Harem Daily Life

Chapter 1119 Extra Chapter 8: The Gathering of the Prince Consorts

Jing Mubai sat in a private room on the second floor of the Sihai Restaurant, watching the bustling crowd. His state of mind at this moment was completely different from that of many years ago.

At that time, their whole family moved to the capital. Their father was still the powerful Prince of Han, who not only enjoyed the favor of the Great Zhou Emperor but also held real power in Yanzhou.

At that time, the Han Prince's Mansion was a highly sought-after partner among the noble families of the capital. His marriage partner had long been chosen from among the imperial relatives. He Yanran was raised under the Empress Dowager's care. She was the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Yong and the daughter of the Princess of Yan. Everyone thought he would become a couple with He Yanran, until He Qian came into his life.

He Qian was indeed beautiful, even more so than He Yanran. He begged his father to change the marriage proposal, and after much deliberation, his father finally agreed.

When they changed the choice of bride, the Han Prince's Mansion was in the wrong, and they expected some setbacks, but things went surprisingly smoothly. At the time, he thought that He Yanran was indeed out of favor, so no one would care about her marriage.

As it turned out, he was completely wrong.

He Yanran successfully married into the Xia Kingdom, and it turned out that the Emperor and Empress of the Great Zhou Kingdom personally escorted her to the marriage.

She married the future crown prince of Xia, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, He Yanran will one day become the queen mother of Xia.

In contrast, what about the Han Royal Mansion? Because of Jing Yuwei's reckless actions, the mansion was downgraded to the Marquis of Jing's Mansion. Furthermore, they chose the wrong side during the dynastic change in Xia Kingdom, ultimately resulting in the confiscation of their property.

Thanks to marrying the princess, he was spared the consequences of his father's actions. In the end, his father was executed, his sister died, and his mother passed away. He lost his position as crown prince, his family fortune, and became a vassal of the princess.

Jing Mubai poured himself another glass of wine and drank it down in one gulp. The spicy and astringent wine went down his throat and into his stomach. His vision became a little blurry, and finally, his head lolled to the side, and he collapsed drunk on the table.

The four princes, namely Mu Xingzhou (first son-in-law), Fan Changgeng (second son-in-law), Xiao Nan (third son-in-law), and Song Shiqing (fifth son-in-law), who were dining in another private room, looked at each other after learning that the fourth son-in-law was drunk and unconscious.

"How about we send someone to deliver a message to the Fourth Princess? We can't let him lose his composure in public and tarnish the image of our Prince Consort," Mu Xingzhou suggested.

Xiao Nan coughed lightly: "My Min'er and the Fourth Princess have never gotten along, so I won't interfere."

Fan Changgeng glanced at Song Shiqing: "You're all from Yanzhou, so why don't you tell me what to do?"

Song Shiqing crossed his arms in front of his chest, making a "refusal" gesture: "Back then, my Song State Duke's Mansion and the Jing Marquis's Mansion were not on good terms. I have no relationship with him and there is still some hatred between us. I will not interfere."

Fan Changgeng looked at Mu Xingzhou: "Then, you, the Grand Prince Consort..."

"Stop! I was one of those who accompanied my father in the conquest of the Yan Kingdom back then. How can I interfere with him?"

Fan Changgeng was speechless. He had no choice but to send his personal attendant to the Fourth Princess's residence to ask the Fourth Princess to send someone to fetch him.

However, He Qian was also angry and waited for a long time but did not send anyone.

When the four left, there was still no sign of them, so Fan Changgeng had no choice but to send the four princes back in a carriage.

"I'm so bitter inside. I was blind and made the wrong choice... I made the wrong choice..." Jing Mubai started rambling as soon as he got into the carriage, as if he had found someone to confide in, pouring out his bitterness to Fan Changgeng.

"Married for six years, yet without children, family ruined, people killed, reduced to this state of destitution..."

Fan Changgeng picked at his ear, utterly disgusted by the Fourth Prince Consort's complaining attitude towards marriage. In his view, no matter who one marries, once they enter the family and become husband and wife, they should be tolerant and loving towards each other. How could one complain while drunk? It showed a lack of responsibility.

You can't eat the princess's food, live in the princess's room, and still harbor resentment towards her, can you?

That's not how you live off a woman!

Considering the other party is currently drunk, he can't reason with him. He just hopes that the other party will stop talking nonsense after a while of drunken madness, otherwise if the Fourth Princess finds out, he'll probably be kneeling on the washboard until it cracks.

It was already evening when they returned to the Second Princess's residence. He Yue was reading with Fan Xing. Fan Changgeng greeted them as he entered and then hurried to wash up and change, so as not to offend the princess with his smell of alcohol.

When he returned with clean clothes, Fan Xing had already been taken out to play.

"Why are you four having a get-together and coming back so late today?" He Yue asked lazily, reclining on the chaise lounge.

Fan Changgeng spoke the truth without any concealment.

“The Grand Prince Consort and his ilk are so dishonest, refusing to touch anyone. I had no choice but to be a good person and send him back,” Fan Changgeng explained while massaging He Yue’s legs.

He Yue glanced at him: "Relationships vary in closeness. He Qian was not on good terms with us when she was still a young lady. Even the Empress Dowager was too lazy to see her. If you run into her again, don't interfere."

Fan Changgeng nodded in agreement: "I was just worried that he might get drunk and talk nonsense. I understand, I won't interfere next time. How was Xing'er today? Was he studying hard?"

Speaking of Fan Xing, He Yue's brows lit up with joy: "His poetry and prose today received high praise from the teacher. It seems that your literary talent has a successor. Father has invited a teacher to instruct He Junshan in his studies, and I have already secured a spot for Xing'er to study with him as well."

The imperial court would only appoint tutors after rigorous screening, ensuring that only those with impeccable knowledge, cultivation, and virtue could be qualified. Fan Changgeng was naturally delighted to have this opportunity.

Recalling the drunken ramblings of the four prince consorts earlier that day, he sighed, "Among all prince consorts, I feel incredibly lucky to have married the best, Yue'er. With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for!"

He Yue was suddenly confessed to, and she glared at him: "Don't think that I'll agree to have another daughter just because you say nice things. I don't want to suffer the pain of childbirth again."

Fan Changgeng was taken aback, then immediately found it amusing: "How could you think I was telling you this to lie and have a baby? Childbirth is too painful, and I don't want you to take the risk again."

After saying that, he picked He Yue up and carried her to the inner room, which made He Yue gasp in surprise.

"What are you doing? It's not dark yet."

Fan Changgeng raised an eyebrow: "Giving birth is very painful, but the process of giving birth is quite wonderful. I will take the princess to experience it."

He Yue blushed instantly: "You really are... After spending so much time with the Grand Prince Consort, how come you've learned to be so shameless like him?"

Fan Changgeng snorted: "He'd kneel down and beg my sister to pamper him, but I won't."

He Yue: "..."

How many times has Mo Xingzhou's incident been laughed at?

When he returned from fighting in the Yan Kingdom, he knelt before He Xuan, and from that moment on, he became famous for kneeling...

As the sun sets and the stars rise, night falls. In some mansions, lovers rejoice in their happiness, while in others, chaos reigns. In the Western Hills Palace, Consort Liang, bathed in moonlight, falls into the pond and is found lifeless when pulled from the water.

He Qian never expected that after running around for several days, she would end up like this.

"Fourth Princess, please accept my condolences. Those around Consort Liang have not taken good care of her and have already been punished with forty strokes of the cane and sent to hard labor. Consort Liang's funeral will be conducted in accordance with the rites for a Noble Consort. Rest assured, I will instruct the Imperial Household Department to handle it properly and give Consort Liang a dignified end."

He Qian sneered. What's the point of giving her dignity after she's dead if you don't treat her with respect while she's alive?