Few knew that Consort Chen’s attempt to harm Princess Fuqing was connected to the Emperor, Empress, and the Yan Prince couple. However, the circumstances of the Fifteenth Princess’s death couldn’t be kept secret, spreading like wildfire after the palace banquet ended.
Along with this news spread the word of Jiang Si and Yu Jin’s outstanding performance.
The Yan Prince’s wife had cured Princess Fuqing’s eyes and received the Empress’s gift of the Lingxiao bracelet, while the Yan Prince had uncovered the Fifteenth Princess’s killer. People whispered that the couple must have earned significant favor with the Emperor and Empress.
Sure enough, although no formal rewards were sent to the Yan Prince’s mansion when Emperor Jingming later evaluated the various princes’ performance in the Six Ministries, the Yan Prince alone received his praise.
This praise was worth more than any material reward.
The other princes’ feelings were mixed.
Seventh Brother, who had been sent away from birth and carried the reputation of being incompatible with their royal father’s fortune, had earned praise again!
What was Father thinking? Finding the Fifteenth Princess’s killer wasn’t such a great accomplishment. A prince competing with the Shuntian Prefecture officials for their duties was simply a sign of having too much idle time.
Still, there was one consolation—the Crown Prince had been scolded again.
Thinking of the Crown Prince made the other princes feel somewhat better.
Among the court officials and nobility who had previously ignored the Yan Prince, many began to reassess his importance. Even Lady Wei, the Duke of Anguo’s wife, made a special visit to the palace to see Noble Consort Xian.
“Sister-in-law, how is everything at home?” Noble Consort Xian, who had been dejected lately, finally smiled upon seeing Lady Wei.
She felt truly unfortunate—the Fifteenth Princess’s killer had been found in her Yuquan Palace!
Not only did she feel the ill fortune, but she could sense the Emperor’s coldness, though he said nothing.
This was displaced anger, yet there was nothing she could do about it.
In the end, it was just her bad luck!
Hearing Noble Consort Xian’s question, Lady Wei unconsciously frowned.
While there were no major issues at home, there were certainly plenty of annoyances.
“What’s wrong?”
Being only sisters-in-law, Lady Wei didn’t feel comfortable complaining to Noble Consort Xian, and quickly replied, “Everything is fine at home, Your Highness need not worry.”
“How is Mother?”
“The Old Madam is well. She asked me to convey a message during this palace visit.”
“What message did Mother send?”
Lady Wei set down her teacup and lowered her voice: “The Old Madam said she hasn’t seen both princes in a while and misses her grandsons…”
Noble Consort Xian raised her eyebrows slightly.
Previously, the Old Madam had only one grandson in her heart—the Fourth Prince.
She understood the underlying meaning of the Old Madam’s words: she should pay more attention to the Seventh Prince, as the Duke’s family also intended to become closer to him.
This thought irritated Noble Consort Xian.
She’d only heard of sons coaxing their mothers, not mothers having to accommodate such an ill-fated child—it made no sense.
Lady Wei observed Noble Consort Xian’s expression and secretly shook her head.
No matter what, a son was the flesh of his mother’s flesh. Her sister-in-law was good in many ways but too hard-hearted toward the Yan Prince.
Unlike herself—though her third son constantly angered her, she still couldn’t bring herself to speak harshly to him.
Lady Wei had given birth to three sons: the eldest was steady, the second modest, and her most beloved youngest was lively. Life should have been perfectly content, but since her youngest son married that woman, troubles began.
“Your Highness, everyone outside envies you now, saying both princes are promising.”
Noble Consort Xian replied coolly, “What’s there to be promising about? As long as they mind their own business and don’t cause me worry, that’s enough.”
“The Duke’s mansion is planning to invite both princes and their wives for a casual meal.”
“You can handle those arrangements as you see fit.”
Lady Wei secretly pursed her lips.
If she hadn’t mentioned it beforehand, Noble Consort Xian would surely have been displeased.
Having achieved her purpose for the palace visit, Lady Wei took her leave.
Noble Consort Xian ordered her palace maids to escort Lady Wei out and summoned the Qi Prince’s wife.
“The Duke’s mansion will invite you and the Seventh Prince’s couple over in a few days. Try to get along well with the Seventh Prince’s wife.”
The Qi Prince’s wife smiled awkwardly. “Daughter-in-law naturally wishes to be friendly with Seventh Sister-in-law, but at the palace banquet, she was quite cold toward me…”
“You’re different from her—why bother comparing?”
“Daughter-in-law understands.”
She and the Yan Prince’s wife were indeed different.
Her prince was a man pursuing great ambitions, and before achieving them, they needed to maintain good relations with others. As his supportive wife, she followed the same principle.
The Yan Prince couple were merely passing their days idly.
“Good that you understand.” After her instructions, Noble Consort Xian’s gaze suddenly dropped lower.
Though the Qi Prince’s wife was of average looks and had already borne a daughter, her figure remained slender.
Her flat belly made Noble Consort Xian frown.
“Still no signs?”
The Qi Prince’s wife’s face immediately flushed red and white.
Since giving birth to Miss Yuan, she had shown no signs of pregnancy, and Miss Yuan was already six…
Noble Consort Xian’s gaze grew cold as she said slowly, “The Prince still has no heir—you must pay attention to this matter.”
If that rotten Crown Prince should fall, among the princes with a chance at succession, only the Fourth Prince lacked an heir—this was a major disadvantage.
“Daughter-in-law understands.” The Qi Prince’s wife responded submissively.
Noble Consort Xian smiled.
Truth be told, this daughter-in-law was quite considerate if only she could bear a son.
Upon returning to the Qi Prince’s mansion, the Qi Prince’s wife sat quietly for a long while before ordering her elderly maid to bring in a girl of nineteen years.
The girl had a face like a silver plate, with features supposedly auspicious for bearing sons.
The Qi Prince’s wife stared at the girl for a long time before saying gently, “Serve the Prince well tonight.”
The girl’s eyes flashed with joy as she quickly agreed.
That night, the Qi Prince found an extra person in his chamber.
“The Princess Consort commanded this servant to attend to Your Highness.”
The Qi Prince examined the girl in the lamplight, feeling uninterested.
He dared not gain a reputation for being lustful, never approaching the beautiful maids in his household or mentioning taking concubines. Fortunately, the Princess Consort, due to her lack of pregnancy, had taken the initiative to arrange several bedroom servants for him.
However, couldn’t she have found someone more attractive?
In the end, the Princess Consort was only concerned with maintaining her virtuous reputation, never truly considering his preferences.
The Qi Prince felt annoyed, but compared to his plain wife, at least this was someone young and fresh. He gave a slight grunt of acknowledgment and kept her.
The Qi Prince’s wife stared at the phoenix hooks on the bed canopy almost all night without sleeping. Hearing the rooster’s crow, she forced herself up, using powder to conceal the shadows under her eyes before beginning to manage the day’s affairs in the prince’s mansion.
Jiang Si soon received an invitation from the Duke of Anguo’s mansion and traveled there with Yu Jin on the appointed day.
In summer, the capital’s common folk rose early to pursue their livelihoods, and the various shops lining the streets opened early to welcome customers.
Lu Sheng Xiang’s fragrances had made quite a name on this street. As soon as Miss Xiu opened the door, customers flooded in.
These customers, both familiar and new faces, were almost all women, making the small shop particularly lively.
Miss Xiu expertly attended to the customers, appearing completely different from her dejected state of the previous year.
She planned to suggest purchasing the neighboring fabric shop when Miss Ah Qiao next visited, which would allow Lu Sheng Xiang’s business to flourish even more.
At this moment, a group of people approached the shop entrance with hostile intent.