King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 704 Three women and one drama
Yang Jingting's carriage soon arrived outside Prince Xiang's mansion. At this time, all the selected ladies and concubines were waiting inside Chengyun Gate.

She was a concubine in the palace, so it was only natural for someone of lower rank than her to come and greet her.

After being carried into the palace, Yang Jingting was helped out of the sedan chair by a maid, and her eyes swept towards the people waiting in front.

With Keqing at the head, everyone bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty, please return home!"

"It's only been over a year since we last met, how come we feel so distant... What's the point of being queen or not? We are all sisters!" Yang Jingting walked forward with a smile.

Her words and her expression at this moment made people feel as if they were bathed in spring breeze, and made everyone see the shadow of Baochai.

"Keqing, you have gained some weight recently..."

"Yinglian, how tall is the girl now?"

"Qin girl, you are still so energetic..."

What does it mean to be comprehensive? Yang Jingting gave a very standard interpretation, which shows that her skills have become more steady and experienced.

Everyone felt somewhat warmed by her concern, after all, Yang Jingting had done a really good job.

Slightly behind her, everyone was talking and laughing as they walked deeper into the palace.

Behind them, there was a maid holding the son born to Yang Jingting, who had been named Zhu Muwu by Zhu Jinghong.

Zhang Xiaoyue and Li Huizhen also followed behind the crowd. They did not have this qualification in the past, but Yang Jingting had specifically instructed them to do so.

A few minutes later, everyone arrived outside the Tongxin Hall.

The door of Tongxin Hall was open at this moment. When Yang Jingting walked in, she could already see Baochai sitting in the main seat.

The same is true in reverse. Baochai also saw Yang Jingting walking in front of her, surrounded by people and looking at her.

Of course, Daiyu and Baoqin, who were standing beside Baochai at this moment, also saw the unusual situation outside.

Yang Jingting was in high spirits, and Daiyu felt it deeply. She also knew that this person had some ill intentions, so she subconsciously glanced at Baochai.

But Baochai looked indifferent, and she even slowly picked up the teacup and focused her attention on the tea.

"Sister Lin, this tea today... seems a little bitter, what do you think?"

"Sister Bao is the head of the palace. If any servant is careless in making tea, sister will punish him!" Daiyu said with a faint smile.

Baochai shook her head slightly and said, "Forget it... I have to punish you for such a small matter. In the future, everyone in the palace will say that I am harsh!"

The two of them were chatting over tea. Baoqin couldn't help herself. When Yang Jingting was about to step onto the steps in front of Tongxin Hall, she muttered in a low voice: "Sister, look at her... she is so arrogant. I thought she was the princess!"

Hearing this, Baochai put down the teacup with a little sternness, and then scolded in a low voice: "What nonsense are you talking about? You are becoming more and more unruly!"

"I……"

Baoqin was about to explain, but Yang Jingting had already climbed the steps, and she heard Baochai yelling, "Get down!"

Seeing that her cousin was really angry, Baoqin didn't dare to say anything more and could only retreat to the side hall obediently.

At the same time, Daiyu stood up and greeted Yang Jingting who came in with a smile.

"Greetings to Madam Yang!"

As the saying goes, one should serve different dishes to different people. After Yang Jingting's visit to Jinling, she knew very well the importance of Daiyu in Zhu Jinghong's heart.

When others bowed to her, she would just say "no need to be so polite" verbally, but when Daiyu bowed to her, she would take the initiative to step forward and support her.

"Sister Lin, are you feeling better?"

"Thank you for your concern, Madam Queen. I am feeling much better now after taking proper care of myself!"

At this point, Daiyu smiled and said, "Your Highness has traveled a long way back to the capital, and Baojie must be very worried about you!"

"My sister is going back today. Sister Bao has been waiting here and has already drunk several pots of tea!"

At this time, Baochai laughed and scolded from behind: "You little girl, how big is my appetite? How many pots of tea can I drink!"

Hearing Baochai speak, Yang Jingting immediately passed Daiyu and bowed to Baochai, saying, "I am so sorry to trouble you, Princess, to worry about me!"

"Why do you sound so scared?" Baochai asked with a smile.

Yang Jingting replied very humbly: "This huge palace, all the affairs inside and outside, are all on the shoulders of the princess. If I cause the princess to worry and trouble because of me, how can I not feel panic!"

"You flatter me. The huge palace is under the responsibility of the prince. How can I bear the responsibility?"

"Your Majesty is in charge of external affairs, and your Majesty is in charge of internal affairs. Both are indispensable. Why should your Majesty be so modest?"

Baochai remained calm and said with a gentle smile: "Please take a seat. You have just been through a great disaster. It is so tiring to stand and talk!"

"Thank you for your consideration, Princess!"

After expressing her gratitude, Yang Jingting sat in the first seat on the left. She was indeed qualified to sit there.

"Please sit down, everyone!" Baochai continued.

Then Keqing and others found their own seats and sat down according to their ranks and the order in which they were conferred titles.

As for the seat opposite Yang Jingting, Daiyu was sitting there just now, but it was not appropriate for her to sit there now.

At this time, Yang Jingting said, "Sister Lin, please sit down too. You are a distinguished guest of the palace...you should sit in the front!"

Hearing this, Baoqin in the side hall became even more unhappy.

It was not because Daiyu could sit in the front and she was driven to the side hall, but because she couldn't stand Yang Jingting giving orders in Tongxin Hall, as if she was the master here.

But in fact, Baoqin was really overthinking it. Yang Jingting simply wanted to sell Daiyu's good points.

"How dare I!" Daiyu said very humbly.

Strictly speaking, all the people with status here have higher status than her.

Even if she could sit down, she should sit at the back, not the front.

Just sitting down would make so many people feel uncomfortable that Daiyu felt her scalp tingling just thinking about it.

"Girl Ting is right, you are a distinguished guest of the palace... just sit here!"

Looking at everyone in the hall, Baochai continued, "The prince values ​​you very much. If I neglect you and he finds out, I'm afraid I'll be blamed!"

With the princess speaking up and Zhu Jinghong brought up, no one dared to feel resentful.

Even though Daiyu understood Baochai's meaning, she still replied: "The princess has offered me a seat, so I shouldn't refuse it. However, there are differences between the upper and lower classes, and between the noble and the humble..."

Before Daiyu could finish her words, Keqing stood up from her seat, walked up to her and said, "Sister Lin... the princess has already said that you are an honored guest, so what is the point of talking about hierarchy? How can this be the way to treat guests?"

Pulling Daiyu to her seat, Keqing pushed her to her seat and said, "If you continue to be polite, it will be too formal!"

"Your Majesty, is that right?" Keqing turned around and looked at Baochai.

"What Keqing said is absolutely right!" Baochai replied with a smile.

It can be seen that Keqing has firmly secured the position of the first supporter after Baochai.

Yang Jingting had a smile on her face, but she snorted in her heart. This echoing of the other made her very uncomfortable.

"You two, why don't you come in and pay your respects to the princess?" Yang Jingting shouted outside.

Everyone's attention was drawn to him, and then they all looked outside the hall, only to see Zhang Xiaoyue and Li Huizhen walking in.

"I bow to the princess, and I bow to all the ladies!"

These two people were extremely humble because everyone present was in a much higher position than them.

"Princess, the two of them accepted the order from the prince to stay in Jinling to take care of me. The prince had intended to promote them, so I asked them to kowtow to you!"

Regarding the status given to Zhang Xiaoyue and the other person, Zhu Jinghong did not make a direct statement at the time, so Yang Jingting's words were suspected of being "false imperial decree."

Of course, it was just a suspicion. Zhu Jinghong had acquiesced at the time, and it was impossible for him to delve into such matters.

It is because she understands this that Yang Jingting dares to do this.

"Oh? That's how it is!"

Baochai then raised her eyes to look at Zhang Xiaoyue and the other two, who were looking at the ground in a very polite manner. "By the way, where is the child? Bring him here for me to see!" Baochai changed the subject.

Zhang Xiaoyue and the other two were very disappointed, but they dared not say a word at this time, because

Yang Jingting winked and a maid came in carrying the child. At this moment, Zhu Muwu was still sleeping soundly.

When the maid came closer, Baochai stretched out her hand, and she had no choice but to hand the child over.

Baochai is the biological mother, so it is natural for her to hold her own child, but this scene makes Yang Jingting worried.

She regarded Baochai as an enemy, and now that the enemy had held her vitals, Yang Jingting would of course be extremely worried.

Although she knew that Baochai would never do anything extreme, she was still very worried.

"Wu is the sacred tree where phoenixes live. It's a good name!" Baochai said, looking up.

Yang Jingting smiled and replied, "The prince came up with the name himself, which shows that he put a lot of effort into it!"

Zhu Muzhen's name was given by the emperor, and Zhu Muwu was the first son named by Zhu Jinghong, so the tone of her words was actually strange.

In Yang Jingting's view, this has extraordinary significance, and pointing it out "inadvertently" at this moment may somewhat hurt Baochai's feelings.

But how could she know that although the name was given after Zhu Jinghong, the actual process was done by Baochai.

After all, names with the character "木" (wood) in them are widely used in the royal family, so it is difficult to think of a better one.

Zhu Jinghong didn't want to spend time worrying about this, so naturally he let Baochai do the work.

So Yang Jingting's words did not hurt Baochai at all, and she even felt like laughing.

"Since he is sleeping soundly, I won't disturb him!" Baochai said with a smile.

The maid beside her took it carefully and then stepped aside. Only then did Yang Jingting feel relieved.

She had made up her mind that she must get custody of the child and would never let Baochai interfere.

The daughter of Keqing and Yinglian posed no threat to the throne of the Crown Prince or even that position, so she was able to successfully obtain custody. However, Yang Jingting believed that the matter might not be so simple for her own son.

After seeing the child, everyone started talking about Jinling. Yang Jingting was well prepared and repeatedly mentioned the Xue family in Jinling.

When she was recuperating in Jinling, the Xue family did come to visit her quite often, and most of the time it was Xia Yuegui who came.

In fact, when Daiyu first arrived, she mentioned Xia Yuegui many times, and her words were full of praise and gratitude.

Baochai is now very satisfied with the sister-in-law she chose, so she gives her greater authority later.

With the power backing her up from Princess Xiang, and Xia Yuegui's own skillful tactics, her words are now much more effective in the Xue family than Xue Pan's.

In a patriarchal society, this is undoubtedly extremely rare.

Half an hour passed in this chat. Just then Zhu Muwu woke up and started crying, so Yang Jingting got up and went to take care of him herself, and this casual chat with different thoughts ended.

Just at this moment, a maid came outside to report that the Crown Princess invited Baochai to her house to appreciate the plum blossoms.

So, after welcoming Yang Jingting, Baochai started a new journey.

In fact, she also had plans in the afternoon. She was invited by the lady of the Shanguo Mansion to go to watch an opera. The mansion had just bought a few maids, and they were said to be excellent at singing Kunqu opera.

Such trips happen every now and then, and coupled with weddings and funerals, Baochai is indeed very busy.

After everyone left, Yang Jingting returned to her own courtyard. At this time, Yiheyuan had already been cleaned up, and everything looked the same as when she left.

Entering the main hall of Yihe Garden, Yang Jingting asked, "Where did the prince go?"

"I have asked, and it turns out that they went to Shanglin Garden. Today, His Majesty summoned all the generals to go hunting!"

Sitting at the main seat, Yang Jingting ordered, "Call them both over!"

"Yes!"

After a few breaths, Zhang Xiaoyue and the other person entered the room and bowed to Yang Jingting according to etiquette.

"Don't worry about your affairs. Even if the princess is reluctant, I will help you two achieve your wishes!"

"Thank you, Her Majesty!" The two of them bowed again.

It's just that people have different levels. For example, Zhang Xiaoyue understood that Yang Jingting said that the princess was unwilling just to make her feel resentful.

Although she cannot choose her stance, Zhang Xiaoyue sees things more clearly and will be more measured in her actions in the future.

She just wanted to climb up steadily instead of being someone else's knife.

"Get up, get up! You two have worked hard and made great contributions, this is what you deserve!"

While the three of them were talking in a friendly manner, Baochai had already packed up and went to the East Palace.

Seeing that Baoqin was still unhappy, Daiyu stepped forward and asked, "Sister Bao is doing this for your own good. Don't be upset!"

"I'm not angry with my sister, I'm just worried about her!" Baoqin said with a frown.

Seeing her like this, Daiyu smiled.

"What are you laughing at?" Baoqin became more and more dissatisfied.

"I laugh at some people... The emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is!"

"I won't talk to you anymore!" Baoqin turned around and looked out the window.

After sending away the maids and asking them to close the door, Daiyu came to Baoqin and whispered, "Sister Bao is as steady as a rock, why do you worry about nothing?"

"As stable as a rock? She is the niece of the Queen, and now she has given birth to..."

"Look at her just now. She really thinks she is the princess..."

"As the saying goes, you shouldn't have the intention to harm others, but you should always be on guard against others. You really are..."

Baoqin spoke very clearly and Daiyu just watched her talking with a smile on her face.

Seeing that Daiyu was not angry, Baoqin could not help but raise her voice and asked, "Are you listening to me?"

"Let me ask you, who has the final say in this palace?"

"of course……"

This question seemed easy to answer, but Baoqin hesitated, and finally answered tentatively: "My brother-in-law?"

"Right...then think about it again. Concubine Yang is returning to the capital today. Where is your sister-in-law?"

"In Shanglin Garden, hunting with His Majesty!"

Daiyu picked up the teacup and said slowly, "The hunting is in the afternoon, and the morning is the preparation time. He didn't have to go so early, but he went anyway because he was invited by the Dragon Guards!"

"so?"

"So in your brother-in-law's heart, Concubine Yang doesn't seem to be important!"

Baoqin thought about it and found that it did make sense, and then she felt less worried.

"But she is the Queen's niece after all, she..."

"Hasn't the Empress' niece been sent to a nun by her? If it weren't for your sister's understanding... I'm afraid she would still be imprisoned now!"

Daiyu knew all about what happened in the past two years, after all, she lived in Kunning Palace.

Baoqin felt more at ease after hearing this, but she still said, "One must be on guard against others. My sister doesn't take it seriously, but I'm afraid that in the future..."

"Don't worry, your sister has a clear mind and she thinks and worries about much more than you do!" Daiyu's smile became even brighter.

"If you could understand your sister, I'm afraid she would have been squeezed out of the position of princess long ago!"

Daiyu's words really made Baoqin not know whether to laugh or cry, as it seemed that she was saying that she was a little stupid.

"That's good!"

(End of this chapter)