Chapter 65: Chapter 65

Chapter 65

During the Lantern Festival, the palace invited the Prince of Qing's household to celebrate. The palace was a place of endless formalities; even smiles had to be feigned, and every move had to be mindful of etiquette. By the time they returned home, She Niang was utterly exhausted. Yet, after washing up, sleep eluded her, and she lay awake almost the entire night, finally drifting off only as dawn broke.

Li Ju felt this was unsustainable. He first had some breakfast brought over, then gently helped She Niang sit up. "Have some breakfast before you go back to sleep," he urged. "You really shouldn’t sleep on an empty stomach, understand?"

Only then did She Niang eat a little, casually, before collapsing back into a deep slumber.

Unaware of any of this, A Heng, as usual, wanted to visit his mother, but Li Ju carried him off to the front courtyard to play. Li Ju usually felt he had a good relationship with his son, but today, after just a short while, A Heng grew restless, reaching out his arms, crying for his mother.

"Your mother is sleeping right now; you mustn’t disturb her," Li Ju said seriously.

But children don't heed such words. Though A Heng was usually well-behaved, he was still just a toddler. He burst into loud, wailing tears, leaving Li Ju at a loss. He could only hold him, trying to soothe him, doing everything he could to keep him from disturbing She Niang.

When the Princess of Qing heard about this, she was quite critical of her daughter-in-law. "She has quite the nerve, sleeping in until late in the day while her husband tends to the child. Is my son Ju some kind of servant?"

Nanny Gong, knowing she was just venting, said, "Perhaps the Princess Consort is tired. She’s been saying she’s exhausted a lot lately."

"When I was young, I was busy all day too, but I never got this tired. Neglecting her mother-in-law is one thing, but to neglect both her husband and son just to sleep in?" Deep down, the Princess of Qing knew that as the only daughter-in-law in the household, all social interactions fell on She Niang’s shoulders. But since She Niang wasn’t her own daughter, she couldn’t bring herself to feel sorry for her.

This was a common trait among mothers-in-law—just as She Niang wouldn’t treat the Princess like a real sister, only putting on a show.

When such gossip reached She Niang’s ears, she let it in one ear and out the other. Wasn’t this just how mothers-in-law treated their daughters-in-law? The Dowager Consort had even favored Bai Shi and sent an opera singer to her own son. Even the Princess of Qing, at her age, had to humble herself before the Dowager Consort—how much did the Dowager Consort truly care?

But She Niang didn’t bring it up. The next day, she went to pay her respects as usual and said with a smile, "Since we’re not allowed to have operas performed at home now, I worry the Dowager Consort might find it dull. I’ve specially bought a few new books and plan to have someone read them to her. Mother, who do you think would be best for this?"

The Princess of Qing thought this was a wonderful idea—why hadn’t she thought of it herself? She glanced at her daughter-in-law and said, "If you’re not too busy, you could do it—your voice is very pleasant. But since you are busy, what about having Meiniang do it? What do you think?"

Meiniang was the Dowager Consort’s grandniece, a lively young girl. She Niang immediately agreed. "That’s perfect. I’ll go speak with the Dowager Consort later and have Miss Ye brought over to keep her company."

The Princess of Qing would rather have a girl from the Ye family than let Bai Shi curry favor. This was exactly what She Niang wanted, as she also didn’t want Bai Shi constantly flattering the Dowager Consort. Over time, such behavior could stir up trouble.

Though the Dowager Consort was no ordinary woman, older people become more sentimental. If Bai Shi attended to her for too long, she might start listening to her more, and that would be trouble for them.

Just like last time, when Li Xing’s education was arranged by the Dowager Consort’s directive to the Princess of Qing—if that was just about studies, what would happen when it came to family division later?

Hearing that her grandniece was being invited, the Dowager Consort was delighted. She Niang specially arranged a carriage to fetch her, showing her every courtesy. When she arrived, She Niang personally instructed her: "The Dowager Consort loves lively entertainment, but since we can’t have operas now and can’t host banquets either, she’d be happiest with you around. Usually, you can read some entertaining books to her to bring her joy."

Ye Meiniang’s father had passed away early, and she had grown up with her mother under her uncle’s care. The Dowager Consort had always been fond of her, often gifting her with colorful satins and jewelry, so she was already grateful. Now, being able to accompany the Dowager Consort was something she welcomed wholeheartedly, and she agreed immediately.

Ye Meiniang was lively by nature but not unruly. Reading and amusing the Dowager Consort, especially as a family member, brought them even closer. Meanwhile, Bai Shi found herself sitting there with nothing to do.

Truth be told, the Dowager Consort didn’t care much for Bai Shi either, always feeling there was an ulterior motive behind her words—either hinting that she was having a hard time or feeling sorry for herself. If not for the sake of her deceased eldest grandson, she wouldn’t have even bothered with Bai Shi at all.

Every seemingly filial act Bai Shi performed was calculated.

She wasn’t even as genuine as Lady Pei, who often brought over side dishes and occasionally brought A Heng along for some light-hearted laughter before leaving.

Within a few days of Ye Meiniang’s arrival, the Princess of Qing gifted her a pair of jade bracelets, a box of premium incense slices, and two bolts of Shu brocade. The Princess Consort gifted her a pair of Song Dynasty green-white glazed carved plum vases, a case of borneol, and several fragrant fans.

No one mentioned the Dowager Consort’s situation anymore—only Bai Shi gave nothing.

Ye Meiniang stayed in the Dowager Consort’s courtyard, attended by the household maids as well as a young maid she had brought with her. This maid, who had grown up with her, helped her organize her things and couldn’t help commenting, "We see this Eldest Madam Bai from the Prince’s mansion every day, yet she hasn’t given you anything. It’s not like she’s a widow with no means—I heard from the Princess Consort’s attendants when they delivered the monthly allowance that she receives sixteen taels of silver as her monthly allowance."

"You silly girl, be careful someone hears you," Ye Meiniang chided. As an unmarried young lady, how could she fuss over such things?

But inwardly, she couldn’t help feeling less respect for Bai Shi compared to the other masters of the mansion. In front of the Dowager Consort, she didn’t defer to Bai Shi either. Bai Shi could sense this subtle shift. She had originally thought that by serving the Dowager Consort well, her adopted son would be able to study and that the matter of the family genealogy would require the Dowager Consort’s intervention. Now, her position was undermined—with this Cousin Ye around all the time, the Dowager Consort hardly noticed her anymore.

Bai Shi began to grow anxious about her status and naturally had no energy to spare for other matters.

With this issue resolved, the Princess of Qing was in a much better mood. When spring arrived, She Niang even had a tailor come to make several outfits specially for Ye Meiniang.

In the first half of the year, A Heng fell ill, and his baby fat melted away. By the time he turned two, he had already grown into an exceptionally handsome little boy.

Children change so quickly day by day. She Niang could once carry him with one hand, but now she could no longer lift him. A Heng didn’t like to be carried either—he would climb down directly from the adult and run around on his own.

Once, his grandfather, the Prince of Qing, lost sight of him for just a moment and broke out in a cold sweat. "Where’s A Heng?" he asked anxiously.

"The young master is over there playing," a servant pointed out.

The Prince of Qing stepped out and saw him using a branch to swat at insects near a tree. "Grandson, come over here," he called.

Hearing his grandfather, A Heng ran over but found it all rather dull. At times like this, his mother would usually play bamboo dragonflies with him—this place wasn’t fun at all.

The Prince of Qing could actually see boredom in the child’s eyes and quickly said, "What does A Heng usually like to play with? Tangrams or Luban locks? Should Grandfather have someone bring them for you?"

In truth, the Prince of Qing still felt very young and wasn’t quite used to being called "Grandfather." But he had heard many people say that A Heng was no ordinary child, so he specifically had his grandson brought over from his daughter-in-law’s quarters. He genuinely wanted to build a good relationship with his grandson.

A Heng, trying to be polite, said, "I have lots of those at home, but I can play with them."

"You play with them by yourself at home?" The Prince of Qing was amazed that he could understand adult conversation so well.

A Heng nodded. "Uh-huh."

The Prince of Qing had some toys brought over, and A Heng played with them quietly without fussing. At lunchtime, his wet nurse fed him, and he ate eagerly. After finishing, he said, "Grandfather, can I go back now? My mother will miss me."

"Alright, alright, you may go back." The Prince of Qing hadn’t interacted with a child in a long time and felt this boy was both filial and clever—truly a worthy grandson.

That evening, She Niang received a pair of purple sandalwood jade-inlaid ruyi scepters.

She thought about her previous life—why had they separated her from her child? It was to prevent the child from missing her, severing their blood ties outright. Now that she could raise her child by her side, he was close to her, and She Niang finally didn’t feel betrayed.

Although in her previous life, she thought it wasn’t a bad thing for the fourth prince to be close to Esteemed Consort Guan—at least the emperor would know he wasn’t the type to prioritize power over family. But as a mother, it still didn’t sit right with her. But what could she do? Her husband wasn’t really her husband, her son wasn’t really her son—these people were both her allies and those she had to guard against.

But being reborn changed everything. Now, there was a husband like Li Ju, devoted solely to her, and a son like A Heng, who was close to his mother from a young age.

Sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with you—it’s the people you encounter who are the problem.

The capital was typically very dry, with little rain. This year, for some reason, there were heavy, oppressive rains in April and May. After July and August, the weather became dry and stifling again.

When Li Ju returned home, his hat was soaked with sweat. She Niang quickly had water prepared for him to bathe and said, "Even A Heng has no energy today. I didn’t let him go out, afraid he might get sick from the heat."

"Is your family short on ice? If they are, send some over," Li Ju said.

She Niang smiled. "The Pei family has an ice cellar. Though it’s not as large as the Prince’s mansion’s, it should be sufficient. If it’s not enough, I’ll send some over."

This year, her father had been promoted to Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Though it wasn’t as prestigious as being a high official in one of the Six Ministries, it was still quite good. Her brother had also joined the Five Military Commissions. Their days were getting better, so they certainly weren’t lacking in such things.

Li Ju was just showing his concern. After She Niang prepared his sleepwear, he went to bathe immediately. Since she married into the family, Li Ju’s sleepwear had always been made by She Niang herself. He would only wear what she made; he refused to wear anything made by others.

After his bath, there were watermelons soaking in ice water on the table, all ripe and sweet. Besides watermelon, there were also lychees and honeydew melons, all sliced and ready. He picked them up and ate heartily. After satisfying his appetite, he sighed, "With weather like this, I’m afraid this year might be a disaster."

Li Ju always had a chivalrous spirit, which was what She Niang admired most about him. She herself was very calm and rational in how she handled things, but she deeply appreciated someone with such a pure heart.

So She Niang said, "Our household has enough rice and grain. We’ll see if Mother wants to organize a porridge charity. If she agrees, we can make the arrangements."

The Prince of Qing’s household had dedicated granaries, divided into three large warehouses: reserve storage, old rice storage, and new rice storage. The reserve storage was strictly not to be touched. Usually, the masters ate japonica new rice, while the old rice was for the servants.

Last year, after Li Ju and the Prince of Qing discussed the matter, they renovated a warehouse to avoid waste, specifically for storing older rice, which could be used for the congee distribution if needed.

Li Ju remarked, "We’ll see when the time comes. I’m just worried that even if we do good, people might accuse us of grandstanding."

"What kind of reasoning is that?" She Niang laughed. "If we don’t do these things, they’ll say we’re stingy rich folks. Even my family regularly donates incense money for charity."

Li Ju shook his head. "Things are different now. The Emperor’s son is too young and, from what I hear, not in good health. The Emperor has already ignored the Empress’s mourning period and taken in several new women, hoping they’ll bear children. Given how fearful he is of others seizing power and how he's watching the royal family, how dare we draw attention to ourselves at such a time?"

She Niang looked at him. "Why is he even wary of you all?"

"The Emperor and the Prince of Jin are at odds. Right now, the court is filled with memorials impeaching the Prince of Jin. The Emperor is determined to place him under house arrest. Besides the Prince of Jin, there’s also the Prince of Qi, his own brother, but I’ve heard from the palace that the Prince of Qi is in very poor health. Our branch of the family isn't that far off, you know." Li Ju shrugged.

She Niang looked at him and suddenly remembered that Li Ju’s grandfather was once the Crown Prince but voluntarily gave up the position. In the people's eyes, their branch should be the main line.

When the Crown Prince was still around, the Prince of Qing’s household remained loyal to the rightful succession, which pleased the Emperor. But now...

Her heart raced. So it was possible for her husband to ascend to that position!

The movement against the Prince of Jin intensified at court. Even the Prince of Chongning weighed in with a petition, directly accusing the Prince of Jin of once harboring rebellious intentions. Whether true or false, this really stirred the pot.

The Prince of Chongning had always wanted to reclaim the title of the Prince of Qing’s household, as he was the legitimate eldest son. But the Prince of Qing and his son were in the Emperor's good graces, and he couldn’t shake their position. Even his grandson, Xingge, whom he had given up for adoption, still hadn’t been added to the Prince of Qing’s family register.

Resentful but helpless, he saw an opportunity in the movement against the Prince of Jin.

The Emperor undoubtedly hated the Prince of Jin the most. By speaking out and helping the Emperor bring down the Prince of Jin, his status would surely rise from then on.

As soon as he made his move, the Prince of Qing erupted in anger at home: "I always knew that fool was as dumb as a pig. Sure enough, while everyone else held back, he jumped out so quickly. If he were standing in front of me, I’d slap him around until he stumbled and knocked himself out on a tree."

Li Ju hurriedly tried to calm him. "Father, keep your voice down. Don’t let others hear."

"What do I have to fear?" The Prince of Qing actually thought highly of the Prince of Jin. He had worked with him before and found him truly exceptional—unmatched in discernment and military strategy. He even wondered if the Emperor could beat the Prince of Jin.