Shulan’s gaze swept briefly over the figure of the Fourth Prince. Her fingers curled unconsciously, though the smile on her lips remained unchanged. Only the light in her eyes dimmed slightly.
It seems Her Highness the Noble Consort keeps a very close watch.
This won’t be easy.
The braziers in the hall burned brightly, filling the room with warmth that flushed everyone’s cheeks. The lively chatter that had filled the palace earlier suddenly fell silent.
Shulan calmly sipped her tea as though she had noticed nothing unusual. Catching the concerned look from Noble Lady Wanliuha behind her, she gave a subtle shake of her head.
Across from Shulan sat Consort Hui and Consort Rong, while Consort Yi sat beside her. Everyone sat on identical round stools, all lower than the couch occupied by Noble Consort Tongjia.
According to rank, the consorts were seated in order on either side. Consort Hui sat closest to the Noble Consort’s couch, followed by Consort Rong. On Shulan’s side, Consort Yi sat ahead of her.
Once everyone had taken their seats, no one dared speak loudly. The only sound was the steady drip of the bronze clepsydra. The great hall was quiet, exuding an atmosphere of strict decorum.
The four consorts remained composed and unmoving, their expressions unchanged. It was the lower-ranking concubines whose eyes wandered repeatedly toward Shulan.
Seeing the scene unfold, Consort Yi sneered inwardly.
Though she usually found Consort De disagreeable, the Noble Consort’s behavior was rather petty.
The Fourth Prince was still young, so it was easy enough to keep him away from his birth mother for now. But once he began attending lessons in the imperial study, she doubted Noble Consort Tongjia would still be able to keep such tight control.
For once, Consort Yi felt a rare sense of sympathy for Shulan.
Among the four consorts, only the two of them had children who were not being raised by their birth mothers.
Still, she considered herself somewhat luckier. Her Fifth Prince was being raised by the Empress Dowager, but at least he knew who his birth mother was, and she could visit him from time to time.
As for the pitying or mocking glances from the others, Shulan pretended not to notice.
Had the original Consort De been present, she would surely have felt both anger and resentment.
But Shulan was not the original owner of this body.
Whether the Fourth Prince felt close to her or not didn’t matter much to her. He was only a child who could barely speak properly—how could any blame fall on him?
Besides, while Shulan didn’t know every detail of history, she remembered the major events well enough. Even if she did nothing, the Fourth Prince would return to her side in a few years.
Yet when she thought of the cold, suspicious emperor he would become in the future, she couldn’t help sighing softly.
What a mess this is.
Though her sigh was quiet, it did not escape notice.
From the corner of her eye, Consort Hui saw Consort De sitting opposite her with downcast eyes. Setting down her teacup, she dabbed her lips with a silk handkerchief and raised an eyebrow.
“What is it, Sister De? Ever since you saw the Fourth Prince carried away by his wet nurse, you’ve seemed distracted. Are you feeling heartbroken?”
Shulan paused briefly. When she looked up again, all traces of melancholy had vanished from her eyes.
“You jest, Elder Sister. I was merely worried about Little Six.”
Consort Hui glanced at Shulan’s fingers, clenched so tightly that they had turned pale, but said nothing further. She simply lifted her teacup and took a sip, the rising steam obscuring whatever emotions lay in her eyes.
Consort Rong, who had been quietly nudging floating tea leaves aside with her lid, showed no reaction to Consort Hui’s teasing. Instead, she pointed to the candied dates beside her.
“These candied dates were just prepared by the Imperial Kitchen. Would you like to try some, Sister?”
Her voice was gentle and carried just the right amount of concern.
Shulan smiled and nodded.
“Thank you, Elder Sister.”
She picked up a candied date and placed it in her mouth. It was soft, sweet, and fragrant.
From her couch, Noble Consort Tongjia watched Shulan’s behavior with satisfaction. Yet when she noticed the unreadable expressions of the younger palace women, she couldn’t help feeling as though they were laughing at her behind her back.
Seeing the Noble Consort’s fingers tighten until they turned white, her senior maid sighed inwardly and stepped forward.
“Your Highnesses, the time has come. Please proceed to Cining Palace.”
At the Hour of Mao, the imperial consorts lined up according to rank. Noble Consort Tongjia led the procession, followed by Consorts Hui, Rong, Yi, and De.
Upon arriving at Cining Palace, they found the gates already open. Lowering their heads respectfully, they entered in orderly succession.
Following the group, Shulan saw the Grand Empress Dowager seated above, calmly turning a string of bodhi prayer beads in her hand.
Leading the way, Noble Consort Tongjia knelt gracefully, and the others followed suit.
“This concubine greets the Grand Empress Dowager.”
The Grand Empress Dowager lifted her eyes and slowly swept her gaze across the neatly kneeling women below.
“Rise.”
After the consorts took their seats, palace maids swiftly served tea and refreshments.
The women exchanged polite conversation for a while. When the time was right, the Grand Empress Dowager, as she always did, offered a few words of admonition, once again emphasizing the importance of producing heirs for the imperial family.
Only then did she dismiss them.
Having barely sat down before needing to set out again, Shulan sighed inwardly.
I’ve spent the entire morning walking around and drinking tea.
Especially with so many people watching for a chance to laugh at me—and I can’t let my expression slip for even a moment.
After parting ways outside Cining Palace, Shulan returned to the main hall of Yonghe Palace. The moment she stepped inside, she removed her cloak and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Her maid Suxin hurried over to take it from her and handed her a cup of warm ginger tea, while the nanny helped her change into lighter clothing.
Holding the teacup, Shulan unconsciously traced the rim with her fingers. After a long silence, she said quietly:
“Thank goodness we only have to attend twice a month. If I had to do this much more often, I wouldn’t be able to bear it.”
The nanny quickly comforted her.
“Your Ladyship, please don’t dwell on it. Besides, some of the lower-ranking concubines would dearly love the chance to attend, yet they aren’t even qualified.”
Shulan took a sip of ginger tea and nodded.
“That’s true. I suppose I don’t appreciate how fortunate I am.”
The nanny hesitated before asking softly, “Did anything happen during today’s audience?”
Shulan looked out the window, her voice carrying a trace of melancholy.
“I saw the Fourth Prince today.”
The nanny paused in the middle of folding Shulan’s court robes and looked up.
“Her Highness the Noble Consort allowed Your Ladyship to see the Fourth Prince? Did he look well?”
Shulan shook her head.
“I only saw him briefly before the wet nurse carried him away.”
The nanny’s face immediately darkened with anger.
“No matter what, Your Ladyship is still the Fourth Prince’s birth mother. Does the Noble Consort really need to guard against you as if you were a thief?”
“Mind your words.”
Shulan shook her head, signaling for silence.
“Her Highness the Noble Consort was entrusted by imperial decree to raise Yinzhen. In terms of status and palace rules, she is entirely within her rights.”
If such words were to spread outside, it might be interpreted as dissatisfaction with palace regulations.
The nanny wanted to say more, but one cool glance from Shulan silenced her.
“Being able to see him at all is already good enough. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”
A faint smile tugged at her lips.
“Besides, the Grand Empress Dowager once again stressed the importance of bearing children today. With that and the Fourth Prince’s appearance combined, I wonder how furious the Noble Consort must be after returning home.”
Recalling the expression on Tongjia’s face, Shulan sighed inwardly.
After all, among the high-ranking consorts, only the Noble Consort had yet to bear a child of her own. The Grand Empress Dowager’s words had clearly been directed at her.
Especially since the emperor’s greatest favor currently rested with Noble Consort Tongjia and Consort Yi.
What a tangled mess this all is.