Because of this, Consort Zhou hadn't slept well recently either.
Day and night, she had replayed in her mind the many veiled words that Madam Lin and her daughter had spoken in her palace.
Previously, she had thought they were sharing intimate confidences with her.
But now, thinking back, they had been slandering the mother and daughter who had been driven out before, right in front of her.
And thinking further, even the two beautiful faces of Madam Lin and her daughter now seemed sinister to her.
Consort Zhou had been startled awake in the middle of the night several times.
She had nearly married off something dreadful to the Third Prince!
Still, she remained somewhat uneasy in her heart, wanting to see Princess Consort Fu with her own eyes and observe what kind of person she was.
Previously, she hadn't caused any trouble.
Now that Prince Fu's funeral had been settled, and Princess Consort Fu happened to be coming to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, she had heard that Princess Consort Fu had returned together with the Empress, and she could no longer sit still, wanting to come and chat.
Now that she saw the Empress also liked Lin Zhen very much, and her words carried a protective tone, Consort Zhou's heart settled… It seemed Princess Consort Fu truly had no issues.
In her heart, she cursed the mother and daughter of the Lin family even more for daring to deceive her and the Third Prince, then looked at Lin Zhen again.
Seeing that she was extremely beautiful, and that despite having endured such hardship before, her face showed no gloom or oppression—on the contrary, her gaze was clear and bright—she already felt somewhat apologetic for having misunderstood her before, and she became even more affectionate toward Lin Zhen.
"But as they say, those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. In the future, I won't have much opportunity to interact with the Marquis Anping's household either." Consort Zhou said with a smile.
The Empress then smiled faintly and nodded, holding Lin Zhen's hand within her own clasped palms.
"None of us have much to do with the Marquis Anping's household."
There were plenty of nobles and aristocrats hoping to build good relations with the palace.
The Marquis Anping's household had nothing particularly special about it that warranted special regard.
"As for how things are in the Marquis Anping's household, I wouldn't know. I've only heard that Official Lin and his wife are deeply harmonious, and their family is happy and complete. But I keep thinking of another saying."
The Marquis Anping's household had truly been a "surprise" to Lin Zhen.
These shameless wretches actually wanted their family to produce a prince's consort? Dream on.
Lin Zhen had never been one to gossip about others, but she did enjoy speaking the truth. Seeing that the Empress looked inclined to listen, she smiled and said, "There's another saying in this world: one should never cast aside the wife of one's days of poverty."
The Empress couldn't help but smile along with her.
Those words didn't scold Madam Lin and her daughter—the two women—at all.
They only scolded the despicable man who had abandoned his wife of humble origins.
Consort Zhou was also taken aback for a moment.
She had thought Princess Consort Fu hated Madam Lin, the woman who had stolen her father away, but she hadn't expected her to seem to hate Official Lin even more.
If Lin Zhen had heard this, she might have told her that she could afford to be more generous in her hatred—she could hate several people at once.
"The Marquis Anping's household, as a noble family of merit, should have maintained strict governance. The women of the household reside in the inner quarters, separated by outer gates, middle gates, and inner gates, with matrons guarding and patrolling at every level. I truly cannot imagine how a stable hand who tended horses in the outer courtyard could come and go as if no one were there, repeatedly carrying on illicit affairs with the women of the inner quarters. If it were so easy for a man to come and go freely without being discovered for a long time, then I'm afraid the women of the marquis's household—such as the Marchioness Anping herself—could also frequently engage in relations with outsiders."
Lin Zhen had already shouted these very defenses back then, when they had forced her mother to admit to having illicit relations with that stable hand from the outer courtyard.
But when one is determined to condemn someone, they will always find a pretext.
They had been framing her mother from the start—how could they possibly have been persuaded by her words?
Back then, there had been no one willing to listen to Lin Zhen's grievances.
So it turned out that there really were parents in this world who would frame their own daughter.
Now that she had a place where she could speak her mind, she wouldn't just speak—she would speak at length.
The Marquis Anping's household was as full of holes as a honeycomb briquette, with people coming and going freely, yet they insisted her mother was unchaste.
Had the Marquis Anping ever asked the Marchioness Anping whether she was chaste, or whether she too had a stable hand kept in the stables outside?
Official Lin's head was green—didn't the Marquis Anping's head have a bit of color to it too?
Toward others, Lin Zhen would never say such harsh and vulgar words.
But toward these vulgar people… they were her mother's own birth parents, yet they had coldly framed her.
If Official Lin had changed his heart, why couldn't he simply admit he had fallen for someone else and directly divorce his first wife?
Instead, he had to use such filthy words to pin a stinking pot on his wife, then live happily and contentedly with a clear conscience.
And that woman who had benefited from it all—she was not innocent either.
Why?
Her mother should not have to bear those stains on her name.
Nor should she have to bear the strange looks of others.
And her younger brother, Lin Zhang.
They said that child was born of her mother's illicit affair with the stable hand, and he could no longer live in this world bearing such a criticized identity.
No matter for whose sake, Lin Zhen had to crush the Marquis Anping's household.
"You speak well," Consort Zhou said softly.
Thinking of how she had nearly formed a marriage alliance with such despicable people, and then thinking of the innocent, affected expression on Madam Lin's face when she had mentioned her cousin who had been driven out, she nearly vomited.
"In this world, there is always a higher mountain beyond each mountain. But one cannot, upon climbing halfway up the mountain, kick away the wife who had accompanied her all the way up."
Lin Zhen had drunk her fill of fruit nectar in the palace, her throat well moistened. She spoke in a gentle voice, "If Official Lin changes his beloved wife as easily as taking off clothes or eating a meal, then in the future, when handling court affairs and serving his superiors, if a better opportunity should arise, would he not also be willing to kick aside those ahead of him and devote himself wholeheartedly to a better superior?"
Consort Zhou had just been disgusted by the mother and daughter who had deceived her. Hearing these words, she looked up in shock, staring dumbfounded at the delicate and beautiful Princess Consort Fu.
Previously, she had only thought that the Princess Consort Fu's remarks about Official Lin were complaints about an ungrateful man.
Now the dagger was revealed—good heavens… this was undermining Official Lin's career!
If a man could frame and ruthlessly abandon his wife of many years who had borne him children, then surely in the future, if a better path for advancement appeared at court, he would have no qualms about betraying trust again, framing his close colleagues and superiors with whom he had deep dealings.
Wasn't this simply a petty villain?
Who would dare trust him, open their heart to him, or entrust him with important responsibilities?
"You… what you say is correct." Seeing the Empress smiling, clearly not finding anything wrong with the Princess Consort Fu's words, Consort Zhou spoke again.
Lin Zhen genuinely felt that Consort Zhou was a rather decent person.
As for the woman who had replaced her mother, Lin Zhen needed not say more—these few words said everything without needing to be spoken.
Let people imagine for themselves what discord lay beneath—that was far more effective than stating things plainly.
Why had the Marquis's household framed someone and then splashed dirty water on the wronged party?
Official Lin had remarried very quickly—was there something fishy going on there?
To marry and be so harmonious so soon—didn't that suggest they had already been exchanging flirtatious glances long before…
To carry on with one's cousin's husband in such a manner, and then without batting an eye kick the cousin out of the Marquis Anping household…
Let everyone imagine the rest for themselves.
She truly hadn't expected that entering the palace today would yield unexpected gains she had never considered.
So when Consort Zhou sighed and said, "The Third Prince's marriage is truly giving me endless worry," she only wanted to marry a lovely, pretty girl for her son, to make his life a bit happier—why was it so difficult?
Consort Zhou couldn't help but complain, "The Third Prince is not eloquent, nor is he amusing—what is to be done?" What she worried about more was that if a family had a good daughter, why would she like a dull, uninteresting person?
If the Third Prince couldn't win a girl's favor, would any young lady take a liking to him?
Young ladies were precious—one family with a daughter, a hundred families seeking her hand.
Aside from being a prince, the Third Prince had no advantages at all. In the marriage market, he didn't seem very competitive.
Otherwise, why would Consort Zhou be so anxious and flustered about choosing a princess consort?
She was truly worried that the Third Prince would end up alone for life.
Listening to Consort Zhou's continuous murmuring, the Empress listened patiently, and Lin Zhen naturally listened as well.
She had never met the Third Prince and didn't know his character, so she naturally couldn't interject. The Empress only soothed Consort Zhou with a smile, saying, "Don't be anxious. Perhaps he hasn't come around yet now, but he'll understand on his own in the future."
The Third Prince was only fifteen—there was no need to be in such a hurry.
Consort Zhou had finally found someone she liked and nearly harmed her son in the process. It was only out of lingering fear that she kept murmuring. Now, thinking again, she said to the Empress, "I suppose I can only comfort myself this way."
The Third Prince was indeed still young, but she was looking ahead early, thinking that if the Emperor someday allowed princes to marry, she could immediately have a wife for her son.
But thinking of the Emperor's intentions, Consort Zhou felt depressed.
The Emperor was waiting for the Noble Consort to bear him a son, so he wouldn't even allow his other sons to marry.
But the Noble Consort… she truly didn't think the Noble Consort was a good person.
It wasn't hatred from being supplanted in favor—after all, Consort Zhou had never enjoyed much imperial favor.
Rather, the Noble Consort clearly relished the Emperor's partiality toward her, and seemed determined that if she couldn't bear a child, no other prince would have an easy time either.
This made Consort Zhou, whose heart was filled with her son, gnash her teeth in hatred.
Was a man's youth not youth?
Wait a few more years and her son would be old—the delicate young ladies would be even less interested in chewing on tasteless old vegetables.
She was happy to share her heartfelt words with the Empress, who had always looked after her and her son. Lin Zhen, basking in the Empress's favor, listened for quite a while as well. When she saw that most of the day had already passed, she felt it was time to take her leave.
"Then I won't keep you." The Prince Fu's household was also not without its troubles, with many matters to attend to. The Empress ordered people to prepare some things for Lin Zhen to take out of the palace, stroking her arm and speaking softly, "This is Mother Empress's wish and mine as well. Besides what Mother Empress mentioned today, I've added a few more loads of fabrics and jewelry for you."
She sighed and said, "I know you're mindful of everyone in the prince's household, but I echo Mother Empress's words—don't neglect them, but also don't wrong yourself."
With such sincere warmth, Lin Zhen responded in a hoarse voice.
"A few loads of fabric are in colors specially chosen for you. Summer is coming—making some gauzy smoke-colored clothes will be cool, and these are all in plain colors." Lin Zhen, now a widow, could naturally only wear plain colors. The Empress continued, "And there are several more loads in bright, luxurious colors—keep those for bestowing upon others in the future."
In the future, Lin Zhen would need to move about the capital as Princess Consort Fu, and when she encountered noblewomen and younger female relatives of the imperial family, she would have to bestow gifts upon them in her capacity as Princess Consort Fu.
If she could not produce fine gifts, she feared people would mock her behind her back.
The Empress had planned everything out for Lin Zhen one by one before finally letting her leave the palace.
"Your Majesty truly treats the Princess Consort with great kindness." Consort Zhou, watching this, could not help but sigh with emotion.
"We have all watched Prince Fu grow up," the Empress said. Now in middle age, she was vastly older than Prince Fu, the youngest son of the Empress Dowager, and had long shared a bond with him like that of an elder sister-in-law and a younger brother.
The Empress said softly, "Moreover, A’Zhen is not even as old as the First Prince. In my eyes, she is not so much a sister-in-law as she is a daughter."
A daughter who had lost her husband's protection.
Lin Zhen knew nothing of such sentiments. She only returned to the Prince Fu Manor bearing an imposing procession of imperial gifts. No sooner had she entered the main courtyard than she asked the maidservant who came to greet her, "Has Ping'an been well today?"
She was thinking of her son when, all of a sudden, she saw a skinny little thing come pattering down the corridor of the main courtyard.
He ran over breathlessly, but upon seeing her, he hesitated, as if unsure whether he could run up to her. He could only stop at the edge of the corridor, hugging a pillar and timidly poking out his little head.