Once night fell, Zhu Xinyan began worrying again.
What if that prince came over and demanded “three rounds” again tonight? Her mortal flesh and blood truly wouldn’t survive it.
She was just thinking about how to tactfully refuse with careful wording when word arrived from the front courtyard:
His Highness would not be coming tonight.
Overjoyed, Zhu Xinyan immediately wrapped herself in the blanket and went straight to sleep.
She slept wonderfully through the night.
Meanwhile, Concubine Wei, burdened by the Princess Consort’s instructions, couldn’t rest her mind at all and stayed awake until dawn.
After arranging for her children to leave for school, she headed toward Qingfu Pavilion carrying gifts, her complexion dull and lifeless.
At this hour, Zhu Xinyan was still sleeping soundly until Qiao’er — her human alarm clock — forcibly woke her up.
Still glued to the bed, Zhu Xinyan kept her eyes shut while counting on her fingers and mumbling,
“I already told you that before Buddha, I made a vow: on days without mandatory greetings, I must sleep until the sun is high in the sky, otherwise my life will be in danger. Look at this — how many poles high is the sun now?”
Qiao’er had excellent adaptability and was long accustomed to her mistress’s nonsense.
Seeing Zhu Xinyan holding up four fingers, she manually pressed one finger down.
“This servant dares not forget Miss’s instructions. But Concubine Wei has come, and she’s currently waiting in the hall.”
“So early in the morning? What is she here for?”
Zhu Xinyan rolled over and wrapped the blanket around herself with one leg.
“Just tell her I suddenly fell ill and can’t get out of bed.”
“But she brought a huge pile of gifts. Wouldn’t refusing her be rude?”
At those words, Zhu Xinyan’s eyes instantly flew open wide as bells.
Ignoring her aching waist and sore body, she executed a dramatic spin straight out of bed, landing steadily on both feet.
“Hurry and help me wash up. We can’t keep her waiting!”
Qiao’er silently sighed.
As expected, money was still her mistress’s greatest weakness.
Meanwhile, Concubine Wei sat in the hall quietly surveying her surroundings.
She had only glimpsed Qingfu Pavilion from afar before, never entered it.
She had long heard rumors that it was extravagantly decorated, but seeing it with her own eyes still left her shocked.
Every piece of furniture was made of red sandalwood.
Not to mention the rare treasures displayed on the shelves — even the curtains were made from Moonlight Silk, worth a fortune per foot.
Comparing it to her own courtyard, Concubine Wei’s mood instantly sank to the bottom.
She had been Prince Rui’s very first woman.
She had even borne him a son and a daughter.
Yet in the end, she had still been overshadowed by a little widow.
As she sat there drowning in melancholy, she suddenly heard the patter of hurried footsteps outside.
Looking up, she saw a little boy run to the doorway.
With fluffy wide eyes and his head tilted, he curiously examined her.
Perhaps because of her earlier thoughts, she suddenly felt the child looked extremely similar to Gu Zhancheng.
Especially around the eyes and brows — they seemed carved from the same mold.
In truth, handsome people all tended to resemble one another anyway: tall noses and large eyes.
Since the original host had fallen for Jiang Yihan, his appearance had naturally been exceptional.
Combining the good looks of both parents, Jiang Li resembled a porcelain doll.
His features had not fully grown in yet. Round and chubby, he looked adorable.
At most, he only shared the faintest resemblance with Gu Zhancheng.
But Jiang Li became uncomfortable under her intense stare.
Thinking she had taken a liking to the pastry in his hand, he instinctively stepped back protectively.
Then he remembered his mother’s teachings:
Good things should be shared with everyone.
So he lifted his little short legs over the threshold, ran up to Concubine Wei, raised his chubby hand, and said in a soft, sweet voice,
“Auntie, here.”
The closer she looked, the more alike they seemed.
At that moment, a thought arose in Concubine Wei’s heart.
This child belongs to Gu Zhancheng.
Otherwise, why would he treat a little widow so well?
She had once secretly rejoiced that as long as neither the Princess Consort nor Consort Qiao bore children, her own son might have a chance to become heir.
But now, seeing the level of favor Zhu Xinyan enjoyed, she feared that dream was impossible.
The bitterness in her heart deepened.
Lost in her own worries, she had no mood to interact with Jiang Li.
The little fellow assumed she was too shy to accept it, so he directly stuffed the milk cake into her hand.
Grinning brightly, he squinted his eyes and said,
“You don’t have to say it. I understand!”
Then he pattered away again.
At that moment, Zhu Xinyan emerged from the back room and happened to witness the scene.
As a mother, she felt genuinely gratified.
Her child had truly grown up and learned to share with others.
The upward curve of her lips, however, was noticed by the overly sensitive and suspicious Concubine Wei.
She mistakenly believed Zhu Xinyan was mocking her for being greedy enough to snatch food from a child.
Her heart tightened immediately with indescribable gloom.
Just as she was about to explain herself, Zhu Xinyan spoke first.
“Elder Sister, this younger sister woke late and kept you waiting.”
Concubine Wei could only force herself to stay composed.
After exchanging greetings, she politely replied,
“Not at all. I was the one being abrupt and disturbing Younger Sister’s rest.”
After another round of polite conversation, the two finally took their seats.
Zhu Xinyan personally handed over tea.
Concubine Wei accepted it, took a small sip, and praised,
“The taste is mellow with a lingering fragrance. Truly fine tea.”
Smiling, Zhu Xinyan replied,
“I heard it’s pre-rain Longjing tea, though I can’t really tell the difference. If Elder Sister likes it, I can have some packed up for you.”
It was merely a polite social courtesy.
But after entering Concubine Wei’s ears, the meaning became completely distorted.
So she knows my status is low and that I’m unfavored by His Highness. She’s deliberately humiliating me with expensive tea because I’ve never seen such fine things before!
The thought clogged her chest unpleasantly, and she immediately refused.
“Thank you, Younger Sister. Such fine things would only be wasted on me. You should keep them yourself.”
Having just woken up, Zhu Xinyan’s brain was still somewhat sluggish and failed to catch the hidden meaning.
Besides, she had no desire to become close friends with the women of the rear courtyard.
Since the other party declined, she did not insist.
But Concubine Wei, rich in inner drama, developed another interpretation.
As expected, she wasn’t sincerely offering it. Just like her son, she’s clearly mocking me.
Since the two were unfamiliar, simply sitting there drinking tea felt awkward.
After chatting idly for a while, the topic drifted toward women’s skincare.
Zhu Xinyan casually said,
“Autumn is coming soon, and skin gets dry. You should definitely drink more white fungus soup.”
It was an entirely ordinary sentence.
Yet once again, Concubine Wei overthought it.
She felt Zhu Xinyan was mocking her for aging and losing her beauty while flaunting her own youth and appearance.
Now the knot in her chest tightened even more, and her complexion darkened further.
Forcing out a smile uglier than crying, she said,
“I’m getting older, and I worry over two children every day. I’ve long since become a yellow-faced old woman. There’s no need for me to drink things like that.”
Huh?
Even with Zhu Xinyan’s slow morning brain, she could finally tell something was off.
She clearly hadn’t meant anything at all, so why did Concubine Wei keep twisting her words?
And the woman acted timid and self-deprecating, as though she had suffered some tremendous grievance.
Could she possibly be overly fragile?
Zhu Xinyan wanted to explain herself again, but worried the other woman might misunderstand even further.
So she simply gave two awkward chuckles and quietly drank her tea instead.
Concubine Wei interpreted her silence as guilt, believing Zhu Xinyan had been exposed.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt Zhu Xinyan possessed poor character and low morals.
In that case, even helping the Princess Consort scheme against her was merely giving her what she deserved.
Her mood improved temporarily.
After taking another sip of tea, she finally took the initiative to speak.
“I came today under the Princess Consort’s orders to deliver rewards to Younger Sister. Besides that… I also brought a generous gift of my own.”