By this point, Princess Xinping's face had gone pale. This was what she feared most. She was not the sort of person who could cast aside all shame, and besides, she did not wish for the person she loved to be condemned by the whole realm because of her selfish desires.
If this matter could not be concealed, it was destined to become a stain upon him.
If it could be hidden, she would naturally be willing. But the question was, could it truly be hidden?
"Our dynasty follows the Wei system. The imperial clan receives stipends but no fiefs. Men are enfeoffed as Imperial Princes or Commandery Princes, women as Princesses, with monthly stipends of three hundred thousand up to five hundred thousand, differentiated by legitimate or concubine birth."
"Yet those who have rendered merit to the state, even if born of a concubine, may be named Grand Princesses, with a monthly stipend of one million!"
Xinping said nothing. One million a month was twice the stipend of a legitimate-born princess. It was indeed an immense favor, but it was not what she wanted most. She already received four hundred thousand a month; food and lodging were covered by the court according to regulation, there were rewards during festivals, and her maternal family owned shops and land. She did not lack money.
"A mother may rise through her daughter and be named Imperial Grand Noble Consort, then move out of the palace to live with her!"
Noble Consort stood first among the Four Consorts; with an "Imperial" added before it, she was in truth a deputy empress. Though it was only Imperial Grand Noble Consort, it could not be called anything but generous treatment—let alone being allowed to move out and live with her daughter.
Within the palace, being