good season

The Empress had no children of her own, so she doted on her nephews, especially the youngest one.

Now that the Fourth Prince has saved her nephew, the Empress sees him as her family's savior. She showers the Fourth Prince with gifts and praises him before the Emperor.

Emperor Yongjia was in a good mood. The more proud a father is, the more he likes others to praise his son, even if that son is nothing to him.

The fourth prince was an example of this.

Before this, Emperor Yongjia considered him a fool, and now he is still a fool, but he is much more pleasing to the eye.

Yes, Emperor Yongjia had no doubts whatsoever about him saving people.

Firstly, the fourth prince is stupid;

Secondly, the person being rescued was a relative of the emperor, who had no power or influence.

Thirdly, because the person being rescued was a relative of the emperor, the fourth prince had no way of hiding this from Emperor Yongjia, who was right under his nose.

The more confident a person is, the more likely they are to be blinded by a single leaf.

Emperor Yongjia summoned the fourth prince to his presence, inquired about his health, and, upon learning that he was no longer seriously ill, sent him to the Ministry of Rites to observe state affairs.

The official in charge of the Ministry of Rites was Deng Qian, the second-in-command, who was the same powerful figure that Shen Wangxing's father, Cui Rong, had once curried favor with.

Emperor Yongjia even stayed overnight in the palace of Consort You, the birth mother of the fourth prince.

The sudden favor made Consort You realize that her son had not yet been deposed, so she had the palace maids make a set of clothes overnight and sent them to the Fourth Prince's residence.

The fourth prince looked at the dress, which was said to have been sewn by Consort You herself, but he didn't even have the interest to pick it up and take a look.

Mother hands line, wandering clothing.

These two sentences can be applied to anyone, but they are not applicable to Consort You.

Would Consort You sew clothes for him?

What a joke!
Even if she told the truth and said that she had the palace maid sew the clothes, the fourth prince would still feel a little touched, at least it would show that his mother had put her heart into it.

But if she insists that she sewed it herself, well, that's just ridiculous.

The fourth prince said to the servant, "Here you go."

The servant quickly thanked him for the reward and took the clothes out.

Even if he had the guts of a bear and the courage of a leopard, he wouldn't dare wear these clothes. He should quickly take them away and hide them so as not to get in the Fourth Prince's way.

The clothes arrived, and Consort You's demands followed.

My uncle has been in that position for several years; it's time for a change.

My cousin wants to get a job in the Imperial Guard, so I asked him to arrange it.
The fourth prince was so annoyed that he became even more determined to get a different mother.

The Empress bestowed gifts upon him, so he went to the palace to express his gratitude. He did not go empty-handed; he brought vegetables that he had grown himself.

The Empress came from a noble family. Although her family's fortunes had declined significantly before she entered the palace, she still grew up in luxury. She was very curious when she heard that the Fourth Prince had grown these vegetables in a greenhouse. She also wanted to build a greenhouse in the palace to try growing vegetables.

Upon hearing this, the fourth prince personally helped the empress choose a location and selected two eunuchs from his own residence who knew how to grow vegetables to send to the palace.

Hearing that the Empress was planting vegetables, the concubines all came to help. Emperor Yongjia also praised the Empress for her diligence. The Empress, having received praise, couldn't help but speak well of the Fourth Prince as well.

So in the days that followed, the fourth prince would come to the palace every few days to pay his respects to the empress and exchange tips on growing vegetables. Even the empress's fourth princess became affectionate towards her fourth brother, because when the fourth prince came to the palace, he would bring her a few chicks and ducklings, which children like.

Now, in addition to the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince is also frequently seen entering the palace.

The Fifth Prince gritted his teeth. Just then, the eldest son of the Zhen family arrived with a ship full of goods. He thought he would pick out a few rare items to send to the palace and show off to his father.

When the Fifth Prince's wife heard about this, she insisted on going along.

The Fifth Prince was displeased: "What are you doing there, a woman like you?"

Fifth Prince's Consort: "My third sister-in-law often goes shopping, so why can't I? Besides, there are female shop assistants in the shops. I'll just sit in a private room, so it won't be considered showing my face in public."

The Fifth Prince waved his hand: "No, I said no, and that's final. You stay in the manor obediently."

After saying that, he walked away.

The Fifth Prince's wife sneered and said to the maid beside her, "Go and have them spread this news to the Lang residence."

Ever since the Fifth Prince's wife resolved to prevent the Fifth Prince from becoming the Crown Prince, her attendants have been busy.

One of the servants, named Xiao Wu, recently recognized a godmother. This godmother is none other than Lang Yuyu's wet nurse!

After arranging things for Xiao Wu, the Fifth Prince's Consort said to the maid beside her, "Help me change my clothes."

The Fifth Prince was unaware that no sooner had he left the residence than his wife followed suit.

She went to the Third Prince's residence.

Feng Jiahe had been staying at home and rarely went out lately, so she was somewhat surprised to see the Fifth Prince's Consort suddenly arrive.

Although they were sisters-in-law, she and the Fifth Prince's wife had no relationship, either before or after their marriage.

Even when the Fifth Prince was following the Third Prince as his attendant, Feng Jiahe didn't take the Fifth Prince's wife seriously.

Now that the relationship between the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince is like fire and water, Feng Jiahe is even less inclined to pay attention to the Fifth Prince's wife.

But the Fifth Prince's Consort came up to her on her own, and Feng Jiahe thought to herself, "It's probably because of Feng Yalan."

Feng Jiahe was wrong. The Fifth Prince's Consort didn't mention Feng Yalan at all; instead, she came to ask her to go shopping together.

"Third Sister-in-law, I heard that Linglong Pavilion has received a new batch of goods, all from overseas. However, the Fifth Prince won't let me go out, and I don't know anyone. So I'd like to ask Third Sister-in-law to take me to see the world."

Feng Jiahe knew about the Fifth Prince's wife's background. Before the marriage, she was a marginal figure in the circle of noble ladies. If she hadn't been easy to control, she wouldn't have been able to become the prince's principal wife.

The Fifth Prince doesn't respect his wife at all, and even forbids her from going to the Linglong Pavilion.

Feng Jiahe suddenly felt like going out for a stroll. Firstly, she hadn't been out for a while and really wanted to go out. Secondly, she wanted to annoy the Fifth Prince.

"Okay, let's go take a look."

Princess Qingchuan and Fan Qiuyun also went with them.

Lang Yuyu is no longer on Feng Jiahe's blacklist. Ever since she fell into the water last time, she has been blacklisted.

This was the first time the Fifth Prince's wife had been so close to Fan Qiuyun.

Although they had met before, it was always from a distance, and they had never spoken. Fan Qiuyun hadn't expected that Feng Jiahe would bring the Fifth Prince's wife along. Suddenly, she had second thoughts. Should she not have come?
Is it too late to say that my stomach hurts now?
That's too late.

Zhao Shiqing took Lingbo and Xiuxiu out early in the morning. Dazhuang came over yesterday and said that a batch of goods had arrived. If they were interested, they could go to Linglong Pavilion to take a look. If they liked any of the items, they could just write them down and Dazhuang would deliver them to them later.

Zhao Shiqing was indeed interested; she wanted to pick out a few items as part of her sister's dowry. However, she didn't intend to take them for free; at most, she would ask Xiao Zhen for a discount.

The three girls went to Linglong Pavilion happily, but they didn't see the goods that Dazhuang had mentioned.

Just as I was about to ask, a female shop assistant came over: "Excuse me, are you Miss Zhen?"

Zhao Shiqing nodded: "Exactly."

The waitress smiled and said, "Young Master Zhen has instructed that Miss Zhen please come upstairs with me."

Upstairs, there were five private rooms, all displaying newly arrived goods, which dazzled the three young girls.

Finally, Zhao Shiqing chose a pair of uniquely styled vases for her sister, a fan inlaid with pearls for her master, a small box that could hold rouge and also be worn as decoration for Xiuxiu and Lingbo, a pair of hair clips for Wan Ruyi, and a birdcage for her grandfather with a fake bird inside. When the trigger is pressed, the fake bird will chirp, which will surely drive Sanqianliang crazy.

The waitress said there was no need to pay, but Zhao Shiqing still paid, though she received a 30% discount.

The three of them were very happy and wanted to continue shopping, but it was inconvenient to carry the pair of vases, so they went home first to put the vases down. But as soon as they got home, they saw Xiao Guai.

Zhao Shiqing exclaimed, "Why are you back so early? Didn't I tell you to go to the Third Prince's residence?"

Xiao Guai quickly told Zhao Shiqing what he had overheard at the Third Prince's residence.

Zhao Shiqing: "What a coincidence! I should have left a little later, but it's not too late now."

She hurriedly asked Xiuxiu to disguise her, as she wanted to see the scene where the Third Prince's Consort, the Fifth Prince's Consort, and Fan Qiuyun appeared together.

She hurriedly returned to Linglong Pavilion and saw two more guards at the entrance. She guessed that the Fifth Prince must have arrived. Just as she was wondering how to sneak in, she saw the Fifth Prince walk out with a gloomy face. Then, a woman chased after him from behind, her steps hurried, calling out as she ran, "Fifth Prince, don't go, wait!"

Two attendants stopped the woman: "Miss Lang, please have some self-respect!"

Miss Lang?
Zhao Shiqing was stunned. Was this the Miss Lang she knew?

Lang Yuyu?
Why did she appear here at the same time as the Fifth Prince?
Before she could figure out the intricacies of the situation, she saw several carriages stop outside the gate, and two elegant young women were helped down by their maids. The Fifth Prince walked out of Linglong Pavilion and bumped into them head-on!

The Fifth Prince never expected that he would run into Lang Yuyu here when he came to Linglong Pavilion to choose a gift for his father!

He is a prince, and even though this is not his princely residence, no unauthorized person can approach him without his permission.

But Lang Yuyu didn't care. She couldn't even enter the Third Prince's residence now, and she didn't even have a chance to explain.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. With her father's guidance, she finally realized that she had been tricked by the Fifth Prince and Fan Qiuyun.

She tried to find Fan Qiuyun several times, but couldn't get through to her.

Today, her wet nurse told her, as if presenting a treasure, that the Fifth Prince was going to Linglong Pavilion, so she rushed over without hesitation.

In truth, she didn't know what use it was to find the Fifth Prince. She acted on impulse, and with her wet nurse constantly nagging her, she ran away without telling her parents.

The Fifth Prince was on the second floor, so she couldn't go up. She waited downstairs, and just then, she blocked the Fifth Prince's way down.

She cried and claimed she was innocent, saying her reputation was ruined, and so on.

The Fifth Prince was annoyed, and his good mood was completely gone. He wanted to leave, but unexpectedly he ran into the Third Prince's wife and the Fifth Prince's wife.

Following behind them were Princess Qingchuan and Fan Qiuyun.

Feng Jiahe glanced at the Fifth Prince, then at Lang Yuyu who was still crying, and smiled enigmatically: "No wonder Fifth Brother wouldn't take Fifth Sister-in-law out with him, it turns out he has a date with his beloved."

A herd of animals that looked like sheep or camels floated overhead. What nonsense about a date with a beauty! That bitch Lang Yuyu came here on her own, didn't she?

His gaze fell on the Fifth Prince's wife's face, where she looked mournful and as if she had been bullied.

He ignored Feng Jiahe and instead questioned the Fifth Prince's wife: "Didn't I tell you not to come?"

The Fifth Prince's wife sobbed, "This concubine, this concubine wouldn't dare, this concubine was following Third Sister-in-law, Third Sister-in-law."

She was sobbing and unable to speak. To the Fifth Prince, it sounded like she hadn't dared to come at all, but that her third sister-in-law, Feng Jiahe, had dragged her there.

The Fifth Prince immediately understood that all of this was arranged by Feng Jiahe.

Lang Yuyu was originally her follower, so she must have sent Lang Yuyu here to ambush him. She even brought the Fifth Prince's wife along, not only to watch the show but also to sow discord between them.

Lang Yuyu was still crying, and so was the Fifth Prince's wife. The two women crying together annoyed the Fifth Prince to no end. He was quick-tempered by nature, and seeing Feng Jiahe's mocking expression, he could no longer hold back and angrily said, "Third sister-in-law, you're overstepping your bounds! Your fifth sister hasn't even been brought into my princely residence yet. Even if she were, she'd only be a concubine. It's none of your business what happens in my residence. Third sister-in-law, even my third brother won't interfere in my affairs, so don't bother."

After saying that, he ignored even the Fifth Prince's wife and left in a huff.

Before she got married, Feng Jiahe was the apple of her family's eye. She married into the prince's mansion as the principal wife. From childhood to adulthood, even the princesses had to give her some face.

Consort Qiao, as her mother-in-law, and the Third Prince, as her husband, both depend on the Feng family, so they would be even less likely to put on airs in front of her.

No one ever spoke harshly to her, and no one ever mocked or ridiculed her to her face.

The Fifth Prince's words were practically a direct insult to her.

Feng Jiahe had never suffered such humiliation before, especially since this was outside Linglong Pavilion and there were other people present.

Her pride prevented her from fainting in public, but at this moment, she really wanted to.

She glared fiercely at the Fifth Prince's wife: "You still have the nerve to cry?"

The Fifth Prince's wife cried even harder, unable to utter a single word.

"Return to the manor!" Feng Jiahe turned and left. Princess Qingchuan snorted heavily at the Fifth Prince's wife and jogged after her. As Fan Qiuyun passed by the Fifth Prince's wife, she gave her a deep look.

Zhao Shiqing saw this scene from afar, and her gaze finally fell on the Fifth Prince's wife.

Everyone left, even Lang Yuyu was dragged away by the maid who came with her. Only the Fifth Prince's Consort remained in front of Linglong Pavilion. She wiped away her tears and got into the carriage.

When Zhao Shiqing returned home, she told Zhen Wuduo everything she had seen that day.

"The Fifth Prince publicly reprimanded the Third Prince's wife; this is likely to escalate. Was the Fifth Prince's wife doing this on purpose? Does she not want the Fifth Prince to take Feng Ke's daughter as a concubine?"

Zhen Wu smiled mysteriously: "A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea."

Zhao Shiqing was puzzled.

But soon news came that Feng Ke requested an audience with Emperor Yongjia to break off his engagement with his illegitimate daughter, Feng Yalan!
"My daughter is unworthy of the prince's favor and has even caused my other daughter to be publicly humiliated. I implore Your Majesty to dissolve the engagement between my daughter and the Fifth Prince, and to bestow another noble daughter upon the Fifth Prince!" (End of Chapter)