Ambitious Favored Consort: How To Become A Wangfei

Chapter 44: First Grade

First day of the New Year.

Zhao Chengjun who was at the border avoided this etiquette while Jinling was preparing a grand celebration for the Yan Dynasty.

Zhao Chengjun was stationed in the frontier, and he was also the uncle of the little Emperor, so he was exempted from such formalities. However, Tang Shishi and other womenfolk did not have such confidence. On the first day, everyone in the mansion would greet the mistress. Since the seat of Princess Consort was vacant, it was replaced by Shizi Consort.

Tang Shishi went to Shizi Consort to pay respect. When she reached there, she found that all the maids and the old momo were all outside, and there was still someone guarding the door. Tang Shishi's step gradually slowed down. When Lu Yufei's old momo saw that Tang Shishi was here, she immediately greeted her diligently, "Miss Tang is here. Happy New Year to you."

"Momo, same to you." Tang Shishi stopped in the middle of the corridor, looked into the room, and asked, "Shizi Consort have a guest?"

The old momo smile froze for a while, and then smiled, "She cannot be considered as a guest. Miss Tang, wait a moment. I'll go in and let Shizi Consort know."

Tang Shishi was waiting outside the corridor with her handwarmer. She asked the maid next to her in a low voice, "Which guest came to visit Shizi Consort?"

The maid seemed reluctant to open her mouth. However, since the person who was asking the question was Tang Shishi, she dared not conceal it and could only say it quickly, "It's Madam Xu."

Madam Xu? Tang Shishi frowned. She had learned all about the officials' dependents in Xiping and there were only a few that could visit Prince Jing mansion. When did a family named Xu appeared in Xiping?

Tang Shishi was about to ask which Xu family it was. Seeing the maid's expression, Tang Shishi suddenly enlightened and thought of that "Xu family".

Shizi's biological parents, Xu Jing, and Madam Xu.

In the third year of Yongxi's reign, Xu Jing had saved Zhao Chengjun and died, leaving only an orphan and a widow in Xu's family. Zhao Chengjun was grateful for Xu Jing's life-saving grace and began to support the Xu family. Later, Zhao Chengjun's wife-to-be died two consecutively. Thus, Zhao Chengjun gave up the idea of getting married and adopted Xu Jing's son as his adopted son and changed his name to Zhao Zixun.

It was a good thing for ordinary people's children to enter the prince's mansion, not to mention that the adopter was Prince Jing, Zhao Chengjun. Naturally, the Xu family did not disagree. Zhao Zixun's biological mother, Madam Xu, did not know whether to avoid suspicion or completely abandon her son. In short, she rarely appeared in front of Zhao Zixun again in the following years.

This was a good thing for both parties. Both parties have a mutual tacit understanding, Zhao Chengjun no longer mentioned the Xu family, and the Xu family would not take the initiative to appear in front of Zhao Zixun. Although it was not completely cut off unless New Year's Day, the two families seldom met up with each other.

Unexpectedly, on the first day of the New Year, Madam Xu would visit Prince Jing's mansion and met Shizi Consort the first time she came. Now, Tang Shishi understood the old momo and the maids' expressions earlier just now. Tang Shishi also felt awkward. She saw the situation was not good and wanted to be excused, "Since Shizi Consort is busy, it's not convenient for me to trouble her. I will come to greet Shizi Consort again later."

Before Tang Shishi could finish her words, the old momo raised the curtain and came out from the main room. She smiled at Tang Shishi, "Shizi Consort invited Miss Tang to come in."