At this point, she successfully gave birth to her eldest son, and only then did she reveal her trump card, catching not only the Third Sister off guard, but also putting the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion in a very passive position.
As the grandmother and mother of the third daughter, she was naturally shocked and furious at Li's actions, while the princess was very unhappy.
The Grand Princess may be of noble status, but one must consider her relationship with the current Emperor! Princess Consort Yi knew very well that the Emperor didn't genuinely respect this concubine-born aunt. After all, when the former Crown Prince was murdered, the Grand Princess of Lin'an wasn't in the capital, and upon her return, she still lived at Yunxu's beck and call. It was just that the Emperor had already purged a large number of relatives involved in the incident, and the Empress had dissuaded him. Exterminating them all would only make the Emperor's reputation for ruthlessness worse than the stability of the empire.
Therefore, some members of the royal family who did not become accomplices but only stood by and watched were spared by the emperor.
Princess Lin'an was one of them.
At least the Prince Yi's mansion had rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor. Although their blood ties with the emperor were not as close as those of the Grand Princess of Lin'an, in terms of winning the emperor's favor, they might not be inferior to the Grand Princess!
But these family matters cannot be brought up in the imperial court, nor are they worth complaining to the Empress.
She's just a concubine of a prince. The Grand Princess of Lin'an isn't a magnanimous person. If she sets her sights on you, it's probably no good for Prince Yi's mansion.
Even though she was a hundred times unwilling, Princess Yi still agreed.
Under these circumstances, even if the Dowager Lady and Madam Zhao were unwilling, they had no choice but to nod in agreement. Could they, with the power of the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion, possibly contend with the Grand Princess and the Princess Consort? Besides, Third Sister still needed to live in the Prince Yi's mansion; a falling out would not benefit her at all.
If she doesn't agree, Third Sister will inevitably be branded as jealous and unfilial, and then all her grievances will be considered unreasonable.
Both the Dowager Lady and Lady Zhao left the Prince's residence with a belly full of anger.
Therefore, Zhao's words came about on the carriage.
Rong'an Hall.
After returning to the Marquis's residence, the Dowager Lady and Madam Zhao dismissed all the servants and had their first private conversation in the inner room.
"Mother, if Li becomes a concubine, how will Third Sister cope?" Zhao was both angry and anxious; her voice trembled. "You've seen it yourself, Li's scheming and cunning far surpass Third Sister's!"
"She still has a son born out of wedlock! If she were given the status of a concubine, she could raise the child by her side! You saw today how much the son-in-law loves children! If this continues, the young master will be completely bewitched by her!"
The old lady frowned deeply.
Zhao's concerns were not unfounded. Li would surely try to make it impossible for Third Sister to stay in the Prince's mansion. If Third Sister lost the Prince's favor and the Princess's favor, her life would only become more difficult than it is now.
Even though the Princess Consort wouldn't like being forced by the Grand Princess to give Li the status of a concubine, she should have stood on the same side as Third Sister. However, if Third Sister repeatedly makes mistakes, the Princess Consort might lose patience with her and find fault to strip her of her status as the Crown Prince's wife, and marry a noblewoman of higher status and more cunning to be the Crown Prince's wife!
Third Sister's position is in danger!
It's important to know that Madam Zhao doted on her daughter the most. She had once tried to force An Yuanliang's favored concubine to "discard the mother and keep the child," and although Madam Zhao stopped her, she was definitely not a soft-hearted person. Now, for her to say that she would take the initiative to let her illegitimate daughter become a concubine in the Prince's mansion, she had made a great decision.
"Of the four younger sisters in Third Sister's family, which one do you want to choose?" The Grand Madam's tone was much gentler than it had been in the carriage.
Zhao sensed that the old lady was softening her stance.
Zhao Shi considered the four illegitimate daughters in the mansion. Theoretically, she secretly preferred the illegitimate daughters who had grown up by her side since childhood. They were more dependent on the Marquis's mansion, and their aunts were also under her control. If they dared to have any improper thoughts, she could restrain them.
Unfortunately, these two illegitimate daughters were quite different. Seventh Sister was just as willful as Third Sister and was also very straightforward; Tenth Sister, though kind-hearted, was less attractive.
However, neither of these two women could compare to the beauty of Sixth Sister and Ninth Sister, who had just returned from outside the mansion.
A wife should be chosen for her virtue, while a concubine should be chosen for her beauty.
This person is going to become Yun Shen's concubine.
Not only is Liu Niang multi-talented and gentle, but she is also as beautiful as a flower. Moreover, she is already fifteen years old, which is the age for marriage, so it would be more appropriate for her to serve Yun Shen.
As for Jiu Niang...
Ninth Sister was even more beautiful than Sixth Sister, possessing a stunning beauty that immediately caught the eye. However, she was a bit too young, not yet fourteen, and her figure hadn't fully developed. She was also lacking in knowledge and talent.
Zhao remembered that Third Sister had mentioned that Li was also a talented woman.
Which one is more suitable?
"Ninth Sister".
After a long silence, Zhao slowly revealed her choice.
The Grand Madam did not seem surprised. She simply asked, "Why choose Ninth Sister? She is not yet fourteen. It is not appropriate for her to serve the Heir Apparent, nor is it suitable for her to conceive soon, let alone give birth to a son born out of wedlock."
“Third Sister can still listen to a bit of what she says.” Zhao said through gritted teeth, “Last time Ninth Sister went to the Prince’s Mansion to persuade Third Sister, she not only persuaded Third Sister not to make a scene, but also got Third Sister and her husband to send her back together. Her husband even praised her!”
Upon hearing this, the Dowager shook her head and sighed, "That's right, Third Sister listened to Ninth Sister back then."
"But you should know that the reason why Third Sister was able to be persuaded by Ninth Sister is because Ninth Sister is her younger sister, and naturally she is thinking of her older sister." The Grand Madam changed the subject and said lightly, "If Ninth Sister becomes the son-in-law's concubine, Third Sister may not be willing to listen to her."
Zhao remained silent.
The old lady's concerns are reasonable. She knows her daughter well. Perhaps Third Sister hates Ninth Sister even more than she hates Li Shi!
Is there any better way?
Zhao frowned.
"Don't let anyone know what happened today. Go back and think it over carefully!" The old lady was also at a loss for what to do.
Zhao nodded, not in the mood to say anything more, and left.
The old lady didn't need any servants to come in; she went to the small Buddhist hall by herself.
Third Sister's matter is not only her own affair, but also concerns the future of the Marquis's mansion. If she makes a wrong move, the entire mansion may be implicated.
Zhao's suggestion was not wrong.
Under the current circumstances, sending a concubine's daughter into the household would likely be acceptable to the Princess Consort, out of consideration for what she felt indebted to Third Sister. After all, she comes from a Marquis's family, and the status of a noble concubine is unavoidable. In terms of status, she would probably be even higher than Li Shi.