On her side sat a young man. He was dressed in luxurious clothes, had a handsome face, and a cold aura. However, the smile on his face was very friendly. He said to Consort Dong, “This song is not bad.”
This person was none other than Consort Dong’s son, the Ninth Prince, Fu Xiuyi.
Consort Dong smiled at Fu Xiuyi and waved her hand. The person playing the song suddenly stopped. Consort Dong smiled and said, “You played well. Go to receive your reward.”
A trace of joy flashed across the face of the girl playing the song. She quickly carried the Guqin and left. Everyone in Ming Qi Palace knew that the servants of Shufang Palace were the happiest because Consort Dong was a kind person and treated the servants extremely amiably. For example, at this moment, the girl would be rewarded very handsomely for playing just a while.
“All of you can leave.” Consort Dong glanced at the other palace servants. When the palace servants heard this, they retreated obediently. In the blink of an eye, only Consort Dong and her son were left in the palace.
“Mother, your methods of teaching your servants are getting better and better,” Fu Xiuyi said with a smile.
“It’s better to make friends than to make foes.” Consort Dong smiled and said, “How many times have I told you this?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Fu Xiuyi sighed. “Unfortunately, in my position, it’s much easier to make foes than to make friends.”
Hearing this, the smile on Consort Dong’s face faded a little. She asked, “Your father has been troubled by the matter regarding the mighty general for the past few days. Are you… confident?”
Consort Dong had never stuck her nose into the matters of the imperial court. The harem was not to interfere in politics. Moreover, Emperor Wen Hui had nine sons, all of whom were not easy to deal with. Now that the situation was not clear, Consort Dong didn’t mind keeping a low profile.
“Father won’t let this matter rest so easily.” Fu Xiuyi said, “Once I submit the evidence and he is convinced, the plan will go smoothly.”
“I believe you know what you are doing.” Consort Dong shook her head and said indifferently, “But Xiuyi, the situation is tense now. You’d better be careful. Don’t stand out. Just let them fight. When they’re done fighting, it won’t be too late for you to make a move.”
“Mother, I will do as you said,” Fu Xiuyi quickly said.
Consort Dong smiled and suddenly thought of something. “The last time I asked Mrs. Shen to bring Shen Miao into the palace, you asked me not to let Shen Miao hear our conversation… What’s going on?”
The last time she asked Luo Xueyan and her daughter to enter the palace, Fu Xiuyi had told Consort Dong beforehand not to let Shen Miao be present during the conversation. Therefore, later, Consort Dong asked Tong Yao to take Shen Miao out.
“Mother, what kind of person do you think Shen Miao is?” Fu Xiuyi asked.
“She’s not bad-looking and will probably be a beauty when she grows up. However, she’s too dull and docile. She’ll probably be a pushover.” Consort Dong looked at Fu Xiuyi. “I heard that she once liked you, but she doesn’t look like the idiot people described.”
Fu Xiuyi smiled. “Mother,can’t you find any fault with her? You’ve always been very picky.”
Consort Dong was stunned. On the surface, she looked amiable, but in fact, she was an extremely picky person. This was because Fu Xiuyi had already reached the age of marriage and was very outstanding. There were also noble families wanting to marry their daughters over, but Consort Dong could always find fault with them and felt that they were not worthy of her son.
Although she did not praise Shen Miao, her words were not negative either. On careful thought, she even found Shen Miao quite likable. This was the first time Consort Dong took a liking to a young lady from the official family.
