That Qi Niqun continued to suppress Consort Ji caused Li Chen displeasure, though he didn't show it. He wanted to raise his sons together by his own hand. Letting a single woman in charge of raising his children had not been part of his plan. Nor would it ever be.
While the legitimate sons were the most noble in birth, Li Chen's goal wasn't solely to be a first-ranked prince. His eyes were on the throne. As such, Li Chen hoped that his sons would be close while also possessing their own talents. He didn't want them emulate those sons of past emperors, fighting each other to the death. On the other hand, pampering the legitimate son would bring rise to an ineffectual ruler.
Since Secondary Consort Ji had finally yielded the right to manage the estate to Qi Niqun, the latter had been celebrating. However, Li Chen had then taken the habit of seeing her rival for the past few nights. Now Qi Niqun could not suppress her anger anymore. Her expression sunk. She understood the implications. Li Chen had given her the estate's managing power as a trade. He didn't want his son to be raised in her courtyard. That he had lately frequented that woman's residence was part of the warning.
Although they'd only been married for a little over a month, Qi Niqun already noticed one of the worries and annoyances of being a princess consort. The more she noticed, the more she felt she could not deal with them all. Apart from this Consort Ji, she needed to force the inner courtyard into the palm of her hand. She needed to showcase her authority, so that no one would dare challenge her. Once Qi Niqun accomplished this, she would be considered on the same level as the prince. And Li Chen would then value her more than the others.
Only from having tricks, brains, and authority would one survive in the inner courtyard.
After Qi Yunruo finished copying one book of the 'Lotus Sutra¹', he ran out of paper. Lately, the mood in Winter Plum Courtyard was a little anxious. He did not search for the eunuchs or older female servants for paper and brush. He also also did not look for Ji Huan. Instead, Qi Yunruo slipped into the worlds of Li Chen's novels. Several times, in fact. Other than that, he didn't do much of anything.
Due to the rising temperature, Qi Niqun had instructed servants to send Qi Yunruo new summer clothes. Most of them were shades of green, though some were a bright color.
Liusu was starting to lose track of the eldest miss' intentions. Was she mad at her master? Or was she treating him as if he were important? Whatever the reason, Liusu's heart thumped with joy as she helped Qi Yunruo try out each outfit one by one. Then she carefully folded them and put them away.
Qi Yunruo had received a few new sets of inner and outer garments. All of which were made of silk and breezy when worn. Liusu and the other maidservants also received new clothes. Liusu was now considered one of her master's first-rank servant girls. Her monthly allowance was 100 grams of silver. At the end of every season she would receive two silver winterfrost flower hairpins and two sets of new clothes. As lower-ranked servants, Xiao Shan and Xiao Jiu received 40 grams of silver² and two new sets of clothes. Because they didn't wear their hair in complicated hairstyles, they didn't receive much jewelry.
Whether the main room had been too busy or not was anyone's guess. But in the end, Qi Yunruo did not receive a single cent.
Technically, he didn't need money to survive, but his heart still felt a tinge of disappointment.
On the outer part of the estate, another person also felt a bit unhappy.
It had been a long time since Ji Huan last laid eyes on Qi Yunruo. He missed the teen. Yet Qi Yunruo had locked himself up in his suite, and Ji Huan himself could not visit him either. A few times he had thought of sending some gifts over, but in the end he held in the urge.
