Chapter 215

“Greetings to the consort of the Second Prince. I am Yueqian, the wife of Governor Mu,” Yueqian courteously curtsied when she caught the consort’s eye.

Yueqian’s movements were graceful, reminiscent of an eldest young miss from a noble household, which greatly surprised the other women.

They hadn’t paid much attention at first and thus didn’t realize that Yueqian was once the eldest young miss of the Qin noble household in the Du Region, a position equivalent to that of the daughters of the major families in Bai Region. It was no wonder she was well-versed in noble etiquette.

The consort glanced at Yueqian indifferently, her eyes showing she didn’t intend to give her much regard. She didn’t even lower herself to speak a single word to Yueqian.

This made the beautiful woman’s small eyebrows twitch involuntarily, though fortunately, she was bowing her head, so no one noticed the reaction of this former villainess.

“Let’s go inside. Father must be waiting,” the consort turned back without interest, her chin held high without looking where she was going. Her only goal was to enter her palace as quickly as possible.

Seeing this, the women following her stifled their laughter. Some even dared to tease Wei Ludan about Yueqian’s husband right in front of her, acting as if this country bumpkin didn’t exist.

The gate guard, having witnessed this scene, didn’t know what to do. Should he allow this woman to enter or not?! Her husband had already gone inside with Gui Zhong’s help, but she remained outside and hadn’t been welcomed properly by the consort. Did this mean she shouldn’t be allowed in? But her husband was already inside!

Yueqian noticed the gate guard’s confusion and, disregarding his complex thoughts, walked in gracefully. Seeing this, the guards dared not stop her. They had no valid reason to prevent her entry, so they ultimately let the young woman proceed alone.

Inside, the continuous noise of the festivities echoed, with the dances of the court ladies and noblewomen captivating everyone’s attention. Yueqian made her way to the women’s section. The court ladies of the Second Prince, unaware of much, welcomed her warmly upon seeing she was a guest.

The court ladies led Yueqian to an empty seat. A sheer curtain fell to obscure her face. Though she was seated in the second row, behind the high-ranking noblewomen, she still had to follow the custom of veiling her face.

The voices of men talking on the other side seemed much more lively, unlike the women’s side, where conversations were whispered and laughter was no more than a soft giggle. Yueqian didn’t know anyone here and had no desire to, so she focused on the food in front of her.

However, where there’s a banquet, there’s gossip. Most rumors originated from such gatherings. Many women rarely left their homes, including the concubines of the Second Prince. Usually, only the consort could go out for walks, making it difficult for the concubines to get permission.

In front of Yueqian sat one of the concubines. The concubines and daughters of high-ranking nobles sat in the front, with colorful curtains shielding them.

Since this was a celebration for the Second Prince’s consort, the women of his palace were required to attend. Some would have the chance to showcase their talents, hoping to catch the Second Prince’s attention to look at them more. Many used this opportunity to flatter the consort. It could be said that there were various types of people present.

Of course, Yueqian never imagined she would find herself in such a fitting spot. Though she was seated in the third row, the first two rows were filled with acquaintances who were excitedly discussing the day’s event.

The two women in the front row were concubines of the Second Prince, who had once enjoyed his favor for quite some time. However, recently, they had fallen out of favor, as the Second Prince had been busy with state affairs, leaving little time for them. Even with limited time, he still visited other women, leaving these concubines feeling neglected in their own quarters.

Today was their chance to remind the Second Prince of their presence. He favored women who were skilled in dancing and playing music, especially if their performances were vigorous. For example, he enjoyed dances that involved swordplay or blades, and for music, it had to be robust musical performances, ones that stirred the spirit, etc.

The two concubines in front of her were close friends, helping each other since they were still with their families. They had entered the Second Prince’s palace together and were willing to share a husband. They even tried to ensure that the Second Prince saw them both at the same time.

There were rumors that sometimes when the Second Prince spent the night at one of their residences, he would wake up to find two women leaving the room. They were generous enough to let each other share in the sweet nights together.

This time, they planned to perform together. One was skilled in dancing and aimed to win the Second Prince’s favor this way, while the other excelled in music and would use her talent. They chatted excitedly, encouraged by two noble daughters in the second row. It seemed all four women were close and regarded each other as friends

Soon, the two concubines got up to prepare for their performance, changing outfits to match the music’s atmosphere. As soon as they left, the two noble daughters, who were concubines, turned to each other and laughed softly.

"Ji Yao and Ping Hong are still as foolish as ever, aren’t they? It’s really amusing."

"Indeed. They believe whatever we tell them. Do they really think they can be friends with us? How are they any different from other concubines now? Hmph! If it weren’t for my father insisting we stay close to them, I wouldn’t lower myself to be friends with mere concubines."

The two women started a conversation that made Yueqian shiver. Such words were incredibly harsh. Calling the Second Prince’s concubines mere concubines? Was this appropriate? If the concubines heard this, they could order a punishment of 30 lashes. However, these two women didn’t care about others at all? It seemed that they were very confident in their own power.

Yueqian took a sip of her tea, a slight smile appearing at the corner of her lips. She was deeply disgusted by these two women! It must be said that what Yueqian hated most was betrayal by loved ones.

"Loved ones" here did not only refer to romantic partners but also to trusted friends. Even Young General, in a typical novel scenario, was someone Yueqian tried everything for, even becoming a villainess to free herself. If she knew she had deceitful friends like these, Yueqian herself would be the one to slap them into sense or eliminate them entirely. She wouldn’t let them flaunt themselves like this.

Ah, but it would be difficult to have the opportunity to do such a thing, because from the beginning, Yueqian knew she could never befriend women who were like vipers.

"Don’t speak so harshly, or it will be bad if someone overhears."

"So what? If anyone overhears and reports it, I’ll just deny it. If I insist I didn’t say it, what can anyone do to me?"

"You really are something."

"Haha, but I don’t think I’m wrong. They are merely concubines now, and foolish ones at that, offering themselves together. I really don’t understand how they could think like that."

"But being with the Second Prince isn’t bad at all. If he becomes the next emperor..."

"Impossible!" The woman waved her hand dismissively, her confidence clear. Then she lowered her voice, but Yueqian still heard her.

"My father said that no matter what, the Crown Prince will become the emperor. He has the support of the ministers. Besides... I heard that the Crown Prince has his own troops."

"Really?" The other woman sounded incredulous. If this were true, wouldn’t it be dangerous?

Yueqian raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. She didn’t really care whether the Second Prince became emperor or not. The struggle for the throne was too tedious; in every generation, people fought to the death for the right to rule. To her... it was laughable.

In her time, leaders were elected to run the country. Why did these people have to fight and kill for the position? They could take turns managing the country, couldn’t they? The less work they did, the more time they’d have for leisure, travel, and living their lives. Why not work for four years, then take a four-year break, and then return to work?

Of course, that was just a joke. They couldn’t even establish an employment association in the Region, let alone something as far-fetched as what she was suggesting.

Even though she never intended to get involved in the battle for the throne, now she had to rethink it. At this point, everyone saw them as being on the Wang’s side. The Wang himself is also seen as the most powerful supporter of the Second Prince. Didn’t this mean that she and her husband were also seen as the Second Prince’s people?

Just like how the Crown Prince’s faction pushed them towards the Second Prince’s care.! Even though the Second Prince was a good person, and aligning with him wouldn’t be disadvantageous or force her to act against her principles, the Second Prince seemed rather naive in Yueqian’s eyes.

This didn’t mean she wanted to side with the Crown Prince. If the Second Prince was naive, the Crown Prince seemed even more foolish, and she disliked working with fools!

So when the two women secretly talked about the Crown Prince’s forces, Yueqian had to pay attention!

In the future, if the Second Prince failed, she knew disaster would befall them. Her husband’s performance today was quite good, and it was like a slap in the face to the Crown Prince and the ministers. Therefore, they won’t keep them around when they ascend the throne.

However, Yueqian wasn’t afraid that the Crown Prince, with his forces, would rebel and seize the city. Given the strong presence of the Wang and the trust he has from the Hu Region, the Crown Prince wouldn’t be foolish enough to do that. But the mentioned troops... were more likely a plan of that treacherous minister.

This was quite a big issue. Yueqian speculated that the Wang also knew about this because if these women were aware, then these forces were supposed to be a secret, but not entirely. It was just not clear what kind of scheme both sides were plotting.

“The forces are one thing, but the Crown Prince has also forged a relationship with a princess from the Hu Region. She deeply loves the Crown Prince and was the one who brought up marriage first. Isn’t it clear now? As long as the Hu Region supports him... the throne issue becomes clear.”