Chapter 308: Reactions in the Harem
Chapter 308: Reactions in the Harem
In the palace, the Empress had just seen her mother, Lady Tang, off and dismissed her attendants upon returning, leaving only her trusted aunt, Wei, by her side, gently massaging her temples.
She had not had a moment's rest all day.
At noon, the Crown Prince had joined her for lunch.
Not long after the Crown Prince left, Lady Tang arrived again.
Just dealing with these two had exhausted the Empress mentally and physically, not to mention the myriad other affairs of the harem.
Now that she finally had some respite, she heaved a soft sigh. After a long while, she spoke softly to Aunt Wei, "I wonder... who am I doing all this for?"
The Empress was well aware of Lady Tang's intentions to forge a connection with Prince Qi's Manor and marry off her fourth daughter there. How could she not know anything about it? The Crown Prince had received the news even earlier than her, yet he showed no reaction. It was only a few days ago that he visited the palace and said, "My relationship with my maternal grandfather's house is close, and others cannot surpass it. Even without the connection through my cousin, the relationship between our families will not be affected."
The Crown Prince's words were subtle, but the Empress was no fool. She understood his meaning clearly.
The Crown Prince was displeased with the Tang family. Even if they regretted their decision and wanted to arrange for the fourth daughter to enter the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince would no longer accept her!
As the Empress listened, her anger rose, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
This matter was originally handled unfairly by the Tang family.
If the Tang family was unwilling, did they expect her, as the Empress, to force them? This was her maternal family. By having a Tang daughter enter the Eastern Palace, she was considering whose interests?
Thinking of this, the Empress clenched her teeth in frustration.
The Crown Prince's visit today was simply to discretely signal that the issues within Jin Yang and Hua Yang Mansions were personal matters, and he wished for the Tang clan not to interfere.
Upon hearing this, the Empress's head began to pound.
How did the Tang family get entangled in the affairs of these two mansions? The Empress, unclear about the situation, had already sent people to investigate.
When Lady Tang arrived, the Empress finally understood what had transpired.
There had been quite a few incidents at the Viscount's mansion yesterday, so much so that Tang Lingheng tying Wei Lanqiao, the young master of the Wei mansion, to a tree did not attract much attention.
Of course, it could also be because the incident happened in the afternoon, and not many people knew about it, so it was handled discreetly.
However, when the Marquis of Huayang learned of this matter, he would not let it go. Because of this incident, he even went to the Emperor today.
The Emperor symbolically reprimanded the Crown Prince a few times, after which the Crown Prince visited the Empress's palace.
After hearing her mother's explanation, the Empress felt...
What was all this about?
Lady Tang honestly confessed and maintained a good attitude, but when it came to disciplining Tang Lingheng, she kept repeating the same few phrases: "The child is still young. Disciplining him now may ruin his nature. Let's take it slow."
"All children are like this when they're young. You and your brother were just as mischievous when you were young, but you grew out of it."
"Little Five is still a child."
...
Hearing her mother's words, the Empress felt her headache intensify.
In the end, she could only give up on interfering in this matter and directly told Lady Tang, "Since Fourth Sister does not wish to enter the Eastern Palace, we should be careful in considering her marriage."
This was a clear message to Lady Tang: since Lady Tang did not want her daughter to become a concubine in the Eastern Palace, the Eastern Palace would no longer accept her.
The Empress didn't feel like elaborating further. Her intention to have a Tang daughter enter the Eastern Palace was primarily to uphold the prestige of the Tang family.
The Empress was still reeling from Lady Tang's departure, and the aftertaste was far from pleasant. Exhausted and irritable, she had no desire to create a rift with the Crown Prince before his ascension to the throne.
Moreover, the Tang family could have politely declined, but instead, they chose to keep the Eastern Palace in suspense while making arrangements on their own.
They were the ones at fault initially, so the Empress saw no reason to go easy on them simply because they were her maternal family.
Lady Tang's expression as she left was far from pleasant. Her grandson had been reprimanded, and now her granddaughter was being rejected. It was no wonder she looked less than pleased.
And if she wasn't happy, the Empress certainly wasn't either.
While the Empress felt this way, Consort He was busy preparing her makeup and having her nails done. She was still upset about how Feng Youdan had been looked down upon by an insignificant concubine at Duke Lu's mansion the day before.
So, the night before, as soon as the Emperor arrived, she had coaxed him into agreeing to reprimand Lu Xingming, the Left Junior Secretary of the Court of Judicial Review, during the morning court session.
Having taken revenge for her daughter, she then heard about the stream of visitors to the Empress's palace—the Crown Prince, Lady Tang, and now the news of the Empress's distress. How could she possibly be happy about this?
She decided it was time to stir up some trouble.
Consort He was in her thirties, with a voluptuous figure and a radiant complexion. She still retained a hint of a young girl's vibrance, but it was now complemented by the refined elegance of a mature woman.
As she gently waved her hand, adorned with freshly painted nails, a smile played at the corners of her eyes, making her look open and cheerful, with an air of wealth and sophistication. "First, do my nails, then we'll pay our respects to the Empress."
Her voice, soft and alluring, sent a shiver down the spines of even the palace attendants, let alone the Emperor.
The Emperor had just finished with the day's affairs when he heard Consort He's cheerful voice.
The hint of allure in her tone tickled the Emperor's heart.
He strode in with a hearty laugh, asking with a smile, "My dear Yun, are you so happy because you get to see me?"
He Yun was Consort He's given name.
In private, the Emperor had taken to calling her Yun'er over the years.
Hearing her given name, Consort He was completely enamored, stumbling in her steps and swaying alluringly as she walked.
Consort He was straightforward by nature and not one for scheming. When the Emperor asked her about her cheerfulness, she readily admitted, "I heard that the Empress is feeling rather down, so I thought I'd go and take a look, maybe catch some gossip."
The Emperor adored Consort He's blunt and innocent demeanor, and seeing her rush into his embrace, he burst into cheerful laughter.
The palace attendants discreetly withdrew, leaving only the trusted aunties to attend to the imperial couple.
While the Emperor and Consort He enjoyed each other's company, they refrained from causing a scene, keeping their playful banter private.
At that moment, Suisui's face was smeared with ink.
Initially, they had been drawing quietly.
But at some point, Feng Xuanrui's face had gotten smeared with ink, and he was furious, like a cat whose fur had been ruffled. "Who did this? Who?"
He immediately dipped his brush in ink and started looking for the culprit.
Seeing her brother being bullied, Suisui joined in, and before long, both siblings—no, all the siblings—had their faces painted like colorful flowers!
Teacher Shen didn't intervene in their playful antics.
Children will be children, after all.
It was a unique experience for them to discover the joy of learning through play.
Shen believed that education shouldn't be too rigid.
The second update will be at 7 pm.
(End of Chapter)
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