Chapter 290: If Only Grand Consort Ming Disappeared

Rong Dai listened to her mother speak like that, thinking perhaps she was just seeing things; indeed, why would Rong Luoge, not serving as her empress in the palace, run out onto the streets?

Moreover, a man was with her; it certainly couldn't be her.

She slowly sat back, her face full of sorrow, "Mother, Prince Qi seems to have gone mad, obsessively throwing himself into the inner court residence, and after Grand Consort Ming entered the residence, she seized the household's authority. My days in the Prince's mansion are terrible; Grand Consort Ming favors Yun Shizhuang and constantly sidelines me. I am truly in a bind now."

Di Yue Nu's expression turned sour, "Prince Qi does nothing about it?"

"The Prince insists on observing a full three years of filial duty for His Majesty, even when he returns to the mansion he stays in the front courtyard, and normally spends an entire day in the inner court residence. By the time he returns, the Chuihua Gate of the inner residence is already shut. With Grand Consort Ming present, the Chuihua Gate is locked, and no one dares to unlock it to let me go to the front courtyard to find the Prince." Rong Dai looked visibly gaunter, her words dripping with resentment.

Di Yue Nu furrowed his brows tightly.

Rong Dai wiped her tears and said, "These days even a single trip out of the mansion is hard. When Grand Consort Ming was not in the residence, I could come and go freely, and Yun Shizhuang never dared to restrain me too much. But now that Grand Consort Ming has taken over the princely mansion, the rules have become suddenly strict, and she even requires me to attend Yun Shizhuang's morning and evening rituals daily. My life is unbearably hard. Mother, you must help me; I don't want to live like this."

Rong Dai wept, her tears like rain on pear blossoms; she and Prince Qi had once been deeply affectionate, never imagining that one day their relationship would become like this.

She didn't even know when Prince Qi changed; from the Late Emperor's death to the new Emperor's enthronement, one event after another, the Prince first performed the funeral rites, and she and Yun Shizhuang fought bitterly in the Prince's mansion, and after the Prince returned from the imperial tomb, he had changed.

Rong Dai couldn't understand; they had been so close before, and she couldn't accept the Prince's now indifferent gaze toward her.

If they had no feelings, she wouldn't be this heartbroken, but their past bond was so deep, so now she truly suffers.

Di Yue Nu looked at his daughter's mournful crying and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Mother will find a way. I will go pay a visit to Grand Consort Ming. I don't believe Grand Consort Ming can be swayed by either softness or firmness."

Rong Dai's eyes lit up at the words, "Mother, do you really have a way?"

Di Yue Nu gave a slight nod, "Just wait for good news."

Rong Dai finally managed a smile and felt like having tea, saying, "If Grand Consort Ming didn't live in the Prince's mansion, that would be better. With her here I feel so uncomfortable; she constantly imposes countless rules—this is not allowed, that is not allowed. The Prince never said anything about it before, did he?"

Di Yue Nu looked at his daughter, at a loss for a moment, then said, "Grand Consort Ming has been favored in the palace all her life; such a person is not simple. Her actions may conceal ulterior motives, and you must not let her find a foothold. Dai'er, being a daughter‑in‑law has never been an easy role, especially since you are only a secondary consort. If we were in the Qingxuan Kingdom, we wouldn't have to compromise, but now we are under the eaves, forced to bow our heads."

Rong Dai was puzzled, "Mother, didn't you say that when we restored our status, our good days would come?"

Di Yue Nu listened to his daughter's question, his expression growing darker, and said, "I thought that with the title of princess, the ruler of the Owl Kingdom would at least grant us some face, but you forget that the Emperor now has Rong Luoge by his side; how could she let us live comfortably? The current Emperor pays no attention to me, a princess, so how could others value us?"

In the past few months Di Yue Nu has come to understand; Rong Luoge's words were not false at all—she truly can achieve them.

She now finds herself in a dilemma and cannot return to the Qingxuan Kingdom; if she truly leaves, that poisonous woman Rong Luoge might incite the Emperor to use it as an excuse to attack the Qingxuan Kingdom again.

If that were the case, even returning to the Qingxuan Kingdom would make her a criminal, and the outcome might be worse than now.

Rong Dai has always only dealt with her small romance with Prince Qi, never encountering such a dilemma, and at a loss, she could only ask, "Is there no other way?"

Di Yue Nu thought that if the Protector Duke could earn His Majesty's favor, this predicament could be solved, but he is the Emperor's father, yet a father whose ties have been severed; how could the Emperor still value him?

Not only is he unvalued, but the rights that once belonged to the Protector Duke are gradually being divided away; if this continues, it won't be long before the Protector Duke is left with nothing but a bare title.

Moreover, what infuriates Di Yue Nu most is that she discovered Rong Heng actually intends to make contact with Chu Ke, which makes her very angry.

Rong Luoge's move was clever—suppressing her own father and promoting Rong Yan, essentially wiping their faces clean.

Now that the Protector Duke is mentioned alongside Earl Yong'an, people naturally prefer to befriend the promising Earl Yong'an. Consequently, the Protector Duke's household's standing becomes even more awkward; Rong Heng's temperament is also somewhat volatile, and the two have quarreled frequently.

She simply didn't want to tell her daughter that, lest it make the daughter sad as well.

"For now we can only wait for news from Marquis An Ding," Di Yue Nu said, looking at his daughter. "Dai'er, you still need to find a way to become pregnant. You and Prince Qi were once close; set aside your pride and get along with him properly, not as willfully as before."

Rong Dai pressed her lips together, "But the Prince said we must observe the full three years, and he rarely enters the back courtyard; I have no way."

"Why are you less clever than before? The current Emperor only kept a one‑year mourning for the Late Emperor, so the Prince doesn't need to either. He says three years, but even if the oath is broken, it's fine; after all, we've already observed one year." Di Yue Nu looked at his daughter, "Grand Consort Ming is pressing you at every turn; if you have no child, the future will be even harder. I'm going to see Grand Consort Ming now, though I doubt it will help much, so you must still rely on yourself."

Rong Dai's expression shifted repeatedly; even her mother had limits. She nodded, "I understand; I will give it a try, but… now the Prince's mansion is divided inside and out, the front and back courtyards are strictly controlled, and even reaching the front courtyard is not easy."

As Rong Dai spoke, she grew even more angry; such days truly caught her off guard. She never expected Grand Consort Ming's move from the palace to the princely mansion to impose such severe restrictions on her.

Before, even though she didn't like herself much, she would make an exception for the Prince's sake, but now she completely disregards that, and with Yun Shizhuang fanning the flames, her days are truly miserable.

If only… there were no Grand Consort Ming.