In the side hall as soon as they entered the courtyard, the three concubines who had been waiting for a long time did not show any impatience on their faces.
They all seemed to be sitting quietly, but judging from how hard they grabbed the handkerchiefs, you could tell that they were not calm inside.
The prince stayed in the main room every night and only favored the princess.
The princess woke up late, probably because she had another night of pleasure.
They are also the prince's women, and they also want to be loved by the prince, but the princess is too resourceful. How can they break this deadlock
How can I get the prince’s favor from the princess
Just as the three of them were thinking about it, Jiang Changning came in and said apologetically, "I got up a little late today. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
"We came too early and disturbed the princess's peace." Park said with a smile.
Liu said, "Your Highness is so busy every day. I am really tired. I am useless and cannot share your worries. I feel deeply guilty."
Pu and Chen Yi were slightly surprised. Jiang Changning smiled and said, "This is the Prince of Jin's Mansion. I am the Princess of Jin. The prince has handed the backyard over to me. It is legitimate. What should Aunt Liu feel guilty about?"
The three people's faces changed slightly. They didn't expect Jiang Changning to be so straightforward.
"I don't think I'm a harsh person, but I can't tolerate people who don't follow the rules." Jiang Changning looked at the three people with a serious expression, "If you break the rules, don't blame me for being ruthless."
"I will abide by the rules of this mansion and will never make any mistakes." The three of them stood up and said in fear and trepidation.
"It seems that you all understand, so there is no need for me to say more. Just take care of yourselves." Jiang Changning's expression eased slightly.
After Jiang Changning had a simple breakfast, he went to pay his respects to the Concubine Dowager.
After the three concubines left Rujingyuan for a distance, Park said to Liu, "Are you crazy? Why are you saying that?"
Liu snorted coldly, "If you keep going like this, you'll go crazy sooner or later."
"She is the princess and the principal wife. If you force your way into her, you will be the one who suffers." Chen Yi said softly.
"It's already like this, what else can she do to me?" Liu looked indifferent.
"Have you forgotten that Zhou was driven away to the farm?" asked Mrs. Park.
"Zhou broke something, and she used it to establish her authority and chased me away from the manor. I didn't break anything, so what reason did she have to chase me away?"
"If you disrespect the mistress, she can order people to beat you to death." Chen Yi said coldly.
Liu's expression changed. "The prince has been deceived by her, but the concubine will not allow her to do this."
Chen Yi sneered, "Why should the Concubine support you?"
She and Park were ladies, registered in official documents, so Jiang Changning was somewhat hesitant about dealing with them.
Liu was just a concubine who was not presentable. It was as easy for Jiang Changning to crush her to death as it was to crush an ant.
"Are we going to waste our time in this mansion like this, living without favor, children, or anyone to rely on for the rest of our lives?" Liu asked unwillingly.
Park pursed her lips and said nothing. Chen Yi's eyes flickered slightly. "Do you have any good ideas?"
"I" Liu was deflated. She really had no good solution.
A woman who can be favored by men may be beautiful, charming, or alluring, but she has none of those qualities.
The three of them returned to the courtyard in silence and sat down in the house. Chen Yi's trusted maid poured a cup of tea and handed it to her, saying, "What Aunt Liu said makes some sense. Madam should still make some plans for herself."
Chen Yi smiled and took a sip of tea. "No hurry, what's the hurry?"
"Madam, you have been in the mansion for almost ten months." The trusted maid reminded her.
"I know how long I have been in the mansion. Some things cannot be rushed. The time has not come yet." Chen Yi put down the teacup and pressed the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief. "Go and get the Hundred Children Embroidered Screen."
"Yes, ma'am." Seeing that she looked confident, the trusted maidservant did not try to persuade her any further.
Jiang Changning, who was paying his respects to the Concubine Dowager, was talking to her about the Lantern Festival.
The Heaven Official bestows blessings, the Earth Official forgives sins, and the Water Official relieves disasters.
During the Lower Yuan Festival, people worship the Water God and hold a ceremony and chant sutras.
"You've worked hard to deliver winter clothes on the first day of the new year, and the whole house was bustling with smoke and fire. This time, don't set up the Taoist temple in the house. Let's go to the temple." said the concubine.
"Thank you for your understanding, mother. Which one do you think we should go to, the City God Temple or the Youmin Temple?"
"Youmin Temple is outside the city. Kang Ren is a girl, so it's inconvenient for her to go out of the city. Let's just stay at the City God Temple. The meaning is conveyed."
"What mother said is true. I will have someone take care of it in a moment."
After finishing his talk, Jiang Changning returned to Rujingyuan.
As soon as I entered the yard, Su Fei came over and said, "Princess, Old Madam Zhuang and Madam Zhuang are here."
Jiang Changning was stunned. Why did these two come
During festivals, Jiang Changning sent people to send gifts to the Zhuang family, but other than that, there were no other contacts.
Jiang Changning couldn't guess why these two people came to visit him for a moment.
But there's no need to guess. Just meet the person and ask and you'll know.
"Ask Chun to withdraw one thousand taels of silver from her account and go to the City God Temple to hold a three-day ritual to relieve misfortunes." Jiang Changning instructed Xiulan to take the sign and make arrangements in advance, and then went to the front to meet the guests.
Jiang Changning walked into the hall, and Old Madam Zhuang stood up and said, "I greet the princess. I pay my respects to her."
"Old lady, please stop doing this." Jiang Changning did not accept her greeting and supported her.
The smile on Mrs. Zhuang's face deepened a little. Miss Ning still meant business.
The host and the guest sat down and the maid brought tea.
"The old lady and the first lady came here today. What's the matter?" Jiang Changning asked straight to the point.
"Princess, in this matter, it was that kid Zhou Duxin who went too far." Wu said angrily.
Hearing this, Jiang Changning knew that they came because of the bet between Zhou Duxin and Zhuang Jike.
Wu kept complaining about Zhou Duxin, blaming the entire bet between the two of them on Zhou Duxin, and thought that he had deliberately framed Zhuang Jike.
"Zico made mistakes in the autumn exam and didn't do well. He spread the news everywhere. How can Zico participate in the spring exam next year?"
"I already know about the bet. I have told the Zhou family not to tell anyone about it. I think the Zhou family wouldn't dare to disobey me, so this matter must not have been spread by the Zhou family. Old lady, you should have someone investigate it to prevent anyone from misleading you and ruining the relationship between the two families."
Jiang Changning firmly endorsed the Zhou family to prevent the banker from causing trouble for the Zhou family.
"What the princess said is right. I will have someone investigate it thoroughly." Old Mrs. Zhuang said with a smile.
This was the first time that Old Lady Zhuang came back to Prince Jin’s Mansion, and Jiang Changning invited the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to have lunch with her.
When she saw the Concubine Dowager, Mrs. Zhuang said, "Princess, you are so polite. We came here without any prior notice, but she didn't blame us for being rude. She even invited us to have dinner. I'm so sorry to bother you."
"There's no need to be so formal among relatives. You should visit each other more often." The concubine said politely.
Wu said: "When the princess was a girl, she was not as capable as she is now. It is the concubine who knows how to train people.'"
This complimented the concubine but belittled Jiang Changning.
Old Mrs. Zhuang frowned slightly, but the Concubine Dowager and Jiang Changning pretended not to hear.
(End of this chapter)