A soft female voice murmured, "Have you heard? Lately, Concubine Ning has been acting so oddly. Not only does she have a craving for sour food, but her temper has also turned quite bad. Yesterday when she passed by the Imperial Garden, she even had all the lotus leaves in the pond dug out."
Another slightly hoarse voice replied, "Yes. I've heard that those serving under Concubine Ning have to be extremely careful. Even raising your voice a bit and getting heard by her could earn you a scolding."
"Alas, we don't know why Concubine Ning has suddenly become so hard to serve."
As the voices of the two women faded away, Su Mingyu winked at Gu Ruobai. "Do you think Concubine Ning might be pregnant?"
Gu Ruobai nodded. "Let Leng Ziyue look into it."
Just as they were talking, they heard a familiar voice. "Miss Su... Oh no, Princess?"
Su Mingyu raised an eyebrow and looked at Concubine Chen. "You've come at just the right time, Your Highness Concubine Chen."
Hearing this, Concubine Chen understood what she meant. She gave a look to the maid beside her, and the maid immediately instructed the others to stand guard for her.
"What's going on?"
Concubine Chen walked over and sat down beside Su Mingyu. "I knew you'd be coming to the palace today, so I came here specifically to find you. But it seems from your expression that you have something to say."
Su Mingyu leaned over and whispered the gossip she'd just heard into Concubine Chen's ear.
Concubine Chen lowered her eyes. "You want me to verify if it's true?"
Su Mingyu nodded. "That's what I was thinking. I just don't know if it would be convenient for Your Highness Concubine Chen."
"I just need to pay a visit to her chambers and I'll know. That shouldn't be a problem." Concubine Chen furrowed her brows. "But Concubine Ning is the mother of Prince Yu. It won't be easy for you to deal with her."
Su Mingyu squinted her eyes. "Of course we know how much Prince Yu is favored now..."
Before she could finish her sentence, they heard a maid's voice in the distance. "Your servant pays respects to Prince Yu."
Concubine Chen's face turned pale and she looked a bit flustered.
Su Mingyu gave her a look, signaling her not to panic.
"I heard that Prince Ruixian and Sister came to pay their respects today, so I came looking for you. I didn't expect to run into you." Su Yueyue's voice came first.
Su Mingyu looked at Su Yueyue, who was holding Prince Yu's arm, and slightly lowered her eyes. "Sister, you're pregnant and still came to pay your respects?"
Su Yueyue stroked her belly. "I don't come every day. Prince Yu said he wanted to take me for a walk today, so we came."
"Oh~ You've really gone to a lot of trouble, Sister." Su Mingyu raised an eyebrow. "Prince Yu really dotes on you."
"Speaking of doting." Concubine Chen cast an envious look at Gu Ruobai. "Miss Su might not know yet. Your wedding with Prince Ruixian has caused quite a stir in the whole capital. Especially the wedding dress for the wedding ceremony. It's incredibly beautiful."
Being praised in person, Su Mingyu blushed slightly and lowered her head. "Actually, that dress was specially designed for me by a friend I know."
"Do you mean the proprietress of Sinnan Pavilion? You know her?" A look of genuine surprise flashed across Concubine Chen's eyes.
Everyone in the capital knew that the proprietress of Sinnan Pavilion was quite a legendary woman.
Not only did she single - handedly build such a large Sinnan Pavilion, but she was also extremely talented in dress design. Moreover, she was very mysterious, and hardly anyone had ever seen her true face.
It really surprised Concubine Chen that Su Mingyu knew such a person.
Hearing Concubine Chen's words, Su Mingyu suddenly felt Prince Yu's teasing gaze. She scratched her nose and explained bravely, "We're sort of in a partnership."
"You see, a lot of people liked the wedding dress I wore on my wedding day. I'm sure her shop must be swamped with customers now." At this point, Su Mingyu forcibly changed the subject. "So if Your Highness Concubine Chen has any dresses you like in Sinnan Pavilion, you can tell me."
Concubine Chen nodded. "Well, to be honest, there are a few. But those dresses have already been worn by others. If I were to buy and wear them, His Majesty might not be happy."
After all, as Concubine Chen, she couldn't dress too casually.
Hearing this, Su Mingyu pursed her lips and said, "You can tell me the dresses you like. I'll ask her to customize them for you later."
"Really?" A glimmer of light flashed in Concubine Chen's eyes. "If I could wear dresses specially made by Sinnan Pavilion, it would be quite a prestigious thing among the ladies."
Su Yueyue had been cheated out of her silver by Sinnan Pavilion. Now hearing them keep talking about Sinnan Pavilion, her face turned as black as coal.
She lowered her head and tugged at Prince Yu's sleeve. "Since Sister and Your Highness Concubine Chen are getting along so well, we won't bother you anymore."
Prince Yu nodded. "Then we'll take our leave."
Concubine Chen watched their departing figures in the distance and let out a long sigh of relief.
"What on earth was Su Yueyue doing here? I thought she was coming to cause trouble for you, but now it doesn't seem so."
Su Mingyu raised an eyebrow. "She didn't manage to cause any trouble. But don't worry about her. She's very precious now and won't easily provoke me."
Concubine Chen nodded. "After all, this is Prince Yu's first child. If it's a boy, it's not impossible for her to be promoted from a concubine to a legitimate wife."
"Alright, we've talked enough. Prince Ruixian and I won't bother you anymore. We'll go back first. Remember to contact us if there's any news." As she said this, Su Mingyu patted the hem of her clothes and stood up. "Then, Your Highness Concubine Chen, we'll return to the mansion first."
Concubine Chen replied, "I'll send someone to inform you as soon as I have news about Concubine Ning."
Su Mingyu was already weak to begin with. After spending a whole day in the palace, by the time she finally returned to Prince Ruixian's Mansion, she was completely exhausted.
Seeing her pale face, Gu Ruobai poured her a cup of hot water. "You've had a tough day. There's nothing to do this afternoon. Just rest well in the mansion."
Su Mingyu took a sip of tea and pouted. "Do you really think we can have a quiet afternoon?"
Although he was an unfavored prince, he was still a prince after all, so there were bound to be many people coming to visit.
As if to prove Su Mingyu's words, Mu Yi walked in from outside. "My lord, there are some people outside asking to see you. They say they've come to pay a visit."
Gu Ruobai looked at Su Mingyu's 'I told you so' expression and raised an eyebrow. "Go and tell them that I won't see anyone."
"Ah?"
Both Su Mingyu and Mu Yi were stunned.
"It's not very appropriate, is it? They came here specifically to see you. You should at least let them in and sit for a while."