Phi-Fic Chapter 699 A Friend Meets!
Chapter 699 A Friend Meets!
She stayed at the Zhenguo General's Mansion until late afternoon before getting up to take her leave. Although the old lady was reluctant to part with him, she knew that the Prince of Changle had just returned to the capital and there were probably still many things to do.
Then I thought, since they're going to be staying in the capital for a while anyway, they'll have more opportunities to talk to each other later.
Mu Xin Nuan returned to the Chang Le Prince's Mansion and ordered people to prepare a banquet.
Duanmu Chuze was drinking with his friends, so she naturally didn't need to attend.
After putting Xiao Zonghua to sleep early, with nothing else to do, I started making little clothes under the lamp.
"Your Highness, let us do this. Please be careful not to ruin your eyes by staying up too late," Rongyue said with some concern.
“He’s not that delicate. I don’t make clothes every night. I just had nothing to do today, and the child went to bed early, so I thought of making him a little outfit. I am his own mother. If the clothes and things he uses are not made by my own hands, I would feel a little uncomfortable.”
"The Princess's thoughts are somewhat similar to the Prince's. The Prince remembers to change the young master's diapers every night and never complains about being tired. In other people's homes, that would be like the sun rising in the west."
After Aunt Fang finished speaking, she folded the young master's clothes neatly. "Let alone wealthy families, even ordinary families would find very few men like this. Taking care of children has always been a woman's job. No one would have thought that men could take care of children."
Rongyue smiled upon hearing this, "This servant is still thinking about the strange looks those people gave the Prince at the Li family today. Hehe, they must all be envious that our Princess married such a good man."
Mu Xin Nuan smiled and glared at her, "You talk too much! Alright, I don't have anything else to do here, you can go and rest."
“It’s still early. How about I embroider a bib for the young master? It won’t take much effort, it’ll be done in a little while.”
Aunt Fang then instructed the maids outside to prepare hot water, as the prince would surely need to take a bath when he returned.
After arranging everything, Aunt Fang suddenly remembered a piece of news she had heard. After hesitating for a long time, she went back into the room and told the princess about it.
"You're saying that Prince An is keeping a woman in his villa? Isn't that incredibly disrespectful to Wang Xinyi and Sun Ruoxiang? He's surrounded by two celestial beauties, yet he's secretly keeping another woman in his villa? Does the Crown Princess know about this?"
"Your Highness, I've heard that the Crown Princess is also aware of this, but it seems she can't do anything about it. Besides, such things are nothing unusual among the nobles of the capital. Which young master doesn't have his share of romantic affairs? However, I've heard that Prince An once threw a tantrum at his villa and even killed a maid. I wonder how he ended up keeping a mistress there?"
Mu Xin Nuan sneered, "What kind of mistress is she? She's just a plaything that Duanmu Chen keeps. If he really liked her, he should give her a title. At the very least, she should be a concubine, right? But now he's keeping her in the villa just so Wang Xin Yi and Sun Ruo Xiang don't see her."
"Your Highness, I originally didn't intend to tell you about this, but considering that you and Consort Sun are also good friends, and now that you've returned to the capital, perhaps we could send her an invitation to come over for a chat sometime?"
Mu Xin Nuan nodded, "Now that I'm her elder, it seems a bit inappropriate for me to go there in person. Alright, let's send her an invitation tomorrow and see when she'll have some free time to come and visit us."
Duanmu Chuze only learned the next morning that Mu Xinnuan wanted to invite Sun Ruoxiang over. He frowned slightly and then instructed Aunt Fang, "Let's arrange it for tomorrow. I'll be free tomorrow morning and can keep Anuan company at the manor."
Aunt Fang was taken aback. The Princess wanted to speak with Consort Sun, so what was the Prince doing staying at the mansion?
However, seeing that the prince's expression was rather unpleasant, she naturally didn't dare to ask any questions. She quickly nodded in agreement and went to make the arrangements.
Today, Prince Ming and Prince Kang arrived in the capital at noon and in the afternoon respectively. They have settled in and are preparing to visit the palace to pay their respects the next day.
The next day, Sun Ruoxiang arrived, along with her husband, Prince An, Duanmu Chen.
Upon hearing that Duanmu Chuze had also arrived, he sneered and immediately had Duanmu Chen invited to the study to speak.
Duanmu Chen's original plan was to pay his respects to his elders. This wouldn't be considered impolite. However, with Duanmu Chuze present, it was naturally inconvenient for him to enter the backyard.
As soon as Sun Ruoxiang and Mu Xinnuan met, they cried for a long time without saying anything else. Sun Ruoxiang, in particular, couldn't stop crying, her tears just flowing like a dam bursting.
"Alright, look at you, you're such a grown man, and you still cry endlessly."
"Anuan, you don't know how bitter I am."
Mu Xin Nuan patted the back of her hand, signaling Rong Yue and the others to go down first.
"Anuan, that bastard Duanmu Chen, sometimes I really want to just kill him with one blow."
Mu Xin Nuan frowned. "What's wrong? I heard he's always treated you well."
Sun Ruoxiang wiped away her tears. "That's true. But the problem is, do you know that he always tries to use me to do things for himself? Now, he's keeping countless women in his villa outside the city. I'm a little better off, after all, I'm just a concubine. Poor Princess Consort, she's practically crying every day."
"Is the Empress not going to get involved in this matter?"
Wang Xinyan was chosen by the Empress for Duanmu Chen as his consort, and she is also the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Yingguo's family. How could the Empress tolerate such disrespect?
"The Empress does want to intervene, but how can she intervene in such matters? In front of outsiders, he has treated me and the Princess Consort quite well, giving us plenty of face. Moreover, the Princess Consort is now pregnant, and since she can no longer serve him in bed, she naturally cannot stop him from going to find other women, can she?"
"Wait, Ruoxiang, explain yourself clearly. What exactly happened?"
Sun Ruoxiang cried for a while, but then, realizing she couldn't let anyone see she had been crying, she quickly stopped. "Anuan, do you know how many people in the capital envy you for marrying Prince Chang Le? No matter what, the Prince has given the Princess a child. Whether it's a boy or a girl, she'll be born as the legitimate heir. It's true that Duanmu Chen initially doted on me. But he had ulterior motives."
Mu Xin Nuan's brows were already tightly furrowed as she listened quietly to her words.
"He did all this simply to win over my father, and also to get information out of me. This Duanmu Chen is nothing but a beast."