Chapter 950: Chapter 950: The Stand-in Empress vs. the True Love Concubine (Part 15)
As the Crown Princess Consort, some matters naturally did not require Gu Shengyin’s instructions, as there would always be someone to report to her.
For instance, the Crown Prince and Miss Lu from the Prime Minister’s Residence had not talked long in the pavilion before the Crown Prince seemed to leave rather displeased, while Miss Lu sat alone in the pavilion for a long time.
In truth, she was not so much sitting for a long time as she was crying for a long time.
Gu Shengyin felt very satisfied in her heart.
And what happened in the Imperial Garden did not escape the notice of the several power-holders in the palace.
Upon hearing the report from his subordinates, the Emperor seemed quite pleased, "The Crown Prince was rather decisive this time. I say, now that he’s married, he should live well with the Crown Princess and let me hold a little imperial grandson soon; that is the proper course."
The past affair between the former Crown Prince Yun Qi and Lu Xi, though the two believed it to be secretive, was hardly something that could be truly hidden from the supreme ruler under heaven.
The Emperor did not intervene, simply because this matter appeared to him as nothing more than a trivial affair.
In fact, as long as the Crown Prince could handle it himself, the Emperor would not interfere in it at all.
However, seeing now how the Crown Prince handled it, the Emperor felt quite satisfied.
After all, Su Chaohua was appointed as the Crown Princess Consort by his own decree since her birth. This many years of regard had caused him to develop quite an affection for this daughter-in-law.
Naturally, he hoped that the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess would complement each other, allowing the household to stabilize so the man could have enough energy to manage significant matters.
Just like himself, having a good Empress meant never having to worry about affairs in the harem.
On the Empress’s side, hearing the Palace Attendant’s report, her face was also full of smiles.
The Crown Prince was her only child. Since Su Chaohua was the prospective Crown Princess from a young age, she was often brought to the palace to play. The Empress had no daughter, and in her heart, she had long regarded this future daughter-in-law as half a daughter, naturally unwilling to see her suffer grievances.
Moreover, as the Empress, no matter how magnanimous, she was the main wife and naturally disdained those concubines.
Seeing that someone would cause trouble shortly after the Crown Prince’s grand marriage, the Empress started to dislike Miss Lu from the Prime Minister’s Residence.
"Mujin, bring out that Eastern Pearl Headdress of mine and send someone to deliver it to the Eastern Palace for the Crown Princess. Such a striking item is perfect for a new bride to use," she instructed her Senior Palace Maid.
Eastern Pearl Headdress?
Mujin was taken aback; that Eastern Pearl was a tribute from a small southern country a few years ago, and there was only one set.
It was not long before the Empress’s Thousand Autumns Festival when the Emperor ordered the Manufacturing Bureau to specifically craft an unmatched headdress for the Empress, which made the entire harem’s concubines envious at the time.
The Empress was deliberately giving the Crown Princess face indeed.
Mujin bowed her head and agreed.
However, in the Empress Dowager’s chambers, the atmosphere was not so good.
The Empress Dowager was originally from the Lu Family, and by rank, she was the Prime Minister’s paternal aunt and Lu Xi’s grand-aunt.
Lu Xi, being the most outstanding girl of this Lu Family generation, had the Empress Dowager spend considerable thought on her.
Over the years, the Empress Dowager occasionally invited Lu Xi to the palace to accompany her under the pretext of longing for her younger relatives, partly with the intention to foster feelings between her and the Crown Prince.
She herself was already old and could not protect the Lu Family much longer. The Emperor was not her biological son and would not harbor deep feelings for the Lu Family.
If the future monarch, the Crown Prince, set his heart on someone from the Lu Family, it would be all the better.
However, with the appointed Crown Princess Su Chaohua present, Lu Xi, no matter what, was naturally considered lesser than her.