The Good Concubine of the Qing Dynasty [Red Mansion]

Looking into her aunt’s eyes, Luoyu called out once more, “Aunt…” For some reason, she felt a lump in her throat, and her eyes began to warm with unshed tears.

Yun Shuyao was filled with deep emotions. She removed most of the jewelry from Luoyu’s head, and Luoyu immediately leaned her head against her aunt’s chest, closing her eyes. “Aunt.”

Yun Shuyao gently massaged her pressure points, “Are you tired?”

Luoyu replied, “Yes, I’m tired, so I’ll rest for a while.”

She hadn’t slept well the previous night, too excited about being able to return home.

Of course, she couldn’t rest for long, as she couldn’t stay home like her elder sister and brother-in-law. The return home visit was only for today.

They had to leave before nightfall.

With her eyes closed, she dozed off for less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea. When she opened her eyes again, she was noticeably more refreshed.

Yun Shuyao held her wrist and checked her pulse.

There was nothing abnormal.

Luoyu knew her aunt was worried about her. She didn’t say anything and simply smiled at her.

After confirming nothing was wrong, Yun Shuyao released her hand. “How was it when you went to the palace to pay respects? Did everything go smoothly? You saw the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, right?”

Luoyu said, “Yes, I saw him, but the Emperor was very busy, so we didn’t stay long. After bowing and paying our respects, we left.” She thought for a moment and added, “The Emperor indeed looks very healthy.”

“We didn’t stay long with the Empress Dowager either. She is a kind person, though she’s not very proficient in Chinese.” Fortunately, Luoyu was fluent, or else they would have needed someone to translate.

Then there was Consort De.

Compared to her attitude during the selection when she called both sisters over, Consort De was now much colder.

At first, Luoyu thought the coldness was directed at her, but later realized that even the Fujin (wife of a prince) didn’t have much to say in front of Consort De. It wasn’t necessarily aimed at her alone; it seemed that Consort De simply favored her younger son more.

The Fourteenth Fujin received completely different treatment from Consort De. The closeness between them made it easy to believe they were truly mother and daughter.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the Fourteenth Fujin was pregnant?

However, from what Luoyu had learned, even before the pregnancy, Consort De had always favored her younger son and daughter-in-law.

Upon reflection, it wasn’t hard to understand why Consort De would prefer her younger son and his wife.

Consort De was undoubtedly the role model many women in the palace aspired to become.

She entered the palace in the 14th year of Kangxi’s reign, along with Wanliuhashi and others.

In the 17th year of Kangxi, she gave birth to the Fourth Prince. Since Lady Tongjia had no children, the Fourth Prince was adopted under Lady Tongjia’s care. The following year, she was promoted to Consort De, and that wasn’t all—just one year after becoming Consort De, she gave birth to the Sixth Prince. The year after the Sixth Prince was born, she was promoted to Noble Consort De.

Unfortunately, the Sixth Prince was not blessed with good fortune and passed away young.

Afterward, she gave birth to three daughters before finally giving birth to the Fourteenth Prince in the 27th year of Kangxi’s reign.

Compared to the Fourth Prince, who had been raised under Lady Tongjia since childhood, the Fourteenth Prince was the one Noble Consort De raised herself.

Although both sons were her biological children, only one was personally raised by her, which naturally resulted in differences in affection.

Even though outwardly she didn’t show too much favoritism, those who knew could see her bias wasn’t a secret.

Yun Shuyao said, “Favoritism is favoritism. She’s an elder. As long as you show her respect, it’s fine. Don’t speak out of turn.”

Luoyu nodded. “Aunt, I’m not foolish. I know she’s my mother-consort, and I wouldn’t speak recklessly.”

“As I was leaving, I saw Cousin Yuanchun in Noble Consort De’s palace.”

Yun Shuyao turned her head in surprise. “Did she come to you on her own?”

Luoyu shook her head. “No, it seemed she was there on some task, and we met by chance. It looked like she wanted to say something to me, but didn’t get the opportunity. It seemed Noble Consort De didn’t want her to speak with me.”

Yun Shuyao nodded, “You won’t have many chances to enter the palace, and I imagine you won’t meet her often in the future.”

That was true. The Fourth Prince had already left the palace and established his own residence outside, so their visits to the palace would be limited. Most of the time, it would be the Fujin (wife of a prince) who visited more frequently.

“If she asks you for help, don’t agree right away.”

Luoyu couldn’t help but sigh. “I know. It’s just that Cousin Yuanchun has been in the palace for several years now. I wonder if she’ll be released to marry freely when she reaches the appropriate age.”

Luoyu knew that this was definitely not what Cousin Yuanchun or the Jia family behind her wanted.

For ordinary people, entering the palace as a maid or serving as an official could raise their status, and once they reached the age of release, they could marry into a better family. However, for Cousin Yuanchun, this was unnecessary.

Even if she became a female official, it wouldn’t greatly improve her options for marriage after leaving the palace. In fact, it could be more of a disadvantage because, by that time, she would likely be of an age where she could only marry as someone’s second wife. She would have been better off not entering the palace and directly choosing a more suitable husband earlier.

Yun Shuyao didn’t know when Jia Yuanchun became a consort or whose consort she was. She only remembered that she would become a consort, as the famous Grand View Garden was built for her.

No one knew if the day would come when she would be made a consort, but it was likely that she had such aspirations.

Otherwise, if she wanted to leave the palace, she could request the favor of being granted permission.

“She’s been in the palace for so long; who knows if her character has changed. If she seeks you out, be cautious.”

If there was an opportunity for her to use someone, Yun Shuyao didn’t think she would just let it pass by.

As for the other consorts, like Consort Hui and Consort Yi, Luoyu only mentioned them briefly since they were not the ones who raised the Fourth Prince. They followed the proper etiquette by paying their respects, exchanged greetings, and that was the end of it.

However, one person worth mentioning was the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess’s reputation for wisdom and virtue was well deserved. Even after a brief meeting, she left a lasting impression, making people feel comforted and instilling a sense of trust.

“Even though she hasn’t given birth to a legitimate heir, her position in the palace is unshakable.”

Yun Shuyao nodded, “How is the relationship between her and the other Fujin?”

Luoyu said, “It’s fine. I’ll handle whatever comes my way. As long as they don’t stir up trouble, I won’t…”

After saying what she wanted in one breath, and seeing no one had come yet to remind her it was time to leave, Luoyu reluctantly suggested going to visit her eldest sister for a bit.

Their birthdays were just a day apart, and ever since they began their education, they saw each other every day. Over time, their bond became deep. Now, sometimes when she thought about it, there was a bittersweet sense of how much things had changed.

Luoyu still remembered how, in the past, when her eldest sister’s health wasn’t as good as it is now, Aunt Mei was strongly against the two sisters being too close. However, that notion was quickly corrected by their grandmother and father.

Yun Shuyao said, “Go ahead.”

There wouldn’t be many chances to see Luoyu in the future, and the two sisters wouldn’t get to meet often either.

Yingyu was sitting in her courtyard, clearly waiting for her.

When she saw Luoyu arrive, her eyes curved with a smile.

Luoyu walked over, took her hand, and asked, “Sister, how are things at the Xilin Jueluo family? Is Brother-in-law treating you well?”

At this, Yingyu blushed a little. “He treats me well. How about you? How is the Fourth Prince treating you?”

The two sisters exchanged a smile, saying more with their expressions than words could convey.

Overall, Yingyu was more worried about Luoyu because, at least for her, she was Dachun’s official wife, and Dachun was the legitimate son.

Although he was the second legitimate son, with an older brother and younger brothers, those in the middle tended to be more easily overlooked. Still, he was a legitimate child, and he had all the rights that came with that.

Moreover, her mother-in-law was somewhat dissatisfied. Initially, she had hoped to marry a girl from a prominent Manchu family into the household. There were even vague rumors that she wanted to marry her own niece into the family, but it was later confirmed to be false. That niece had already been promised to someone else, and now her mother-in-law was set to move to Fengtian to accompany her father-in-law while he served in office.

Perhaps, when they return to the capital in the future, living under the same roof might lead to minor conflicts. However, she wouldn’t need to manage the household, nor would she need to sweet-talk her mother-in-law. She had a younger brother-in-law, and there would eventually be sisters-in-law, and by then, she should already have children of her own.

Having children would help her integrate better into the Xilin Jueluo family. In contrast, her second sister would always be overshadowed by the Fujin, and would have to keep her head down.

Whether her days would be easy largely depended on how the Fujin conducted herself. If the Fujin was difficult, her life would not be smooth.

Yingyu said, “I’ve also gathered some information about the Fourth Prince’s household. The Fourth Prince respects the Fujin, but it’s said that he favors sister Li the most. She doesn’t have the best temperament, so don’t let it upset you or act impulsively. Think carefully before saying or doing anything.”

Luoyu didn’t want her sister to worry. “Don’t worry. Both the Fourth Prince and the Fujin value rules and propriety. As long as I follow the rules, there won’t be any issues. But as for you, with more sisters-in-law around, if you do something poorly, it will be easy for others to compare you. Don’t be too soft. If you step back, others will step forward.”

Dachun felt completely exhausted.

Accompanying the Fourth Prince was no easy task. If he had been the main companion today, he suspected he would have embarrassed himself. Fortunately, today he was only a secondary companion.

The Fourth Prince naturally noticed his demeanor. Although his brother-in-law was a year older than his younger brother-in-law, he was far less mature and composed. His academic abilities could be attributed to natural talent, but his lack of experience in handling social matters only indicated that his life had been very comfortable, making him oblivious to such concerns.

In theory, his younger brother-in-law hadn’t gone through many hardships either, nor had he faced much adversity, yet there was a sense that he had matured early, much like children from poor families who are forced to take on responsibilities at a young age.

He excelled in his studies, but didn’t just stick to rote learning. They discussed various topics related to people’s livelihoods, and to his surprise, his younger brother-in-law was able to contribute to the conversation.

For example, he could accurately speak about the price of eggs, how much pork costs per pound, and how much a bushel of rice costs.

He even worked the fields himself, which was what surprised the Fourth Prince the most.

When talking about it, Chenyu recalled the past.

He smiled and said, “When we turned ten, Aunt gave my sister and me a small estate. She showed us the accounts, and we learned how much the estate produced in a year. Back then, I didn’t know any better and complained that the output was too low, suggesting that the steward wasn’t doing his job. I even claimed that if I were in charge, things wouldn’t be like that.”

The Fourth Prince and Dachun grew curious. “And then?”

Chenyu continued, “Then Aunt sent us to the estate to investigate why the output was so low. She even gave us a task—to work in the fields ourselves and experience firsthand what it meant when they say ‘each grain of rice is hard-earned.'”

Chenyu sighed, “In just half a day, I got three blisters on my hands, and after that, I went to admit my mistake.”

Dachun burst out laughing, and even the Fourth Prince smiled.

Chenyu laughed as well and said, “Working in the fields was truly tough. We stayed there for about ten days, going to the fields every day. The blisters on my hands broke, and I got two shades darker from the sun. But I gained a lot from the experience. After getting to know the others, I learned a lot about farming. It heavily depends on the weather.”

When the weather is bad, the elders have experienced working hard for a whole year only to have nothing to show for it.

Dachun was visibly distressed. It was one thing to experience the fields briefly, but spending almost half a month out there?

“Did your father-in-law agree to this?”

Chenyu replied, “As long as I didn’t fall behind in my studies, it was fine.”

Dachun was stunned.

So, not only did he have to work in the fields, but he also had to keep up with his studies?

Chenyu added, “After working in the fields, I started to enjoy studying even more because, compared to farming, studying felt much easier. Brother-in-law, if you don’t believe me, you can try it sometime.”

The Fourth Prince, on the other hand, appreciated this and nodded to himself, thinking he could have his own sons try it one day.

Dachun silently shook his head. He wasn’t foolish; there was no way he wanted to do that.

The Fourth Prince, noticing this, decisively said, “Next time I visit the estate, I’ll invite you both to join me.”

Dachun was speechless.

Can I refuse?