Too high to reach

Chapter 223: Shooting a stone in the foot
Consort Zhang panicked upon hearing this.

As a concubine, she was not allowed to go out and socialize alone according to the rules. Even when she went out with the Crown Princess, there were rules: she could only accompany her to grand palace banquets or when there were important events in the homes of imperial relatives.

However, because she was favored by the Crown Prince and had two sons to rely on, she was domineering. Therefore, she could do whatever she wanted, go wherever she pleased, and when she arrived, she acted arrogantly, with a more imposing manner than the Crown Princess.

As soon as the problem started to emerge, the Crown Princess intervened, but the Crown Prince protected her and smoothed things over.

As a result, her words were of no use and she only lost more face, while Consort Zhang became even more arrogant.

Just don't care.

The Empress was aware of the situation, of course, but... for the Crown Prince to secure his position, he needed a son. Since the Crown Princess hadn't been able to give birth, she had to maintain appearances for Consort Zhang and pretend not to know.

Consort Zhang's arrogance had become a habit, and now that she was being ridiculed by Mo Yi in public, she couldn't stand it. "What do you mean?!"

The sound was shrill!

Mo Yi frowned and covered her ears with both hands...

The Crown Princess secretly thought to herself: Consort Zhang might be shooting herself in the foot today, so she stopped trying to persuade her.

Sure enough, Mo Yi said slowly and deliberately, "What I mean is: you, a concubine, don't even have the opportunity to go out and socialize normally... Where did you hear this news? You must be making it up because you have nothing better to do."

Even if the Crown Prince dotes on Consort Zhang, he won't give her the power to manage the household, so she really doesn't have much to do on a daily basis.

"As for what Princess Zhou Li wears... Oh, I forgot, Zhou Li is the principal wife of Prince Qi, and she will come to pay her respects to the Crown Princess. You probably saw her when you were serving her."

That's really saying no mercy whatsoever.

Everyone looked at each other, tense. For Consort Zhang to speak so casually was unusual among them; most people would only say half a sentence and leave the rest unsaid.

But the Crown Prince dotes on her, and regardless of what anyone in the room thinks, who would dare not treat her with respect and courtesy?

"What's so great about you, a mere concubine?" Consort Zhang said, her face flushed with anger, showing no mercy.

That's pretty harsh.

Here, unless one is desperate, no one wants to become a concubine.

Although the position of Princess Qi cannot be generalized, it is something that people talk about and have something to say about it...

"Although Mo Yi is a commoner, she was chosen as a first-rank princess consort. Consort Zhang, your background may not be low, but to put it nicely, you are a consort; to put it bluntly... well, let's not talk about the unpleasant things. But... you have no right to yell at me in front of this princess consort."

Mo Yi spoke slowly and softly, and she felt that her current performance was quite similar to Mo Yuan's... Not bad at all.

Everyone was stunned...

She's the Crown Prince's darling! She even gave birth to his eldest son... The Empress treats her with great courtesy.

Consort Zhang was so angry that she couldn't speak, and tears were almost in her eyes.

The Crown Princess appropriately covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and the curve of her eyes revealed her current joyful mood.

As a result, Mo Yi said again: "You even dare to ignore the Crown Princess's words... Does His Highness the Crown Prince know about this disrespectful and unruly behavior?"

She...she's so arrogant? Consort Zhang was completely speechless...

"Oh dear, what's wrong?" Princess Yu'an came over with a smile. "Why are you all so angry during the New Year? Alright, alright, for my sake, don't say anything more."

The Crown Princess put down her handkerchief. "Zhang, you should go back to your own courtyard!" Consort Zhang really couldn't cause any more trouble; if she stayed any longer, tears would well up in her eyes. So she gave a cold snort, flicked her sleeve, and left.

"Fifth Sister-in-law, is this how you're going to handle this? It's too lenient! In our Qi Prince's Mansion, if a concubine dares to do that, I won't let her off!" Mo Yi said with a smile.

Princess Yu'an secretly sized her up, thinking to herself, "This vile woman is quite formidable."

The Crown Princess smiled and said, "Don't be angry. Your sister-in-law will talk to the Crown Prince later, and he will definitely punish her."

Mo Yi then turned to the Fourth Princess and the Ninth Princess, "Princess Zhou, I really don't know them. No one has mentioned them since I entered the manor. How about I serve you both tea, and you two can begin your storytelling?"

The Fourth Princess blushed deeply. "Oh dear, we were just chatting casually, we wouldn't dare make things up."

The Ninth Princess lowered her head, her face grim, and remained silent.

Mo Yi smiled and said, "Yes, respect for seniority and age must be taken into account."

"Seventh sister-in-law, come and have some tea," the Crown Princess said quickly.

Princess Yu'an smiled and said, "The snacks at the Crown Prince's residence are quite good. Seventh Sister-in-law, please try them... Seventh Sister-in-law, you've just joined us, so you don't know. We're no different from ordinary families. We tell jokes and bicker, which is common. Today, we're all close friends and family, so please don't take it too seriously."

Mo Yi smiled and said, "I'm not a talkative person, I don't say more than a few words a day. I just feel that: what good are a few idle words? If I hear something I don't like, or if I can't stand it, I still have the prince to back me up. The prince came in a grand sedan chair, he won't just watch me suffer, will he?"

Princess Yu'an laughed loudly, "That's right. Not to mention Seventh Brother, even I wouldn't stand by and watch."

The Fourth Princess and the Ninth Princess, remembering that scoundrel, regretted their impulsiveness that day. "Let's go play cards..." they said, and then disappeared.

"Seventh Sister-in-law, what you said earlier was very good!" Princess Yu'an sat down next to Mo Yi and brought her a plate of snacks. "This is delicious... That Consort Zhang is too arrogant. I've disliked her for a long time. Don't be fooled by her sometimes thoughtless remarks. But she's very obedient in front of the Crown Prince."

"Mother, out of consideration for her giving birth to a son for the Crown Prince, she's been lenient with her, but she's still gone too far. Sister-in-law, don't spoil her too much; it'll cause problems if she develops bad habits. I'll talk to Mother and the Crown Prince about this later."

The Crown Princess said, "Mother, there are so many things to do every day. Don't bother him with these things. I will talk to the Crown Prince about it later."

Princess Yu'an smiled and stopped talking about it. "Seventh Sister-in-law, you don't know, the Crown Prince's family has a dance troupe. Some of the songs and dances were even choreographed by the Crown Prince himself. They are quite outstanding! I have one at home too, I'll show it to you when you come over."

The Prince of Yong'an's troupe is the largest, and sometimes they even perform in the palace. Seventh Brother, you're too dull. All you do is fight and eat and drink all day. The mansion is so bland, there's nothing there. Later, go visit each of our households, see what kind you like, and get one for yourself.”

Mo Yi nodded, "I'll have to see for myself later."

"Come to my house when you're done with this busy period! I'm going to play cards now."

After Yu'an left, the Crown Princess said, "The Fourth Princess and the other two weren't targeting you. Back then, Seventh Prince was ruthless..."

"Still not ruthless enough. Haven't they learned their lesson?" Mo Yi said calmly.

"You always surprise us," the Crown Princess said with a smile.

The atmosphere became lively again, with people coming over to talk to the Crown Princess and Mo Yi, chatting about things like clothes, spring flower viewing, and the upcoming new tea harvest...

Not long after they arrived, news came from ahead that Li Jing was leaving.

The Crown Princess sighed, "You really aren't staying for dinner?"

"I'm busy with things at home. Besides, as you've seen, I'm not very good at socializing. I'll come see you separately another time!"

“Alright, I’m willing to be around someone like you…” the Crown Princess said softly.

“Me too!” Mo Yi said with a smile.