The steward of the Crown Prince's residence sent Hailing and the others to the most remote courtyard in the residence, then abandoned the two women there without a care. In the end, he even called away Lühe and the others.
The empty courtyard was the worst one in the entire Crown Prince's residence. Originally, the steward didn't dare to let the Crown Princess live in such a bad place, but the Crown Prince gave the order that out of sight, out of mind, and directly instructed the steward to settle Hai Ling here.
There were no guests, no wedding ceremony, and no servants to attend to them; it was the worst courtyard in the entire Crown Prince's residence.
This was probably the most shabby wedding in history. Rouge's face turned pale, her limbs went weak, and she was so angry that she couldn't say a word. Her arm, which was supporting Hailing, trembled slightly. She didn't utter a single word until the two of them entered the room.
Although Hailin's head was covered by a wedding robe, she still knew the general situation. So as soon as she entered the room, she reached out and lifted the wedding robe to look around the space she was in.
It was neither luxurious nor extravagant, lacking the festive colors of red and green decorations; it was simply elegant. The dragon and phoenix candles on the table burned with a faint glow, as if mocking Hailin.
Looking at everything before her, Rouge finally couldn't hold back her tears.
"Miss, they are bullying us too much."
"Are you bullying me?"
It was indeed bullying, but at least they were given a courtyard, a room, and their house was cleaned up, so it wasn't the worst, was it? She had already thought of all this. Feng Zixiao didn't want to marry her at all. He had just been humiliated by Jiang Batian and was still hating him. So it was normal for him to take out his old and new grudges on her, wasn't it?
"Alright, it's getting late, let's eat something and go to sleep, I'm so hungry."
Hailin patted her belly, looked at Yanzhi's swollen eyes, and couldn't help but comfort her, laughing exaggeratedly.
However, Rouge had been with her mistress for quite some time and naturally knew that her heart was filled with anger at this moment, but she just kept it to herself.
"Miss."
I'm really hungry.
Hailin ignored Yanzhi and went to the table to start eating.
There was a table full of food; why not eat it all? There was even wine. Those people wanted to give her a hard time, but she wouldn't let them have their way. She wanted to eat well, drink well, and sleep well.
Rouge, who was still crying, was persuaded to sit down and eat with them. They were all quite hungry after a busy day, and were starving. Rouge had also figured things out. Anyway, her mistress didn't want to marry the Crown Prince. As she said, they would leave this place sooner or later, so whether the man was good or bad was none of their business.
The master and servant put aside their worries for a moment and ate happily, chatting and laughing.
At the door, Green Lotus, who had secretly come to see them, was dumbfounded. She had expected to see two miserable women, either crying their eyes out or feeling sorry for themselves. But when she came in, she saw Hailing and Rouge fighting over food, saying funny things from time to time, their faces beaming with smiles, without a trace of sadness.
Green Lotus opened her mouth several times but couldn't utter a single word; these two were too different from ordinary people.
Finally, Rouge noticed her and looked up to call out, "Green Lotus, weren't you called away by that steward? Why are you back now?"
Green Lotus walked in and saw that the two of them were alright, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since the Crown Princess was not sad, that was good.
"This servant has come to see Her Highness the Crown Princess."
"You're so thoughtful."
Hai Ling mumbled something, then stopped eating and looked at Lü He: "You're quite thoughtful, girl. Since you're here, tell me about what's going on in the Crown Prince's residence."
Green Lotus nodded, and Hai Ling gestured for her to sit down. How could she dare to sit? No matter how bad the Crown Princess was, she was still a mistress. There was no place for her. She was different from Rouge. She was used to being casual.
"Your Majesty, please ask whatever you wish. Green Lotus will answer all your questions without reservation."
Green Lotus felt sorry for Hai Ling, so she didn't intend to hide anything that Hai Ling knew.
How many women are there in the Crown Prince's residence?
She had long heard that the Crown Prince's residence was full of beauties, and that there must be quite a few women there.
"Consort Yu, Lady Lian, Lady Lin, Lady Mei, and five other concubines. In addition, there are more than twenty singing girls living in the North Courtyard. Those singing girls have the lowest status and are used by the Crown Prince to entertain guests. Of course, some of them have risen to their positions through scheming. Lady Mei, one of the three consorts, rose to her position through favor. She is particularly charming and knows how to please the Crown Prince, so she is one of his favorite concubines. These consorts all have backgrounds. Consort Yu's real name is Yu Zheng. Her father is General Yu Yao, a military general of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and her aunt is the wife of the Grand Tutor. Therefore, she has always been the one to call the shots in the Crown Prince's residence. Lady Lian and Lady Lin also have very strong backing. As for those concubines, they are not simple characters. So Your Highness, you must be careful."
Green Lotus had spent some time with Sea Lotus and liked her very much, which is why she told her all this, hoping that Sea Lotus wouldn't suffer a loss right away.
The Crown Prince did not appear at the wedding today, but I'm afraid the concubines and wives will appear tomorrow. Her words were meant to prepare the Crown Princess.
"He really is a stud."
Hailin raised an eyebrow dismissively, then inquired about other matters with concern.
"Where's the butler? What's his background?"
"You mean Steward Xia? His full name is Xia Cheng. He was originally a close attendant of the Crown Prince. He served the Crown Prince when he was young, so many people in the Crown Prince's residence had to watch their step and act according to his wishes. Later, he was promoted to steward by the Crown Prince and was particularly loyal to the Crown Prince."
"Hmm, they are all quite remarkable."
No wonder they don't take her, the Crown Princess, seriously. But they can't blame anyone else, because if the Crown Prince doesn't care about her, why would anyone else give her a second glance?
"Your Highness, please don't worry about today's events. The Crown Prince did indeed go to the palace. The Emperor's illness is worsening, and the Crown Prince is restless day and night. He rarely stays at his residence, and when he does return, he only sleeps for a short while before going back to the palace."
Green Lotus was afraid that Hai Ling would be upset, so she spoke up for the Crown Prince.
Hailing shook her head, then looked at Lühe: "Lühe, thank you for telling us this, but you should go back quickly and be careful not to be discovered. If you are discovered, you will be in trouble."
She didn't want this girl to come and visit her out of kindness, only to be punished. Since none of those people were easy to deal with, who knew where they might be hiding and causing trouble?
Upon hearing Hai Ling's words, Lü He's expression changed slightly. She was naturally afraid. Everyone in this mansion was a ruthless person who would devour others without spitting out the bones. If she were discovered by them, she would be doomed. Thinking of this, she quickly said, "Yes, Your Highness, please be careful. I'll be going now."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left. Inside the room, Hailin and Yanzhi had already finished eating.
Since there were no servants in the small courtyard, Rouge had no choice but to put the things away.
Hailin sat at the table, exhausted from the day, but not sleepy at all. Looking at everything around her, she felt lost and unfamiliar.
She had imagined that Crown Prince Feng Zixiao would give her a cold shoulder, that he would abandon her and leave her to face all sorts of humiliation, but she never expected the humiliation she received today to be so thorough. There wasn't a single guest in the Crown Prince's residence. On the Crown Prince's wedding day, which of the court officials would dare not come? All of this indicated that Feng Zixiao had given an order that no one was allowed to come to the residence.
Hai Ling couldn't help but laugh, but her heart was cold. She thought she had been used as a pawn, and that Feng Zixiao would at least have to put on a show. However, she didn't expect that he wouldn't even bother with a show. Such a man was truly despicable.