The next morning, early at dawn.
Qiao Rongjin was woken by Qinglian.
“Master, did you forget today is the first of the month? You need to go pay respects to the Princess Consort. Please get up quickly, or you’ll be the last one again.” Qinglian was truly helpless with her mistress who loved sleeping in.
She hadn’t used to sleep this much. Normally by this time, she would already have gotten up, dressed, and carefully styled herself—determined to stun everyone. But now she had become increasingly lazy. Was it because the Prince no longer came to Haitang Courtyard, so she had lost her motivation? That didn’t seem right either—she still clearly remembered how her mistress reacted the last time the Prince came.
So the conclusion was simple: she had just become lazy.
Seeing that her mistress still showed no response after she called for a long time, Qinglian directly reached out and shook her.
“Master! Get up! We’re going to be late!”
Only then did Qiao Rongjin squint her eyes slightly at her and mutter, “Stop making noise!” before wrapping herself tighter in the blanket and going back to sleep.
Qinglian: “……”
She really felt like she was going to lose it.
What could she do? It wasn’t like she could physically drag her mistress out of bed, right?
Another half an incense stick of time passed. Qiao Rongjin was still asleep, while Qinglian sat nearby looking utterly defeated.
How was she supposed to deal with a mistress like this? And if they really were late later, those women in the back courtyard would definitely mock her mistress again. That absolutely could not happen!
Qinglian finally steeled herself, walked to the bedside as if facing death, and said, “Master… forgive this servant!”
Before Qiao Rongjin could react, she pulled her out of the blanket.
Because the mistress was light, it wasn’t difficult. She successfully dragged her out.
The sudden cold air woke Qiao Rongjin up another third of the way. Then the remaining drowsiness faded further.
“Qinglian, you’re getting bolder. You actually dared to pull me out?” she complained weakly, eyes half-lidded.
“This servant is guilty, this servant is guilty. Please endure it for a moment, I’ll finish quickly,” Qinglian replied absentmindedly while helping her get dressed.
Qiao Rongjin could only cooperate, dragging her feet along while most of her weight leaned on Qinglian.
Qinglian had nothing left to say. She just wanted to finish quickly before they were truly late.
Soon, Qiao Rongjin became like a lazy doll—completely at Qinglian’s mercy. After everything was done and they stepped outside, the first gust of cold wind instantly woke her up.
Qinglian also shivered.
“Master, let’s hurry. We’re really going to be late!”
“Alright, alright.” Qiao Rongjin pulled her sleeves tighter against the wind and walked forward.
At this time of year, although the days were warm, mornings and evenings were still chilly.
Meanwhile, at Jinxiu Hall, everyone had already arrived. The atmosphere was somewhat strange.
Many of the women looked toward Madam Yan with hostility.
For three consecutive days, the Prince had stayed in her Linfeng Residence, and this morning she had arrived second last. Clearly, she had spent another long night with him.
What made it worse was that the Prince had even given her one of the extremely rare “Yanyu Shang” brocade fabrics as a reward from the Emperor. That alone was enough to stir jealousy among everyone. Even the Princess Consort was somewhat displeased.
There were only three pieces of this fabric in existence: one for the Imperial Concubine, one for Madam Yan, and one remaining. Its rarity made its meaning even more significant.
It wasn’t really about the fabric itself—it symbolized the Prince’s favor.
He had never stayed three consecutive nights in any other courtyard before. That alone made everyone uneasy.
Among all of them, the calmest was Madam Chen.
She said nothing, sitting quietly like a shadow. Her eyes were hidden in boredom, but no one could tell.
As a kindergarten teacher from the modern world, she hated meetings the most. Even after transmigrating, she still couldn’t escape them.
As for jealousy or competition for favor—she had none of it.
After all, the Prince’s heart had long been with her. The others were merely distractions or shields to deflect attention. She understood this very well.
“Madam Yan truly lives up to being the Prince’s favorite,” Madam Wu said with a smile that carried hidden barbs. “Her looks and figure are unmatched in the entire inner courtyard. No wonder the Prince stayed with her for three days straight. We others simply don’t have that blessing. We’re getting old.”
“Indeed,” Madam Qin chimed in coldly. “Young girls are always more favored. At this rate, Madam Yan might even be pregnant, no? How enviable—she already has a pair of twins, and now she might add another child. We simply don’t have that fate.”
At this, everyone’s gaze shifted toward Madam Yan’s abdomen.
The possibility wasn’t impossible. Three days together made conception quite likely.
Thinking of this, their eyes darkened.
Those without children or with only daughters felt even more bitter and jealous.
Madam Yan immediately sensed something was wrong. Hearing Madam Qin’s words and feeling the hostile gazes, she cursed her inwardly. But she also grew anxious—after all, the Prince had visited her five days this month, so pregnancy was indeed possible.
Still, she forced a calm smile.
“Madam Qin, what are you talking about? How could pregnancy be so easy? Look at you—you gave birth to Miss Jing but haven’t conceived again in so many years. As for me, I’ve always been weak and can’t compare to your strong constitution. If I were going to be pregnant, I would have been long ago. Why wait until now?”