Although the empty rooms in the Imperial Clan Court were a form of prison, they housed princes and were quite different from real prisons.
Apart from the lack of freedom, the princes’ daily lives weren’t much different from their mansions. However, due to the Emperor’s punishment, they could only eat vegetables and fruits for these three days.
As they walked out, all the princes had weak legs and pale faces.
No meat meant no energy!
As soon as they came out, a crowd of people surrounded them.
For those who were married, their wives came to receive them. For those still unmarried, like the Sixth and Eighth Princes, their mothers had sent trusted servants to wait, fearing their sons might have suffered.
For a moment, there was a commotion of crying and wailing outside the Imperial Clan Court.
Long Dan sighed quietly and pulled Leng Ying: “Come on, let’s go receive our master!”
If only he had brought Erniu along, they could have outshone all these women!
Long Dan and Leng Ying had only taken a few steps when someone approached Yu Jin first, bowed, and said with a smile: “Your Highness, the Consort requests your presence.”
Yu Jin smiled lightly and casually said: “It’s rather inconvenient now. I need to go back to bathe, change clothes, eat, and sleep.”
The eunuch who came to invite Yu Jin was from Consort Xian’s palace.
Yu Jin found it particularly amusing.
He had been back in the capital for a while, but that mother of his, whose face he didn’t even know, had never thought of seeing him. Even on his 18th birthday, there was no sign of acknowledgment. Now that he had been granted a royal title, she was inviting him to the palace. Wasn’t this a bit too eager?
Thinking of this, Yu Jin couldn’t even bother to feel angry.
For him, the imperial palace was a strange place, and the mother living inside was equally a stranger.
“Mother” was just a title, without any other meaning.
Seeing Yu Jin stride towards Long Dan and Leng Ying, the eunuch followed, calling out: “Your Highness, the Consort is waiting for you—”
This shout drew the attention of those at the gate.
The eunuch, short in stature, could only watch helplessly as Yu Jin left stylishly with his two guards. He could only stamp his feet and sigh, then return to the palace with his head hanging low to report back.
In the Marquis of Lu’s carriage, the Marchioness first checked if the Fifth Prince was alright, then angrily said: “That damned Seventh Prince, why did he have to hit Your Highness’s head…”
The Fifth Prince, feeling guilty and depressed, said coldly: “Don’t mention him anymore. It’s irritating just to think about it!”
He could only accept his bad luck with the Seventh Prince biting like a mad dog, but if this tigress found out about his interest in the Fourth Miss of the Earl of Dongping’s family, there would be another uproar.
The Marchioness of Lu, sensing the Fifth Prince’s annoyance, wisely changed the subject: “Your Highness, why did Father Emperor grant the Seventh Prince a royal title?”
“How would I know!”
In the carriages of various noble houses, this question was not asked by the Marchioness of Lu alone, and none of those asked could provide an answer.
“You needn’t concern yourself with why Seventh Brother was granted a royal title. The Emperor’s mind is unfathomable; Father Emperor has his thoughts. My Seventh Brother and I are born to the same mother. He will soon have his residence. As his sister-in-law, you should show more care. When he takes a principal wife in the future, try to maintain a good relationship with her.” In a carriage that appeared modest on the outside but was luxuriously decorated inside, the Fourth Prince spoke to the Princess of Qi.
The Princess of Qi, of average looks but with a dignified demeanor, nodded and smiled: “Rest assured Your Highness. I’ll instruct people to send some tonics to Seventh Brother right away. When the Yan Prince’s Mansion is ready, I’ll send those two red coral pieces, each half a zhang tall, from my storehouse as a congratulatory gift.”
The Fourth Prince felt a pang of heartache hearing this.
Those two half-zhang-tall red coral pieces were precious items. He had admired them but couldn’t say anything since they were part of the Princess’s dowry. He didn’t expect his wife to be so generous.
However, this aligned with the Fourth Prince’s intentions.
Although Yu Jin had disrupted his organized birthday celebration, he had been granted a royal title, causing much discussion in the court and society, leaving people uncertain about the Emperor’s intentions.
In the Fourth Prince’s view, regardless of Emperor Jingming’s thoughts, Yu Jin’s benefits were tangible. Showing brotherly affection couldn’t be wrong.
“I’m sorry for your sacrifice. In the future… I’ll find all sorts of precious things for you…” The Fourth Prince held the Princess of Qi’s hand, his words full of implications.
The Princess of Qi smiled, gently leaning on the Fourth Prince’s shoulder: “I don’t care about precious things. It’s enough that Your Highness has this intention.”
She certainly knew her husband’s ambitions. As the wife of an ambitious prince, she knew what to do.
If the Prince was content with being an idle royal his whole life, she would use her dowry as she pleased. But since he had his eye on that position, she naturally had to build good relationships with him.
In terms of family background, she was no less than the Crown Princess. Why should the Crown Princess sit in that position of Empress, and not her?
Looking at the Princess of Qi’s ordinary profile, the Fourth Prince sighed inwardly.
The Princess was indeed a great help to him, but it was a pity she was too plain…
Thinking about it, the Fifth Brother was truly unaware of his blessings. He had a wife as beautiful as a flower, yet he still set his sights on the Fourth Miss of the Earl of Dongping’s family.
He wondered what kind of beauty the Fourth Miss of the Earl of Dongping’s family was. The Fourth Prince felt a hint of curiosity.
“Your Highness, are you tired?” The Princess of Qi noticed the Fourth Prince’s distraction and asked.
The Fourth Prince smiled: “It’s nothing. Let’s go to the palace first to pay respects to Mother Consort. It will set her mind at ease.”
As the Prince and Princess of Qi headed directly to the imperial palace, the eunuch from Consort Xian’s palace had already returned to report.
Consort Xian’s face turned green with anger: “He refused to come see me, using the excuse of going back to bathe and sleep. Does he still consider me his mother at all!”
That scoundrel, not even bothering to find a better excuse, clearly showed his lack of filial piety.
“Please calm down, Your Highness. The Seventh Prince has never lived in the palace, so he might be unfamiliar with the rules,” a trusted elderly maid advised.
At this moment, a palace maid came to report: “Your Highness, the Prince and Princess of Qi have come to pay their respects.”
Hearing that the Fourth Prince had arrived, Consort Xian’s expression softened. She quickly said: “Let them in.”
After all, Old Four was still considerate, not wasting her motherly love.
On the way back to Quezi Hutong, Yu Jin asked Long Dan: “Did anything happen during the two days I was away?”
“Nothing happened.” Happy to have the master back, Long Dan felt like joking.
“Hmm?” Yu Jin’s face darkened.
This guy must be asking for a beating. He knew what he wanted to ask but was playing dumb.
Long Dan felt a chill run down his spine and quickly said: “Miss Jiang came to feed Erniu every day.”
Yu Jin’s steps faltered.
“Master, what’s wrong?”
“Every day?” Yu Jin asked, emphasizing each word.
“Yes.” Long Dan nodded.
Was there a problem?
“Damn it!” Yu Jin cursed under his breath and strode quickly towards home.
He had missed several chances to see A Si. He felt like killing someone!
Hurriedly arriving at the doorstep, looking at the crooked jujube tree lazily basking in the sun, Yu Jin stopped: “What time does she come every day? How did you explain my absence to her these past two days?”
“Miss Jiang should be here by now.” Long Dan grinned, “This lowly one told Miss Jiang that you offended someone and were thrown in jail, suffering greatly.”
Huh?
Hearing this, Yu Jin had a flash of inspiration. He took out a dagger, slashed his clothes a few times, then without blinking, cut his arm. He smeared the blood on his face and body, then leaned on Long Dan weakly: “Help me inside—”