Another year of scorching summer arrived, the heat rising much as it always had.
The only difference within the vast Prince Fu’s mansion was that the master who had once lived here had already passed away.
The courtyard remained as magnificent and spacious as ever, but the conspicuous white funeral banners had not yet been fully removed. Combined with the oppressive heat, the entire mansion—once so lively—was now shrouded in a deathly stillness and gloom.
In this silence, two matrons were hurrying swiftly along the carved corridors, each carrying a large silver platter, their steps quick and urgent.
They moved with haste, and the matron trailing behind—adorned with a silver hairpin—found the suffocating atmosphere hard to bear. As she quickened her pace, she whispered pleadingly to the more neatly dressed matron ahead, “Elder sister, do slow down a little.”
The inner courtyard of Prince Fu’s mansion was enormous.
The recently deceased Prince Fu, their master, had been of noble status.
As the younger brother of the reigning emperor and the most favored son of the Empress Dowager, even his mansion was grander than those of other royal relatives.
Though she was long accustomed to serving others, the silver-haired-pin matron found it hard to endure having to personally attend to duties on such a hot day.
Hearing her plea, the stern-faced matron ahead furrowed her brow slightly, yet she did slow her pace, allowing the other to catch up.
The latter’s eyes lit up, and she quickly offered her thanks, then added with a flattering smile, “Elder sister is truly devoted to serving our mistress; none of us can match your diligence.”
“Serving our mistress is only our duty.” The matron ahead shook her head slightly. Noticing her companion’s plain silver hairpin, she nodded and said, “Be more careful. These garments must be presented to the Princess Consort promptly. Since the Princess Consort entered the mansion, we’ve rarely had the chance to serve her. We must be all the more meticulous and cautious.”
The two were the head matrons of the mansion’s garment workshop, responsible for managing all the clothing and jewelry of the women in the inner quarters. Serving the concubines of the mansion was their usual duty.
And now, the garments being prepared were meant for the Princess Consort, the highest-ranking mistress of the mansion—how could they dare to be negligent?
Seeing how particularly cautious she was toward the newly arrived Princess Consort, the silver-haired-pin matron hesitated for a moment before speaking quietly as they walked along the corridor, “…Though she is our mistress, this Princess Consort of ours…”
She glanced repeatedly toward a distant direction and said, “But the mistress of that courtyard seems far more formidable.” Her gaze fell upon another direction—one of exquisite beauty, yet also very quiet.
Hearing her gossiping, the dignified matron frowned even deeper, a look of displeasure crossing her face.
“Silence! What standing do we have to presume to discuss the affairs of our masters?”
Her “timidity” surprised the silver-haired-pin matron.
In Prince Fu’s mansion, servants like them had never needed to be so strictly proper.
After all, Prince Fu had never concerned himself with such matters, and neither the late original Princess Consort nor the other concubines had been able to keep them in check.
They had often whispered and gossiped about the mansion’s concubines.
She rarely saw this head matron, who managed all the clothing and jewelry of the inner quarters, show such respect to anyone.
And to think that respect was directed at the newly installed second Princess Consort, who had only recently entered the mansion.
That shouldn’t be the case, by all logic.
After all, the current Princess Consort’s background was questionable, and her luck was hardly better.
On the very night of her wedding, their prince had fallen gravely ill. The newlywed beauty, still in her bridal gown, had no time to consummate the marriage before she was busy tending to her bedridden husband.
But even that care for her husband did not last long.
Only a month after the wedding, their prince had passed away.
In that regard, this new Princess Consort was also a pitiful soul.
A widow right after marriage, without ever having consummated the union. Not to mention leaving behind an heir for the prince, which might have spared her a lonely and desolate old age.
Now she had nothing, merely guarding the wealth and power of Prince Fu’s mansion while her youth slipped away. Who wouldn’t sigh in sympathy at such a fate?
Precisely because this Princess Consort had no future prospects, the silver-haired-pin matron, though not daring to look down on her mistress, still felt she was a cold hearth. She whispered in persuasion, “Elder sister, perhaps we should go pay our respects to the Consort instead.”
The Consort she referred to was no ordinary concubine of the mansion.
Before Prince Fu’s death, he had a beloved consort who was inseparable from him, deeply favored—known to them as Consort Shen.
Greatly cherished by the prince and having borne the eldest son of the mansion, she was at the height of her glory, with a bright future ahead.
With the prince’s eldest son to rely on and such backing, wasn’t she far stronger than a princess consort who had nothing at all?
Seeing that she wished to say more, the dignified matron ahead could not bear to listen and shot her two fierce glares.
The silver-haired-pin matron was merely somewhat talkative, but she was obedient. Seeing the stern look directed at her, she dared not speak further.
She had, after all, shared years of sisterhood with her old companion. The dignified wet nurse continued forward, yet could not bear to see her later offend the master and be punished. She lowered her voice and said, “You are a servant. Respect toward the consort is your duty. But toward the princess, you should show a hundred times more reverence than you do toward the consort.”
The newly installed princess was spoken of by all as ill-fated and pitiable, yet that was merely because others did not know the inner truth.
With meaningful deliberation, she spoke slowly against the subtly shifting complexion of the silver-hairpin nanny, “However favored the consort may be, why was it that when the former princess passed away, the prince, who so adored her, refused to elevate her to the rightful position?””
If he truly loved and cherished her, why not elevate his beloved to the proper rank and give her legitimacy?
If it were said that the position of Princess of Fu required noble pedigree and matching family standing, then Consort Shen’s family background was perfectly respectable. In contrast, the current Princess Lin, who now held the rightful position, came from a background widely criticized and riddled with gossip.
Yet the prince would rather choose the controversial Princess Lin than elevate the consort who had been by his side for years…
“Perhaps it is because the princess is young and beautiful…”
“Even if the consort’s beauty has faded and her favor waned, the eldest young master was still not made the heir of the princely mansion.” Even if he had lost affection for the woman he once loved, the eldest son was still one the prince greatly cherished and had raised with his own hands.
Yet when the time came to petition for the heir’s title, the prince not only bestowed it upon the second young master born of the former princess, but did not even mention the eldest son once in the memorial.
By all accounts, given their prince’s standing before His Majesty and the Empress Dowager, even if the eldest young master could not inherit the princely mansion, he could at least have been petitioned for a lower royal title.
But neither was granted. The dignified nanny could not help but shake her head inwardly.
All said Consort Shen was formidable, holding the prince’s heart for so many years, her influence within the Prince Fu’s mansion rivaling that of the rightful princess.
But in the end, she was not elevated to the proper position, the heir’s title slipped away, and even before the prince breathed his last, the entire household was entrusted to the new princess.
The mansion’s storehouses, the prince’s private treasury, the deeds of service for people like themselves, the dispatch tokens for the entire mansion’s guards—everything the prince possessed was now clenched firmly in Princess Lin’s hands.
With the prince gone, the only one who truly wielded power in this mansion henceforth was this princess whom all described as pitiable—the widowed Princess of Fu.
Because this was true power, and because the princess, though she had entered the household some time ago, had spent most of her time tending to Prince Fu and had never before displayed anything of note, now that she began demanding service, she naturally felt tense.
The silver-hairpin nanny, upon hearing this admonishment, was also stricken with fear. Awe took root in her heart, and she dared not speak recklessly anymore. She hurriedly thanked her, saying, “I am grateful for your guidance, elder sister. These years… I have grown too presumptuous.”
In recent years, with the mansion lax and lacking in rules, she too had let herself drift.
Thinking of how she had just dared to gossip about her masters, she quickly slapped herself several times across the face. Seeing that she had cast aside her flippancy, the dignified nanny breathed a sigh of relief.
Had such arrogance been witnessed by the princess just now, she, as the head stewardess, might well have borne the charge of negligent discipline.
She said nothing more and led the now far more circumspect silver-hairpin nanny toward the main courtyard.
This main courtyard was the residence of the Prince of Fu’s rightful princess. They had often come here when serving the former princess, but this was their first formal audience with the prince’s successor wife, and their unease only deepened.
The main courtyard was quiet. Though maidservants and matrons came and went, they all moved with great care.
In this stillness, one could hear from the open flower hall of the main chamber a soft female voice, as if reading aloud.
The two wet nurses paused, uncertain whether they should interrupt at this moment, when a maidservant of striking beauty, slender figure, and attire distinct from all the others emerged from the main chamber.
Recognizing this maidservant as the beloved attendant who had once served closely at Prince Fu’s side, and who now seemed to serve beside the princess and had evidently fared well in her new position, both nursing mothers held their breath.
The princess was magnanimous indeed.
This maidservant named Jiaoyue was someone the prince had held in great esteem, managing much of his private property, and was said to be the prince’s confidante.
In earlier years, over her and several other favored maidservants, the late Princess of Fu had quarreled and fought with Prince Fu more than a few times.
Now the new princess seemed to harbor no grudge whatsoever, still employing her with trust and accepting her presence.
They could only mutter to themselves in their bellies—neither being a worm in the other’s gut, they could not know the truth. The maidservant named Jiaoyue approached and said in a gentle voice, “The princess was just saying she wished to look at the garments. Follow me.”
She led them into the main chamber.
As people had clearly entered to make a report, the soft reading ceased. The two wet nurses stepped forward respectfully and presented the several extremely plain, elegant, and colorless garments on the tray, while catching the sweet fragrance of fresh fruits wafting through the chamber.
Looking up, they saw seated at the highest position a young beauty of exquisite, peerless loveliness. She appeared to be no more than seventeen or eighteen, delicate and slender, dressed in an ordinary house gown, her clear and beautiful radiance seeming to dispel the stuffiness of the entire main chamber.
Even knowing the new princess consort was a beauty—and even if she weren’t, it wasn’t as if their prince hadn’t insisted on marrying her in grand style while still confined to his sickbed—seeing such a beauty with their own eyes, both matrons couldn’t help but lower their voices… as if speaking any louder might startle such a delicate beauty.
Seeing them hold their breath and speak softly, the beauty above, dressed in a plain-colored gown, smiled gently. Unwilling to make things difficult for them, she glanced over the garments before her and gave a slight nod.
Though Prince Fu had already been buried and the dust had settled, she was still someone who had lost her “husband”—she could hardly dress in gaudy finery now.
The light-colored yet dignified attire before her was just right.
“The garments are well made,” she said in a gentle voice. “You are veterans of the tailoring bureau. Continue to put care into the clothing and ornaments of the prince’s household from now on—do not be negligent.”
She then turned to the one beside her and said, “Jiaoyue, remember to reward them.”
Jiaoyue accepted the garments and took out silver ingots to reward the two matrons.
The two matrons accepted them with trepidation, yet felt a weight lift from their hearts, privately relieved that this new princess consort was indeed a gentle and generous mistress.
Their hearts were filled with gratitude and joy, yet they had no idea that the new princess consort they were praising as utterly wonderful and magnanimous was inwardly sighing as she watched each of them hold a gleaming silver ingot.
In earlier years, when she had struggled to earn money on the streets, even a single copper coin was something she would cherish, polishing it until it shone and treasuring it dearly.
Now, she had become a wealthy mistress who could casually hand out such large silver ingots without batting an eye.
Such generosity, such open-handedness—in the end… it was all thanks to the abundant wealth her prince “husband” had left behind for her.