Chapter 12: Converging (Part 1)

  Hehe, river crabs are really fierce, after all, the two characters for "palace" cannot be written together, so I had to separate them.

  Rong Sheng shook his head: "I don't know either."

  "Go ask someone beside your mother." Shen Zhongge picked up another letter and opened it, instructing with his mouth.

  Responding to the voice, Rong Sheng returned in a moment, "...Bai Yue said that the old lady won some silver today and is in a good mood, and also rewarded each of the aunties. However, it was Li Auntie who mentioned the 10th prince's full moon banquet, and she seemed unhappy when looking at Chu Auntie."

  The full moon banquet of the tenth prince?

  Shen Zhong's brow furrowed in thought.

  The birth mother of the tenth prince is Zheng Guifei, who has been favored by the emperor for many years. After giving birth to the fifth prince seven years ago, she had no more children, but surprisingly, she gave birth to the tenth prince two months ago. This was a rare event in the palace, where there had been no imperial births for two or three years. The emperor was overjoyed and held a grand banquet for all officials on the day of the tenth prince's full moon celebration, which was comparable to the celebration of the eldest prince's full moon wine.

  Only officials of the first rank and above were qualified to bring their wives to attend the grand banquet in the palace, but he was a red man in front of the emperor, and at that time he had just returned from the border, so when the invitation was sent, the inner court made an exception and invited the general's wife. Zheng Guifei also did this with good intentions, which would have delighted ordinary people.

  Unfortunately, what others considered a great opportunity turned out to be a complete disappointment for Shen Zhongke. His vicious wife was impossible to take out in public, and besides, he hadn't seen her in five years anyway.

  However, if he really brought his concubine along, and was taken advantage of by someone with ill intentions, saying that he disrespected the noble consort Zheng, humiliating her again as a concubine who had regained favor. With the honor and position that Consort Zheng holds today in the emperor's heart, it is likely that he would be immediately stripped of his title and wealth.

  He is indeed a military general, but he is by no means a rash person.

  He specially submitted his resignation and declined, saying that his wife had caught a cold and was afraid of disturbing the noble concubine and the tenth imperial son.

  Fortunately, Wan Cai also knew that he was not in harmony with his inner house, and did not pursue it.

  However, Chu Xinyi was very dissatisfied.

  Since receiving the invitation, she has been pestering him to take her there.

  For five years, she had been in charge of the General's mansion, going in and out of the luxurious mansions being treated like a superstar. This could no longer satisfy her vanity. If she could enter ** with dignity and interact with the Empress Dowager like other first-class officials' wives, it would be an honor beyond compare.

  It was a must for the tenth prince to attend the full moon banquet, and Chu Xinyi had used all her tricks to persuade him, forcing him to sneak out in the end. Thinking of this, Shen Zhongge felt a hint of displeasure in his heart, and his eyebrows furrowed: "…when did she, who used to be free from worldly disputes, also start to become vain?"

  Looking at the sky and seeing it's getting late, he pushed away the bowl of soup in front of him and stood up.

  "General......" Seeing Shen Zhongge walking straight towards Yang Niang's Cui Jin Garden, Rong Sheng called out.

  Shen Zhong's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.

  "The general has been away on expedition, and the general's mansion inside and out relies on Chu Niang to manage. She...has indeed suffered a lot." Rong Sheng said with a hardened expression, recalling Chun Hong's bitter pleas.

  He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then turned around and headed towards the Green Bamboo Garden.

  “……The general has arrived.” Chu Xinyi was embroidering shoes and heard the maid's greeting outside the door, so she hurriedly and joyfully came out to welcome him. "Why didn't you go to your sister's place today?" She turned her head and instructed Chunhong, "Serve tea to the general!"

  As he stepped into the house, Shen Zhong saw that Chu Xinyi's eyes were slightly red and puffy. He let out a sigh and said, "It's late today, I was passing by Bi Zhu Garden on my way back to the study, so I dropped by. Why are you still awake?"

  "The maid was just about to go to bed, but the general arrived at this moment." Chu Xinyi smiled and said, "It's like the maid deliberately waited for the general." While attending to help him take off his outerwear, "...General, do you want to wash up first or later?"

  "......Let's wash up first." As he spoke, Shen Zhongke stepped into the bathroom.

  After washing up, Chun Hong had already brewed a pot of good Dahongpao tea. Chu Xinyi held the white jade cup in her hand, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, lost in thought, and didn't even notice Shen Zhongjie coming in.

  "What's on your mind? You're so absorbed." Shen Zhongge handed the towel in his hand to Chunhong and sat down opposite her.

  "Ah!" Chu Xinyi was startled and jumped up, suddenly lifting her head. A pair of slightly red eyes stared at Shen Zhongge, "General, you're done washing so quickly."

  It's impossible for him to ignore her red and swollen eyes anymore. Shen Zhongge furrowed his brow and asked, "What happened again? You've cried your eyes red."

  "...who was crying, it was just that I got sand in my eyes this afternoon." Chu Xinyi hastily lowered her head to cover up.

  Chun Hong was indignant: "Aunt is..."

  "… Chun Hong!" Chu Xinyi stopped her.

  "The slave girl insists on saying that the aunt's heart is bitter, why should she swallow her teeth and stomach?! Chunhong knelt down, 'Please, General, do justice for our aunt!'"

  Shen Zhong's eyebrows twitched, "You said..."

  "This dead hoof, seeing that I'm in a good mood, is getting more and more arrogant. The general has been busy all day, it's not easy to get some rest, why do you have to bring up these things to bother him..." Chu Xinyi scolded with her mouth, but didn't continue to stop him.

  "General, you've been away for so long, and I'm the one who's been taking care of everything in this household, big or small. I'm afraid that if something goes wrong, it will disturb your mind at the border and affect your ability to focus on battle. My heart is already worried sick. But there are people who don't appreciate it, saying that we're all just concubines, and since we entered the household last, why should we be in charge of the inner courtyard?

  "General, you don't know how many tears I've shed in secret over the years, hoping that when you return, everyone will be able to restrain themselves and get along. But instead, things have gotten worse. Today, at Old Lady's place, in front of the whole family, she... " Spring Red imitated the woman's sharp tone, "A person should never forget their place! They must recognize what kind of household they are from! A concubine is just a concubine, and no matter what, they can never be promoted to a higher status!"

  "Who said that!" Shen Zhongge slapped the table with a loud bang.

  This remark touched his sore spot.

  He's a man who values his promises, and the only promise he ever broke was to Chu Xinyi, whom he had promised to marry but ultimately let her become a concubine. This is also where he feels indebted to Chu Xinyi. Therefore, over the years, he has let her take charge of Zhong Yi, catering to her every need, indulging her every whim...