Chapter 115: The Spicy Ninth Princess Consort 12

Su Huandan refused outright, and the nanny sent by the Eighth Fujin stared at her face in utter disbelief.

Her mistress was the elder sister-in-law. When an elder sister-in-law invited you, you rejected her without a second thought?

No matter what the nanny thought, she did not dare to question Su Huandan. Filled with doubt and dissatisfaction, she went back to report.

The Ninth Prince ran into the Eighth Fujin’s nanny at the main gate. He recognized her but did not pay it any mind.

Returning to the Main Courtyard, the Ninth Prince could not help but ask, “I ran into Eighth Sister-in-law’s nanny at the gate. Did she want something from you?”

Su Huandan was on the bed, playing with their son.

Without even looking up, she said, “She went to the Tenth Fujin first, saying that Honghui isn’t doing well and she wanted to go visit him. That nanny came to talk about this just now. I refused. Honghui is unwell, and Fourth Brother and Fourth Fujin must be in a frantic rush. If we go now, they’ll have to distract themselves to entertain us. Isn’t that just causing trouble? What’s the point? I just sent someone over with some medicinal herbs instead.”

Su Huandan did not think there was anything wrong with her words. Putting herself in others’ shoes, if she were the Fourth Fujin, she would also be annoyed by visitors at a time like this.

But when she looked up, she saw the Ninth Prince’s face had darkened.

Su Huandan was puzzled. What had she said wrong this time to upset him?

“It has nothing to do with you,” he said. “It’s just that I’ve only realized today how interesting Eighth Sister-in-law is. You are the Ninth Princess Consort, yet she sent someone to the Tenth Fujin first?” What was that supposed to mean?

Su Huandan was speechless.

This man is so petty. It’s just delivering a message. Is it really necessary to fuss over who came first?

“How is it not necessary? You thought that because the Ninth Prince lives close to us, there was no rush to send someone over. But the Ninth Prince is still the older brother, so you handled this without any tact.” The Eighth Prince already knew that the Ninth Prince had declined the partnership in Jiangnan.

He was already trying to figure out what the Ninth Prince meant by that, and now this had happened at home. How could the Eighth Prince not overthink it?

The Eighth Fujin felt incredibly wronged. She truly did not think this was a big deal. What difference did it make who went first?

It was not like sending gifts during festivals. She had never made a mistake on those major occasions.

Yet, the moment her husband returned, he gave her a scolding. How could she not feel aggrieved?

She turned away, lay down on the bed, and stopped talking.

As if she did not have a temper of her own!

Feeling exhausted, the Eighth Prince rubbed the space between his brows. He also lay down on his side and began to coax her.

Before long, he had coaxed her back into a good mood. The Eighth Fujin was able to sleep peacefully, feeling happy and sweet, but the Eighth Prince was still trying to figure out the Ninth Prince’s thoughts and could not fall asleep at all.

Meanwhile, the Ninth Prince was lying on the warm daybed by the window opposite the bed, talking to his Fujin across the wide space.

“Your concerns about that matter weren’t without reason,” he said. “You’re right. Our lives are much better now, and I shouldn’t be snatching Eighth Brother’s way of making money. I should think more about the restaurant business you mentioned.” The Ninth Prince also found it strange. After turning down that deal today, he actually felt a sense of relief.

The next day at noon, he was cornered by his Eighth Brother.

In the past, the Ninth Prince had no guard up against his Eighth Brother. But now?

If he tried to say that Eighth Brother was the same to him as Old Tenth, he would not even believe it himself.

Eighth Brother and Old Tenth had always been different in his heart.

He and Old Tenth had truly grown up together, chasing cats, teasing dogs, and robbing birds’ nests. It was a bond forged from childhood.

When did he start getting close to Eighth Brother?

It was only in recent years, after Noble Consort Wenxi passed away.

His Fujin’s words had ultimately influenced him. Now, when facing Eighth Brother, he no longer trusted him unconditionally.

The Eighth Prince asked him why he was suddenly backing out of such a good business venture.

At this point, the Eighth Prince was not actually trying to plot against the Ninth Prince. He was merely trying to cater to the Ninth Prince’s interests and preferences.

In the palace, after he began associating with the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Prince, his life had become much easier. Those Booyi servants no longer dared to mistreat him.

Having enjoyed the benefits of borrowing their influence, he understood the advantages of sticking together.

Once the brothers married and established their own households, their relationships naturally became less intimate than before.

Therefore, he needed to use certain methods to maintain this closeness.

The Eighth Prince truly thought this way.

The Ninth Prince said with a chuckle, “Eighth Brother, I was just too excited that day. But thinking back on it, it wouldn’t be right for me to snatch your source of income.”

The Eighth Prince believed this reason. Hearing this, his expression relaxed considerably. After offering it a few more times and seeing the Ninth Prince firmly refuse to take over the business, the matter was laid to rest.

The Eighth Prince walked back with light steps, but the Ninth Prince’s steps on his way home were not as cheerful.

He felt rather uncomfortable inside.

Even after all these years, Eighth Brother still lived so cautiously.

If it were Old Tenth, he would not have politely offered it over and over again.

He had originally planned to drink with Old Tenth, but now he was no longer in the mood.

He might as well go home and have lunch with his Fujin.

After returning home, he ate a bowl of saozi noodles^[1]. It was sour and spicy, perfect for stimulating the appetite in this hot weather. After sweating it out and taking a cold bath, his entire body felt incredibly comfortable.

Actually, living like this isn’t bad at all, the Ninth Prince thought to himself.

Soon, the New Year festival arrived again.

This was the third New Year festival Su Huandan had spent in the Qing palace since her reincarnation.

Last year, she was pregnant and close to giving birth, so she had missed the palace banquet. This year, she had to attend again.

When she lived in the imperial palace, she had felt suffocated. But only after moving out and attending the palace banquets did she realize what a torment it truly was.

She had to wake up in the middle of the night, get dressed, and rush to the palace in a carriage.

Once you reached the palace gates, you would realize that having too many princes was not a good thing.

The Ninth Prince had to wait for his older brothers to enter first before he could proceed.

Queuing to enter the palace, they waited at the gates for nearly two hours.

Once inside the palace, everyone had to head to the inner palace to find their respective mothers.

Carriages were not allowed in the inner palace.

Currently, the highest rank among the princes was only Commandery Prince, a status that did not grant them the right to ride in sedan chairs within the palace.

Fine, then. Everyone would walk together.

It took another hour before they finally reached Consort Yi’s palace.

Arriving here, they could finally catch their breath.

Su Huandan took off her cloak and went straight to see her son. As his swaddling blanket was unwrapped, the little boy frowned impatiently, pursing his lips and staring.

The Ninth Prince leaned over to take a look, and his eye twitched. Both he and his Fujin were good-looking, so why didn’t this boy resemble either of his parents? Instead, he looked exactly like his grandfather.

With his tiny brow furrowed, he actually looked rather intimidating.

It was not just the Ninth Prince who found it intimidating. The Fifth Prince turned to look and stared with wide eyes. “This boy looks way too much like Imperial Ama. When he’s angry, it’s actually quite chilling.”

This single sentence made Consort Yi’s face darken. Walls had ears. Had they only been out of the palace for a few days of easy living and already forgotten?

Had they lost all sense of vigilance?

Yet it would not do to scold her son in public, as it would look bad if word got out. Consort Yi simply reached out and took her grandson into her arms.

Su Huandan and the Ninth Prince had long since grown accustomed to this.

The Fifth Fujin did not care either. She had no children of her own anyway, so there was no need for jealousy. However, the Fifth Prince had brought his two concubine-born sons along. Seeing his mother’s actions, he felt rather uncomfortable.

He had only just realized that his own mother also cared so much about the distinction between legitimate and concubine-born children.