On our wedding night, my wife acted strangely.

Yang Siyu, dressed in a plain blue fox fur coat, stood three steps away from her, holding a hand warmer.

She wasn't wearing any jewelry or powder, but her complexion was noticeably better than Consort Hui's, and even the melancholy in her eyes had faded considerably.

It's clear that she's living a very comfortable life in the Prince's mansion.

Looking at that face, Consort Hui felt as if something was stuck in her throat. She subconsciously turned to the side and hid her bulging belly inside her fox fur coat.

But this gesture couldn't hide anything at all, and in the end, Yang Siyu spoke first, saying, "Greetings, elder sister."

When they were in the palace, Yang Siyu was a Noble Consort, and although Consort Hui was later promoted to Noble Consort as well, the two were of equal rank.

However, according to the year they entered the palace, Yang Siyu was the first to arrive, so she would usually address her as "elder sister" when they were being polite.

However, when Consort Hui called out "sister," she felt a mix of emotions.

Because she had tripped up this woman behind her back more than once.

She remembered every single one of these things very clearly: stuffing musk into her palace, implying to Nangong Xiong that Yang Siyu was getting too close to the imperial physician, and using Zhao Shuyu to withhold charcoal from Dongtan.

Standing under this plum tree now, being stared at by Yang Siyu's calm eyes, I feel very uncomfortable.

She lowered her head and said, "So it's Consort Gui."

Yang Siyu smiled and said, "What's with all this talk about imperial concubines? They've all come out already, so why bother calling them anything else?"

Consort Hui glanced up at her, then quickly looked down again: "Did you come here to mock me, sister?"

Yang Siyu remained silent.

Consort Hui gave a bitter laugh: "Look at me now, with this belly that I can't show in public, I don't even dare to admit who I am, living in the North Garden like a rat every day. Sister, aren't you feeling relieved?"

Hongcui, who was listening nearby, was terrified and quickly tugged at Consort Hui's sleeve, signaling her to stop talking.

The latter shook off her hand.

Yang Siyu did not respond to this.

She took a step forward and stood side by side with Consort Hui under the plum tree, looking up at the buds that were about to bloom.

The two stood there silently, with a half-step between them.

A gust of wind blew from the bamboo grove, knocking a few snowflakes off the plum tree branches and onto their shoulders.

After a long pause, Yang Siyu finally spoke: "That winter was particularly cold."

Consort Hui was taken aback.

But Yang Siyu's gaze was still fixed on the plum branches, and his voice was very calm: "Half of the charcoal in my palace was confiscated, and I couldn't sleep at night because of the cold, so I would wrap myself in a quilt and sit by the window to look at the moon. At that time, I hated you very much, so much so that I would curse you in my heart every night. Then one morning, a eunuch delivered charcoal, two more baskets than usual. I asked him who sent it, and he said it was Consort Hui."

As she spoke, Yang Siyu turned her head to look at Consort Hui: "Is it you?"

Consort Hui's lips moved slightly: "How did you know?"

Yang Siyu said, "I've lived in the palace for twenty years. I keep a record of who has harmed me and who has helped me. Those two baskets of charcoal were sent by you."

Consort Hui remained silent for a while.

Hongcui stood behind, not daring to make a sound, because there were too many old grudges between these two, and she, as a maid, had no way to get a word in edgewise.

Consort Hui remained silent for a long time.

It's not that I don't know what to say, but that I don't know how to say it. Some things have been bottled up in my heart for too long, and when it's time to say them, I can't find the words.

"That time was because I heard you had been coughing for half a month without getting better. I thought it wouldn't do me any good to let you freeze to death. At that time, you were one of Nangong Xiong's concubines who could still speak to him. If you died, Zhao Shuyu would have all the power. I kept you around so that she would have a rival to distract her and not keep an eye on me all the time."

At this point, she suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Heh, but I don't want you to know that I sent it. I'm worried that if you find out, you'll think I'm a good person, and then it will be inconvenient for me to deal with you later. Don't you think I'm crazy? I'm trying to hurt you on one hand, and on the other hand, I'm afraid you'll really die."

After hearing this, Yang Siyu laughed: "So, you're not completely evil. If you were truly wicked, I'd have an easier time. I could just hate you for the rest of my life, but you know how to regret what you've done and try to make amends. That kind of person is the most annoying; you can't even bring yourself to hate them."

Consort Hui didn't know how to respond to such a comment.

Yang Siyu turned around to face her, his tone suddenly becoming serious: "You just said that you're carrying a belly that you can't show in public, and you don't even dare to recognize who you are, but look at me."

Consort Hui looked up at her.

Yang Siyu's eyes were calm, without mockery or pity, as he continued, "I've been neglected by Nangong Xiong for over a decade. I was just a decoration in the palace, not even as good as a chair. When Min'er was forced to marry the prince, I knelt on the floor tiles of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and kowtowed until my forehead was swollen. Did it do any good? Nangong Xiong didn't even glance at me."

Consort Hui's heart tightened.

On the day Yang Siyu knelt and begged Nangong Xiong, she was sitting in the side hall behind, and of course she heard the thumping sound coming from outside.

She did nothing at the time.

On one hand, she felt a sense of relief, thinking, "Why is my son ruined while your son is perfectly fine?" But on the other hand, as a mother herself, she couldn't bear it.

I want to help but can't, and I don't want to help but can't bear to.

Yang Siyu continued, "Later, the prince brought me out of the palace. I sat on his big horse and glanced back at the red walls. Do you know what I was thinking at that moment?"

Consort Hui shook her head.

"I've been thinking, I've never lived an upright life. In the palace, I was a vassal; here, I'm just a dependent. So, what difference do you see between us?"

Consort Hui always thought that Yang Siyu was doing well in the Prince's mansion.

Her daughter was a princess, her grandson was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and Lin Yi treated her with utmost respect. Everyone in the mansion addressed her as "Your Highness."

But upon closer reflection, Yang Siyu is also right.

No matter how glamorous she may appear, she is ultimately a mother-in-law living in her son-in-law's house, dependent on others.

All her dignity comes from her daughter and son-in-law.

But she herself had nothing.

Consort Hui shook her head again and said, "It's different."

Yang Siyu looked at her.

"You are Min'er's biological mother, the Prince respects you, and everyone in the manor treats you with respect. But what about me? This child in my belly will never dare to tell him who I am."

When the topic turned to children, Consort Hui's voice trembled noticeably, and she pursed her lips into a thin line.

Yang Siyu did not speak immediately. He also looked down at Consort Hui's swollen belly and remained silent for a while.

In the distance came the sound of a maid sweeping snow; the bamboo broom scraped across the stone slabs with a soft rustling sound.

Yang Siyu took a small step forward, reached out, and tidied Consort Hui's hair, which had been ruffled by the wind.

Consort Hui instinctively shrank back.

Spending a long time in the palace makes one exceptionally sensitive to being touched by others, especially by concubines of the same rank.

It's either a test or a setup.

But Yang Siyu simply tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his movements slow and gentle, then withdrew his hand and asked, "Do you think the Prince is the kind of person who would keep things hidden forever? He's not giving you a title now not because he doesn't want to, but because he can't yet. There are too many people in the capital watching him; you know that better than I do. He put you in the North Garden not to hide you away like a mouse, but to protect you."