Chapter 221
Chapter 219: The Princess Consort Takes Responsibility
The uproar kept growing, but Prince Yong did not care.
People were cursing him everywhere.
By the time he came back that evening, the Inner Residence had already been arranged properly. Compared with how empty and cold it had been before, it was now full of light and a bit noisy.
He went into the main residence.
He had said that he would live in the main residence for a month. That meant he would leave the Secondary Consorts hanging for now.
This was his struggle with the Emperor and the great clans.
Luo Ning could not control it. She never meddled in anything beyond her duty or ability. Her own duty was simply to follow the Prince’s orders.
“The Prince’s Secondary Consort was the first to enter the manor and only stayed at the gate for a short while. Secondary Consort Zheng blocked the gate for too long and stopped the other two there. They entered the manor half an hour late,” Luo Ning said.
Tao Bo should already have told Prince Yong this.
Still, she said it again so that her master would not think she was ill-informed.
“Serve the meal,” Xiao Huai Feng said calmly, not responding to this matter at all. Then he went to the inner room to change his clothes.
He did not want to talk more.
All the servants in the main residence were Luo Ning’s maidservants. Every time he changed his clothes, Luo Ning would send Qiu Lan to attend him. Qiu Lan was rather steady and used to seeing the Prince, so she was not very afraid of him.
When he came out, the flower hall was already set with dinner, and Luo Ning accompanied him to eat.
As expected, she did not bring up the Secondary Consorts again.
She could already imagine how lively the Imperial Court Hall would be the next morning, if there was a Morning Court Session at all.
The next day, Xiao Huai Feng got up early again.
This time Luo Ning did not wake up and did not know when he had gotten up and left.
The maidservants said he had gone out at the same hour before dawn as before.
Luo Ning woke up a little after dawn and quickly got up to wash and dress.
The Secondary Consorts were coming to offer her tea.
“What rules should there be for the Secondary Consorts offering tea on their first day?” Luo Ning specially called Nanny Shi in to ask.
Nanny Shi was even more nervous than Luo Ning. She said: “This… Princess Consort, no one has told this old servant. And this old servant cannot go to other princes’ manors to ask.”
“…What did Tao Bo say?” Luo Ning asked.
“Tao Bo came from the Imperial Palace. He has never seen such a thing either,” Nanny Shi said uneasily. She looked at Nanny Yin and asked: “Nursemaid, do you know?”
Nanny Yin was speechless.
She thought to herself: [You really are grabbing at any doctor when you’re sick. Did I come from a prince’s manor? I am also from the Imperial Palace.]
By rights, a Secondary Consort in a prince’s manor was similar to a palace concubine. She had an investiture decree and seal and a monthly allowance, unlike the concubines in ordinary noble households.
But these women had entered through the side gate, the Prince’s Manor had held no welcoming banquet, and the Prince had still spent the night in the main residence. This showed he did not care at all.
Who could grasp all the subtle meanings here? A small mistake might bring disaster.
Who would want to take the blame?
Luo Ning smiled. She took the burden on herself so that Nanny Shi and Nanny Yin would not be put in a difficult spot. She said: “Since there is no rule set, I will think of a way to handle it.”
Nanny Shi and Nanny Yin both thought in their hearts: [The Princess Consort is straightforward and has the courage to take responsibility.]
“Have them come and kowtow, but they do not need to serve me tea,” Luo Ning ordered.
If she pushed the Secondary Consorts down to the level of concubines, it would bring no benefit to Prince Yong’s manor and would only make the Emperor even more displeased. Prince Yong could act as he liked, but Luo Ning could not.
The Empress Dowager needed to keep things balanced, and so did Luo Ning. This was also one of her duties as Prince Yong’s Principal Consort.
Luo Ning had promised the Empress Dowager that there would be no big trouble, but that she would also not let herself be bullied.
They still had to kowtow, but the tea ceremony could be omitted.
She told Nanny Shi to pass down the order: “Tell them to come at the hour of chen.”
Nanny Shi agreed and sent people to deliver the message.
Luo Ning first had her breakfast. After rinsing her mouth and tidying up a little, she sat and waited for the Secondary Consorts to arrive.
The maidservants had already prepared kneeling cushions and red envelopes. Since they would kowtow, she had to give rewards in return.
The first to come was actually Zheng Jia’er.
She had rushed to be first.
The weather in the third month was warm, and this morning it was even a bit hot. Peach blossoms were in full bloom in the courtyard, bright and blazing. A petal had fallen onto the shoulder of her lotus-green jacket.
It was as if she had just walked out from under the peach trees, covered in their fragrance.
She looked at Luo Ning, lifted her chin a little, and only bent her knees in greeting as she said: “Princess Consort.”
Luo Ning smiled and said: “Secondary Consort Zheng, did you rest well yesterday?”
“Not very well. Princess Consort, I want to say something to the Prince,” she said.
“Pay your respects first,” Luo Ning said.
She glanced at a maidservant.
Qiu Hua immediately placed the kneeling cushion by Zheng Jia’er’s feet.
Zheng Jia’er’s cheeks twitched.
Behind her stood an old maidservant who had come with her dowry. The woman gently poked her in the waist and whispered with a smile: “Secondary Consort, kowtow to the Princess Consort. You must complete this courtesy.”
Zheng Jia’er’s face almost twisted with rage.
She did not have much scheming ability. She only relied on the Zheng family’s power to act arrogant. Now that she had entered the Prince’s Manor, if no one continued to back her up, she would be like a little beast with its claws cut off.
Luo Ning was not very bothered by her.
“Secondary Consort Zheng, if you do not want to perform the ceremony, then go back first,” Luo Ning said with a slight smile.
The old maidservant behind Zheng Jia’er poked her again.
Just then, Wang Jun entered the main residence.
She wore a peach-pink jacket and a plain white silk skirt. Only pearl flowers decorated her hair. She looked simple, clean, modest, and gentle.
She was quite pretty. Her nose was slightly upturned, and there was a hint of lively charm in her calm expression. She was the kind of beauty that made people forget everything else.
She entered, smiled first, and drew her sleeves together to bow as she said: “Princess Consort.”
Maidservant Qiu Hua again placed a kneeling cushion by her feet. She knelt down neatly and kowtowed to Luo Ning. She said: “From now on, everything will depend on the Princess Consort’s care, Sister.”
Maidservant Qiu Lan placed a red envelope on the floor. Luo Ning told her to rise and said: “From now on we are all one family. You must serve the Prince well and obey the rules of the Prince’s Manor. You must also get along with one another.”
Wang Jun agreed.
Seeing how soft she was, Zheng Jia’er looked at her with contempt. Yesterday, the first to enter the manor had also been her.
She glared at Wang Jun fiercely.
But Wang Jun lowered her eyes as if she had not seen her at all. She let Nanny Yin guide her to sit down and calmly picked up the tea a maidservant handed her.
Luo Ning sat above, Wang Jun sat at the same level, and Zheng Jia’er, standing there, looked as if she were being punished for making a mistake.
Zheng Jia’er’s face grew uglier.
Her old maidservant kept trying to push her to act, but she still stood there proudly. Then Pei Yu and Cui Zheng Lan also arrived.
The two of them had come prepared. Seeing that Wang Jun had already paid her respects and sat down, they kowtowed very straightforwardly.
After Pei Yu sat down, she did not even bother to drink her tea first. She began by shaming Zheng Jia’er and said: “Princess Consort, Zheng Sister may not have done very well, but please do not stoop to her level and make yourself angry. Early in the morning like this, just send her back. Why punish her like this?”
Luo Ning still remembered Pei Yu.
Around this time last year, at the Grand Princess’s spring viewing banquet, she had played the zither and been scolded by Prince Yong. She had even dared to argue with him and asked Prince Yong to teach her.
After that, Luo Ning had hardly dealt with her, but she clearly remembered that this one was not easy to handle.
As expected, Zheng Jia’er’s eyes darkened.
She had not knelt a moment ago, and now it was even harder for her to kneel. She turned on Pei Yu in anger and said: “Who are you calling Sister?”
“Enough!” Luo Ning set down her teacup heavily. “Who allowed you to shout like that? Someone, send her back right now!”
“Princess Consort, please do not lower yourself to the Secondary Consort’s level.” The old maidservant beside Zheng Jia’er could not take it anymore. She fell to her knees on the blue brick floor and said: “The Secondary Consort will pay her respects right away.”
Her eyes were full of sorrow and pleading. She said: “Secondary Consort, you must perform the ceremony. If the rites are not completed, the Prince’s Manor will send you back to the Duke of the Realm’s manor!”
Only then did Zheng Jia’er understand that when Pei Yu and Luo Ning had said “send her back,” they did not mean sending her back to her courtyard for punishment, but sending her away to her father’s manor.
Swallowing her anger and humiliation, she knelt down to Luo Ning.