Chapter 238

Chapter 238 Ever since that time when Consort Li sought justice for the Princess Consort and hit a soft wall with Xie Run, she had taken a dislike to speaking with him. Probably she simply couldn't stand Xie Run. But her rank was low, so even if she couldn't stand him, she still had to show him respect. Xie Run smiled but said nothing. Songfeng Courtyard— Consort Sun was steady by nature, but the maidservant at her side couldn't help but voice grievances on her behalf. No sooner had they returned to the courtyard than she couldn't hold back: "Miss, those Concubine Consorts in this household are far too arrogant—each and every one of them is trying to trample over you!" "That Consort Jiang kept quiet about her pregnancy until now—why must she announce it precisely at your welcoming banquet? Clearly she wanted to steal your spotlight!" "And then at night she claims her stomach hurts, forcibly dragging the Prince away from your courtyard... that's deliberately slapping you in the face!" "If that were all, fine—but then out of nowhere this Consort Hua appears and snatches him mid-way!" The maidservant's eyes welled with tears as she spoke. "Back home, Mother said Prince Jing's household was more proper than the other princely establishments, that with your good family background, as long as you conducted yourself with dignity, your days here would surely be comfortable. But we've barely entered the household and already two Concubine Consorts are trampling on your dignity—who will respect you in the future? What kind of 'propriety' is this?!" Consort Sun had been listening expressionlessly, but when the maidservant's words grew increasingly out of line, she finally spoke up to stop her! "Tao Yao! You grow more reckless by the moment!" Tao Yao immediately fell silent, lowering her head to wipe her tears. "This servant simply cannot bear to see you wronged, miss." At home she had been doted on by all—who among the servants would dare speak a single disrespectful word? Yet no sooner had she entered the princely household than one after another tried to trample over her and bully her! "The Princess Consort is kind—no sooner had I entered than she placed me and Consort Xie in charge of household management together. The other sisters have all been courteous and easy to get along with. Where exactly is there a lack of propriety?" Consort Sun reached out to wipe Tao Yao's tears and gently instructed her: "Such talk about the household—you must never speak of it again!" "Prince Jing's household has the Princess Consort at the helm. Even if one or two petty people scheme and play tricks, they're nothing more than trivial matters of jealousy and rivalry. After all, this is a princely establishment—with so many people, how could there be no conflict? Our household isn't a picture of perfect peace either." "As for the other two princely establishments—in Prince Wei's household, a Side Consort manages the affairs, with countless Concubine Consorts and Side Consorts beneath her; in Prince An's household, the Princess Consort is despised, living a life like a grass widow, utterly unable to keep those beneath her in check—the Side Consort dominates, the Concubine Consorts monopolize favor... Those two households are the ones truly lacking in any propriety." Good or bad—everything is relative. The Sun family wanted to invest in the struggle for succession, so Consort Sun was destined to marry one of the three princes. Prince Jing respected his Princess Consort. As long as the Princess Consort remained standing, someone at the top of Prince Jing's household would keep things in check, and life within the household would not be difficult to endure. As for the other two households—with no high-ranking authority to keep order, Side Consorts and Concubine Consorts alike could contend for power, none willing to yield to another. That was the true sign of a household headed for chaos! Tao Yao wiped her tears and said softly, "This servant understands. It's just that this servant truly feels wronged on your behalf, mistress..." Consort Sun smiled gently. "Wronged? I don't feel wronged at all." "Looking at the current situation, Consort Jiang and Consort Hua are both competing for favor." "Yesterday's affair appears to be Consort Jiang slapping my face, but if you think about it carefully, she was the one whose plans were snatched away by Consort Hua—she's the one who truly had her face slapped." "Given Consort Jiang's temperament, she's probably already nursing a grudge against Consort Hua by now. Those two will have plenty of quarrels ahead." Before entering the princely household, Consort Sun had done her homework, knowing each person's temperament within Prince Jing's establishment. Jiang Baobao was the type to stir up three-foot waves even when there was no wind—now that someone had snatched her prize away, how could she swallow the insult? And Consort Hua, who was as soft as a steamed bun—could she withstand the storm of Consort Jiang's raging outbursts?! Consort Sun chuckled softly. "This business of competing for favor isn't so easily won." "The Prince is also a man of rules. Since he left Consort Jiang's courtyard yesterday, it shows he won't indulge the improper practice of using children to compete for favor in the inner quarters. As for why he went to Qiufeng Courtyard to favor Consort Hua—only he knows the reason." "Now that both the Prince and Princess Consort know I've been wronged, they're certain to compensate me in the future... Had I served the Prince from the very start, I doubt I'd have earned this sense of guilt from them." Consort Sun lowered her eyes and said softly, "My mother always said that sometimes a man's guilt is far more useful than a man's affection." Tao Yao was persuaded, though she still felt sorry for her mistress. She was about to say something to cheer her up when a servant came to announce. "Mistress, Consort Hua of Qiufeng Courtyard has sent a maidservant over with gifts." A flicker of surprise passed through Consort Sun's calm eyes. "Consort Hua sent someone to bring me gifts?" Tao Yao's gaze sharpened. "Miss, could Consort Hua be coming to flaunt her victory in front of you?" Consort Sun glanced at her. "When soldiers come, we fend them off with soldiers; when floods come, we hold them back with earth. What's there to fear?" But inwardly, she was puzzled. Given Consort Hua's temperament, she didn't seem like the type to enjoy showing off. Coming to flaunt one's victory—in the entire household, that was probably something only Consort Jiang would do. Consort Sun said, "Serve tea first. I'll go at once." Tao Yao said, puzzled, "Mistress, she's just a maid. Since Consort Hua happened to offend you, why not make her wait a bit longer? That way, people will know you're not someone to be trifled with." Consort Sun glanced at Tao Yao. "Tao Yao, we're in the Prince's residence now, not our own household." "From now on, as you follow me, the first thing you need to do is understand our position in this household. Don't overstep your bounds." Hearing this, Tao Yao dared not act presumptuously any further. When Consort Sun arrived at the main courtyard, she saw Zhiqiu, Consort Hua's personal maid, holding a box in her hands. Zhiqiu said respectfully, "This servant is Zhiqiu. I pay my respects to Consort Sun." Consort Sun smiled and said, "Miss Zhiqiu is too courteous. May I ask what business Consort Hua has sent you here for?" Zhiqiu lowered her head and spoke softly, "My mistress has come to apologize. Last night was Consort Sun's special day, but the Prince, drunk in the middle of the night, wandered into Autumn Maple Courtyard to rest... My mistress feels deeply guilty and has specially sent me to deliver a gift to offer her apologies to Consort Sun." "In the box is a fine bamboo-silk fan. This year, only three were presented as tribute from the Sichuan region. My mistress received one and has specially sent it to Consort Sun." Because the maid spoke with such sincerity and humility, Consort Sun found herself unable to tell whether Consort Hua had sent someone to apologize or to mock and flaunt. Upon hearing this, Mama Du, Consort Sun's wet nurse, was furious. "Apologize? Is Consort Hua deliberately trying to humiliate my young lady?!" "If the Prince chose to stay in Consort Hua's courtyard, that was the Prince's decision. What fault does Consort Hua have? If Consort Hua has come specially to apologize, does she think the Prince did something wrong?" Zhiqiu said instinctively, "How could that be?! The Prince is certainly not wrong!" "Since the Prince is not wrong, then why is your mistress putting on such a hypocritical show?"