The daily life of a cold and aloof general raising his wife

The third prince thought of his two older brothers. He had a good relationship with his two older brothers when he was young, but in the past two years, his second brother was not as nice to him as he was when he was young. Sometimes he could even feel his second brother's wariness towards him.

Seeing that the Third Prince looked somewhat downcast, Xie Huaiyu tried to distract him.

"Third Prince, I've never strolled through the Imperial Garden before. Could you show me around?"

The third prince concealed the disappointment in his eyes and said, "Alright."

On the other side, after paying her respects to the Empress, the Crown Prince's wife sat down and chatted for a while before leaving.

Ever since Pei Yurong married the eldest prince, she would come to the palace from time to time to talk with the empress.

After the Crown Prince's wife left, a palace maid beside the Empress said, "The Crown Prince's wife is quite filial. Knowing that the Princess and Her Majesty are bored in the palace alone, she comes to keep you company from time to time."

The Empress glanced at her, then said to the palace maids in the room, "You may all leave."

"Yes."

The palace maids bowed and left, closing the door behind them.

The Empress had her personal maid help her walk towards the inner room.

The Empress said leisurely, "It seems I have been too lenient, indulging some people to the point of being arrogant and ignorant."

The old woman quickly said, "It was my oversight. I'll go and give them a talking-to right away."

The Empress sneered, "Our eldest prince is honest and kind, but his wife is not one to behave herself."

The Empress did not think that Pei Yurong's eagerness to pay her respects was without any ulterior motives.

Pei Yurong is tactful and considerate in her speech and actions; I'm afraid the eldest prince won't be able to control this daughter-in-law.

However, with the eldest prince having such a wife, the second prince and Consort He are probably going to be quite restless.

The people in the palace are all more cunning than a hornet's nest.

The palace maid who was talking to the Empress in the afternoon knocked over the Empress's favorite vase, and she was demoted to another place.

Jiang Shuwan, realizing she hadn't visited the Empress in a long time, sent a letter and went to the palace the next day.

"Shu Wan greets Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."

The Empress affectionately pulled Jiang Shuwan up, "Get up quickly."

The two sat down, and Jiang Shuwan felt much relieved to see that the Empress looked well.

The Empress asked with concern, "Recently, I've heard many rumors about the General's Mansion. Do you need me to stand up for you?"

Jiang Shuwan said gratefully, "Your Majesty, don't worry, I can handle it. I'll come to Your Majesty for help if I can't handle it."

The Empress took her hand and said, "Alright, whatever you say. Remember, I'm on your side."

Jiang Shuwan nodded, "I know."

"All I want now is for you younger generations to be safe and sound."

Jiang Shuwan could tell that the Empress missed Li Shu, and she missed her too.

"How is your grandmother's health?" the Empress asked the Grand Princess with concern.

“Grandmother is doing well. I just went to the Grand Princess’s residence yesterday.”

After sitting with the Empress for half an hour, Jiang Shuwan left Yikun Palace and went to the Imperial Study.

Xie Huaiyu had just finished all his classes for the day.

Xie Huaiyu's eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Shuwan, and he bowed respectfully, "Sister-in-law."

The third prince greeted her with a smile, "Cousin."

"Third Prince."

Jiang Shuwan was about to perform the ceremony when she was stopped by the Third Prince.

"No need for such formalities, cousin."

Jiang Shuwan smiled and nodded at him.

"Is my cousin here to see Mother today?"

Everyone in the palace knew that Jiang Shuwan would visit the Empress at the palace every now and then.

Jiang Shuwan nodded, "I just came from the Empress's place."

While the two were talking, Xie Huaiyu had already packed all his things.

"Huaiyu, you must come back soon." The Third Prince said reluctantly.

There are no classes tomorrow, so Xie Huaiyu can rest at the General's Mansion for a day.

Xie Huaiyu nodded.

Jiang Shuwan was surprised that the Third Prince and Xie Huaiyu had such a good relationship.

After saying goodbye to the Third Prince, Jiang Shuwan led Xie Huaiyu out of the palace.

"How are things? Is everything alright at the palace?" Jiang Shuwan asked with concern.

"Everything is fine. The Third Prince is kind, and everyone else is very good to me," Xie Huaiyu said truthfully.

"That's good."

I'm relieved to see Jiang Shuwan in person now.

Xie Huaiyu was the younger brother of a rising star in the court. Most people treated him with respect, but a small number of people looked down on him. The next day, the Empress made a special trip to the Imperial Study to see him, and those people no longer dared to neglect Xie Huaiyu.

The three princes in the palace and the Empress never went to the Imperial Study for them, but she went to see Xie Huaiyu instead.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the General's Mansion.

The two got off the bus one after the other.

As soon as Xie Youwei entered the mansion, she knew her younger brother had returned and quickly walked towards them.

Xie Youwei was very happy to see the two of them, but she didn't forget to bow and greet them, "Sister-in-law."

Jiang Shuwan smiled and nodded, "Alright, you two siblings haven't seen each other in a long time. You two chat, and I'll have the kitchen prepare a few more of Huaiyu's favorite dishes tonight."

"Thank you, sister-in-law," Xie Huaiyu said.

Jiang Shuwan nodded to the two of them and then left.

The siblings returned to the courtyard. Xie Youwei kept talking the whole way, while Xie Huaiyu listened quietly. The two siblings had been like this since they were little.

When Xie Huai'an returned to his residence, he heard that Xie Huaiyu had returned. He went to Mingxiang Garden first, and when it was time for dinner in the evening, he and Jiang Shuwan went to the front hall together.

While Xie Youwei hadn't seen Xie Huaiyu for several days, he had seen him a few times.

During the meal, Xie Huaiyu recounted his encounter with Pei Yurong the previous day, and Jiang Shuwan and Xie Huai'an exchanged a glance.

Xie Youwei was completely unfamiliar with Pei Yurong.

After dinner, they returned to their respective courtyards. Jiang Shuwan and Xie Huai'an walked side by side. On the way, Jiang Shuwan dismissed all the maids, leaving only the two of them.

It was already completely dark when Xie Huai'an carried a lantern to light the way for Jiang Shuwan.

"Today, Her Majesty the Empress mentioned to me that the Crown Prince's Consort often goes to pay her respects to her," Jiang Shuwan recounted what had happened to her that day.

Xie Huai'an asked softly, "What is Your Majesty's attitude?"

"I feel that Her Majesty doesn't seem to like Pei Yurong very much."

The Empress did not explicitly say that she disliked Pei Yurong; she sensed it from her tone of voice.

Jiang Shuwan was unaware of Pei Yurong's bribery of the palace maids in the Empress's palace. How could the Empress possibly take a liking to a prince's consort who had her hands in her palace? She dared to reach into her own palace now that she was a prince's consort; who knows what would happen if she ascended to the throne one day?

"Regardless, we can stay in touch immediately."

Jiang Shuwan nodded; she thought so too, but one cannot only think about the present; one must also consider the future.

Currently, Pei Yurong appears to be shrewd and capable, but her character remains unknown.

The struggle for the throne in the previous generation was too cruel, and so many brothers died. Therefore, Emperor Mingde did not want to repeat the same mistakes. From a young age, he raised his three sons to love and care for each other. Some officials even said that Emperor Mingde had too few children, but Emperor Mingde felt that three sons were not too many. He did not want to see the scene of fratricide again, and he did not want his sons to suffer the same pain he had endured.