The last sentence was a pun.

How could Princess Hui’an not hear it?

This was telling her, the gūzi,^[1]elder sister of husband to keep her eyes open and not think that her new dìxí ^[2]wife of younger brother has a thin face and is easy to bully!

Princess Huian grew up being doted on, spoiled, and capricious, always having others yield to her. Little did she expect that today she would encounter someone even more difficult to deal with.

What was even more annoying was that the second brother Li Jing was devoted to his new wife. Empress Qiao actually nodded in agreement: “Lu Shi is right, that’s exactly what it is.”

Princess Hui’an: “…”

Empress Qiao turned her head and said to Princess Hui’an: “Hui’an, it’s getting late, you go back to your home and rest. Come to the palace tomorrow.”

Princess Hui’an opened her eyes in disbelief.

Was her Royal Mother going to drive her away?

Empress Qiao patted the back of Princess Hui’an’s hand comfortingly: “Lu shi has just entered and is not familiar with the situation in the palace. I want to give her some advice. It’s not interesting for you to listen on the side, so why don’t you go back and rest early.”

And it saved her from constant nitpicking.

The key was that she failed to win the fight and her posture was a little ugly. Just avoid it!

Princess Hui’an stiffened for a moment but finally left first.

When Princess Hui’an left the Jiaofang Palace, her pace was not very fast. When she reached the palace gate, her pace became faster and faster. Fortunately, Wu Fùmǎ could keep the same speed as Princess Hui’an and get into the carriage together.

“Princess, don’t be upset…”

“Don’t make any sound!”

The couple opened their mouths at the same time.

Princess Hui’an was suffocating, and at this moment it almost hit Wu’s gentle face: “Are you on my side, or Lu Mingyu’s side?”

Wu Fùmǎ helplessly smiled, “Princess, how did you come up with such a question? My wife and I are of one mind, and I share the same heart with you. As for the Second huángzi fēi, naturally, she is of one mind with the Second Prince.”

Princess Hui’an: “…”

“Lu Shi is too formidable; she even left the Empress Dowager with a bitter taste.” General Wu understood Princess Huian’s thoughts well. “Furthermore, the Second Prince always sides with Lu Shi, and as his elder sister, you naturally come second. So, are you not feeling too pleased about it?”

Princess Hui’an snorted and turned her head to the side after being told what was on her mind.

Wu Fùmǎ sighed and consoled her gently: “I understand the princess’s concerns. I also think that Lu Shi is too difficult to deal with. Not to mention in the Royal family, in ordinary families, the new daughter-in-law is rubbed hard. It’s normal to establish rules.”

“It’s just that the second brother is happy with it. Looking at Royal Mother, she has no objection. Why does the princess bother to be such a villain and compete with Lu Shi?”

“The princess is already married, why do you need to always interfere with the affairs of the palace?”

As the saying goes, a married daughter is water thrown out. Princess Hui’an had no consciousness of being thrown out of the house. She had to return to the palace now and then, and she wanted to ask questions about everything.

In the past, it was fine. Empress Qiao doted on her daughter, and Li Jing also indulged his elder sister to some extent. Now that a dìxí has entered the picture, especially one with such dominance and strength, why should Princess Huian bother with such grievances?

Princess Hui’an didn’t listen to Wu’s sincere words of advice: “Don’t say anything. I am a princess, and the palace is my home. I can come back whenever I like. The affairs of my mother and my second brother are my business. I don’t need to ask permission from anyone to say anything!”

“Let her go for a while today. If she does this again in the future, I won’t be able to spare her!”

…

Jiao Fang Palace.

As soon as Princess Hui’an and Wu Fùmǎ left, the palace suddenly became much quieter.

Empress Qiao looked at Lu Mingyu and said warmly: “Hui’an is a straight-tempered person. She says whatever comes to her mind. But she doesn’t have any bad intentions. Don’t take it to heart.”

Empress Qiao’s tone was gentle, and Lu Mingyu also put away the sharp weapon and smiled slightly: “This daughter-in-law is not angry. I am just worried that Royal Sister will not be happy.”

Empress Qiao secretly sighed in her heart.

Princess Hui’an was difficult to deal with. However, compared to Lu Mingyu, her rank was much lower. She had always hoped that her son would marry a good wife.

This daughter-in-law is not bad, but she was not easy to bear…

Empress Qiao cheered up and said, “You have met everyone in the palace. I will talk to you in detail now.”

“Your Royal Grandmother… As we get older, people will inevitably become a little confused, so just be respectful and give in. Since you provoked the Queen Mother today, she will definitely look for opportunities to embarrass you again. Just be careful and deal with it.”

Mother-in-law said, as a daughter-in-law, you have to do it and give some face.

Lu Mingyu responded respectfully.

Empress Qiao added: “Meng Guifei is the most favored, and she is very picky in her words and deeds. You just have to give in a little.”

Lu Mingyu responded with a smile.

Empress Qiao continued: “Qin fēi is the Empress Dowager’s niece by blood, and the Empress Dowager has always favored her. Qin fēi appears gentle and amiable on the surface, and her words are witty. However, she is quite scheming and not someone to be underestimated. When dealing with her, you need to be particularly careful.”

Lu Mingyu nodded.

Overall, Empress Qiao’s guiding principle in her actions can be summed up in two words: tolerance and concession.

This was completely different from Lu Mingyu’s temperament. Lu Mingyu just listened casually and had no intention of following it. However, superficial work must be done.

Li Jing was very familiar with Lu Mingyu. Seeing Lu Mingyu’s obedient and docile appearance, was both funny and heartwarming.

With Lu Mingyu’s temper, it was not easy for her to be so pretentious.

Seeing that her daughter-in-law was quite respectful, Empress Qiao felt much better and said, “As for Su Zhaorong, don’t pay too much attention to her. If she speaks rudely, just take action to deal with her!”

Lu Mingyu’s eyes flashed and she nodded slightly: “What the Royal Mother said, this daughter-in-law has written it all down.”

Empress Qiao relaxed her furrowed brows and smiled, saying, “The two of you have just married and spent a good part of the day in the palace; you must be tired. Go back to your residence and rest. You’ll come to the palace again after tomorrow; there’s no need to rush back.”

Lu Mingyu responded with a smile.

The first conversation between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was very harmonious.

…

Half an hour later, Lu Mingyu and Li Jing resigned and left the palace.

After getting on the carriage, Lu Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Jing’s black eyes smiled: “Are you tired?”

Lu Mingyu raised an eyebrow and smiled: “This little battle was already expected. But you, when you enter the palace to go to court after the wedding vacation, you will inevitably be scolded by your father.”

This was normal.

As a father-in-law, it was not appropriate for a father-in-law to blame his daughter-in-law. It was only natural for him to scold his son.

Li Jing didn’t care: “It’s normal for my father to scold us, brothers, just get used to it.”

Emperor Yongjia considered himself a good father. However, in these times, it was absolutely impossible for a father to always yield to his son. The more affection there was, the stricter the discipline.

In the past, among the princes, Li Jing was scolded the least often. Because he was humble and respectful, there was nothing to blame.

Now that he was reborn, Li Jing’s mentality was completely different from before, and his words and actions had become sharper. The number of scoldings hence increased steadily.

(End of chapter)