispered again,
“It’s not that serious…”
Lady Jiazhen pressed on,
“Consort Xian is the birth mother of the eldest princess. After the incident, did Consort Xian express any dissatisfaction?”
Consort De dared not make a sound, only shaking her head cautiously.
Lady Jiazhen was thoroughly exasperated,
“Those who have the authority to speak haven’t said a word, and the birth mother of the eldest princess didn’t find it inappropriate who do you think you are, putting on airs for whom?!”
Consort De: “…”
Consort De, flustered, quickly defended herself,
“I didn’t put on airs! I didn’t even speak!”
Lady Jiazhen was furious,
“You didn’t speak, but it was written all over your face. Do you think Princess Wuan and the Princess of Han are blind, or that the Empress Dowager can’t see your displeasure? Getting angry with two children, showing displeasure to your own relatives isn’t that shameful?!”
Consort De got scolded and dared not lift her head.
Only after Lady Jiazhen finished Consort De cautiously suggest,
“Then… should I send something over to apologize…”
“Send what? Do you think those two households lack anything? Can’t you be smarter in the future, Consort De?”
Lady Jiazhen was truly exasperated,
“This is the palace. In the palace, your attitude doesn’t matter; the attitudes of the Empress Dowager and His Majesty are what matter!”
“If the two palaces regard Princess Wuan and the Prince of Han as family, then you must also regard them as family. Going against those above you will only bring you misfortune!”
“…Eh? Wait, hold on… Wait a minute!!!”
At this point, Lady Jiazhen’s expression changed repeatedly, gradually becoming anxious,
“Wait a moment!”
Consort De, confused, asked,
“What’s wrong, Sister Jiazhen? Go on, I’m listening.”
Lady Jiazhen, suddenly enlightened, was horrified,
“I’m here lecturing you, yet I can’t see the same in myself?”
Consort De was still confused,
“…Ah? What are you talking about, Sister Jiazhen?”
Lady Jiazhen was shocked to find that her own intelligence seemed to have been unknowingly dragged down by Consort De.
Wait, I’m just a lowly employee.
Why do I have to oppose my boss, Consort De?
If Consort De wants to act foolishly, let her.
After all, I’m just here on a temporary assignment, to pass the time.
Why should I make an enemy of this favored consort?
Consort De’s current temperament was shaped over the past twenty years.
I, Fei Jiazhen, am not the goddess Nuwa.
How can I turn the tide?
Going against the heavens invites disaster!
When it comes to work, just coast along, no need to risk your life!
Lady Jiazhen immediately gave up.
She sighed in relief and smiled,
“Your Highness, I’ll go check on the little prince.”
With that, she swiftly swam out the door like a nimble octopus.
Consort De called out in confusion,
“…But Suisui is right here.”
Lady Jiazhen casually used her evasion tactic, replying randomly,
“Haha, I’m not hungry yet,” and quickly slipped out.
“…” Consort De’s mind was a tangled mess, feeling extremely odd.
Ruan Rensui lay on the couch, feeling cold, as if he had developed rigor mortis.
He knew that he and his mother had been incompetent in their past lives, but he never imagined they could be this incompetent…
Consort De had many faults, but occasionally, there was a silver lining.
For example, when she saw the situation deteriorating, she would immediately back down.
By the time His Majesty arrived, she was already deep in anxiety over having offended someone and nervously asked him,
“Should I… do something to make amends?”
His Majesty was a bit surprised by her reaction and instinctively glanced at Lady Jiazhen beside him.
Lady Jiazhen stood by, smiling fakely like a wooden puppet.
His Majesty sighed softly and said to Consort De,
“It’s not that serious. You’re still young; the elders won’t take it to heart.”
Firstly, it was just a trivial matter.
Secondly, Princess Wuan and the Princess of Han were well aware of Consort De’s temperament and wouldn’t really dwell on it.
If it were the Empress Dowager or Consort Xian who showed displeasure, those two would indeed be anxious.
As for Consort De’s displeasure, everyone knew she wasn’t very bright and just liked to show her feelings.
But as for Lady Jiazhen…
After Consort De turned to attend to other matters, His Majesty quietly called out,
“Sister Jiazhen…”
Lady Jiazhen cheerfully replied,
“Haha, not interested!”
His Majesty: “…”
Before His Majesty could say more, Lady Jiazhen excused herself to report last month’s accounts to the Empress’s palace.
Consort De was not feigning ignorance this time.
After Lady Jiazhen left, she was extremely disheartened,
“Sister Jiazhen is angry. How should I make it up to her…”
His Majesty also felt a bit helpless,
“Perhaps your relationship is just too shallow.”
After he left, Consort De wearily lay back down.
She lowered her eyelashes, her heart filled with indescribable fear-not just for Lady Jiazhen, but also for His Majesty.
Lady Jiazhen thought she was foolish and was unwilling to manage her anymore.
What about His Majesty?
Was he also growing tired of her, finding her shallow and brainless?
She was scared but dared not ask.
Some things are better left unsaid; once spoken, they become a different matter altogether.
It’s common to feel down during the postpartum period.
She felt miserable and powerless, with no way to relieve it.
Turning her head, she saw the child lying beside her, looking at her with innocent eyes.
A wave of bitterness washed over her, and she buried her face in his swaddle, crying silently, hiding it from everyone.
As Lady Jiazhen entered the Phoenix Palace, she noticed several familiar eunuchs waiting outside; they were from the Nine Splendors Palace.
She knew then that Consort Xian was also here.
The eldest princess sat on a small mushroom-shaped stool, facing a mirror her height, her feet swinging leisurely.
Empress Zhu sat on a low stool, with various finely crafted jeweled hair pins laid out before her, discussing with the palace maids how to braid the eldest princess’s hair into several beautiful styles.
Dressing up a little girl, adorning her with sparkling jewelry, and putting her in exquisite dresses—it’s so fulfilling!
Lady Jiazhen thought:
‘The jeweled butterfly hairpin on the eldest princess’s head clearly wasn’t Consort Xian’s style; it must have been given by Empress Zhu.’
Seeing Consort Xian sitting aside, embroidering with a serene and peaceful expression, casually chatting with Empress Zhu, the scene was so harmonious that Lady Jiazhen suddenly felt a wave of sadness.
What a peaceful and beautiful life!
It’s hard to imagine how comfortable it would be to integrate into it!
Lady Jiazhen sighed inwardly, paid her respects, and handed over the account books.
Empress Zhu invited her to sit, and the palace maids silently brought over tea.
Her hands kept moving as a female official took the account books, slowly flipping through them page by page.
Empress Zhu nodded and had someone fetch her seal to stamp, thus approving the accounts for the Peony Palace for the last month.
Throughout this process, Consort Xian remained silent.
Only when the female official returned the account books to Lady Jiazhen did she gently express concern,
“Your complexion doesn’t look well. With the changing seasons, you should take care of yourself.”
Lady Jiazhen thanked her for her concern.
Consort Xian nodded slightly and said no more.
When Lady Jiazhen returned to the Peony Palace, it was already dark.
She glanced into the sleeping quarters and was surprised to see only a faint glimmer of light through the window curtains,
“Has Her Highness already retired for the night?”
A palace maid whispered,
“After His Majesty left, Her Highness said she was tired and wanted to rest, so she had the lights extinguished.”
Lady Jiazhen asked again,
“Has Her Highness had dinner?”
The palace maid shook her head gently.
Lady Jiazhen fell into thought.
It was past midnight, but Consort De was not sleepy.
She rested her head on her arm, lost in thought.
The sound of soft footsteps outside did not distract her until she noticed the sound accompanied by a warm orange light entering the sleeping quarters, followed by a gentle clinking sound.
She felt a pang of anxiety, staying still and listening intently like a rabbit caught in a wolf’s den.
The person behind her also did not speak, exiting as quietly as they had entered.
But the light remained.
Consort De, listening intently, turned her head slightly to see a beautiful lamp on the table, beside which was a bowl of warm food with a pair of chopsticks resting on top.
She felt like crying again.
Lady Jiazhen extinguished the lamp and sat bored on the jade steps opposite the sleeping quarters, watching as a slender shadow appeared in the window, then began to tremble on the paper.
She thought expressionlessly, Fei Jiazhen, from now on, you can’t blame anyone else; you brought this upon yourself!
Ruan Rensui felt that the atmosphere in the Peony Palace had been quite strange these past few days.
Lady Jiazhen was cold and silent.
His mother was meek and obedient.
The way they interacted in private was also strange.
Had something happened that he didn’t know about?
He couldn’t figure it out…
But, perhaps it was a good thing?
Just as he was thinking this, his mother suddenly dropped a bombshell.
Not only was he shocked, but Lady Jiazhen was also taken aback.
“…Your Highness, are you planning to send the little prince to the Palace of Eternal Spring to be raised?”
Consort De, with her head down, was uncharacteristically flustered and somewhat self-mocking,
“I’m incapable and can’t help him much.”
She twisted her hands together, slowly enumerating,
“I’m stupid, have a bad temper, and always offend people. Except for His Majesty, no one in the palace likes me…”
And who knows how long His Majesty will continue to like her…
Consort De’s voice grew even softer,
“Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is willing to raise Suisui, which is an honor for me. I should be happy.”
Lady Jiazhen asked her,
“Your Highness, are you sure about this? This is not a joke. If you send the prince today and want to take him back tomorrow, even if the Empress Dowager is easy-going, she will be angry.”
Moreover, the Empress Dowager has never been known for her easy-going nature.
Consort De was silent for a few moments, then finally nodded,
“Yes.”
Lady Jiazhen said,
“Then let’s take care of our own matters first, and see who we should take with us when the time comes, aside from wet nurses and nannies, whether we need to bring additional people, extra items, or even the daily menus for the wet nurses.”
Consort De whispered another
“Yes.”
Lady Jiazhen then turned to make the arrangements.
Ruan Rensui was sweating profusely in anxiety!
Hey, doesn’t anyone want to hear the opinion of the person directly involved?!
I really don’t want to go over there, thank you!
Ruan Rensui struggled, Ruan Rensui resisted, Ruan Rensui was found to be acting unusual, Ruan Rensui was taken to be fed.
Ruan Rensui: “…”
Ruan Rensui cried out in frustration.
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