novelnext Chapter 1345 - 1343: Reunion (1)
Chapter 1345 - 1343: Reunion (1)
The next day, Tao Prince Consort indeed went to the palace again.Hong Yun immediately informed Consort Zheng.
Consort Zheng asked.
"Did he come alone, or did the whole Tao family come?"
"Your Highness, he came alone! And specifically to see the Princess!" Hong Yun responded.
Consort Zheng thought for a while and sighed.
"Forget it, I don’t want to interfere!"
"Let him in then!"
Seeing the Eldest Princess reluctant to part, how could she intervene?
Better to break ten temples than to ruin one marriage.
As long as the Eldest Princess was willing, she didn’t worry about explaining to the Emperor.
"Let it be then!"
Consort Zheng waved her hand and continued lying down.
Hong Yun withdrew at the right moment.
...
Tao Prince Consort wished he could finally enter the courtyard of the Eldest Princess.
At that moment, the Eldest Princess was resting on the soft couch by the window.
Xiao Luo came in to report.
"Princess, the Prince Consort has arrived!"
A gleam flashed in the Eldest Princess’s eyes, then quickly dimmed.
"Why is he here?"
Her tone was lazy, tinged with slight disappointment.
Xiao Luo laughed.
"Perhaps... the Prince Consort is here to apologize to the Princess, or maybe he wants to take the Princess back!"
The Eldest Princess didn’t speak, her hand instinctively caressing her abdomen.
After hesitating for a moment, she finally said.
"Let him in then!"
A sparkle appeared in Xiao Luo’s eyes too, he responded affirmatively and withdrew.
...
Tao Prince Consort came in quickly.
As soon as he entered, without saying a word, he knelt in front of the Princess.
"Princess, I’ve come to atone for my sins, it was my fault before!"
The Eldest Princess was startled, her face flushed with embarrassment.
She wanted to reach out to help him up, but halfway through, she withdrew her hand, her expression turning cold.
"What are you doing?"
"I can’t accept this!"
Saying that, she got up and moved aside.
She had never thought of divorce, but that didn’t mean she could easily forgive.
Consort Mother Zheng’s words were reasonable.
She was a Princess and couldn’t let the Tao family always trample on her.
Even for her daughter’s sake, she couldn’t be too weak.
Moreover...
She touched her belly!
Her gaze showed unshakeable determination.
...
Tao Prince Consort had hardly ever seen such a Princess, which made him feel somewhat unfamiliar.
He was momentarily taken aback, then quickly reacted to continue admitting his faults.
"The Princess has suffered many grievances at my Tao family!"
"It was all my fault before, I admit my mistake, I apologize!"
"Rest assured, such things will absolutely never happen again!"
"You are my wife, no matter what happens, you are the most important person to me! I should also stand by your side!"
"Princess, come back home with me! From now on we’ll live well!"
The Eldest Princess turned her back, her nose a little sore, her eyes red.
Choking for a long time, she asked in a huff.
"What about Maternal Aunt Tao?"
"My second sister’s Prince Consort doesn’t even have a concubine!"
Tao Prince Consort immediately said.
"As long as you’re willing to come back, I’ll make her disappear forever!"
The Eldest Princess tensed up sharply behind him.
"What nonsense are you saying?"
"She’s still a life, how can you..."
Tao Prince Consort quickly explained.
"It’s not about her life! But sending her off to the estate!"
The Eldest Princess lowered her head and said nothing.
She suddenly felt she might be excessive.
’She even had a son, though illegitimate, she still doesn’t see me in her eyes!’
’But I am the legal wife and a Princess, I should naturally be magnanimous and not haggle with a concubine!’
After a long struggle, she suddenly said.
"Forget it!"
"I still need to think about it, you should go back first!"
Tao Prince Consort wanted to say more, but the Princess had already left coldly.
So he could only return unwillingly.
...
Since that day, he came every three days to apologize, every five days with gifts.
This made him well-known among the palace people.
Every time he came, they would let him in directly without questioning.
Tao Prince Consort wasn’t foolish, every time he came he wouldn’t come empty-handed.
He would give out Small Pieces of Silver or string copper coins, making good acquaintances with the servants over time.
Even a few little palace maids under Hong Yun could exchange a few words with him.
If Hong Yun’s will wasn’t strong, perhaps she too...
To this, Consort Zheng coldly laughed.
"In the end, the Tao family isn’t completely foolish, they have someone wise after all!"
"I thought they really didn’t want to live anymore!"
Hong Yun said.
"Your Highness, you worry too much!"
"Yesterday I even saw the Eldest Princess and the Prince Consort strolling happily in the back garden!"
Consort Zheng sighed softly.
"In fact... I knew from the start that the child couldn’t harden her heart!"
If she could harden her heart, she wouldn’t be the Eldest Princess.
Hong Yun said nothing.
Consort Zheng thought for a long time and finally said.
"It’ll do!"
"The timing is just about right, it’s also time we wrap things up!"
Being out here for so long, this matter should be settled, shouldn’t it?
Actually, the Emperor and the Empress didn’t care about whether there was a divorce or not, the Emperor didn’t even care much about how well the Eldest Princess was doing.
But this matter hurt the pride of the Royal Family, she had to handle it.
As long as the pride is maintained, the outcome for the Eldest Princess doesn’t matter much.
Consort Zheng sighed.
"Go convey my message, let Tao Hanlin come by tomorrow!"
"Alright!"
Hong Yun went out, found a trustworthy person to convey the message.
...
The next day, Tao Hanlin arrived as promised, personally received by Consort Zheng.
That day, after dismissing the servants in the main hall, they secretly talked for a long time.
It’s unclear what they discussed.
In short, the Tao family brought the Princess back on the same day.
In the following two days, huge changes happened in the Tao family.
First, the Eldest Princess agreed to adopt the illegitimate eldest son.
Then Maternal Aunt Tao was demoted to the estate.
Next, the Princess and the Prince Consort moved out of the Tao Residence, taking their children to live in the Princess’s Mansion.
Finally, Xiao Luo was replaced, and the Princess had a new maid named Xiao Yun by her side.
Consort Zheng was very satisfied with these changes.
"This is good!"
"In the future, she shouldn’t be wronged, nor should she live in apprehension!"
Hong Yun also smiled.
"Your Highness can also be rest assured now!"
Consort Zheng exhaled comfortably.
"I can also give a good account to the Emperor and Empress!"
"Make arrangements for tomorrow, it’s time for us to return!"
Hong Yun smiled and agreed.
...
The Sunny March, flowers bloom, grass grows, and orioles fly.
After being silent for a long time due to the severe cold, the harem and Imperial Garden became lively again as the weather warmed up.
Concubines, who hadn’t seen the outdoors for days, changed into colorful palace attire, traveled in groups of threes and fives, chatting and laughing along the way, lively and charming.
The Palace Maids, who loved beauty, would occasionally slip into the garden while their masters weren’t looking, plucking delicate flowers with dew to adorn their hair, discussing who was more beautiful.
Sometimes playful, sometimes laughing, creating a lively scene.
In Duanning Palace.
Zi Yue and Xiao Zhu Zi were accompanying Xia Ruqing in cultivating that garden in the backyard.
Zi Ning, on the other hand, was leading several second-class palace maids to bring out and air the master’s winter clothes, while also airing last year’s spring and summer robes.