Too high to reach

Chapter 45 The red candle burns empty
In the back room, Li Jing's women were all waiting.

Seeing him lead Li Shaofeng in, they all stood up.

Li Jing released her son's hand and sat down in the main seat with an air of nonchalance.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Everyone stood at attention and bowed to him.

"Please sit down!" he said casually, waving his hand.

Among those present were two concubines, Feng and Tian.

There were also three concubines: Mei, Xu, and Wu.

Aunt Mei was Li Jing's personal maid, and was elevated to the rank of concubine by the former Princess Zhou. Aunt Xu was the daughter of the local prefect when the prince went south. Aunt Wu was a gift from a wealthy man in the southwest.

Both of Aunt Xu and Aunt Wu were exceptionally beautiful.

Aunt Xu was a skilled pipa player, and also proficient in poetry and prose.

As for Aunt Wu, she truly had a face as beautiful as a lotus facing the sun, and a figure as delicate as a willow swaying in the breeze. During the Mid-Autumn Festival of the year she entered the mansion, her long-sleeved dance under the moon made the prince... drink a few more cups of wine than expected.

Just as Chunman said: Since last night, several people have been in their own room, changing clothes and doing different hairstyles until midnight.

At this moment, each of them wore high buns adorned with jewels and jade, their silk robes fragrant with dew, displaying their finest bearing.

Standing in the grand hall, each person had two respectable maids standing behind them.

Everywhere you look, you can see the extravagance of life in the Prince's mansion...

Compared to other princes, Li Jing had relatively few women around him. There was no jealousy, power struggles, or underhanded tactics among them.

This is not easy! Even though the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace has a good reputation, there are still rumors of trouble caused by concubines and mistresses.

However, the inner quarters of the Prince Qi's residence remained peaceful, and there are probably several reasons for this!

First of all, Li Jing is a man preoccupied with official duties and has little affection for women. No matter how beautiful or suitable a woman is, he won't favor her exclusively, let alone spend much time eating or talking with her. He also never gives any special gifts to anyone; it's always the same for everyone.

At most, he might get one more item on his birthday, but it would just be taken from the storeroom according to the rules, without any personal influence on him.

His own clothing was managed by designated people, so the women didn't have to take care of it.

Aunt Mei had been making him underwear for many years, so he had given her approval. Apart from that, everything else was done according to the rules.

Moreover, he always had a stern face and was very strict with himself and others. If a word or action displeased him, the consequences would be severe, so everyone was somewhat afraid of him.

Furthermore, the original Princess Zhou was elegant and virtuous, and would never stoop to using such despicable means to suppress her concubines.

Now, there is no principal wife in the mansion, and Consort Feng is only temporarily in charge of household affairs. She comes from a humble background and doesn't have much authority.

Everyone eats, drinks, and dresses well on a daily basis, and their children are still young, so there's little competition. When Granny Zhao was in charge of the household, the rules were solid and the regulations were strict, so Consort Feng wouldn't easily violate them... there was no need for that.

Over the years, only two major events have occurred in the manor: the death of Princess Zhou.

One was that Aunt Mei miscarried in July.

Although it's a serious matter, the investigation revealed...

Princess Zhou was seriously ill and suffering from depression.

Aunt Mei... The doctor said it was due to an unstable pregnancy, but there was nothing particularly unusual about it.

The prince was wealthy, yet he only kept a few women, all of whom lived in luxury and idleness. Even peaceful days can become boring after a while. They all longed for the prince to visit their rooms more often and desired to have children!

At this very moment, the women's hearts were stirred with desire, and they looked at the prince with shining eyes! Even Consort Feng wanted to have more children to consolidate her position.

Only Aunt Mei's eyes were slightly moist; whenever she saw the Prince or Li Shaofeng, she would think of her poor child...

"I heard that Your Highness has won several great victories. Congratulations, Your Highness!" Consort Tian said with a smile, then nudged the little girl leaning against her. "Jingjing, go and greet your father!"

The little girl looked to be only two or three years old, with a chubby face. She was very cute and obedient. She knelt down with her short legs bent and said, "Jingjing greets Father!" Her words were clear and proper.

Upon seeing this, Shao Ge'er remembered what he had learned before and ran over to kneel down, saying, "Greetings, Father!" Princess Wenxiu realized that she could no longer remain seated. She rose from her seat, knelt before them, and bowed again.

Looking at his children, Li Jing smiled and said, "Get up, all of you! The things your father brought for you will be delivered to your rooms later."

Shao Ge'er and Jing Jie'er got up and ran towards their mother.

Princess Wenxiu turned and returned to her seat, where she was helped by her maid to sit down. Her posture was so dignified that it seemed somewhat out of place for her age. Yet, her small body appeared rather lonely.

Li Jing felt a sudden tightness in his chest, thinking: This time I'm back, I should make time to spend with her.

Is everything alright at home?

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Consort Feng said, "Everything is fine at home. I have kept records of all the important events and exchanges, which Your Highness can review when you have some free time. I have also kept records of the birthday gifts from the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress."

"Okay." Li Jing nodded.

"Furthermore, I've received quite a few invitations recently. I've compiled a list based on the dates and the invitations. Take a look... and I'll make arrangements based on your plans!"

Li Jing nodded without saying anything.

"Your Highness, I also have something to give you," said Consort Tian.

"Alright, I'll go to your room to get it later!"

Consort Tian was secretly delighted upon hearing this. "Yes. Then... Your Highness won't be leaving anytime soon after your return, right?" She also wanted to have another son.

"I probably won't be leaving anytime soon... Even if I do go out, it won't be for too long. But there are many things to do in the capital, and I can't stay idle."

"Your Highness!" Consort Feng said, "I have prepared dinner. Would you like the food served? Would you like the ladies to have a drink with you?"

“There are still quite a few people waiting ahead. Just proceed as planned! Oh, and one more thing… We've taken in a woman in New Jersey. She won't arrive until the first year, so please prepare a courtyard for her to settle in. Also…”

Everyone tensed up at the mention of a new person entering the room.

Consort Feng glanced around quickly, not seeing Miss Zhou Jiu, and couldn't help but feel a little wary. She thought to herself: this Miss Zhou Jiu is indeed more astute than Zhou Li. She didn't even go into the inner room; if she were there, she'd be quite embarrassed to hear this, wouldn't she?
I was distracted for a moment, but then I quickly started listening attentively again.

“Zhou Dong will return to the capital to take up his post in the middle of next year. His wife and children will come to the capital with that woman. He has been away from the capital for many years and has no place to live in the city. You can discuss with Granny Zhao how to arrange things for him. Try your best to take care of him.”

"Yes," Consort Feng replied.

"That's all for now, everyone settle in!" With that, Li Jing stood up and left.

Everyone rose to see him off, but Consort Feng, with her sharp eyes, quickly grabbed a cloak and chased after him, calling out, "Your Highness, please put on this cloak!"

Li Jing paused, but didn't turn around. The cloak was handed to him, which he took, and he strode away.

In the front, several tables of food and wine were set out in the side room. There were no outsiders present, only his subordinates, advisors, and stewards.

Upon seeing him arrive, everyone bowed in greeting.

"No need for formalities."

Someone said, "Your Highness must be exhausted from your journey; you need to rest well upon your return. We have already prepared a briefing on the matters at hand. Please take a look, Your Highness, and we are ready to answer your questions at any time."

"You've all worked hard these past two years. If there's nothing urgent, I'll take a look at the briefing first. Let's have our meal!"

After finishing our meal, we chatted for so long that we forgot about the time.

The women in the inner quarters were still awake very late. Red candles burned high, and they sat alone in the shadows. The doors were all left open, but they didn't know whose room the prince would visit that night.

Consort Feng thought she would come to her because... she was different from others. Her heart pounded, and she touched her burning ears.

Consort Tian, ​​however, thought that the prince would come to her place. Wasn't a box full of silver notes attractive enough?
Unfortunately, they waited for a very long time...

After finishing his business, Li Jing went straight to sleep in the front yard.

(End of this chapter)