The Royal Family's Intentions

After breakfast, Fu Wutian followed Old Prince Fu to the study.

With nothing to do, An Ziran had the two maids who had fetched water that morning show him around Prince Fu's Manor. He would be living here for some time, and even if he left in the future, he could not let others laugh at him. Though he was already married, he was still the head of the An Family. If people looked down on him, it would affect the An Family as well.

The two maids had been arranged by Fu Wutian. When they heard that he wanted to tour the manor, they followed behind him trembling with fear.

Although the servants at Prince Fu's Manor were decent, An Ziran was still used to having Chunlan and Qiulan attend him. He was not accustomed to strangers getting close to him, so he planned to find an opportunity to speak with Fu Wutian and see whether he could bring them in.

Lost in thought as he walked, he soon arrived near the kitchen.

An Ziran glanced over, ready to turn and leave, when the voices of servants gathered in small groups not far away drifted over. They were all loose-tongued, and the topic of their conversation was none other than him and Fu Wutian.

"I've never seen such a gentle side of the prince. He really dotes on the princess consort."

"You don't know this, but last night, when I was carrying wine through the corridor, I happened to hear those sounds. The princess consort's cries were so enchanting that I was too embarrassed to listen."

The group immediately exchanged knowing smiles and snickered.

"Hmph. If you ask me, even if the princess consort has gained the prince's favor, it isn't anything remarkable."

The maid standing at the very back suddenly sneered.

The other maids looked at one another. "Ximei, you shouldn't speak carelessly."

Ximei smiled smugly. "Who said I was talking nonsense? I'm telling the truth. The princess consort may have the prince's favor, but he is still a man. In the future, the prince will need to take concubines and carry on the family line. Besides, among the guests who attended the wedding banquet yesterday, did you see any of His Majesty's princes?"

Her words were logical and well-founded, leaving the others speechless.

Although the Emperor had agreed to let Fu Wutian marry a man as his princess consort and had even entered An Ziran's name into the ancestral registry, that did not mean he truly accepted this nephew-in-law. Thus, among last night's guests, there had been so few imperial relatives that they could be counted on one hand. Led by the Emperor's princes, nearly all of them had merely sent gifts and a few words of congratulations without showing up in person, which was enough to reveal their attitude.

The two maids looked anxious. They had not expected to hear someone gossiping about the princess consort and the prince, especially the things Ximei had said. Unable to tell whether the princess consort was angry, they could only stare at his back, praying that he would leave quickly while hoping the others would stop talking.

"Princess Consort?"

After hesitating, one of the maids still called out to him.

Her voice startled those loose-tongued servants. They all turned around at once, and when they saw that the person standing in the corridor was the very subject of their conversation, their faces instantly went pale.

Ximei's face turned white as well.

No matter how much His Majesty disliked the princess consort, the prince's favor for him was a fact. That morning, they had all seen how much the prince doted on the princess consort. He had even peeled an egg for him personally.

If this matter reached the prince's ears, she could already foresee herself being thrown out of Prince Fu's Manor.

"Let's go." An Ziran's gaze swept indifferently over them. After speaking, he turned and left, making it impossible for those observing him to gauge his temper. Was he angry or not? That uncertainty only made them more uneasy.

The two maids hurried after him.

Sure enough, it was not long before this matter reached Fu Wutian's ears. An Ziran did not need to say anything. As the master of the manor, Fu Wutian would be woefully incompetent if he did not know what was happening in his own residence. Ximei was not driven out, but she was demoted from a senior servant attending Old Prince Fu to a lowly servant tasked with cleaning latrines, the sort of rough work usually done by men.

Servants in Da Ya were also divided into ranks, especially in the residences of nobles and officials.

They were generally divided into senior servants and lowly servants. Senior servants had easier duties, mostly attending their masters, and could often accompany them to broaden their horizons. Lowly servants could only do heavy labor, such as carrying water and chopping firewood.

Ximei had suddenly fallen from a senior servant to a lowly servant, and her new task was the filthy work of cleaning latrines. The difference was immense, and she certainly could not accept it right away. Moreover, she had a sharp tongue and a mean disposition, often speaking ill of others behind their backs. She had little popularity among the manor's servants. Once she was demoted, people mocking her could be found everywhere. It hurt her more than being expelled from the manor would have.

So even if one lacked brains, there had to be a limit.

It was one thing for the Emperor to dislike the princess consort. What mattered was that the prince favored him. Hinting in front of others that the princess consort would come to no good end was not the same as suggesting that the prince was incompetent and could not even protect his own princess consort?

After this incident, no servant dared gossip about their masters behind their backs again.

However, through this matter, An Ziran learned things he had not known before.

Though he and Fu Wutian had completed the wedding rites yesterday, he did not know those imperial relatives, so he had not realized that the princes and imperial grandsons had not attended the wedding banquet.

It was both expected and unexpected.

An Ziran did not dwell on it too much. Instead, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If the Emperor did not acknowledge him as the princess consort, it would be easier for him to get away in the future. The outcome was still good.

At lunch, An Ziran mentioned Little Bun and the servants staying at the An Family Compound to Fu Wutian. He wanted to bring some of the servants into Prince Fu's Manor. Fu Wutian agreed and accompanied him back to the compound that afternoon.

"Young Master?" Steward Su was surprised that the young master had returned only one day after marrying out. But then he remembered that this was merely a property purchased by the An Family, not a visit back to his maternal home, and was relieved. The young master was probably worried about the second young master.

Steward Su quickly invited the two masters inside to sit. With Fu Wutian present, he acted rather reservedly.

An Ziran asked, "Did anything happen at the compound while I was away?"

Steward Su shook his head, then nodded again. "Nothing major happened, but the second young master cried without stopping last night. The wet nurse had no way to soothe him, and the young master was not here. He only fell asleep after crying himself tired. Everyone said the second young master knew you were gone, which was why he cried."

An Ziran fell silent in thought.

They said children were spiritually perceptive. It seemed that saying had proven true for Little Bun.

"Princess Consort." Fu Wutian suddenly called to him lazily. Only after master and servant both looked at him did he continue, "Now that you have married into Prince Fu's Manor, only your younger brother remains in the An Family. You would surely be worried about leaving him in the care of your father's concubine, so I have a suggestion."

There was no need to ask. An Ziran already knew what he wanted to say.

It was impossible to leave Little Bun in Wang Qinglan's care. Otherwise, he would surely gain a younger brother with ill intentions who hated him. Therefore, he could only raise Little Bun by his side.

Just as Fu Wutian had said, he had already married into Prince Fu's Manor, and he did not know when he would leave it. He was not at ease leaving Little Bun with the wet nurse and the others either. Thus, he could only temporarily bring Little Bun into Prince Fu's Manor, provided Fu Wutian agreed. He had already considered this that morning, but he had not expected Fu Wutian to bring it up first.

The two quickly reached an agreement.

Seeing this, Steward Su hurriedly brought up another important matter. "Young Master, the day after tomorrow is the day for your return visit. What do you think..." They had been away from Anyuan County for some time. Now that the young master had married into Prince Fu's Manor, it was time for him to return to the An Family. Otherwise, Su Zi might not be able to hold things together, especially with the eldest master still eyeing the An Family's property.

It took a day and a night to travel from Gentlemen City to Anyuan County, perhaps only a day if they hurried, so they had to set out in advance.

An Ziran looked at Fu Wutian.

Fu Wutian said considerately, "I will accompany you back."

And so the matter was settled.