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墨書 Inktalez
Regarding why Princess Ying did this, San Chun understood very well. Women who come out of the palace know some secrets about how women compete with each other. The more women there are in one place, the easier it is for disputes to arise. Eliminating rivals through someone else's hands is indeed a clever move.
Sure enough, trouble came right after she moved in. Every meal, someone would come looking for trouble. Sometimes it was one person, sometimes two, chattering away, making veiled insults that seemed endless.
At first, San Chun was angry, but as time went on, she got used to it and began to treat their words as mere nonsense. They could say what they wanted; she acted as if she were deaf and continued to do what she needed to do.
It’s easy to pretend to be deaf and mute; the hard part is not knowing what to do at all. With Lord Jun not back, these Concubines were merely decorations. Aside from eating and sleeping, they had nothing to do and couldn’t leave the residence freely. It was no wonder these beauties would come here regularly to stir up trouble—purely to pass the time.
In the blink of an eye, she had been living in the residence for over a month, and the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching. On this day, the nobles of Wei Kingdom were required to enter the palace for a banquet. Princess Ying got up early, tidied herself up, and began preparing for her trip to the palace. With Zhong Xue absent, most of the household matters were left to her; however, there were some things she truly couldn’t handle. Back in Zhao Kingdom, she didn’t have to do anything or worry about anything. Now that so many household chores were assigned to her alone, she felt overwhelmed.
She had never been to the palace and had never even met the King of Wei Kingdom or the Queen. She didn’t even know what gifts to bring when entering the palace.
Strangely enough, despite being Lady Junhou, she had never been summoned by the King or Queen. This made her feel as though she was not valued at all, and thinking about what gifts to present them gave her a headache.
Seeing her struggle, the matron said, “If the princess feels overwhelmed, why not choose one or two Concubines to help manage household affairs? After all, they are all people of Wei Kingdom and are more familiar with its matters.”
Princess Ying thought this made sense and had someone call all the Concubines in the residence.
There were only seven or eight Concubines in total under Lord Jun; aside from San Chun who had just arrived not long ago, most were older residents of the household.
These women had been cast aside upon entering the residence and were eager to curry favor whenever they could see the main wife. They surrounded Princess Ying and flattered her profusely. The princess carried herself gracefully and spoke nobly, embodying the demeanor of Lady Junhou.
Having been married for several months now, Princess Ying had only called these Concubines together a handful of times. Hearing their flattering words made her feel quite uncomfortable.
She smiled and said, “Sisters need not be overly polite. Since I have married into this household, we are family now; let’s grow closer in the future.”
“Yes,” several women responded in unison.
Princess Ying nodded and suddenly noticed San Chun at the back who hadn’t spoken a word. She was greatly surprised and exclaimed, “Spring Princess, what are you doing here?”
From the moment she entered, San Chun kept her head down. She had originally been Ji Xun's wife, but in the blink of an eye, she had become Zhong Xue's Concubine. As Ji Xun's sister, it must have been difficult for her to accept this change. She thought that by not letting her see her clearly, she could avoid a lot of awkwardness, but it seemed that the princess's gaze was indeed very perceptive.
She bowed and greeted, "I have seen Princess Ying."
Princess Ying stood up and walked in front of her, sizing her up for a while. "Ah, I thought I was seeing things; I didn't expect it to really be you, Sister Chun. I've heard about your separation from your husband, but... how did you end up here?"
Upon mentioning this, San Chun truly didn't know how to respond. She and Zhong Xue had been involved for quite some time, but how could she tell her that?
She forced a smile and said, "This... is just an accident, merely an accident."
Princess Ying seemed oblivious to her embarrassment and cheerfully took her hand. "No matter what, it's good to see someone familiar. I'm all alone in Wei Kingdom, with no one to confide in. Now that I've seen you, I feel much more at ease having you around."
She happily pulled her along to chat while the others had long been dismissed. At this point, there was no need for selection; whatever happened would be left to her.
San Chun didn't expect Princess Ying to adapt so well to her new identity. But then again, which man didn’t have a harem? Being the main wife required a generous spirit and the ability to accommodate others. If she were the primary wife herself, she wondered if she would possess such grace.
Ah, right! She was now someone's Concubine, sharing a husband with several women. Shouldn't she express a bit of jealousy as a woman?
It was truly strange; when she married Ji Xun and wasn't made Madam, she felt quite uncomfortable. Yet now that she was a concubine, she felt surprisingly calm. Had she simply gotten used to enduring?
Princess Ying was simple-minded and easy to get along with. When they were in Zhao Kingdom, they talked about everything. Now that they met again, there was no shortage of conversation. Princess Ying treated her like family, discussing the gifts to be sent into the palace and even inviting her to join the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in the palace. She initially didn't want to go, but seeing how enthusiastic Princess Ying was made it hard for her to refuse.
She went with Princess Ying to pick out a few gifts and changed clothes before heading into the palace together.
Having been married into Wei Kingdom for so long, Princess Ying had never been inside Wei Wang Palace and was unsure of what the palace was like. All along the way, she worried about whether the people in the palace would be difficult to deal with and if those ladies of the harem would make things hard for her. San Chun smiled and reassured her that Lao Shi was easygoing; however, Princess Ying didn’t believe it.
Throughout their journey, Princess Ying was filled with worry. But once they entered the palace, she realized that Chengyang Jun was not someone to be trifled with at all. As Chengyang Jun's wife, she was quite popular in the palace; not only did no one dare provoke her, but even the Queen and other ladies of the harem sought to curry favor with her as if she were the true mistress of Wei Wang Palace.
Princess Ying felt quite rare; even when she was in the Zhao Palace, there weren't this many people trying to curry favor with her.
Looking at the Queen, all the flattery about how extraordinary the princess was, radiant and elegantly dressed, was nothing but sycophantic praise. In the end, she was described as charming and alluring, full of grace.
Princess Ying almost laughed out loud; she knew her own appearance well enough. No matter how one looked at it, she couldn't be considered charming and alluring, could she?
After chatting a bit with the Queen, filled with insincere compliments, she found it quite strange and decided to excuse herself after a few exchanges.
Once outside, Princess Ying couldn't help but ask San Chun, "What's up with the Queen? Why is she being so flattering?"
San Chun smiled and replied, "Who doesn't know how impressive Chengyang Jun is? In the Wei Kingdom, he holds more power than the king. How could that Lao Shi compare to a princess like you, the Lady Junhou?"
Princess Ying felt a surge of joy in her heart. "Is that really true?"
Although she knew her husband was quite remarkable, she hadn't expected him to be this powerful. Since marrying into the household, she hadn't been out much and was truly unaware of these matters. She didn't realize that people outside were so intimidated by the Fengling Duke's Residence.
San Chun chuckled, "Of course it's true, more genuine than pearls. As long as you want to, you can walk around freely in the Wei Kingdom.
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