Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

After a few words of advice, the Crown Prince dropped the matter, only advising: "The golden jade pillow given by the Emperor is quite good. Change it tonight! Also, the Queen Mother is different from ordinary women. She doesn't focus on power or establishing authority over her daughter-in-law. Her mindset is beyond your imagination. Whatever the Queen Mother says, she means it in her heart. You don't have to think about it, just listen!"

The Crown Princess nodded in agreement, but she couldn't suppress the tinge of resentment and jealousy she felt. She was dissatisfied because, in her mind, the power of the harem was the hallmark of the Empress, so how could she give it to lowly concubines? She simply believed that the Empress, always weak, couldn't control the concubines, so she had to make such arrangements, and even allowed them to pay their respects daily to Fengqi Palace! Wu secretly vowed in her heart that sooner or later, when she took that position, she would not give up even a single ounce of the power over the harem!

The Crown Princess was even more jealous. Her mother-in-law's behavior was unexpected. Her normal behavior didn't seem to easily impress or influence this most noble woman of the Dasheng Dynasty. She was still apprehensive, but her mother-in-law already had it all: the exclusive favor of her husband, the Emperor, and even the complete trust and unspoken obedience of his son, the Crown Prince. If... someday the Crown Prince would inherit the throne, the person who would be at the top of the new Emperor's mind would undoubtedly be her, this mother-in-law who was so favored by everyone!

Yes, Crown Princess Wu has already noticed that His Royal Highness is almost doting on his mother Lan Qingwu like the current emperor! This is not a good thing for herself or the Wu family!

After giving instructions to the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince left Liangxu Palace. He got some rare things and left some in Liangxu Palace. Then he went to Fengqi Palace to Lan Qingwu, presented them to his mother, and collected some for the Crown Princess.

From then on, Princess Wu restrained herself and, like other royal daughters-in-law, only went to Fengqi Palace to pay her respects on the first and fifteenth day of each month.

The Crown Princess was not a stupid person. Once she calmed down, she discovered many things that she had neglected in her daily life.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince constantly emphasized to the Crown Princess how inseparable the Emperor and Empress were. She initially dismissed this, but gradually realized he wasn't exaggerating. That impenetrable peach blossom grove, that Listening Snow Pavilion constantly cleared by the Black Feather Guards and eunuchs... The Crown Princess was astonished again and again. The Emperor and Empress were truly so loving! She still remembered being stopped, turning her head from afar to see only two blurry, overlapping figures within the transparent, glazed Listening Snow Pavilion. She felt a sense of loss. The Shenwu Emperor—a great emperor—truly doted on the Empress!

That day, the Crown Princess invited several princes' wives to a small luncheon banquet at Liangxu Palace.

During the banquet, everyone chatted and laughed, toasting each other, giving enough respect to the Crown Princess Wu. However, in the second half of the banquet, perhaps because they had a few drinks, everyone spoke in a much more relaxed manner.

The First Prince's Consort was the most forthright, yet also the most cautious. She always kept the First Prince's words in mind. They were a long couple, and their lives in the harem were not easy. The Third Prince's Consort was the most stable and generous. In comparison, the Second Prince's Consort was beautiful but narrow-minded. The Fifth Prince's Consort seemed heartless and simple-minded, but she was the most talkative. The Fourth Prince's Consort... there was no need to mention it. Before they had even officially met, the Fourth Prince and his Consort had already been eliminated, and their futures would be vastly different from the others.

The Fifth Prince's wife drank a few more glasses of fruit wine, her face radiant. She took a few more sips and put down the glass cup in her hand. "My dear sisters-in-law, take a look at this Liangxu Palace. It seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince still favors the Crown Princess the most. Second sister-in-law, look at that white jade bodhi tree. The fruits hanging on it are all top-grade jade!"

The Third Prince's wife remained silent, but the Second Prince's wife continued, "It's more than just this white jade bodhi tree. Look at that double-sided screen. One screen, but it offers two different views! You can't just pay a few bucks to get this!"

The eldest prince's wife frowned slightly, but then she heard the fifth prince's wife say, "We are so envious!"

The Crown Princess smiled slightly, a hint of pride flashing across her eyes. "These are all gifts from my father, the Emperor, and my mother. They're nothing special. After all, they're just decorations for the house! If the sisters-in-law really like them, you can pick one out."

The eldest prince's wife was very clear-headed and said quickly, "That's not necessary. These are gifts from the emperor. How can we give them to others? They were just chatting."

The Third Prince's wife couldn't help but complain inwardly, "How could you give away something bestowed upon you by the Emperor?" The Crown Princess simply wanted to show off the favor bestowed upon her by the Emperor, Empress, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! If she were really asked to give it away, would she dare?

The Second and Fifth Princes' Consorts noticed the First Prince's Consort's expression and became more clear. They usually followed the First Prince's Consort in matters of minor importance. Seeing her attitude, they quickly changed the subject and asked about her son. The atmosphere gradually became lively again. The Fifth Prince's Consort couldn't help but ask, "Sister-in-law, the child's name hasn't been decided yet, right?"

The eldest prince's wife shook her head calmly: "When the child is older, the emperor will give him a name."

The Second Prince's wife nodded. "This is Father's first grandson, and he's only a few days away from Princess Mingzhu's baby boy. I think the celebration will be very lively! We can hold the celebration banquets one after the other, and then have Father bestow a name on him!"

The Second Prince's wife said this with a slightly worried look on her face: "I just don't know when this blessing will come to us."

The eldest prince's wife hurriedly said, "It's only been a short time since the brothers and sisters got married. There's really no need to rush. When fate arrives, it will happen naturally. Especially the Crown Princess, you've only been married for a few days. I'm afraid His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still very much in love with you!"

The words of advice from the eldest prince's wife were not very pleasing to the Crown Princess' ears. Her next goal was naturally to quickly conceive an heir to the throne. You are content with having a son, but you still advise us not to be anxious!

This topic was also very inappropriate. The Third Prince's wife suppressed the smile on her lips and drank a glass of fruit wine with an expressionless face. The Fifth Prince's wife took advantage of the First Prince's wife's words to tease the Crown Princess, and somehow, the topic came up again with Lan Qingwu.

The Crown Princess seemed to be casually chatting about the peach forest in the harem, showing a bit of curiosity.

The Second Prince's wife sighed, "My mother is so lucky!"

The Third Prince's Consort, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke: "You must not speak ill of His Majesty and the Empress! Thank you, Crown Princess, for your hospitality today. I will now take my leave!"

After the Third Prince's wife left, the First and Second Prince's wives became more sober. Only the Fifth Prince's wife knew that the Fifth Prince would never be able to ascend to that position, so she spoke more casually.

Especially after the First and Second Princes' Consorts left, only the Fifth Prince's Consort was left. The Crown Princess spoke in an even more cordial tone: "If you have nothing to do in the past, please come to my palace and talk. You, the Crown Prince, are busy every day, and I don't have anything else to do."

The Fifth Prince's wife suddenly felt closer to the future mistress of the harem than the other sisters-in-law. Alcohol paralyzed her mind, making her excited for a moment. "Of course, as long as the Crown Princess doesn't despise me! After all, the Crown Princess is the most blessed! I heard that when the Crown Prince returns home in three days, he will go with the Crown Princess! This honor and favor is unmatched by anyone else!"