Chapter 198: The King is Just Jealous
Chapter 198: The King is Just Jealous
Normally, if Lady Chen wanted to visit the Prince's Manor, Aunt Chen would have to consult the Prince or obtain the Princess Consort's approval first, and then choose an auspicious day to bring her over to stay for a few days. That would be the proper and respectful way to go about it.
Now that Aunt Chen had brought Lady Chen over without prior notice, they couldn't very well turn a child away from their doorstep. Although the Princess Consort of Prince Qi, didn't particularly like Lady Chen, she wouldn't make things difficult for a child.
She didn't place much importance on these matters anyway.
So, she didn't rush to say anything or indicate her attitude.
The Prince was still there, after all.
Prince Qi didn't think highly of Aunt Chen's behavior.
To be honest, if he wasn't still considering the fact that she would give birth to his first daughter, he would have simply given her some money and sent her away.
He wasn't pleased to have such an ill-mannered concubine.
However, now that they were already at the door, it wouldn't do to turn them away outright.
Prince Qi waved his hand impatiently, "Since she misses her niece, take her back to her own courtyard and make sure she doesn't wander around or offend the Princess Consort, the secondary wives, and the others."
Upon hearing this, Autumn quickly nodded and left.
Aunt Chen had been worried that Lady Chen wouldn't be allowed into the manor.
But now that Qiao Zhi had brought her over, she finally felt relieved.
She thought that the Prince still cared for her after all.
However, when she heard Qiao Zhi whispering that the Prince had instructed her to keep an eye on the child and not let her run around, her expression changed again.
Qiao Zhi thought for a moment and suggested softly, "Why don't we wait until after breakfast? Then you can take Miss Lingzhi to pay respects to the Princess Consort. The Princess Consort is kind-hearted; she won't make things difficult for Miss Lingzhi."
Once they've met the Princess Consort and followed the proper etiquette, the others in the manor won't have anything to say.
Even the Prince wouldn't be able to disregard the Princess Consort's face.
Aunt Chen agreed that this was the right thing to do.
However, she still felt displeased and uncomfortable with the Princess Consort.
But for the sake of her future days in the manor, Aunt Chen felt that she could endure this temporary humiliation.
Once she gives birth to the Prince's child, her status and position would surely change.
Aunt Chen told herself that everything would be different once she gave birth!
Prince Qi was unaware of and didn't care about the thoughts of his concubines.
He was happily holding Su Su, feeding her and coaxing her like a child himself.
Listening to Su Su's crisp voice expressing her love for her father and saying that he was the best, Prince Qi felt as if he had been soaked in honey for three days straight.
Even after the meal, he couldn't help but hum a little tune.
He had to go to the palace today to ask his imperial brother to bestow a name upon Su Su.
The thought of being separated from Su Su made Prince Qi feel a bit reluctant.
He was having all sorts of conflicting emotions, but when he turned his head, he saw Su Su bustling about by the Princess Consort's side, occasionally raising her head to say softly, "Mother Consort, I will definitely be obedient."
"Mother Consort, I'll wait for you to come back."
"Mother Consort, Su Su will be good."
"Mother Consort, Su Su likes you the most and has always liked you."
...
Prince Qi: ?
So, why didn't she say such things when they were alone and being affectionate?
Prince Qi's heart felt a twinge of sourness as he watched this scene.
He couldn't help but take a few steps forward, deliberately putting on a stern face, and asked in a deep voice, "Su Su, do you only like the Mother Consort and not your Father King?"
His cold face looked a bit scary.
Su Su looked at her Father King, then at the Mother Consort, and then quietly hid behind the Mother Consort.
When Princess Consort of Prince Qi saw the child's helpless look, she glared at the Prince and then bent down to pick up the child, comforting her softly, "Su Su, don't be afraid. Your Father King is just teasing you.
"Father King's cold face did indeed frighten Su Su.
Deep down, Su Su recognized that she was dependent on the goodwill of others.
After all, she had only met her Father King yesterday, and their bond wasn't exactly deep.
So, when Father King frowned, Su Su instinctively felt anxious and afraid.
Seeing the little girl looking so pitiful as she hugged the Princess Consort, the Qi King felt guilty and uneasy. "Su Su, don't be afraid. Your Father King is just joking. I'm jealous that you always dote on the Mother Consort and never humor me. I'm just teasing you, I'm not really angry."
The Qi King smiled, his eyes curving into a gentle crescent shape, and Su Su finally managed to convince herself that her Father King wasn't truly upset.
She hugged the Mother Consort's neck and whispered, "I like Father King, too."
Her Father King truly had a good heart. Even when he frowned, he wasn't genuinely angry.
So, even though Su Su's heart fluttered with fear, she wasn't truly angry with her Father King.
The little girl's voice carried a hint of sob.
Hearing this, the Qi King felt even more guilty. He spent a long time coaxing her and even gave her the jade pendant he always carried with him. Only then did he feel somewhat reassured.
However, thinking about how Su Su would be the eldest daughter of their manor in the future, he felt that simply giving her a few possessions wasn't enough. "The separate courtyard we stayed in previously, I'll give it to Su Su later as her dowry. That way, she'll have something to her name."
After giving away the separate courtyard, the Qi King felt that it wasn't enough, so he also mentioned several fields to the Princess Consort, asking her to choose 200 acres to keep for Su Su as well.
Initially, when he mentioned dowry, the Qi King felt that his mentality was quite reasonable.
But as he continued speaking, his mentality couldn't help but twist.
He thought to himself: Damn it, I don't know which lucky bastard will marry such a good girl like Su Su in the future!
Does the manor's young lady absolutely have to get married?
Are those bastards even worthy of her?
The Qi King couldn't help but feel sullen and upset as these thoughts ran through his mind.
Before he could reach any conclusion, he heard Sui Si reporting that Concubine Chen had sent over some chicken soup to apologize for her disrespect towards the Princess Consort yesterday.
Sui Si also added, "Miss Lingzhi came along as well."
While the Qi King did enjoy the company of beauties, when it came to Concubine Chen's daughter...
His impression of her was extremely average.
Upon hearing that she had come, the Qi King's first reaction was...
He felt like leaving.
But fearing that the Princess Consort would be bullied alone, the Qi King ultimately hardened his resolve and sat down.
Concubine Chen entered as if she had forgotten about yesterday's unpleasantness, wearing a smile as she spoke, "Princess Consort, you must have had a hard time at Lanruo Temple. I specially prepared this chicken soup to nourish you. Please don't turn me away because of it."
After finishing her sentence, she didn't forget to mention Concubine Chen, "Lingzhi is such a sincere child. As soon as she heard that the chicken soup was for you, Princess Consort, she specially came over to help me tend the fire. Children are clumsy, and she even scalded her hand... Oh dear, look at me rambling on about irrelevant things."
As she spoke, Concubine Chen was already scooping the chicken soup.
Even while ladling the soup, Concubine Chen's mouth didn't stop, though she didn't dare to directly speak ill of the Princess Consort.
Instead, she targeted Su Su, "Su Su probably never had chicken soup before, right? Now that you're in our manor, you've fallen into a vat of honey. From now on, exquisite clothes and delicious food, whatever you want, you can have."
With just a few words, Concubine Chen managed to make her intentions clear.
Upon hearing this, the Princess Consort of Qi frowned slightly and shot a glance at the Qi King.
Concubine Chen pretended not to notice and turned to look at the Qi King, throwing what she believed to be a coquettish glance at him.
Qi King: ?
He really shouldn't have softened and stayed!
(End of Chapter)
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