Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 95 Love
In early summer, the sunlight is warm but not scorching.

In the backyard of Prince Duan's mansion, there was an eerie and stuffy atmosphere.

Li Huan has been going to Muyueju more frequently recently.

The news spread quietly in the mansion, which was unbelievable.

It is common knowledge in the palace that Prince Duan has poor sleep.

In the past, except for the one night a month when he accompanied the princess, Li Huan never stayed overnight outside, no matter which concubine he favored.

He always strictly abides by the rules of etiquette and never gets too involved in sex. He goes back to his own yard after sex and has been accustomed to living alone for a long time.

But in just half a month, he actually stayed in the princess's room for several nights...

In the palace, Concubine Yuan has the most impatient temper.

She vaguely sensed the crisis, and after thinking it over, she called Concubine Zhang into the room to discuss countermeasures.

"Sister, don't you find it strange? Why is the prince suddenly so interested in Mu Yue Ju?"

Concubine Zhang was born in a humble family and was always cautious in her actions. She rarely went out on weekdays.

In the past, Yuan Qingzhu disliked her, but now that Xue Yuechen was in favor, Yuan Qingzhu felt uneasy. When he looked at the prince's childhood sweetheart, Xiao Zhang, he didn't feel as disgusted as before.

"Sister, have you thought of any solution? It has been two months, and the prince has not come to my Shuyu Pavilion once..."

"elder sister……"

Zhang lowered her eyes and spoke in a soft voice.

"I think the prince is worried about his offspring..."

Yuan Qingzhu was displeased, "Shouldn't you come to our courtyard more often?"

Zhang's eyes seemed to be unable to open, full of fatigue, and she said in a soft voice: "The Xian Wang and Wei Wang both have legitimate sons, but our Duan Wang Mansion has no legitimate son. The prince attaches great importance to the ancestral etiquette and values ​​legitimate sons. It is reasonable for him to stay at the princess's place more often."

The more Yuan Qingzhu heard her defending Xue Yuechen, the angrier he became.

If they had known ten years ago that Taoist Lingxu was a fraud and that the so-called "Eight Lucky Stars" was just a lie, how could their aunt have allowed Xue Yuechen to be Princess Duan?

The child that should have been born by oneself is the legitimate one.

Poor her daughter, now she is just a concubine...

The son born in the future will not be able to escape the status of a bastard.

Yuan Qingzhu sneered: "Sister, do you think that as long as you are favored by the prince and don't provoke Xue, you can rest assured?"

She raised her eyebrows and said, "Don't forget, Xue is the princess. If she really gives birth to a legitimate son, there may be no place for you and me in this mansion in the future. If you have a child in the future, you will be suppressed by his child. Are you willing to accept this?"

Zhang lowered her head, "That can't be helped."

Yuan Qingzhu felt annoyed when he saw her well-behaved appearance.

He pretends to be a good person, but in fact he is full of schemes.

Yuan snorted and said with a glare, "Sister, have you ever thought about why the prince suddenly changed his temper? Why did he love the princess so much?"

Zhang shook her head in confusion.

Yuan said, "This is very strange! I have sent people to investigate. The princess and that young Xue were not close ten years ago. She had never sent anyone to look for her ten years after she was abducted. But she suddenly became very close a few years ago and was looking for her everywhere..."

She suddenly turned her head and stared at Zhang.

"There are rumors out there that this little Xue is very evil. Could it be that she is the one behind this, helping the big Xue to use some evil magic to confuse the prince?"

Zhang turned pale with fright.

"No, it can't be? Sister, please don't say anything nonsense. The prince hates weird things the most."

Yuan Qingzhu curled his lips and his brows were almost twisted into a knot.

"There must be something strange going on in Muyueju. Otherwise, why would the prince always go there? Those two sisters must have used some shameful means..."

She threw the handkerchief away and gritted her teeth.

"I will get to the bottom of this!"
-
Time flies, and it’s May in a blink of an eye.

The summer of the 13th year of Chongzhao was exceptionally hot.

Mrs. Cui's birthday was coming up soon, and the third wife Qian sent someone to bring a message to ask Xue Sui to return to the mansion. It was the old ancestor's birthday, and the third wife, who was in charge of the family, was afraid that something might go wrong, so she asked her to go back and give some advice.

Xue Sui readily agreed.

The next day, Xue Sui prepared gifts, took a few maids and women, and rode back home.

In Prince Duan's mansion, it was inconvenient for other concubines to go out. They had to get the mistress's consent and see how she looked.

But Xue Yuechen is now valued by Li Huan and is even closer to Xue Sui, and he almost obeys his every word. These rules are no longer binding on Xue Sui.

She came and went freely in the palace.

The car stopped in front of Xue's house, and a maid immediately ran to Shou'an Courtyard to report the news.

"Madam, the Sixth Miss is back!"

Old Mrs. Cui quickly sat up straight and, with the help of the Third Lady, walked to the gate of Shou'an Courtyard to greet them.

This time when she returned home, Xue Sui felt a completely different reception from the first time she returned home. Along the way, the maids and servants all stood by the road with their hands down and greeted her respectfully. The old women also praised her with a smug look, saying that the Sixth Miss was more beautiful and energetic than before.

Xue Sui had a faint smile on his face and walked quickly to Shou'an Courtyard.

Seeing Old Lady Cui waiting outside the door, she hurried forward and held the old lady's hand, "Oh, my old ancestor, why did you come out? It's so hot outside, don't get too hot."

The third lady laughed and joked.

"You are thinking about our Sixth Miss."

The old lady smiled and said, "You've been sitting in the house for too long, come out and get some fresh air."

Xue Sui gently wiped the sweat from the old lady's forehead with a handkerchief, and then helped her slowly into the house. Then he stood upright and bowed to them.

"Ping An has met Grandmother and Third Aunt."

After some greetings, Xue Sui asked Xiao Zhao and Ruyi to distribute the gifts they brought back so that everyone could get one.

Jinshu was familiar with all the servants in Shou'an Courtyard, so he went to the side to chat with them.

Old Lady Cui dismissed the maids in the room, asked Xue Sui to sit down, and only allowed Qian to stay by her side, and began to interrogate her.

"There are rumors out there that Prince Duan has not yet consummated his marriage with you. Is that true?"

Xue Sui smiled and said, "Grandma, that's not a rumor, it's true."

Seeing that she was smiling slyly and not showing any sign of nervousness at all, Mrs. Cui couldn't help but frown.

"You are so unbecoming, girl. Didn't you agree to help your elder sister and give birth to a child for the prince as soon as possible? Why are you so careless?"

The third lady quickly patted the old lady on the back and tried to smooth things over with a smile.

"Don't worry, old lady. Giving birth is not like pulling carrots. How can you just give birth whenever you want? Sixth girl is smart. She must have her own plans for doing this..."

As he spoke, he winked at Xue Sui, signaling her to be careful with her words.

This old lady usually looks easy-going, but once she gets angry, she becomes very stern.

Xue Sui looked at the Third Madam gratefully, took Old Lady Cui's hand, and said with a smile: "Old Lady, don't say that I am mediocre and cannot compare to my elder sister's gentleness, generosity, and elegance. Let's talk about giving birth to children. Do you think that my child is more noble, or that my elder sister's child will be more valued by the prince?"

Mrs. Cui said without hesitation: "Of course it's your eldest sister."

Xue Sui still smiled.

I didn't feel unhappy because of the subconscious contempt in the words.

"So the first thing I did when I went to Prince Duan's Mansion was to help my elder sister give birth to a legitimate son."

As he spoke, he glanced at the Third Madam again and lowered his voice.

"Grandmother, why don't you send someone to find out who is the most favored person in Prince Duan's mansion now? It's Princess Duan. The prince used to live alone, but now he often stays in my eldest sister's Muyue Residence. The concubines and wives in the mansion are almost going crazy with jealousy. This is unprecedented."

When Mrs. Cui heard this, she was very surprised.

"So, the prince and the eldest sister are in love?"

Xue Sui nodded heavily.

He laughed again: "You think I'm asking for trouble if I interfere at this time?"

Old Mrs. Cui looked at her face with a complicated expression.

It seemed as if he was pitying the out-of-favor Xue Liu, and also as if he was worried about the favored Xue Yuechen.

"Your elder sister is unlucky. She hasn't gotten pregnant in ten years. Even if she is favored now, I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to get pregnant... I feel uneasy without the birth of a child."

"Don't worry, grandma." Xue Sui said slowly, "When I was in the old mausoleum swamp, I learned some techniques of fertility from a doctor in order to survive. Big sister's condition is not a physical problem. I suspect it has something to do with her previous diet."

Old Mrs. Cui was shocked.

"Could it be that someone in the palace is trying to harm her?"

Xue Sui pretended to be silent and shook his head.

"This... I'm not sure at the moment, but I've told the mother and maid in Big Sister's room to be extra careful and not to be careless. I've been giving her acupuncture every two days recently, and I've been paying more attention to it. I think Big Sister will have good news soon."

After hearing this, Mrs. Cui felt a little relieved. She held Xue Sui's hand and kept praising him.

"Look at my little lucky star, you are really my sweetheart... Ever since you came back home, everything has gone smoothly for me..."

Xue Sui just smiled and didn't answer.

The third wife also smiled happily, "Our old lady has a blessed face. One can tell that she will live a long and healthy life."

Old Lady Cui smiled and pinched the Third Lady's arm, saying angrily, "You have a hot temper, but you are good at talking. You only know how to say auspicious words to make an old lady like me happy."

The corners of Xue Sui's mouth rose slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

After sitting for a while, he stood up and said goodbye. He first accompanied the third lady to look at the preparations for the birthday banquet, the gift list, and other matters, and then went to visit his biological mother Xue Ji.

The old lady did not stop him, but just gave a special reminder.

"Your father has invited distinguished guests into the mansion today. Be careful and don't offend them."

(End of this chapter)