When the Empress arrived, Guifei and Rong Fei quickly stood to greet her with curtsies.

  Truth be told, the Empress Dowager had always treated both Guifei and Rong Fei fairly well. After all, they had both served the Emperor back when he was still Crown Prince, and Guifei came from a noble family.

  She had always been respectful and compliant and had even given birth to a princess.

  When the Empress had fallen ill in the past, it was the Empress Dowager who had appointed Guifei to temporarily manage pace affairs.

  So it was only natural that Guifei continued to visit often out of filial piety.

  That said, the Empress Dowager herself had her own thoughts. Having once been Empress, she knew very well: if the power of the inner pace didn’t lie with the Empress, things would never be stable.

  Wumian was doing fairly well so far, and the Empress Dowager had decided to observe a while longer. If things continued in this way, she would return full pace authority to her.

  But it was still early. She needed more time to be sure.

  Still, seeing how calm and composed Wumian was now, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled.

  “Since I returned to the pace early, and the weather’s been so hot tely, it doesn’t seem right to go back to the summer estate. You’ve worked hard, Mother,” Wumian said gently.

  “It’s no trouble. Pace matters take precedence,” the Empress Dowager replied. “Speaking of which—how is Hanliang Pace? That roof was terribly damaged, wasn’t it?”

  “Replying to Your Majesty,” Guifei said, “the eastern side hall’s roof needs a full repair. Many of the tiles are broken, and some of the beams caught fire. Even the doors and windows were partially scorched. The fire was put out quickly, but the damage is still quite unsightly. It certainly needs to be repced. I haven’t yet asked His Majesty and Her Majesty when the work should begin. If we start construction now, it may disturb Li Fei’s pregnancy—and since her condition is unstable, it wouldn’t be safe to move her either.”

  It was a difficult situation. If Guifei sent workers into the pace and their noise caused Li Fei to miscarry, who would be bmed for it?

  The Empress Dowager frowned, and Wumian thought for a moment before saying, “It still needs to be repaired. Leaving it as it is—who wouldn’t be irritated every time they walk past it?”

  “Exactly,” said Xian Fei. “We see it every day—it’s hard to ignore.”

  “I do have a possible—though imperfect—solution,” Wumian said, turning to the Empress Dowager. “Why don’t we erect two pilrs on either side of the hall’s entrance and hang a thick curtain between them to block the view? Once Li Fei is further along and the physicians say the pregnancy is stable, we can begin repairs. If we prepare all the materials in advance, it should only take a day or two of fast daytime work to complete it.”

  “Hmm… that could work,” the Empress Dowager nodded. “Let’s do that, then.”

  Whether people found the curtain unsightly wasn’t their concern. It was certainly better than staring at a charred, bckened roof.

  In truth, even Li Fei had grown irritable these past few days, just from glimpsing it through her window.

  Later, as the Empress Dowager and Guifei began discussing the Eldest Prince’s move to the Southern Garden, Wumian didn’t interrupt and quietly stepped aside.

  After a while, it was time to leave.

  Just as they exited the pace, they ran into the Eleventh and Twelfth Princes, arriving together.

  Both had recently been relocated to the Southern Garden and had come today to greet the Empress Dowager.

  When the Twelfth Prince saw Wumian, he smiled. “Royal… Royal Sister-in-w.”

  “You’re here to pay your respects?” Wumian smiled back.

  The Eleventh Prince bowed to Wumian and Guifei, offering a formal greeting.

  Wumian nodded at him. “Go on then. Her Majesty is waiting.”

  The Twelfth Prince gnced at Wumian again, looking like he had something to say, anxious, but unsure how to begin.

  Wumian said kindly, “If there’s something on your mind, why don’t you come to Fengyi Pace after greeting the Empress Dowager?”

  A nine-year-old younger brother-in-w—if he visited her pace, who could really object?

  The Twelfth Prince nodded eagerly.

  Wumian smiled again. “Then go ahead. I’ll be waiting.”

  After she left Yining Pace, Rong Fei said with a teasing smile, “When did Your Majesty become so close with the Twelfth Prince?”

  “He’s a good child,” Wumian replied lightly. “I’ll head back first.”

  The others quickly offered respectful bows and farewells.

  When a person truly changed, it showed.

  Even if Wumian was still being plotted against behind her back or silently resented, in front of her, consorts like Guifei still had to abide by the rules. No matter how unwilling they were, there was no choice.

  Watching as Wumian boarded her sedan chair and left, Min Fei said, “I’m not in a hurry to go back. I’ll take a walk instead, so I won’t be accompanying you, Sisters.”

  In the end, Rong Fei left as well, while Xian Fei and Guifei departed along the same path.

  The two of them rode in their sedan chairs one after the other, not exchanging a single word. Meanwhile, on Rong Fei’s way back to Minghe Pace, she chatted idly with her maid.

  “The Empress is doing a fine job winning hearts tely, but what’s with how close she’s getting to the Twelfth Prince?” said Liuyun. “He can barely speak clearly, and neither His Majesty nor the Empress Dowager has ever shown him much affection. He doesn’t even have any family backing him.”

  “I know. I don’t get it either,” Rong Fei replied. “The Empress is harder to read than she used to be. That boy’s the te emperor’s son—what, is she pnning to raise him like her own?”

  She gave a cold ugh.

  “That’s never going to happen,” Liuyun scoffed along with her mistress. “Besides, there’s already one in Yining Pace—wasn’t he brought back on the Empress’s suggestion too?”

  “Dream on,” Rong Fei sneered. “That child’s the son of the te Empress. His Majesty would never agree to such a thing. And even if the Empress truly wanted to raise him, what good would it do her? He’s the son of a disgraced woman. And haven’t you heard? There’s already been criticism in court ever since the Eldest Prince returned.”

  “If the Empress really is thinking that way…” Rong Fei suddenly stopped walking, frowning. “Tell me—if she is pnning to raise the Eldest Prince, do you think His Majesty might…”

  “The Emperor and the Empress Dowager would never allow it. If the Empress really has such intentions, His Majesty would definitely grow to despise her,” Liuyun said firmly.

  “You’re right… I need to give this some thought. What if we told the Eldest Prince himself? After all, the Empress is the one who made his return possible.”

  Just a moment ago, it was merely a “suggestion.” Now, she was already saying Wumian had made it happen.

  “I think we’d better stay out of it,” Liuyun warned. “No need to bring trouble on ourselves.”

  “You’re right. Let’s go back.”

  —

  Back at Fengyi Pace, not long after Wumian returned, the Twelfth Prince arrived.

  This time, he wasn’t so flustered. When he greeted her, he spoke clearly.

  “Come, have a seat.”

  He sat down and gave Wumian a small smile. “Royal sister-in-w, I came to thank you.”

  “So formal?” Wumian ughed, already knowing what he meant.

  The move to the Southern Garden had only just happened recently. Among the te emperor’s sons, Ying Qiongyu—the Twelfth Prince—was by far the most disadvantaged.

  With no mother consort to support him, he had little to rely on. He lived solely on his modest stipend. Back when he was in the Northern Garden, life had already been tight. Now, in the Southern Garden, where he needed to hand out rewards and manage things properly, it was even harder to gain a foothold.

  Wumian had sent gifts to all the sons of the te emperor according to protocol, but she had slipped Ying Qiongyu a little extra—some silver, discreetly given, just enough to help him get started and establish himself.

  “You’ve been good to me, and I… I know it… I…” he started to stammer again, clearly nervous.

  “Take your time, no rush,” Wumian said with a smile.

  “I… I just… I’ll always remember your kindness. Even ter, I’ll remember it,” Ying Qiongyu said bashfully.

  Right now, he truly had nothing to offer in return. Even if he wanted to repay her kindness, he couldn’t.

  “Well, let’s not make it so serious. There’s a saying—a sister-in-w is like a mother. Taking care of you is only right. More importantly, I think you’re a good boy. Don’t you think we have a good fate between us?” Wumian smiled warmly. “That’s enough—you’ve already made it clear how you feel. Now, have some tea.”