The Virtuous Concubine

The gift given by the Nalan family was not a valuable gift that matched the relationship between Yonghe Palace and their family.

Hearing this, the Fourth Prince stopped what he was doing and looked at the gift list in Wen Xian's hand. Wen Xian showed it to him directly, and there was a large number of gifts circled on it.

The Fourth Prince glanced at them, lowered his head and said calmly, "Don't worry about it. The Nalan family has always been like this since I can remember."

This is indeed the case now, but I don’t know what it will be like in the future.

Nalan Mingzhu, who was hosting a banquet at his home at the time, also learned at the first time that the eldest prince was released from Yangfeng Alley.

After the Nalan family sent away the eunuchs who were delivering the rewards, they fell into a frenzy, especially Mingzhu's cousin Suo Erhe. Suo Erhe was the father of Concubine Hui, and according to seniority, Concubine Hui was Mingzhu's cousin.

How could Suo Erhe not be happy when the eldest prince born by his daughter was finally released? He was extremely happy and felt that the Nalan family had hope again.

Mingzhu was not very happy, as he had already boarded the boat to Yonghe Palace. Moreover, as the most outstanding son of the Nalan family in the court, he naturally understood that the emperor released the eldest prince not to entrust him with important tasks, but to use him to contain the prince.

If the eldest prince did anything slightly excessive, the emperor would personally settle accounts with him and the Nalan family who supported the eldest prince, without the crown prince ascending the throne.

Seeing Mingzhu's serious expression, Suo Erhe asked in confusion: "Mingzhu, why are you so worried? The release of the eldest prince is a great thing for our Nalan family."

Mingzhu smiled and didn't speak in a hurry. Instead, she asked someone to play a new piece of music and then toasted everyone.

After the wine was drunk, Mingzhu explained in a low voice: "Brother, don't rush to be blindly optimistic. Although the eldest prince was released, his position in the emperor's heart is no longer the same as before. The emperor released the eldest prince just to balance the situation in the court. If our Nalan family jumps out to support the eldest prince at this time, it may bring disaster upon ourselves."

Suo Erhe was embarrassed: "Mingzhu, what do you mean by this? After all, the eldest prince was born to Concubine Hui, and he has a close relationship with our Nalan family. Now that he has been released, if we don't support him, how can we fight for it? In the future... the eldest son of the legitimate wife, don't you care about it?"

Mingzhu thought to herself that it was no wonder that Concubine Hui and the eldest prince were no match for the crown prince, a motherless child. It turned out that he took after his father, who had no sense of propriety!

However, good advice cannot persuade a damned ghost, and Mingzhu did not intend to discuss such an important matter in such an occasion. He nodded calmly and said, "Brother is right. It is my fault for not considering it carefully." After that, he did not respond to Solhe's words anymore, but just lowered his head and drank silently.

After saying that, he didn't respond to Solhe's words anymore and just drank.

Seeing Mingzhu give in, Suo Erhe still felt unwilling, but he did not dare to pester her. Concubine Hui was his daughter, and the eldest prince was his grandson. The status of these two people in the palace was related to his status in the family and the capital.

Whether he can become the uncle of the emperor or the Duke of Cheng'en depends on these two. But Mingzhu jumped out to pour cold water on him, she must be afraid that he would gain power!

Solhe was getting angrier and angrier, but he couldn't let it out because of the situation. He looked at Mingzhu, his eyes revealing dissatisfaction and vigilance: "Then in your opinion, what should we do?"

Mingzhu put down the wine glass, smiled and shook her head, as if the previous disagreement had never existed: "What can I say? Everything is arranged by the clan. My official career probably ends here. I will be satisfied if I can get the title of Grand Secretary and leave unscathed. Now, I am looking forward to the next generation to achieve something."

After saying that, he glanced at the younger generation next to him. Lu Yuchan and Rongruo were sitting together. Nalan Rongruo was drinking, and Lu Yuchan was holding Mingzhu's first grandson Fuerdun in her arms. She held the child, sometimes coaxing the child, and sometimes persuading Nalan to drink less.

This made Suo Erhe very angry. What did he mean by showing off that he was a university scholar and had a higher official title than himself? He was still left alone by the emperor and could not compare with Suo Etu!

And don’t think that you don’t know. Doesn’t the clan still listen to you, Nalan Mingzhu?

The more Solhe thought about it, the angrier he got, and his face became gloomier. He held the wine glass tightly, trying to suppress his anger, but when he saw Mingzhu's calm appearance, he became even more angry, and simply drank the wine.

The younger generation seemed unaware of the friction among their elders and continued to toast each other happily. Only Rong Ruo was unhappy and melancholy.

His mind was not on the lively banquet at all. The full moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival was a time for yearning. He missed Malu so much that he could not help himself. He also missed the Fourteenth Prince, who was his first child in the true sense.

At the banquet today, many people congratulated him on the birth of his son, saying that Fuldon was his first child, and wished him more clever and intelligent children in the future. This made Lu Yuchan very happy. She was so happy that she looked like a lady from a noble family.

Rong Ruo looked at Lu Yuchan's joyful expression, but his heart became more bitter. He knew that in the eyes of everyone, Fuer Dun was his and Lu Yuchan's child, and the hope of the Nalan family, but only he knew how much he wished to be with Malu and the Fourteenth Prince at this moment, sharing the joy of family life, instead of forcing a smile at this hypocritical banquet.

Lu Yuchan seemed unaware and only warned Nalan privately: "Today is the day for the family to reunite, so please stop looking so sad. If you don't give face to me, you should give face to your father."

Nalan ignored her and continued to drink one cup after another. Lu Yuchan felt as if her heart was pierced by needles. She had no way to deal with her stubborn husband. She could only pretend to be happy and content with her son and socialize with her sisters-in-law and brothers.

But the grievance in her heart continued to grow. She didn't understand why Nalan was so hot and cold towards her. They already had a child, and she had been trying hard to play the role of a good wife, so humiliated, but he was still like this!

She originally thought that he would become a better person after having physical intimacy with her and having a child, but now his intermittent approach to her is really tormenting her. It is worse than the days when he kept his distance from her.

She would never know what Nalan's mood was today. He might be treating her with respect one moment, and then get angry the next, pushing her away with both hands.

Simply insane!

Under the influence of alcohol, Nalan's longing for his wife became stronger. The figures of Malu and the Fourteenth Prince kept appearing in his mind.

The banquet finally ended and everyone left. Nalan stood up shakily and prepared to go back to his room. Lu Yuchan followed him silently with the child in her arms. When she reached the gate of the courtyard, she found that the two concubines she had taken for Nalan were waiting at the door.