Chapter 114: The Spicy Ninth Princess Consort 11

The Tenth Prince thought to himself that while his Ninth Brother looked clever, his brain really wasn’t as sharp as his own most of the time.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t associate with the Eighth Brother, but the Eighth Brother was a bit superficial. The Tenth Prince, having grown up motherless, had long since grown accustomed to the coldness and disdain of the palace.

When it came to reading people, he considered himself far superior to his Ninth Brother.

The Eighth Brother was not someone to be trusted.

But he couldn’t just say that outright.

“Ninth Brother, does Ninth Sister-in-law know about this business of yours? You said it yourself, she has a mind as narrow as the eye of a needle. If this gets back to her and you end up kicked out of the Main Courtyard, it’ll be a laughingstock.” In Old Tenth’s mind, a mother was one’s own flesh and blood, wishing only the best for her child without expecting anything in return.

Everyone else fell short of that.

If someone said his Imperial Ama didn’t want his sons to do well, he wouldn’t believe it. But that expectation was never as pure as a mother’s. Besides, his Imperial Ama was the Emperor, and imperial power would always be more important to him than his sons.

The Empress Dowager?

They weren’t blood-related, so as long as they maintained appearances, it was enough.

As for the other imperial consorts and foster mothers, though they wouldn’t outright kill him, they treated him with indifference.

Only his Fujin was different. As long as the couple didn’t have any irreconcilable conflicts and had a few children, he could open his heart and live a good life with her.

Yes, in essence, no matter how well he treated his Fujin, she would never treat him like a birth mother would. But then, his own kindness toward his Fujin wasn’t entirely selfless either.

Old Tenth had only come to understand this truth after his Fujin suffered a miscarriage.

Now, just like his Ninth Brother, he was in the phase of quietly trying to coax his Fujin and keep her happy.

But once a woman’s heart was broken and she was unhappy, trying to win her back was incredibly difficult.

As long as a prince’s Fujin didn’t make any major blunders, she would remain a prince’s Fujin for life. Even if she lacked favor and had no children, she could live a peaceful, effortless life just relying on her dowry.

Why would she bother pouring her heart out to live with you?

Thus, Old Tenth had only realized this after having to coax his own Fujin.

But from the look of things, had his Ninth Brother still not figured this out?

Sure enough, his Ninth Brother looked completely baffled. “What is there to tell your Ninth Sister-in-law? I give her plenty of household money every year, and I even give her private silver to secure her retirement. If she’s still eyeing my private businesses, she’s being too greedy.”

These words made Old Tenth’s eyelids twitch. Everyone called him a brute, but in truth, he was only built a bit rough; his mind was actually quite delicate.

But look at his Ninth Brother in front of him. Fair-skinned, red-lipped, and delicate-looking, yet his mind was so dense… it was beyond words!

“Ninth Brother, I still think it’s best not to keep secrets from Ninth Sister-in-law. Between husband and wife, affection doesn’t even matter that much. But if a couple doesn’t know each other’s business inside and outside the home, doesn’t it feel a bit unsettling to live like that?” Old Tenth laid it all out. The Ninth Prince stayed for dinner, drinking until he was thoroughly dazed before finally heading home.

Upon returning, he saw his Fujin already asleep, holding their son. He pursed his lips. What Old Tenth said wasn’t entirely without merit. Wasn’t his hard work outside all for the sake of this mother and son?

The next day at noon, the Ninth Prince returned home for lunch after the morning court session. He wanted to explain everything clearly to his Fujin, even turning down an invitation from the Eighth Brother.

As soon as he returned, he told Su Huandan that he had taken a share in the textile industry in Jiangnan using his status as a prince, which would yield him a net profit of two hundred thousand taels of silver every year.

Su Huandan set down her chopsticks immediately.

“I know the textile industry is profitable, but a tribute of two hundred thousand taels just for you? That might very well be more than half of their annual profits. So, what exactly are they after? Do you even know? What if those people are doing illegal things? Are you going to cover for them? That’s no way to make money. If you really want some extra spending money, why can’t we open a restaurant or do some normal business?” Why did he have to get involved with these shady characters?

The Ninth Prince looked at his Fujin with surprise. Not bad, she actually thought about things with some depth?

“It’s not as serious as you think. The other brothers are doing it too. Besides, Eighth Brother introduced this contact to me. I think he’s very reliable.” The Ninth Prince shouldn’t have said that. The moment he did, Su Huandan nearly exploded on the spot.

“You really are something. Why are you snatching Eighth Brother’s business? Our life is much better than his. Eighth Brother doesn’t get any help from Consort Mother Hui^[1], his birth mother can’t be relied on, and Eighth Sister-in-law’s family can’t help either. That’s why he had to scrape together this business to support his household. If you snatch it, how is Eighth Brother supposed to get by?” Su Huandan suppressed her temper, but her words made the Ninth Prince’s expression darken.

First, the Ninth Prince felt his Fujin was trying to drive a wedge between them.

In the past, he might have flared up on the spot, but now that he had learned to restrain his temper, he managed to keep his composure.

Second, following his Fujin’s line of thought, the Ninth Prince realized something. His Eighth Brother was indeed tight on money, yet in such a situation, Eighth Brother hadn’t kept this lucrative business for himself, but had instead pushed the contact to him?

If he hadn’t paid attention, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it. But now that he noticed, how could he not have doubts?

The rest of the meal was eaten in tasteless silence.

Su Huandan didn’t say much more either. If they bickered constantly, how could they go on living together?

In any case, she had already planted her medicinal herbs…

In the afternoon, the Ninth Prince went out. Su Huandan didn’t know what he was up to, nor did she care, as she was busy hosting the Tenth Fujin.

She had once thought of becoming friends with this woman, but later realized their values didn’t align, so she didn’t force it.

The Tenth Fujin had come with a purpose: “Ninth Sister-in-law, I heard that Honghui is not doing well. He’s been bedridden for nearly a month. Shouldn’t we pay a visit?”

Su Huandan looked up in surprise. Why had she suddenly brought this up?

“Eighth Sister-in-law sent someone to ask if I was going to visit.” The Tenth Fujin thought to herself, if she were in the Fourth Sister-in-law’s shoes, how distressed would she be right now? How could she possibly have the energy to entertain guests?

Not going would actually be doing her a favor.

If they went, she would have to tire herself out trying to make time to host them…

The Tenth Fujin had not been in the capital for long and didn’t understand the ways of Manchu women. Wasn’t she only asking because her Aisin Gioro Prince got along so well with the Ninth Prince?

If she didn’t ask the Ninth Princess Consort about this, there really was no other way to find out.

“I don’t want to go. She’s already stressed out, so why bother her? But your words did remind me of something. I don’t have to go in person, but I can still send some gifts.” The Tenth Fujin highly approved of Su Huandan’s way of thinking.

Sending some medicinal herbs and the like would do. Their household did not lack such minor things, and there was truly no need to rush over right now just to make a nuisance of themselves.

The Tenth Fujin agreed, saying she would go back to prepare some herbs as well, and quickly took her leave.

Yet, barely had the Tenth Fujin stepped out the door when a senior maidservant from the Eighth Fujin’s side arrived.

She brought an invitation from the Eighth Fujin, asking Su Huandan to join her tomorrow to visit Honghui.

Su Huandan: …

The Eighth Fujin was really showing off in the wrong place.

She hadn’t heard of the Crown Princess or the First Fujin going to visit, and those two were the leaders among the sisters-in-law. As the Eighth Fujin, what was she trying to accomplish by acting so conspicuously?