Stirring Up Trouble
As soon as he finished speaking, several ministers looked at him with strange eyes. If it weren't for the fact that they were in front of the emperor, they would have spat at him.
We're all ancient foxes, why are we putting on a show like those in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?
When the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were still alive, the cabinet often argued fiercely when discussing matters. It was rare to see such a harmonious atmosphere as it is now.
Xiao Ge was in a great mood upon seeing this.
He said to Eunuch Xie, "Then go again and ask Zhiwei about the honorary position, whether he wants to go to the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of Revenue."
"Yes." Eunuch Xie quickly left again.
He returned shortly after and said, "Consort of the Prince of Qi said she is willing to serve the Emperor and the court. However, she is not entirely at ease with the Prince's situation. So, could the Emperor allow her to consider this matter and see how things develop?"
Hearing this, Xiao Ge truly felt that Zhao Ruxi was very sensible, always putting Xiao Lingyan first and not being overly competitive. He couldn't be more satisfied with this daughter-in-law.
"I've agreed. Tell her there's no rush; she can just let me know whenever she's ready to take up the post," he said.
The matter reached Noble Consort Cen's ears shortly after the cabinet ministers finished discussing it.
At that time, Cen Peixuan was in the palace paying her respects and overheard these words.
If Zhao Ruxi readily agrees to take the official position or refuses, Cen Peixuan will have something to say to Noble Consort Cen to criticize her and smear her reputation.
But when she opened her mouth, she couldn't find a single thing to say about Zhao Ruxi.
Noble Consort Cen the same thoughts as Xiao Ge and was also pleased that Zhao Ruxi prioritized Xiao Lingyan and didn't try to be the best or insist on becoming an official, making it seem like she was very capable.
In the past, she would have been somewhat mindful of the Cen Family and Cen Peixuan. Now that the Cen Family's power has been weakened and Cen Peixuan has lost her support, she has to rely on her and Xiao Lingpu for support. As a result, Noble Consort Cen can act much more as she pleases.
She turned to Auntie Yu and instructed, "Yesterday, some newly arrived palace silk from Jiangnan arrived. Go and pick out a few pieces that Zhiwei likes and send them to her."
"Yes." Auntie Yu hurried out to take care of the matter.
The fabric was just delivered as tribute from Jiangnan yesterday, and it's still being counted; it's not time to distribute it yet.
Although these silks would inevitably include several princesses, the fact that Zhao Ruxi was chosen for her clothing before they were even fully counted shows how much Noble Consort Cen valued her. Yet, Cen Peixuan, who sat in front of her, wasn't even mentioned.
When had Cen Peixuan ever been treated so disrespectfully? But remembering what Xiao Lingpu had said to her seriously before she entered the palace, she forced herself not to say anything unpleasant, though some of it still showed on her face.
Noble Consort Cen saw it but pretended not to notice, though she felt a pang of emotion in her heart.
The three of them, mother and sons, relied on the Cen Family to gain a foothold in the palace, so they had no choice when arranging Xiao Lingpu. As a result, Cen Peixuan became the future princess right after she was born, which fostered her spoiled nature.
Her rise to power, however, comes at the cost of the entire Cen Family's loss of influence.
"You're heavily pregnant now, so you should go out less often. If you need to go to the palace to pay your respects, let the Second Brother come by himself. He's not an outsider who can't enter the palace, and he's not incapacitated. Why do you, with your big belly, have to come? I'll have a good talk with him later," said Noble Consort Cen.
Cen Peixuan stood up, supporting her pregnant belly, and replied with a wronged tone, "Yes."
She was too embarrassed to say that it wasn't Xiao Lingpu who asked her to come and pay her respects; she had come of her own accord.
At home, Xiao Lingpu didn't pay much attention to her. He used to be busy with political affairs, but now that there were no political affairs to attend to, he either played chess with his advisors or read books by himself. Whenever she went to talk to him, he would dismiss her with the excuse that she needed to rest more.
In the past, whether it was the Cen Family or her sisters, there were always people who flattered her and came to talk to her. Now that Prince of An has no hope of inheriting the throne and intends to close his doors to guests and recuperate, most of the Cen Family members who hold official positions have been transferred out. Prince of An's Residence is very quiet now, and no one has visited for a long time.
Feeling bored at home, Cen Peixuan decided to come to the palace to talk to Noble Consort Cen.
Now that her mother-in-law had spoken, she dared not linger. She bowed and left with her servants.
But before they had gone more than a few steps, they saw a group of people angrily approaching them.
"Your Highness, let's move aside to avoid hurting the child," advised Nanny Chen brought by Cen Peixuan.
In the past, Cen Peixuan would not have given way.
She was a princess consort. The emperor hadn't favored any young concubines for many years, so there weren't many concubines in the palace of higher rank than her, and they all had to bow to her when they saw her.
But things are different now, and she is pregnant. Before her mother left the capital, she must have reminded her to give birth to a healthy baby boy to secure her position. Otherwise, if Prince of An takes a concubine or mistress, her position will be in jeopardy. She dares not risk her health.
She quickly followed the maids and servants to the side.
When those people approached, they didn't stop or bow to Cen Peixuan; they quickly walked past.
Cen Peixuan's maid was furious.
Fearing that she might incite Cen Peixuan to cause trouble, Nanny Chen quickly said, "These concubines from humble backgrounds have just entered the palace and don't know any of the rules. They don't know you either, so naturally they don't know they should bow to you. Your Highness, please don't take it to heart."
After purging the entire court, Xiao Ge, in order to balance the various forces, took several daughters of officials from humble backgrounds into the palace. Of course, it is likely that he also intended to have a few more sons.
Cen Peixuan frowned and said, "Wasn't that the one walking in the middle just now Consort Xian, the mother of the Sixth Prince? Why did she bring these people here?" She looked like she had ill intentions.
"Why don't we go in and take a look?" said Nanny Chen.
Cen Peixuan nodded, turned around, and entered the palace.
However, she didn't go closer; she just stood on the periphery and listened.
She overheard these beauties questioning Noble Consort Cen, asking why Noble Consort Cen had chosen fabric for Consort of the Prince of Qi when they hadn't even received theirs yet. One of them, the daughter of a military general, probably felt she had someone to rely on, and spoke in a very aggressive tone, almost accusing.
"Why? Just because she made two kinds of farming tools for the Great Jin. If you have any objections, you can raise them directly with the Emperor," said Noble Consort Cen.
She turned and instructed the young eunuch, "Go and report this to the Emperor."
"Your Highness, that's not what they meant," Consort Xian's gentle voice rang out. "They're new to the palace and don't understand many of the rules, which I just explained to them. They simply weren't familiar with the rules, so they came to ask, not to question you. His Majesty is very busy with state affairs; please don't bother him with such trivial matters."
As she spoke, she winked at several concubines and beauties.
Then those people bowed and apologized to Noble Consort Cen.
Noble Consort Cen gave the ladies-in-waiting and beauties a mocking smile, "Consort Xian, you really have a good way with yourselves, instigating you to come here and cause trouble. If I tell the Emperor about this, he will punish you or treat you coldly. If you lose favor and can't bear sons, then no one will be able to threaten the Sixth Prince's position."