The dishes on the table hadn’t been reduced despite the Wang Residence’s tight finances. So whenever Li Junche was at home, someone would always go call him to join the meal.
“Are you going to your eldest brother’s residence tomorrow?” Wen Jinhe knew about the banquet from Li Junche yesterday, but he hadn’t had time to ask about it.
Wen Jinhe frowned; today’s fish and meat had a lot of bones. “Yes, Madam Wang sent an invitation. It wouldn’t be proper not to go.”
“Your Highness, what do you think of the gift I picked for my eldest brother’s legitimate daughter?” She gestured to Man Qiu, who placed a longevity lock in front of Li Junche.
“That longevity lock carries a good meaning. You chose well.” Looking at the palm-sized gold longevity lock inlaid with red agate, Li Junche nodded.
Wen Jinhe raised an eyebrow, staring at Li Junche with a half-smile. “Not only is the meaning good, the price is steep as well—it cost a full 300 taels of silver.”
Li Junche paused mid-bite, feeling a tingling down his back. He looked at Wen Jinhe and said, “There are still some pieces of jewelry my late father awarded me years ago in my private treasury. You can pick from them when you have time.”
The imperial gifts couldn’t be sold anyway; sooner or later, they would belong to Wen Jinhe.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Wen Jinhe was finally satisfied. Giving gifts to the husband’s family using her own property meant she had to get something back—otherwise, it would only get more frequent in the future.
After the meal, Li Junche, breaking tradition, didn’t leave. He sat on the couch and sent all the servants out.
“My relationship with my eldest brother and third brother isn’t exactly good. If you go tomorrow, you might encounter difficulties. If anything happens, you can have the servants go find me outside the city.” In truth, Wen Jinhe’s identity also made her vulnerable to mockery.
Wen Jinhe thought he meant something else. “If you wait until the servants find you outside the city, the banquet will be over by then. Don’t worry—I’m not so easy to bully.”
Li Junche, as the Cavalry General, commanded heavy troops.
Coupled with his repeated military merits over the years, though not favored by the emperor, he had supporters in the court.
Each of the three princes of the Northern Di Kingdom had the potential to ascend the throne. Their competition was fierce, their relationships were far from good, and it only took a small push to reveal cracks.
Seeing Wen Jinhe’s nonchalant expression, Li Junche said, “There will be many ladies at the full-month banquet, and some may speak unpleasantly. You don’t need to endure it. After all, you are my princess consort, a daughter-in-law of the royal family, with a noble status.”
Wen Jinhe’s gaze lingered on Li Junche’s neck; she found it somewhat alluring.
Unable to resist, she reached out and hooked her hand onto his collar, her thumb brushing over the protrusion at his neck. “If I get into trouble, will Your Highness protect me?”
Li Junche grabbed her right hand and pushed it away, standing up to straighten his collar. “As long as it’s nothing serious, I will protect you.”
Her fingertips still felt the softness of his touch. Wen Jinhe raised an eyebrow, smiling as she watched Li Junche disappear around the corner.
The next day, Wen Jinhe took Man Qiu and Man Dong to the Heng Prince’s Residence.
The Heng Prince’s Residence, located in the western part of the city, was the closest to the palace.
Any observant person could tell that Li Yuheng was favored.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Heng Prince’s Residence.
Seeing the carriage from the Che Prince’s residence, several women paused to watch.
“It should be the Che Princess Consort, the Princess of Linyue.”
“I’ve heard that the Che Princess Consort is beautiful, but I wonder if the rumors are true.”
Wen Jinhe felt slightly unwell—she had eaten a bit too much in the morning and felt a little car sick.
The moment she stepped out of the carriage, the surrounding chatter disappeared completely.
Among women, aside from husbands, comparisons were made over looks and talent.
Wen Jinhe simply standing there made the surrounding women pale in comparison.
Even if unwilling, formal courtesy had to be shown. “Greetings to the Che Princess Consort.”
“Please rise.” Although they were all strangers, they had to smile and exchange pleasantries. This was exactly why Wen Jinhe hadn’t wanted to come.
The maid of the Heng Prince’s Residence immediately led Wen Jinhe to the back garden.
For this full-month banquet, all the male guests were arranged in the front courtyard, while the female guests were in the back, adjacent to the garden with beautiful scenery.
As they approached, Man Qiu whispered, “Princess Consort, the one in the red lily dress is the Heng Princess Consort, and the one in the yellow phoenix-tail dress is the Lin Princess Consort.”
Today, all the wives and daughters of officials ranked third grade and above in the Northern Di Kingdom were present. Birds and swallows, one glance and the garden was filled entirely with women.
The ladies in the garden first looked at the unfamiliar woman with curiosity—wondering whose household she belonged to.
When they saw the seat where Wen Jinhe was to sit, they immediately guessed her identity.
The Heng Princess Consort, seated in the main position, disliked Wen Jinhe at first sight.
Her presence instantly overshadowed her—it was irritating.
Nevertheless, the Heng Princess Consort graciously introduced her to the others:
“I’m sure everyone here doesn’t know her. This is the Che Princess Consort. She has crossed thousands of mountains and rivers to come to our Northern Di Kingdom for the marriage alliance. It must have been quite the effort.”
Wen Jinhe clearly saw the disdain and ridicule in the eyes of a lady sitting at the lower seat opposite her.
“Our Prince is both cultured and skilled in martial arts, and his appearance is outstanding. He and I are a perfect match. So the effort was worth it.”
Man Qiu smartly crouched down to pour tea.
Holding the white porcelain cup, Wen Jinhe drank with complete ease, showing no sign of displeasure.
The unmarried young ladies present felt a pang of discouragement, and jealousy inevitably crept into their gazes toward Wen Jinhe.
Indeed, many women in the Northern Di Kingdom had dreamed of marrying Li Junche.
Yet it was the Princess of Linyue who had taken the opportunity first, and she even occupied the position of principal consort.
Wen Jinhe felt a strong gaze on her and looked over—it was the Lin Princess Consort.
“Prince Che swept across the battlefield, even capturing a city from Linyue. I suppose Second Sister-in-law isn’t feeling very happy about that,” she said.
Everyone listened carefully; given their status, no one dared provoke the new princess consort, though the top two could get away with it.
The Lin Princess Consort was very displeased with Wen Jinhe and had long planned to teach her a lesson.
It all started when Li Zhilin, upon seeing Wen Jinhe’s appearance at the wedding ceremony, had made a few remarks in front of her at the residence.
Wen Jinhe lifted the corner of her mouth, calmly replying:
“I heard that Second Sister-in-law had been deeply fond of my Prince while still in the inner chambers. Had it worked out, there would have been no need for this princess. Unfortunately, you were of average appearance and failed to capture my Prince’s attention.”
“How dare you! How can you besmirch my inner chambers?” The Lin Princess Consort immediately lost her composure.
Wen Jinhe apologized lightly, covering her mouth:
“I just arrived in Northern Di and only heard the townspeople’s chatter, thinking it was true. If I misspoke, I hope Second Sister-in-law will forgive me.”
The Lin Princess Consort’s face turned iron-gray as she glared at Wen Jinhe, clenching her handkerchief. “One should not take rumors seriously. Second Sister-in-law should pay less attention to such gossip.”
Wen Jinhe furrowed her brows slightly, appearing troubled. “If I had known, I would have asked my Prince directly whether it was true. Then I wouldn’t have made a fool of myself today.”
Wen Jinhe’s words made the Lin Princess Consort’s expression even uglier.
In the corners, many people whispered among themselves.