Chapter 180: Returning Home

Chapter 180

Returning Home

Upon returning to the capital, Mu Zhao Yi carried out her plan. She went to see her aunt, Mu Guifei, and shared the events from Huangjing City.

“Now that Rongying has become a secondary consort to Kang Wang, she’s abandoned our Mu family, willingly becoming a merchant’s daughter. Worse, she shamelessly changed her surname to Nie without a trace of guilt. Aunt, you can see for yourself—she has no regard for the Mu family whatsoever, leaving all the problems behind for us to deal with. And then there’s the matter of her escape, which caused the family so much trouble, forcing us to cover it up.”

Hearing her niece, Mu Guifei frowned. Ever since Mu Qiuxiang entered the palace, she had used her favor with the Emperor to scheme against Empress Pei on multiple occasions, even going so far as to poison Consort Mei Ren from the same faction to frame Empress Pei. Given that the Emperor was aging and pregnancies in the imperial harem were rare, this enraged him to the point where he confined the Empress for two months. Moreover, Mu Qiuxiang was the only consort, aside from Xian Fei, who accompanied the Emperor to Huangjing City, completing many of the Mu family’s plans quite successfully.

Mu Guifei wasn’t very familiar with Mu Rongying, having only seen her a few times before she came of age, so she didn’t know much about her character.

“So, what do you intend to do?”

She asked Mu Zhao Yi, knowing her niece was young but full of cunning.

“The fact that Mu Rongying fled to avoid entering the palace may not be her fault, but if the Emperor finds out, it won’t reflect well on the Mu family. Since she has turned her back on us and, instead of living quietly in Huangjing, has ambitiously married Kang Wang as his secondary consort, her current position is problematic. We should be the ones to inform the Emperor first, so the blame doesn’t fall on the Mu family.”

Mu Guifei felt her niece’s reasoning made sense, but her cautious nature led her to respond more reservedly.

“We need to consult my father about this. Since it concerns the Emperor, we can’t make rash decisions.”

Mu Zhao Yi was displeased at hearing this.

“Grandfather’s decisions aren’t always right, Aunt. Look at what happened with Mu Rongying. Grandfather placed so much hope in her, but in the end, we all saw the result.”

Mu Guifei didn’t like how her niece spoke disrespectfully of her father, so her face grew stern.

“Are you suggesting that she isn’t the most outstanding of her generation? Planning is in human hands, but fate decides success. My father has never made a mistake in his decisions.”

Realizing her misstep, Mu Zhao Yi quickly smiled and backtracked.

“Qiuxiang misspoke, Aunt. I’m just angry with Sister Rongying for causing so much trouble for the family.”

Mu Guifei cast a skeptical glance at her niece from the secondary branch. She had already witnessed Mu Zhao Yi’s ambition and ruthlessness firsthand. Having spent many years in the inner palace, Mu Guifei knew the nature of jealousy well and suspected that Mu Zhao Yi’s eagerness to pursue this matter wasn’t solely out of concern for the Mu family.

“My mother will be visiting the palace tomorrow. Let’s inform the family elders and discuss the matter first.”

“Yes, Aunt.”

Mu Zhao Yi bowed her head sweetly in response to Mu Guifei, but inside, she was seething with resentment. Despite being from the same family, Mu Guifei never saw her as an equal. In fact, it was Mu Rongying, her cousin from the direct line, who was born to Mu Guifei’s elder brother. Naturally, Mu Guifei would be biased towards her direct niece.

Since the Emperor had returned from Huangjing City, the servants in the palace had been incredibly busy. The wedding ceremony for Princess An Le was approaching, and everyone knew how much the Emperor and Empress Dowager adored her. All the items for the ceremony were of the highest quality, and the servants dared not make any mistakes, fearing for their heads if anything went wrong.

Half a month before the wedding, Kang Wang and his secondary consort arrived in the capital. The older citizens of the capital still remembered Kang Wang when he was the elegant and gentle Eighth Prince, and many gathered to welcome him, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. They all wanted to see his current appearance with their own eyes. They wondered if he still retained the same handsome features from his youth.

Unfortunately, Kang Wang did not appear on horseback as they had hoped. Instead, he sat beside his consort, attending to her closely. Mu Rongying peeked through the curtain to view the atmosphere of the capital she had left so long ago. When Kang Wang saw her eyes filling with tears, he gently took her hand.

“Are you homesick?”

He asked softly. Mu Rongying nodded.

“Since leaving the capital, I haven’t paid my respects at my mother’s grave. I wonder if anyone still remembers her.”

“We’ve just arrived today. Rest for now, and I’ll take you there later,”

He replied tenderly, pulling her into his embrace. Mu Rongying nestled comfortably against his chest, feeling content. Since living together, she had realized what an extraordinary husband he was, and her heart overflowed with happiness.

Seeing his petite wife being so affectionate, Kang Wang’s heart melted. He felt even more determined to protect her from any harm. They would stay at Chong Dian Palace, the residence Kang Wang had lived in during his time as a prince. He had left to govern his own province since he was young, so he didn’t have his own Wang’s palace in the capital, unlike his other brothers.

“Life in the palace may not be as comfortable, but I’ve arranged for people to take good care of you, so don’t worry,”

He said as their carriage passed through the palace gates. Mu Rongying turned to look at him and spoke.

“Now that we’re back in the capital, I’m afraid someone might recognize my former status.”

“And if they do? You’re my consort. If anyone dares to offend you, I won’t let it slide. Besides, you’re pregnant now. You don’t need to attend any gatherings. Aside from my parents and close relatives, no one will have the chance to see you. If anyone dares to mistreat you, just tell me. Let’s see what I’ll do for you.”

Mu Rongying giggled at his stern face, and Kang Wang’s expression relaxed as well.

“You’re being too serious, Your Highness. No one has done anything yet,” she teased.

When they arrived at Chong Dian Palace, Kang Wang helped his beautiful consort inside to rest.

“I’m going to report to my father and then visit my mother. Having just returned to the capital, there are many people I need to meet. I may be busy for the next couple of days, but you should rest comfortably.”

Mu Rongying nodded in understanding. She was well aware of these customs. Over the next three days, there would likely be welcoming banquets held in honor of Kang Wang. Though she longed to visit Nie Shuang and the children, she knew she could not leave the palace without permission and would have to wait for the right opportunity.

The news of Kang Wang’s return for Princess An Le’s wedding quickly spread throughout the capital. Having left to govern Huangjing City for so long, some officials had almost forgotten about him. Now, they were reminded that he was a prince born of a first-tier consort, no less important than Rui Wang or Jun Wang. Word spread that the Emperor himself had granted permission for Kang Wang’s return, causing the officials’ attitudes toward the once-reclusive Kang Wang to shift noticeably. The Emperor’s intentions were always difficult to predict—could he have some plan in mind for Kang Wang?

The following night, officials invited to the welcoming banquet in Kang Wang’s honor brought an abundance of lavish gifts. Not only that, those who had daughters or nieces of marriageable age also brought them along. It was well-known that while Kang Wang had taken a secondary consort, the position of primary consort remained vacant. Naturally, this gave them hope.

From a distance, the young misses of noble families stole glances at Kang Wang. Upon seeing his refined, gentle demeanor and handsome appearance, their hearts fluttered. Not only was he of high status, but he was also handsome and looked like a noble scholar. How could they not dream of such a match? Especially with the primary consort’s position still unclaimed—after all, what chance did the daughter of a merchant, a mere secondary consort, have against them?

Kang Wang, however, was fully aware of the heated gazes from the officials and their female descendants. Throughout the banquet, he raised his cup in response to their toasts, but when someone subtly suggested he take another secondary consort to ease the burdens, he simply lifted the corner of his mouth slightly and replied,

“I don’t have many burdens. One wife is enough to manage. Besides, she’s an intelligent woman, and there’s nothing too difficult about running the household.”These words left the officials’ offers of their daughters caught in their throats. They could only stew in frustration, thinking, what’s so special about that secondary consort? In their minds, they longed to meet her just to prove that a woman from a merchant family could never measure up to a well-trained noble young miss.