Chapter 108: Spicy Ninth Princess Consort 5

Having fully completed her post-confinement period, it was time for Su Huandan to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager and Consort Yi.

For someone like Su Huandan who had suffered a miscarriage, it was considered a major incident that compromised her health. Once her recovery was confirmed and she was fit to go out, she needed to pay these formal visits as a way of announcing to the world that she was fully recovered.

The Empress Dowager looked at Su Huandan’s face, her gaze deepening slightly. People often said that Khorchin produced beauties, but that statement actually had conditions. On the grasslands, the noblewomen of Khorchin were indeed the most beautiful because they were wealthy; they had the leisure, the money, and the energy to maintain themselves.

While others had red, weather-beaten faces and coarse pores, the noblewomen of Khorchin maintained themselves until they were supple and fair. Compared to the rest, was it any wonder people said Khorchin produced beauties?

The winds on the Great Steppe were cold and harsh. If one didn’t take care of their skin, they could forget about being beautiful.

The Empress Dowager thought to herself that, to be fair, her dislike for the Donggo Clan stemmed from being suppressed by Consort Donggo in her early years. She had once been punished by the Shunzhi Emperor and forced to kneel for four hours in the freezing snow of midwinter. To this day, her knees ached whenever winter arrived.

Truly, her knees began to ache the moment she laid eyes on a woman from the Donggo Clan.

However, she would not lie; the Donggo Clan really did produce clusters of beauties.

Previously, the Third Fujin was already quite glamorous, but now this Ninth Princess Consort was even more striking than the Third Fujin.

“Live your life well and rein in that temper of yours. What good does it do you if you truly provoke the Ninth Prince to the point of rage?” The Empress Dowager spoke with the wisdom of someone who had seen it all. Having been married into the Aisin Gioro family for decades, who among the women in the harem understood the Aisin Gioro men better than she did?

Su Huandan glanced at the Empress Dowager in surprise. Wasn’t it said that she disliked women of the Donggo Clan? She felt that the Empress Dowager’s words just now were full of goodwill.

So, was the Empress Dowager speaking from the perspective of a fellow woman married into the imperial family?

That was…

A very interesting old lady!

After bidding farewell to the Empress Dowager, she headed over to Consort Yi’s place.

Consort Yi looked at her younger daughter-in-law, who looked radiant after her recovery and was even more beautiful than her own younger son. She clutched her chest, her eyes shining. If this girl gave her a grandson, how beautiful would he be?

At the thought of a grandson, Consort Yi’s heart ached. It was all the fault of those two damned palace maids. If they hadn’t been so audaciously bold, she would be looking forward to holding a beautiful grandson right about now.

“Sit down quickly, don’t just stand there. One look at your complexion and Mother knows your health must be fully restored. That is good. A woman, no matter the time, must first be kind to herself. Mother knows you are growing vegetables in your courtyard now, and I highly approve. You Princess Consorts cannot wander around the palace as you please, and the Princes’ Quarters aren’t that large. It’s good to find something to do if you’re feeling bored cooped up in that small courtyard. Don’t listen to the nonsense people are talking outside; growing vegetables doesn’t bother anyone.” Consort Yi didn’t say a single word urging the young couple to get along; she simply chatted about daily life.

This was a topic Su Huandan excelled at. The mother and daughter-in-law immediately opened up and chatted quite happily.

Su Huandan stayed for lunch at Consort Yi’s palace. When she returned to the Princes’ Quarters to rest on her bed, she thought that Consort Yi’s status as a favored consort was certainly not unearned. Consort Yi was very skilled at reading people and had a silver tongue, possessing a knack for saying exactly what people wanted to hear.

When Kangxi returned to the inner palace after a busy day, he surely wanted to relax. Someone like Consort Yi, even without any bedroom antics, would make Kangxi feel much more at ease just by talking with her.

Su Huandan had been thoroughly charmed by Consort Yi today.

At dinner, seeing the Ninth Prince return once again to find a meal, Su Huandan thought to herself that Consort Yi really had it hard. She had given birth to two sons and never expected them to ascend the throne; she only hoped they would be safe and live harmoniously with their respective Fujins. In the end, the Fifth Prince made his dislike for his own Fujin plain for all to see, and the Ninth Prince had this arrogant, “I’m second only to God” bastard personality. What kind of terrible luck did Consort Yi have over several lifetimes to be stuck with two such unreasonable sons?

Once the meal was over, the Ninth Prince ran off again.

Ever since they had started speaking again half a month ago, the Ninth Prince had been like this. He would definitely come back to eat in the evening, and then head to the front courtyard to rest immediately after.

They didn’t exchange any topics at the dinner table; they just ate in silence.

Sometimes the look in the Ninth Prince’s eyes suggested he wanted to say something, but Su Huandan ignored it entirely.

After the Ninth Prince left, Su Huandan went to the west wing to check on her vegetable seedlings.

In half a month, the seedlings had all sprouted into a lush green carpet.

They were growing extremely well; it felt like they would be ready to eat in another half month.

The rooms here were filled with them, so they should last a long time.

That was Su Huandan’s plan. However, half a month later, on the morning of New Year’s Eve, the Ninth Prince took a look at the place. Without even greeting Su Huandan, he pulled up all the vegetables and distributed them among the Empress Dowager, Kangxi, the four high-ranking consorts, his brothers, and several old Prince Regents. He didn’t leave a single bit for his own household.

Su Huandan: …

By the time she found out and rushed over, all she saw were empty flowerpots scattered across the floor of the rooms.

The young eunuch guarding the west wing who looked after the vegetables saw Su Huandan’s expression and, without a word, plopped down on his knees at the doorway.

What was there to say?

He had reminded the Ninth Prince that the Fujin came to water them every day and was eagerly waiting to cook them.

But what did the Ninth Prince say?

“I know the Fujin loves to eat them, but it won’t do to have good things and not offer them to our elders. Enough, hurry up and pull the vegetables and pack them. I’m waiting to deliver them to my seniors.” He truly hadn’t left a single leaf behind.

Su Huandan was trembling with rage. How did such a bastard deserve to have a wife?

At the New Year’s Eve imperial banquet, Su Huandan wore a sapphire blue banner gown, looking gorgeous and moving. Her hair was adorned with pearls and emeralds, and she wore a perfectly composed smile, showing not a hint of anger.

To her left sat the Eighth Prince and his wife. The Eighth Fujin spoke to Su Huandan across the Eighth Prince: “I didn’t expect the Ninth Brother’s wife to actually grow them. The Eighth Prince and I ate them at noon. In the middle of winter, it’s not easy to eat such tender, fresh vegetables. Thank you, Ninth Brother’s wife.”

To her right sat the Tenth Prince and his wife. The Tenth Fujin laughed across the Ninth Prince: “Ninth Sister-in-law, I won’t say anything extra. The vegetables you grew are like this.”

As she spoke, she gave a thumbs-up. The Tenth Prince, thinking his wife’s gesture was unrefined, quickly gave her a tug. The Tenth Fujin sheepishly withdrew her hand, then turned back to glare at the Tenth Prince.

The Ninth Prince was beaming with smug satisfaction. He leaned in and whispered into Su Huandan’s ear, “Hmph, if it weren’t for me, do you think you’d be hearing such praise?”

Su Huandan turned her head to look at the Ninth Prince with a particularly strange expression. Using her things to curry favor with others? Others gained tangible benefits while she received a few meaningless words of gratitude, and the Ninth Prince actually thought this was a good deal?

No wonder he later became the Eighth Prince’s personal treasury. It seemed that as long as the Eighth Prince said a few nice things, this man would foolishly empty his pockets.

Su Huandan’s current mood was beyond words. She caught the eye of the Fifth Fujin across from her, and the look the Fifth Fujin gave her was one of pure pity.

Turning her head to look at Consort Yi sitting on the high platform, she saw that Consort Yi was looking at her with an apologetic gaze.

Su Huandan was speechless.

Well, she felt immensely relieved. At least there were some sensible people here!