Chapter 254
Chapter 254
"The Prince An's household has a simple family structure, but it also presents a problem. The Dowager Princess Consort is advanced in years. In the future, after you marry into the Prince An's household, the duties of social engagements will fall entirely on you. As Prince An is a close confidant of the Emperor, likely even more ladies will send you invitations. You cannot refuse them all then. Social interaction is a skill you must learn." Although Lady Yao came from a merchant family, the Yao family in her youth placed great emphasis on the upbringing of daughters.
Therefore, the Yao family had even spent a considerable sum to hire a governess who had served in the palace for Lady Yao.
Over the years, the Li family's reputation in Lijia County had remained unshaken, and this was inseparable from her diligent management of external affairs.
Li Tianyou respected her, and was there not a reason for this?
If she were constantly causing trouble outside, no matter how much Li Tianyou favored her, he could not have indulged her indefinitely.
"Mother, your daughter still has much to learn from you," Li Zhiwei nestled in Lady Yao's arms, only now realizing how much she had missed in her past life.
Every word spoken today was also something she had never heard in her previous life.
And in this life, it was something she must study diligently.
The Prince of Zhennan had just left the palace when he saw his own servant waiting anxiously at the palace gates.
"Your Highness, you've finally come out," the servant said, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing the Prince of Zhennan.
"What is the matter?" Zhou Zhipeng asked with displeasure.
Ever since he returned to the capital with Side Consort Ru, the Princess Consort and Side Consort Ru would constantly summon him to settle disputes every few days.
This annoyed him immensely.
He had never known women could be so troublesome.
This made Zhou Zhipeng feel extremely irritable.
However, one was his side consort, the other his principal wife; Zhou Zhipeng did not wish to offend either.
Yet, these two women would call for him to adjudicate whenever anything happened. No matter whom he sided with, the other would be unhappy.
Thinking of this, although angry, Zhou Zhipeng still hurried towards the Prince of Zhennan's mansion.
He was afraid that if he returned late, those two women might come to blows.
Lady Qin: In Your Highness's heart, is this consort such a person? One must know, she had never provoked that Side Consort Ru before. Whenever Side Consort Ru came to her, she had always called for Your Highness to handle it.
"Your Highness, please hurry back. Something has happened at the mansion," the servant urged anxiously, though with a troubled expression, not daring to speak openly in such a public place about Princess Huilan being sent to prison by Prince An.
If others overheard such words, it would undoubtedly damage their mansion's reputation.
"Understood. They truly don't allow a moment's peace!" Zhou Zhipeng said with great impatience.
He couldn't understand where Side Consort Ru's former gentle and considerate demeanor from their time in Wuyang City had gone.
Why did she start causing such a stir as soon as they returned to the capital?
And the Princess Consort, in the past, he had never heard any complaints from the concubines in the mansion that the Princess Consort was so intolerant of his consorts!
Yet, ever since Side Consort Ru returned, the two of them had issues every other day.
Thinking this, Zhou Zhipeng quickened his pace.
When he returned to the mansion, the steward ushered him to Lady Qin's Qinghui Courtyard.
Zhou Zhipeng had originally thought the two would be locked in a heated argument, but the anticipated scene did not materialize.
They were each sitting to one side, both silent, seemingly just waiting for his arrival.
"What is going on?" Zhou Zhipeng asked, looking at the two with confusion.
"Your Highness has returned," Lady Qin said lazily, rising to her feet. She looked at the somewhat travel-worn Zhou Zhipeng, wondering if this man knew or did not know that his precious daughter had been imprisoned.
However, she would not be the one to bring this up.
Lady Qin performed a curtsey and sat back in her original seat, with no intention of speaking further.
Side Consort Ru nearby was very anxious but also dared not speak up rashly.
Seeing Lady Qin sit down with no intention to continue, she could only bite her lip and look at Zhou Zhipeng beside her, putting on an expression of wanting to cry but holding back.
"What is it?" Zhou Zhipeng, who had originally been somewhat angry, couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache seeing his beloved consort looking so grievously wronged.
His heart softened somewhat after all.
"Your Highness, I beg you to save Huilan!" Side Consort Ru quickly knelt down, weeping and collapsing before Zhou Zhipeng, her sorrowful tears falling profusely.
Seeing Side Consort Ru's tear-stained face, Zhou Zhipeng looked at Lady Qin with displeasure and asked, "What have you done to her?"
Lady Qin, already displeased, now questioned in return with narrowed eyes at Zhou Zhipeng's accusation, "What does Your Highness think this consort has done?"
"Your Highness, it wasn't elder sister, it was... it was..." Side Consort Ru bit her lip, appearing hesitant to speak, which pushed the simmering anger in Zhou Zhipeng's heart to its peak.
"Such hesitation is unbecoming! What has happened to Huilan? Lady Qin, have you done something to Huilan?" Zhou Zhipeng thought that since Lady Qin did not favor Huilan, he wouldn't be surprised if she had done something.
But even mischief should have its limits, not harming a child.
Huilan was just a child.
"Your Highness, this blame is more than this consort can bear. As for what happened to Huilan, shouldn't younger sister explain it properly to Your Highness?" Lady Qin instead looked at the man with mockery, thinking to herself that he certainly knew whom to side with.
He actually thought she had done some evil deed to Zhou Huilan. Was she that kind of person?
"Side Consort Ru, speak truthfully!" Zhou Zhipeng looked at the heartbrokenly weeping Side Consort Ru and asked again.
Side Consort Ru now wanted to continue hiding the truth, but she understood even more clearly that her daughter could not wait a moment longer.
"Your Highness, Huilan has been imprisoned by Prince An. Your Highness, I beg you to quickly save Huilan!" Side Consort Ru knelt directly before Zhou Zhipeng, lamenting sorrowfully.
Zhou Zhipeng, who had been about to bend down and help her up, suddenly froze.
His hand stiffened in mid-air.
What had he just heard?
Prince An had imprisoned Zhou Huilan?
"What did that wretched girl do?" Zhou Zhipeng asked furiously.
"Your Highness, you must go to Prince An and demand justice, make him properly compensate for our Lan'er's losses. Our Lan'er has suffered greatly this time," Side Consort Ru said joyfully upon hearing this, feeling that with Zhou Zhipeng seeking redress, her daughter would be back soon.
Perhaps the people at the yamen would even escort her daughter back personally.
"What His Highness said was 'what did Huilan do'!" Lady Qin, watching the still gleeful Side Consort Ru, felt compelled to remind her.
She thought to herself, she truly is a fool, unable to even distinguish between good and bad words.
She really didn't know how she had won the Prince's favor and become a side consort.
With a brain like that, it's only thanks to her going to Wuyang City; otherwise, whether she could survive three years would be a question.
"Huilan..." Side Consort Ru was about to explain when she realized that what Lady Qin meant was that her daughter's actions would displease the Prince.
"Elder sister, even if you don't like Huilan, you cannot slander her like this!" Side Consort Ru, now feeling supported by Zhou Zhipeng, did not regard Lady Qin highly and instead retorted sarcastically.