Chapter 395: How Can a Man Favor Only One Woman

Chapter 395: How Can a Man Favor Only One Woman

The Grand Empress Dowager, looking at Consort Chen sitting below her, with her hair turned gray and her forehead and eyes creased with wrinkles, felt her initial displeasure at Consort Chen's interference in the Emperor's marriage matters fading considerably.

"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. We're both halfway into the grave; it's better to live our remaining days in peace," said the Grand Empress Dowager.

The smile on Consort Chen's face stiffened for a moment—she understood that the Grand Empress Dowager was chiding her for being nosy. Lowering her eyelids slightly, her face soon regained its smile, "That's true. At this age, one hopes to see the younger generation happy and complete."

The Grand Empress Dowager also smiled, "In matters of marriage, true fulfillment comes from mutual affection."

Consort Chen agreed, "Indeed."

After some more conversation, Consort Chen took her leave, and the Grand Empress Dowager had the eunuch by her side see her out. Once she was out of the Cining Palace, the Grand Empress Dowager commented, "She's just too easily swayed by others—I suspect someone has been filling her ears with suggestions."

Nurse Feng sighed, "They say experience is a dear teacher, yet Consort Chen..." She recalled how Consort Chen's miscarriage had been due to being misled by others.

The Grand Empress Dowager, reminded of the past, also sighed, "That's why, the more people there are in the harem, the more disputes arise."

Nurse Feng stood by silently, knowing that if the Emperor wished to focus only on Princess Kang Le, it would not be easy.

Meanwhile, Consort Chen left the palace gate and boarded a carriage. As the carriage set off, her personal nurse, seeing her troubled expression, whispered, "You did your best. You can't be blamed if things don't work out."

"With the Chen family in decline, my heart is heavy," Consort Chen sighed deeply. "If only my child had lived... the Chen family wouldn't have come to this."

"My lady," her nurse spoke with a boldness that bordered on disrespect, "did you ever hold back in aiding your family from the palace? You did all that was required. The future of the Chen family rests on the abilities of the lords, not on you. The things the matriarch said to you were out of malice. What does it mean, suggesting that had you kept the child, the Chen family would be better off now? Look around the entire capital—has any noble family truly prospered solely because of a lady of the palace?"

Consort Chen nodded, "You're right, but it's such a pity for the child, Ruijie."

"The old servant knows of your fondness for the fifth young lady, but have you considered if it truly would be good for her to enter the palace?" the nursemaid said.

"Rui-er is wiser than I," the Dowager Countess leaned wearily against the carriage wall.

With a resigned expression, the nursemaid continued, "The Duchess of Dingguo has been granted the title of Imperial Instructor by His Majesty, a unique distinction for a woman to serve in the officialdom from ancient times till now, a testament to her extraordinary talent. Educated personally by the Duchess, the Lady of Kang Le surely is exceptional. Besides, with the current influence of the Dingguo Ducal Mansion, can the fifth young lady truly surpass Lady Kang Le?"

The Dowager Countess frowned in silence, then after a while, she said, "Rui-er mentioned that when His Majesty was still the Prince of Kang, they met a few times, and the Emperor seemed to hold some affection for her."

"If His Majesty truly held affection for the fifth young lady, would he insist on not holding a selection?" The nursemaid was somewhat speechless.

The Dowager Countess replied, "That’s because the Duke of Dingguo is holding him back."

The nursemaid questioned further, "Have you met Lady Kang Le?"

The Dowager Countess nodded, "I have seen her from a distance once."

"And how does she compare to the fifth young lady?" asked the nursemaid.

Once again, the Dowager Countess fell silent. Even if she was biased towards her own kin, she could not dishonestly claim that the daughter of the Duke of Dingguo was inferior to her own Rui-er. After a pause, however, she added, "How could a man ever only favor one woman? If Rui-er can gain but a fraction of the Emperor’s favor, that would be more than enough."

PS: My sincerest apologies, I was hospitalized for a while, which affected the updates. Having been discharged today, I managed to write a little, and normal updates will resume from tomorrow.