Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 123 - 11: The Matter of the Eyes

Old Madam Song’s mind shifted as she thought about the letter sent by Hong Sheng. Hong Sheng, whom she watched grow up and was also a disciple of Prince Ke, not only possessed good qualities but also had a promising future.

However, at the thought of Susu marrying Hong Sheng and having to go far away to the Northwest, the Old Madam’s heart was a tangled mess.

Susu was unaware that the Madam had thought about her marriage. Seeing that the Old Madam didn’t seem well, she comforted her, saying: "I’ve never heard that Prince Gong has a fondness for abducting common girls. If I am unwilling, Prince Gong surely wouldn’t trouble a mere maid. Even if I do get into trouble, what could happen if I went to Prince Gong Mansion?"

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Song, who loved Susu like a granddaughter, made a silent decision in her heart, but her face showed nothing.

"Tomorrow is the fifteenth. I will enter the palace to see Her Ladyship and the Princess, there will surely be a way!"

Susu was not really scared, but upon hearing these words, she almost burst into tears. She choked up a bit and said, "I will go tidy up some little things to bring to Her Ladyship and the Princess tomorrow."

Once outside the main house, Susu let her tears fall because of the care shown by the Old Madam, she could not cause trouble for the Song Family!

The minds of the master and servant in the Song Family were already made up, but what about at Prince Gong Mansion?

First, let’s talk about Prince Gong. Once he gathered his thoughts, the desirable lady was already hard to find, and it felt like a dream. The anger he came with had mostly dissipated, and he was no longer concerned with troubling the Princess Consort over a concubine; now, the little beauty was of utmost importance.

However, Prince Gong was not foolish. Despite knowing that today his daughter hosted a banquet, he lacked the patience to find out which noble families were invited.

In a glimpse, he did recognize several familiar faces. Thinking back, they were his relatives and some juniors from the Princess Consort’s natal family, addressing him as uncle or brother-in-law. There was also Aunt Changlong’s granddaughter.

Those not too familiar with him must also be children from noble and influential families to associate with his daughter.

His concubines and lesser concubines were already full, and girls from such families, even if illegitimate daughters, could not be concubines at Prince Gong Mansion!

Prince Gong felt despondent, but was too unwilling to give up. Thinking it over, he turned and entered the Princess Consort’s courtyard.

Meanwhile, Princess Consort Gong had already received word from her maids and knew her husband’s temperament all too well. Her love and hatred had long since worn away over the years, choosing to overlook her husband’s constant pursuit of new interests; even if the Prince disliked her, she remained the Princess Consort of Prince Gong, ensuring her daughter Qingning could grow up healthy and marry gloriously.

The Princess Consort also knew that her husband wasn’t desperate enough to pick anyone indiscriminately. The one who caught his eye was not the Fourth Miss from the Shun’an Earl Mansion but rather that little maid named Susu, and the latter seemed more likely.

Though Susu’s status was low, she was backed by Old Lady Shun’an. If someone with beauty and wit like her entered the mansion and bore a son, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t be made a Princely Heir. By then, where would there be room for the Princess Consort in the Prince Mansion? At this moment, the thoughts of the Princess Consort and Princess Qingning were in complete sync!

With this in mind, Princess Consort Gong decided that Susu must not enter the mansion. If she had a son of her own, she wouldn’t have to be so cautious and prudent in every matter.

When Prince Gong entered the room, pretending to be surprised, Princess Consort Gong said, "What brings you here, Your Grace?" As Prince Gong sat in the main seat, a maid immediately served tea.

Prince Gong saw the Princess Consort smiling at him, and the words he wanted to say suddenly eluded him. He picked up the tea but didn’t drink it, observing the silent and disciplined maids and servants, he finally said, "I entrust this vast mansion to you not just so you can mind your own courtyard! The women in the back keep fussing over their petty ailments and dare reach out to the outer courtyard to disrupt the Prince’s affairs; such insolence!"

The Princess Consort was actually quite annoyed inside: Is he simply stirring up trouble? Weren’t these unruly women pampered by you?

Nonetheless, she showed no sign and softly acknowledged her mistake, "It’s my fault, starting tomorrow, I will surely set them straight."

Prince Gong was slightly choked by this, and thinking of the little beauty, he didn’t just leave in a huff. "The servants of the Prince Mansion also need some discipline. How come no one informed me that there were guests at the Princess Consort’s place when I entered the inner courtyard? Offending the ladies reflects poorly on the Prince and invites ridicule upon our Qingning. If it’s family, that’s one thing, but if it were outsiders, it would be unseemly! Whose houses are these people from? Princess Consort, send them some gifts another day and apologize."

Prince Gong’s words sounded grand and dignified, causing both the Princess Consort and the maids and matrons in the room to find it amusing yet contemptuous; disciplining the servants was just an excuse, getting information on the beauty was the real intention!

The Princess Consort’s expression remained unchanged, and she quickly responded, "It’s our mansion’s oversight. Qingning is very attentive to these friends, and I will personally pay them a visit another day to apologize. Not to mention the Wenchang Marquis Mansion, even the Shun’an Earl Mansion is currently favored by the Emperor, and these two families are also related by marriage."

Prince Gong immediately felt the cold, cruel malice of the universe. Wenchang Marquis Mansion went without saying, not only one of the Six Founding Marquis, but also a family of successive Imperial Tutors, having produced three Imperial Consorts and married two Princesses.

The Eighteen Nobles of the Capital: the first is Duke Zhen’s Mansion, and the second is Wenchang Marquis Mansion—both are deeply rooted noble families.

As for the up-and-coming Shun’an Earl Mansion, while he may not fear them, the Emperor’s favor towards their family far surpassed his own status as Prince Gong, which was rewarded merely to uphold the Emperor’s ideal of fraternal harmony among brothers.

Not to mention that in the palace there’s Consort Xi and Princess Anning, who are highly favored. He’s all too familiar with the influence of whispering from the pillow.

Besides his imprudent preferences for women, Prince Gong was not only not foolish but was actually very shrewd, otherwise, how could he, a cousin without much interaction with Prince Rong, be allowed by the Emperor to inherit a princely title without demotion?

In Prince Gong’s rear courtyard, apart from the Princess Consort who hails from a prestigious family, none of the others’ maternal families hold official positions above the third rank, and none are involved in finance or military positions. Being a member of the royal family, he was all too aware of the temperament of the Princes eligible to ascend the throne; they were a bunch prone to radical changes.

Things might seem fine now, but who knows when they might turn against him? So no beauty was worth a life!

Prince Gong walked out of the Princess Consort’s courtyard with a sullen expression and went away to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He had no idea that although the Princess Consort hadn’t lied to him, she didn’t tell the whole story, and thus a storm quietly passed over for the time being.

After Prince Gong left, the Princess Consort reflected for a moment, ordered a few things to be packed, intending to send them to the families tomorrow, and discussed a few words with her close maid and matron.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Concubine’s place, the Imperial Concubine dismissed her attendants, and Ruan Qiniang knelt before her, saying, "Aunt, the sons of the Ruan Family are suffering in the Northwest, I am powerless, and the inability to recognize my own sister is the regret of my life! Back then, I went to great lengths to protect Thirteenth Lady. Now, I only beg you to protect her for the sake of Qiniang."

Imperial Concubine Gong sighed, "I truly don’t know whether to call it good luck or bad luck for her; she escaped the storm only to return after all twists and turns! I used to wonder why your grandmother, who usually prefers to remain silent, would inadvertently bring up a maid at the Empress Dowager’s place. Only now do I understand the reason behind it after meeting her today. Did you all think that reporting Thirteenth Lady’s death and replacing her identity was enough? Unaware that those eyes were the biggest flaw! Back then, your aunt—Princess Liang—also had such a pair of eyes."

Upon this mention, the Imperial Concubine sighed again, "Even if no one remembers Princess Liang, Tenth Lady is still at Prince Ke Mansion. Thankfully, Tenth Lady lives a secluded life and isn’t favored, drawing no comparisons, hence she hasn’t caught anyone’s eye. Although Old Lady Shun’an dotes on Susu, she knows not to overdo it, and hasn’t taken her to court. Otherwise, if the Emperor were to see her, no one would meet a good end. Your uncle can still be suppressed by me, and I will remind the Princess Consort to warn Susu. As long as the Emperor is around, she should either marry far away or never leave the Song Family for life, which would be good for everyone!"

Ruan Qiniang respectfully kowtowed to Imperial Concubine Gong, "Qiniang thanks Aunt on behalf of Thirteenth Lady."

The Imperial Concubine softened her tone, "Logically, even if you hadn’t married into the Annan Earl Mansion, you and Thirteenth Lady should still address me as Aunt!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

This kinship was indeed very close, the Imperial Concubine’s aunt was the great-grandmother of Ruan Qiniang and her sisters, and the Annan Earl Mansion was also the maternal family of their grandfather, further proving how inseparable the connections were among the Eighteen Founding Noble Families of the Capital.