The moment Yin Chujin stepped into Wuyuan, Zhu'er ran over happily.
"Princess, are you alright?"
Yin Chujin smiled and shook her head. At the same time, she noticed Leng'er standing beside her quietly.
"Did you two take good care of my plants in Wuyuan today?"
"Yes." Zhu'er nodded eagerly.
"Princess, have you seen Consort Zhao today?"
"Yeah."
"That's great. After the Consort returns to the palace, in the future, the Princess won't be bullied by other princes and princesses in the palace." Zhu'er clapped her hands and smiled happily. Thinking that Consort Zhao had returned to the palace, the Princess could hold her head high again.
Yin Chujin shook her head. Zhu'er was too naive. Consort Zhao's position was given to her by the empress dowager. Now that the empress dowager was gone, how could she maintain her position in the palace? She had abandoned everything and chosen to become a nun. That was the best option for herself.
"She didn't return to the palace. Alright, Zhu'er, don't ask too much. I have to enter the palace tomorrow morning. Help me prepare my things."
When Zhu'er heard that Consort Zhao had not returned to the palace, she was very disappointed. However, she quickly forgot about it and opened the clothes chest to prepare the clothes and jewelry for the princess to wear to the palace tomorrow morning.
The next day, Yin Chujin brought Zhu'er into the palace with Xiao Yelei's carriage.
After Xiao Yelei entered the palace, he went to the front hall for the morning court assembly. She was happy to be at ease and waited alone in Liuying Hall. The morning court assembly had just ended, and the Emperor had returned very quickly.
"Jin'er, what's the matter?"
"Father, Jin'er has something to discuss with you."
"Tell me about it." The emperor yawned as he walked towards the throne. As soon as he sat down, a palace maid came forward to massage his shoulders and back.
"Father, I don't know if you've heard about Yelei and General Ye's daughter loving each other. Jin'er wants to ask Father to arrange a marriage for them and agree to Yelei marrying her as a concubine."
The emperor looked at her strangely. "Have you thought it through? Didn't you say in the past that you wouldn't allow other women to approach him? It's good that you've thought it through. It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. As a woman, you should be more open-minded."
She seemed to think about it again and felt that it was inappropriate. "…No, you're my precious daughter. It's already aggrieved for you to marry into the Xiao family. He ignored this royal favor and wanted to marry another woman after only a month of marriage. I won't allow it!"
In the beginning, the emperor was still amiable, but in the blink of an eye, his expression changed, making Yin Chujin's initial surprise disappear. Royal favor? Did he think that harming the Xiao family was not enough?
"Father, I don't mind. Liking someone is to be considerate of them. I want to improve my relationship with Yelei. If Father can allow him to marry Miss Ye, I think he will definitely be grateful to Jin'er and treat me well in the future. I'm also doing this for myself. I hope Father can fulfill my wish." She had long prepared these words. When she said them, her voice was filled with emotion and deep love, but she secretly wanted to wipe the goosebumps on her hands.
The emperor tapped his fingers on the table as if he was seriously thinking. In the blink of an eye, he heard Eunuch Xue enter the hall and say to the emperor in a sharp voice, "Your Majesty, Consort He, Consort Xi, and a few other consorts have prepared pastries and delicacies in the back garden. They are inviting you to admire the flowers."
"Alright, I'll go over immediately." The emperor was overjoyed when he heard that. He slammed the table and stood up, completely forgetting what he had been thinking about.
"Father, have you thought about what I said just now?" Yin Chujin hurriedly asked. She was afraid that he would disappear in a moment of excitement. Flowers? How many flowers could there be in the season of falling leaves? The entire harem was overly extravagant.
"Yes, yes, I'll allow it."
"Father, the imperial edict…"
The emperor was very impatient, but he still returned to the table. After writing the imperial edict, he stamped the imperial seal and handed it to Yin Chujin.
The moment she received the imperial edict, Yin Chujin heaved a sigh of relief.
Ever since they received the imperial edict, Prince Xiao's Manor began to set up lanterns and decorations to prepare for the concubine's wedding, but all the excitement had nothing to do with Wuyuan.
Yin Chujin did not take Xiao Yelei's marriage to Ye Xin to heart at all. However, it made the concubines in the mansion panic. Among them was Liu Cuiyan, the favored concubine. Everyone in the royal family knew that Prince Xiao and General Ye's daughter, Ye Xin, were childhood sweethearts. However, Princess Jin had stopped them from getting married. Now that Ye Xin was about to enter the Xiao Manor, how could they be favored in the future?
Although Yin Chujin lived in Wuyuan and was isolated from the outside world, her concubines still did not give up hope. They kept wandering outside Wuyuan, wanting to use her to change the upcoming situation.
As soon as Zhu'er opened the door to the courtyard, a few seductively dressed concubines twisted their waists and fawned over Yin Chujin. "Princess Consort, we're here to see you."
Yin Chujin looked out of the courtyard. Looking at the situation and thinking about the wedding that was about to be held in the mansion, she immediately understood their purpose. She was too lazy to deal with these things, so she ordered Zhu'er to close the door.
Liu Cuiyan was more courageous among those people. Just as the courtyard door was about to close, she took two steps forward and said to Yin Chujin, "Sister Princess Consort, you must know about the matter between His Highness and Miss Ye. If Miss Ye enters the Prince's Mansion, will you still be able to maintain your status?"
Yin Chujin curled her lips and smiled. "Thank you for your concern, but didn't you hear that I was the one who asked Father for the royal decree for Prince Xiao to marry Miss Ye?"
With a bang, Yin Chujin closed the courtyard door and shut out the stunned expressions of the concubines outside.
Looking at their defeated expressions, Yin Chujin felt very happy. It turned out that messing with others was so satisfying.
In Wuyuan, the three of them were still living their lives peacefully…
Zhu'er pestered Leng'er to take her to the streets. When she returned, she began to complain.
"Princess, this is too unfair. The Xiao Manor values marrying a secondary consort more than anything else. Preparing for a month in advance, making things even more lively than when he married you last month. This is too much."
Yin Chujin looked up from the medical book and comforted Zhu'er. "Zhu'er, it's alright. If I felt wronged, why would I enter the palace and ask the emperor to issue an imperial decree for a side marriage? It's quite good for us to live like this. Other than my relationship with Xiao Yelei in name, I don't have any other interactions with him."
"But, Princess, you used to like His Highness so much…"
"That was in the past." Yin Chujin sighed, not knowing how to explain it to Zhu'er.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the month. In order to avoid awkwardness, Xiao Yelei did not invite Yin Chujin to witness his marriage with the Ye Family's young lady. Yin Chujin had no intention of appearing anyway.
At dusk, the Xiao Manor was extremely lively. There were gongs, drums, firecrackers… Even the remote Wuyuan could feel the atmosphere.
Sitting on a stone chair at the entrance of the courtyard, Yin Chujin rested her chin on her hands as her thoughts drifted away. In the end, she didn't leave any room for herself. Just like the first day she came here, she secretly swore to herself that Xiao Yelei wouldn't be someone she could entrust her life to.
However, in this ancient era where men were superior to women, what would happen to her after she married someone? Would she not submit to fate and live in this small courtyard for the rest of her life? She felt a little sad…