Chapter 468

Chapter 468 Consort Shen happily led the Third Princess back to her small pavilion. Now that she had become a Lady of Handsome Fairness, her monthly allowance went without saying, and even her residence had been changed. She had moved into the more spacious and larger Tianfu Pavilion. It was Sister Xie who had pulled strings behind the scenes, letting her choose first before reporting to the Imperial Household Department, and she was extremely pleased with it. Tianfu, Tianfu—she now had the Third Princess by her side. Was that not adding fortune to her life? The Third Princess had been raised delicately by Consort Hui, doted on like a precious treasure, which had made her somewhat pampered. Later, when she went to Consort Wen, she was raised more plainly, and the girl became more obedient and quiet. Looking at her porcelain-white, serene little face, her heart softened into a ball of cotton. To have a child to accompany her in her later years—her life would not have been lived in vain. She drew the shy, obedient Princess Duanmin into her arms. "Good child, from now on you'll be with Mother Shen. The two of us will live our lives together and never get involved in those messy affairs of the palace again." Princess Duanmin looked at her timidly, not knowing what to say for a long while. Consort Shen could not help but weep. "When Mother Shen saw you before, you weren't of this temperament. How have you become like this now?" "If your birth mother saw you like this, how heartbroken would she be?!" At the mention of "birth mother," Princess Duanmin's eyes reddened instantly. Consort Shen had initially been full of pity, but after watching for a while, she was stunned. That little face was porcelain-white and delicate, her eyes shimmering with water, as if holding a spring within them. She merely pressed her lips together and furrowed her brows, and teardrops the size of beans gathered and fell, like dew drops tumbling from lotus leaves. Consort Shen: "..." How could anyone cry so beautifully?! This little appearance truly resembled Consort Hui to a tee. The newly formed mother-daughter pair held each other and wept a good cry. After Consort Shen finished crying, she suddenly realized something. The daughter of someone as refined and ethereal as Consort Hui had ended up being raised by her, a woman of humble origins?! Times had changed, and it was truly something to sigh over. Who could have imagined this day would come back then? Speaking of which, Consort Shen suddenly felt a bit guilty. When Consort Hui was pregnant in the residence, she had sold her conscience for two thousand taels of silver and nearly harmed this child. Fortunately, she hadn't truly lost her conscience back then—she had swapped the musk in the sachet and never actually harmed the child. After Noble Consort Xie was elevated to Empress, the Emperor granted promotions throughout the Six Palaces. Consort Shen was promoted to Consort Shen Chongyuan. A lowly maidservant in the beginning, she had finally climbed to the rank of Nine Concubines. Heaven be praised—she had brought glory to her ancestors. Time had brought white hairs to Consort Shen Chongyuan's head and also grown Princess Duanmin up. Mother and daughter had supported each other in the palace for over a decade, as if in the blink of an eye. Seeing that Princess Duanmin had reached the age for choosing a husband, Consort Shen Chongyuan was so anxious that blisters formed at the corners of her mouth. She looked at all the fine young men in the capital one by one—she was satisfied with each of them, yet felt none of them were worthy of her Duanmin. She ran to Fengyi Palace three times a day, annoying the Empress until her head ached. It was Princess Duanmin who finally could not bear it anymore: "Mother, only you would dare to walk into Fengyi Palace like that. Anyone else would have been chased out by Tenth Brother long ago." That the Tenth Prince doted on the Empress was known throughout the palace. Whoever made the Empress uncomfortable, the Tenth Prince would make a scene before the Empress even said a word, venting that anger on her behalf. The Tenth Prince had a domineering temperament and cared not whether you were in the right or wrong. But the Emperor and the Crown Prince both spoiled him, so no one in the palace dared say anything—they could only keep their distance. It was only because Consort Shen Chongyuan had once nursed the Tenth Prince when he was young that he had tolerated her for so long. Had it been anyone else, he would have come knocking long ago. Consort Shen Chongyuan wore a worried expression. "That little tyrant goes to Fengyi Palace every few days. If he runs into me, I'm afraid I'll get a scolding." "I've lived to such an old age—if I were to be scolded by a child, I'd lose all face." Princess Duanmin smiled helplessly. "Mother need not worry. Who in the entire palace hasn't been scolded by Tenth Brother?!" "Even Mother Jing doesn't get any face from him." "If he only scolds you, that's still being polite." Consort Shen Chongyuan looked at Princess Duanmin with a mournful expression. "When you were little, you were so adorable and considerate. How is it that now you've started to let the wind through?" Princess Duanmin said obediently, "Mother, it's all thanks to your excellent teaching." Cuiniao, standing nearby, could no longer hold it in and burst into laughter. Consort Shen Chongyuan was still worrying when she suddenly heard Princess Duanmin speak slowly: "Mother need not be anxious. In truth, your daughter has already set her sights on someone and finds him quite suitable." Hearing this, Consort Shen Chongyuan grew even more anxious. "You—you're an unmarried girl, and you've chosen a husband for yourself?!" "If word of this gets out, people will laugh themselves to death." Consort Shen Chongyuan quickly said, "Tell me quickly who it is. If he's truly a good one, then say your mother chose him—it absolutely cannot be linked to you." If he wasn't good... then beat him to death! Princess Duanmin smiled sweetly. "It's He Ziye, the youngest son of the Duke of Anguo's household." Consort Shen Chongyuan flew into a rage and slammed the table as she stood up. "You've been blinded by that ruffian too?! Even if you'd set your sights on his elder brother, that would be fine—but why him of all people?!" "Among all the study companions in the palace, he's the only one who can't succeed at his studies and slacks off at martial arts too. He spends every day roaming around with the Eighth Prince. How could such a person be worthy of you?!" Princess Duanmin merely looked quietly at Consort Shen Chongyuan, and that look rendered her mother speechless. Once Consort Shen had calmed down, Princess Duanmin spoke slowly, "Mother, precisely because he is the youngest son and does not need to support the household, I find him especially appealing." "His studies are indeed lacking, but I excel in poetry and prose. In the future, when it comes to raising our children, there will be no need to worry." Consort Shen's face darkened completely. Now she was even thinking about future children?! What kind of bewitching demon was this He Ziye, to have blinded her precious daughter's eyes?!